Annika's Photo of the Week - 38

Annika - 38 Weeks

Almost every little kid I know seems to love remotes; Annika is no exception.  If she sees a remote she always tries to reach for it.  Maybe its the fact that she knows she's not supposed to have it, or maybe all the buttons just catch her eye.

We went on a short road trip this past weekend to visit a couple of friends in Iowa.  It was great to see them and Annika was a real trooper for the four hour car ride each way.  I am excited for a week off of work due to spring break.  And even more excited that it is actually feeling like spring around here despite spring still being seven days away.

Annika's Photo of the Week - 37

Annika - 37 Weeks

Annika still hasn't figured out how to crawl forward yet; she does crawl backward and is content in doing so. By pivoting, crawling backward and rolling she tries to get where she wants to go.  Lately she seems to love to back up under the couch.  Luckily our couch is low enough that her whole body can't fit underneath. I am also glad that she is still content sitting in one spot and playing for a good length of time.  She has also had a lot of fun playing with her new toy cars that I found at a thrift store for $1.49.  There is a second smaller one that velcros on the back of the "mama car."  I think  there must have been three cars originally but only two sat on the shelf at the store.  They remind me of the cars from the movie Cars.

New Hobby

Early this winter I decided to pick up a new hobby.  I had been impressed with the wonderful homemade hats and blankets people had made for Annika.  I had tried knitting in the past and never seemed to be able to pick it up; so I decided to try crocheting. 

I started with a couple of scarves, hats and headbands, but the past couple of weeks I have been working on a larger project...

A small shrug to keep me warm around the house or when I'm out and about.

I will admit that I am not a "good" crocheter as I do not follow patterns well.  The pattern I was sort of following can be found here. Its a much longer/larger shrug and I was looking for something a bit shorter.  I guess I crochet like I cook.  I take a look at the recipe, glance at it once or twice and then go from there.  I just keep working with it till it tastes right or in this case looks like.  The first video I watched to learn how to crochet told me over and over again how important it was to count stitches and to check your gauge, etc. and while I know this is important for the product to come out just like the pattern....I tend to follow a motto that hangs above my hallway...

Then again, crocheting by this motto has left me taking out lots and lots of stitches and unraveling entire hats that weren't quite the right size.