Wednesday, November 30, 2011

My Baby

 No matter how big he gets, he will always be my baby - whether he likes it or not.  He knows when Im getting ready to leave. He clings on to me, or runs to get his shoes. I have left him more than I have left any of my other babies.
Momma guilt is tough. 
 But, despite my neglecting him :) He is happy! He is a smiling, dancing, laughing baby. He makes our days better as he has since the day he was born. 
Tonight will be the second night in a row that someone other than me puts him to sleep. Although it breaks my heart, I know that my mother, father, and his awesome daddy around him can only make him happier. 
So I guess I can live with that guilt.  

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Thanks

We have been talking about being thankful a lot lately. Of course it is the season, but I think there are other reasons too. I feel lucky that my kids aren't asking for a whole lot. In fact, they haven't even asked for their toys that are in storage. They have been content with what they have.

As I wrote that, I realized they are teaching me again. I was going to write a post about how I have been trying to teach them to be more thankful. About not worrying who has more or about what they don't have...but to be mindful of what they do have. Of course there are minor skirmishes about who has more candy or who gets to play with the big box, but on a whole they are satisfied, content, happy with what they have.

And I suppose that is the real lesson. One that I need to practice a bit more. There will always be things I don't have...and the list would be far too easy to write. But that would get me nowhere but wanting, unsatisfied, and frustrated. Instead I will look to my kids for inspiration in appreciating and making the best of what I do have. A leftover moving box? Limitless opportunity! Couch pillows? They can be rafts, cars, rocks to cross the river!

No home of my own? How about living with 2 people who adore your children, fold your laundry & make you dinner?!!

Of course like all challenging lessons, this is more easily said than done...but Ill keep practicing.

In so many ways - for their love, their laughter, their lessons - I am so very Thankful for my children.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Hero

Our friend is heading into the hospital today. He is giving his bone marrow to his brother. To save his brothers life. With a sibling having a less than 25% chance of being a viable match...he is a perfect match. 

We have always known he is a special kid. But now we think of him as a hero. As a brave, life changing, life saving hero

Good luck our friend! 

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Snapshots

 Happiness is contagious...
 Smiles are infectious...
 Kids are the best medicine! 

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Inspire

Who inspires you? 

It is easy to imagine how you might react or handle a situation that you have never lived through. You picture yourself strong facing adversity like a prize fighter. Or maybe you imagine yourself curled in the fetal position under a blanket hiding from the world. 

Hopefully you'll never know. 

This year I have looked at the faces of people I love who found out. They lived lessons that challenged every fiber in their body. They stood up, they held it together, they carried on. 

I was inspired and I still am. 


Monday, November 14, 2011

Wah Wah

Today was one of those days. 
The bookstore didn't have the train table that I promised. And I wouldn't buy the book he whined and cried for. (Im mean like that)
My Venti Green Tea Unsweetened (that I shouldn't be buying) spilled after my 4th sip. 
I missed the bus and my neighbor had to claim my children (again). 
No one liked lunch. 
The playground wasn't fun. 
The hike was too muddy. 
The glass on the beach was too sharp & I wouldn't let them collect it. 
The baby fell and has a huge bump on his forehead, just in time to meet the new pediatrician tomorrow. 
No one liked dinner. 

And those are the least of our worries. 

So what to do? 

The only thing I know how to do. Plan for a better day tomorrow and try to remember what I loved about today. 

I'd tell you, but the list would be too long....

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Back Road

Makes me want to take a back road, 
Makes me want to take the long way home.
Throw a little gravel in my travels, 
Makes me want to take the back roads...

Im a little embarrassed to admit, I've been listening to Country Music stations. Some songs I just can't take...but others are resonating with me in ways that Katy Perry and Lady Gaga just don't. This Back Road song is a perfect soundtrack as we wind our way through the roads painted perfectly with Fall New England splendor.  I do want to take the back roads, and not just for the foliage, but because Im rediscovering parts of my childhood that were long forgotten. The Y where we took swimming lessons, the tree farm where we trudged through fields to find the perfect tree, the house on the old road with plenty of pastures, a huge barn and the perfect tire swing - my dream home since as long as I can remember. 

There are songs about fishing with your daughter, reigniting your relationship, and planning your next 30 years that really get me thinking while Im driving. (and I only sometimes think about the singing cowboys with deep voices and tight jeans) They get me thinking about appreciating what I have and being thankful for my blessings. I think about how fast my kids are growing and how I need to slow down and soak them in. There are songs about being at the beach that I adore because they take me right to my happy place. What I haven't found in country music is too many songs that hold anger or have underlying messages and lyrics that my kids really shouldn't be exposed to -like we hear on other stations. 

Embarrassment aside....I may be becoming a Country Girl...at least on the back roads. 

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Hiking Part II

Im telling you, this hike was so great Im still reliving it ;) 
 Colby's 1st time in the back & it went well. He only pulled my hair and grabbed my earrings about 100 times. And I pretended I was in better shape than I am.  I also like this picture because my kids are getting better at taking pictures - our heads aren't cut off and it is in focus!! 
 What happens when I say, "strike a pose!" 
 They make me believe that every boy should have a brother. They are getting closer by the day. 
Determination. 
That's my girl. 

Monday, November 7, 2011

Wait Up

 As soon as we hit a trail, she's off. She scampers ahead racing down paths and climbing up rocks. I find myself yelling,
 "Wait up, Ella! Wait up!!"
She has become Ms. Independent, you see, with a fierce streak of competitiveness. It seems all traces of the shy baby who clung to me wherever we went has disappeared. 
And she isn't just racing ahead on the trails. She is in a big rush to grow up. My baby girl is infatuated with older kids, studying their moves, their expressions, and their tastes like an eager understudy. She mimics them all too well...
"Mom, I was like so scared."
 Her little attitude is more 13 year old than 5 year old and it is tough to take. If I hear 
"No, I wasn't!"
 one more time...
 Luckily she is still only 5. And with me all the time. We have cute little conversations and read animal stories at night. I still pick out her clothes and braid her hair. But I see what's coming and I have an idea of where we are heading. 
"Wait up, Ella!! Wait up!" 

Friday, November 4, 2011

Need

Sometimes I need them all to myself.  
I had the car packed when I picked them up from school - my tires may have squeeled as I pulled out of the parking lot. We pulled up to the bottom of the trail and chose a route going straight to the top. In three steps I knew this was exactly what I needed. I took over a hundred photos, because I knew that my own eyes and memory wouldn't do this day justice. And that a few pictures flipped through in the coming months and years could bring me right back.

Her braids.
The pine needle carpet.
His sticky fingers on my neck. 
The bubbly brook so cold on our fingers.
The way he warned me about the slippery rocks.
The yellows, oranges, and occasional reds. 
 How he sticks close to chat about school. 

When the days get crazy and filled up, I need to remember to steal my kids away. 
Sometimes all I need is them.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

New Adventures


Photobucket

Photobucket
We went adventuring a few weeks ago. An old friend invited us to one of their favorite places and it very quickly became one of our new favorites. The Heritage Museum is huge consisting of beautifully manicured grounds, art installations, a carousel, antique cars....and so much more that we haven't explored yet

We spent most of our time in the Hidden Hollow, why wouldn't we? Designed as a family exploration center we found larger than life instruments, an enormous tree house, a working well with sinks and buckets, a craft center, sand box, puppet theaters, dress up....and more! 

Stay tuned for more from the Heritage Museum...we will be adventuring there often!


Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Halloween Recap

 We love Halloween around here! Our family Halloween Motto is that it isn't a good Halloween unless you wear your costume at least 3 times :) We trick-or-treated at Stone Zoo, there were school parades, Parties at Nana Ruth's Residence, and of course Halloween itself. So, a good Halloween it was.
 Two T-Rex dinosaurs, a mommy Dragon and of course the baby Dragon. They were a good choice this year because I could stuff them all with extra warm layers! Colby was the star of course :) He figured out real quick how to walk up for candy give a little "ah, ah" grab the candy and put it in his bucket. No watching from the stroller for him!

There are always the pictures I don't take. Like my mother as a witch in full face make-up with fake teeth hiding in the bushes to terrorize the neighborhood! Like my dad hiding behind a dumpster on a long dark driveway to do the same (are you sensing a theme here?). Like Drew yelling "Trick or Treat for Unicef!" at every door and collecting loot for "children in other countries."
Today we will drop our candy off to add to packages being sent to troops. Because shouldn't everyone enjoy Halloween?!