More Bragging

DH just finished his two weeks of Annual Training with the Indiana National Guard. He is a helicopter pilot and today is Armed Services Day. This weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (Indy 500) the National Guard had their helicopters on display. We spent yesterday wandering around the track, watching qualifications and hanging out with the guys and their "birds." It was very nice to be walking around the Speedway with DH in his flightsuit and having people come up to him and thank him for his service to his country. People do support our troops! If they only knew he was also a firefighter too! DD calls him the "ultimate do-gooder!" and we are very proud that he is!

Part of our day yesterday was spent watching the qualifications runs for the Indy 500. Alex Barron qualified to start in the 9th row. Being up close and personal with these machines makes you really appreciate what it takes to run this race...220 miles an hour is amazing to watch!

On the knitting front, I struggled all week with some socks...I finished one, the second one came out nothing like the first so I ended up frogging them both...I've got some better sock yarn and a different pattern that I will be trying sometime soon...In the meantime, I relaxed and got rid of my sock frustration by working on the Lady Eleanor shawl I am making for myself!

Until next time!

Laura

Bragging Rights

Here's two out of the three kiddos....I promised a baseball picture from yesterday's game, but they lost and they didn't play that great and Eric was not in the mood to have his picture taken! So this is a picture from last year's season. My dad took this one. He's a much better photographer than I am, as you can tell. Eric's self-portrait is next to his baseball picture. He's a fun loving 14 year old and despite his hormonal moods he's a pretty great kid! He called a little bit ago and said "Mom, my homework's done, can I ride my bike up to Dairy Queen with Alex?" Oh, to be young and carefree like that again!!! I wish I could impress upon them how they need to cherish these moments and times in their lives...unfortunately, you don't realize how great being a kid is until you aren't anymore....

This is DS#2, Mark...he's got a personality just like his picture...sunny and fun. He's not in the least competitive so sports are not his thing...give him a book, a jigsaw puzzle, some Legos or a video game and he's a happy camper. He's very insightful and astonishes me sometimes with his wisdom...he's wise beyond his 13 years...

As Mother's Day approaches I realize that they aren't going to be around (at least living in the same house) very much longer. I'm sure the next five years are going to fly by and all my kiddos will be gone. Having one in college hasn't been that hard to adjust to, probably because she is good about calling and e-mailing and there are still two at home...the next one will be harder and the third will be harder still...so despite the trials and tribulations of adolescence I deal with on a daily basis, my kids are wonderful human beings and I'm very proud of all three of them.

Amazing...nothing about knitting in this one!

Progress!

I've been splitting my knitting time every day. I work on Mother's Day gifts for awhile, then I do a repeat on brother's aran and then I do a tier on the Lady Eleanor. I feel like I have a lot going on but it also feels like I'm stuck...I'm not seeing lots of progress on any one thing! I do love the way the Noro knits up into lovely rectangles!

My DH is gone for two weeks (active training with the National Guard)...It's been a long time since I've been a single parent and I'm not looking forward to it. He's usually home after school so homework is done and dinner's on the stove when I get home from work. The next two weeks it's up to me...and I have to cook! The boys aren't thrilled at that prospect either! I will definitely have to knit a few rows in the evening to save my sanity! Can you tell I'm feeling sorry for myself? Everyone keeps saying "Won't it be nice to have a break?" It's not a break! Not only will I miss him, but he does so much around the house (unlike a lot of husbands, I guess) and the boys and I depend on him for so much that it will be a busy two weeks for me. I have to do a much better job of planning out the day to make sure that everything gets done!

DS#1 has a baseball game tonight and the weather is beautiful. I'm going to try to get some good pictures at the game and hopefully will have pictures plus news of a win to post tomorrow!