Jack's week, cont.

{ in hospital with jack, 2006}

The nice things about being sick could come in a variety of answers. An excuse for sleeping in. Letting the dishes in the sink go. Lying on the couch for a whole hour. People bringing you dinner. Friends taking the kids to the park. Meals provided for. There certainly are blessings even in the down times! And while enjoying some of these blessings I picked up a book I am almost finished with. This one little thought filled my heart and mind with the moment of my life I want to remember. And since it is Jack's birthday week, it fits here perfectly.




Here's the quote: "The well-worn wicker rocker has become my favorite spot in the house."



Now for Drew, we had the good old glider. I thought it was great. But now, I know better. For Jack, we had some rearranging to do since the nursery would take over John's office and well, hey, let's leave the lazyboy recliner in here for now...and well, let's get a slip cover for it and cover up the blazing orange and burnt red tweed colors, and look, it fits perfectly in this corner. And of course, it's still there, 2 years later. And for that, I am so, so grateful. Not just grateful for my back's sake, but for the wonderful memories that have come with it. I liked doing some things new with my second baby. It kept the memories separate in a way. So I have many, many fond memories of rocking Drew in the glider and now Jack in the recliner. I think rocking them at night is so significant for me because it is where my day really and truly s.t.o.p.s. Nothing else really matters. That is *our* time. Jack knows that he has me completely to himself...and better yet, I have him to myself. We make that connection that might get passed by throughout the day. We are eye to eye. I can just let him babble and tell me his story and I am all his. We usually laugh and always sing. And the ritual always concludes with a great gathering and fidgeting and situating of the elephant, the elephant's blanket(?), getting that thumb, getting wrapped up into a cocoon and looking into momma's eyes. For this moment and for this time, I am so thankful. It puts every single thing in my life into perspective. I love this moment each night.



Jack even played a joke on me the other night. I whispered into his ear, "I love you" nice and slow. And he whispered back, "I...Wuv...OWL!!!!!" And ended with a cackle.


This one, I tell you, is a true
*cracker jack*



Scoop up those moments. Don't let them by. Drink in the love and forever remember how blessed you truly are. Look at those eyes that so lovingly look up to you. And please, don't forget to laugh!

And if you're feeling up to it, please share what your favorite connecting spot & moment is right now!

snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes

A TRADITION IN THE KEEPING:

Each year, when the first *real* snow falls, we keep our tradition.

That is, being, we all pile into the vehicle, put in the chosen christmas cd (charlotte church this time), and drive with no destination in mind.

Thankfully, i was feeling well enough for the little jaunt. Because today, the snow was f al l in g.

And drew was the official direction giver.

And we had these great coupons so we decided to crash B&N.

I got some much needed reading time in with the boys & John was able to spark his most recent dinosaur interest with the small visual feast there.

family time. free *bucks. fun.

Especially when drew said, "I don't really like just driving around."

Hey! Who's tradition is this anyway?
Yours or ours?? :)

Isn't that just classic. You think everyone's enjoying this thing called "tradition" because, well, you know, it's "tradition" and as long as you do it every year that makes it special, right? And as long as we're all here, we might as well stick a label on it and call it fun! Well, I guess after being cooped up in the house for a couple of days you really can appreciate the little things. Even just driving around town watching the snowflakes swiftly scatter with the chime of bells in the background. And free starbucks. Well, that right there just makes me happy!

As for Drew, I am sure he heard that B&N was in the plans. Can you blame him?

p.s. I promise a post--soon-- for the "character training of the boys." Hang with me! I need to get some pictures to go along with it! :)

Where's My Baby???

Happy 2nd Birthday

*to our sweet little Jack. The big 2 for this kiddo!!! Unfortunately, this momma is too sick to throw the birthday bash that was planned for tonight, so full celebration has been put on hold until friday.

We did, however, have a wonderful weekend. I *made it* through my 2 sessions with relative ease, enjoyed my SPA day immensely, gathered some golden nuggets of wisdom from tried & true moms, the boys had a blast with aunt amber at the children's museum, and john even got to climb with brian in his garage. The only problem was, I was not back to 100% health going into this weekend, and no doubt the good *stress* from preparing mentally & emotionally for the ladies day + being exposed to a whole new set of CT germs + staying up late with amber(there was also a cake disaster in the mix) = sick, sick, sick! (it was kind of like college days...after exam week and going home and the immune system just kind of crashes for awhile). But the one (of many) wonderful things about a husband who works at home is that extra measure of flexibility when mom is down! He had the boys up & rolling with scrambled eggs cooked before I even set foot on the floor! And a huge THANK YOU to Richele, who took Drew for the afternoon and brought *good for the soul* chicken broth that is keeping my mug full and my body warm.

And thanks to all of YOU for all your great comments! It warms my heart to know you stopped by to read the scribbles from this little ol' blogger.

Still Here...

So. Those cookies really have got to go! It's not even an accurate picture of them. And I still haven't received them in the mail. Hmmm?

I have SO SO SO much going on right now, so what do I do??? Stop to pause and BLOG!!!

This is going to be a pictureless post (horror of horrors) which means it probably won't get any comments OR readers! Ha. I am guilty of that! I am a believer of "a picture is worth a thousand words." But I do have a lot to blog about, so hopefully next week I'll get back into the swing of things. (no promises, though).

Right now, here's what's going on in my little corner of the world:

1. Getting ready to speak at a Ladies SPA day in CT tomorrow (for Melanie Harper's church ladies).
2. Pack for our stay with Amber & Brian while in CT.
3. In the midst of that, also planning for Jack's 2nd Birthday party, which will be on Monday.
4. Eagerly checking off empty boxes on our (yes, that's right, OUR) home TO-DO list.
5. Enjoying the fall weather, though sad that the peak is past & that snow, yes, S*N*O*W* was falling yesterday. (not ready for that yet).
6. Excited that this past Sunday at church we swelled the pews with almost 70 people!
7. Enjoyed pulling out my penny whistle the other day.
8. Have been doing lots of character training with the boys. Thanks to my ingenious & creative husband.
9. I am enjoying my amber diamond shaped ring Ginger sent from Poland (via kristen golson).
10. So thankful for SKYPE and that Drew & I alike can feel more connected with our friends, the Steinbarts.
11. Our little bonfire pit in the backyard...and smores. LOVE smores.
12. Enjoying spending some extra time (and late nights...the poor boys) with or "new" friends, the Baburins. Lots of good food, singing to the guitar, strewn toys, good coffee, crackling fire, hot smores and lots of laughs.
13. NOT LIKING the tooth in the back of my mouth that chipped and is looking at a possible root canal. :(
14. Oh. School. Yeah, that too. It's actually been on hold this week. Hm. Let's say "hurray" for flexibility of home school!?!?
15. Wondering if I can completely change my living room color scheme without spending a dime.
16. The Beginning of Celebrations around here. Most of our birthdays fall in the *fall*---bring on the cake & ice cream. (oh, wait, I'm holding off on that due to the tooth. snap.)
17. Burning my "Harvest" yankee candle down to the last drop.
18. Holding onto the truth that no matter what happens in this election, God is still in control.
19. Still enjoying rocking my "baby" at night.
20. Wondering how every preggy-mommy I know is having a GIRL!!


HOPE this finds you enjoying the change of season (if only slightly), rejoicing in whatever comes your way, and sending you a bright smile to cheer & warm your heart.

Ta-Ta for now.