Monday, November 19, 2007

Happy Halloween!

A few late pics of Halloween! Ben was a Knight, aka Sir Benjamin. Nate was a Turtle and happily wore his costume through trick or treating and a Halloween party. Pretty impressive!!! (real blog to come soon)


Tuesday, July 17, 2007

New Traditions

















Seems like so many folks have their own nightly rituals. Not just come home from work, eat dinner and such, but specific things they do at specific times each night. With a four year old and ten month old in the house we don't tend to do the same thing twice in a week never mind everynight. But lately some regularity has been creeping into our world.


The last few weeks, almost everynight around 7:30 I escape being Mama for a little bit to take a shower. Exciting life I lead isn't it? Anyway, the first few nights I did this Nate would start to get really cranky and bored with Tim & Ben after about 5 minutes. Then one night, I noticed I had taken a nice leisurely shower and hadn't heard a crying baby at all. When I emerged, I thought perhaps Tim had taken the boys for a drive or gone outside with them. Instead, the three were sitting happily around the kitchen table sharing a snack and smiling. Yes, even Nate greated me with big, banana-smeered smile! So, this is our new tradition. It works out well for everyone and we're going to enjoy it for as long as we can!!!
(PS Tim is purposely making a silly/weird face in the photo, he likes to do that to annoy the photographer)




Saturday, June 23, 2007

Happy Summer Solstice!!!

Please excuse the picture layout - still trying to figure this out!!! the pic of Ben is from the Solstice Party. It's B roasting his first marshmallow!!! Read on for details on the pic of Nate...







Well, it's official...Nate's crawling!!! This picture doesn't quite capture the full effect but I promise he is doing it. It's actually kind of overwhelming from my perspective, I'm so used to being able to put him in one spot and he'll be there when I turn around but not anymore! It's also uncharted territory for us because Ben never crawled. So, it's been a new and fun experience for all of us. Probably more so for us than Nate, he definetely gets frustrated with it more than we do.




In other news....things are going well as we ease into Summer. We celebrated the Solstice last Saturday with friends (yes, we know the real Solstice was this Thursday and we did recognize it). Our friend and her children celebrate the Summer Solstice every year and they really do such a great job welcoming the season and getting the kids excited about it. Ben is so happy that it's Solstice, though I'm not certain that he totally understands what that means; he does realize that it's now officially summer and he's very happy about that. He's also done a great job with one of our Soltice traditions which is to gather things that you no longer need or use and pass them on for someone else to use. Normally, Ben has a hard time letting go of possesions. If I clean out his room and find things to give to Goodwill I usually have to sneak them out of the house and into the van while he's sleeping and then of course the trip to Goodwill is done without Ben it tow. This year he picked out four (yes, 4) toys that he felt he was done playing with and he packed them into a garbage bag to give away. I'm really proud of him being able to let go of things like this.


We're looking forward to our summer days. We plan on doing some camping this year, hopefully in a few more weeks when it's a big warmer at night. We'll be sure to post about those adventures, I'm sure they will be eventfull with a 4 year old and 9 month old along for the ride! Ben has joined the library's Summer Reading program, which is really a program to make sure that Tim or I read to him at least once a day. Ben is very excited about it though and not to be too corny but whatever gets him exciting about reading is good news in my book! Really, more than anything I'm looking forward to the long days and the warm sun and sitting in my backyard with the boys to take it all in. Wishing the same to you and yours!!! Happy Summer Solstice!!!!!
PS
Thank you to the little voice who remided me that I had been neglecting my blogging duties! Will not happen again, rest assured!

Monday, April 9, 2007

So Sick, sick, sick of things!

I'm in a bit of a cranky mood today. It's better than yesterday was, I was scary-cranky yesterday. I did NOT model good behavior for my children. I was whiney, crabby, selfish and cranky. Just plain ole cranky. This is what a nasty head cold will do to a mama. I'm feeling better today, not 100%, but still improved. I'm just hoping that this cold is really going away and not just takinga day off only to come back double force tomorrow. That's what our weather has been doing lately and I've had enough.


It's April 9th and we have snow on the ground and another snow storm coming on Thursday. Now, I lived in NH for a good 20 years of my life or so, I realize that it's New England and we have long winters. BUT, what's killing me is the week of temps in the 50s, sun, rain, mud, that "it's almost spring" scent in the air - you know, the smell of mud, leaves, grass and usually a woodstove going somewhere. So just as we're getting used to this weather we get hit with a severe temperature drop and snow warnings. Just pick a damn season and go with it please!!!!


So, I thought about washing and storing the boys' snow suits and winter coats two weeks ago, but I'm not going to do it. Maybe by May 9th I can really think about it. Better make that June, just to be on the safe side. I'm going to go make some tea now and try to keep this cold moving out of my body.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Monday, April 2, 2007

Positive Push


We've had a pretty good day, so I feel a little silly sitting here feeling sad. I'm not 100% sure why I do. Our little family is ok right now, the boys are well (although Nate's got a runny nose and Ben is coughing but nothing major) and Tim & I are good. Well, Tim is stressing about his midterm this week, which is understandable, but other wise we're fine. I think that I'm feeling sad for friends of ours, and oddly enough not for anything specific. I just know that we have a few friends who are not having such a good day or time right now and I feel for them. I'm not sure that there is a lot that I can do to help, especially considering I don't know what specifically is ailing our friends (and I don't need to) I just know that they are hurting and I wish they weren't. SO, that said, I'm doing what I always do when I feel sad, or worried or sick or anything negative, I'm sending out vibes of the opposite feeling. I'm thinking of my friends and sending them good vibes - as simple as that may sound - I'm sending thoughts that say We care about you, we hope you're ok, we're here for you, hugs, etc. Whatever pops in at the moment. I'm sure plenty of people might pray but seeing as we're still learning about this Wicca thing and trying to figure out our path into it, I feel more comfortable sending thoughts.

So, if you're reading this and you have a second just put some good energy out there. I know some people might consider this corny or simplistic, BUT I really feel like it works. At the very least, it can't hurt to think something positive and put that out in the universe. Think how what could happen if we all sent out a moment of positive energy each day. I know this much, it makes me feel better even for that small moment, and that's positive in itself.

We've had a pretty good day, so I feel a little silly sitting here feeling sad. I'm not 100% sure why I do. Our little family is ok right now, the boys are well (although Nate's got a runny nose and Ben is coughing but nothing major) and Tim & I are good. Well, Tim is stressing about his midterm this week, which is understandable, but other wise we're fine. I think that I'm feeling sad for friends of ours, and oddly enough not for anything specific. I just know that we have a few friends who are not having such a good day or time right now and I feel for them. I'm not sure that there is a lot that I can do to help, especially considering I don't know what specifically is ailing our friends (and I don't need to) I just know that they are hurting and I wish they weren't. SO, that said, I'm doing what I always do when I feel sad, or worried or sick or anything negative, I'm sending out vibes of the opposite feeling. I'm thinking of my friends and sending them good vibes - as simple as that may sound - I'm sending thoughts that say We care about you, we hope you're ok, we're here for you, hugs, etc. Whatever pops in at the moment. I'm sure plenty of people might pray but seeing as we're still learning about this Wicca thing and trying to figure out our path into it, I feel more comfortable sending thoughts.

So, if you're reading this and you have a second just put some good energy out there. I know some people might consider this corny or simplistic, BUT I really feel like it works. At the very least, it can't hurt to think something positive and put that out in the universe. Think how what could happen if we all sent out a moment of positive energy each day. I know this much, it makes me feel better even for that small moment, and that's positive in itself.

Saturday, March 31, 2007

She Fell In Love With The Drummer (s)




Yes, these are pictures of both boys playing the bongos at a young age. Ben is at the top at 7 months old and Nate is on the bottom at 6 months. Different set of drums, but the expression on each face is the same.
This past week Nate started sitting up on his own. We still put a few pillows behind him so if he does fall backwards it's a soft landing, but he's doing pretty well. I put him on Ben's bed with the drums the other day and right after I did it, I went looking for the camera, which happens a lot these days. After I took the shot I remembered having a similar photo of Ben and had to look it up. It's so amazing, four years later to have a these glimpses back into Ben's babyhood thanks to Nate's experiences. So often it seems that Nate does something, makes a noise, a laugh, a face, and it is eerily reminiscent of what his brother did at this age. It makes it twice as fun to watch Nate explore the world as we get to remember Ben's first explorations as well.
In honor of the theme here (Drums) I named this entry from the lyrics to a Wilco song that popped into my head when I started writing this. It always makes me think of Tim, as he was a drummer when we met (and I still consider him one even though he hasn't played in a while) and now we have two little drummers on our hands.

Sunday, March 11, 2007

You've come a long way Benny!

Ben is now 4 years old! It's early on March 11th, he's still sleeping as I wrtie this which is keeping my brain from believing it's true. As of 9:34 this morning Ben will be 4 years old.

It's very strange and wonderful to look back and think 4 years ago at this time we were in the hospital, in labor and so close to meeting him! A lot has happened in that time of course, he's grown and changed so much, as has our family. I know it's a cliche but you can't imagine the way that children will shape your life until you have them. It's such an individual experience to have your own kids, to raise them, learn from them, watch them grow and at the same time as unique and personal as it is, it's also the most common unifying thing about us. We all know someone with kids, we all were kids, and most of us who don't have kids and are in a relationship are asked when we'll have them and those of us who do have kids get asked when we're having more. (we're good with our two by the way, just to answer that for family/friends who've been asking)

Shortly after Ben was born we received a present from one of my co-workers at PlusTime. The gift was an adorable blue, fleece outfit but to me, the words on the card she gave were the real treassure. It's stuck with me these four years and it's the most truthful thing about being a parent that I have ever heard. Well, that and "you'll never sleep again".

"Having a child is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body."
- Elizabeth Stone








Friday, February 23, 2007

Squirel Studies











We have three new friends in the backyard. They are the lovliest of rodents....We've been having a lot of fun watching them dig tunnels and figure out new ways to get to the birdfeeder to get seeds. Ben took to watching them through the window for about an hour the other day. We also decided to share some trail mix with them too, add a little variety to their diet. ;) We also tried to go outside to visit with them but funny thing, they ran away when we came outside. We still had fun being outside in the warmer weather. Hopefully winter is on its way out and there will be more warm weather headed our way and more fun animals to meet!

Sunday, February 4, 2007

Pirate's Life for B!



Cabin fever has fully set in thanks to the very cold temps outside. We're doing our best to keep busy inside, but we're all aching for spring. The following was Ben's attempt at entertaining himself the other night. It worked well for all of us! We had a search for burried treasure and tried to figure out what you put in a treasure chest. It was very nice to be imagining ourselves on the high seas in the Carribean, when in reality we were awaiting a snowstorm and arctic air. Hope everyone else is getting through this last part of winter all right. If you're getting "the fever" too please feel free to join our fleet! Till next time me harties!






Saturday, January 20, 2007

Star Struck





We were brave last weekend and ventured out to the Portsmouth Children's Museum. The reason I say we were brave is thanks to the incredibly long line that greeted us when we arrived. There is a great publication here called Parenting NH and each month I grab a copy at the library. In this month's calendar section it announced that Clifford the Big Red Dog was going to be at the museum on the 13th. Ben is a very big fan of Clifford's. So we headed out for a day of fun meeting the red guy and playing at the museum. We had to wait in line for about 30 minutes before we could get into the museum. Luckily the weather was still unseasonably warm and it was pretty comfortable. When we got in the place was absolutely mobbed. They were obviously having to regulate the number of people in the building to so that they would not violate their fire code. We heard from at least three employees who had never seen the museum so busy. Evidently Clifford drew a bigger crowd than Elloise or Curious George!!!

So we started walking around and waiting for the Clifford storytime (which is when we thought we'd see Clifford) when suddenly I spotted him walking towards us. I pointed him out to Ben and Clifford came right to us, and was ready to give Ben a hug and get his picture taken with him. But what should happen? Come on you know where this is going....Ben got STARSTRUCK!

He hid behind my legs as Clifford stood talking to me and then as Clifford moved on to say hi to some other kids Ben followed closely but stayed behind the safety of Tim's legs. Luckily we were at the Children's Museum which has lots of wonderful things besides Clifford. So although Ben didn't have an encounter with the Big Red Dog he did have a fun day.
















Tuesday, January 16, 2007

A Cosmic Joke?

So, as many of you know we dealt with a little snow/sleet/wintry mix storm here yesterday. Well it didn't bother us at all yesterday but it sure came around to bite me this morning. Our friend Carl (6) slept over last night and I attempted to bring him to school this morning with Ben and Nate in tow. Carl's dad had to be at work very early today and his mom is away until this evening on a trip so I had agreed to do this favor weeks ago. Anyway, Carl wakes up at 5:45 today...he's used to getting up early to get to school. School had a two hour delay. So my day started off early but not badly, yet.

We left the house at 9:45 and I was quite proud of myself for getting all three boys ready and bundled and out of the house a few minutes earlier than I needed to. *this is probably what got the attention of whatever God or power decided to bring on the coming events.

We drove about 3 miles up 202 and were just about to get onto 125 to go to school when we got a flat tire. FLAT! It was baaaad! So I pulled over of course. All set to call AAA and realized I don't have my cell phone. Thankfully a very kind man from Metrocast stopped and let me use his phone and made sure we were safe. 10 minutes later the car was fixed and we were on the road. Only to realize that we had burned through a lot of gas while waiting for help and needed to stop. So I did and went to pump only to find the gas cover door frozen shut. I took out some of my aggression on the door and low and behold it opened!

We then got to Carl's school. I got out walked around the car and fell flat on my face and earned a nice blood blister on my left palm. I then had to navigate a 3 year old, 6 year old and 4 month old in a car seat across this terrain. It was challenging to say the least. We made it inside, got Carl set and as we left Ben fell down the stairs inside. KJids' snowboots are not designed for narrow stairwells. We made it home withou further incident but we have not left again. I plan to hide out inside until tomorrow. Hopefully I have paid my Karmic dues for the week.

Tuesday, January 2, 2007

Happy New Year!







Just want to wish you all a very Happy New Year. Typing much more is a bit of a challenge lately as Nate is teething and require more loving cuddles right now. I hope that pictures will be well received in place of text today!!!