-cherishing-

I didn't intend to take such a long break from blogging.  Life just seemed to happen.  Things like hand, foot, mouth disease(yes, we the parents got this even though supposedly this is a childhood disease.  My feet were SO itchy!), surgery, vacation, home projects, homeschool planning, and this sinus infection that I am still fighting.  Sewing has been very hit and miss over the past six weeks.  I did become obsessed with Anna's Wide Mouthed Zipper Pouches though.  Love this tutorial, and that she has three different sizes.  The top one is the small, and the two on the bottom are the medium. 

My husband and I ran a Color Me Rad 5K at the end of June.  It was a lot of fun even if it was stinking hot at 8:30 in the morning.  At different points during the race they would throw or spray a color at you.  The kids' eyes almost bugged out of their heads when we came home.  My next goal is a 10K by Thanksgiving! 

This girl lost her first two teeth.  Here she is trying to pull out the first one with a hairband?  It turned out to be a rather traumatic affair with a visit to the dentist, her fainting, and dropping the two teeth when she fainted. However, a visit from the Tooth Fairy made it all grand, and the first thing she shows any other kid is the big hole she has at the bottom of her mouth. 

 We spent a week at the beach.  It was a much needed and lovely time.

We spent a day at the Santa Barbara Zoo, which a really lovely little zoo- complete with cardboard sliding hill, train, and dinosaur show. 

I also got to meet up with Chicken Julie.  We have had each other as partners in different swaps.  I made her this mug rug, and she made me this awesome makeup pouch.

We met up at Super Buzzy, which really is super- full of all sorts of Japanese crafty goodness.  So hard to shop in a store when you just want to take the whole store home with you. 

The girls had swim lessons and Vacation Bible School.

Here is a month of Sammy.  Having a little baby around has made me reflect again on how fast it all goes by.  She is already four months!  She is grabbing her feet, trying to roll, and smiles at all the ceiling fans. 

Having a baby also means I have been struggling with getting my "to do" list done, and I have often been grumpy and out of sorts.  I keep thinking that I need to catch up, and I start to feel like I am drowning. 

So, I take a breath.  Say a prayer.

I look at the sweet faces before me.

Play the Game of Life with them. 

(My girls love this game.  They love getting a job, a husband, a house, and filling their cars up with kids.)

I took this girl and her sister swimming last night.  Felicity has been struggling with her confidence in the pool.  We were practicing swimming very short distances.  Her little face started glowing with happiness as she realized she was swimming. 

I told her how proud I was of her. 

She turned to me and asked, "You are just so glad you have a daughter like me?" 

Heart. stop.

These four children of mine are my heart and my life- the best gift I have ever received.  I want them to know that and to feel it as well. 

So, I ignore my list of sewing projects I would like to get done (and all the other "to dos" floating in my head) and focus on the essentials.

I will find the time to sew again soon.