Tales From The Kotronis Crib

Work

2012-01-27T16:07:00.003-05:00

So there's not much to post lately...just catching up on things 'round the homestead after our travels.

BUT I did want to share a funny Ian story. Last week our friend Kristin (Ian's godmother aka Nouna) spent the night with us as she had to work the next morning. When she left for work early the next morning (same day we left for Florida) she went in to Ian's room to tell him goodbye and give kisses. When he woke up a few hours later he sleepily asked where Nouna was. "At work" I replied. "why does she have to go to work, Mama?" (Age old question here, my boy.) "Because she was scheduled to work today, buddy."

*pause for deep thought*

"I'M scheduled to work today too, Mama".

"Oh yeah? What's your job?"

"Going to the con-co (aka condo) in Florida."

Don't we all wish that was our job, son. Don't we all wish.

p.s. I'm going to start "labeling" my posts. Never have done that and I'm not sure why I need to except that everyone else seems to do it. So why do you use labels, if you do? I assume it's so you can go back and organize your posts?

Winter Break in St. Augustine

2012-01-23T21:05:00.004-05:00

Synchronized sand play. It's the newest summer Olympic sport.

Little Travellers

2012-01-21T17:17:00.002-05:00

Before we flew to California for Christmas I posed the question to Facebook-land: What in the world do I do to ensure a happy and peaceful flying experience with 2 small children?

I got a variety of suggestions, and so here is what I did and how it worked for us. Hopefully it will be helpful to someone else!

* The morning of our flight I took the boys to an indoor inflatable jump house to burn off as much energy as possible. The way I saw it, the more fatigued they were the easier it would be to keep them settled on the plane. RESULT: It worked! Elijah slept soundly (once he finally drifted off), and Ian was essentially glued to his seat the whole flight watching movies.

* I dressed them in comfortable, soft clothes. Sweatpants with elastic waistband and t-shirt for Ian. Layers for Elijah so that I could take off/add to as needed. Planes are so extreme with the temperature changes... RESULT: Can't go wrong with comfort.

* I used my carry-on allowances to the max. Elijah had his diaper bag, which counted as his carry-on (even though he was a lap baby). It was filled with diapers, wipes, medicine, tissues, and hand sanitizer (I also had all of my purse stuff in the diaper bag, like my wallet, phone, and lip gloss...packed my purse into the checked bag.) We had one activity bag, filled with small toys, board books, and the iPad. We also had a snack bag which doubled as my book/magazine bag (like I was going to get any reading done. Ha!) RESULT: I really felt prepared for anything, which was nice. However, an activity bag does you no good if the child is too sleepy/cranky to play with the toys. Elijah really just wanted to sleep on the flight out there, so once we figured out how to turn out the lights in the alley-way near the bathrooms at the back of the plane (where we were seated)...well, he fell asleep instantly.

* SUCKERS!!! A friend recommended these, along with candy canes and gum (depending on the child's age). Great for combating the pressure changes and who doesn't love a sucker? I found some all-natural "organic" ones made with cane sugar and fruit juice at TJ Maxx before the trip, and I felt less guilty letting Ian consume massive quantities of those. Hey, in a situation like that (small space with dozens of strangers who just want a quiet flight), you give 'em what they want. Even if it's massive quantities of suckers. RESULT: So glad I brought them. We all enjoyed them.

All in all I feel like the flights went OK. Our return flight (San Francisco to Milwaukee, where we had a layover) was R.O.U.G.H...Elijah had been sick and he was teething like make PLUS he was exhausted so his ears were really bothering him and he just could.not.sleep. There was much shrieking, soothing, and apologetic looks from other passengers. *sigh* I cringe when I think about it. But at that point, you know, you are just beyond caring what other people think and are only focused on getting your baby settled and happy again. He slept a little and finally settled down enough to play and read books. Milwaukee to Atlanta they were both perfect angels.

Still. I think we'll wait quite a while before we fly with the 2 of them again.

Best of the Best

2012-01-17T14:24:00.003-05:00

One of my very favorite gifts I received for Christmas is the OPI Best of the Best polish set.

I happened upon it while browsing around in Ulta, and immediately was smitten. Tiny (less than 1oz) bottles of my favorite polish colors, all in one neat tidy little collection! So fun!

I loved it so much, in fact, that I bought a set to give as part of our "Favorite Things" Christmas exchange with my 4 best girlfriends. I gave each friend 2 colors and kept 2 for myself.

I was beyond excited when my sister-in-law gifted me with my very own Best of the Best set for Christmas! These may not be everyone's favorite colors, but they are definitely most of mine (I even own a full-size bottle of the You Don't Know Jacques!...it's the purpley grey one on the bottom middle...)

Anyway, I've been trying to do my own manicures lately, to save money and because I feel like when I do it it lasts a little longer than when the salon does it. I've tried out a couple of different colors from the set and the little bottles are just the right size...who has EVER finished an entire bottle of polish, I ask? Also the brush is a good size as well, not too small.

This would make a great gift for any chica!

Top 5 Favorites

2012-01-16T15:19:00.003-05:00

We uploaded our photos this weekend, finally...actually Paul did it for me because it was just too overwhelming for me to consider. There were over 500 photos from California on the new camera, kids. I couldn't psychologically deal with going through them all and weeding them out.

So, I present my 5 favorite photos from our Christmas travels. Because I can't psychologically handle posting any more than that. :)

Resolutions

2012-01-11T16:07:00.002-05:00

I had big plans to upload photos to my computer off of the new camera and do a picture-laden post of our holidays.

But alas, the computer password eludes me and I can't reach Paul at work to ask him...not to mention the stirrings of two little ones who won't nap much longer.

So here is my measly little no-picture-post. Enjoy!

My resolutions for this New Year, 2012. (As an aside, I prefer even-numbered years. Just seems more, I don't know, right. Both my babies were born in even-numbered years. If we have a third, there's a chance it would be born in an odd-numbered year. I'm not sure what to do with that thought.)

So anyway, in this year I resolve to

*Knit more. I know that was a resolution last year, but I really do. And knit other things besides baby booties. The problem is, I only ever knit for people these days, so some of the fun has gone out of it if you know what I mean. I may have to take a break from the booties and do something fun and different to rekindle my love of the needles.

*Go to bed earlier. As I've mentioned before, I get up at '0-dark-thirty aka the butt-crack of dawn to exercise. Basically if I want to work out I need to do it before Paul leaves for work. We can't afford childcare at the gym and that just seems like it would take up to big of a chunk of my day if I were to wait until the boys were up and ready. So that means I'm climbing in my car at 5, 5:30 most mornings. When I get home it's hit the ground running time so that I can be ready when the boys are up. All that to say that my current trend of bedtime at 11 or even *gasp* midnight has got to stop. I'd like to stop falling asleep on the couch and have a proper bedtime routine that ends with me reading a few chapters of a book without falling asleep in the middle of it. So, like 9 or 9:30. Tonight is my trial run!

*Run a marathon! Well, actually, a half marathon. Any and all tips on how to prepare for this are welcome.

So there they are. Not too many, and pretty tangible and attainable I think! Not too much of a buzzkill with any of them, either, as resolutions are known for being. Wish me luck!

We're Baaack!

2012-01-04T14:40:00.004-05:00

Pretty sure he left some broken hearts behind in San Francisco...those eyes!

My little Christmas Eve elves...you wouldn't even know that Elijah had a fever!

Ian on the Parking Spot shuttle bus at around 1AM Monday morning.

Sunday night, at midnight EST to be exact, we returned home from a whirlwind 10 days in California for Christmas. Paul's father and extended family on that side live out there, most of them in the Bay area, and no one (besides his father) had met Baby Elijah yet (ummm, not so much a baby anymore) so we were due for a visit.

We ran our two boys ragged, as evidenced by their hermit-like behavior since we've returned home. Yesterday, Elijah slept until just after 10. Ian didn't stagger out of bed until 11. ELEVEN AM PEOPLE! Poor little dudes.

Here are some of the fun things we did, in no particular order:

*Visited the Exploratorium. Only one of the coolest science museums, ever!
*Visited the California Academy of Sciences. Aquarium, rainforest, living roof, albino alligator...every delight a little boy could imagine. Plus we were treated to a free visit! (Our Theo Nick is friends with the chef for the museum cafe...and this was not just any museum cafe. We're talking delectable spring rolls, gourmet spare ribs and dumplings and mac 'n cheese and pork tacos and just yummmm...plus our lunch was taken care of too! So so kind of them.)
*Visited the Chabot Air and Space Museum. Ian got to see 2 planetarium shows AND climb around inside a rocket. We also momentarily lost him and his 2 cousins, Mikey and Eleni...panicked until we realized they were with Pappou (Paul's father) in the parking garage. I had my first ohmywordWHEREismychild moment. Not fun. But everything else there was SO fun!
*Pier 39. Stinky sea lion breath. Need I say more?
*Ate more Greek delicacies than we could hold. Our family can cook, coast to coast.
*Visited Paul's Nouno (godfather) and Vicki's Nouna (godmother). They truly loved getting to know the newest 2 Kotronis men.
*Walked Muir Woods. Giant, giant redwoods. Breathtaking.
*Got to know Ian's cousins Mikey and Eleni better. Ian spent a few nights with them and they are now his "best friends", as he told me the other day.

I didn't get to see Alcatrez, which has been on my to-do list for some time. Tickets were all sold out by the time I got around to looking into it. I also wanted to get some sunset photos of the Golden Gate bridge with my sweet new camera (Paul got me a Nikon D5000 for Christmas!) There's always next time! We really just enjoyed spending time with family that we don't get to see very often. It was busy, but also relaxing. We did all get sick, though...Elijah started it all with a 103.7 fever on Christmas Eve. Let me just tell you, air travel when you're congested is no fun. Recouperating at home this week and getting ready to head up to NC tomorrow for yet another Christmas celebration! Photos to come once I figure out how to get them off my new camera.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-20T14:56:00.003-05:00

See you in 2012!

Over and out.

Nutcracker

2011-12-19T14:51:00.002-05:00

Last Thursday Ian and I had a date.

Through our homeschool group, we got tickets to see the Atlanta Ballet perform a special "kid oriented" performance of the Nutcracker. Kid oriented meaning that it wasn't nearly as long as the original version. I say that sounds just about perfect when you're talking about a 3 year old!

I bet, though, that he could have made it through a longer performance. Ian sat riveted...and I mean riveted...taking in every last detail. It was so much fun to see him get over-the-top excited...especially about the Rat King, and the sword-wielding boy, and the Russian Dancers...his favorite parts.

I think he loved having a special day that was just for him...we had hot chocolate and blueberry muffins at Rev before heading to the Fox.

Very patiently waiting for the show to begin.

All the "princesses", as Ian kept referring to them.

Baby Locks

2011-12-16T15:55:00.004-05:00

I've been putting off Elijah's 1st haircut for a long time...mainly because I couldn't stand to see the last thread of his babyhood snipped away, literally.

Hmmm...I sound a little melodramatic. He is not a full-fledged toddler, yet. But he is teetering on the edge, and besides that his long-ish hair was getting all in his food when he ate, plus he was being mistaken for a girl more often than not. So. It was time.

We went to Pigtails and Crewcuts (for perhaps the 1st and last time...nothing against fancy kids hair salons, but we can accomplish the job just fine with Paul's hair clippers next time). I wanted to mark the occasion with a professional 1st cut and get the lock of hair, photo, etc. It actually worked out great because their printer was not working to print the photo and so I was only charged for the basic haircut instead of the "1st Haircut Package". They emailed me the photo and we'll just print it out ourselves.

The actual haircut itself was a real non-event...it happened so quickly! She whisked him up in the chair, whisked the scissors round his head, and voila! It was done. Nary a complaint was heard from Elijah during the whole thing.

I will miss running my fingers through his baby mullet, although I'm sure it will grow back quickly. It's just that those were his FIRST wittle hairs, so they held a special place in my heart. *Sigh*

My Christmas List

2011-12-13T14:13:00.006-05:00

I certainly don't need anything for Christmas. But, as I was out and about yesterday finishing up our shopping I had some time to think about some things I would luuurrve. Without further ado, here they are!

(Let me reiterate. I don't need anything for Christmas. If you (ahem, Paul or any blood relatives, non-blood relatives, friends, etc etc) have already picked something up for me, that will be juuust fine. This little list can be saved for future celebrations!)

Bakerella's Cake Pop Kit
Image from here.

Now, I have always thought that cake pops seemed a little...well, fussy. A lot of work for one bite of cake it seems to me. However, I ran across this little kit at World Market and thought that it would be fun to try making some pops, especially since the kit includes all the stuff you need. And I do love me some Bakerella.

Sky High: Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne.
Image from here.

I heard about this book a couple of years ago and have since baked 3 cakes from it...I found those recipes online and I'm pretty sure you can probably find ALL of them online but this is just a lovely cookbook. I know because I paged through my friend Amanda's copy. The recipes are straightforward, delicious, and how can a triple-layer cake NOT be a showstopper I ask? Plus it ensures that I will continue to bake cakes for all of you!

Camelbak Better Bottle.
Image from here.

A new Camelbak. Somehow, in the span of about 2 months, I have lost BOTH of my beloved Camelbaks (along with our camera battery charger...WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME?!?!) plus I melted my other water bottle by running it through the dishwasher. Needless to say that was a buzzkill. Anywho, I love these water bottles.

Loving The Little Years by Rachel Jankovic.
Image from here.

I have always enjoyed whatever Rachel Jankovic has to say on the subjects of motherhood, being a Godly wife, and being a woman in general. Many times something she has written has humbled me or opened my eyes to a new way of looking at this messy, messy little world. I would love to have her book.

A beautiful cake stand, this milk glass one is GORGEOUS.
Image from here.

See above regarding triple-layer cakes. They need something pretty to sit on. :)

Catching Up

2011-12-12T14:43:00.003-05:00

Whew.

How did it get to be December? Aaahhh, December. How I have mixed feelings about thee. On one hand I love love love the festivities leading up to Christmas, on the other hand I just want to hibernate like a bear with a book and some apple cider.

Striving for balance this year, we are. It's working, somewhat.

Anyway, we had our annual Holy Day party this past weekend. A gathering of friends from near and far, we did something radical this year and made it adult-only. Despite Paul's worries that small children be broken-hearted and his promise that my picture would have a moustache drawn on it for sure, I think everyone really loved being able to visit and catch up without having to pause every 5 seconds or so to wipe a nose or shoo a half-pint away from the tree. As hostess, I was a LOT more relaxed about the whole thing and just enjoyed having some of our favorite people under one roof.

Alas, no photos though. I can't seem to locate my camera battery charger...which does not bode well. I used to NEVER lose things. 2 kids later and it happens on a semi-frequent basis.

Here, though, are some phone camera photos of what we've been up to lately.

Did you ever see a cuter Cubbie? Ian is still loving AWANA and is doing SO well memorizing his verses. I'm still amazed by his capacity to memorize. I think his favorite part of AWANA is the praise and worship time in the beginning...they sing the same songs every week and he breaks.it.down. I should really get it on video.

Side note: The other day we were lunching at Moe's. Ian was gazing at a large portrait of Michael Jackson. Eventually he asked me if it was "Jones" (aka Norah Jones, his imaginary girlfriend and favorite songstress.). I told him it wasn't and that was in fact a man. He insisted it was not a man. I decided not to fight that battle.

Our favorite winter veggie, brussel sprouts! Who knew they grow on a stalk? Here's our favorite, easy as pie recipe for them. They are so good cooked like this, even Ian and Elijah yum them up. Roasting renders them almost sweet, and with the crunch of the kosher salt...oh my. So good.

Little reindeer craft we did. We actually made about 10 of these (because if I'm going to do anything involved paint covered feet I'm not going to do just one...) and took some with us to a retirement center here in Smyrna. We met our homeschool group there last week to sing Christmas carols to the residents. Ian proudly passed out his reindeer cards afterward. It was a lot of fun and something I think we'll make a tradition of.

I Like This Part Of My Day The Best.

2011-12-06T14:14:00.003-05:00

Advent

2011-12-01T14:20:00.002-05:00

This year we are purposefully celebrating Advent.

Advent, literally, means "to come". The countdown to the celebration of our Lord's birth!

Growing up, our family didn't use an Advent calendar. Really, it wasn't until the past few years (when we began attending a Presbyterian church) that I heard much about Advent. My friends were making amazingly creative Advent calendars filled with tasty treats or fun games for their children; or reading through specific Advent lessons in preparation for Christ's birth. I decided that since Ian is becoming so much more aware of the commercial aspects of Christmas, this would be a good year to start our own Advent calendar.

I love the idea of setting aside a portion of our day to focus on traditions, the joy of the season, and to prepare ourselves for Christmas Day.

As you can see above I didn't get all super-creative with our Advent calendar. Basically, I grabbed the idea from here, and sat down and paper-chained us up one. Every "chain" has an activity written on it for the day. Ian is really loving taking off a chain every morning and seeing what we'll do that day. The activities range from as simple as having hot chocolate with Mama in front of the tree to collecting canned goods out of our pantry to donate. With each activity, I tried to focus on the importance of spending time together as a family this Christmas.

Does your family use an Advent calendar? I'd love to hear about your traditions and plans to celebrate Christ's birth!

Turkey, Round Two

2011-11-29T11:01:00.004-05:00

We had a lovely Thanksgiving. It was supposed to be our year for going out to eat, but after contemplating the task of keeping up with 2 small children at a restaurant, we decided to forgo that experience and just host at our home again.

SO, that means I cooked my 2nd turkey! This year I went a completely different route and used Alton Brown's brine and roasting recipe. Given that it has over 3500 reviews and 5 stars, I figured I couldn't go wrong.

And guess what? It worked out perfectly! The only hitch I had came the day before I brined it, when I realized that my 15lb fresh turkey was not going to fit into my biggest stockpot. As luck would have it, Firehouse Subs sells their 5 gallon empty pickle buckets for $2, so it was off to Firehouse I went on Thanksgiving Eve. We had to work a little to get all the pickle smell out of the bucket but at the end of the day I figured, hey, pickle juice is kinda like a brine too so so what. Didn't detect a trace of pickle-ish-ness in the turkey either, so hooray!

From the top clockwise: Carolyn's spanakopita, Vicki's sweet potato casserole, Mom brought a Honeybaked Ham, cranberry sauce (whole berries, natch) courtesy of Ocean Spray, turkey & dressing & gravy courtesy of moi, broccoli casserole by Mom B., PW's rosemary sea salt rolls by moi, and Vicki's mac 'n cheese (also a PW recipe). It was literally amazing. I'm still full from it, actually.

Desserts aplenty.

It was a really great day, nay weekend. Ian enjoyed his first full viewing of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (although we had to turn it off for a bit when the drag queens singing I Will Survive made an appearance. What the hizz-eck?)

Now looking forward to decking our halls! Tonight we head to Pike to buy our Christmas tree. Expect updates on how many ornaments E breaks.

*Just wanted to add that I also bought a digital meat thermometer with a probe (just like this one) and it made ALL the difference in the world regarding my stress level over whether or not the turkey was completely cooked. You just stick it in, set it to what temperature you'd like it to alarm at, and walk away. It sits up there on the counter and does all the work. Last year I must have opened my oven 58735968246 times checking on the temp. No fun.

Family Photos and Cyber Monday

2011-11-28T11:20:00.002-05:00

I'll be writing up our Thanksgiving report soon but I did want to sneak a quick link to you. Our friend Bobbi Jo Brooks took some family photos of us back in October. Today only, since it's Cyber Monday, you receive 35% off any print order by using the code 35cybermonday. I'll be picking up a few extra of our favorites!

Click link to view photos

Our New Song

2011-11-21T20:06:00.002-05:00

So Paul picked up the new Coldplay album for me while I was up in NC last weekend. It's so good. The boys and I have had it on repeat when we drive.

I have a new favorite song, too. Us Against The World. It's just beautiful. I told Paul I want it to be "our" new song...just seems to fit where we are right now. Here's a video...ignore the ridiculously annoying advertisement that flashes up a couple of minutes in...it's worth a full viewing.

It's Friday, Friday, Friday!

2011-11-18T16:27:00.003-05:00

Since today is Friday and I almost always try and bake something fun on Friday afternoon (to celebrate being good the rest of the week and to usher in the weekend properly, you see...) I made these! They are tasty and pretty much perfection on a plate. Enjoyed with a mason jar of milk whilst indulging in yet another episode of Mad Men. I Must.Stop.The.Madness. (Of Mad Men. I'm blowing through episodes like there's no tomorrow. Gee thanks, Netflix Instant.)

In other news, the boys and I visited the Botanical Gardens this morning with our friend Becky and her little boy Charlie (just a month older than Elijah!) Becky has an annual pass and was so sweet to let us tag along and see the model train exhibit. Ian was in train heaven and he also loved the children's garden. We're going to try and go back when they have the "ride-on" train so he can fully satisfy that train obsession.

This weekend is going to be fun! Paul's parents are going to keep El Boogero's tonight, since they haven't seen them for a couple of weeks. I think we're going to go to a movie and dinner. We're thinking of using up the last of a Ruth's Chris gift card my dad gave us this summer for dinner...and maybe seeing Sarah's Key. I read the book about a month ago and loved it. I think the movie will be really good. We have gift certificates for the movies too so it will be a free date night. BAM!

Tomorrow I'm going to my friend Cheryl's baby shower (provided said baby doesn't arrive betwixt now and then) and then tomorrow night we're going on a triple yes TRIPLE date with Cheryl and her husband Matt and the above Becky and her husband Aaron. Since we're kidless we're going all swanky and celebrating Matt's birthday at South City Kitchen.

Sunday I'm doing what every other woman between the ages of 13 and 60 is doing this weekend and seeing the next Twilight installment with Lacey and Shanna...Breaking Dawn. Eagerly looking forward to the squeals that will erupt in the audience as Bella and Edward...ahem...this is a family blog so I will go no further. Also curious to see how they handle that weird vampire baby situation. Should be super fun!

Also finishing up my Thanksgiving planning...doing some preliminary grocery shopping and such.

Hope everyone has a splendid weekend!

Activity Bags

2011-11-17T14:07:00.006-05:00

I mentioned that last week I had a couple of commitments...one was a "Mom's Night Out" for my homeschool group, SASCH. (Smyrna Area Support for Christian Homeschoolers)

As an aside, I joined this group a few months ago on the advice of a new friend who homeschools. Turns out that several women from my church are part of SASCH, and that there's a bigger network of homeschoolers than I thought! While we're not formally "in school" yet, it's nice to spend time with people who are like-minded about our children's education...plus the boys have met some new friends! We go on field trips a couple of times a month (last month we went to a pumpkin patch and the Center for Puppetry Arts), there's a Mom's Night Out once a month, plus parties throughout the year for the whole family (so the daddies don't feel left out!).

Anyway, at last week's MNO we did an activity bag swap. It's the same idea as a cookie swap...everyone chooses an activity bag project and brings one for everyone who participates. That way you go home with a variety of bags!

In case you don't know what I'm talking about, activity bags are literally ziploc bags filled with a "busy time" activity to keep a younger child entertained while you homeschool the older child. It can also be an activity to teach an older child a simple concept like math or shapes/colors.

Anyway, the MNO was at Rev coffee and it was so much fun getting to know these ladies better! Plus I left with 11 bags of fun games.

If you're interested in making your own stash of bags just google it and you'll find lots of crafty, fun ideas from other moms. For my bags I did a "Pom Pom Stuff It In" activity...basically I used small tupperware containers (4 for $1 at the Dollar Store) and cut a small hole in each lid using a utility knife. Then I stuffed each container with an assortment of brightly colored pom poms (you can buy them in bulk for cheap at Hobby Lobby or other craft store). The idea is, you dump the pom poms out and the child can push them back into the container through the hole. What a simple concept, and they LOVE it! Who would have thought that was so entertaining? Both my boys have spent chunks of time playing with it.

In the photo above Elijah is playing with the pom poms and below you can see Ian working on a "Button Snake" activity...basically small pieces of felt that have a slit cut into them are "buttoned" onto a piece of ribbon. Not only is he getting to practice fine motor skills but it can also be an opportunity to teach about colors and counting.

As we explore our bags and have fun with some of the other activities I'll post more photos and descriptions! If any of my other mommy friends would like to do a similar MNO and bag swap I'd be all about doing it again!

A Few More...

2011-11-16T14:07:00.002-05:00

...photos from Chattanooga! I actually did snap a few with my camera and not just my phone.

Hanging out at the Lula Lake falls. We had a ball climbing around on all the rocks and getting sprayed by the falls.

Cinnamon roll at Niedlov's. We were supposed to split it, but I looked away for like a millisecond and Paul had nearly finished it. The stinker.

Wicked looking locust that we saw on our hike. He let us get really up close and personal.

There was a huge, and I mean huge regatta held the same weekend we visited. Everywhere you looked there were athletic college kids wearing shirts bearing the name of their alma mater. We walked down to the riverfront Saturday evening and watched some of the final boats being pulled out at the finish line.

Sunset from the walking bridge. So darn pretty.

Where I've Been

2011-11-15T14:03:00.003-05:00

Or, should I say, where my boys have been. I had last week "off" so to speak. We decided it would be easier for Ian and Elijah to hang out in NC since I had a couple of commitments that fell close to one another...which would have made for a too-short visit when I went to pick them up. I headed up Friday to get them and drove home yesterday afternoon.

Oh, how happy we are to have our boys back! Let me just state for the record that while I highly enjoyed my status as lady of leisure last week (and feel that those kinds of breaks are NECESSARY to my overall sanity as a mother)...I also felt kind of, well, purposeless. Is that a word?

It's true, though. While I got a ton of stuff done...namely: painting the boys ratty old picnic table a snazzy new color (kiwi twist), knitting, going to a movie by myself, organizing little piles of stuff that needed to be dealt with, having lunch with friends, having dinner with Paul, going to gym at a more reasonable hour of 9AM instead of 6AM, etc etc etc...I just didn't feel like life was "normal" again until this morning, as I hurried to speed-dry my hair so that I could get breakfast on the table for 2 hungry little monkeys.

I'd rather wipe blobs of oatmeal off my floor as my boys chatter happily than watch Regis and Kelly.

Last night as we were juuuust about home, we hit traffic. Standstill traffic. The kind that makes you break out into a cold sweat and begin to look frantically for an escape route, only to find that one is nowhere to be found. We were on 85N just north of the Pleasant Hill exit...I tuned into the radio to hear that someone had jumped from an overpass not 15 minutes before.

Amazingly enough the jumper lived, but traffic was held up while the police finished their investigation.

As I sat there listening to Elijah get increasingly frantic with his cries (no nap, no milk, and no snacks...what kind of mother am I???) I decided to break free and dart over into the lane to my left...the only one that was open...the Peach Pass lane. You're only supposed to be there if you have, you guessed it, a Peach Pass. Which I do not.

IF I get a ticket, I will kindly meet with the powers-that-be and play them back a little taste of what I was listening to that helped me make the decision to borrow that lane for a 1/2 mile. Listen below, if you ain't skeered. I am not responsible for any psychological trauma that may ensue.

Anywho, all was well after we zipped past that mess and we arrived home to a lovely spaghetti dinner prepared by Kristin and Thea Vicki, with a very happy Daddy at the ready to play blob with his boys and read them bedtime stories and tickle them and swing them around in their towel after bathtime and all the other fun things that he didn't get to do for a whole week.

HUGE thanks to Nana, Papa, Bekah, Rachie, Tyler, and anyone else who had a hand in keeping my boys alive last week. It is such a blessing to be able to hand our boys off to family and know that they are completely able to take care of them...and most of all to know that they love doing it, despite all the craziness it introduced into their lives!

Chattanooga

2011-11-08T11:45:00.004-05:00

Can I drive you to Chattanooga

Where the city in October looks like fire

Well, we were there in November but it still looked like a city on fire, thanks to all the gorgeous fall leaves. (Thanks to Allison for pointing me toward those lyrics!)

Paul and I headed up to Chattanooga last weekend. It was a time to celebrate~a huge project for work shipped off on Friday...he's been working on it for months, nay over a year. It was also a time to reconnect and slow down...these busy and full days are joyful but also draining.

With Ian and Elijah safely ensconced in "Cawowina" with Nana, Papa, and the gang we took off. The weather was beautiful, and we ate well and walked a lot. Saturday we headed up to Lookout Mountain to hike in the Lula Lake land trust. It's only open to the public twice a month and so we just knew that we had to go see it. Beautiful waterfalls, a bluff overlooking the TN valley, and we even found some absolute silence (except for chirping crickets and falling leaves).

Here are some snapshots of the trip...

~Lyrics from "Chattanooga" by Sandra McCracken

*Of course, no trip to Chattanooga would be the same without a visit to Niedlov's bakery, La Altena, Rembrandt's, and Tony's. The only place we didn't make it to was Sugar's Ribs...possibly because we might have just exploded from all the deliciousness. Next time, Sugar's. Next time.

Be The Robot

2011-11-01T09:45:00.005-04:00

Last night we went to a very fun party in a very fun neighborhood to do some very fun trick-or-treating.

Vicki and I knew we were in store for some serious Halloween fun when we saw crossing guards posted at each intersection as we drove to Jillian's house.

It was a pot-luck-cul-de-sac soiree, and it was a blast. Thanks for inviting us, Maggie! And thanks to Jillian for hosting!

Elijah toddled up to the 1st couple of houses, and was then content to ride along in his red wagon. Ian, however, was intent on hitting every single house. Even those he'd already been to. Even the ones where all the lights were turned off. The boy catches on quickly when there's sugar involved.

Back to the par-tay when little hands started to get cold and little feet were tired of walking. Each kid plopped down, dumped their sacks of loot, and began to wheel and deal. We apparently missed the house that was giving away full-sized Snickers bars. WHAT THE WHAT?!

Drove two sleepy (sugar coma, anyone?) boys back home where Daddy had the strobe light going (seriously) and the candle in the pumpkin lit.

Maggie's Garrett was Darth Vader (or, as Ian says, Dark Mater). Ian was equally impressed/terrified.

Oh...look! Who's that? Why, just a cute 'lil robot.

Ready to roll!

This trick-or-treating posse was NOT fooling around.

Making some deals. Do you see that 3 Musketeers bar?!? And the full-sized peanut M&M's?!? These kids hit the candy jackpot!

Elijah's One Year Stats

2011-10-27T14:16:00.002-04:00

I meant to post these soon after our doctor's visit, but alas time got away from me (oh, and there was that little issue of a 1st birthday party to throw...). So here are E's stats from his 1-year visit!

Weight: 21lb 10oz

Height: 30in

Not sure what percentile that all is in but rest assured that he is pretty average.

Some other cute new things he is doing include: Saying "dis" and "dat" (this and that) while pointing at an object. Walking and running. Everywhere. Fast. Drinking out of sippy cups! Hooray! When I told our doctor (a staunch no-bottle-after-12-months kind of gal) that I was giving him a bottle at bedtime...um, in the crib...um, to help him go to sleep...well, let's just say she told me to change my ways. For the good of his teeth, mostly. So we did!

Small problem, though. He only likes milk out of a particular Gerber sippy cup. I just realized that we left that cup at Parent's Morning Out today. It's the only one we have. We won't be back until next Tuesday. We may be running to Target later. :)

2011-10-25T14:37:00.004-04:00

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.

~George Eliot~

Things That Make You Go Hmmm...

2011-10-19T14:23:00.002-04:00

This boy, this boy. Last night on the way home from FFN (Family Fun Night~where he got this rockin' Spidey face art done) he asked me a very important question.

"Why did God make astronauts and robots?"

Gotta say, it was refreshing to ponder such a simple question.

Aaand...Exhale.

2011-10-18T09:58:00.005-04:00

We're getting back into the swing of things after a long weekend away up at the cabin.

I love the cabin. *secretly praying that no one wants to buy it...*

Anyway, the girls and I enjoyed a gloriously beautiful fall weekend in Western NC. We were celebrating Vicki's (my sister-in-law) 30th birthday, and celebrate we did.

There was much eating, shopping, talking, coffee drinking, wine drinking, and in general girly shenanigans. Saturday morning we barreled through 3 full pots of coffee as we sat and chatted out on the porch.

Times like this are few and far between right now for me...I was telling Vicki this weekend that I feel like I have NO idea what's going on with Paul, much less anyone else, as most of my thoughts and time are consumed with keeping up with the kids and the house...not to mention all the activities that fall brings. It was really nice to sit in relative quiet and let my mind clear a bit...although I did miss my loud and crazy house full of boys!

I found a turtle on our hike! This was right before we happened upon a writing mass of about 3 snakes. Kristin and I had stepped right over them, not even noticing. Needless to say we kept our eyes glued to the ground after that!

Vicki and Heather catch up on the deck.

Kristin was there for the first couple of nights, and everyone else showed up Friday. All friends of Vicki, but I think I fit in pretty well. :) With Summer, Vicki, Kelly, and Heather at Dry Falls on the way to the Highlands.

Dry Falls. What an oxymoron!

Birthday dinner at The Main Street Inn.

Much fun was had by all! Happy (early) birthday Vicki!

Things I Want To Get To

2011-10-13T09:53:00.003-04:00

It's been a good first week as a full time stay at home mom. :) We have settled into a little routine for the busy fall...and busy it is. There is something every.single.weekend this month and a lot of weekdays, too! That's ok, though. I'd rather be busy than bored.

This week i've been thinking about some projects I'd like to get taken are of...namely, Elijah's baby book. I uploaded a bunch of photos to shutterfly that I will use in his book, so that's a good step forward. Also, I want to change up some of our framed photos to include Elijah. We're having family photos taken next weekend with our friend Bobbi Jo (she took ian's 1-year pictures), so I may have to wait until I get prints from that.

Also, I want to start knitting again! This chilly weather is rekindling the desire to get some yarn in my hands and create something. Plus, there have been at least 3 babies born in the past few months that need some booties! Hopefully I can have them done before it gets too cold, so the babes can actually enjoy them.

I've also been reading a lot...and I admit it, nothing that's particularly intellectual. All fiction and some fluff. Just finished Sarah's Key, a WWII era story of the experience of Jewish people in France. I don't want to give too much away, but it is heartbreaking and thought provoking. It made me hug my boys a little tighter.

Hmmm...what's Paul been up to? Work work work work work. So busy lately. He's project manager for an overseas job (in Qatar...know
where that is?) and this month is hell month as they prepare to ship the product. Our trip to Chattanooga in November will be a celebration of that job being finished!

I'm heading up to the cabin today with Vicki and a handful of her friends to celebrate her 30th. I'm deliriously excited to spend some quiet time up there as the leaves are now full on changing and the air is definitively brisk. Hoping to get some knitting done. Photos to come!

Have a great weekend!

Elijah's Party

2011-10-11T14:54:00.005-04:00

Elijah's 1st birthday party was on Saturday, and it was such fun!

We kept things a bit more simple than with Ian's 1st (i.e., no hand-rolling a hundred enchiladas the night before) and had just a handful of family and friends over for chili with mac 'n cheese, salad, and cupcakes.

Since it's October I wanted to usher in autumn (my favorite time of year) with pumpkins and anything "fall-ish". I got the idea to make a birthday banner that was fall-themed, and found a great tutorial here.

I also made a few of Martha's pom-poms with the assistance of my lovely sis-in-law. They were cute and done in fall colors like brown, yellow, and orange but I really didn't get a stellar photo of them so I'll leave it to your imagination. We hung them from the rafters under the Sharn porch and a few in the big tree in the backyard.

The only other craft-y thing I did was a photo tree. Every year I fill this giant vase with candy corn and stick some branches from the dogwood tree in it...I usually hand little tissue ghosts from the branches but I had the idea to use photos from throughout Elijah's first year. It turned out SO cute. This year I got some floral foam and put a little water in it, then covered it with saran wrap (so the candy corn wouldn't get all wet and grody) and stuck the branches in that. It stabilized them a lot better.

Birthday boy with all of his decor!

The cupcakes were yummy...pumpkin spice with maple cream cheese frosting, from here.

He was all about it, after I dabbed a bit of frosting on his lips.

After all the food and cupcakes it was time for presents! Ian did a great job of letting Elijah have his day, although he couldn't resist "helping" him with a few.

Best of all, Paul's mom and dad took the boys for the afternoon so that we could have a little break...very kind of them considering that we didn't ask them until they arrived at the party. :) Paul has been so super busy with work lately and I had been up until 3am the night before getting last minute things done for the party, so the time "off" was both highly needed AND appreciated.

And that was that! It was a good day...couldn't have asked for better weather, but for some reason our backyard was FULL of yellow jackets. No one got stung, but it was a little daunting. I think they're just bad this time of year...or it could be all the other Jackets (of the GA TECH variety!) that were gathered at our home that day. :)

Happy One-Year Birthday, Elijah!

2011-10-06T15:41:00.002-04:00

Dear Baby Elijah,

Today marks your birthday...you are one today! I can't believe that my baby is now turning into a toddler (literally) before my very eyes! Sometimes I long for the days when you were just a little warm burrito-baby, swaddled up and snoozing away, but mostly I am just enjoying watching you grow up...and what a funny little guy you are growing up to be!

You have just really mastered more than one or two steps at a time. Why, the other evening you toddled clear across the kitchen! You are furiously trying to cut more of your upper teeth, and most of the time you can be spotted with one (or both) of your hands crammed in your mouth. The only thing that seems to really help your teething blues is a nice cold ice cube, which we'll hold and let you slurp on until it's all gone and your gums are nice and numb.

You have a giggle that wells up from your belly and a smile that is infectious. Your dimples are so deep and we just love to kiss your little chubby cheeks! Your brother Ian is having more fun with you these days, and you are standing up to him more and more when he tries to run the show as you play together. My prayer is that you two will become the best of buds and thick as thieves (and of course, you will NEVER plot against your mama and daddy together, right?).

I have a feeling your heart will be broken tomorrow when Dr.Fleming says "no more bottles", because you do love a nice warm bottle of milk at naptime and bedtime. You've almost got the sippy cup mastered, though, and so it's time to bid the bottles adieu. You're shaping up to have a bottomless pit of a tummy like your brother, and you enjoy most foods but especially fruit (any kind really...grapes are your favorite these days though), cheese toast, ham and turkey, scrambled eggs, green beans (especially if they come from Nana's canning closet), and the latest...PB&J!

You are a great sleeper like your brother...still taking 2 naps a day (the longest being the afternoon one, which runs from 2-5 on a typical day) and sleeping all night.

Elijah, your Daddy and Mama and brother love you so very, very much. You have been a blessing to our family and we can't imagine life without you. Looking forward to what your next year brings!

400 Posts And What We've Been Up To

2011-10-05T09:03:00.003-04:00

I just saw that this is my 400th post! Whew! That seems crazy to me, that in just 3.5 years I've written so much. Mostly about not much, except chronicling (hopefully) my little family's journey.

Anyway, I have been literally SO busy. Ian was in "Cawowina" last week and I don't think I stopped for a second. Here are some of the ways I have been using my time.

~cleaning the windows and screens in my sunroom
~cleaning house in general
~baking. I want to write a series of posts dedicated to "baking Fridays"...lately every Friday afternoon I've been trying out a new baked goody recipe.
~making a birthday banner for Elijah's 1st birthday bash, and prepping for his party in general.
~making jam.
~switching the boys closets over to fall/winter.
~buying everything I need for a home organization notebook...still trying to fit in a time to put it altogether. Clearly I need one! More on what that is to come...
~potting mums for fall. I got some really beautiful, healthy ones at the paces ferry home depot.
~hosting my sissy's a couple of weeks ago...we went to music midtown and the n ga state fair. Unbeatable people watching.
~oh, yeah. I worked my last day on Monday. :)

So there. A snapshot of our life lately. Makes me tired just looking at it!

More to come soon....we're off to burn a little energy up at Kennesaw.

Resigned To Consign

2011-09-21T15:03:00.002-04:00

I just loaded up my van with a bevy of items to sell at a consignment sale. For years I have shopped these sales, always thinking that one day I would try and sell in one.

That day has come. My attic is full. My house is small. It was time to weed some things out.

So, we'll see how I do! I have over 100 clothing items, a few toys, a few baby essentials, etc. I'm hoping to make enough to cover the color portion of my fall/winter cut and color...oh, how I am looking forward to that cut and color. It would be especially nice if I had some cha-ching left over for some fall clothes shopping. I have my eye on a few things...

Keep fingers crossed that it all sells!

A Walk Can Do A Kid Good

2011-09-20T14:27:00.004-04:00

One thing I've learned after having 2 boys is that they are little balls of explosive, barely restrained energy. Sit quietly in the morning to enjoy a craft or storytime??? NONSENSE! We must climb every mountain, Mama. We must conquer the world.

Sometimes we do have leisurely mornings inside, actually most mornings start out that way. But after Elijah's morning nap, at some point, that energy must be expended.

Sunday morning we played hooky from church {absolutely necessary once in a while~I had worked the day before and thus we decided to have a family day} and decided to head over to Kennesaw Mountain for a hike.

I love where we live. We are 5 minutes away from the Silver Comet and 15 from Kennesaw. Both perfect places to burn out some boy energy.

We had a lovely time! We...

1. Saw a wolf spider. Paul kept saying it would jump which freaked me out but it never did.

2. Ate muscadines that we shook out of a tree.

3. Met a park ranger and his giant horse.

4. Pretended to shoot a replica cannon. (All over the place at Kennesaw...for those who don't know, it was the site of a historical Civil War battle).

5. Met a little boy and his daddy on the path who had brought a net along for capturing bugs. We helped them catch a grasshopper and then examined it thoroughly.

It was such fun! The leaves are starting to turn, and that first little bit of fall chill was in the air. Oh, and I had a pumpkin spice latte on the way. That makes ANYTHING wonderful. :)

Photos!

Shirt pretty much sums it up. :)

When we got home, we reaped the rewards of wearing that 3-year old out. He built a giant village, complete with cars and houses, out of his blocks. You see? The creative energy was able to flow once the physical energy was exhausted. Mothers of sons, take this lesson to heart.

Ch Ch Ch Changes!

2011-09-15T10:02:00.002-04:00

I feel the need to point out that I am aware that my blog has not been updated in a looong time. Like, it's so bad that if one were to stumble across it they may not eve realize that there's a Baby E! We appear to be a one-child family at first glance and I assure you...we are not. So, I need to update. Obviously.

The problem is, I'd love to change the name but Paul keeps shooting down all the ones I've suggested! And I value his opinion, greatly. He's waaay more thoughtful than I am (one reason why I love him so), and he often points out things I wouldn't notice. Like how the name isn't really tht big of a deal but how it should reflect what my blog is all about. Which is??? I guess our fam-damily. I just want to be an eensy bit more original.

Anyway, very soon I'll update. It hasn't fallen of my radar. :)

Boys Will Be Boys

2011-09-14T14:49:00.002-04:00

It's a fact. I now have 2 boys on my hands. Boys through and through.

For example, today I caught Ian feeding baby E clods of dirt (evidenced by the fact that E was in the sunroom and Ian was bringing the dirt to him...also by the stream of mud running out of his mouth and down his shirt) and tossing handfuls of dirt at him, all while E laughed hysterically.

Example 2: Ian brought E into the study (a big time no-no) and poured out a box of safety pins for him. When I happened upon them E had 1 in his mouth. I heavily emphasized the "THIS COULD KILL HIM" (Probably not, but he doesn't know that) in order to avoid said situation occurring again. Other disciplinary measures were used as well.

*SIGH*

Other parents of 2 children, how do you make it through this phase? We've been separating them for baths because the splashing, kicking, etc on Ian's part was just too much. He seems to devolve around his brother, and I hate that! I want them to play together...I guess that's something that will come with time.

On a good note, Ian is really doing well with learning his AWANA verses. We started last week, and he had such a great time in the Cubbies class.

For those who aren't familiar with it, AWANA is a program for young kids (ages 3 through I think middle school) that teaches the Gospel message, with an emphasis on Scripture memorization. He goes weekly on Wednesday nights to a local Baptist church.

Earlier this week I went over some of the lesson from last Wednesday night, thinking that there was no way it would stick. Well, this morning I casually asked him what the Cubbies motto is and he answered, "Jesus loves us!" I couldn't believe he remembered.

Then, this afternoon I asked him if he remembered what the AWANA key verse is...I gave him the first word, God...and he followed up with the rest "loved us and sent his Son". He couldn't remember the reference (1 John 4:10), but hey...I'm impressed. I didn't even remember it!

A few weeks ago I was in Barnes and Noble and picked up the Duggars new book. You know, the family with a million kids? Well, they homeschool. And they are believers. So I read her homeschooling chapter. One thing she mentioned doing to help her kids memorize Scripture is to put hand motions to it that match the words.

I decided to try it today with the next verse for AWANA, Romans 3:23. All have sinned. For "all" I motioned around the room with both hands, and for "sinned" I turned down the corners of my mouth into a frown. He LOVED it! After a couple of times he had it, reference and all. What a great idea! Maybe I'll read the whole Duggar book for more nuggets. :)

Say What?

2011-09-08T14:25:00.003-04:00

Verbatim conversation betwixt me and this B-O-Y that took place last night.

Mama: "Ian, I love you!" *Said while sweetly cupping his little cheeks after giving him a smooch.*

Ian: "Yeah, you do. You can go now."

Followed by THE most gigantic, lip-rippling burp. (In my face, yo.)

(I should mention that he was chuckling to himself throughout that exchange. Hrmmpph.)

And this one? THIS ONE? He waved bye bye last night. Not for the first time (that was last week)...but this time he actually mumbled "biiiieeee biiiiieeee" while he did it.

What the what? My baby is no longer a baby.

Seasons

2011-09-06T14:11:00.003-04:00

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven."
Ecclesiastes 3:1

Monday I turned in my resignation letter. That's right! With the changing seasons comes a change in our lives...in 4 weeks Mama will be at home for good with her boys.

Friends, this decision has been so hard. I debated myself (and everyone around me!) for weeks...praying, crunching numbers, seeking advice. I was quiet and insightful and most assuredly over-analyzed every little aspect.

You see, I kind of enjoyed my little gig. Working 5 days a month is a good deal when you're a mom. Most women don't have that choice. It's either work most days or don't work at all. After I had Ian, I was excited to go back to work. It was a chance to see my friends, to get out of the house, and to do what I absolutely love doing.

Then I had Elijah, and I went back to work when he was 3 months old. I missed him, and I missed Ian. Work wasn't quite as fun anymore.

For a while I pushed those feelings aside and kept at it. Because...I'm a NURSE! I have the flexibility to work, so I SHOULD work! Oh, and what about keeping up my skills...not to mention the extra cash! (Um, it wasn't much. But still. Fun money, you know.) These are thoughts that are sort of drilled into your mind, probably starting in nursing school but maybe even before that. Once a caregiver, always a caregiver.

You see, I think I had a lot of fear about staying home. Like, if I had a bad mommy day then I could always fall back on being a great nurse. Same goes for work...if I'd had a crummy day at the hospital then I could come home and put on my Mama hat and be really good at that instead. There was this gray area that I was existing where I couldn't separate my two roles...they overlapped and influenced each other. I'd start dreading work the day before I'd have to go in and then it would take me a full day to recuperate after. That's not good.

I also struggled with guilt. We've undergone lots of personnel changes at my hospital, and I feel like I'm leaving during a bad spell. My sweet, sweet coworkers and boss have really eased my worries about this. When I told them on Monday that "another one had bit the dust" they were super supportive. It's nice when people still get excited about a mom who wants to be home with her kids. Everyone has been behind my decision 100% and like they said...work will always be there.

Over time and after much thought, I realized that home is where I need to be right now. And if 5 days a month takes me away even just a little from my family, and it's not revitalizing me or making me a better mom...then it needs to go. This is something I've not tried yet, and so we'll give it a whirl. It's where I belong for now.

I am going to miss labor and delivery terribly, though. Every day I saw a miracle. What other job can boast that? To everything there is a season, though, and I'm sure that down the road I will work as a nurse again. (These kids will eventually have to go to college, right?!?)

As I sit here in my sunroom with my boys playing nearby I know in my heart that this is right. I'm sure it won't always be bluebirds and sunshine, especially when we delve into the new waters of homeschooling (another post for another day). It feels good, though...and peaceful. Peace that only the Lord can give.

Our Weekend

2011-09-04T17:25:00.004-04:00

We had a nice, relaxing weekend.

As promised, I made my Spiced Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread Friday. Sooo yummy. I substituted toasted pecans for the walnuts and did a cup of chocolate chips.

Check out that little hand waiting expectantly on the edge of the table for Mama to cut into this...oh, and isn't my new Polish pottery baking dish adorable! Thanks to my mother-in-law Carolyn for my newest piece in my collection.

Side note: Herein lies one of the main differences between Paul and me. (Or is it Paul and I? Or is it myself and Paul? I have a lot to learn before we start homeschooling. Obvs.) When we were discussing the use of chocolate chips in pumpkin bread he assumed I'd cut the amount in 1/2. I, on the other hand, had planned to double the amount.

Anyway, it was delish and we have snacked on it all weekend!

Friday night Vicki came over and we cooked, and cooked, and baked, and cooked, and ate pizza, and watched Dateline (by FAR my favorite Friday night activity). We were working on goodies to take to the Bowling's for the Guacamole Cage Fight.

Saturday morning we enjoyed a serendipitous visit with my college friends Mono and Suzanne. They have 3 children (6, 3, and 8 months) and live in NC. Mono's parents live a couple of streets over from us and they were visiting for the holiday weekend. It was fun to catch up! Alas, I didn't grab any photos...

Saturday evening we packed up our goodies and headed over to Alan and Maggie's for some food and football. You see, this night had been in the works ever since I posted something along the lines of "My husband makes the best guacamole EVAH!" on Facebook and Maggie's friend Jillian was all like, "Oh no he doesn't...Maggie does!" and so we were all like, BRING IT ON!

Here's the scene: assorted guests, many of whom have no allegiance to either guacamole. Maggie and Paul were responsible for their own ingredients and had 20 minutes to prepare their guac. 4 identical bowls were provided and they could each submit 2 variations. (For example, one with cilantro and/or onions, one without...or in Maggie's case, one with her secret ingredient) We all received 3 tickets and could vote up to 3 times.

The spread...

Well, friends, I am sad to report that the PK suffered a loss last night. His guac just couldn't hold up to Maggie's secret ingredient. BACON. It's impossible to win against such deliciousness.

Louise, opening up the winner's gift. A Halloween bobble head.

In other exciting news from last night...drumroll...Elijah took his 1st steps! I took some video but it's not the most impressive so I'll try and get a better one this week to post.

Lastly but not leastly, I painted my fingers and toes Friday during naptime. I know, SO exciting, right? Mainly I just love this color...Essie's Chinchilly.

Oh, and I also have E's birthday invites all ready to go...just have to address the invitations and send 'em out. They are super cute.

Happy Labor Day! I'll be at work with people who are actually in labor, hardy har har.

Jonesing For Fall

2011-09-01T14:38:00.004-04:00

Fall. It seems to be all anyone can talk about lately. From Facebook to blogs to Pinterest...fall is in the air. As I drove home today (MUCH better Thursday than last week~no parking lot fender benders, hooray!) I noticed the leaves scattering to the ground and swirling around. Now, this is probably mostly due to the extreme drought-like conditions we've had here in Georgia (can anyone remember the last time it rained?), but it still made my heart leap a little.

For you see, fall is my favorite. Last year pretty much topped the list of Most Amazing Autumns, as I had just delivered a smooshy sweet-smelling mass of baby, but I love fall ANY year.

And on this first day of September (not technically fall yet but close enough) I present the Things I Am Most Looking Forward To This Fall.

~Elijah's 1st birthday. The tentative 1st steps that are right around the corner.

~All things pumpkin. Yesterday my friend Maggie put forth the question "When is it too early to start baking with pumpkin?" The general consensus seemed to be that now is juuust fine. So tomorrow pumpkin chocolate chip bread we will have. Why tomorrow you ask? Well, because today I am using the divine hours of nap time for blogging/laundry folding. Those hours are divine and must be appropriated wisely.

~Going along with pumpkin, "THE" Pumpkin Spice Latte. Enough said.

~Baking in general. When it cools down enough that it doesn't make my kitchen feel like purgatory to turn the stove on, I will start baking. What a fantastic time of year to bake! I'm going to start this weekend with these little cuties...

Don't Click Unless You're Ready To Drool

~The smell of burning leaves. I was listening to Fresh Air on NPR the other night and Terri Gross was interviewing this famous chef from Chicago-can't recall his name-but anyway he's famous for incorporating all the senses into his dishes. He was mentioning that when he was growing up the smell of freshly raked and burning leaves was what he equated fall with. So, he has created this dish of pheasant with vegetables, I think cider too...but anyway what caught my attention is that he sticks a maple branch into the dish and ignites it to evoke that smell that so many of us equate with fall. Interesting, huh? Not sure I'd take it that far but I see where he's coming from.

~Football. I may not know much about it but I know that I love a brisk fall day at a football game. Or watching one on television cuddled up on the sofa. Hopefully we'll get to take Ian and Elijah to more Tech games this year!

~Our annual getaway to Chattanooga. Paul and I love 'Nooga. It's close enough that you don't feel like it's an epic big deal to visit, but far enough away that you feel like you've gotten away. We're going in November, when the temps will be brisk and the leaves hopefully still bright. Did I mention there would be no children accompanying us?

Friends, this is just the tip of the iceberg. I could go on and on, but the aforementioned laundry beckons.

What are you looking forward to this fall?

Dinner Ideas

2011-08-30T15:04:00.002-04:00

Anyone that's known me and Paul long enough knows that we like to dine like Europeans. Meaning, we usually sit down to dinner at some point after 8. More like 9.

At first, it was mostly a function of our busy schedules. When I was working full time I wouldn't get home until close to 8, and on the weekends if we went out we'd usually go do something before dinner.

Then we had Ian and it became a convenience thing. We ate after we put him to bed, mainly so that we could take a deep breath and relax and actually enjoy our meal. I LOVED waiting until after he went to bed. I wasn't making 2 meals, as he usually just ate leftovers of whatever we'd had the night before. I'd just cook our dinner while Paul did the bedtime bath/book reading routine.

Well, folks, times are a 'changing. The time has come to sit down together as a family for dinner. Lots of reasons for this~

~People were starting to make fun of our late night dinner habit.
~How will Ian even learn to eat like a socialized human if we don't model it for him?
~I don't know this for a fact, but I bet that it's better for your overall health to eat early in the evening instead of right before you go to sleep.
~It's a good opportunity to catch up on our days and life in general.
~I think that having a sit-down meal with your family is becoming a bygone practice in America. We keep ourselves (and our children) so busy that dinner is grabbed on the run or separately, for convenience sake. When we do sit down to eat with our families, I'd be willing to bet that it's not at the table but instead is in front of the TV. (The iPad has been banned at our table. Mostly it's a self-imposed ban as it's far too tempting for me to play Words with Friends or check FB while we're eating.)

So to ease ourselves into this new routine we instituted Family Fun Night once a week. Paul's sister usually comes over on this night (usually Tuesday's) and we have dinner and then take the boys and go get frozen yogurt. Then we try and do a Greek lesson on the Rosetta Stone.

So far, I've done pretty well at having dinner ready right when Paul gets home. I just try to plan a meal that can be made in about an hour total time, so I don't feel like my whole afternoon is taken up with dinner prep. For the past month or so we've eaten early on Family Fun Night + 2 or 3 other nights of the week. Big change!!!

Does anyone have any good suggestions for a weekly menu planner? I know there's websites that will do this for you, and I have a lot of good dinner ideas in my head but I don't want to get into the routine of eating the same things over and over again. I also need to get back on track with weekly shopping trips instead of one every few days.

Now we save our light night dining for the weekends!

What time do you eat dinner? Do you eat with the kids or wait until they go to bed?

Life=Experience

2011-08-26T15:43:00.002-04:00

There are a lot of things I'm ignorant about. Insurance is one of them. Medical, auto, home, life, you name it. I'm sort of the "I'll deal with it when I have to" kind of girl.

Well, after my splendidly optimistic life-is-beautiful-on-Thursday's post yesterday what did I go and get myself into? A freakin' fender bender. In the parking lot of the church. Of which there were only a handful of cars. It's like we flipping TRIED to collide.

Anyway, I won't go into deets since everything is still in the works with insurance and such but that brings me to the point. Insurance. I feel like I know so much more about auto insurance today than I did yesterday.

Deductibles, premiums, liability, zero-fault, moderate comparison, accident forgiveness, blah di blah di blah. It's a lot of mish mash that I don't really care to deal with but I have to, so I am.

Most importantly, the boys and I (and the other driver and her kids) are just fine, praise God. The damage is very minor (only a small inch-long dent), and will be taken care of soon.

Today is Friday, an end to the yucky week is upon us, and I plan to spend the evening enjoying my family and making a pizza.

Thursday Mornings

2011-08-25T10:18:00.002-04:00

Have I ever talked about how much I love Thursday mornings? On these most blessed and wonderful mornings we all wake up, rush to get ready and eat breakfast, and then I drive the boys to Parent's Morning Out.

From 9-1 they play with other kids their age, have lunch, and generally have a blast. Lest you think I am not a good mother for relishing this time away I would submit that for now it works for our family and I get a chunk of time every week to make doctor/dentist appointments, grocery shop, clean...oh, who am kidding. Most Thursday mornings I pack up my book and head to Rev (best little coffeehouse in Smyrna) for some catch-up time on emails and such, and honestly a little quiet. Well, except for the whir of the coffee grinder and the way cool music.

I think it's good for my mental health.

This morning I went to the bank, am now at Rev, and will soon pack up and run to the farmer's market for some whole peppercorns (we've been out for over a week and regular old black pepper is just NOT THE SAME!). In fact, Rev is not just for mommy time. Paul gets one night a week for "daddy-must-clear-his-head-time" and tonight's the night. And he will likely come to Rev.

Now for some random thoughts...

1. I'm planning E's 1st birthday. I can't believe my baby is about to be 1. Waaaaaahhhhh! Anyway, I'm under strict orders to keep it simple, so simple it will be. (with fun decorations...and cute invites...and cupcakes...)

2. I just registered at a local church's upcoming consignment sale to sell some things. Namely the Diaper Champ that has sat in my carport for nigh unto a month now. Likely the most unnecessary baby product ever.

3. There is a trashcan at the gym that hasn't been emptied since June. I know this because it's where I spit my gum out every morning when I'm done and I can see where all my old dried up gum wads are. I suppose that if all that's in there are a few empty water bottles and all my old gum I shouldn't be too concerned but I want to see how far this goes.

4. There is an upcoming Guacamole Cage Fight scheduled between Paul and our friend Maggie. Both claim to make the best. Labor Day weekend we'll see who's right. Prizes will be awarded. Hopes will be dashed. Many chips will be eaten. I'll let you know the outcome.

5. I saw The Help Tuesday night with Vicki and Kelly. I laughed. I cried. Mostly I cried. At one point a big ol tear drop went down my shirt. It's hard to believe that my generation is not so far removed from that time. We've come a long way.

Now see! Wasn't this a productive morning! (feel free to guffaw) Off to the market I go!

Easy Rider(s)

2011-08-23T10:17:00.006-04:00

Last year at around this time (and I know that because I remember just how obnoxiously pregnant I was...it's so much easier to be obnoxiously pregnant in the heat of summer) I bought a bike trailer. It was sitting, chained to a light post, in our neighbor's front yard with a for sale sign propped up next to it. I called to check on the price and lo and behold it was only $40. After some suave and skillful negotiations I had them down to $30 (go me) and I was on my way to pick it up.

It was in great condition and was a cast off from my neighbor's daughter, who had just moved into a new house and found that the previous owner had left it behind (apparently they didn't want it and didn't want to fool with selling it). It was in great condition, and seeing as how we live SO close to the Silver Comet trail, I figured it was just about the smartest purchase I'd made all summer.

Well, our little bike trailer sat forlornly under the roof of our Sharn as a baby was born, the leaves turned golden, and the snow fell. Even when it warmed up there were excuses not to use it, the primary one being that there's an essential piece missing (the piece that connects to the bike and thus pulls the trailer...likely left on the original bike.)

This Sunday was the day when we decided to take it for a spin! Paul put his engineering education to good use (thank you, GA Tech) and jerry-rigged the trailer to his bike. Fit to take out to the Comet, where the spandex-clad weekend warriors were sure to be out? No, but it was perfect for a pre-supper spin around the neighborhood.

Ian was BESIDE HIMSELF with excitement. Elijah was more interested in standing on his own (WHAT?!?!) and shoving various pieces of vegetation in his mouth to care very much. Paul viewed the whole experience with some trepidation, after all, it WAS a jerry-rigged operation and that is just not good enough for an engineer. I was just thankful I wasn't the one pulling 50+ pounds of sweaty testosterone around.

It worked, and it will work even better with the right piece in place...which we'll be getting in time for the next ride (and YES, we'll put helmets on the kids next time too.). I am looking forward to some brisk fall afternoons on the Comet with our bikes!

Summer

2011-08-18T14:34:00.003-04:00

"Then followed that beautiful season...Summer...filled was the air with a dreamy and magical light; and the landscape lay as if new created in all the freshness of childhood..."

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow~

No More Mush Part Deux

2011-08-17T14:14:00.002-04:00

You may remember this post I wrote about Ian's declaration that he was done with all things baby food.

Great minds think alike, apparently, because Elijah is feeling exactly the same way, at almost exactly the same age.

There is no transitioning to grown-up food for my kids, apparently. When a spoon full of baby mush makes it's way towards E's mouth he starts to flail his arms violently, with a sneaky little grin on his face to boot. If I DO manage to work that spoon into his mouth, he proceeds to either A. Cry, B. Blow it right back at me raspberry style, or C. Let it dribble out of his mouth. That is perhaps my least favorite.

Now on the other hand, if I prepare him some chopped up meat, veggies, and sweet potato...he happily sits and smacks away. That little hand actually makes contact with his mouth about 70% of the time but who even cares. He's happy, so I'm happy.

No more mush for us! Now, does anyone have any suggestions of some good healthy pick-up foods for the beginning self-feeder? I gave him couscous at lunch today and it was a DISASTER I tell you. Couscous from one end of him to the other. Couscous in his ears. Couscous down his diaper. Couscous on my clean kitchen floor. How could I forget so easily how messy it all is?

32, Good As New

2011-08-09T00:42:00.002-04:00

My 32nd birthday was yesterday and it was lovely.

I won't go into all the details since it's laaaate and I'm getting up at the butt-crack of dawn to put my boys and myself on a plane down to Florida to spend the week with the fam-damily.

To be sure, though, it was a most excellent birthday weekend. I did the following:

~Brunch with my best girls on Friday at Highland Bakery. Yum Yum Yumminess.

~Mani/pedi's at Nouvelle after brunch. Recline on my back whilst my toes are done? Yes, please!

~Frozen yogurt at Yoforia to cap it all off on Friday. My new obsession is fro-yo.

~Dinner at Maru with Paul Friday night...where we serendipitously ran into Jamil and Patricia, who then proceeded to keep Baby Elijah at their table and feed him/play with him/mesmerize him with Jamil's moustache while Paul and I had a little date.

~Cowboys and Aliens Saturday afternoon. Total and complete summer movie awesomeness.

~A laid-back spontaneous b-day party Sunday evening with the Trapp's, Hwang's, and Vicki. DaVinci's pizza, ice cream cake, and fireworks when it got dark. I was a happy gal.

Photos to come!

Thank God I'm A Country Boy

2011-08-04T14:30:00.003-04:00

This makes me laugh a little. Is that wrong?

Ian's been spending this week with my grandparents (his great-grandparents) up in the wilds of Cherokee County. A country boy indeed, complete with long walks to see the horses and goats, tractor-riding, and noshing on some stick-to-his-ribs food. Last night they sent me a few photos of what he's been up to.

He got his hair cut at the same barber my grandfather goes to. When Paul saw this last night his response was..."Oh, no. Now he really looks like a punk." Something about a shorn head...well, hopefully he's cooler now. That dense mane he was sporting was constantly sweat-soaked.

The little boy who lives next door to my grandparents. Apparently he has a Power Wheels. Which makes him cooler than cool in Ian's book.

The night we dropped him off. Little did they know how busy life was about to get...

Suffice it to say that Baby Elijah has been SOAKING up all the attention. I forget how much of my time and verbal attention I give to Ian, since he's older. Baby E is also loving, in no particular order...

A. Getting to play with the toys without interruption or having one confiscated by Big Brother.

B. A solo dinner date with Mama, Daddy, and Thea Vicki which included a frozen yogurt treat afterward. He especially loved getting to hog all the extra tiny bites we would send his way.

C. Snuggles with Mama before afternoon nap in the rocking chair. Not sure that's happened since, oh, he was a month old?

The Poopsmith

2011-08-03T15:20:00.003-04:00

Happier times, pre-poop.

That's what I should have called Elijah the week we were in Florida.

Because he quite literally pooped every.single.time. he ate.

Not sick poop, mind you. Just the teething kind. Runny. Which I had not experienced with Ian.

Anyway, I know it was teething related because he literally had something crammed in his mouth 24/7 to gnaw on, and he never ran a fever. He just...pooped.

It really wasn't that bad, excepting one more memorable blowout.

We're on our way to the merry-go-round one evening after taking photos at the beach. As we're driving along I began to smell...something.

"Guys. I think Elijah pooped."

Multiple groans ensued, as Elijah had already pooped, oh, say 3 times that day already. Runny yucky poops.

I figured I would just change him when we got to the park, no big deal. Until the smell intensified.

"Guys. That reeks. It smells of ketchup and dirty shoes. Is he OK?"

At which point Kristin and her mom (who were sitting in the very back of the van) noticed that Elijah had poop on his leg...yuck...on his hand...UUUGGGHHH...on his FACE!

Yup. Somehow, Pampers failed us. Essentially everything came out the sides, up the top, and was at that point filling his carseat...not to mention the air in the car, with a most putrid smell.

So I did what any mother would do and pulled over at a sketch-tastic gas station on 312. A BP, to be exact. The kind with the bathroom on the outside, yo. Around back.

Lacey and her mama and boys pulled in behind us, plans for merry-go-round fun fading away.

Bopped in, got the key, came out, and lifted my baby out of his steaming pit of nastiness.

Plip, plop, went the poo as we ushered him into the bathroom (complete with urinal! they were his and hers sketchy potties!). With the help of Kristin and Vicki I stripped him down, removed the (useless) diaper, and...yes...placed him in the sink of the BP-with-the-bathroom-round-back.

Where he proceeded to suck on the faucet. But don't tell anyone.

We cleaned him up, swaddled him anew with a fresh Pampers, wrapped him in a clean towel (that we had serendipitously brought along for our beach photo shoot!), and drove home. There would be no merry-g0-round that night.

And I'm not even gonna lie, Kristin held him in the backseat for the (short) drive home. There was no way I was putting him back in that disgusting carseat, not until it had been sanitized to the nth degree.

Good news is, we're back to normal...though the tooth has yet to make an appearance.

Summer Tunes

2011-07-28T14:34:00.004-04:00

I'd like to take a small break from the aforementioned vacation posting to write up a quick little ditty on summer music.

Summer music is very important. It's the new music that you turn up when you're roadtripping, or out running, or just lounging at the beach.

Every summer I seem to seek out a few new songs that I then become obsessed with, listening to them over and over again! Without further ado, here's what we're dancing to around here.

The Naked and Famous ~ Young Blood

Death Cab for Cutie ~ You Are A Tourist

Foster the People ~ Pumped Up Kicks

The Civil Wars ~ Poison and Wine (I actually really love most of their stuff...)

So there you go! All of the things that are thisclose to being over-listened to. :)

What are your favorite songs this summer?

Surfer Boy

2011-07-27T07:21:00.006-04:00

I believe it was our very 1st day at the beach that Ian made a new declaration. He now wanted, more than anything else, to be a surfer boy.

It started with a game. I looked up from my book to see Thea Vicki and Ian in the shallow surf~Ian positioned tummy down on the boogie board. When a wave would wash up Vicki would send him off, and there he'd go...bumping and splashing along. Then he'd run back and they'd do the whole thing over again.

I believe that sequence of events took place approximately 5, 387, 469 times.

On our 2nd day at the beach he spotted a boy, probably aged 13 or so, who was skimboarding. Oh, my mercy. Us women folk were now chopped liver to him. He wanted, more than anything else, to be just like that boy.

So he watched him. As many times as Ian "surfed" in the surf the previous day this boy skimboarded. Over and over again. Eventually Ian decided to give it a whirl and took off after him. Over and over again.

The older boy caught on at some point and very graciously lived up to his new superhero status by not laughing at Ian, or moving to a new spot, but continuing to show the little guy the ropes per se until it was time for him to go.

At some point we told Ian to say hi to the older kid and this is the look we got:

Is it possible to give a withering look when you're 3 years old?

Every surfer guy has to stop and eat, after all. Gotta have energy for all those totally radical waves, dude. Like, totally.

He spots skimboard guy.

He follows skimboard guy.

Here's a video of how it all went down. Over and over again.

This boy, I tell you. A surfer in the making.

We're Still Here!

2011-07-26T09:15:00.004-04:00

We've just been super busy! The boys and I just got back from our annual beach trip with my girlfriends to St.Augustine, and there are many tales to tell and photos to share~I may have to do it one post at a time because there was just SO much fun. It was like fun overload. Oh, and there's a poop story too. Because it just wouldn't be a trip without one.

Anyway, here's a little photo from our trip. We took the kids down one evening to the beach to get some quasi-fancy pants shots. Let me tell you one thing: trying to take structured photos of toddlers is akin to herding wild cats. God bless those professional children's photographers.

This pretty much sums it up! WILD CATS, I tell you.

9 Months Old!

2011-07-14T07:05:00.005-04:00

Elijah's 9-month check up was last week! I.Can't.Believe.He's.9.Months.Old.

Here's the stats!

Weight: 19lb, 2oz. He's now in the 25th percentile for weight (down from 50th at his 6-month visit. 75th at his 4-month visit, and 95th at his 2-month visit), which means that now that he's on the move, he's slimming down. He still looks like a chunk-a-dunk to me, though, with his pillow-y thighs and round cheeks.

Height: 28in.

Milestones: The boy is crawling maniacally. He goes everywhere, and he goes fast, but where he likes to be is where we are. If we are in another room you can hear the *swish swish swish* of his diapered tail moving right along as he seeks us out like a missile. He's pulling himself up to stand, and occasionally lets go of one hand. Sheesh. At this rate I'm going to have a walker before 1 year, and I don't know if my sanity will allow that! The thing is, he watches his older brother and learns from him, thus doing everything more quickly that Ian did.

Elijah is babbling and cooing, although there are no discernible words yet. He reaches up for us to pick him up. We've started saying "no" about some things, in particular safety issues (cords and outlets being a favorite) as well as the dishwasher (my pet peeve. can't stand to have little ones messing with the racks as I try to load it.)

He's super duper smiley and happy and you don't have to work hard to get a chuckle! Overall pretty easygoing, but there are some things Mr. E won't stand for. Namely, late meals...bonking his head...late naptimes...poop-a-licious diapers.

He's drinking between 24-28oz a day, and we bumped our meals to three a day. He's eating jarred fruit with cereal (either oatmeal or multigrain) for breakfast with diced up fruit after...lunch is jarred veggies with more diced up fruit, sometimes some pieces of toast or itty-bitty diced string cheese...and dinner is jarred meat w/veggies and MORE diced up fruit. See above re: poop-a-liciousness. This past weekend we were up at Papa and Nana's in NC and he had a field day of table-food delights. He tried (and loved) buttered french bread, oatmeal with diced peaches, *real* green beans, and...dum da dum dum drumroll...chicken and dumplin's with rice. Oh, the wonder that crossed his face after that 1st taste. (well, after he stopped crying because I didn't cool it enough first and he burned his wittle tongue. bwess his wittle heart.) We nearly ruined him for baby food with all of that, but he's phasing it out anyway and besides, it will be cheaper to feed him what we eat.

Elijah's sleeping from 8pm to 7:30 or 8 in the morning, and takes 2 naps a day...the afternoon nap being the best and longest (Usually 2-3 hours...while Ian sleeps...which has been THE singular most significant mothering accomplishment to date.)

Here are some snapshots of what he's been up!

He's been hanging with some VIP's, including the famous CFA cow.

Mastering the one-handed-two-footed bottle.

Smiling all the time to keep those dimples on display.

The one-handed stand. It strikes fear into my heart.

"Hey folks. I'm Ewijah and this is my good buddy Charlie. I love you, man."

*Photos to come of Ian...I know it's been kind of heavy on the E posts lately but I promise Ian's been up to his own shenanigans. Awww, heck. Here's one to keep you happy.

U2 Highlights

2011-07-06T17:49:00.007-04:00

Last weekend I got to go on a completely child-free girls weekend! My sister-in-law Vicki and friends Kristin and Lacey accompanied me to good 'ol Nash-Vegas, TN to see U2. (Thanks to my mom for making the weekend possible!)

The girls indulged my fanaticism and waited with me in the general admission line all the live long day Saturday. Which means, they got up at 4AM and walked a mile to the stadium whilst carrying chairs, coolers, and bags. Then sat in the 90+ degree heat. All the while listening to all the other crazy fans around us speak of nothing but U2. I tell you what, they must really luvvvv me.

We had great spots on the floor inside the inner circle along the back rail. It was insanely hot and that nearly did us in. But we prevailed and it was SO worth it.

PLUS I ran into Matthew Perryman Jones, another phenomenal singer/songwriter (who I've always thought kind of looks like and sounds like Bono) on my way out of the stadium. AND he recognized me! Or, at least he said he did. :) Here's how I handled my only run-in with fame in NashVegas.

*While pointing at him* "Matthew...Perryman...Jones."

He was completely kind and we talked for a minute about how amazing the show was. Very cool!

The girls and I engaged in other shenanigans over the weekend, including but not limited to...mimosas and cupcakes by the pool (seriously, is that a sin? 'cause it sure felt like it should be...), waiting in line for some tastiness at The Pancake Pantry, going to see a U2 tribute band (whose lead singer had a nose ring. that felt all wrong.) and a scenic driving tour of NashVegas led by Melpa, my trusty GPS sidekick.

OH, OH, OH! Another fun moment...while Dallas Schoo (The Edge's guitar tech) was doing his soundcheck and walking around the stage I went completely bat-ape-crazy and squealed his name. He stopped. Looked at me. And tossed me the guitar pick. WHICH happened to be a pick from the Superbowl halftime show U2 played (how do I know this? The Superbowl logo and year are on one side...the other side? Bono's signature. Yep. It's a copy, but still waaay cool and probably the ONLY piece of memorabilia I'll ever have.) Thanks to Vicki for catching the dang thing for me! In my bat-ape craziness I HIT THE FLOOR looking for it in a panic...only to realize that she was triumphantly holding it for me.

Without further ado, here are some photos. (yay for Vicki's a-ma-zing camera...mine are all blurry).

And this? Possibly the biggest surprise of the night...at the end of the show Bono pulls this gentleman up from the front row. He'd been holding a sign all night that read "Blind Guitar Player". Pulls him up, jams to All I Want Is You, and then gives him his guitar. Made that guy's night. Possibly his year. :) Here's a video.

Millions Of Peaches

2011-06-30T14:09:00.002-04:00

Elijah, a regular Georgia Peach if I ever saw one.

Tuesday evening I picked up a bag of peaches for $5 at our local farmer's market.

There were about 12 peaches in the bag. I have consumed around 1/2 of those in 2 days, with just a little bit of help from the boys.

They are so good. It's like, the very essence of what a peach should be.

Winning!

2011-06-29T14:22:00.002-04:00

I debated a bit over whether or not to post this true tale. After some thumbs-up's from friends who reiterated the fact that this is most likely NOT the worst thing anyone has ever done to their child, I submit it for, if nothing else, your amusement.

I have titled this tale The Great Sandwich Standoff of 2011.

It began last Tuesday evening. I had to work, so Paul was on evening duty. He prepped a lovely curry chicken salad sandwich for Ian, in fact just HALF of a sandwich.

Now this curry chicken salad was the BOMB. As in, dot com. It had grapes. It had Craisins. It had toasted pecans. The curry was not too spicy. I made it, I should know. It was delish.

But for whatever reason, Ian decided he was having none of it. NONE OF IT I tell you. When I arrived home at around 8 he was still sitting at the table, happily distracting himself in every possible way to avoid said sandwich.

"He's going to sit there until he eats it" stated my husband. I looked at Ian, who was busy studying the ancient ruins on his Greek place mat and I knew. He wasn't going to eat that sandwich. At least, not that night. It would take some good 'ol fashioned hunger first.

Around 9 we let him down, bathed him, gave him some water and tucked him in with promises that the sandwich would be waiting for breakfast. "Oh, OK! I eat it then!" was his enthusiastic response. Did he think we'd just forget about it? Ahh, youth and their blissful ignorance.

Next morning I presented him with his sandwich and a cup of water. "NOOO, I don't WANT that!"...which got him a trip to stand in the corner (our punishment of choice these days for the whole "I don't WANT to..." line.). I put the sandwich in the fridge, said a little prayer that the hunger pangs would get to him soon, and went about my morning.

Offered it as a morning snack. Nope.

Lunchtime rolled around with a phone call from Nouna. She wanted to meet us for lunch! Why, what better enticement could there be?!?! Ian, listen. Just eat this HALF a sandwich and we'll go to Chick Fil A with Nouna. There, you will be served chicken food. And fries. And fruit. And chocolate milk. And ice cream. And you will get to play on the playground.

"Ummm...no Mama. I don't want that."

*Mama scratches head in bewilderment.*

Quick phone call to Kristin changed plans. She would come to us, as I was not about to bring about the CERTAIN tantrum that would result from serving him that sandwich out in public.

She brought subs. We sat in the kitchen. Ian crawled up into her lap and watched as the subs made their way from the plates to our mouths.

"Ian, if you eat the chicken sandwich you can have some of Nouna's sandwich."

Um, that's a no-go Nouna.

At one point as Kristin was eating her chips he held out a little paw and whispered "Just a couple, Nouna. Just a couple?" Did he think I wasn't listening? I admit, that was hard to turn down. But we did. It's all about perseverance, people!

Off to nap after sniffing all the jars of spices. "That smells GOOD Mama! OOOHHH! That smells NUMMY!"

Up from nap, offered sandwich as a snack. Surely, I thought. Surely he will eat this now.

Nope.

Paul, who I had been calling off and on with status updates all the live long day arrived home. "I leave this with you" I said and headed to the store. When I got back Ian was in the corner, where he would be I was told until he "ATE THAT SANDWICH!"

I won't go into the grisly details but I am happy to report that at 9PM Eastern time on Wednesday evening Ian finally ate that sandwich. Albeit mashed up in a bowl with yogurt and honey, but still. He ate it. On his own.

Why, you ask, did we do this to our poor child? (And when I say we I mean that both Paul and I were totally on the same page here.) Well, for starters we were following Dobson's advice in Dare to Discipline. Although I will say that Dobson's young 'un's must be waaaay less strong-willed than ours, as he makes it sound like this is a cake walk. "Kid doesn't want to eat what you serve them? Easy! Put it away, send them on their merry way and offer it later!" We did this, but there was no merry way. In fact, there were a couple of tantrums. Bad ones. Will of iron, I tell you.

Secondly, we believe that for whatever reason Ian has become far too used to eating certain foods as well as getting a treat (even if it comes in the form of a piece of fruit) after every meal. He needed to learn the lesson that Mama and Daddy do not bend to his will, down to the littlest thing...including that sandwich. If we said eat it, we expected him to try it.

So was it the smell, the taste, or the texture? Who knows...all I know is that at some point that sandwich became like poison to him and to eat it was akin to eating dog poo. But. He ate it.

You see, it's not completely about the sandwich. It's about obedience...and knowing who's in charge. He was rewarded handsomely for his efforts...cereal, milk, fruit, and macaroni were his post-sandwich requests. And he is still telling me he doesn't want that chicken sandwich. I'll give it a couple of months before we try it again. ;-)

Triple-Layer Lemon Chiffon Cake

2011-06-23T14:39:00.003-04:00

I asked Paul what kind of cake he wanted for Father's Day.

I was hoping he'd say chocolate, because that was all I could think about. Dark, rich, fudge-y chocolate cake.

Nope. He requested lemon.

Could you GET any further from chocolate?

I searched the recesses of my mind and remembered a delicious, airy, tart but sweet cake that my friend Amanda made for Kristin's bridal shower. With a quick google search I found lots of different bloggers who'd baked this cake and blogged their tips and tricks.

It's out of the book Sky High:Irresistible Triple-Layer Cakes by Alisa Huntsman and Peter Wynne. Apparently lots of baking blogs have been blogging their way through this book, baking a cake a month. Thus all the handy advice.

Amanda gave me some advice too. She told me not to fear the curd.

You see, this cake is homemade ALL DA WAY. Including a lemon curd filling between the layers. I feared the curd, oh yes I did. I needn't have, though. It was incredibly simple and came together just as the recipe promised it would.

The cake did the same. It was just as I'd remembered it...light, spongy, sweetly lemon. The only thing I tweaked was the frosting...I followed the advice here and used gelatin to stabilize the whipped cream frosting. After reading lots of experiences of this frosting not holding up well in the heat, I figured I'd try it. Well, it worked like a charm. The frosting still tasted light and creamy, but held up perfectly as I frosted and even through dinner when it was out of the fridge.

Here's some photos! Please forgive the quality...we make no promises to be good food photographers around here.

Baseball Man

2011-06-22T14:39:00.004-04:00

Thanks so much for all the encouragement after my last post~it has apparently been a doozy of a couple of weeks for LOTS of people, as I keep seeing other blog posts and facebook status updates regarding how truly difficult parenthood can be.

Maybe it's all this hot humidity.

Anywho, we spent last Friday evening doing just what we needed to do to break out of our funk...we took the boys to a Braves game! This was Ian's 2nd game and he was SO much more into it this time around. Fully intent on the game, at one point he held up his hand and said. "I am a baseball man". Or something to that effect. Baseball man was definitely what he wanted to be. How early can they start T-ball?

Elijah was just in awe of all the people, lights, and sounds. Every Friday night Publix sponsors a fireworks show after the game, and E watched (with my hands over his ears) until it was just too overwhelming and then flipped around and buried his face in my neck. No crying, but he was just done-zo with seeing all the explosions. Ian, on the other hand, watched with the kind of open-mouthed delight that only a 3-year old boy can. It was just what we all needed to feel better after a loss to the Rangers.

We packed a picnic dinner~subs from Publix for me and Paul, a PB&J for Ian, pasta salad, chips, grapes, and cookies. Even though we were up high with Thea Vicki and her friends I thought it was a great view of the game. We took Ian to "run the base" after the 7-th inning stretch, which he loved but he kept cutting in front of all the other kids who were waiting a turn. Yeah, that whole "waiting in line" concept hasn't clicked yet. We worked on it, though.

Finished things up with an FO from the Varsity afterward and headed home, where the boys proceeded to sleep until 9 the next morning.

Yes, I'd said it was JUST what I needed!

Hush

2011-06-17T14:05:00.003-04:00

Earlier this week I met up with a good friend who's visiting from out of town. As we watched our children playing, we caught up on life. She mentioned something that I instantly related to...how our sin is exposed through different life changes. Marriage, parenthood, a big move, a new job.

As we talked it was like an "a-ha!" moment in my head. Yes. My sins~my selfishness, my impatience, my quest for perfection, my need to control...all of these have become much more of a struggle for me since I became a mother.

It's a tough job. Perhaps one of the hardest.

I suppose I'm writing this as a challenge to myself, to do the things that I know will in the end bring more peace, happiness, and harmony to my home. Pray more. Read Scripture more. See my children as my ministry, my mission field. Open up to other moms about my struggles, because I have to believe we're all fighting similar battles.

More practically, develop better routines and habits. Make up the bottles the night before. Go to the gym 30 minutes earlier in the morning, so I can be showered and at the ready when the boys wake up. Plan my grocery trips so that I can go alone, which will inevitably result in better meal planning and save money. (Couponing, while entirely possible with 2 babes along for the ride, is substantially more difficult.)

Paul is probably more helpful than the average guy, but I don't always give him credit. (The man deserves major props on Father's Day!) Instead I find myself needing more of his help...which he's not always able to give.

Along with all of that, I need to remember that these momentary struggles are just that~momentary. Ian won't always try to wrestle with Elijah (or maybe he will, but eventually E will be big enough to fight back). He won't always begin every sentence with "But I don't want to...(insert whatever it is that I'm requesting or suggesting). Elijah won't always be so dependent on me for every little thing. Taking it day by day feels so much freer than borrowing anxiety and trouble for the weeks to come.

After a particularly heinous day a few weeks ago Paul emailed me with one order~to find and listen to Waterdeep's song, Hush. The lyrics felt like they were spoken directly to me, and I had to look them up again today. I copied it below, in case someone else may find encouragement from it.

When you feel like the days just drone on and on and on
And you feel like the nights seem quickly gone
And on the inside you feel like your heart is gaping wide
And on the inside you feel like no one's on your side

Well, I am
I am
I am
I am

When you thought you could rest but you found out you were wrong
And there's another need, another battle
Another one more thing that comes along
And on the inside you hear the fall but you hate the falling sound
And on the inside you can't pick another broken piece up off the ground

Well I know

Hush little baby don't say a word
Daddy's gone and bought you a great big Heaven to rest in
He's bought it with blood and put the seal in your hearts
It'll give you the hope you need to get up and start again

When all the things you thought you left behind are still hanging on
And everything you try to do right just ends up all wrong
And on the inside everyone else seems basically fine
But on the inside even they won't let go of the dead and cling to what's alive

Well I am

Hush little baby don't say a word
Daddy's gone and bought you a great big Heaven to rest in
He's bought it with blood and put the seal in your heart
It'll give you the hope you need to get up and start

Hush little baby don't say a word
Daddy's gone and bought us a great big Heaven to rest in
He's bought it with blood and put the seal in your hearts
It'll give us the hope you need to get up and start

Again, again
Again and again
Again

Share Hush by Waterdeep

St.Augustine Highlights

2011-06-13T14:17:00.006-04:00

We buried Ian in the sand. He stayed there for quite some time, so long in fact that his legs fell asleep...may have been the 1st time that's ever happened to him because it totally wigged him out when we dug him out. Excellent use of extra beach time. :)

The best NY style pizza in St.Auggie, Pizza Time! Ian actually put away that whole slice.

Baby Elijah on the swings at this fantastic park we discovered downtown. It's behind the visitors center and has lots of fun activities for all ages. He seemed quite content to swing away the evening, though!

Ian is geared up for his boating expedition with Papa. They ended up catching a flounder!

Alligator Farm! See those snappy jaws behind us? We've been waiting to go here until Ian was old enough to be interested...and he probably could have stood to wait one more year but he still really enjoyed it! We just had to keep moving quickly from one exhibit to the next.

Investigating whether this alligator chomps.
The Hyppo~Yummy popsicle shop downtown. Fresh fruit popsicles. Ian was in HEAVEN! Elijah also loved them, he got his first little licks of an icy treat and decided it was waaay better than baby food.

We toured Whetstone's chocolate-making factory one afternoon. One of Ian's favorite Curious George stories is the one where George visits a chocolate factory and gets to eat tons of chocolate. So, we thought he would really love this...and he did! (We all had to wear hairnets in the factory. Elijah wanted to eat his, when he wasn't trying to smother himself with it.)

Ian does not joke around when it comes to chocolate.

Paul and I were blessed to go on not one but TWO dates. Dad and Kenita kept the boys one evening and treated us to dinner at Ruth's Chris (Best.Steak.Ever.), and then a couple of nights before we left a local girl kept them so we could go out again. We met her at the local library (where she's volunteering this summer!) and it was a perfect match. She did a great job watching the boys...they had a lot of fun with her, too. Paul and I tried out a place called Collage that night...it's the #1 trip advisor rated restaurant in St.Auggie and it was DELISH.

Of course, we made it back to the merry-go-round. Interestingly, instead of the usual carnival-type music that's normally playing we rode to the tune of bluegrass. Ian loved every minute of it.

Our last night we had dinner at Aunt Kate's on the Matanzas River. It's an old fish camp that's still kind of like a, well, fish camp. The best part was watching the sunset while we waited for our table. Paul looks angry here but I promise he wasn't. Just probably wondering why I was taking the bazillionth picture of him and Baby E. I had to get it perfect!

Family photo our last night.

Sunset on the river.

Katy Bar The Door!

2011-06-08T14:26:00.002-04:00

This boy is C-R-A-W-L-I-N-G!

Turns out that soft beach sand and carpeted floors do wonders for a young babe's physical development. He is wiggling, and wriggling, and squirming, and scooting, and everything in between...whatever it takes to get him towards the object he desires.

In St.Augustine, it was the cords under the end table. He kept ending up there, dangerously close to sinking one of those sharp teeth into a live wire. We decided to watch how he got there, and lo and behold our baby powerhouse-crawled across the floor. Like he was born for that.

Time to baby-proof yet again...although Ian is proving to be an excellent middleman. "Ewijah, NO! Don't touch that. Move here. You come here. Ewijah, STOP that! You do this." All the while providing alternate items to entertain and divert Baby E from whatever he's after.

More to come on our va-cay...I'm still recuperating from it's awesome-ness!

In The Past Month We...

2011-05-25T22:17:00.004-04:00

Had our 1st visit to the dentist!

Swam with Nouna.

Swam with Ms. Tracy...he's becoming quite the little fish!

Played in the sprinkler after a haircut...

Completed Extreme Bedroom Makeover (basically consisted of new bedding and curtains, but hey, that can make a huge difference!)

Visited the zoo with some buddies for a mega-playdate. Thanks to Shanna, we didn't lose this wild animal there. This trip convinced me that we need a double stroller.

Last but not least, tried our first taste of watermelon on Mom B and Grindaddy's porch. I have another watermelon lovin' guy in my family. :)

*We'll be incommunicado for the next 10 days! Taking a break from all responsibilities, even fun ones like blogging. And I know I haven't been especially good about keeping up lately, but I'm giving myself permission to completely slack off for the next little bit!

It's Friday!

2011-05-20T15:44:00.002-04:00

I am typing this post out on my new wireless bluetooth keyboard that Paul got me for our anniversary! I love my iPad and want to use it to do more stuff on, especially when the boys are napping (since Elijah sleeps in the study I can't use that computer) and this was the perfect answer. I can now blog far more easily on the iPad...woo hoo! Thank you, Paul!

We also ordered and received the Greek edition of the Rosetta Stone language learning system. We are SOOO excited to start using it. Paul and I both want to learn more Greek, and we want the boys to learn as well when they're older. The Rosetta Stone is one of the most effective tools for learning languages that's on the market, so we were very happy to get such a good deal on it.

Also, I'm in the midst of trying to decide on a double stroller. I know, I know. I swore up and down I didn't need one, and as Paul so eloquently puts it: That kid (Ian) hiked up freakin' Kennesaw Mountain by himself. He doesn't need a stroller." Um...my zoo visit last week had me rethinking all of that.

While Ian does walk most places we go, it would be super nice to have the option of letting him ride. I've been looking on and off for a while now and just recently asked for some recommendations from friends. It all comes down to what we will be using the stroller for and how much we're willing to shell out, 'cause these things are 'SPENSIVE!

I've had a couple of glowing reviews on the Baby Jogger City Elite. It's basically a double jogging stroller that, as a friend puts it, has all the bells and whistles! It's also pretty pricey. The jogging stroller I currently have is a one-seater I picked up at a consignment sale for $20. While I've gotten my $20 out of it, I pretty much despise it. Which is probably why I never use it for running, or anything else for that matter. Everyone I've talked to says the Baby Jogger maneuvers like a dream and is such a comfortable ride for the kiddos.

I'm also looking at the Joovy Ultralight Caboose. It's more of a sit and stand model, meaning that the older child has the option of sitting or standing on the back of the stroller while the younger one rides in the front. This particular one has glowing reviews and seems like the perfect option for the older child who wants the ability to hop on and off...sounds like Ian, huh?

So, like I said. Pretty much boils down to what we'll use it for. Hope to decide soon! What do you think we should go with, or do you have any other recommendations or things to think about?

Other than that, a relaxing weekend is coming up. Movie with my sis-in-law tonight, Ian's swim lesson tomorrow and a quadruple date with some good friends tomorrow night.

8 Years Ago...

2011-05-17T15:19:00.004-04:00

I married my best friend!

I love you, Paul!

(I would post a picture but baby Elijah is asleep in his pack 'n play in the study and I don't want to get out the scanner-back in the day these new-fangled digital photos were not the thing, so here's the photo I posted on my blog last year. Still one of my favorites from that day.)

Why, Hello!

2011-05-12T14:21:00.000-04:00

Lookie what I found in my deep sink the other evening!

Just a little 'ol frog, that's all.

Mother's Day

2011-05-11T15:17:00.005-04:00

Mother's Day 2011. This was as good as it got, family-picture wise.

My Mother's Day was really nice this year.

I didn't have to change any poopie diapers, which I hold as the gold standard of a good day.

I "slept in", which around here means I didn't have to get up and deal with potty time and diaper changing...instead I hung out in bed and read my royal wedding issue of People. Essential, I tell you!

We met Paul's parents and sister at J.Christopher's for brunch and it was SO busy! Everyone had the same idea, I suppose. It was, as usual, totally yummy...especially the maple french toast.

After brunch we headed back to our house to change into strawberry pickin' clothes. I had made the request earlier in the week to go pick berries again at Harry Stacy's farm, and everyone obliged. :) There were far less berries this time, probably a combination of the season ending and the popularity of the farm...I hope there's some good ones left when I go next week with my friend Maggie!

Ian enjoyed helping me find "the big red ones" and Elijah napped in the carrier on Paul's back.

Back home to make strawberry ice cream with our berries! It was really easy to do in the ice cream maker that I borrowed from a friend...it does all the churning for you and the ice cream was hands down some of the best strawberry ice cream I've ever had.

My dad sent me this gorgeous arrangement of peonies that have filled the house with the beautiful smell of fresh cut flowers...I do love a peony.

Sweet Potato.

2011-05-04T15:14:00.001-04:00

It's what's for dinner.

Strawberry Fields Forever

2011-04-27T15:14:00.005-04:00

I got a wild hair this morning and decided to defy all of the forecasted apocalyptic weather that's coming our way. I loaded up the boys in the van and drove to the outer reaches of Paulding County to pick strawberries at Harry Stacy Farms.

The only bump in the road came when I pulled up to farm and discovered that they were closed. Hrmph. There was a gentleman headed down to the mailbox so I flagged him over and inquired if they were opening later. YES! They were! At noon, which was 30 minutes away. I figured we'd make a day of it and passed the time by browsing Super Target (Why oh why is there not one of these bad boys near me? On second thought, maybe that's a good thing.) I picked up some spill-proof bubbles for Ian to play with once we made it to the strawberry fields...he's been coveting his friend Joshua's for some time now. We lunched at Moe's and serendipitously ran into our friend Alan.

Headed over to Harry Stacy and was happy to see that they were open for business! I purchased the gallon-sized bucket ($12...no idea if that's a bargain or not...the guy running the stand said I could fill it over the top, as long as I could still carry it with the handle...so it worked out to be a little more than a gallon), loaded up Elijah in the backpack carrier, and pulled Ian's red galoshes on his footsies.

With strict instructions to only pick the really, really red ones we headed out. Oh, my. These berries were beautiful and luscious. I secretly tried a couple (You're not supposed to eat them while you pick but COME ON. Who really obeys that rule?) and they are soo sweet and delish. They meet Ian's "Nummy" requirement, for sure.

We filled up our basket to overflowing and headed home...tired, sweaty, and looking forward to next time. It would be even more fun with some friends and a picnic lunch involved! Any one up for it?

Here's some photos of the day...I am pretty much addicted to the Instagram app...it just makes pictures look so cool and seeing as how I left my real camera at home and was dependent on my cell phone's camera...well, my photos needed some love.

Easter Exhaustion

2011-04-26T14:24:00.004-04:00

We had a lovely albeit busy Easter weekend.

On Saturday we hosted our annual lamb roast, as Pascha was the same weekend as our Easter again this year.

I think we're improving a little more every year...as I've said before, there's a steep learning curve when you're roasting a 30+ pound animal on a spit over an open fire in your backyard.

Does anyone remember the first year, when we didn't get to eat until around 10-ish and were finishing off chunks of lamb carcass in my oven because it was SO.DANG.FREEZING outside?

No? Here's a photo to refresh your memory.

I think we've improved upon this process.

So, beautiful weather Saturday...coupled with good food and even better friends...it was a wonderful day!

Resurrection Sunday dawned early for me, as I sang with the Easter choir at Christ Church this year. I had to be there for both services, so no family Easter photo this year...although I think I'll take a friend's advice and just recreate the whole scene later this week. Years down the road, will anyone really know the photo wasn't taken on Sunday? Probably not.

We did get one photo of Paul and Ian on Sunday morning in front of the roses. They look so thrilled to get their mugs on camera.

Needless to say it was a busy but fun time...which has left me exhausted. I'm remembering how I felt last spring when I was newly pregnant with Elijah (don't get excited, there is no tsoureki in the oven...). Hopefully we'll get to catch up on our R&R this month in preparation for our big beach trip over Memorial Day in St.Augustine...I feel like I am LIVING for that trip right now!

Every Story Whispers His Name...

2011-04-21T14:50:00.007-04:00

Ian received a copy of The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd Jones as one of his birthday gifts. (Thank you again, Becky and Aaron!)

I have yet to read a more beautifully crafted children's Bible.

The stories are simple enough for a child to understand, yet so poignant that I have shed tears many a time as I've read it with Ian. Which leads to a wonderful conversation between us as to why Mama is crying...yet another opportunity to open my heart to my child and share more about God with him.

Today we read about Jesus' death on the cross...Ian is really interested in that and has been bringing it up a lot recently, probably because they talked about it in his Sunday School class last week. So, I decided to read him that story. We followed it up with the joyous story of Christ's resurrection. I decided to pray with him after we read it, and as usual I began the prayer and he repeated after me, like we usually do. Today, though, after I thanked God for Jesus Ian added on and thanked God for Jesus dying on the cross. That he thought to include that bit on his own was incredibly touching, and really illustrated to me just how much my little boy is taking in and understanding. I pray that God continues to write His truth onto Ian's heart.

Anyway, you MUST grab up this Bible for your kiddos. The stories are short and there is an unbroken theme of God's redemptive love through Jesus Christ. The illustrations are far out, but really beautiful and interesting to look at.

Andrew Peterson read this excerpt from The Storybook Bible as an opener to his Behold the Lamb show...what a wonderful interpretation!

“The Bible is most of all a Story. It’s an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It’s a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne - everything - to rescue the one he loves. It’s like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life!

You see, the best thing about this Story is - it’s true.

There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them.

It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story. And at the center of the Story, there is a baby. Every Story in the Bible whispers his name. He is like the missing piece in a puzzle - the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together, and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture."

6 Months Old!

2011-04-20T14:46:00.002-04:00

Photo taken during our visit to the Festival of Flowers at Biltmore a couple of weeks ago. There are many other really good shots that my sister Bekah captured...working on getting some copies of them so I can show off these cute little young 'uns.

Elijah had his 6 month check-up on Friday. So, really 6 months and a week or so. With this post being late, he's almost 7 months old. Eh. *shrug* (2nd Baby Syndrome)

Here's the stats!

Weight: 17lb, 3oz. He's now in the 50th percentile for weight (down from 75th at his 4-month visit and 95th at his 2-month visit), which means he's evening out. I looked back at Ian's weight from his 6-month visit and get this...they were exactly the same weight! Down to the oz. Is this just the first indication of how much like each other they will be?

Height: 26.5 in.

Milestones: He's still rolling from tummy to back but only veeerrry occasionally from back to tummy. It actually happened earlier today, but I think it was a complete accident because he quickly became quite furious! He's also starting to "tripod" (see above picture) and can balance himself for a few seconds before he flops over. He's gotten the hang of his Jumperoo and enjoys spending most mornings jumping like a banshee while I clean up the kitchen. Also...laughing, looking around for things he hears, cooing and babbling (Dadadadada being the babble of choice for his 1st "word"...).

He's still drinking five 7-8oz bottles a day, and we bumped our meals to two a day. I didn't want to add another "to-do" to our morning routine, but that baby is hungry. So I will feed him. He's tried bananas, avocados, sweet potatoes, butternut squash...and tomorrow he's going to give pears a whirl. So far I've made all of his baby food and will continue to do so as long as it's convenient for me. It's definitely more work the 2nd time around, when there's just not enough time in the day as there used to be to whip up batches of freshly pureed fruits and vegetables to freeze in ice cube trays. I'm having to relearn time management skillz all over again.

Elijah's sleeping from 8pm to 7:30 or 8 in the morning, and takes 2-3 naps a day...the afternoon nap being the best and longest (Usually 2-3 hours...while Ian sleeps...which has been THE singular most significant mothering accomplishment to date.)

Ta ta for now! Preparing for our Pascha celebration this weekend...more to come on that!

Super Big Boy

2011-04-14T14:51:00.002-04:00

I snapped this photo following his first haircut by Daddy.

Going along with his current fascination with all things super-hero, Ian has taken to calling himself a super big boy. For example, if I praise him for being a big boy when he does X, Y, or Z he promptly corrects me with "No, mama. I'm a super big boy."

Why, yes. I suppose he is.

(I totally scored everything for his Easter basket at Target's dollar spot this morning. It's going to be an explosion of Spiderman up in here on Easter morning. Don't worry~I remembered the requisite Reese's PB egg, Reese's Pieces carrot bag and Starburst jelly bean egg. He should be good and wired for church!)

Well, I'll Be Bloomed.

2011-04-13T15:18:00.006-04:00

Finally, finally our baby tree has bloomed! My friend Lori (due to hatch her own little spring chick tomorrow!) gave us a tree when Ian was born. It was really no more than a little stick with a bulb at the end, and we had no idea if it would flourish here in Georgia but we planted it anyway, and faithfully tended to it over the years.

It shot up like a weed (fueling suspicion that it was indeed some kind of tree-weed, although it was pretty clear from the packaging that it arrived in that it was a Royal Empress tree-a fast-growing tree promised to reach full maturity in 3 years.) and didn't really do much else except grow and produce giant elephant-ear shaped leaves.

Well, here we are 3 years later. Paul looked out the window the other day and exclaimed that the tree has finally bloomed! Beautiful purple flowers, too. This summer it will be a welcome respite of shade for the little boy to whom it was gifted.

Thanks Aunt Lori! We look forward to meeting your own little sapling.

Ooh, guess what else is blossoming? Blackberries, that's what. I can't wait to pick bucketfuls of 'em, right outside my back door.

Lime Ricki Rocks!

2011-04-07T15:11:00.004-04:00

A few weeks ago I posted that I was beginning the epic swimsuit search. I lost all of the Elijah weight, and so it was time to find something new and cute that would work well for the pool and beach this summer.

The only problem was, I wanted to find something cute AND modest. Walk into any department store or heck, even Lands End and all the swimsuits have these deep, plunging necklines. The ones that don't show most of your goods come with a skirt, and we're just not going there. Yet.

So I did the obvious and googled "modest swimwear". Well, wouldn't you know. There are companies out there DEDICATED to providing women with cute, modest swimwear! I have a strong suspicion that they are owned by Mormons, since both companies I ordered from are based out of Utah and the link that led me to them was on a Mormon blog...maybe Amanda can confirm this suspicion.

Anywho, I had such a fantastic experience! I ended up purchasing from 2 companies, but sent one suit back to one of the companies in favor of purchasing another suit from limericki.com.

Folks, I can't say enough good things about them. Free returns/exchanges within 30 days, excellent customer service, very high quality, and suuuuper cute.

Here are the ones I chose!

The Auburn tankini top with the yellow classic bottoms. I just love the soft, pretty shades of blue and orange in the top, and yellow is such a fun pop of summery color.

The Georgia tankini top with the brown classic bottoms. The ones pictured are the boy shorts, which Lime Ricki accidentally sent me...I'll have to send 'em back for the classic bottoms because boy shorts do not work on my short legs.

I love, love, love this top. The colors, the ruffle at the bottom, the fact that it is MADE for small chested girls (like myself). Yes, yes, and yes.

It's no secret to most of my friends and family that I have a burn scar that covers most of my right chest~thus the shopping for higher-neckline swimsuits. For years and years I HATED the process of buying a swimsuit, mainly because I felt so self-conscious of my scar. But when I tried on the Georgia top and realized that my scar does indeed show a good bit, I came to a conclusion about something.

I really just don't care.

Maybe it's just being older, maybe it's going through childbirth (twice!) and the subsequent trials of attempting to breastfeed, maybe it's watching a woman who is more brave than I am...but I just don't care. The suit is cute, the baby weight is gone, and I will wear it AND my scar with pride this summer. Can I get an amen?

How Do I Love Him?

2011-04-05T14:34:00.002-04:00

Let me count the ways.

Without further ado, here are The 10 Things I Love About Ewijah. (We've all adapted to Ian's inability to pronounce "L")

1. I love the way he reaches up to stroke (or scratch furiously, depending on his mood) my cheek when he's eating.

2. I love all of his voluminous fat rolls. They are plentiful, and they are yummy. He comes by his Michelin man legs honestly.

3. I love the way he sticks his wittle (whoops, there I go again with the "L"!) tongue out and noms on it...this is how I know we've definitely entered the teething phase.

4. I love how he smells. There's just nothing like the way a baby smells to it's mama. It's, like, instinctual how much I love his smell. Of course, he's even yummier after a bath with clean pj's on, but honestly I still love his smell 1st thing in the morning with a pee-soaked diaper.

5. I love this panting thing that he's started doing when he knows that a bottle is coming his way. He sounds like a little parched yippy dog...pant pant pant pant pant until that bottle is in his mouth. It's really the most adorable.

6. I love his little footsies, and I especially love that he gets tiny wads of toe jam already. What a boy.

7. I love how he's just starting to really pay attention to Ian, and Ian to him. They are beginning to entertain one another, which usually consists of Ian jumping around like a monkey in front of him and Elijah giving a little chuckle, but it's the promise of things to come. Brothers.

8. I love his hair. It's so soft, and he has so much of it (compared to Ian). Don't begrudge me if I like to style his 'do every now and again.

9. I love how eeeeaaassssyyyy he is. He sleeps all night. He naps great during the day. He eats all of his food. Sweeeeet boy.

10. Most of all, I love seeing his sweet smile, his deep dark eyes, his unbelievably long eyelashes, every day. Thank you Lord for this little blessing.

It's called baby fever, and I've got it bad. Don't mind me, I'm just over here campaigning for #3. Put a word in with the Mr. if you're on my side. :)

Thinking About...

2011-03-25T14:20:00.002-04:00

How cute the 2 rascals up there are. Also about how Ian's hair looks sooo much better since Paul cut it...he's rocking a late 80's style in the above photo. Now he looks like a clean-cut little boy. Though unlike Samson, cutting his hair did not zap his strength and energy.

You can really only have foaming soap in a little boys bathroom. They are just not able to take the time to really suds up and completely rinse off any other kind.

Bakerella's cake pops are really adorable and I'm a huge fan of hers, but I just don't get the craziness over them. They look way too involved to make for just one or two bites.

I'm in the mood to bake something this weekend...I think it's the forecasted rain and the fact that Paul will be helping with his office move all day tomorrow. So, give me some ideas! What should I bake? It needs to have ingredients that one would already have on hand...and it goes without saying that it should be sweet.

I think I may have adult onset seasonal allergies. I feel like my lungs are coated with pollen and I'm sneezy and watery. Of course, I could also just have a cold...courtesy of my very own little vector Elijah. Because he seems to have the same symptoms, and I'm pretty sure a 5-month old wouldn't have seasonal allergies.

I smell spit up on me, but I cannot locate it. That is a most disconcerting situation.

I went to the grocery store yesterday and saved a little over 30% of my total bill after store discounts and coupons. That's great and all, but I cannot for the life of me seem to save more than that! I know people who have saved 60%, even 70% of the total bill. HOW, I ask?

I cooked salmon for dinner last night. Paul loves fish and is always asking if I would make it more often, but I cannot get past the icky slimy feeling when you're preparing it. Which in turn sort of kills my appetite. Last night I forgot to spray the pan I baked it in and there was SKIN stuck to the bottom. Fish skin is just the worst. Paul covered the dish with aluminum foil and put it in the fridge when we were done, and so every time I open the door I think about how there's a dish with fish skin baked into it in there and I immediately get the heebie jeebies.

Yesterday was laundry/bathroom cleaning day. One thing I've learned since having kids is that you cannot do all of your housework/laundry in the same day and have fun every other day of the week. (Like I used to do) It has to be split up. Which took some getting used to, because I hate feeling like the whole house isn't clean.

I have weird cleaning rituals. Like, I have to light a good smelling candle when I'm done. Something about overcoming the smell of cleaner. Also, after I wash and dry the bathmats I have to be the first one to use them. So, I will not put them down until I am positive that mine will be the first footprints to touch them. So.Weird.

I hope you enjoyed this conscious stream of thought! One subject seemed to lead to another, didn't it? Let's do this again sometime!

Correction and Update

2011-03-24T07:12:00.002-04:00

Correction: Paul did not actually fracture his toe, so no bone injury. I was in a haze when he got back from the ER the other night and just assumed the thing was broken. So, that's a praise!

Update: The toe is, however, all janky and gnarly. Paul saw a podiatrist yesterday that the ER doctor referred him to. The podiatrist went ahead and removed the toenail, and he thinks it will probably grow back...albeit not quite like how it used to be.

Ian is really sympathetic about the whole thing, and was doing his best last night to offer encouragement...in his own little 3-year old way.

This should make Paul's big office move on Saturday LOTS of fun!

Toe Up

2011-03-23T14:16:00.002-04:00

Paul arrived home Monday night from softball practice with a broken big toe. How, you ask, did he break that toe? Well, he ran into 2nd base. Quite literally ran into it.

It looked pretty sickly Monday night, all greenish blue under his toenail (see above). By yesterday evening, he could barely gimp around on that foot and it was pretty painful. So after a frantic search for his new HSA card which culminated with him driving to his office to get it (because of COURSE you keep your insurance card at the office!), he took himself over to Emory Adventist's ER.

They took one look at his massively swollen and discolored toe and asked him why he didn't come in sooner! Ahhh, that relieved this nurse's concern over whether or not you take a broken big toe to the ER. Yes, in some cases you do.

He finally flopped back into bed at close to 2AM (broken big toe's not really being of high priority in the ER and all) and related the details to me. I was half asleep for that, and haven't really had the chance to debrief fully with him but apparently they had to POKE HOLES in his toenail to relieve the pressure and drain out the blood that had collected underneath. (If that doesn't make your bottom clench together then something is wrong with you.) Ugh. Ugh. Ugh. They taped that toe to his other toes next to it and wrapped it all up in a bandage.

The ER doctor told him that the toenail may not grow back...WHAAAAT? I didn't even know that could happen. She referred him to a podiatrist who will hopefully have some tricks to make sure a new toenail grows in.

So, take care of your toes people. They may be little 'ol ugly things, but if one goes down for the count then it will create lots of trouble!

Listening

2011-03-17T10:39:00.004-04:00

There comes a point in life where you realize that your child is listening. To everything. To you, to others, to the TV, to the radio. So then you figure out that you have to watch what you say. And watch what they see and hear. Guard their hearts and minds.

I pretty much listen to one of three things in the car.

A. 90.1~Our local NPR station.
B. 92.9~Dave FM. Good music.
C. 95.5~Conservative talk radio at it's best. I have to balance out the NPR, you know.

If you can't tell, Ian gets a lot of exposure to the news.

Anyway, so the other day we're driving along listening to 90.1 and they're talking about the tragedy in Japan. Now, Ian has a pretty good idea of what happened. I made him stop and watch some of the images that came across the television screen last Friday night...if nothing else I hoped that he would understand that there is a great big world out there and that sometimes really sad things happen...but mostly I hoped that it would inspire in him a desire to pray for the situation.

Getting back to the other day...so I hear a little voice from the backseat as we're listening...

"Mama? They said Japan."

~"Yep, they did. They're talking about the earthquake".

After a minute he piped up again.

"That man said earthquake."

~"Yeah, I heard him. Do you remember seeing pictures of the earthquake?"

"Those people were hurt."

Now, at this point I definitely had a nudge from the Holy Spirit.

Pray with him.

~"Ian, do you want to pray for the people in Japan?"

"yeah."

So we did.

This really illustrated to me the importance of teaching our kids to be sensitive to the call to prayer. I have this hope that when a situation arises where all we can do is pray, that Paul and I can set a good example for the kids to do just that.

Every other time we've been in the car since that day and he's heard Japan or earthquake he brings it up, and we pray. Now, he hears a lot of other stuff too. Paul was telling me that the other morning he was asking about Cairo and what the word motive meant. Little pitchers really do have big ears.

~How interesting! I just finished up this post and was making my blog rounds when I came across C.Jane's most recent post. Seems like it's not just on my mind.

Catching Up

2011-03-15T10:26:00.002-04:00

The Arizona Cleanse, as I'm now referring to the stomach bug that attacked my system last weekend, helped me get the last little bit of baby weight off. I'm at my goal weight finally, and am going to try out the maintenance plan for Weight Watchers. Last time when I did WW and I switched over to maintenance, it only gave me 2 extra points per day. Which is pretty much diddly squat. So, we'll see how it works out this time.

Going along with the whole weight loss thing, I'm in the market for a new bathing suit. Why oh why are they so hard to find? I'm trying out what the inter-webs has to offer...the problem is I want a modest suit, which can be hard to find. Interestingly enough, when I googled "modest swimwear" a ton of stuff came up. Apparently there's a market for such things, and I found a couple of good sites. Limericki.com and hapari.com are the ones with the cutest suits I've found so far.

We had some out of town guests this weekend, our good friends the Butchers. We've been friends for years and have stayed close despite their moves to Charleston and then to Ithaca. It was too short of a visit, as they came in on Friday afternoon and left Sunday afternoon...but we had a great time on Saturday night cooking out here at the house and wrapping up the evening sitting by our fire pit. Also, we're working out the dowry agreement so that Elijah can marry their newest little baby, Emeline. They're already pretty smitten with one another, after just one weekend.

I'm gobbling up The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I took a break from the Outlander series (I only have one more to go, hooray!) to read it, since it's been sitting on my shelf for several months now and I just needed a break from 18th century historical fiction. It's so good, and I hear it's been made into a movie. That will be a must see this summer.

Elijah started rice cereal Sunday night. I feel bad that I waited so long to start him, but I literally just did not have time until now. He love love loves it, and ate it up like he'd been waiting for it his whole life. Next up, fruits and veggies! I can't wait to make him some pureed GA peaches this summer...

We are in the midst of that dreary time of year when it's not quite spring and there are no vacation days planned. Thus, all I can think about is our upcoming vacations...a couple this summer to St.Augustine, one with the girls to Nashville, and I'm sure we'll try and fit a couple more in somewhere. I'm also obsessed with planning our 10-year anniversary trip. Yes, I know that's not for a couple more years. But I can't help it! Anyone have any thoughts on where we should go? I'm intrigued by the idea of Costa Rica...or Peru...or Cabo. Basically anywhere where there's water and beaches and nothing to do. The good kind of nothing to do, as in, nothing to do but read a book. Or hike a rainforest.

Desert Baby

2011-03-07T15:04:00.007-05:00

My poor, neglected little blog. It has been ignored as of late, as a result of extreme business. *Deep cleansing breath* So, here's a little re-cap of this weekend's adventure.

Kristin, Lacey, Amanda and I flew out to Phoenix to throw our friend Lori a baby shower. Lori and her husband Josh are having their first child in April, a daughter named Charlotte (Charlie for short~how adorable is that?!?). Oh, yeah. And we brought Baby Elijah along for the fun! He was a fantastic little baby, despite having a touch of the stomach yuckiness that's been going around. I, in turn, caught it from him and spent the majority of the weekend fighting a losing battle against some extreme stomach woes. Retribution for my previous post? I hope not...although it sure felt like it at times. :) Fortunately I was not caught out at a Target or, heaven forbid, in the airplane. Talk about my worst nightmare. Anyway, here's some pics of our all-to-brief trip.

Josh's parents house, which is where Kristin and I stayed. So lovely and the perfect setting for Baby Charlie's shower.

We went with a hot pink and zebra-print theme for the shower, especially appropriate as Josh and Lori make plans to move to Africa for missions work in the near future.

More decor. Note the poufs. We liked 'em so much for Kristin's shower we made them again. Well, actually, the other girls made them while I was in a stupor of yucky-feelingness on the couch. They looked great, though!

We had Qdoba's cater the shin-dig and decorated above the food with baby pictures of Josh and Lori.

We had the guests team up and decorate onesies using iron-on appliques and letters. The task was to come up with something very "Josh and Lori" for the onesie. This one won...I think it's perfect!

We just had to get a picture of Baby Elijah with a cactus!

Believe it or not, I didn't take one photo of all of us girls all weekend. So, here's one from a couple of years ago, when we were out visiting Lori and went up to the Grand Canyon. Probably one of my favorite pictures of us. I was about 16 weeks pregnant with Ian here.

Looking through photos of our other trips out to AZ I found this one...I think it was taken in Sedona. So beautiful out there.

So now we're back and resting up for a busy month ahead. We have houseguests this weekend (The Butchers, hooray!), Paul's office is moving locations and I'm going up to NC with Kristin and Lacey to visit the Biltmore. Whew! I think I'll take a nap now. :)

Things That Make You Go Hmmm...

2011-02-26T07:02:00.003-05:00

Sometimes I forget that I live in a relatively large city and that strange things happen in such places. Especially since we're kinda out in the 'burbs, and Smyrna isn't exactly a hotbed of looney-toon activity.

Let me just tell you a little story...

So I'm at Target a couple of weeks ago with Kristin and baby Elijah. I needed to run to the restroom before we started shopping, so I asked Kristin if she could wait with the baby and I popped on in.

When I walked into the restroom I could tell that there was a...*ahem*...situation going on in one of the stalls. Target bags were scattered hither and thither. Clothes were spilling out of the bags onto the floor and into neighboring stalls. And the owner of said items was talking loudly on her cell phone while doing her business.

"Hmmm" I thought. I chose a stall down at the opposite end of the restroom, and as I finished up and was washing my hands I could see out of my peripheral vision that the other occupant of the restroom was also at a sink. I didn't pay her much heed until I realized that she was addressing me.

"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry. I got so sick. I'm just so sorry."

I glance over her way and my eyes immediately bugged. You see folks, she was naked as a jaybird from the waist down.

Yep. No socks or shoes, no pants, and NO undies.

The best part? She was...*AHEM*...CLEANING HERSELF UP WITH A WASHCLOTH AT THE PUBLIC SINK AT TARGET! I'm talking about her, um, personal areas in case you didn't catch that. With a washcloth. At the sink. Where someone else is going to wash their hands soon.

What the WHAT?!?!?!

Now, I have been that sick before. I know what it's like to be so ill that you literally have to position yourself curled in the fetal position right next to a toilet. I know. And I have sympathy. But was there not another, better solution to her predicament? I mean, HELLO. You're in Target. Buy yo-self some baby wipes and be a little discreet.

The best part? Another shopper came in to use the restroom during this whole ordeal, and after I (very quickly) scuttled on out of there she came out, grabbed her cart, walked right past me like we had NOTHING to talk about. Like she sees that kind of thing all the time. I wanted to call after her..."Hello? Do you not need to debrief about that?"

So it goes, living in the 'burbs. You never know what you might see.

Be The Robot

2011-02-24T14:32:00.006-05:00

Ian's 3rd Birthday Party

Theme~Be.The.Robot.

Menu
*************
~Chili and Chicken Tortilla Soup with assorted toppings
~Cheese biscuits from Jim 'N Nicks. Those things are deadly good.
~Salad
~Pizza for the kiddos
~Robot cake, of course!

Craft~Robot Hats to take home. These were so fun to think up, and even more fun to make!

Favor~Robot cup with wind-up robot and Tootsie Roll pops inside. We like robots, need I say more?

Happy Birthday, Ian!

2011-02-22T19:48:00.002-05:00

~Trying out his new mitt~

My oldest baby is 3 years old today. He's practically grown up, for pete's sake. Here are the stats for our big boy:

Weight: 32lb
Height: 36.75in
BP: 88/50

Not that you needed to know that last stat, but I thought I'd include it for the heck of it.

Ian is a bundle of boy energy and he makes us smile every day. He's funny, silly, smart, creative, sensitive...well, he's just doggone great.

More photos to come of his (multiple) birthday celebrations.

Darth Vader

2011-02-16T10:17:00.003-05:00

So I know this is little passe, but in between all the eating and football watching I managed to find my favorite Super Bowl commercial this year.

It was a lot of people's favorite...the VW Darth Vader kid.

I think I like it so much because that kid totally reminds me of Ian. In fact, we've strongly considered getting him into a Darth Vader costume and recreating the scene where he starts the car...Thea Vicki's car does that remote start thing. Although, I'm not sure I want Ian thinking that he has some kind of special super power or anything...too much power in the hands of a 3-year old is a dangerous thing.

Our friend Brian alerted us to another Darth Vader themed video recently...Benny Hinn style. The force is strong with this one.

Weekend Re-Cap

2011-02-14T11:05:00.005-05:00

We had a great weekend up in NC with my family. It was too short, as always. We have a tradition of going up the weekend before Ian's birthday to have his party with that side of the family.

Friday Paul, Elijah and I set out at what we thought was a reasonably early time to leave town. (Ian was already up in NC...I met my folks halfway at the beginning of last week so that they could have some time with him.) Alas, the Traffic had other ideas. The Traffic always contrives to have some kind of epic disaster on the days we leave to go out of town, delaying our trip. This time it was a couple of overturned tractor trailers on 85 N. We left our house at 3pm and didn't make it to 985 until 5pm. That, my friends, is pretty miserable.

It was a this point that we decided we needed to find whoever was responsible for this mess and give him a piece of our mind.

The remnants of the hold-up. Doesn't look like much to have caused such a cluster. Ahh, Atlanta Traffic. You won again.

We made it up to my folks by around 8:30pm. Just enough time to have dinner, let everyone love on Elijah for a bit, and collapse into bed.

Saturday morning we woke up to a beautiful Valentine's breakfast celebration...I think my Dad and Kenita single-handedly support the chocolate industry with the Valentine's treat bags that we received. Ian also received a giant Valentine's doggie from Aunt Rachie and a new red car to zoom around the floor.

We lolly-gagged around the rest of the day...that night Paul and I had our annual Valentine's date night. We decided that after having a stressful week at work (more so for Paul than me) it would be nice to walk around a bit, so we headed over to the Biltmore Estate. I got an annual pass at Christmas, so it was free to bring a guest with me after 5pm. We could only visit the winery and Antler Hill Village, which was perfect. We walked around outside and did the wine tasting at the winery, which was nice. Then we headed over to Fig Bistro for dinner. We've made this restaurant our go-to Valentine's date night dinner for the past 3 years...it's the #1 rated restaurant in Asheville, according to Trip Advisor...and that's why we keep going back! So delicious and the perfect atmosphere for a romantic date. My favorite part of the meal is dessert...they have this yummy little thing called pots de creme...which is basically a tiny little cup filled with a cold chocolate cream...sort of the consistency of Nutella. Oh my yum. We had a great time and really appreciated a night out.

Sunday we stayed home from church because our boys were (and still are) a little sicky. They both have a cough, and it's just so sad to hear Elijah's little growly-old-man cough. Anyway, we had Ian's birthday party after lunch. We had a big fish-fry for lunch with Florida flounder, hushpuppies, cole slaw, and baked potatoes. Then it was on to the piece de resistance...Aunt Rachie's rocket ship cake. Look at the little monkey looking out of the window! Ian was presented with this fondant monkey after he blew out the candles, and promptly popped it in his mouth and ate it. That's my boy.

What a cool cake! Thanks Aunt Rachie!

Super excited about the birthday cake.

4 generations. Grandaddy Tom, my dad, me, and Elijah.

Ok. So I know that Ian looks like he's burning up with fever here, but I promise he wasn't. My kids have inherited some sort of winter-induced rosy red cheeks. They're like that pretty much all winter due to cold, wind, etc. I should be better about putting ointment on his cheeks at night, which seems to help some. Anyway, this photo makes me laugh because you can totally tell that it's KILLING him to have to wait for his cake to take a photo with Mommy, but he did it anyway. AND tried to smile!

Opening gifts with Aunt Rachie.

Finally, here's the big moment. I love how pleased he his that it's finally HIS birthday...we've celebrated lots of other birthdays recently and he's been especially anxious to have his turn. :)

What The World Needs Now...

2011-02-11T08:59:00.004-05:00

...are less cell phone photos taken in a bathroom mirror like this.

What we NEED, are more like THIS...

In other news, we had our 4 month check-up yesterday!

Here are the stats:

Weight: 15lb, 11oz. (13lb 5oz at 2 months) He's now in the 75th percentile for weight.

Height: 25in (23.5in at 2 months)

Milestones: Cooing, blowing bubbles, laughing out loud, smiling up a storm. Can bear weight on his legs when we hold him up and is turning his head to see things he hears.

Sleeping: 10-12 hours at night, and a morning and afternoon nap. Morning nap is around an hour, sometimes an hour and a half. Afternoon he sleeps 3 hours solid. He likes to sleep! Sometimes he'll catch a catnap after lunch.

Eating: Five 6-8oz bottles a day. Our pediatrician gave us the green light to start solids, but I think I'll wait until after our trip to AZ at the beginning of March.

Immunizations: A bunch combined into 2 shots and one oral for Rotavirus.

A very happy and healthy boy have we!

Did You Know...

2011-02-04T15:30:00.005-05:00

Edited to add: For the folks who asked, the research company that referred me to this study is called Dynamic Research. One of my friends from work gave my name to them a couple of years ago, and they have called me on and off over the years to see if I qualify for different studies they're doing. It has never worked out until this time. I think that it's very much a "word of mouth" type thing, especially since I couldn't really find anything online for Dynamic Research.

This is the baby gym we have. No, that's not Elijah.

...that it really is possible to talk about baby activity gyms for 2 hours?

I participated in my very first consumer focus group this morning. I've been on the list for this market research company for a couple of years now, but it has never worked out for me to go to an actual group until now.

There was one on formula-fed infants that I reaaaaally wanted to do, but it was a week after Elijah was born, and they didn't provide childcare, and he was just too little to leave for 2 hours. It paid $150 though. Wowza.

Anyway, THIS one was about baby gyms. You know, the little mats you put your baby on that have bars that go up over them that you can attach toys to. Basically the company (from what I can gather they design all kinds of toys and baby equipment) wanted to know what moms of multiple children (that's me, yikes!) thought of these different design prototypes that they are considering.

There were 7 of us moms there for my group, and we all sat around a table and looked at the different designs, one by one, and then gave them a rating...talked about pros and cons...as well as how much we'd be willing to pay for each design. 5 of the prototypes had to do with the actual design of the gym and 6 had to do with the fun stuff, like toys and such that they could implement into the gyms.

There were some really cool ideas, and some that sounded awesome but wouldn't be very practical. It was neat to see how decisions get made regarding product development...and I wonder if one of the ideas I saw this morning I will see on the shelf at Target soon!

Plus the very best part was the compensation, which was a $50 Target card, a baby gym, and a bag of baby toys. Sa-Weet!

My Adorable New Toy

2011-01-27T14:31:00.002-05:00

It was with some sadness that I bid adieu to my old iPod shuffle last week. It was a 1st generation and it had seen it's share of sweat from years of use on the 'ol dreadmill. In fact, that's probably what caused it to go ker-plunk in the first place...as I had no carrying case for it I would simply tuck it into the waistband of my gym shorts (exposure to copious amounts of sweat) or, if we were at the beach and I decided to go for a run, simply hold it in my hand (again, sweat with the added benefit of sand). It was DONE-ZO...like, would randomly turn off...wouldn't shuffle anymore...and whenever I reset it it always started on the same song.

So I went looking for a newer model. This is what I found.

How adorable is this?!?! The new, 4th generation iPod shuffle in apple green. So stinkin' cute.

Look! Look! Do you see? It is also a CLIP, for crying out loud. I can just clip it onto my shirt, my hat, my nose (just kidding). No more sweaty shuffle with the occasional slip down my shorts! Hooray!

I loaded it up with songs this morning and tried it out while I gave E his bottle. The song quality is not the best, certainly not as good as my iTouch, but totally sufficient for what I'll be using it for. Also has a new "voice over" feature which will, with the touch of a button, tell you what song and artist you're listening to. Pretty neat, although I'm not sure why I'll need to use it since I know all the songs I have. Mayhaps it's for people with gazillions of songs. Who knows. If anyone has a guess let me know.

I still think the clip is the bomb-diggity coolest thing though.

Oh, Apple. You had me at hello.

Additional Ian-ism

2011-01-26T14:58:00.002-05:00

One other funny thing Ian has been saying lately: "I need something good for me, Mama." Also, "You got something good for Ian, Mama???"

"Something good" usually refers to food. Who am I kidding, it ALWAYS means food.

Wanderlust

2011-01-21T15:37:00.005-05:00

Last night Paul and I watched our newest Netflix acquisition: Globetrekker: Greece.

We were intrigued by it because A.It's Greece B. Globetrekker is one of our favorite shows and C. The reviews on Netflix (usually stellar for any of the Globetrekker shows...) were pretty dismal for this particular episode, due mostly to the fact that people felt like the host was just about the most annoying thing since sliced bread. We kind of agreed. I mean, come on. You're in another country, and you can barely manage to at least thank someone in the native language? Oh, oh...and every time she tried something different to eat she would bob her head frenetically and give a syrupy sweet smile to the person who offered her the food, while making gagging faces off to the side at the camera. Ugh.

As a side note, if I could have ANY job in the world, ANY...it would be to host a television travel show like Globetrekker. I wouldn't make faces about the food. Promise.

Something tells me that ship has passed.

Anywho, more to the point of this whole thing...which is that watching Globetrekker inspired in us some serious wanderlust. I am really, really, really glad that we traveled before we had kids. But it wasn't enough. I need more. I want to jump on a plane right now (kids and all) and go to Greece. Hey, Rick Steves says I can! Alas, life and all of it's various responsibilities keep us here for now.

I'll content myself with posting some of my favorite pictures of our travels.

The Greek island of Mykonos. What fun we had exploring all of it's narrow, twisting streets.

Florence. We ate gelato every.single.day.

More of Florence. This was just about the most perfect evening you could imagine. Oh, and we ran into a guy who went to GA Tech! (He was wearing a school shirt) It was random and somewhat awkward, and apparently has happened to Paul multiple times in different countries.

Prague Castle. We created scenes from Mission Impossible all around town. It was great fun!

Krakow. We traipsed around in the rain for several hours waiting on our hostel to open up. We were cold, wet, and happy to be there.

Auschwitz. This photo makes me think. The verdant green grass, the twisted sharp metal. As I touched the barbed wire I wondered what it felt like to be locked behind it. We took a taxi from here to another small town in Poland, and it was a long drive (over an hour). Our driver grew up next to Auschwitz and told us stories about his childhood in that town...living so close to such evil.

The River Seine in Paris, all lit up for the evening. We ate many, many nutella crepes here.

Inside Notre Dame cathedral in Paris.

*Sigh*. Wanderlust. Yeah, I've got it.

Songs for the Treadmill

2011-01-19T14:56:00.004-05:00

I almost hate to admit this, because I'm afraid that as soon as I do it the feeling will slip away...but I am really really loving dragging myself out of bed at 6AM every morning to go work out at the gym.

I think it's mostly because I know how good the end result will feel, once I work off these last few baby pounds...but also because I've been listening to some really great new tunes. As a treat to myself for making the commitment to get back into shape, I visited iTunes. Over and over again.

Here are the songs that have been helping me bounce outta that warm cozy bed...

The Temper Trap~Sweet Disposition

Did you know Coke used this song in a commercial? My friend Stephen, who works for Coke, alerted me to this after I posted this song on my FB profile. It really does make me want to drink a Diet Coke.

Florence + The Machine~The Dog Days Are Over

"Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father
Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers
Leave all your loving, your loving behind
You cant carry it with you if you want to survive"

'Nuff said.

Phoenix~1901

Just a really good, driving beat.

La Caution~The A La Menthe

Ok, so this is a little off the beaten path. Paul and I raided my sister-in-law Vicki's movie collection over the holidays and re-watched Oceans 12...remember the laser dance scene? Well, this is the song that Toulour laser danced too. It's SO addictive and high energy! Very good for when you don't think you can run another second... (My version doesn't have words, which is good since it appears that they are in French and I wouldn't understand anyway...or probably wouldn't WANT to understand them.)

The Smiths~How Soon Is Now

This song is easy to get lost in, especially since it's so stinking long.

Radiohead~Fake Plastic Trees

So I don't necessarily like to run to this one, because it's pretty mellow...but it's just so good. Most excellent for cooling down.

There you have it! There are others but these are my special faves right now. I know some of my friends run too, so maybe this will be helpful to them or you can share some of your favorites with me. It also may seem to skew to the alternative, but believe me...I listen to my share of the Black Eyed Peas, Rhianna, and (*gulp*. *look down in shame*) Ke$ha.

Brothers

2011-01-14T14:33:00.002-05:00

It occurred to me recently that I haven't taken too many photos of the boys together. I've captured photos of them individually, but we're usually too crazy around here to think of actually organizing a photo of the two of them...especially since Ian mainly ignores Elijah unless he's screaming his head off, and then he acknowledges that "that baby cries a lot, Mama.".

So this morning, when this little scene unfolded, I ran to grab my camera. Elijah had just woken up from his nap and Ian was passing the morning reading books with me on our bed. I plopped Elijah down on the bed with him and Ian started to read to him. So, so sweet.

Ian-isms...

2011-01-13T15:35:00.002-05:00

Lately Ian has been pretty hilarious. As if that's anything new. Some of the current Ian-isms that are making us roll around on the floor with laughter...

~"Don't say that, Mama-Daddy." He busts out with this any time either of us (or his Thea Vicki, or anyone else in his hearing range, for that matter) says anything exclamatory. This all started when we caught him saying "Oh my gosh", which we were not OK with as it too closely resembles OMG with an -od-...but he feels like pretty much anything, from "Oh, wow" to "Oh my goodness" to "Holy cow" is off limits. I think he just likes bossing us around in this one area. We're working on narrowing down what he can say no-no to.

~"WHAT'S A-GOING ON IN HERE". I'm pretty sure he picked this up from my dad when we were in NC for Christmas...said in a very mountain-man booming type voice, so funny.

~"I so tired/sleepy/sick". He says this whenever he doesn't want to do something. This annoys us to no end, as in most cases he is none of the above. We've started making him go lie down on his bed when he busts out the "I so tired"...since he's so tired, why not? That usually helps turn his attitude around.

~"I got nothing to do." Said with palms raised upward and with an air of definitiveness. (Is that even a word?). Which is funny, seeing as how he has a house FULL of stuff to do. It still cracks me up, though, because he looks like a mini adult when he says it.

~While singing his favorite "Tractor Tractor" song off of Slugs and Bugs and Lullabies recently, he changed up the lyrics to "Jesus Jesus"...the original goes "Tractor Tractor, harvesting the wheat." We thought it was sheer brilliance of him to try "Jesus Jesus"...think of all the possibilities! "Jesus Jesus harvesting the souls"..."Jesus Jesus feeding the five-thousand"..."Jesus Jesus rising from the grave". You get the picture!

~He's also been combining our names whenever he addresses us. DaddyMamaDaddy, or MamaDaddyMama...or if Vicki is with us DaddyMamaVicki...I know he knows who is who, so I'm not sure why the long drawn out names...

Snowpocalypse 2011

2011-01-12T14:30:00.004-05:00

It all began on Friday afternoon, when I first caught wind of this apocalyptic snowstorm that was supposedly heading our way. Sunday night, the weatherman said. Sunday night. Well, I had to work on Monday. Not a big deal, really...except everyone kept talking about how AWFUL it was going to be.

By Sunday evening, when I heard that my coworkers were heading in to spend the night at Piedmont so that they were there to relieve the Sunday night crew on Monday morning...well, I still figured I'd be OK to drive in on Monday. I didn't really want to be away from the family (especially my little baby) for 24 hours quite yet.

I made a delicious Swiss Chard and White Bean Stew for dinner on Sunday night, and proceeded to doze on the couch as we watched LOTR. Paul and Vicki excitedly woke me up no more than half an hour later to an epic snowfall. It was POURING snow, and I was rethinking my decision not to drive in to work early.

I set my alarm for an extra 45 minutes early on Monday morning, and doggedly made my way out the door, layered in snow gear...or, at least, what passes for snow gear around here. Paul turned his Camry around so I wouldn't have to back down the driveway (we figured if I was to get into an accident, we'd rather wreck the Camry than the Odyssey...grim, but true.) and with his reluctant blessing I was on my way.

I don't think I drove over 20mph until I reached I-75, and then I didn't go over 30. It was so eerie to be out with all that snow...no businesses were open (except for the always faithful Waffle House) and there were abandoned cars all along the roads. Very Book of Eli. Except, I haven't seen that movie but according to one of our anesthesiologists at work it was JUST like that.

I made it to work right on time and got right to work. So, this apocalyptic snow business doesn't stop the patients from coming on in to the hospital. We were SUPER busy and the tension was rising all day-would I be able to make it home?

I was able to clock out right at 7 (thank goodness for our night shift, who came into work super early to be sure they were there to relieve us). Again, I left work with the reluctant blessings of those around me. I think one of the nurses I work with put it this way: "I wash my hands of you!" after hearing that I was setting out in a Camry. I think she meant it mostly in jest. :) Paul was absolutely incensed that I was driving home...he really thought it would be safer for me to stay at the hospital, or with one of the nurses who lives within walking distance of the hospital, but I was ready to go and I felt like I would make it home.

Again, drove under 30mph the whole way and made it home in an hour and a half. Was SO happy to be home with my family...it was a crazy day and I am so appreciative of all the people I work with, some of whom have been living at Piedmont since Sunday night, for making it possible for me to come home. If our night shift hadn't pulled through and gotten there in plenty of time to relieve us, I would definitely have been staying the night.

The next day we took a walk in the icy wonderland...

All this snow has been nice and all, but I'm ready for the great thaw. You get cabin fever approximately 3.485.856.947 times faster when you're caring for a 3-month old and an almost 3-year old.

Coos Coos!

2011-01-07T14:53:00.004-05:00

Not to be confused with couscous...Elijah spent many moments cooing to his flashing star on his activity gym today, so I decided to see if I could capture it. Sorry the video is a little tilta-whirl-ish...I had to hold it away from my face so that he would look at me instead of staring mindlessly (while not cooing) at the phone. Also sorry that it's crappy quality. I'm holding out for a smart phone...

Without further ado...here is Sir Coos A Lot.

New Year, New Goals

2011-01-06T15:19:00.003-05:00

So I'm seizing the excuse of New Year's and fresh starts to pep me up for some things that are important to my sanity.

Getting back into the gym. My workout routine slowly became more un-routine as I became more pregnant...until I completely threw in the towel at around 35 weeks. I'm slowly building back up to where I was, fitness-wise. It helps that I finally decided on a gym to join. Gold's Gym was the best deal, all around. It's super-clean, was the right price, and the best part...has a women's only area! It's nice to be able to do my thang without having to maneuver around dudes who are heaving gigantic weights. This has also helped discipline me in other ways, as I have to go before Paul leaves for work (so that I can go kid-free)...I'm up and at 'em around 6AM, which helps get my whole day off to a better start since I've got lots of time to get myself ready before the boys are up.

I'm back in the land of counting points. Oh yes, a Weight Watcher I am. Hey, it worked the last time I wanted to lose weight. I don't have much to go...maybe 10-15lbs...and Weight Watchers is just so easy and helps me to not feel deprived. I also just feel better when I'm eating healthier food.

Keeping with the theme of counting, I'm back to counting stitches again! KNITTING! I'm almost done with Elijah's booties and look forward to evenings on the couch, needles flying, during these long cold months of winter. I want to learn some new techniques and maybe start on a big project that will be for ME...like a sweater or a cool scarf or something. It's such a relaxing hobby...and I don't think I've ever blogged about how I got into it! I'll have to do that soon.

I want to continue to read like a maniac...since I've been home a lot with a baby I've zoomed through lots of books lately. Currently I'm taking a break from the Outlander series to read through some other books that I've had on hold for a while, including Francine River's A Lineage of Grace and The Help by Kathleen Stockett.

Coupon-clipping. I fell off this wagon hard when I had Elijah. Actually, I fell off the whole grocery shopping wagon. I would run to the store here and there when I needed something, when what I prefer to do is go once a week, coupons in hand, and do my shopping. Now that I'm feeling more settled this will be a priority. It saves us so much money, and I just feel more content when meals are planned out. (One reason I'm just now getting to this is due to ALL of the wonderful meals people provided for us when I had the baby...between family, friends, and church family...y'all kept us fed. Thanks.)

Feel free to hold me to all of this! More than anything, I long for a return to normalcy...more easily said than done with 2 small children. But maybe that just means that our normal has changed a little, which is OK!

Wrapping Up December

2011-01-05T14:36:00.009-05:00

We had a very busy December, and I have to say that I am really excited to hunker down for the cold dark days of January. We have plans to watch the Lord Of The Rings trilogy through again, like we do every winter, and I want to just enjoy the time with my boys since it seems like they're BOTH growing up so fast.

I just threw together a hodge podge collection of photos from the holidays. We hosted our annual Holy Day party and friends from near and far joined us, including one family who is home from the mission field and this was their very first Holy Day bonfire experience! It was a fun evening of Chick Fil A nugget eating, bonfire-making, caroling, and apple-cider drinking fun with our friends.

We also headed up to NC for Christmas and Paul's sister Vicki came along for the crazy fun...We had a great time playing in the snow (It started on Christmas morning and fell all day...it was just as it should be! Even better experienced with a good hot cup of wassail.), dancing our rear ends off to Just Dance on the Wii, and visiting Biltmore (just HAD to see it with all the snow). Looking forward to experiencing more (albeit not as natural...) snow with Paul's fam when we go to Snow Mountain (at Stone Mountain) soon.

It wouldn't be December around here without a plumbing disaster (again after the Holy Day party...WHAT are you people flushing down the potty???)...I think we're going to have to bite the bullet soon and have our piping that leads out of the house replaced with PVC. This time it was a relatively simple fix, but we did have to call a plumber out to do the job.

I started back to work on 12/23, and was pleased to note that nursing really is like riding a bike...it all comes back to you relatively quickly. I'm sad to leave the boys in the morning, but it's good to be back with my work buddies and doing what I love. Plus, I have to always remind myself that it's JUST 5 days a month. What a huge blessing.

So that's what's been going on around here! Now it's time to heat up some tea and snuggle up with my book...both boys are asleep!

12 Weeks (A Little Late...)

2011-01-03T09:56:00.004-05:00

I'm a little delayed with Elijah's 3 month update, due to all the holiday madness that was going on over the past week or so. I think I need a vacation from my vacation. On top of all that, my maternity leave is O-V-E-R and I return to work tomorrow. *Sigh*.

I'll be writing up our holiday happenings over the next couple of days for a mega-big post with lots of pictures. For now, here's what's happening with Baby Elijah.

Height and Weight-Unknown. We go back for our 4-month visit in February and I'll know them then. Maybe I'll get motivated to put him on a scale in the next day or so....but I doubt it. :)

Milestones: Outright chuckles are being heard from this little guy, in addition to the sweet smiles and coos he bestows when he's in the right mood. He's also holding his head up well enough to sit in the Bumbo seat for a bit, and to not flop it around when I hold on to his hands and pull him into a sitting position from a lying position. Also, we've gotten the Rainforest Jumperoo down from the attic and set it up for him. We have to put a box under him so that he has something to push off on, but so far it's provided some amusing entertainment for him.

He's drinking five 6-8oz bottles per day. Wearing size 3-6 month clothes and size 2 diapers. Napping a good long nap in the morning with shorter cat naps throughout the rest of the day. Sleeps 10-12 hours at night!!! Consistently!!! WOO HOO!!!

He's growing soooo fast and is such a sweet boy.

The Babe, The King

2010-12-20T11:39:00.002-05:00

Last year I wrote a post about my favorite Christmas hymn.

I still love O Holy Night, but this year I've been pondering Christmas in a different way. I think it's because I am a new mother (I call myself "new" because I am convinced that no matter how many children you have, you still feel like you're learning it all over again in those first few months...), but I've been thinking a lot about the babe, Jesus...and his mother, Mary...and what it must have been like to hold that tiny infant, knowing that the fullness of God's promise was made perfect with His birth.

Two songs in particular have brought fresh tears to my eyes each time I've heard them this year.

What Child Is This

What Child is this who, laid to rest
On Mary’s lap is sleeping?
Whom angels greet with anthems sweet,
While shepherds watch are keeping?
This, this is Christ the King,
Whom shepherds guard and angels sing;
Haste, haste, to bring Him laud,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

Why lies He in such mean estate,
Where ox and ass are feeding?
Good Christians, fear, for sinners here
The silent Word is pleading.
Nails, spear shall pierce Him through,
The cross be borne for me, for you.
Hail, hail the Word made flesh,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

So bring Him incense, gold and myrrh,
Come peasant, king to own Him;
The King of kings salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise a song on high,
The virgin sings her lullaby.
Joy, joy for Christ is born,
The Babe, the Son of Mary.

Last night at our church's Christmas concert this hymn was woven throughout the program. It's melody is almost haunting...and yet the words are so beautiful. What child is this? He is the Word made flesh...He who will be pierced by nails, bearing a cross for me and for you. Yes, let loving hearts enthrone Him.

And this song...

Labor of Love

It was not a silent night
There was blood on the ground
You could hear a woman cry
In the alleyways that night
On the streets of David's town

And the stable was not clean
And the cobblestones were cold
And little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
Had no mother's hand to hold

It was a labor of pain
It was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love

Noble Joseph at her side
Callused hands and weary eyes
There were no midwives to be found
In the streets of David's town
In the middle of the night

So he held her and he prayed
Shafts of moonlight on his face
But the baby in her womb
He was the maker of the moon
He was the Author of the faith
That could make the mountains move

It was a labor of pain
It was a cold sky above
But for the girl on the ground in the dark
With every beat of her beautiful heart
It was a labor of love
For little Mary full of grace
With the tears upon her face
It was a labor of love

This song is part of the true tall tale of the coming of Christ, sung by Jill Phillips. Beautifully written, beautifully sung.

So as I celebrate Christmas this year I will do so with a renewed thankfulness for Jesus, the Babe...the King.

2010-12-16T14:31:00.002-05:00

This Sunday is the annual Christmas celebration at ChristChurch. It's a wonderful way to celebrate the season! We're going to the 5pm service...can't wait! If you're interested in coming along let me know and I can get you more information.

“Encounters: Portraits of Christ”

Presented by the Music and Arts Ministry
Sunday, December 19 – 5:00 and 7:30 pm
Sanctuary

Join us for our annual Christmas program, featuring the ChristChurch Orchestra, Ballet, Theatre, adult & children’s choirs, and soloists. Childcare will be provided for children 0-4. Spanish translation will be available at both services.

The 5:00 program will be specially geared toward families.