Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Time with Scarlett
I spent last weekend at Cathy and Sasha's house and enjoyed some days with Scarlett. We went to the park, went out for lunch, and did a little shopping together. Scarlett is lots of fun and a very easy child. Mostly she can play by herself, especially with her toy animals. She walks everywhere carrying as many toy animals in her hands as possible. At the park she is very cautious about trying new things. I don't have to worry too much that she will try something risky. She loves books and spends a lot of time either listening to stories read to her or else turning the pages and saying the story to herself.




Above you can see her walking around in my shoes, pretty big footsteps to fill!




Next you can see Scarlett playing at the park.




The last two pictures show Scarlett with her favorite things, animals and books.

Monday, August 20, 2007

The Baby Surprise Sweater for Scarlett

I just finished this sweater for Scarlett and presented it to her this weekend. I used cotton yarns, Fantasy Naturale and Cotton Ease, starting with a random skein of the Fantasy Naturale and then added white and orange Cotton Ease plus orange buttons. Using size 9 needles resulted in a very stretchy fabric so it should fit her for a long time to come. This is a very fun pattern to make and I've probably made 6 or 8 versions of it in the last couple of years. Hopefully it will be useful for the cool autumn days coming soon.

Monday, August 13, 2007


At three months of age, Matthew is already a city baby. He is comfortable on the tops of skyscrapers and inside subway tunnels. It is just another day for him to make an appearance on the Today Show. He knows how to navigate crowds with ease; in fact, he can even catch a nice nap right in the middle of it all. What can be next after you've already mastered the Big Apple?













More adventures of Matthew and the City can be seen here.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

My Garden BountyOur weather in Michigan has been unpredictable. Several weeks brought day after day of hot humid weather with little or no rain. Everything was drying up. Finally the rains came this week. In some locations in our state there was too much rain (ask Steve and Marta!) But it was great for my garden. Every day I'm picking tomatoes, zucchini, green beans, cucumbers, Japanese eggplant, and green peppers. Above you can see just what I harvested this morning. I have been freezing green beans and tomato sauce to enjoy in the coming fall and winter months. There is nothing more delicious than a fresh picked tomato from my garden, still warm from the sun, split open, lightly salted, and eaten from the hand like an apple.
Scarlett
Here are some recent pictures of Scarlett who was 2 years old in April. Now her hair is getting a little longer and she's looking more like a little girl and less like a baby. Scarlett loves animals and books. Her mother tells me that she enjoys several books before sleeping at night and also throughout the day. The rest of the time she's playing with her animal toys.

Wednesday, August 08, 2007


Gabriel's Weekend Fun

Saturday morning Tony and I took Gabriel to a nearby park while his parents were shopping. Near our house is a perfect small park for a three year old (and his grandparents) to enjoy. All the play equipment is safe, exciting, and fun so Gabriel can do whatever he wants while his grandfather and I enjoy watching him.


































Saturday evening we enjoyed cooking making (and eating!)
















Gabriel also enjoys active play with Steve and Coco.

Wednesday, August 01, 2007


A Visit with Matthew
We just spent a weekend at Tom and Kelly's lake house near Eldred, New York enjoying a quiet weekend and spending time with our new grandson, Matthew. Above you can see the lake view from the deck of the house. Even though it is just two hours from Manhattan, the lake house is so quiet you can barely hear the sounds of civilization. Cell phones don't work. A big box store is 45 minutes away. A car's engine can barely be heard. This is the perfect spot for Tom and Kelly to reinvigorate after spending weekdays in one of the world's busiest cities.
Little Matthew at 2.5 months, is just beginning to learn all about his life. He is a very good baby and we had a delightful visit. Now he is sleeping longer at night (maybe 7 hours!) so his parents are not quite as tired as they were at first. He can smile and communicates very well with his eyes. You can tell when he thinks you're entertaining and funny. When we make cooing sounds at him, he can respond with his own coo. He is very interested in everything around him and curious. One of the highlights of his day is his bath, which Tom usually gives him. He has wide open eyes when he listens to a story. I am very happy to be his grandmother.