a hat for every boy

On September 24 (the Saturday of the Reading Festival - the topic of tomorrow's post!), I checked the 10-day weather forecast and discovered it would only be in the 50's and 60's the following weekend. I decided everyone needed a hat and began knitting furiously. Only the little boys' hats were finished in time; Dan's hat is still on its way. These are the first 3 hats I've ever made. I started with my firstborn and worked down from there.

Henry loves his hat and wears it at every opportunity. It made this mama very happy to see him grab it out of his backpack when heading out to the playground with his preschool class last week.

Jude wears his hat because Henry wears a hat. For Jude, everything Henry does must be done as immediately and as often as possible.

Felix prefers holding his hat to wearing it. He also figured out that I want him to wear it, so he teases me by pulling it off and laughing boisterously at me. I need to add some ear flaps and ties.

I am also thrilled to report that the sweater and booties I knit for him last spring still fit!

{catching up} birthday celebrations

My birthday celebration lasted for a few days - first, the day of:

{birthday dinner - simple, just family - the way I like it}

{sunset}

 On Friday morning, the little boys and I were tasked with the job of getting all the food for the "Harvest Party" we were throwing Friday night.

{the fountain across from Whole Foods}

Turns out Dan cleverly disguised this "Harvest Party" as a birthday celebration for me. He is an amazing husband, and also an incredible party planner. It was a wonderful gathering of friends, with plenty of time for talking and making music together.

{best birthday cake ever...probably better than my wedding cake as well.}

 It was perfect weather so we were able to hold most of the party outside. I just love the lanterns.

The next day was the H Street Festival. The boys and I headed down to check out the festivities. I picked up my favorite Festival Fare: the bratwurst on a bun from Biergarten Haus. You can get it on their happy hour menu anytime, but it's never so good as it is on the day of the H Street Festival.

{very serious

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{sampling an apple from the farmer's market. it took him an hour, but he consumed the entire thing.}

{this moment}

Have I really not posted since my birthday three weeks ago?! Life has been full here, folks! There is so much to share - hopefully I can find time soon to do so, but for now, I leave you with this:

Joining SouleMama for this Friday tradition - a moment I want to pause, savor, and remember.

thirty

I'm thiry years old today, and feeling a bit reflective.

Some things I've done well in the past 10 years:
-giving birth to and caring for three amazing, healthy boys (though I know I could always be more patient!)
-teaching children with autism, and now managing my own practice for kids with social and communication needs
-dealing with some extremely difficult and painful situations with my family

I must confess that something I've not done as well at is caring for my husband and treating him the way he deserves to be treated. In the mix of children, work, and everything else, my relationship with him often falls to the wayside. I am starting today at trying to rectify this, and I hope that in 10, 20, and 30 years from now, I can report that I am doing much better at this.

I also hope to continue to be a more creative, imaginative, and resourceful person, and pass this on to my children and those around me.

overnight adventures

Last night, I got to do something I didn't dare put on The List, because I thought it couldn't happen: camping with Henry!

Over the summer, I signed Henry up for this wonderful program at Hard Bargain Farm. It meets once a month on Mondays during the school year (designed for homeschooled children), but the first and last meeting of the year include an optional "overnight adventure." I very much wanted to do this, but couldn't figure out how to make it work with the rest of the family. Finally on Sunday, I told Dan that's all I wanted for my birthday, and he agreed we would figure it out. It took until 10 pm that night for all the details to come together, but we did it!

I brought all three boys to the farm for the morning. Jude, Felix and I had fun exploring while Henry participated in the program. I left Henry there under the care of another very kind parent while I took the little ones home and settled them down for their naps. A friend came over to stay with them until Dan got home from work, and I headed back to the farm with all of our "camping" gear!

{Henry and some other early risers eagerly helped prepare breakfast}

{playing with sticks...what else do boys do outside?}

{learning about pollinators}

It was such a treat to spend that time with just Henry. It allowed me to observe him more than I'm ever able when I have all three, and I enjoyed seeing the way he made friends, interacted with the other kids, took initiative to be the first to sign up on the chores list, etc. I even had time for some kitting while the kids told stories around the campfire.

This morning we visited the Children's Garden and helped milk the cows:

{observing a monarch caterpillar}

{Farmer Anne instructing the kids how to pick green beans}

It was hard for both of us to leave! We look forward to the next session in October.

{this moment}

Joining SouleMama for this Friday tradition. Terrible photo quality here, but definitely a moment I want to pause, savor, and remember! Please leave a link to your "moment" in the comments below.

the house next door

Some of you know about the "issues" we've had with our landlord over the past year. We finally (very reluctantly on my part) decided it would be best to move. Coincidentally, the house directly next door to us was just coming up for rent - identical layout but in much better shape, a kind and attentive landlord, lower rent - good all around.

We got the "ok" to start moving things over today, which we did, and will be doing until Monday when we have to be out of this house. Then we have a trial regarding our current landlord on Wednesday. I doubt I'll have time to blog during all this - see you on the other side!