New Scoots for Fall...

Mimi and I took the kids shopping the other day to get a few things, including new fall shoes! I am always amazed when the shoe salesperson measures their little feet and I discover that I've been literally CRAMMING their feet into too-small shoes for a couple of months...ooops! ;) Brookies shoes were all size 4's, and she's now measuring a 5 1/2...sorry Brookie!

She is very proud of her new kicks--they sparkle, and Connor helped her pick them out--(If it was up to her she would have purchased one of each of the display shoes in Nordstroms). Poor salesman, we were "those people" who made him pull out like 50 pairs of shoes! It looked like a tornado hit by the time we left! Ha!

Yep, that's my MAN....

After power-washing the deck and furniture all day! ;)

Welcome, Fall!

Oh my goodness--September is going to be such a busy month! I am excited for all of the new things to come...Connor will be starting soccer, and pre-school, both of our birthdays are this month, I start teaching again mid-September...busy, busy, busy!

As fall approaches, and summer comes to an end, I find myself becoming a little nostalgic. Four years ago at this exact time, I was on bed-rest with Connor--our first little bundle of joy, waiting (quite impatiently :), for him to be born. August was an especially HOT month that year, and September did not give way to cool weather as I had hoped. I was H.U.G.E and pregnant...seriously--if I weren't so disorganized with pictures, and had actually transferred all of our files over from our old laptop, I would post one here. When I think about these feelings of nostalgia, I have to laugh. At the time, I was miserable. I was scared for my health, my baby's health (I had high blood pressure and tons of swelling), I was so fearful about having to return to work, nervous about bringing home a new infant...our life as we knew it was about to change in every tiny little aspect.

I think the reason I become sentimental when I see the first leaves start to turn, or when I begin to hear the count-down for the re-emergence of college (a.k.a. OSU football), or when I smell and autumn-scented candle, is that I treasure that time in my life soooo very much. It was the hardest, most intense thing we have ever done--going through a difficult pregnancy, having an extraordinarily rough delivery, having to return to the hospital five days post-partum because my blood pressure was out of control, and then being released on my 27th birthday--a clear sign from the Lord to me that He was always holding us in the palm of His hand, and then finding our two months later that Connor would need to have surgery....intense, to say the least. But, oh, the joy....I cannot begin to describe the joy.

Bringing a baby home is soooo incredible, and I'm so thankful to the Lord that He is given us this amazing opportunity two times. I will always love this time of year, as summer gives way to fall. As we get ready to begin a new school year, and the schedule fills up. I will never forget laying on my couch, surrounded by books and TV, magazines, my lap-top, and lollipops (helped to encourage the baby to move so I could keep up with my "kick-counts" :). Those were the last boring and quiet days of my life for many, many years to come. The last time I searched for things to fill up the very long days...waiting, anticipating what was in store.

Welcome, fall! Welcome, September!!! I'll have much more to post about, very soon!!!!

Favorite Summer Memories....

I just hopped on Jess's (The Entertaining Mom's) blog, to read her latest new and delicious post, and was thrilled to discover her "Favorite Summer Memories"....makes me miss summer already--and, it's not even gone yet! Make sure you stop by and read her post...a taste of a real New England summer....ahhhhh! Since she tagged me, I guess I'll give you a taste of an Ohio summer...doesn't quite have the same flair, now, does it? :) But, you get a taste of it anyway! Ha!


Favorite Summer Movie: Ooohhhh...I just watched "Mama Mia" with Teah, Lynne, and my Mom, and loooooved it. I would have to say that's my new favorite summer movie. Since Jessica already claimed "Grease", I won't do it, but...can I please just claim the line in "Summer Nights" when John Travolta sings..."oooohhhh, uh....those suuuuuhhhhuuuuummmmer, ni-hiiiiii--iiii-iiii-iiiiii--iitttesss..." Gives me chills just thinking about it! :)

Favorite Summer Cocktail: Oh, this is so hard. But, judging from what I've poured a glass of nearly every night since the on-set of summer, I would have to say a crisp, clean Chardonnay....mmmmmmmm...drinking one currently.

Favorite Summer Song: I always love me a little Bob Marley, and, has anyone else heard the new segment on Noggin, featuring a gorgeous version of "Three Little Birds"??? That makes me happy! ;) It's really hard to narrow it down to just one, though.

Favorite Summer Meal: Hmmm...I am in love with Earthbound Organics Fresh Herb Salad Mix...YUM!!! I love this with grilled chicken, feta cheese, fresh tomatoes from the garden, and a little Garlic Expressions dressing. Soooo good!!!


I also love to parboil Country Ribs, for a few hours, and then create a foil "boat", slather the ribs in really good bbq sauce, and throw the "boat" on the grill for 20 minutes or so....yum, yum, yum!!! :)


Favorite Summer Outfit: Wow! I guess I would have to say a tube dress that is easy to wear, comfy, and cute, all at the same time!

Favorite Summer Reading: I love to read during the summer. My favorite thing to do is to sit on our porch swing with a glass of Chardonnay on a summer's evening, and read a good book. Granted, these nights are few and far between at this point in our lives, but I treasure them. I've read many wonderful books this summer, including:
"And the Shofar Blew", Francine Rivers
"Accidental Mother", by Rowen Coleman
"Fire by Night", and "All She Ever Wanted", by Lynn Austin....
among others! ;)


Favorite Summer Moment: Oh goodness, there are many, many perfect moments that would describe this summer. We spent many glorious nights at The Winery at Otter Creek. We get a bottle of Chardonnay (to start :), sit out by the beautiful lake in Adirondack chairs, watch the beautiful sunset...ahhh..simply brilliant!
Spending time up North with friends and family...every day was to die for up there..*sigh*..
The fourth of July celebrations in our quaint town, including spectacular (in our humble opinion :) fireworks displays, spending time (and money...oye, ve) at the street fair, catching up with old friends, riding in the parade, etc., etc.
And, finally, spending days at the pool--chasing after little Brookie, watching Connor become more and more confident in the "big" pool, eating the greasiest french fries and grilled cheeses one could ever imagine!!!

Ahhh....can't wait to do it all again, next year!!!

Next, I think we should explore our favorite things about fall....so we don't become entirely distraught that summer is coming to a close...*sigh*...again. Thank the Lord for seasons! Something to look forward to every three months! ;) Although, winter can stay far, far away in my book!!!

I'm tagging:

The (anti) Boring Blog

I heart

Everyday Matters

A Mom's Life

So Happily Us...

We 5 Forgeys

Crossing the Prairie

Caught in the Act!

Remember when I said that the post-vacation DIET would start on MONDAY? Well, apparently I forgot to start eating healthy.

This is what I ate straight from the freezer BEFORE lunch...


Part of the left-over Buckeye cake from Whit's (our favorite place, ever for indulging in amazing custard treats).

And, guess who else thought he should partake in the heinous(ly yummy) eating habits of his muffin-top sportin' mama...




BAD MOMMY!!!! Diet starts, you guessed it...MONDAY!!!!

Progress Report.....

Just a quick note to say that CONNOR has slept ALL NIGHT in his new room for THREE NIGHTS IN A ROW!!!!!!!!!!!! WAAAHOOOO!!! He's doing so well, and actually we've noticed a definite improvement in his behavior, as well--probably due to sleeping uninterrupted all night. Brookie is still a work-in-progress, but we'll get there--slowly but surely.

After all of this, I've often asked myself if I had it to do all over again would I choose to co-sleep, and without a doubt, I'd have to answer in the affirmative. It's definitely not for everyone, and there are some real difficulties that come along with co-sleeping (including the issues of night-weaning if you're nursing, and transitioning into the child's own bed), but I must admit, I adore my sweet baby's breath on my neck, and feeling her little heart pitter-patter away as she's curled up in the crook of my arm. I've come to realize that even if we have ten kids (deep breath, Mom...just a hypothetical, and most definitely not in the plan :), I'd probably end up *happily* sharing sleep with each one of them! (*Obviously last night was a good night in terms of sleep, or I might be singing a different tune this morning! Ha! :)

Speaking of sleep, I was turned onto this website PickNicksBrain by a family of one of the children that I teach. It's actually really cool! After dealing with a baby who had major sleep difficulties, Nicole dedicated her time and energy into researching sleep (among other subjects relevant to baby/toddlerhood) in order to help other struggling mommys. Check it out if you have a chance--good stuff!

Million Dollar Head....(Can we get a helmet for that thing?)

Today proved to be just as the weatherman said--hot and humid, with a few storms and scattered showers. We spent the morning meandering about our local "mall", (which consists of about five REAL stores and 200 little kiosks, and temporary stores), trying to kill time, and get a few things that we needed. The kids actually were very cooperative, and we even managed to squeeze in a haircut for Connor. The wait was a total of ten minutes once we signed in to get his cut, and our little meticulous man must have sighed at least 20 times, exclaiming, "When is it going to be MY turn?....I NEED a haircut...I really, really NEED to look handsome." I was seriously cracking up as I tried to give him things to do in order to keep him distracted until it was FINALLY his turn! ;)

By the time sweet Brookie woke up from her nap (in her NEW bed--which she happens to be sleeping in sooo well :), the skies had cleared, and the gray gloomy day had turned hot, sunny and hazy. I figured it was time to get the kids outside for a bit to expend some of that pent-up energy! We have a water table, and their most favorite thing to do is turn on the spiggot at the side of our house and fill their buckets over, and over, and over again, all the while splashing each other, and filling up the table. We usually let them play for a few minutes before giving the "okay, this wastes water, let's turn the faucet off" now speech. So, I was grabbing a few of these precious moments to read my newest page turner (The Accidental Mother, by Rowan Coleman)when I hear Connor yell, "Owwww". I look up from my gripping story, and he seems to be just fine, dumping yet another pale of ice-cold water on his head and squealing with delight. I give the "water off" speech, and they turn off the spiggot. All is well as my children are happily entertained splashing in the water table and squelching in the mud puddles that have emerged from the running water. I look up at a laughing Connor, contended as ever, running and playing in the mud, covered from head-to-toe in a dirty...gooey...brown liquid...er, wait...IS that brown? Do we live in the Carolinas? Could it possibly be that our earth tinted a rust color? Um, I don't think so. I lept out of my ever so cozy plastic lawn chair to further examine the substance on my baby boy's face.

Low and behold...a mother's worst fear! It was something out of a horror movie!!Blood...red, and watered down from the aquatic entertainment...gushing down Connor's face, and chest, and back! My immediate reaction was to grab his WHITE polo shirt, which he'd previously taken off due to soakage, and start wiping away the blood. Okay fellow mommy's...note to selves..if your stomach is at all weak and you find yourself in a "sticky" situation that might involve loss of bodily fluids, grab something other than a stark white shirt to perform damage control. Damage assessment might not prove to be entirely accurate upon inspecting the WHITE garment.

After I caught my breath, said my initial prayers, calmed myself down, and brought my completely un-phased boy in the house (along with his completely out of control baby sister who absolutely was NOT ready to come inside yet), I could survey the situation and use my hours upon hours of extensive internet medical research to confirm a diagnosis. Upon performing my initial examination I concluded that the wound appeared to be a split laceration, and should not require *real* medical attention. :) Just to be sure, I called the pediatrician's office, and explained our situation to the nurse--who might have been a teensy-tiny bit annoyed at my untrained use of medical terminology, and rightfully so! Lol! ;)

My real concern was WHERE the laceration occurred. You see, when Connor was a mere three months old, he underwent neurosurgery for a condition called craniosynostosis, in which one (or more) of the sutures in an infant's skull fuses pre-maturely. The surgery resulted in removing a 2"x3" piece of skull, to allow Connor's head (and brain) to grow correctly. I realize this is an entirely different post altogether, but my fear at the time was that this "split laceration" re-opened one of the scars from the surgery, and that brains might come bubbling out of my little guy's head. Seriously...this is what my clearly non-medically trained mind was conjuring up at the moment. And is probably why the nurse clearly thought I was nutso as I hurriedly explained the situation.

But, according to the pediatrician after an over the phone consultation (through a nurse), and our non-expert opinions, Connor's "million dollar head" (as we affectionately refer to it) is still intact--brains and all! :) I think I'll ask for a helmet at our follow-up visit with the neurosurgeon this fall!

Musical Beds/Rooms, etc.

Did you ever consider how much having babies would affect every single aspect of your life, down to the tiniest, most mundane detail--especially, your NIGHT LIFE??? Yes, yes, obviously having a baby affects your night life, but what about your SLEEP life? Did you ever think about how much THAT would suffer??? Even four years after the birth of your first baby??? I, most definitely did not.

When Connor was first born, we lived in a cute little cape cod house...two bedrooms downstairs, and the master "suite" was the entire second floor. Of course, we created a nursery in one of the downstairs bedrooms, and thought that somehow it would fly for us (me--since I was nursing) to run up and down the stairs 25,000 times a night to check on the baby, nurse the baby, burp the baby, lay a hand or an ear on his chest to make sure that he was still breathing (5,000 times a night), etc., etc. At first, (because once the baby was actually born we discovered this was not so realistic), we brought the bassinet and the baby upstairs to sleep next to our bed--along with all the diapers, wipes, diaper rash cream, and burp cloths. We were prepared for sleep. Which, never seemed to come. We all kept each other up--Daddy tended to snore, baby tended to cry, Mommy tended to fall asleep nursing the baby in bed, and then would panic because Daddy slept so heavily (why, and how can Daddy's do that, I'll never understand...) So began the game of musical beds in our household.

After really, really lacking on sleep, I began napping in the downstairs guest bedroom, which just so happened to be next to the nursery. How utterly convenient. The changing table, rocking chair, crib, etc., was right next door...no going up and down stairs in the middle of the night. Hmmmm....I figured it might not be such a bad idea to camp out in the guest room just for a little while, until we adjusted to things. Sleep was vital at this point, to both Tommy and I, so it seemed like the best solution. Well, being the hands-on, can't-put-a-baby-down, kind of mother that I am, co-sleeping was a natural progression, and as soon as the baby would wake up for his mid-night feeding, he'd come back to bed (the guest bed) with me....where he was contended to lay, and dream-feed for the rest of the night.

It worked. It did. We were in severe survival mode, and this was the best way we knew how to survive. Well, when Connor was 9 months old, we moved. We are now in a house where all four bedrooms are on the upper level, so sleeping arrangements SHOULD be straight-forward and easy. However, no one took into account that a baby boy who was used to the comforts of sleeping next to Mommy would not be having any of that sleeping in his own crib stuff...and yes, we tried CIO, and it was awful, horrible, I have extrememly stubborn, strong-willed children, and I can't tolerate it. Soooo, Tommy, Connor and I all slept in the master bedroom. Until it started to get a little crowded.....

To make a very, very long story short...Connor and I then moved to the guest room (mind you, a beautiful little nursery was set up this whole time which, pretty much, housed clothing). We stayed there for a little while, until I decided that he and I should move to the master bedroom, and Tommy should move to the guest room. We switched again. Then, I got preggers (imagine that given our sleeping arrangements :), and we decided it was time for Connor to have his OWN ROOM. We set up his "big boy" room, and used a little (or a ton) of bribery to get him to stay in there. It kinda, sorta worked for awhile. He would sneak into bed at some point in the night, always though. As my belly grew, and grew, and ggggrrrreeeewwwww, I got more and more restless and unable to sleep. Soooo, Daddy moved back to the guest room, and Connor would flit back and fourth.

Then, along came Brooke...she and I moved into Connor's room in the beginning. Daddy and Connor slept in the master bedroom (I don't even know why at this point--it seems so weird and irrational thinking back). At some point, we moved Brookie's crib into the master...but, Daddy's snoring would keep her up, so Tommy was in the guest room again. Connor would go to bed in his own bed, and then sneak in with Tommy at some point in the night. Seriously, people, MUSICAL BEDS. The best was when people would come over and Connor would give the token "tour" of the house, and introduce, "Daddy's room" and "Mommy's room"--I'm quite sure this raised a lot of eyebrows!!! ;)

Well, the point to this incredibly long and dis-jointed story, is to tell you that FINALLY, we created a real room for Brookie--with a bed, since she's been a co-sleeper, too and is used to sleeping in beds, and moved Connor into the bigger bedroom (formerly the guest room, a.k.a. "Daddy's room"). And Tommy and I are back in the master bedroom....at least for most of the night...until Brookie wakes up at some point and I creep into bed with her, and her cry wakes Connor up, and he creeps into bed with Tommy. Maybe, just maybe, someday we'll stay put for an entire night!!!!!!!!!

The point of this whole story is to share pictures of Brookie's new bedroom:

Home...So Why am I Still Eating Chips????

Back to life. Back to reality. Back to phone calls, emails (even though we had internet at the lake, I used the "vacation" excuse to the max...reading very selectively, and answering even more selectively :), to a messy house, a trip to the grocery store, running into people we know at the grocery store, a lawn that needs mowed, etc., etc., etc. I left a life of relaxation and leisure behind, to come back to our REAL LIFE..which I love, and really did miss.

One thing I didn't leave behind were my horrible eating habits. U.G.H...I was sooo bad on vacation. Doughnuts, coffee with creamer (sweet creamer, ta bout), DQ tag-a-long blizzards (can I say, "yum"), fried chicken, mashed potatoes, Subway sandwiches at the beach...and the list goes on, and on, and (quite unfortunately...ooooonnnnn). So, here I am, back at home, eating a nice turkey sandwich and CHIPS for lunch! I don't eat chips in REAL LIFE...I really don't. But, I guess I'm not quite ready to give up my vacation mentality. Plus, Grandma dropped off a home-made apple pie last night upon our return. She makes THE BEST apple pies--with apples from her own trees, right there in the front yard. She rolls out her pie crust from scratch, and it bakes up so golden brown and crispy....mmmmmm...how can I pass that up???

So, my friends, MONDAY it is. Monday vacation ends, and I will greet reality head-on. I have my Kashi Go-Lean cereal waiting for me in the pantry, skim milk to add sparingly to my coffee, tubs of Organic fresh herb salad mix with feta for lunch. And, if I get really inspired, I'll pull out my "Oprah Detox Diet" (I'll post more about this, later) and quit messing around all together. Maybe by Wednesday.....right now, I'm having a piece of apple pie...al'amode, of course! ;)

And, Part Deux....

We have had the most tremendous time up North. I can hardly believe it's been fourteen days, and now we're looking around at our mountain of "stuff", thinking about re-packing the car in order to drive south tomorrow. No more listening to the wind rustle through the birch trees on the deck. No more waking up to the smell of Dad's coffee percolating in the kitchen, making getting out of bed before 7am much more tolerable...maybe even nice! :) No more chasing Ms. Brookie all over the beach, stopping to "talk" to every doggy (and their owners), before finally making it to our final playground destination. No more feel of FLYING as the jet ski hits speeds around 55 mph, wind in your face, freedom like no other! No more hearing Connor beg to go fishing down at the dock....

But, we can go home revived and refreshed, ready to start another year! Much to look forward to upon our return! I bought some wonderful things for Brookie's room at the Pottery Barn outlet on the way up....maybe I can get some advise from my sister's new employer--one of HGTV's hottest stars! ;) (Anna, am I allowed to say who? :) Connor starts soccer and pre-school in a mere couple of weeks, and soon it will be time to plant mums in the planters, and buy gourds and pumpkins for the front porch. Where does the time go? Well, at least we have beautiful pictures and a vast array of memories to commemorate our glorious vacation to culminate the summer of 2009!

Vacation Pictures: Part One

Here Comes the Sun, Little Darlin'

It's been a wonderful vacation at the lake thus far....I'm sitting here, enjoying a cold beer from the growler courtesy of the local brewery down the street, sweating bullets from my nightly walk with Brookie...though I must say, we've had such a mild summer, that a night of steamy heat feels a little good...and realizing how nice it is to not have to worry at all about what we're going to do tomorrow, where we're going, or whether or not the laundry is done or if the house is a disaster. It's really, really nice to live the simple life for a couple of weeks out of the year.

Today was an amazing day for the beach--started out tumoultuous with lighting, thunder, and heavy rain over the lake, so Tommy and I went out to get a paper and doughnuts, thinking what better way to start a rainy morning. We went into the Bavarian Bakery with the skies looking bleary and ominous, but by the time we emerged--five minutes, and a dozen doughnuts later--the sun was breaking through the clouds, giving us a reason to hope for a day filled with all sorts of possibilities other than sitting inside, trying to keep two energy-bound kiddos from bouncing off the walls (ceilings, doorways, etc. :)

The boys were able to enjoy a morning of fishing, while the girls went to the beach, daring to hope for a bright sunny day. It turned out to be just that! The boys soon joined us beach-side, and we had our very best beach day, yet. The weather was hot and steamy, and the water was aquamarine and clear. In fact, we had such an awesome day, that I fear even all the re-applications we did with the kids' sunscreen didn't keep them from getting a little too much sun--as was the case with the grown-ups, too. Whoops!!! Nothing horrible, but I hate to see even a little bit of pink in my kiddo's cheeks (from the sun)--makes me feel like a bad mommy!!!

We came home and recovered from our day--a little more fishing, walking, eating, drinking, etc., and now I'm off to read a book and wind-down for the night. I'll post pictures tomorrow of our AMAZING week with Teah and Lynne...I can hardly believe they've been gone since Thursday--we had such an incredible and blessed time with them. We miss them like crazy, but the boys are making up for our heartache! Grandpa, Daddy, and Tim (my dear, sweet cousin, who loves us so much he's decided to spend his TWENTY FIRST BIRTHDAY with us at the end of his trip north) are keeping us well entertained and rested! :) Boy, was Connor glad to see them when they pulled into the driveway on Saturday...no longer the "man of the house..." :) Will post more pics soon!

Not a Care in the World.....

Here I sit, breathing in the heavenly smells at our family cottage, on the lake. Ahhhhh....what is it about this place? It's like coming home. Nothing ever changes. Aside from new carpet, a new duvet cover in one room, a couple new pieces of furniture, appliances, and a few other items, everything is a constant. The same curtains that my grandmother sewed in the 60's, same pine knot-holes that I spent hours laying in bed looking at as a child--even the same little crib that I slept in as a baby. Glorious. Some things never need to change, in my book. This is a place that you can come to and re-discover yourself, what you love, and remember those that lovingly built this place for the rest of us to enjoy for years, and years to come. We're here for two wonderful weeks, and so far, have been having a divine time!!!