Goodbyes, A Double Celebration and Upcoming Arrival….
I must admit that this month has been very eventful.
We said goodbye to my father-in-law….
Who waged a courageous battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), which took his life 11 months after he was diagnosed.
A week later, it was time to celebrate a huge milestone in two lives…..
Dean loved his first taste of cake.
My twin nephews turned 1 year old.
Danny liked the frosting of his Cookie Monster cupcake the best.
We celebrated their birthday at my house and it was so fun to see the boys enjoy their cupcakes and play with their gifts.
The very next day, it was time to celebrate my daughter and son-in-law’s baby shower.
But beforehand, I needed to finish the baby sweater I had been working on.
This was my first sweater that I made. Overall, I think it turned out well, but I learned a very important lesson when knitting a pattern.
*Don’t knit when you are stressed or distracted.*
I had started the sweater in August and brought it with me to the hospital when my father-in-law was hospitalized. I also took it with me when he was transferred to hospice. As a result, I started the sweater 4 separate times due to simple mistakes.
So, I learned to work on it at home and got the buttons sewed on the night before the baby shower 🙂
Now that the sweater was finished, I was ready to enjoy the baby shower, which was being held at Double S Farms where my mother, sister and her family reside.
We all enjoyed a delicious brunch.
Just a few of the gifts waiting to be opened. (Notice my mother’s cheese grater collection?)
Some of the men spent time outdoors discussing who knows what? (From left to right, the future grandfather, my brother-in-law, my cousin and my husband-the other future grandfather.)
That’s me on the left with my daughter. It seems like yesterday, when I was expecting her 🙂
The best part…..opening gifts! My nephew, Finley is on hand to offer any help opening presents if they need him 😉
Such a cute quilt made by the grandmother (the other one 🙂
She loved the sweater! I must admit that I need a break from knitting for awhile 😉
I couldn’t resist taking this picture…. It may just pop up in the future when he is older and easily embarrassed 😉
Favors for guests. Guess what they are?
Thank you so much for letting me share with you our eventful September.
It is a bit overwhelming to suffer grief and joy in such a small period of time. But they are both part of life. I must admit that I prefer the joyful periods though 😉
Noelle Johnson, aka, 'AZ Plant Lady' is a author, horticulturist, and landscape consultant who helps people learn how to create, grow, and maintain beautiful desert gardens that thrive in a hot, dry climate. She does this through her consulting services, her online class Desert Gardening 101, and her monthly membership club, Through the Garden Gate. As she likes to tell desert-dwellers, "Gardening in the desert isn't hard, but it is different."
Thankyou for sharing with us, what an amazing extended family you have, it looks like all who are a part must feel very special & loved, which is so important during difficult times.
What an eventful month. I've always thought that knitting takes concentration and am impressed that you were able to get the sweater done during this month. It's just lovely.
Noelle, I'm sorry about the loss of your father-in-law. Your upcoming addition to the family though will be a wonderful blessing. I learned the same knitting lesson as you many years ago. I actually found that the chair I sat in affected my knitting tension. As such, I now always sit in the same chair, relaxed, when I knit, otherwise it tends to show up in the knitting as snug rows! I think your sweater turned out lovely though. Next maybe try knitting a few cables…it's not as difficult as it looks, I promise! 😉
A tear one moment; a laugh the next. I love family, but it is difficult saying good bye to the ones we love. Your family looks like a great bunch of people. I look forward to spending time with mine own in December. Family is everything. Hope your gearing up for fall:)
Sometimes the emotional roller coaster of life does make us queasy. Focus on the happy and fun times ahead. Everyone photo here has a ton of emotions attached to them. Enjoyed them very much.
That's the thing about sad events – they make all the rest of life so sweet. I'm sorry for your loss and celebrate with you in your joys.