Bear the craftsman

Below, in the previous post, is a picture of Bear's craft table at his first craft show at the local library. He worked all summer making God's eyes, paper crane ornaments, and most importantly...light sabers. Bear made $7. Good job my son! I was very proud of him. Most impressively, i think was his marketing genius, it was his idea to give away free balloons at his booth, he was pumped every time a balloon "sold". This was last Monday, aug.4, when he was only 6. So young...

Happy Birthday, Bear!!

You're 7!!!

Seven years ago you were born on an island in the Atlantic, 7 miles off the East Coast -the only baby in the hospital. I was 23 and mom was 19. It has been a real adventure and we love you and are proud of you.

Juneau update

5 1/2 weeks to go...

Godspeed to You, Taits!

Here they go, on their way to the booming economic lion of Michigan. Welcome aboard, Steve and Linsey! Take your time picking out a house. Then pick out five or six more; after all, they're free.

Camilla Engman

I was doing some googling and found this chick's flickr account and have been addicted to it ever since. Ends up she's some famous artist...who knew? (link to flickr account on right)

Warning....way more bragging

Now i will brag about the newfound space next to my bed...where a box full of jewelry used to be. I made a ton of jewelry back in the day and have been stepping over it when climbing in to bed ever since, until Mama Nelson found me an outlet in Mackinaw at the local soap factory. I am posting to announce that after three short weeks, the 100+ peices of jewelry that i used to trip over every night are almost sold out!!!! Thanks mom!

After 23 years....finally some progress

So, when i was three years old, my grandma taught me how to crochet, and i have been doing the same stitch ever since, but lately i have decided to put my stubbornness aside and learn something new. I now know how to follow crochet patterns, how to make amigurumi, and how to tapestry crochet...yes, i am bragging, big time. It's not often i learn something new, i have to play this thing up! first hat using tapestry crochet

amigurumi

T-Ball

The Delta Township T-Ball season is over. And it was hilarious. Bear's coach, Coach Jeff, thinks he is a T-Ball All-Star. Below is an unfortunate clip where Bear hit a frozen rope into the face of some poor kid standing at the pitcher's mound. He got a big bloody lip, but was ok. Bear was pretty concerned about it.

What's next?? Flag football, as inspired by Bear's comrades, Spencer and Lucas.

A new Stitch

Danielle learned a great new chrochet method where she can have lots of colors at once and choose which one to pop out and show on top. Now she has tons of sweet patterns that she can make. Here is a new hat that she made for me today. Willow got the chance to try it out first while I was at work...

Like Some Kind of White Dandelion

Probably a year ago I told Bear about how my hair used to stick straight up (asthma medication -really. Pretty strange side effect, but believe me -it was real.) so that I had pretty much a white afro and that sometimes even grown ups would comment about it.

"Young man, you look like you stuck your finger in a light socket."

Which is true, but when you are four, you are unimpressed with their powers of perception and instead cry under your bed later. But I have always thought that it helped me in specific ways.

Anyways I don't remember why I had told Bear about it back then -he probably saw a picture or something. But yesterday he came up to me and asked about it again. And his face was all red in some combination of shyness and anger; blinking hard. Then he said...
"When they were making fun of you, I wish that they were making fun of me instead."

I have always thought that kind of thing was a pretty good definition of love. Thanks, Bear.