abstract splotcHes

Mmm... Pizza.

2012-01-04T19:27:00.002-05:00

We are a pizza family. We always have been; Brian and I even went out to pizza often when we first started dating. In fact it became such a regular occurrence that one day we decided we might as well apply for a job at a local pizza restaurant. We both worked as cooks and servers together during our senior year in high school and again during college breaks. Oh, those late nights, closing the restaurant! One might think we would have managed to get tired of pizza after all that. (Free pizzas were a common perk of the job.) On the contrary, while we quickly tired of the awful grease smell that lingered in our cars from the aprons we would bring home to wash, we never did tire of eating pizza.

When Thomas was born Brian had to take two jobs, so he worked as a manager at a local pizza place for a while, and even then we relied on that free pizza from time to time. Thomas became an early fan, and as picky an eater as he still is, pizza is one of the few foods he has always liked, though he did go through some spells where he didn't want the cheese, and he still will usually only eat it with pepperoni. As a matter of fact, he's pretty particular about all the details, BUT if you get those details right, he will eat and eat and eat...

For a long time we've been making our own homemade pizza, usually with store-bought dough or crust, and it has always been good, but I recently tried a new recipe for homemade dough. It wasn't bad, and the boys loved it, so we decided to do it again. Brian did the grocery shopping that particular week, and he called me from the grocery store to clarify which type of yeast I wanted. Little did I know that there was such a thing as "pizza yeast." Of course we had to try it... It was fantastic! It didn't require any extra time to rise, and it didn't bounce back when stretched. The recipe on the back of the package was great. The boys couldn't get enough of it... I was sold!

We had it again tonight, and it was SO good. Usually my favorite pizza recipe is different; I like white pizza, so I have been known to drizzle some olive oil over the crust and then sprinkle on some crushed garlic. After that I like to add mozzarella and ricotta cheeses, finely chopped fresh spinach, and diced fresh tomatoes. If we have cooked chicken I will add a little of that too. YUM. Tonight I went with what we happened to have on hand. I made a large cheese/pepperoni pizza for the boys, and Brian and I shared a smaller pizza. On my half I used regular tomato pizza sauce (not homemade - store brand, actually, all natural), mozzarella, meatballs, fresh tomato, and jalapenos. It was delicious! (Brian had the same but with pepperoni.)

My tummy is happy.

When is our next pizza night again?

2012-01-03T10:03:00.000-05:00

I've been wanting to share so many fun things with you but also trying to wait until I could get all of my December photos in order, and that's taking a while now that I have my first kindle. Yes, my husband is a sweetheart and gave me my top choice, the Kindle Fire, for Christmas. I don't deserve him! Anyway, I love it, and I've been spending a lot of time on it. In fact, I was going to use it to share this post with you, but I had some troubles using blogger within Amazon Silk (Amazon's own browser, which I otherwise love, for the most part).

I downloaded this song a day or two ago and have been listening to it while playing with my new toy. I just love it; it's no secret that I'm a big fan of JJ Heller, but I only recently discovered my love for this particular song. It so beautifully describes that wonderful love I came to know when I became a mother. It's so simple and so true, and I can't help but share. (If there is already music playing, scroll down to the music player at the bottom of the page and pause playback.)

When I hold you

in my arms, Love

Something changes

It's the strangest feeling

The things that used to matter

They don't matter to me

When I see you

And you're smiling

How my heart aches

So full it is about to break

You make me believe in love

I could never count all the ways

That you change me, Baby

Every day the sky is a deeper shade of blue

When I'm with you

When I hear you, and you're crying

It resonates, Dear

In a place I didn't know was there

You make me believe in love

I could never count all the ways

That you change me, Baby

Every day the sky is a deeper shade of blue

When I'm with you

Beautiful Baby

You're sweeter than strawberry pie

Just like the morning

Your smile brings the sunshine

I could never count all the ways

That you change me, Baby

Every day the sky is a deeper shade of blue

When I'm with you

I could never count all the ways

That you change me, Baby

Every day the sky is a deeper shade of blue

When I'm with you

- When I'm With You by JJ Heller

♥

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-30T12:01:00.004-05:00

I somehow ran out of Christmas cards this year, so I hope those of you who didn't receive one will accept this in its place; you were not forgotten! I hope your Christmas was a very blessed one. I know ours was; I will share photos and details soon. Much love to you this Christmas and always.

"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his Kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with Judgment and with Justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perfom this" -Isaiah 9:6-7

T-H-O-M-A-S

2011-12-08T12:14:00.006-05:00

I guess all that reading has paid off; Thomas participated in the school spelling bee today, after succeeding through the first two rounds of competition and making it to the top of his class last week. Today's spelling bee was for fourth and fifth graders only (Thomas is in the fourth grade), but the winners will go on to compete with sixth, seventh, and eighth graders as well, and ultimately for a chance to win a trip to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC.

Thomas didn't make it past today's competition, but he did very well, making it through several rounds of words before misspelling "apron." He was one of 12 qualifying participants in today's spelling bee, out of a possible 111. I figure he'll be in a good position to try again next year. Way to go, Thomas!

Look who's 2!

2011-12-07T16:13:00.006-05:00

Not to be lost amidst all the other happenings last month, my baby celebrated his second birthday. Plans changed a bit, so it was a quiet one at home with just us, but Logan sure had a blast, nonetheless.

Among my favorite memories have to be when he opened one of his presents from Grandma. He had been doing quite well with his potty training, and he and Gabe both love Toy Story (hence the shirt and toy pictured; he had just received both from Nana the day before), so she bought him some Toy Story underwear. He, however, had not yet tried underwear and didn't really get it. He opened up the present and was SO excited to see Buzz and Woody. He handed it to me and asked me to open it and read it. I chuckled and opened it, pulling out the underwear, and he looked at me with this sudden look of disappointment, as if to say, "Oh." Then he went for the next present. LOL. All was not lost, however. The next day we talked about it some more, and he once again became excited. He just didn't know quite what it was when he opened that package!

Happy Birthday, Little Buddy. I love you.

Current favorites: the toys from the Playmobil advent calendar, light-up musical Christmas tree with train, any book he can get his hands on, all the games on Gabe's shelf (Caribou, Candy Land, and many more), lego-style blocks (or anything that fits together, really), coloring, running EVERYWHERE, singing Jingle Bells, playing with the kitchen toys (especially with Gabe) bagels with cream cheese, fresh peppers, tomatoes, yogurt, apples, milk, and puzzles, for starters... Definitely puzzles. (He's disturbingly good at them.)

Oh yes, and for the record, he still pulls on/plays with his ears they way other children suck their thumbs. While he's doing it he makes little clicking sounds with his tongue, especially when he's tired. It's kind of cute. :)

This November

2011-12-06T08:58:00.013-05:00

It's true what they say; time really does seem to go by so much faster with each passing year. I feel as if I was just posting about Halloween, yet here I am, and it's December. The tree is up, the first seven windows of our advent calendars have been opened, and I've started a small collection of Christmas cards on the kitchen counter. What happened to November? Actually, a lot. Maybe that's why it passed so quickly.

The most memorable event was yet another death in the family; my grandfather passed away just a couple of days before Logan's second birthday. As sad as it was to say goodbye, his passing was in a beautiful way, and while I couldn't be there with him in the hospital, I will be forever grateful for family who could and who shared with me what beautiful events passed during that time. Without going into detail, I just have to say that the Lord was with him, and with my entire family, helping all of us/them/him through the difficult time that it was/is, and I want to thank those of you who prayed for us. Your prayers were heard and answered, without a doubt.

We made a couple of trips to New Hampshire after it happened, first to spend some time with family, namely my father, and then again for the funeral, and I just have to say: Andy (my brother), you are amazing. -Andy has been an associate pastor at his church for a little while now, but living as far apart as we do, I have not been up to hear him preach. I knew he would be a natural, but it was still special to hear him deliver the service in such a personal, loving way. The Lord sure was with him through what had to be a very difficult job; not only was Andy leading the service for his own grandfather, but it was his first time leading any funeral service. I like to think God knew it would be a challenge but one that would strengthen and guide my awesome big brother onward in his journey to becoming a pastor. In any case, it was wonderful, memorable, personal... It really couldn't have been done any better.

I was blessed to be given the opportunity to create a slideshow for the reception, and oh, how I enjoyed looking back through the pages of Grandpa's life. When I was little I typically only saw him once or twice a year, as he lived a few hours away, and I cherished those few moments with him, even then. I typically saw him on joyous occasions like holidays and weddings, so combined with my knowledge that it was special to see him in the first place, I always really looked forward to seeing him again, and I always held a certain fondness for him. I do always remember him smiling and keeping things light.

In the year leading up to this past November I happened to see Grandpa much more, and I couldn't be more thankful for that. It all really started last Thanksgiving when we were blessed with his presence in our home. I was so appreciative not only for my time with him, but for the memories he gave our boys; it was a very special, warm, happy Thanksgiving that was intended to be repeated this year. I may have felt a tear or two well up when I mentioned him in my words of thanks before our meal this year, but I hoped he would know it was only in honor of those happy memories.

I think I'll share the slideshow with you here; most of you reading have probably already seen it anyway, but if you're like me, you might like to see Grandpa's loving face again. You'll catch a glimpse into one of my personal favorite memories with one particular photo; my father had taken a drive down to visit, and I had tagged along, as I tended to do on road trips and visits. While I was young enough then that I don't remember every detail now, I do clearly remember coming away from it with that feeling of happiness and contentedness that follows a really nice day. The photo shows me in my bright pink jacket in the front, with my father and grandfather just behind me. We were enjoying a pleasant afternoon walk.

There is sound. To disable the blog background music, scroll to the bottom of this page, where you'll find the music player; click to pause.

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Thanks be to God for Grandpa, for the happy times, and for the incredible legacy he left behind.

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T12:52:00.026-04:00

I thought about making up a rhyme in the style of Dr. Seuss for today's post, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Instead I think I'll just take you on a simple photo journey through the day.

First, the Cat in the Hat, all ready for school:

It was late, but I threw the Thing 1 and Thing 2 costumes on as quickly as I could, sans hat and mittens for Thing 2, and grabbed a super quick, albeit blurry, early morning picture.

It was a beautiful day for the outdoor costume parade at Thomas' school. Unfortunately it was also very cold, and we spent quite some time outside, waiting for the parade to start. Even with all the Thing 1 and Thing 2 jumping, running, and playing, we were getting pretty chilly and were ready to pick up Thomas and bring him home as soon as the parade was through.

Thankfully it was only a half day at school because we still had some very last-minute pumpkin carving to do.

After some cleanup and a quick trip out to deliver a pie, it was time for more pictures. Logan didn't want to wear the hat at first. Nor the mittens. He was not a happy camper.

:(

...So we ran around the yard for a while and tried to get used to it. He left it on but still wasn't too sure...

...until it was time to bring out the pumpkins.

Then he started to get pretty excited, and when we went to visit our neighbor and she gave him a lollipop, he was just bubbling over with happiness. "Look Mommy! There's pop in mine punkin Mommy! Look!" All three of them were a pretty big hit, and from that point on instead of wanting his hat off Logan would only tell me if it needed to be fixed.

By the time we returned it was dark enough to light the jack-o-lanterns and grab one more picture for the memory books.

I really liked the one Thomas made. He designed and carved the face 100% on his own. I carved... a pumpkin... in my... pumpkin... because, well, when I asked Gabe what he wanted me to carve in his pumpkin, he said... a pumpkin.

Last but not least, we were in for another treat when some friends surprised us with a visit and joined us, along with our neighbors, for free cider and donuts from the fire department. I didn't get any pictures since they came after dark this year and I had my hands full, but it was pretty great. (Can you ever go wrong with apple cider and cider donuts?)

All in all, it was a pretty nice and really fun day, and by the end, I was beat! I hope you managed to have a little fun too. :)

October at a Glance

2011-10-29T10:50:00.015-04:00

I realize October is not over yet, but here is a quick look at what we've been up to this month so far. ...Well, semi-quick. Clearly I still take a gazillion pictures as these honestly are just a small sample; I took many more and had a very hard time choosing which ones to post here... I hope I haven't posted so many that you have trouble getting them to load!

(Click on any photo to enlarge. ...Except the first two. Blogger evidently doesn't like those... ;)

My Little Fiber World

2011-10-28T14:48:00.008-04:00

Just when I might think my crafting cannot grow any more it seems to, and the great thing about crafting is that there is always more to explore and more to learn. Today I learned how to use iron on adhesive, and with some materials left over, I am anxious to do it again--but more on that later.

This year I've managed to make a number of things. There is a group on Ravelry called "111 in 2011." I joined some time around Easter as I was cranking out the projects right about then and thought I might have a chance. However, for several months after that I really didn't make much of anything, and now my chances of completing 111 projects before January are pretty slim. (The group's idea is that any craft can count, but I really wanted to focus on knit and crochet - and limit those still, to projects that I both started and finished this year.)

That said, I was curious, so I started making a list of all the things I had made this year, and I counted them up. I later realized that I had left a few things out and added more, so that list is now gone, but when Brian found it before and started reading it aloud, I just started laughing. I guess you had to be there. It went something like this, though the following is the updated version:

1 shoulder bag
1 seal
1 alligator
1 giraffe
1 walrus
1 monkey
3+ baby washcloths (probably several more)
3 headbands
1 clutch
1 card sock/phone thingie
1 owl
1 dragon
1 scrubbie
~~1 potholder~~ (frogged; yarn re-purposed)
7+ newborn hats
1 preemie hat
3 eggs
1 bunny
1 bear
3 butterflies
3 coasters
1 ladybug
1 sheep
1 Yoda
1 Wicket
1 cupcake
3 gnome babies
2 lace dishcloths
1 pair of socks
1 pair of fingerless mitts
2 Halloween hats
____________

50ish knit/crochet projects both started and completed in 2011 so far

Not included in the above:
1 pair of slippers (started in 2010, finished in 2011)
2 shawls (one done but not blocked and another in progress)
1 baby afghan (in progress/hibernating)
1 slouchy hat (frogged after I ran out of yarn just a few yards short of finishing - but I'd rather use that yarn for something else anyway)

...I still have a long way to go. That said, I can turn into a very busy bee when I see Christmas approaching, and that time is now. On the other hand, I've chosen some much bigger projects this year than are common for me, so it probably won't happen in 2011. Still, the basket of handmade goodies is overflowing, and I love it. Of course, most of them are gifts, so I can start all over again in 2012 if I like. All of the hats and washcloths, plus some things I made earlier, are for a charity organization, but I want to make enough to fill a nice-sized box before making the trip over with donations. I'm really looking forward to that, and I will explain why on another day.

If you want to see pictures of some of the things I have made both this year and in years past (you won't find everything, but there's plenty there), you can check out my Ravelry projects page. Also, I planned to share the cupcake pattern here but have somehow misplaced my notes. If I ever find them, you'll be the first to know!

Fiber Fest

2011-09-27T11:02:00.006-04:00

For at least a couple of years I have known of the existence of fiber festivals, namely Rhinebeck. (To me it is not a town. It is a fiber festival.) I've slowly come to learn a bit more about these festivals and finally made my way over to the Southern Adirondack Fiber Festival with my boys on Saturday. Even though I went with an essentially non-existent budget, it was pretty cool. It only cost $4 total to get in with a coupon, and as if it wasn't enough to drool over all the barns full of yarn, fiber, spindles, and such, there were enough activities to keep the boys happy too (museum, caboose, animals, sheep dog demo, etc.).

Now I can't help but look ahead to making a tradition of finding and attending as many fiber festivals as I can reasonably manage (probably 1-2 per year, depending on the year). I think, too, that even though it's not in the budget this year, Rhinebeck might just be a necessity in 2012. Hopefully I can save up a little cash the next time around; I just can't find that much variety in one store - at least, not anywhere near where I live, and I hate to pay shipping, so... If I plan well enough, I can surely buy a year's worth of fiber goodies there, at good prices, and not have to scramble to find something locally, as the need arises, throughout the year. (I don't really buy that much yarn each year anyway; at least not comparatively to so many others who share the same love for fiber.)

Or maybe I'm dreaming, but that's okay too, right?

I was wrong.

2011-09-17T15:50:00.013-04:00

I do have peppers, and they look great!

I have ten jalapenos now plus several more starting, and they look fantastic. There are about five or six cayenne peppers at this point, and there may be more of those on the way as well. I think I lost some of those (actually, some of each, but especially those) to the wind and rain when they were just flowers. My sweet bell peppers aren't looking quite as promising; I have only three tiny peppers starting now, but they took forever to germinate, so I'm not giving up yet. They may just have to stay inside for a while...

This makes all the disappointment with my other gardening failures 110% worth it. (Yes, I'm ridiculously excited about these peppers!) I still haven't decided what to do with them, but if I manage to pickle some of them, I will be doubly excited, and I'll look forward to trying again next year. ♥

P.S. I definitely saw a woodchuck in the backyard today. He may have been disappointed to see that I have no outdoor crops for now...

Reflecting is good.

2011-08-17T22:22:00.003-04:00

And what a great way blogging is to do that. I was just thinking about what I said the other day regarding Thomas' stuffed animals and remembered this post. Find and reading it made me smile. I need to get back into a regular posting habit again so that I can remember some of these things as time goes on; I had totally forgotten about Mittens' "party hat" (hair net)!

Gabe has become very attached to his animals too. They've taken over his bed. It's really high time to get him a net to put them in, or he'll be sleeping on the floor before we know it!

I have lots of pictures to share but need to sort through and edit them, so I think I'll do that now... Hopefully I'll have more photo posts within the next couple of days. :)

When he can't sleep, I can't sleep.

2011-08-15T22:51:00.008-04:00

Poor Thomas just can't seem to catch a break. Between his history with his ear, his asthma, his ADHD, and now his allergies, he always seems to be having trouble somehow.

You probably already know that he finally had allergy testing done a couple of weeks ago, and several allergies were confirmed. Most of them weren't any real surprise, but unfortunately the worst of them all was dust mites, and we now know that he has a pretty severe allergy to them. In fact the doctor was excited by the results, calling them "off the charts" if I remember correctly via Brian's report; I wasn't there. Basically though, where a reaction measurement of 3 or greater marked a confirmed allergy, his reactions to two different types of dust mites were 8 and 20. -His other positive reactions were at or around 3-5.

Since dust mites live in all homes without exception, we have our work cut out for us. There is a long list of things that one can do to try to reduce the number of dust mites in his room, where his symptoms appear nightly, but we will never be able to get rid of them completely. It's also going to take some time. For example, I still haven't figured out exactly how to handle his stuffed animals; he LOVES them. He has been a good sport about removing them from the bed, but I don't know that he could be rid of them altogether; I'm not generally terribly sentimental about too many things, but even I can't ignore that there are a lot of really special memories tied up in a good number of them. I have to figure out how best to try and clean the ones that will be kept and then find some place to put them, away from his bed. ...It doesn't help that money is tight (and that's putting it lightly) right now either, as he also needs both a new mattress and two new pillows, along with all the appropriate covers (he does have some now but they don't appear to be good enough), which are pricey.

What scares me most, though, are the types of symptoms he exhibits; any symptoms would be troublesome, for sure, but he complains of things like trouble breathing, his throat getting tight, and his heart racing... He sounds okay, but he sounded okay when he complained leading up to his first severe asthma attack too, at age 5,and that one sent us to the ER in a panic at 4:30 AM when he was gasping for air, barely able to talk... He ultimately needed several steroid injections, nebulizer treatments, plenty of albuterol via his first inhaler, a serious course of Prednisone, and follow-up treatment with his primary care doctor.

All that said, he was having the same breathing issues prior to his visit with the allergist, so I never know when it is an emergency. I have this ongoing fear that one day it will be an emergency and I won't have known it until too late, and this is that point where, as a parent, I struggle. I have learned the hard way that when Thomas says something is bothering him but it seems as though he is fine and is maybe just having some anxiety or possibly exaggerating some, he must be taken seriously. Even his teachers in first grade used to shrug off his complaints, thinking he was really fine, but then we would find ourselves back at the doctor's with yet another course of Prednisone in the works. Remember, too, that this is the child who had a cholesteatoma that was almost missed; usually there is either trauma or there are persistent ear infections leading up to such a diagnosis, yet he never complained. Ever since he was an infant and the nurse practically scolded me for not knowing that he had an ear infection when I brought him in for a check-up even though he showed absolutely no symptoms (she knew only when she looked in his ear), I have wondered at how many times he could have had infections and no one would have known. Therefore I take his complaints seriously; I have to.

And so, I finally get to my point; when he can't sleep, neither can I. So here I am. Thankfully, blogging has taken enough time that he has finally drifted off and seems to be finally sleeping like a baby. My eyes are heavy, so off I go as well.

...Tomorrow I'll be washing the sheets and curtains again - and trying to figure out what else I can do to help.

Peppers and Things

2011-08-15T15:33:00.008-04:00

My gardening prospects have not turned out so well. All of my potted plants (strawberries, green beans, spinach, +) in the backyard were destroyed by animals before even having a chance to really get started. I decided to wait on transplanting my tomatoes and peppers after that, but I waited too long, and the tomatoes wilted. The peppers (sweet bell, jalapeno, and cayenne), however, are doing great, as I put them in large pots on the front steps, but since I waited so long to transplant them, I would not be surprised if they were to succumb to a frost before bearing fruit. For now, though, they look great, and I am happy.

(You can sort of see them behind Gabe, who I think looks pretty darn cute, shucking corn on the front steps in this picture... )

Even though I did not have the success I had hoped for with my other vegetables, I am holding on to some hope for the peppers and remain encouraged to just plant a few things in planters each year from now on.

I did also have *ahem* rather limited success with one other plant out back; we have ONE marigold. They boys and I planted them ALL OVER the flower garden, in between the hostas and other mysterious flowers, but those that weren't dug up as seeds were quickly over-taken by weeds. Brian's mother generously weeded the garden while she was here a week ago, and she kindly saved our lonely prize.

On another happy note, I do believe one of my four mums has come back. As you may recall, last autumn I bought them for one dollar each and planted them out front. For that price I will try re-planting the other three this fall. Who knows? Maybe next year I'll have two!

Some projects take time.

2011-08-15T13:49:00.005-04:00

This one is taking lots of it.

It has, um, a few squares. Teeny, tiny, little squares. I am sewing them together using an invisible seam. Did I mention it has lots of squares? Teeny tiny little ones? With lots of little ends?

The baby shower has come and gone, but I'm not giving up. It might be for a grandchild, but I'll get there. (What? I can plan ahead twenty years or so.)

...Yeah.

New Tricks

2011-08-15T11:23:00.004-04:00

Thanks to a good friend who one day seemingly randomly just decided to teach me how to dye fiber a couple of months ago (while she was hobbling around with a sprained ankle, I might add) and sent me home with a nice little braid of blue-green wool, I now know how to dye fiber. Or at least, I am capable of doing it. ...I mean, well, sort of. Because I did. Once. It came out NOTHING like I planned, but hey, I did it!

I don't have any good pictures of the spun blue-green effort just yet, but here's a little look at what I made on my own...

My undyed wool:

Spread in a baking pan and absorbing some food colors in my oven:

Dry, braided, and ready to bring to New Hampshire:
(It was a birthday present for my sister, who had not previously tried spinning; I also made her a very simple, inexpensive spindle... )

I kept a small portion just so that I could see how it would spin up:

There's only a teeny bit of fiber left, so now I just have to figure out how to ply and come up with a good project that doesn't require much yarn.

I wonder what it will become.

Control

2011-08-11T13:45:00.006-04:00

Ever since I started listening to K-Love radio just after Christmas and heard JJ Heller's song, "What Love Really Means," I haven't been able to get enough of her voice, and as a fan of her facebook page, I have to say that I really like how real and down-to-earth she seems. Today I found myself navigating to her website for the first time and stumbled across this little video. It got me thinking; I am always a big proponent of control, seeking to teach Thomas self control when his ADHD symptoms sky-rocket (not that it is a bad thing but... ) and stressing over control of my house (keeping it in order) and my children (I often feel I am too tough on them, and am more uptight than I ever thought I would be)... I needed a good reminder that I am not the one in control in the first place. God is in control, and I need to step back and remember what's important and let Him lead me; I pray for guidance daily and seek to do His work, yet I think I've been looking past His focal point for me. At the very least, it's time to stop pulling on these strings and remember from whose hands they are suspended. ...So thanks, JJ. I needed this. God is totally working through you!

(Great) Grandma

2011-08-09T20:56:00.011-04:00

Yikes! It's been almost three months since I posted! What is happening to me?? Actually, some good things and some bad things are happening to me, but I'm taking it all in stride for now. When it comes to writing though, my thoughts tend build up while I am driving or out at a special event -- and some times on a rare solo excursion. Of course I have all the words when I am nowhere near a computer. Then I sit down, and they are gone.

As I know I've touched on before, it's especially hard to come up with words for the difficult times, like the passing of a loved one, which really halted my efforts this June. Brian's grandmother passed away just before her 90th birthday, and even though I only saw her here and there, through the years, she was one of those rare treasures of a person whose kindness wrapped up all those around her with a sort of comfort reminiscent of childhood dependence on unconditional love and tender care, and I loved her. She reminded me of my own great grandmother the very first time I met her, roughly fourteen years ago, and I always thought of her as my own.

Brian and I tried to make regular trips to visit her when we were still living in New Hampshire and yearly visits after we moved to New York. It didn't take long for me to see that Brian's family all loved her in a unique way as well, and that they, too, held their memories with her in a very special place. I watched Thomas climb on her infamous climbing tree in the backyard, slept upstairs in the super hot finished attic, and joined her for some late night ice cream on more than one occasion. I even played baseball in her backyard with Brian, his dad, and Thomas, when I was pregnant with Gabe. My favorite part of our visits, however, was just enjoying her company. As I grow older I often feel there are fewer and fewer people with whom I can connect the way I felt we did when we chatted, and time spent with her was good therapy. Some day I hope I can be like her, providing the warmth and comfort that she did, to my own family as it grows.

Yes, it was hard seeing her empty house up for sale after she finally had to make the move into her assisted living facility, and I know she missed the way things once were, but she was ready too. I used to give her a hard time when she would mutter something about hopefully not being around that much longer, but I remember now that as hard as it always is to say goodbye, it was her time, and I don't doubt that she is enjoying all the glory of the kingdom of heaven as I type.

Knowing that we will never have another excuse to visit her in that cute little cape in Pawtucket, however; that home filled with love and years of family memories, that local park with the carousel, the restaurant where we watched Brian's youngest sister, Lauren, sample her first lobster, munching on the best fish & chips ever in her cozy little kitchen, all those trips and never leaving without a tub of chicken salad from Willow Tree Farm (for good reason, I might note)... all because of her... Those things will all be a little harder to swallow, but I am thankful for a chance to share in a slice of her time here with us. I'm grateful for every moment I spent at her house and for knowing someone like her; genuine, real, with a heart of gold... and that Thomas got to experience some of her love too (Gabe and Logan a little too, but Thomas spent the most time with her). I think I can speak for the whole family when I say she will be dearly missed, but also that we will treasure our memories of her, with her, in a life-touching way, as long as we live, ourselves.

Thanks, Grandma.

Logan

2011-05-16T22:05:00.017-04:00

Logan doesn't usually fight bed time at all. Whether it's because he likes climbing the stairs, turning on the night light, or what, I don't know, but it starts with brushing his teeth. As soon as I mention it he says, "Bruh!" (brush) and runs toward the bathroom. He doesn't leave until he has requested his cup ("Puck!") of water. Then he runs around saying a very quick, "Na, nie" (night, night) to all and heads straight for the stairs, provided he has already been changed; otherwise he will yell, "Dee-da!" (diaper) first. He'll even run to the far end of the room, once upstairs, and lay right down on the floor in preparation for his diaper. Granted, whether or not he will agree to actually getting in the crib varies from night to night; he loves running around on the carpeted floor upstairs, and he doesn't like to give up the opportunity to enjoy such an activity, though often once in my arms he will lean toward the crib and say, "Down." Some times that means he wants to get all the way down, but often it means he is ready for bed.

Tonight he wasn't so keen on running up to bed. I usually brush his teeth, but this time Brian and I switched some of our usual duties, and when he was all done I came prepared to usher Sweet Mr. Logan to bed. He had other ideas, immediately shaking his head and saying, "No." I squatted down and held my arms out, asking for hugs, and he came toward me, put his forehead to my lips so that I could kiss him, ran directly into the living room, saying "Dowch" (couch), and climbed right on up. I wonder if he thought it was me who would go to bed and he who would stay up late with Daddy.

Of course I scooped him up anyway, but I let him flip the light switch on the way up, and he quickly gave up his fight. Now, I typically stay with him until he falls asleep, but I don't hold him or lay with him. Some times though, to encourage that it really is time to lay down and sleep, I will lay down next to the crib. Lately I have been giving him my hand. --At nap time today he said "grace" and then "hand" because he wanted to hold my hand like he does when we say grace together at the table. Is that not just the cutest? Well tonight he needed some help pulling down his pant legs, so accordingly he said, "Pants!" After helping him with both legs a few times since he kept hiking them back up, I told him it was time to lay down and go to sleep now, so he said, "Okay," and lay down on his tummy. How long he will remain so cooperative I don't know, but for now he amazes me in this way! Anyway, once he was down and holding my hand again, and he had kicked his feet against the mattress for a while as he does when he is almost out, I was pretty sure he was just about asleep. Then I sneezed. It was not a small sneeze. He opened his eyes wide, and said "Oessyou!" which means, "bless you," of course. He sat up straight and practiced saying "bless you" for a while before ultimately settling back down for the night.

No, I don't think he could get any sweeter. He'll often even refrain from getting angry when Gabe gets angry with him for taking a toy that he didn't know Gabe wanted. Gabe will still be getting upset when Logan will look back at Gabe as if nothing ever happened, hand him the toy, and say, "Hee-ah," which means, "here." Tonight Tom brought out an old toy from his room. It has lots of toddler-sized round pegs that can be stuck into holes in a board or stacked inside one another. All three of them were playing with them. There was a bit of arguing about who needed more or what color, and Logan had his fair share, so I said to Thomas, "Logan is usually pretty agreeable. If you ask him for whatever you need, he will probably just give it to you," and Thomas replied with a very surprised, "Oh! Really?" He then stopped trying to reason with Gabe and asked Logan, and sure enough Logan handed over the toy.

I realize this may not last very long, but I'm eating it up right now! Don't get me wrong; he and Gabe do quarrel over toys from time to time, and I know that Logan is likely to grow more possessive in time, but one thing I have learned only through the incredible experience of motherhood is that a child's personality is not 100% experience based. There is clearly an element of individual wiring in each of my boys, and I love that. It gives me new things to love about each one. Logan's personality, so far, has been very easy going and happy. Sure, he gets into trouble, but afterward he's often ready with a great big hug, and he gives great hugs. He can also be eager for crazy excitement and join in with the wild antics of his two favorite brothers, and like other toddlers, he isn't a particular fan of staying in one place, but I think he also takes comfort in the company of his big brothers, and it shows. Have I mentioned how much I love him? ...How much I love all of them? Well... I do. :)

Hot Tea and Handspun

2011-05-06T09:27:00.012-04:00

I'm sitting here with a large cup of tea (decaf), and I have to stop typing every couple of words to pick up my mug and warm my hands. I feel like I probably shouldn't be holding it until it cools down some or I might burn myself, but I can't stop! I guess that's what you get when you have had a cold spring week with no heat in the house. That's right. Our boiler has a gaping hole in it and needs to be replaced. We are thankful that it didn't happen any earlier, but this week has been cold for spring, and so, now, are we. The next few days are supposed to be sunny and warm, so we hope to be in the clear until fall, at which point we like to think we will have figured out some way to pay for a new heater. Joy.

I think I was just starting to get used to the cold air though. I have always said I prefer cold temperatures to super hot ones. (But no, growing up in the sticks, so to say, did not prepare me. We had a wood stove, and those who have had a wood stove can surely tell you that when that fire gets roaring, the house gets super toasty and warm; almost too warm.) It was 54 degrees inside when I woke up, but that was actually three degrees colder than it was yesterday, and I think I have tolerated it slightly better so far, minus the monster headache I woke up with this morning. (Logan, putting his face up to mine: "Mommy! Mommy! Hi." Me: "EEhhhhh." When I finally did open my eyes he got all excited, turned to Brian, and said, "Daddy! Daddy! It's Mommy! MOMMMYY!!" Then he put his face up to mine again, and I had no choice but to give him a happy-as-I-could "hi." No, I'm not much of a morning person to begin with, but having cute kids who wake up with grins and giggles - and in Logan's case, super cuddly hugs, sure does help!)

Next week we have some major work being done on the house (hence the waiting-until-fall to replace the boiler). The price tag is alarming at best, but I can't wait until it is done, which might seem odd when you find out what will happen; basically we are having our basement waterproofed. In the process we are having new windows put in as well as a sump pump, high quality dehumidifier, and the whole place cleaned and then walls sealed, amongst other things. Ultimately we aren't finishing anything down there. In fact, some of the interior walls will have to come down in the process, but I am looking forward to 1) the peace of mind that comes with knowing that we will no longer have any mold or water in our basement and 2) just having the whole thing cleaned. We were told that there wouldn't be a cobweb to be found - not even on the ceiling. We will try to re-organize when we move all our storage back down there, and I will look forward to a cleaner basement and one that is safer for the boys. I hope to let Gabe and Logan ride their little bikes down there, like I did in my house when I was growing up, and maybe I won't be so grossed out when I go down to tackle the laundry!

We definitely found ourselves in over our heads this year with expenses, and in hind-sight, we should have waited to replace our TV. What's done is done though, and we'll just have to work our way through it...

I do have lots of things to keep myself - and the boys - busy in the meantime. Gardening is something we all (except Brian, maybe) enjoy, and you know I have my own list of hobbies for entertainment. In fact, I just added a new one.

Do you remember when I wrote of saving up for a kindle? Well, one day I decided I really needed to use all those points to buy some new curtains, so the kindle would just have to wait. It wasn't a healthy obsession anyway (though I'm not saying I wouldn't still love one). I went ahead and ordered some curtains from amazon.com, but in person they really looked nothing like I expected. I thought they were hideous. I asked Thomas if he liked them, as he needs new curtains for his room too, but he hated them also. Oh well. When I sent them back I opted to use the credit to purchase a drop spindle that I had added to my wishlist ages before, and some roving to go along with it.

I played with it several times over the course of a month or so, but it wasn't until this week that I finally managed to spin my own length of yarn. Thanks to my very generous friend, Stephanie, who turned me on to spinning in the first place and brought over a larger bag of roving one day, plus alerted me to an incredible deal on this video (it was temporarily marked down to ten cents - no joke), I now officially have my very own homespun. I am sure I made countless mistakes, it's horribly uneven, and I just basically still have so much to learn, but I am so excited because I enjoyed it anyway, and I can't wait to practice some more. How cool is it to make one's own yarn? To some of you, maybe very "un." To me, it's "very." :) I sense a new addiction in my immediate future.

Hopefully soon I will have a project to share. I'm going to try using my first homespun to knit up a small toy sheep or two. Then I will be back to spinning, I suspect. Of course, this has been a hiccup in my charity project, so I need to balance my time well enough to keep up with that too, and I really need to take an extra chunk of time to catch up on my Old Testament readings. Today, though, the sun beckons, so before anything else, I'll be taking Gabe and Logan out back for some play time and maybe a little gardening.

How about you?

"This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." -Psalm 118:24

Garden Update

2011-05-03T15:53:00.006-04:00

The sweet peppers are in the far corner. For some reason they took in five out of ten pots, all in the same row. They were some of the slowest to germinate, but now they are doing better than some of the other plants in my little tray. The tall ones in the middle, clearly my best crop so far, are jalapeños, and hiding between the sweet peppers and jalapeños are a few spinach sprouts. They started to grow quickly, but half of them have withered already. I wonder if maybe it was too hot a week or two ago, but I really don't know what happened to them. There are a couple that are still growing healthily right now, but I am hesitant to assume that they won't suffer the same fate... To this side of the jalapeños are a few short cayenne pepper plants. Those also took a while to germinate, and a couple are still just starting to sprout. They are hard to see in the photo, but I think there are five right now. The spindly plants on the end are heirloom tomatoes.

I have no update on the strawberries yet. I bought the plants in a bag, in the same way that one might buy bulbs. There was nothing green on them at the time, which concerned me, but that was how they were sold, so I figured I would give it a try. They've been sitting in a small pot behind the garage for a week or two now.

I keep going back and forth about where to plant the vegetables outside. The tiered garden has three hostas that need to be moved, and there will be quite a bit of work involved in getting the garden ready. It is already littered with weeds, some of them stemming from super thick, super deep roots and coming straight up through the landscaping fabric. Part of me still wants to use it after I figure out how to attack the weeds and then the soil.... Another part of me wants to just create a raised garden bed (or 2), but that's not in my budget.

If any of you reading are local and have any extra landscaping bricks or stones - or some ply wood laying around, I would love to make a trade... Maybe for some harvest, provided I find any success(?) I do bake, knit, and crochet, too. *wink, wink* At some point I will (hopefully) need some kind of tomato stakes or trellises too.

The pumpkin, zucchini, and green bean seeds are anxiously waiting to be planted too. I was going to start them outside, but I might just have to make some newspaper pots for those green beans pretty soon.

What did you plant in your first vegetable garden? How did you make out? I would love to hear about it. ♥

Oh yes, and I have realized that if I am going to continue to garden each year I am definitely going to need to start making compost...

Vintage Flower Coasters - Free Pattern

2011-04-27T21:33:00.031-04:00

Earlier today I decided I wanted to use some leftover cotton thread, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to make. Somehow I found myself perusing crochet coaster patterns on Ravelry, but when I went to view one I had finally settled on, the link failed. Then I remembered that I have been wanting to share a simple free pattern here on my blog for some time. Thus, these simple coasters were born:

Vintage Flower Coasters

Materials:

3.25 mm (D) crochet hook

Red Heart Fashion Crochet Thread (Size 3)*

Scissors

Tapestry needle

*WalMart currently sells Red Heart Fashion Crochet Thread for approximately $2.00 per spool. I chose "Bridal White" which is actually more of a cream color. I estimate that you can expect to make at least 4 coasters from one spool. (I made two after already having completed a small teddy bear. There still appears to be sufficient thread remaining for a third coaster.)

Finished Size:

4 1/4 inches in diameter

Abbreviations:

ch = chain

sc = single crochet

dc = double crochet

sl st = slip stitch

st = stitch

The number of stitches you should have at the end of each round is given in parentheses.

Directions:

---> To begin, ch 2.

Round 1: 10 sc in 2nd ch from hook. Join with sl st to 1st sc of round. (10)

Round 2: ch 3 (counts as 1st dc). dc in 1st stitch. 2 dc in each remaining stitch around. Join with sl st. (20)

Round 3: ch 4. [Skip next dc, sc in following dc, ch 3] around. Join with sl st to first ch of round. (40)

Round 4: ch 2 (counts as 1st sc). 4 sc in 1st ch space, ch 1. [5 sc in next ch space, ch 1] around. Join with sl st. (60)

Round 5: ch 3 (counts as 1st dc). dc in 1st st and in each st around. Join with sl st. (60)

Round 6: ch 2 (counts as 1st sc). sc in 1st st and in each st around. Join with sl st. (60)

Round 7: ch 3 (counts as 1st dc). 4 dc in 1st st. ch 1. Skip next 2 st. (5 dc in next st, ch 1, skip next 2 st) around. Join with sl st. (120)

Finishing:

Cut thread and fasten off. Weave in ends. Lay coaster flat and smooth over with hand. It should settle flat and stay that way, particularly after it has been laying flat for a short time. (I did not need to block mine.)

Please note:

This pattern is for your non-commercial personal use only. Please do not copy any material within the pattern nor within any of my blogs. Thank you.

...That's it! If you have any questions or find any errors, please let me know. I hope you will share photos of your finished projects! (This pattern link can be found here on Ravelry.)

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T13:56:00.007-04:00

The boys loved their Easter baskets, giggled through the egg hunt, filled their plates and tummies at the church breakfast, and came back from Junior Church with big smiles.

Brian made a wonderful roast dinner, and we ended our night with an impromptu devotional about Jesus and the resurrection. (I love that about Thomas' book. He is still reading his book of 365 Bible Stories and regularly asking some pretty great questions.)

Brian and I stayed up until 1:00 watching The Passion of the Christ. (Important to see but hard to watch.)

I couldn't have asked for a better Easter, but I wouldn't have had any of it if it wasn't for.... well, for His amazing love.

Hoppy Easter

2011-04-21T13:58:00.009-04:00

Would you believe this little bunny started from a single square swatch? I know her feet are a bit... unusual... but the design is still pretty ingenious, in my opinion. Details can be found here.

We have yet to dye eggs, and I have it on good authority that the Easter bunny is way behind this year. However, we were given a large bundle of palms on Sunday.

Thomas balanced a couple on top of the cross he had just made and hung on his wall, but there were still many left, so I started youtubing. Before I knew it, I was making crosses. Lots of them. They started out full-sized and worked their way down. This one fell somewhere in the middle, size-wise:

I found them strangely addicting and only stopped at 35. Thomas also learned how and made a few of his own, and Gabe made one with help.

Both have been really enjoying Junior Church lately. It was an instant hit with Thomas, who has learned so much since November, but up until a month or two ago, Gabe wanted nothing to do with going upstairs (and leaving our sides), so it's great to see him get so excited. He looks forward to his crafts and activities and even told one of the other ladies at church on Sunday that he likes going upstairs.

Logan still sits with us, but he's usually pretty happy if we bring some stickers along. He can occasionally get loud, however, out of excitement, pointing to things and saying what they are, like his nose, which he calls "NO!" Granted, the congregation gets a good laugh in every now and then, when he happens to chime in at just the right time.

Last night Brian had loaded up the iTunes store and was listening to samples of some popular Christian songs, and Logan heard one of the songs we sing at church. He grinned and started dancing, moving side to side like I do when I hold him during worship. He went over to Brian to listen and dance some more, and every time the music stopped he stopped, anxious for another song. Then he would go back and forth between us saying, "Dance!" and holding our hands, stepping from side to side, smiling because we were too, thinking it was just the cutest.

Have I mentioned how incredibly blessed I feel?

Starting to Get It

2011-04-20T15:09:00.012-04:00

Gardening is something I have always wanted to do but pushed aside for a while because I really didn't have the time, space, or money to do much, and I didn't know the first thing about it anyway. As soon as we moved into our house I started dreaming but had no idea where to start. Some times I would think I could do better if I could afford to make a raised bed garden with even rows, or if I lived closer to my family so that we could work together in our gardens, or if my grandfather were here to give me pointers...

I still find the whole idea pretty overwhelming. In this way I think I can relate to Thomas' particular ADHD trait that makes it difficult to figure out how to look past the endless list of questions ahead of me and pick some place to start. I feel this way about lots of things and attribute it to why I tended to procrastinate so much in school; sure, I was lazy, but inside I also wanted everything to be perfect, I didn't want to leave anything out, and I just never knew where to start in order to achieve all that. I still have so many unanswered questions and concerns, as well as fear of failure, mostly because of the money involved, even though I intend to keep expenses to a minimum. However, I've done a little research, and even though that scares me even more, I decided that this year I just couldn't wait any longer. The truth is that I've been handed lots of advice, and if I don't try, I may never learn. I expect to make lots of mistakes, but I have to at least know that I tried.

When I say I'm starting to get it, I don't mean I am even beginning to understand all the ins and outs of gardening, but I now see the draw. I "get" a little of why it is such a popular hobby and how growing a garden is so much more than the work involved, and I can no longer ignore tips on TV or a continuous stream of gardening videos on youtube. It's the joy of watching the miracle of a tiny seed starting to sprout. It's the dream of a great harvest and sharing that harvest with friends. It's working with your hands and getting dirty outside. It's worrying about pests, weeds, disease, light, water, sun, soil... It's learning new methods and sharing all of these things with others. -I'm sure this is only the beginning. After all, all I have right now is a little plastic indoor greenhouse with some sprouts and a garden that still isn't ready for plants. (That part scares me the most.)

Thankfully, though, some of those seeds that I planted just 9 days ago did manage to grow a little bit, plus Thomas has grown very interested in gardening too. No matter what happens, I am excited - and at least a little hopeful. I haven't seen any signs of cayenne or sweet peppers yet, but my tomatoes, spinach, and jalapeños have sprouted, and after thinking about it, I decided I had to have some strawberries, so I used my $10 WalMart reward site gift card yesterday to bring home a container, some organic potting soil, and some strawberries. Planting them today and then looking outside and worrying that maybe I shouldn't have left them out there, in the wind - and wondering what might happen if it rained continuously and they became over-watered - made me feel almost like those seeds had become like little babies to me. Okay, so I'm a little crazy, but it's true.

Have you ever felt this way about your plants? Do you think I'll find any success, or am I too much of a worrier? I'll try to post regular photos of progress, provided there is such a thing... Here's hoping for at least one good crop, come summer!

A Favorite Song

2011-04-12T20:17:00.009-04:00

My Little Fiber World

2011-04-12T15:01:00.012-04:00

As I sit and knit a sweet little white bunny rabbit for spring, I am reminded that I have not posted about my creations in quite some time. There have been many. Between last month and this month alone, I have made 23 new things and started 2 more. I've finally shipped out a few things that were promised long ago too. (You know who you are!) One of you (you probably don't know who you are, though you might be reading) can expect a package soon also, but yours is not quite done yet.

If you are interested to see what I've been making, you can check out my Ravelry Projects page. As a sneak peek, I'll share with you a little photo I took this morning.

A very nice Ravelry friend inspired them. When Logan sees one he reaches out and asks for it, saying, "Ball!" Then he throws it across the room and forgets about it until someone else picks it up again. I love that use for these!

Prior to all the small projects I've been working on of late, I had also made a couple of projects for two special friends whom I hold dear to my heart. I've been wanting to share them here, though I'm not sure if I'm so fond of them for what they are or for the time I enjoyed thinking of their recipients while I made them.

The first is another Hooded Jacket from Simply Baby by Debbie Bliss. (You might recall the original, which I made well before Gabe was born.)

I love the way it knits up, and the first held up well for Gabe and Logan, so I hope this one will too.

The other is a simple little hat using a really cool yarn that I happened upon by accident one time while shopping at Jo-Ann's. This particular buy reminds me that an impulse buy, when it comes to yarn, is not always such a bad thing!

That is sweet baby Clara and her mom, Caitlin. Caitlin and I grew up as friends in a great little New Hampshire town (the best), and she is one of the sweetest people I know. I extend my gratitude to her for letting me use her photo. Aren't they a stunning pair? You can see more here.

More recently, I have been working on a collection of baby items for a local pregnancy center--and having a lot of fun doing so. I still have a lot to make, though, before I will be ready to make a trip over with my basket of goodies, so I will continue making hats, booties, and other small things, for a while. I hope the new mothers will appreciate them. I find myself thinking of these women often, even though I don't know anything, really, about them, except that they are all experiencing the indescribable miracle of pregnancy, and that many of them probably have very real concerns about how this miracle will change their lives in a more practical manner. Having been there myself, their cause hits home. I hope they are able to think positively and enjoy all that is happening within them.

I hope to share a photo of all of those things once I am ready to made my first delivery.

There are still more things being made though, so you can be sure to see glimpses into additional projects before too long. If I can squeeze out the time, I may try to share a free pattern too. (Something simple.) First, I'll try to finish this funny little bunny. :)

Spring!

2011-04-10T21:52:00.004-04:00

Good things do come to those who wait.

Things like sprouting lilies,

budding branches,

and pussy willows...

remind me so.

We started officially enjoying the weather last week. By Friday we were outside without jackets. (Yippee!) Gabe helped me remove some sticks from our back yard.

He and Logan even humored me for a brief photo shoot.

Gabe was so happy he couldn't hold back his sillies.

Yesterday we even visited some friends who broke out their grill. Grace gave Gabe a ride in her super cool motorized jeep while the burgers cooked. Gabe was so excited that I'm pretty sure he laughed and giggled for at least fifteen minutes straight.

Then today I brought Gabe outside while Logan was napping, and we raked some leaves. When Logan awoke he was thrilled to come right outside and join us. He walked around with the biggest grin on his face and then looked on as we filled a couple of lawn and garden bags before heading out front to watch Thomas try out his brand new bike. Before long, out came the flying discs

and the motorcycle, of course.

Yes, it was a great weekend, and tomorrow we are expecting a high of 79 degrees! I'm hoping to plant some of the vegetable seeds I bought today, provided potential thunderstorms hold off long enough. Tom and Gabe can't wait to help me fill our little pots so we can bring them inside and watch our seeds start to grow.

Do you get as excited with the change of (all) seasons as I do? I can't imagine living in a different climate. I feel so blessed to be able to enjoy it all the way I do. ♥

Another Year Older

2011-03-20T15:41:00.010-04:00

My Thomas has been 9 for a week now. How did it happen? Where will the next nine years go, if these have gone so fast? I don't want to miss a beat.

His classmates made complimentary hearts (below) for each other a few weeks ago. I think it will be fun to remember the things they noted about him.

One of the most common compliments was on the comics he writes. One day soon I will try to scan in some of his comics and maybe a really creative story he wrote for a spelling assignment the other day.

In the mean time, I'm going to listen to his new tracks on the computer.

I like his taste.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T09:00:00.008-04:00

I'll be making the corned beef and cabbage today.

Enjoy the music!

Erin go Bragh!

Humor, Halos, and Headbands

2011-03-08T22:52:00.018-05:00

Gabe said to me tonight, "Mommy! Look! It's a Gabe and Daddy and Logan samwich!" Sure enough, it was. I will follow up with pictures shortly.

If that wasn't a random enough intro to tonight's post, allow me to mix it up a bit more; I'm tired, hungry, and totally out of it. I'm the only one awake, and I may regret that in the morning, but I should have seen it coming when I decided to pop in an old Gilmore Girls DVD after the boys went to bed. Tonight I have re-witnessed Paul Anka's adoption, Lorelai's look of shock when she saw the gaping hole in her bedroom wall, thanks to TJ, and Rory's reaction to Logan's pictures from the Gloucester Cheese Rolling Contest, amongst other things, and so far, I have received just the dose of humor I unknowingly craved earlier in the day.

Prior to my evening escape, it was still a good day. Seriously, it's hard to go wrong when you start your day with a breakfast of waffles dressed in nothing but sweet, scrumptious strawberries. (Okay, they were sweetened with sugar, I admit, but hey, it was a treat, and a very good one at that.) YUM. I highly suggest indulging in such a delicious breakfast at your next opportunity.

There was also lots of book reading today. Not only does Gabe love books, but it seems as though a book is often the only thing that can distract Logan from the heart-wrenching pain that follows when I must explain that he can't have whatever toy it is that Gabe has just found. (Actually, the privilege of flipping light switches also serves as an instant thrill, but that's a very limited activity... ) He will look at me with tears streaming down his face and the biggest frown a baby can sport, and when I pull out the book he'll say, "Noooo" and bat it away, as if to tell me just how horrible a thing this is for me to do, trying to distract him with what I KNOW is biggest weakness. Then, three words into the first page, he will start pointing to letters, saying "Y, S, A, O" and any number of other random letters he can think of, and soon enough he'll start flipping through the pages, pointing out his favorite pictures like that of the "bus" and "apple" and if he sees a truck, he'll get especially excited, saying, "Ooooo! Truh!" whether the truck is actually a truck - or a car - or almost anything else on wheels. ("Apple" also works for orange and any number of other foods.)

Side note: I Spy books are fabulous at his age.

Added to that, we took an evening trip to tae kwon do, which, to Gabe, meant both some fun watching the kids break boards and a brief attempt to catch a glance at a plane or two taking off from the small county airport on the way. We actually didn't see any planes tonight, but the sunset was sensational from one corner of the sky to the other, and both Gabe and Logan were especially well behaved and easily entertained at tae kwon do, which meant I was able to watch Thomas break his boards like a pro.

These are just a few of the many simple little things that made today a good day, in hind sight.

As an added bonus, I finally acted on my desperate need for a headband. Those of you who know me personally are very well aware of the evil halo of frizz which overtakes a particularly large area around my head. When I was growing up my father told me to wear headbands with my ponytail to control the same problem, but my headbands were large and uncomfortable, and I knew how ridiculous they looked, even then. The idea of a simple i-cord headband, not to mention a very quick black crochet headband, apparently has been hiding from me all these years, but now I have one, I love it, and I will be making more. Yippee!

For tonight, that's all, but I'm going to try to go back to keeping my posts light and good-spirited. It's a wonderful way to boost my mood. I hope you have a great night... err... day?

Until next time...

(But first, pictures: )

Brothers

2011-02-28T16:44:00.006-05:00

Triplets

2011-02-28T14:37:00.011-05:00

After seeing a recent photo of Logan sporting his latest hair cut, my sister said my "children are triplets of different ages." Given a series of photos of all three of them between the ages of one and two, what do you think?

I don't know what I think, other than that they are awfully cute!

On Reading the Bible

2011-02-28T12:53:00.017-05:00

First of all, I don't know why it was so hard to keep to a daily reading schedule the last time a tried, though I believe I was still in school then. I will admit that I am a couple of days behind today, but I know I will be caught up, if not ahead, within the next day or so, and even though some stories are certainly easier than others, I am still enjoying it.

If you haven't read the Bible through, I thoroughly recommend it, even if you are not a believer and especially if you have questions about God, Jesus, or Christianity in general. I place the most value on my own spiritual growth and sharing that with my boys, but the Bible is so full of history and culture, and you'll actually find some background on several other religions in the process. I've found myself reminded of just how incredible God's glory truly is, and I'm learning how to better steer my life toward His plan. I also find some of the historical references very interesting, and I've taken some extra time to consider that there are some new ways in which I can and will grow my relationship with God.

Brian and I have chosen to read both the old and new testaments at the same time, so that each day we are reading a little from each. (The plan can be found here.) Part of me likes that, and part of me doesn't. The two are so very different, and it can be difficult to switch gears without a flurry of questions arising about why and how things changed so drastically (though I know this will all be explained as I continue with the New Testament and have already read a number of individual passages that do offer valuable insight), plus when a passage from the Old Testament is referenced in the New Testament, if I have read it, I appreciate it a bit more. When I haven't, I find myself flipping. Therefore, I think I will be reading it all the way through, a second time, before too long. It is nice, though, to spend some time in the New Testament after a spell of Old Testament reading, since Old Testament rituals were so different from what we practice today. I typically find myself sticking to one testament for a few days, reading ahead, and then switching back to the other testament, in a continuous cycle.

So far on the plan, I have read the complete books of Genesis, Exodus, Job, and Matthew, and some of Mark and Leviticus, plus a couple of Psalms. I found Genesis to be particularly interesting. While things may be very different today versus in the early Bible days, we really are not. That, in and of itself, is not surprising in as much as it makes the material readable and interesting (genealogy chapters aside). Before this year I knew of many of the stories in Genesis, but I did not really know the stories completely. Reading through, there were certain times when I just wanted to say, "Really? God talked to you so directly, and you still did those things?" I guess that just goes to show we really still are the same sinful, guilty, confused people we always have been.

In any case, I will continue on with Leviticus and Mark, for now, and I expect I'll share another update in time. Thanks for sticking with me!

Facebook killed my blog.

2011-01-28T12:27:00.012-05:00

Has it happened to you too? Blogging used to be my favorite way to share photos and the occasional anecdote, but now I feel like I am just being repetitive when I post here. Sadly, though, I know I am now neglecting to record precious moments and memories in a fun medium. I do miss blogging, so I'm not going anywhere just yet, but I can't promise how long I'll last!

In other news, I have serious, unhealthy, sinful, obsessive Kindle envy. I have joined three different reward sites in hopes of earning my way to the thousands of points necessary for all the amazon e-certificates I can get my hands on. I have a long way to go, but if I ever get there, at least I know I will have a good system in place for earning the cash needed to buy a few e-books. :)

Knitting, on the other hand, has taken a temporary back seat to, well, everything else.

What are my boys up to? For starters, Gabe is now 3!

The shirt he has on in the picture is one he picked out for himself. We walked by it at WalMart and he got all excited, saying, "A Speed, I am Speed shirt!!!" (That's what he calls Lightning McQueen and all other cars from the movie; that's a story for another day.) I grabbed a slightly different one because I didn't see this one in his size at first, and he quickly pointed out that I had taken the wrong one. Then he carried this one through the store while we bought a few groceries. I have to say, he made the right choice, though I am still amused at how particular he is. On second thought, his momma can be pretty particular too. :)

Thomas is keeping busy; almost too busy. He is involved in some great activities though, and I think they are all worth his time. Despite the increasing troubles with his ADHD symptoms (they always get worse as the school year progresses), he is doing very well academically too. He has recently picked up his reading habit again, fueled in part, I think, by A Pitch in Time, by Robert A. Lytle, which he has been reading for the advanced learners program at his school. I love how much he enjoys a good book. (I plan to get him a Kindle too... Ssshhhhh.) His Odyssey of the Mind problem is coming along too. I hope to be able to attend the competition, but there's no way Gabe and Logan would last all day, so we'll have to find out (that day) what time Thomas' group will be going and hope we can work something out. As great of an activity as it is though, I have to admit that I will be glad when we finally get those weeknights back! Otherwise, his next tae kwon do promotional exam is coming up in a couple of weeks, and he'll be going for advanced blue.

Logan, poor baby Logan, is sick. He has a nasty cold with a low grade fever, and he has been hanging out in my arms all day. (It has taken as long for me to get this far.) This morning I decided it might be time to try laying him down for an early nap, and I asked if he was ready. He gave me a loud and clear, "Nooooo," and about ten seconds later I looked down, and he was asleep on my lap. Knowing how uncomfortable he would be laying down, I let him stay with me until I had to make lunch for Gabe. Of course, when I did try to lay him down he woke up and then continued to spend the rest of the afternoon in and out of sleep on my shoulder. He's finally starting to perk back up now, in that still sick, eyes-half-closed, chapped-red-cheeks sort of way - and even accepting a cracker and fluids.

When he's not sick, though, he's practicing his walking and perusing all the books he can get his little hands on. He's also beginning to expand his vocabulary. I'm pretty sure his current favorite word is "truh" (truck), though I still love his "wow" and "woah," amongst others. He's such a little sweetie. I'm not sure I'm ready for him to get too much bigger.

Brian is out straight. Between working full time, finishing up his master's degree, assistant coaching Odyssey of the Mind, running Thomas around when I need a hand, and taking care of the house, driveway, and cars, he has no time for rest. I have to admit that I have been feeling especially overwhelmed lately, myself, but such is life with three boys, two of whom are still pretty little. Hopefully one day I will breathe a sigh of relief that I managed to get through it all with a tiny spec of my sanity still intact. No? (Please don't tell me if I'm wrong. I think it's better that I just pretend, for now, at least!)

♥

What's in a new year?

2011-01-06T13:21:00.009-05:00

I hope you had a wonderful holiday and a fun new year celebration!

I opted to try something new for 2011 and rung it in with my first cookie swap. We were small in number but full of high spirits, and I'm really glad we did it. To those of you who participated, thank you! Let's do it again.

What's with the title? Well, I guess I don't think of a new year as anything really different. I figure most people use New Year's Eve as an excuse to party, but that's about it. I always waver as to the idea of creating new year resolutions too. While I'm sure it's a good thing to set goals and work toward them, I try to do that all the time. Maybe it works for some. I just find that time brings with it some very unpredictable events, and I need to be able to adjust my routines accordingly, without feeling like a failure just because I had to change my plans.

2009 was a great example of that; it brought on a resolution disaster for me, but as hard of a year as it was in some ways, it was also full of wonderful, life-changing miracles like that of Logan's birth and of finally finding our first home.

On the flip side, I did most of the things I set out to do in 2010, but 2010 was harsh. I always try to focus on the positive and avoid dwelling on pain and trouble, but I expect I will always look back on last year with a certain amount of sorrow. It's difficult to know how to turn pain into laughter when your sister's worst nightmare has come true. She and my nieces and nephews are amazing, still counting their blessings and carrying on together, but I know her pain is indescribable, and everything I have ever cared about has been put back into perspective since Billy passed away.

Sadly, Jessi wasn't the only one who suffered such a loss; for a while I felt as though I was watching amazing friend after amazing friend lose a close loved one this year. These events all seemed to happen to the best of the best; those people you want to strive to be like. That made it all even harder to stomach. On top of it all, there were other painful, heartbreaking events which I can't go into.

There were, of course, great times too; our wonderful July vacation, camping in New Hampshire with my sisters and brother, the daily joys of watching Tom, Gabe, and Logan grow and play, making memory upon memory with the best friends a girl could have, soaking up Brian's unconditional love even when I know I was a bear to be around after some particularly challenging days as a stay-at-home-mom, and so, so much more. I am very grateful for all of those things and for every day I am given.

Back to this year, though, there is really only one new thing I am setting out to do, and I'm admittedly excited about it. After years of (albeit lazy) searching, Brian and I believe we have finally found a church where we feel right at home, and our pastor has challenged anyone interested to read through the Bible before the year is over. Brian and I are participating together, which I think will really motivate me to finish this time. (I have set out to read the Bible in a year before, but that was completely on my own, and while I happen to have read many verses over the years, especially in certain books of the Bible, overall, I never made it very far.) We're only a week into it so far, but I feel great about it already and am confident that reading it will benefit both myself and my family, both now and in the future (no matter how far I make it, though I am very set on finishing this time).

So, whatever may be coming your way for 2011, I hope it is filled with life, love, and spiritual growth. May you have a very blessed new year!

And a very belated Merry Christmas to all. :)

She Still

2010-12-11T11:28:00.010-05:00

She still blogs. She still knits. She still bakes. She still takes oodles of pictures and then some. She just doesn't organize her time well enough to share it all as often as she used to.... but she IS still here!

She can't, however, keep up this 3rd person writing style for long.

What's going on at my house?

Lots and lots of this! We're singing too. Logan especially likes Deck the Halls since learning how to "Lalalalalalalalala" along with me.

I also have some sparkly blue slippers on the needles. I'll try not to wait so long before posting again. I need to apologize for falling so behind on your blogs too. I haven't checked my reader in the longest time, but when I do I will be in for a treat, for sure.

If you are looking for an entertaining read, may I suggest my sister-in-law's blog. She is currently volunteering for the Peace Corps in Morocco, and her perspective can't be beat: Beth's Adventures You'll thank me!

Love you all!

My baby IS still a baby.

2010-11-11T20:44:00.003-05:00

He was a baby last week, and this week is no different. Then again I'll probably be calling him a baby years from now. How did it happen? My sweet baby Logan is a whole year old already.

I think someone forgot to prepare me.

At least HE isn't taking things too seriously. ;) ♥

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T23:59:00.010-04:00

Please forgive the lack of captions. I would add them except that this is a pretty sneaky post; it's actually 2011, and when I went back to look at last year's Halloween post I realized that it was not in existence! That was just not acceptable. --And since I like to go back and compare holiday photos at times, I really needed this post to appear in sequence, so I adjusted the posting date. Hey, at least I am admitting it right?

It WAS a very fun Halloween.

The cider donuts were pretty good too. :)

My Latest Obsession

2010-10-23T22:36:00.008-04:00

(No, not cupcakes... ) Owls. I've always loved them, but lately... Oh, I don't know how to put it. I just can't get enough of them, I suppose.

One day a few weeks ago Thomas was doing his homework, and Gabe, in usual fashion, found a piece of paper and a pencil and brought them to the kitchen table to do his homework too. I suggested he draw an owl, and I helped him. It just so happened that he had recently received a kids' wildlife magazine full of pictures, stories, and information all about them, so I took it out and drew some with him. I couldn't get enough.

In hindsight, it wasn't the first time... I now recall adding countless owl designs to my Ravelry faves long ago...

Since that day, though, I've been particularly drawn to the little creatures (both realistic and artistic). Still, it wasn't until I happened upon these cute little sugar creations at WalMart the other day that I realized an owl might be just the first birthday cake subject idea I was after. Needless to say, I am now so excited to get designing.

In the meantime, these super simple treats temporarily satisfied my need for some light baking and adorable owl-decorating--for today, and, however basic, Thomas and I had fun assembling them.

Next time I'll make my own pumpkin flags though. Either way, they were quite tasty!

I could be wrong...

2010-10-23T21:53:00.007-04:00

but I think we like potatoes.

The best thing about October

2010-10-17T15:17:00.012-04:00

is not zucchini bread, but zucchini bread is a very good thing, and it smells soooo good right now! I've recently been alternating between pumpkin, zucchini, and banana breads... so yummy!

October is full of great things, isn't it? Just look at all these colors.

Aren't they beautiful?
I bought four potted garden mums on Friday for one dollar each (really). They really brighten up the area by our steps. Unfortunately, though, they keep blowing over. I suppose it is high time I planted them.

I also brought home a bag of these for the boys:

Gabe has been lining them up on the kitchen counter and counting them. He pulls his little blue chair over and steps right up. Some times he "beeps" them like a cashier scanning items.

Yes, it's October for sure.

Honest to Betsy

2010-10-13T09:48:00.009-04:00

Yikes! It has been WAY too long. This year has been tough, and I've been busier than a bee, but then, you'll have that. (Holy ADPi flashback!) Rather than fill you in on all that you've missed I figure I'll just dive right in. Sound good? Hope so.

It's that time of year again. We've been to the apple orchard and the pumpkin patch, and the boys' Halloween costumes are ready. I've been making pumpkin bread and have the zucchini ready to go. I'm once again dreaming of planting pumpkins and zucchini in our own garden. (If you know when I should plant either (spring, I presume, but still... ), and/or have any special instructions, please let me know!) I really don't remember loving Halloween THIS much when I was growing up. It was fun, sure, but wow... Now I get to decorate and watch my own kids get super excited. I'm starting to understand the craze behind the holiday. It really is pure fun.

Now that we have a house, I really want to decorate, but I have super limited funds, so I'm looking for no-cost craft solutions. Any ideas? Brian's mom was just here for a visit and brought me a huge bag full of handed down yarn (Yippee!), some of which was super bright orange... Pumpkins, perhaps? Do you think if I make some pumpkins and hang them from the railing outside, they will fade just a bit? I was thinking of combining two strands; one of orange and one of something slightly less blinding. We'll see. I want to make ghosts too... and maybe a black cat or two. Of course, I have been blessed with an outpouring of requests for my knitted goodies, so I really need to start with those. There just isn't enough time for everything. *Sigh.* Same old, same old.

Of course, I can't leave you without a picture. Or two. Or three. I mean, you have missed SO much already.

I'll try not to disappear for months this time.

(They're all there; look closely!)

And one of these days, maybe I'll finish updating my photo blog.... At this rate it could be a while. :(

Good Lord, Show Me the Way

2010-08-01T09:21:00.005-04:00

one of my favorite songs

Happy 4th!

2010-07-03T22:21:00.004-04:00

I feel as though I haven't posted in ages, though trust me, there has been plenty to blog about. I have hundreds, maybe thousands, of photos that I would love to share but can't seem to catch up with them all. I have saved several recipes, photographed some fantastic treasures from Thomas, and recorded countless wonderful memories in my mind. I will get there. In the meantime, do enjoy your holiday. We are having a wonderful weekend here, so far.

I won!

2010-05-22T11:41:00.006-04:00

They're called BabyLegs, and they're all the rage...

I couldn't justify buying them, so I entered a contest... I never win anything, and I actually won!

Gabe thinks they're pretty cool.

Six Precious Months

2010-05-14T12:53:00.014-04:00

Logan's half birthday was one week ago, and he has changed so much! I thought it might be fun to take a quick look back.

Here he is in the hospital, all tiny and sleepy:

And here he is at one month, to the day. Goofy picture, I know.

This was taken the same day.

Two months and sleeping like an angel:

and a few days later, showing off his fuzzy hair...

Three months and trying out the bebe pod:

Showing some personality (and losing all that hair) at four months:

Five months old and cute as a button:

And now, six months old and onto big people stuff:

I'd love to go back and pick out my favorites. (These were just the ones I took on or near the 7th of each month.) Then again, there is a reason I'm so behind... There just isn't enough time! I still have lots more to share, however, so I will definitely be back soon!

Speaking Through the Lens

2010-05-04T19:42:00.003-04:00

Bed Time Discovery

2010-05-03T14:21:00.005-04:00

I love finding things that my boys made in their free time.

Opening Up - Long but Important

2010-04-29T15:23:00.022-04:00

I have thought long and hard about whether to share such personal information so publicly, but after a lot of time and consideration, I decided it was worth opening up a bit, as a parent, and perhaps drawing from some of your own experiences. However I want to shed some light on my perspective without the fear of drawing labels or inaccurate assumptions, so I ask that you forget all that you have heard or assumed about ADHD in the past and read this with an open mind.

A select few of you know that Thomas was exhibiting some unusual behaviors at school last year, and we took him to see a psychologist for some guidance. He was never defiant nor any threat to any of the children around him. In fact he always strove to do well. His teacher always stressed that he was a very bright, well-liked, nice boy to be around, and that he didn't seem to be able to control his behaviors and impulses, no matter how hard he tried. I can't go into great detail now, but amongst other things he was always playing little games with his fingers and making corresponding, often loud, noises to go along with all the stories he had racing in his mind. He also had extreme difficulties with changes in routine and was particularly hard on himself. He exhibited some OCD tendencies and was very much a perfectionist. He could not handle any type of failure and was easily overwhelmed. At recess he was perfectly happy to play by himself. As his doctor put it, he just "thinks differently" than other kids. Again there was much more to it than what I have mentioned here, but those were some of the concerns we faced.

Allow me to share what an incredible child Thomas is. He is caring, helpful, intelligent, thoughtful, and a lot of fun to get to know. His thought process is not just unusual; it is interesting and often insightful. His ability to develop and share a very detailed, adventurous story at the drop of a hat has always amazed me. He can go on and on forever with his elaborate enactments. He thinks in patterns and is very particular about almost everything. He is an unbelievably loving big brother and recently melted my heart when he told me he really liked talking to me. (Often when he comes home from school, Gabe and some times Logan are asleep, and Thomas and I will just sit and talk about anything and everything.) He finds Brian's and my sense of humor extremely entertaining and has been known to giggle and laugh at all times of the day. He is endlessly silly and hyper but always with the sweetest of hearts. He LOVES reading, magic, jokes, trains, talking, running...

His difficulty in settling down has always been a challenge. As the typical saying goes, he acts as if driven by a motor, unable to stop or even slow down. I often tenderheartedly joke that I need to install a dimmer switch on him. (He knows this and thinks it's quite funny.) As a toddler he would run in circles for a half hour at a time. No matter how bright a shade of red his face would turn, he would keep going and going, and then he would just go some more. In preschool he did the same thing. His teachers said they had never seen anything like it before.

I wondered, early on, about his hyperactivity, but never believed he had any attention deficit. As his first grade teacher put it, he seemed distracted, and one would never believe he could be paying attention, given his actions, yet when asked he typically knew exactly what was just taught and understood it perfectly. He has always caught on to reading, math, science, board game rules, and such, without any real difficulty.

What I didn't know, last year, was that the traits/characteristics/symptoms that define ADHD go farther than to describe a child who cannot ever concentrate; children with ADD and ADHD can usually focus just fine on the things they find particularly interesting. However they get bored easily when not exceptionally interested and find difficult tasks instantly frustrating and overwhelming. They have difficulty controlling their impulses and following specific directions, and they often make very simple mistakes on schoolwork. They are always losing things. They are also all different in the symptoms they exhibit, so another child with ADD or ADHD may share some of these symptoms but not all, and some children who exhibit these symptoms do not have ADHD. After all, most of the associated behaviors are quite normal for children Thomas' age. The difference that warrants the diagnosis, from what I understand, lay both in the frequency and severity of said symptoms.

I digress; I did not intend to educate, particularly as I still have so much to learn.

When we took Thomas to the doctor last year I was expecting some help with his behaviors. I was at a loss. I didn't understand them, and I didn't know how to help him, particularly since the biggest challenges he faced were at school; I really didn't find that he was that difficult at home; sure I had plenty of opportunities to discipline, and I was certainly not exclusively successful there (Ha!), but isn't that a normal part of parenting? You read above how I view him. I have always placed emphasis on his strengths and talents, so it was not that we didn't have any issues at home, but I felt they were, for the most part, going okay. His finger games seldom interfered with our unscheduled, unstructured, quiet home life. How could I help him change his behavior in a completely different environment, where I could not physically be? (We had already tried charts and other typical school teacher suggestions, with zero results. In fact, Thomas found them to be a terrible source of frustration and stress.) So, we asked for help.

I was completely shocked when the doctor wanted to "talk about diagnosis" one day. I later felt less than smart and somewhat blind after I looked back and realized the doctor probably thought that was why we went to him in the first place, but I couldn't have been more surprised at the time. He actually thought Thomas may have PDD-NOS (a pervasive developmental disorder that did not meet the full definition of Asperger's or Autism but shared some characteristics of both) and ADHD, though his evaluation was not yet complete at the time.

The following months were a roller coaster for us. We had to complete a survey and wait for answers, and then the survey was lost and we had to do it all over again. Our doctor left his practice and went out on his own, so there was a lot of waiting and waiting and then waiting some more. Finally he received all of our paperwork and was able to review the scores, and then after all of our initial shock, confusion, and then actually starting to feel like the pieces of our puzzle really were starting to come together, he told us that while he initially thought Thomas had PDD-NOS, the scores indicated he actually was nowhere near such a diagnosis. Of course we would still need to help him with those associated characteristics and challenges, but all of his struggles did not add up to any sort of related diagnosis. ADHD, at that point was questionable. He said, according to our scores Thomas did have ADHD, but according to the teacher's scores, in which we placed the most value, considering that's where the problems were arising, Thomas scored just below borderline... The doctor basically told us there was no real diagnosis at the time and asked what we were, then, looking for.......... (Remember that I was not looking for a diagnosis, in the first place.)

Fast forward to this year. We live in a new neighborhood, and Thomas goes to a new school. He has made a number of friends and seems to be making social strides. He is once again getting great grades, but his behavioral marks mirror last year's, in that they are steadily declining as the school year progresses. His new teacher alerted us to the same concerns, and seems to be getting increasingly frustrated with his constant noises and trouble staying focused. Again no one argues his ability to do very well, however he now needs constant reminders to stay on task and follow directions, and he regularly needs extra time to finish his assignments, plus his little games are very distracting to his classmates. He also loses things like I eat chocolate. (Have you seen my waistline? It's not pretty.)

We started meeting with a new psychologist, and she recently completed a second evaluation for ADHD. She was very thorough, and her process was wonderfully comprehensive. She said that Thomas' previous evaluation did in fact yield an ADHD diagnosis, though it was reported as borderline to mild. What she found was that, given the newer survey scores and in-office testing, Thomas' ADHD is actually moderate to severe, often manifesting itself as severe. She explained that she tested his IQ as a measure for performance comparison when given tasks that were typically difficult for people with ADD/ADHD, and he had "superior intelligence." While I won't share numbers (I honestly don't typically find great value or importance in IQ), his numbers were well above normal. However, when provided distractions and difficult or boring tasks, he performed significantly lower (still above the absolute average, but perfectly within the normal IQ range). This, to me, explained a lot, and it made me feel a little better because I knew my appreciation for his cognitive abilities was not just all in my head, after all! It also partially explained how he still achieved good grades, and it indicated great promise for reaching an even greater potential, with treatment.

Switching gears, I just have to say that I never intended to write so much about this whole experience, but I want you, as my readers, to understand the process. I think there is a common perception that many kids are misdiagnosed with ADD because it is an easy fix... It's entirely possible that such an explanation is valid in many cases, but it isn't always true either. The challenges Thomas faces are very real, and they are challenges that make him stand out in a crowd; he is not just a typical active boy. I am hopeful, now, that we will get the help we need in order to lead him on the right path toward achieving his highest potential, but I expect to be fully engaged the whole way through, reading, learning, and making choices that don't rely solely on medication. We only want answers that are true and helpful, and we certainly were never looking or hoping for any of this as "an easy explanation" or excuse. (Yikes!)

I don't expect to explain much detail about this in the future; I am accepting the diagnosis as a tool for success. However I wanted to share this story so that if it comes up casually in any future posts you won't all be left clueless! Over the next week or so we will be working closely with Thomas' teacher and doctor to come up with a plan that can help him. The recommendation was a combination of treatments to include goal setting, counseling, and medication. If we choose a trial of medication, it will be in assistance, as one small part of the process, however my understanding is that in some cases it can really help, and while I hope to employ dietary changes too, I understand that in many cases that is not enough. At this point I'm placing the majority of my trust and thirst for knowledge in the hands of the professionals. On the other hand, I would love to hear from those of you who have shared some experiences as a loving parent of a child diagnosed with ADHD.

I strongly believe that we all have learning differences. Thomas is just lucky enough to have had his differences identified. There is a wealth of knowledge out there about ADHD, and there are many tried and proven methods to improve the learning process for kids like him. Imagine where we ALL would be, if we had such tools at our disposal. He is going to do AWESOME things.

Logan-bo-bogan

2010-04-28T18:36:00.003-04:00

Some people are just way too easy to photograph.

I know I'm a bit crazy with the camera.

I really can't help myself.

Then again, can you honestly blame me?

It's a Gabe Monkey original.

2010-04-26T16:31:00.004-04:00

I think he is determined to add some color to his surroundings. His latest phase has been mostly orange. At one point, he even traced along the moulding to match. I wonder what his next masterpiece will be?

Moments Like These

2010-04-21T14:53:00.003-04:00

I'm not always a big fan of overalls, but Logan's navy denim overalls and sweet little green tee shirt look awfully cute on him today. He's asleep on my shoulder now, and as I type I can't help but peek over at him repeatedly. He has the sweetest, softest skin, and I keep leaning over just to rub my cheek against his. It never wakes him (even though everything else does). He has his arms wrapped around me, and I can tell he's dreaming. Every now and then he squeezes his little fist. His head is cocked to the side, so when I peer over his shoulder I see that cute bitty nose and tiny open mouth, and my eyes are happy.

Moments like these are DEFINITELY what life is all about.

Well, hi there!

2010-04-19T08:01:00.001-04:00

That's all.

Ice Cream

2010-04-18T20:19:00.005-04:00

Brian, to me, after already agreeing, in code, to get Tommy some ice cream:
Can I get you some too?

Gabe, jumping up and down and shouting with excitement:
I want some too! Give ME some!

Brian, as Gabe runs to the kitchen:
Do you even know what we're talking about?

Tommy, to Gabe:
What are we talking about? What do you want?

Gabe:
Uhmmm... Don't know.

But of course, yes he did want some.

As a side note, Brian wasn't feeling well, so I offered to pass the baby and serve the ice cream. As he was holding up his hands to take Logan, Logan spit up all over my arm (peas and breastmilk... yum). So. He changed his mind.

A few minutes later I took Logan in the kitchen, and we watched and helped as Tommy and Gabe received their respective bowls of Breyers mint chocolate chip goodness. Then Brian went to hand me a spoon, and I leaned in... Logan spit up directly on to Brian's foot.

Doh.

What?

2010-04-14T12:16:00.005-04:00

Can I help you or something?
Oh, why yes, we did have our first successful meal.

See? Victory!

Growing Up So Fast

2010-04-07T13:18:00.015-04:00

I realized last night that Thomas is no longer required to use a car seat or booster in the state of New York. While we will continue using one anyway, until he grows a little taller (per the recommendations), I still can't believe we have actually reached this point.

On the way to baseball practice last night we talked about kids his age throwing harder now, and that hit me too. When did my baby get so... eight years old?

His latest book addiction is the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series, but he's read each of the books several times (I even read one... to myself... from cover to cover), so I think it's time to find something new. Let me know if you have any ideas. The 39 Clues series looks interesting, but I don't know...

Thomas started baseball just last week, and his first game is coming up soon. We let him choose which sports he would like to be involved in, and he was so excited to finally play baseball this year. He will be a bit less experienced than his teammates, but I think he'll still enjoy himself. I can't wait to see him play in some games.

He will also be marching in the Memorial Day parade with his tae kwon do group. His next belt exam is coming up too; he'll be going for advanced orange.

So much excitement!

Gabe never ceases to amaze me either. We switched him into a twin bed not long after his birthday, and he seems much more comfortable.

He has also switched over to pull-ups and is slowly getting accustomed to the idea of potty training; we haven't pushed him yet, but he asks to go a couple of times each day, and once he really gets the idea I think he'll do great.

Gabe has been really excited about the beautiful weather and numerous trips to the park, especially for baseball practice. Last night he watched low-flying airplanes and jumped up and down, saying, "I can't get it!" or "I can't reach!" He was very sad, though, when Tommy went out on to the field with the other boys, and he had to stay behind. He is always so anxious to do everything that Tommy does and knows nothing of any age difference.

On that same note, he copies everything I do with Logan. He still calls Logan, "Baby Gan" most of the time. Yesterday I put Logan down to be changed, and when I went in the bathroom to wash my hands I heard Gabe saying, "You're a cutie pie! Yes you are! Yes, you are!"

He tries to comfort Logan in the car too. The last time Logan became fussy on our way home Gabe said to him, "Lo-gan... Lo-gan... It's okay Logan. It's okay!" in a really cute, high pitched voice.

Did you see this yet?

Logan is getting big. He weighed in at 13 pounds, 4 ounces at 4 1/2 months. Compared to other babies his age I know that is small, but I still think it's great! He has been having some issues with reflux, but I'm trying to get by without having to give him medicine. His doctor suggested we try starting solids, so I did attempt to feed him a little rice cereal. I don't think he was nor is ready though. He really doesn't seem interested at all, which is okay; I was hoping to wait a little longer anyway.

As far as his interests go, there are really just two big ones: watching Tommy and watching Gabe. He does play with his toys some; don't get me wrong, but he's usually far more interested in his brothers. He does love story time too, though. (He always joins me at Gabe's nap time.)

I did pull out the Jumperoo yesterday...

He didn't know to jump in it, but he did play with the toys a little. He was still a bit on the small side for it though, so he couldn't reach all of them.

As I write this he is laying on his mat, grabbing his star, and blowing raspberries. :) What a sweetie.

I'll say it again and again... I love my boys.

Easiest. Cookies. Ever.

2010-04-07T11:25:00.003-04:00

Peanut butter cookies with peanut butter cups... Delicious.

The best part, though, is how incredibly easy they were to make. I will be forever indebted to Stephanie for this simple list of ingredients:

1 cup of peanut butter
1 cup of sugar
1 egg

That's it! Seriously.

I didn't ask about temperature or cook time, but I guessed at 375 degrees for about 10-15 minutes and was met with success.

The first time I made them plain, but the Easter Bunny was very generous with miniature peanut butter cups and peanut butter eggs, so when I made them again I added one to the center of each cookie as soon as they came out of the oven.

Thank goodness the yield is low. (This batch made 17.) Aside from the obvious ease and time reduction, they're horribly good, and I definitely should NOT be eating them. Of course, I'll have to fight the urge to make them regularly, considering how ridiculously simple they are to make.

Happy Easter

2010-04-03T21:25:00.008-04:00

Peter 1:13 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead...

To those of you who choose to walk with Jesus, I know you share my joy as we celebrate this sacred holiday together. May you and yours be blessed with God's grace. Happy Easter!

Still Here

2010-03-29T20:56:00.006-04:00

I used to try to post every time we did something especially fun as a family and a lot of times in between, but I guess I've just been too busy LIVING to jot it all down lately, plus I'm still at a loss about Billy, and it makes posting about other things feel strange. However, today's odd morning discovery motivated me to share a little something.

I had a rough night/morning with Logan. He started playing games around 3:00 or 3:30 and continued, off and on, until about 5:30, at which time I finally couldn't take it any more and stumbled downstairs to make a bottle. Of course by the time I made it back upstairs he was wide awake and ready to start the day. I changed him and talked to him quietly, but he really just wanted me to hold him up so that he was standing, and I was SO TIRED. By 6:00 or 6:30 he was wailing again (the bottle was NOT his desire), and I was so out of it that I just held him on my shoulder and patted his back even though it clearly wasn't helping. I was turning into a zombie.

Before I go on, let me make an important note that Brian did help by taking Logan at one point. He also comforted Gabe, who screamed repeatedly at peak volume after I woke him up by stopping by the bathroom on my quest for a bottle.

I finally dragged us both downstairs around 6:45 or 7:00 and buttered some blueberry muffins for Tommy and Gabe. Once I, myself, had a half a muffin and a cup of decaf I started to feel much better. As I opened the front door for Tommy and said goodbye I took a moment to ponder the joy that comes with spring; even the rain couldn't get me down when the birds were chirping. I was completely over my early morning struggles and thought it was a great start to my day--and to my week.

A few minutes later, Brian uttered some sound of surprise and concern in the kitchen. I thought either something important had broken... or maybe we had a mouse(?) He told me to come and then directed me to look out the window. I took about half of a second to spot the gaping hole in the middle of our back yard. I believe my exact words were, "Umm... huh. That can't be good." The look on Brian's face agreed. He left his water to boil and stepped outside long enough to take a peek.

He didn't see much, but the hole wasn't terribly far from our septic tank and sat right over our leach field, so we called a septic company to take a look. I later watched a man climb down into the hole and poke at the deepest areas with his foot. He said it was dry and didn't smell, so it probably wasn't due to anything emergent and we should be safe to just fill it in without further worry, though we may want to just lift up some of the fallen sod to check underneath first.

Brian stopped by Lowe's on his way home and picked up a whole bunch of little orange flags, so our back yard is very... bright now! I'm just glad no one was in the back yard when it sunk, and I'm happy that it didn't happen in the front yard, as there were many kids out playing this afternoon, as there are just about every day.

Our neighbor's cat seemed to have a pretty good handle on things today though. He guarded the hole for quite some time, and when he finally did leave his post he slowly circled the perimeter of our yard and jumped up on the fence in the far corner to survey the entire area.

Yes, I was easily amused.

The hole will be filled in as soon as we can do so. In the mean time, I'm just hoping it doesn't sink in any more.

As for my lack of posting about so many other goings on, I can only offer one suggestion: take a look at my photo blog. You may want to ignore some of the extremely odd and/or boring photos; taking at least one photo every single day has found its way of making me a little bit crazy at times. ...Most of the time it's no problem for me; as you all know, I'm picture crazy anyway. However, when I am all settled under the covers at 11:40 PM and then look over at the clock and meet the sudden realization that I did not actually take any photos yet this day, I have a momentary panic, and then I find myself wondering what kind of numskull I am to be that committed to what may be a really silly idea in the first place. Yet day in and day out I continue on with my plan. I admit to have slipped twice. Both days I didn't have any good ideas, but I knew what my backup plan would be, so the following day I just photographed what I was going to photograph the day before, in no special light or anything, as I figure by this point I haven't had a chance to really make this a true photography lesson anyway. Instead the photos I take now will help me look back at all that happened over the course of 2010 for my family.

I have to say that on the first day that I missed my goal I was disappointed, but the second time I just accepted it. I decided that I would still continue on, however, and put my best foot forward. That said, on those nights when I do sneak back downstairs at 11:45 to snap a picture in the dark, my pictures end up turning into strange editing projects the following day, some of which I actually have quite a bit of fun with... others not so much. Those "not so much" photos really just make me feel like a freak, but the fun ones are somehow worth it. :) Ah, the oh-so-unimportant stuff I obsess over! I think it's time for bed.

Until next time.

My Thoughts

2010-03-25T21:17:00.004-04:00

I'm thinking of Jessi tonight and every night, and that's all I have to say.

Tommy's Birthday

2010-03-16T16:05:00.010-04:00

That's right. Thomas is EIGHT. I want to ask where the time went, but at the same time his birth does seem like a long time ago. So much has happened since then. I thought it might be fun to look at pictures of him on every birthday plus one picture from the hospital, so here's a quick look back through time:

In another eight years, Logan will be eight, Gabe will be ten, and Thomas will be SIXTEEN. Yikes.

I've compiled a whole bunch of pictures from Tommy's big day here. It couldn't be beat.

Where do I find the words?

2010-03-09T14:10:00.002-05:00

I expect I'll start this post over and over again and never be fully satisfied with it because that's what happens when I try to write about something so serious. I totally copped out a few years ago when a close childhood friend passed away unexpectedly. I had a million words I wanted to say when I was nowhere near my computer, but when I sat down to put it all on my blog every phrase had left my mind, and nothing I could think of could even begin to express how I felt or what I wanted to say about my friend. Now I'm sad that I didn't write more because she deserved it, and I still think of her all the time.

...Most of you already know that my sister's husband passed away unexpectedly a couple of weeks ago. We were and are all still shocked and devastated. Not only was he my sister's true love and father to their four amazing young children; he was a spirited, good man who knew the true value of friendship and passed that on to everyone. Brian and I always thought of him as a good friend and enjoyed all the times we would sit down with a beer and talk the nights away. Whenever we visited he always went out of his way to make us feel comfortable; I stopped staying up late after having kids, but when I stayed at Jessi & Bill's, I would stay up until 3 AM just talking to Billy. There was never any doubt in my mind as to how much he loved Jessi and the kids, and he had a sense of humor that Brian and I could totally appreciate. He wasn't afraid to tell things like they were or joke about things that the rest of us might take too seriously some times.

I am happy that he was able to come to Gabe's birthday party in January and see our new house. It was a good day, and he and Jessi stayed with the kids after some of the other guests left, so we got a chance to relax and catch up a bit. We hadn't done that in a while, what with the craziness of life with young families, and it left some good, fresh memories in my mind. -And if we ever get that huge flat screen TV and put it on our side wall that Billy thought was just screaming for a flat screen, we'll smile and think of him as put it in.

At the same time, that somehow makes it even harder to stomach his loss. When we were at Jessi's a couple of weeks ago I just couldn't get it through my head that Billy wasn't actually there. My sister Becky said she just kept expecting him to walk in the door, and Brian and I felt the same way. This wasn't supposed to happen to him, and it certainly wasn't supposed to happen to Jessi or the kids - or to any of his family or friends. Especially not now.

I know Jessi is a strong woman, and even in weak moments she'll have the kids to pull her through, and if she ever wants to reach out for a hug or a talk she's got about a million close friends and family who only wish we could do more to help. For now, though, that doesn't make it easier.

Jessi, just know how much we all love you. No one can take away your memories or your love for Billy. It's through you that Liam, Caelyn, Alana, and Rian will remember their daddy. I wish you were not given this lifetime struggle, but I will always be here if you need a shoulder to cry on, or if you need ANYTHING at all.

Right before I got the news I took my picture for the day (thank goodness), shown below, and I'll copy now what I wrote as its caption when I uploaded it after returning home one week ago.

"I took this photo when I saw the morning light streaming in on February 22. Soon after, I received word that my brother in law had just suddenly and unexpectedly passed away in his home. My sister was with him. It was their oldest son's sixth birthday. One week later, it's still hard to believe he is no longer here. It's even harder to imagine my nieces and nephew growing up without his physical presence. One thing I remember, though, is my sister's words when I went down to spend some time with her. She said she liked to think that Billy met our great grandmother. I thought about that later and smiled when I pictured how well they would get along. I could just hear both their voices and the conversations they would share. This photo reminds me of the light that shines even through the darkest of times, and it makes me think of a wonderful heaven, where our loved ones might find warmth in the company of one another and share an eternity of love and laughter."

Billy, you are and will continue to be missed. Thank you for all the smiles and laughter you gave me, and most of all, thank you for loving my Jessi so much and giving her four wonderful, beautiful, amazing children. Your legacy will live on.

P.S. Go Red Sox.

For those looking to help, an education trust fund has been set up for the kids in Billy's name. For information, see www.unclebilly.org.

Valentine Fun

2010-02-10T15:00:00.003-05:00

Whether or not you have a good use for these, you should make at least one. Put it in your pocket. Pull it out when you need a little love. Remember how easy and instantly satisfying this little project was.

Take a photograph and turn it into a Valentine card.

Maybe place your handmade heart inside (if you can part with it). Whatever you choose, I think you should make one. And if you do, I'd love to see it. Please and thank you.

The News I Can Finally Share

2010-01-31T22:56:00.004-05:00

Remember how I said I had big plans for 2010? Well, for most people this would probably be a very simple thing, but I put my all into everything I do, so I'm taking it very seriously and expect to do a LOT more with it as the year progresses; I finally opened an etsy shop.

In hind sight I could definitely have come up with a better name (no offense, Buddy; you really helped me out a lot!), but I had to work with available user names and whatnot, so I'm just going to have to make "The Indigo Sheep" into something fabulous somehow!

I've listed a few items to start but have even bigger plans to come. I have a couple of ideas that I think are incredibly fantastic, but of course time is not exactly on my side right now, so we'll see. As it is my goal of opening my shop was to do it some time in January, and as you can see I BARELY hit that one.

Anyway, it's not nearly done. I'm still working on a logo and plan to do so much more. (I'll divulge details later.) BUT. Here it is:

Indigo Sheep

And now, I sleep. (Or at least I would if I didn't have a newborn - whom I love to BITS.) ;o)

My little monkey is 2!

2010-01-18T11:53:00.006-05:00

He's still every bit as much a little monkey as he was at two months, only... bigger.

He had so much fun at his party and again for his actual birthday (the day after). He definitely knew it was all about him.

I will say again that I still think he's 2 going on 8, or so he must think, following his idol Tommy around everywhere.

Yesterday he cried when Tommy's friend went home. Ah, how I remember being the younger one (well, the youngest in my case).

He recovered.

One of my favorite memories from the party:
Gabe had the most fantastic expression on his face when we sang the birthday song. It was filled with so much excitement and glee. After he and Brookie blew out the candle together he leaned back and grabbed his new cup. In one fell swoop he flipped it upside down and set it right on top of the cake.

Apparently he also stuck his hand in the cake but was then not so happy when he realized that his hand was covered in frosting.

I felt bad today when he had his two year check-up and I made him get his lead levels checked. Happy Birthday Kiddo, now let's get four people to hold you down to the table while we poke you with needles... in both arms. Poor guy. Logan had three shots too, so it was one very dramatic five minute chunk of the day. I'm glad that's over!

Maybe I'll take all three out to tae kwon do again tonight. Gabe LOVES that... maybe even more than Tommy does???

Here go.

2010-01-08T15:40:00.007-05:00

Build? Tower?

That's what Gabe was saying anyway. I grabbed the camera in hopes of capturing a few photos of the chickadees outside his bedroom window. That didn't work out so well, so I chased Gabe around instead. Aren't I terrible? He knew it too and wanted nothing to do with the pictures. Rest assured. I did also help him build some pretty incredible cardboard brick towers. (At least we thought so.)

He and Logan kept me very busy as always, but I did snag two quick pictures of a cardinal before gathering up the boys for lunch. Some day I will get a good angle and better shot from outside. Today, I'll settle for this highly edited, not-so-great version.

I love cardinals.

Before I know it, he'll be ten.

2010-01-07T14:22:00.008-05:00

Happy two month birthday, Little Guy. *Mwah.*

A few special memories to hold on to:

I don't know which is bigger: his eyes or his smile.
Animal Crackers in my Soup (the song) brings a happy face every time.
Want to calm him down? Change his diaper (whether or not he needs a new one).
He totally laughs in his sleep.
He slept in his crib for a short time at night twice this week. (To most the opposite might be worth mentioning, I know, but I never could get away with that before, even and especially with Tommy & Gabe.)

SO much love. SO much. My little sweetie pie. *Sigh.*

Bokeh, bokeh, bokeh!

2010-01-06T20:32:00.004-05:00

I certainly couldn't have done this with our old camera. That's mostly why I did it... Hey, I like to play. I don't really know why other people like to take pictures of just bokeh. Of course I love what it adds to a background. Anyway, here's some for you.

Just bokeh.

Hard to Believe

2010-01-06T16:27:00.003-05:00

He'll be two months old tomorrow! My little sweetie.

A Quiet Day

2010-01-03T23:05:00.005-05:00

I seem to have caught Gabe's cold, and with the terrible wind last night I couldn't seem to catch a wink, so today I'm laying low.

I took some time this morning to play with the camera again. Brian seems to think I'm crazy for photographing so many seemingly random objects. He's mostly right, but I'm okay with that because I love it! It gives me a chance to attempt something artistic again, and hey, those of you who know me well will remember the days of my makeshift studio over the garage and utter obsession for all things artsy. I still don't know exactly what steered me away from my artistic college and career plans... I guess I probably needed a break from the usual. Anyway, I still see everyday life through the same eyes, and I'm happy to have found a fun way to bring all that back. The best part, though, might be the people I meet who think the same way. I love that so many photographers, whether they be amateurs or professionals, use the Internet as a tool to share, explore, teach, and draw from one another. I also love the diversity. So far, I'm loving it!

What I'm not loving, on the other hand, is this wind. It has been really fierce lately. Our house has 58-year old windows and old insulation, neither of which help the situation one bit. I've been warm; that's not the issue. In fact, the newly renovated second floor is insulated so well that Brian often has to turn off the upstairs radiator so that we don't roast to death at night. (The whole house is on one thermostat, and while the upstairs is very 2010 (okay, 2009), the downstairs is much more 1952. Yeah.) Last night we kept hearing very loud banging. Brian wasn't entirely sure what it was. It could have been the flashing coming untucked from the back roof. (Yes, he had to fix that today.) Maybe it had something to do with the windows. We have three HUGE windows downstairs (plus four normal ones), none of which has a tight seal. In fact, each one has its own cracked pane, and at least one of them doesn't close all the way. They sweat often. Yesterday we were wiping condensation off of the shades. (Um, at least they're clean now?!) Brian even noticed our curtains swaying from the breeze! Yikes! Anyway, I guess the storm windows aren't an entirely perfect fit, so the wind may have been pushing them around. Whatever it was, I just couldn't sleep through it, and I really hope tonight goes better!

Hey, at least the glassy ice made for some funky patterns on our front window this morning.

If I had more two-handed time I would have gone in for some better shots, but at least you get the idea.

I'm in a rush to bed now, so I'll have to cut tonight's post a little short. Before I go, though, remember those aging bananas? They made for a great breakfast.

I think I'll start tomorrow the same way.

Goodnight.

One Short Year

2010-01-02T11:03:00.003-05:00

It's my new blog. I've been wanting to start it for a very long time. My goal is to take at least one (semi) post-worthy photo each day for one year. I can't promise to always post on time, but I don't think I'll have too much trouble actually taking the pictures on schedule. Getting the shot I want, on the other hand, has already been a challenge. Hopefully I'll learn some good things.

Even if they aren't beautiful photos, I hope they'll showcase my 2010 story as it unfolds.

Yesterday gave me a taste of how difficult this might be with two under two, but this is my treat to myself, so I'll keep trying.

Here are a few of yesterday's shots. The first one ended up getting my pick. I wish I could have done better with the last one, as I felt it was fitting for the first day. The second photo was intended to be a precursor for what I hope will be another project for today.

Of course I won't normally double-post like this, but I'm sure there will be some overlap, especially since all words are to remain here.

I hope you'll follow me on my photo journey but if not, I still think (hope) it will be worth it.

2009

2009-12-31T15:55:00.005-05:00

2009 was a good year--a little crazy, but good overall.

My mom used to send out a Christmas letter each year with updates on major family events. She stopped after last year, but if she had done one this year, we would sure have had some events to share. (Apparently I was supposed to carry on the tradition. I didn't.)

Let's see; I quit my full time job of four years back in February. Then Thomas had his second and more involved middle ear surgery in March, which was right around the time we confirmed that our family would soon grow to five. In a desperate scramble we found a house and succeeded in closing for the first time ever. Then, of course, there was moving, which meant a new school and tae kwon do program for Thomas. Brian's 30th birthday was met with crow bars and a big dumpster as we prepared our second floor for an all-out reno. Shortly after that I was sentenced to bed rest for a month and a half. HUGE thanks to all our family, again, for helping out through that. Logan made his grand entrance in November, and we've been scrambling for and through the holidays since then! Also on the list were Gabe's 1st birthday and Tommy's 7th plus a stressful ordeal last spring that I'd rather not get into. On a happy note there were two big grandma birthday celebrations on both sides of the family, and my mom turned 60 this December! My sister also welcomed her fourth sweet baby, a girl, into the family in April, and my cousin gave birth to a handsome baby boy over the summer. We had trips to NH, MA, RI, and CT, all for different family events. Plus Tommy started soccer!

Yes it was a good year, but I wouldn't be completely honest if I didn't say I wouldn't mind a bit of a slow down for 2010. Of course, I already have big plans, which you'll hear about here soon enough. More on that tomorrow!

Happy New Year!

Discovery

2009-12-31T14:18:00.000-05:00

Conversations with Gabe

2009-12-31T13:41:00.008-05:00

Me: You're going to have a birthday soon.
Gabe: CAKE!
Me: *chuckle* Do you want to have cake for your birthday--and a party?
Gabe: Yeah! ...CAKE!
Me: What kind of cake would you like? Elmo?
Gabe: Yeah. *grin*
Me: Dogs?
Gabe: Yeah! *grin*
Me: Kitty cats?
Gabe: Yeah! *grin*
Me: What's your favorite?
Gabe: Uhmmm... Cake!

Thank you.

2009-12-30T14:44:00.011-05:00

Brian bought me a stand mixer for Christmas. Let me tell you, I was really working in the dark ages before, creaming butter and sugar by hand, for one thing.

Of course, I made cookies straight away.

Brian's father also bought us a very nice new camera. I have no idea what I'm doing (with the camera) but have always wanted to learn. I mean REALLY learn. I do already photograph everything, for goodness' sake.

Although, Brian did say he would have to stop giving me a hard time for taking pictures of everything from dinner to the sky after he saw one of my random photos in an online publication recently. Tee hee!

Anyway, the cookies were delicious, and I thought they put both gifts to great use.

So thankful!

Christmas '09

2009-12-30T12:41:00.010-05:00

...In photos. Click to enlarge.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-25T13:40:00.008-05:00

Meet Caroline

2009-12-23T09:12:00.008-05:00

I usually prefer to knit toys, but yesterday I wanted to crochet because I generally find that crocheting is easier with lots of interruptions, plus Logan likes to fall asleep in my arms but wake up when I try to lay him down. I can crochet somewhat easily (and safely) while I'm holding him.

I wanted something fun and stress-free, so I used the pattern search on Ravelry to find something fitting the yarn and hook I had handy (love that I can do that) and came up with this sweet little bunny.

I think she's pretty cute, even for my first crochet amigurumi, and I know a sweet little girl who I think might like her just a little.

You can make one too. The pattern is free, from Lion Brand. Here's a link.

I think I'll make another.

My Cup Runneth Over

2009-12-21T18:51:00.009-05:00

I can't help but look at this beautiful gift basket so full of fruit, or remember Sunday's chance to share Christmas with some of our family in the warmth of my sister's great New Hampshire home, and feel so blessed.

My family has a growing abundance of wonderful, healthy, active, caring young children. (Pictured above are my three boys, one of my sisters and her four young children, and my other sister's three kiddos, along with my father, grandfather, and one of my aunts.)

I am never not thankful.

Well, hello there!

2009-12-18T14:21:00.005-05:00

He's so full of smiles these days.

Pumpkin Bread

2009-12-18T11:55:00.003-05:00

I might be pumpkin bread's biggest fan. My love for it all started with my big sister's recipe. She lived at home with my mom and I when she was in college, and she always made the yummiest things. She really has always amazed me with her ability to make up her own delicious concoctions. I don't know if this begins to compare (I haven't tried her homemade bread in a long time), but I do love this too. Recipe here.

I made a lot. The last time I sent Brian out for canned pumpkin puree he returned with two 30 oz. cans. I didn't have a bowl big enough, so I mixed it all up in a big stock pot!

(That's one can of pumpkin. It made 12 mini loaves.)

Gabe and I sampled some this morning, and I don' think there was a single crumb left. Mmm.

Paper and Scissors

2009-12-18T11:32:00.002-05:00

I asked Thomas to make a holiday paper chain to adorn the living room window.

The snowflakes were his own idea.

I think they add just the right touch.

Santa Goes Green

2009-12-15T22:33:00.005-05:00

It was the title of Thomas' school holiday concert, which was cute, funny, overall entertaining, and just plain totally awesome. I took some photos and video, but it was a bit difficult since this is how far back we sat:

Thanks to modern technology, I was still able to get in pretty close with the camera. I'll zoom in slowly for you, just to show you how cool it was that Thomas was standing directly in the middle of the group. (It made it so much easier to take photos!)

Here he is; see the elf teacher directing the choir? Thomas is the handsome boy in the suit and tie, just up from her right hand.

He and his classmates were penguins. (Look closely. He has a white tummy.)

He really stands out in this picture:

Everyone seemed to have a lot of fun.

If my photos are not as clear as they ought to be, it might not be the camera's fault. I had a sweet baby Logan in my arms the whole time.

He slept through most of the show. Gabe came too, but I didn't catch his picture. He became a little antsy and difficult toward the end, but I think he was a little excited too, at first at least.

We celebrated by picking up some mint chocolate chip ice cream from Stewart's on our way home, as did everyone else from his school. (The morning coffee rush had nothing on us!)

Here's our penguin one more time, sans white tummy this time:

Okay, maybe a couple more times. I can't pick just one photo!

What a handsome kiddo. I can't believe how grown up he looks in his suit!

Oh, I almost forgot! I also uploaded a couple of short videos to youtube. You can see them here and here.

Goodnight from all of us!

Yum.

2009-12-15T13:27:00.006-05:00

Peppermint mocha latte, decaf. Definitely a treat. Especially considering its price tag of $4.59 with tax. Ouch. It may be my last at that price, but I had to try it, and it was really, really, really yummy.

Just please don't tell me how many calories I just consumed!

(Don't worry. It was gone before Gabe found it.)

Woah.

2009-12-07T23:08:00.004-05:00

Yes, that was meant to be the caption for the photo above.
Logan gets wide-eyed often.

He is one full month old today. He weighed 7 lb, 6 oz at his check-up today. (That's small, I know, but good.)

Following is a pic I took last week. It's funny how different he can look depending on his clothes and my angle.

In some ways he looks very different than his brothers did at his age. Then again, there are definite similarities too.

Here I am with my boys (yesterday?? the days all blend together now)... I look awful... wearing one of Brian's tee shirts, a full fifty pounds heavier than I weighed at the beginning of my second pregnancy. Never mind my weight before Thomas. (I'll lose it again but still... UGH.) It's a cute pic of the boys though, so you get a rare shot that actually includes me.

Have I mentioned how much I love them?

Hat Swap!

2009-12-01T13:15:00.010-05:00

Look what came in the mail yesterday!

I signed up for a swap on the Knocked Up Knitters board on Ravelry back in September. It was my first swap but hopefully not my last. This cute creation came from Sclatter. Here's a link to her blog.

The book was a very sweet thought too! Little did she know that I collect children's books (I have always saved the classics anyway) but didn't have that one! Thanks, Sclatter!

Now that my hat has been received I will share a photo of that as well.

It was, I believe, my third attempt at finding just the right pattern. In the interest of finding something that I though its recipient would appreciate, it was somewhat of a switch from my usual cables, ribs, or stripes, and I think it was a good exercise. I even learned how to hide wraps but found that it made my stitches look uneven. It drove me so batty that I actually knit a second almost identical hat with the wraps remaining unhidden. (I know. I'm crazy.) I couldn't decide which was more acceptable, but at my third (fourth) hat I was running out of time, so I asked poor Brian which looked better, and that was the one I sent. On the bright side, Logan now has a matching hat. :) I purposely made it to fit up to a six month old, so it is a little too big to model now...

I did slip on his newest hat last night though, while he was sleeping. Love it!

Yay for hat swaps!

'Tis the Season

2009-11-30T10:07:00.002-05:00

Our tree went up on Friday. Gabe thought it was a pretty tree.

He and Tommy enjoyed decorating it Saturday night.

Aren't they cute?

Three Weeks

2009-11-30T09:45:00.000-05:00

(as of Saturday)

Boy, how time flies!

Thanksgiving Day

2009-11-29T20:09:00.008-05:00

We had a small Thanksgiving dinner at home this year. I don't know if we could have pulled it off (or would have even tried) if it weren't for my mom.

Logan was two weeks and five days old.

All the boys loved having Nana here for a few days.

Gabe appreciated Brian's yummy meal too... especially the stuffing!

Logan fulfilled his duty of just being cute.

And we all wore our little monkey out. No nap and a tummy full of goodness later found our sweet little Gabriel asleep on the couch, using his own squishy monkey as a pillow.

Thomas enjoyed decorating cupcakes. (He's not that into pie.)

By evening we were all pretty tired.

I take that as a good sign.

I hope you enjoyed your holiday too!

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T15:56:00.002-05:00

from our house to yours.

Allow me to share two more pictures of our sweet Logan; one from today:

Note the Thanksgiving jammies. (Those are turkeys, pumpkins, and leaves.)

...and one from earlier this week (just because I like it):

More photos to follow tomorrow.

Hopefully your day will be filled with family, feast, and overwhelming gratitude! Happy Turkey Day!

Knit Mitt Kick

2009-11-23T19:56:00.016-05:00

I finally used up all my poly-fill on toys, so I had to find a new Christmas gift addiction. This is, for sure, only the beginning.

First, and my favorite, are these pretty little cabled toddler mitts. They're my variation on Angelina Cable Mitts by smariek knits. They're so soft and teeny tiny. My niece enjoys dressing up, so I'm really hoping she will enjoy them.

This next one isn't really a Christmas gift... except maybe for myself. A very thoughtful friend bought me this beautiful yarn at Rhinebeck, and I thought the colors would best be admired within a simple design, so I fashioned some wrist warming goodness in nothing but stockinette. They just need some light blocking.

(CO 30 stitches (small bones!) on size 6 dpn's and knit to desired length. Voila!)

Last but certainly not least, while I am still in awe that I actually managed to find time to whip these up today, I really wanted to complete something for Gabe. I'm pretty sure I've all but tortured him by making so many new toys and then keeping them out of his reach. He really liked the cable mitt that I had him model for photos, and he had a fit when he had to take it off, so I promised him some tiny little mitts of his own.

Here's what I came up with.

They're totally different than what I was originally going for when I collected the idea, but I still think they fit the bill.

Gabe certainly likes them.

(Details on all projects can be found on Ravelry.)

Oh Baby

2009-11-23T14:57:00.005-05:00

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is only a few days away. I've been especially looking forward to this holiday season. I know this time of year is always special for so many reasons, but there's a certain added joy with a newborn to hold and love all the while. I know many women get the "baby blues" or even postpartum depression, but I have, each time, felt an almost extreme positive rush of emotions following the birth of each of my boys, that lasted months. I recall, with Gabe, that even for how difficult his reflux was for all of us, I was just over the moon in love every time I glanced at him, and every time I brought him to the doctor's, even though he screamed the whole time and I was getting so sore from him wanting to eat all the time, I had extra energy to go along with my excitement that he was finally here to love and cherish. With Thomas, we were beyond broke and lived in the tiniest little apartment with crooked floors and a bat that liked to find its way in at night, yet our time there was a time I have since looked on with such fondness. There's just something so warm and fulfilling about welcoming a child into this world and into our family. I feel so truly blessed.

My father made a trip out to meet Logan over the weekend, and my mother is coming out for a few days this week. Two more reasons to be thankful.

Here's to a wonderful holiday season.

Treasuring the Time

2009-11-16T13:43:00.006-05:00

Today was my due date. Logan is now nine days old.

I am cherishing each moment. I just love him so much!

A Friend for Henri

2009-11-15T11:12:00.006-05:00

Meet Jacques.

His arms and legs are a little thicker than Henri's, thanks to some notes I found on Ravelry. You can find all the details on my project page. I finished making him while I was in the hospital, waiting to be induced. He was well-loved by all the nurses. I think they wanted to take him home.

Alas, he was already spoken for. Like my other recent projects, he will be a Christmas gift.

I took a couple more photos of Henri to share too.

They will probably be my last new knits for a while. If I find time, I may create more for gifts, but Logan and Gabe will demand more of my time now for sure, and that's a sweet thing. <3

One Week

2009-11-14T16:05:00.011-05:00

And what a week it has been...

I'm in love.

...On Monday I'll be back on my own.
Wish me luck!

November

2009-11-14T13:16:00.007-05:00

We're busy making memories.

We have a few leaves. See the proof here.

I'd have to say it's been a pretty great November so far.

And we still have half the month to go!

Introducing Our Newest Blessing

2009-11-09T14:06:00.005-05:00

Welcome to the family, Logan Christopher!

Born November 7, 2009
6 pounds, 12 ounces
18 3/4 inches long

We are so happy to finally meet you, Little Guy!

P.S.

2009-11-05T17:44:00.003-05:00

I just realized that today is my official four-year blogiversary. Wow. And guess what? Thomas was a pirate four years ago too.

Then and Now:

In some ways, a lot has changed since then. I still think he's a cutie.

Toys, toys, toys!

2009-11-05T14:43:00.003-05:00

I can't get enough of them. You've already met my little striped elephante and two teeny tiny turtles. Now, meet Henri:

He's a little quirky, a little lanky, and altogether just plain small and simple, yet I still find something about him just darling. He was an incredibly quick and easy knit, and opportunities for accessorizing seem endless. I have already made a second cranberry scarf for him, and I started another small bear in a rustic brownish gray this afternoon.

All the project information, including a pattern link, can be found on Ravelry. The only modification I made to the pattern this time was to add a tail. (Woops! I completely forgot to take a picture of his back side!) I'll be sure to take more photos once I finish the next little Henri.

I also had to share one more photo of the turtles, as little Green and Yellow now have a friend in Orange:

When discussing my current and recent projects, which are all intended as Christmas gifts for my many nieces and nephews, someone asked me yesterday, "Wouldn't the balls be much easier?" I suppose they would, but a little variety is a lot more fun! I have a long list of toys I still want to make, and I realize I won't get to most of them with the baby bound to make his arrival any day now, but I truly can't help myself. I'm 100% addicted to fun little knit toys right now!