That is Alexander in his birthday sweater, blowing out the candles on his birthday cupcakes. He turned eight on October 8th, and I still remember the morning he was born so much it is hard to believe he is the big boy I see each day.

I don't have a clear shot of Alexander in Joe, so this photo will have to do for now, I'll post his school picture for a better view later. Just for fun, here is a picture of Amira eating pizza at the party as well. His birthday party was the day before his birthday, and also the day that Jerome finally succeeded in rolling over. It scared him so much that he hasn't done it again.



Eight Amazing Things About Alexander

1. He remembered the Greek Festival from the year before and asked that we go there to celebrate his birthday as a family this year. (He remembered the honey soaked doughnuts and the dancing the most.)

2. He eats more than I do, and possibly more than his father!

3. He encourages everyone around him.

4. He is a gentle older brother, and the only one who can hold the baby.



5. He is a reader extraordinaire, and is learning all sorts of things because of that.

6. He wants to do everything that his mother and father do around our home, and is working to learn how to do our jobs.

7. He is teaching his younger siblings responsibility around the home.

8. He loves knitting!

We didn't ever pull our camera out at the Greek Festival (how many almost eight year olds want to do that for their birthday?), but there was a photographer there who took our pictures and approached Rich to get our email so he could send them to us. Unfortunately, none of them were of Alexander, or the other kids. Just us and Jerome. Here are a couple, though.



Jerome looking up at Rich.



Rich and I with Jerome watching the dancers.

On to knitting. Aside from finishing Joe, I've made a baby sweater for a friend who is having a baby soon. I tried to get an artsy shot, but it didn't really work, as you can see.



This is a picture of it on our duct tape colored carpet.



This past Saturday, we found out that my anesthesiologist, who, along with his wife, is a friend of ours, just adopted a daughter. They got there ten minutes before she was born, and are thrilled to pieces. So, I cast on another baby sweater, the more refined design of the one posted above, for them. I will post the pattern to the free pattern site as soon as I finish this one, it's too easy, and anyone can do it in a couple days. I knit slowly and have five children distracting me, so I'm sure all of you out there can finish it faster than I can.

Since I haven't posted pictures of the kids in a while, here is a shot of Dominic, Amira and Elijah at a harvest fair at one of our local farms. We went there right after Alexander's birthday party.



Oh! And Elijah is the only one who has gotten Jerome to laugh. Only once, on the second of October, but I at least was there to hear it. I do have a couple of pictures of Jerome smiling, though. One of them in a pair of socks I knit out of clearance Regia sock yarn for Amira.



And another in the bath just the other night.



That's all for now. I have a couple other posts in me, and hope I will get to them soon.

Labels: Birthday