High Frolics

Candy for gifting - Caramels

2012-01-08T10:32:00.000-06:00

I made this recipe years ago and then swore never again after wrapping each individual caramel in plastic wrap. I gave it a go agin this year but placed each one in a mini muffin liner. Much simpler!

Vanilla Caramels

Recipe By : Damsel in dis Dress
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Candies

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 pound melted butter
2 pounds brown sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
2 cans sweetened condensed milk

1. Combine first three ingredients in large saucepan.
2. Gradually add sweetened condensed milk.
3. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 minutes, until the syrup
reaches, 245°F
4. Add 1-2 teaspoons vanilla.
5. Pour into buttered, waxed paper lined jelly roll pan.
6. Allow to set for 4-5 hours.
7. Tip onto waxed paper. Cut into squares and wrap each in waxed
paper.

To take the caramels to a new, amazing level, I sprinkled the tops with Sea Salt. (I personally used Penzeys French Coarse Sea Salt). I'll save these for Christmas time only... the recipe makes a lot and it's dangerous to have them in the house. They get devoured way too fast.

Friday, umm, I mean Saturday, it's a Photo!

2011-11-26T07:31:00.000-06:00

Last night we welcomed in the holiday season down on main street, watching the annual parade.

A Thankful Month

2011-11-21T17:02:00.000-06:00

I've really admired those who are posting their daily thankfulness this month. Getting myself to write every day is a huge challenge, so I'll just throw it all in one post.

I'm ever so thankful for my wonderful husband. He works tirelessly, often without thanks. He helps out around the house and is an amazing father. He is still, after all these years, very much "the one". I cannot adequately express just how special he is.

My darling children, I am so thankful for. My life has been far more richer since you 2 arrived.

Another bonus those children have brought along is the confidence and purpose to see out new friends. I am so lucky to have wonderful, amazing friends, who make this parenting journey that much more enjoyable.

I still feel, and feel it nearly every day, so fortunate to be back here. Surrounded by lakes, pines and family.

The seasons.... few things give me as much peace as knowing the snow will fall, we'll celebrate in winter and the sun will shine again. I'm so looking forward to the holiday season.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Friday, It's a Photo

2011-11-18T06:55:00.000-06:00

But this one needs some words. These are two garden beds... on the right I've planted garlic. The left one I plane to plant asparagus in the spring, and start the long wait for a producing asparagus patch.

Friday, it's a photo!

2011-11-11T10:01:00.003-06:00

Is October really over?

2011-11-09T17:49:00.000-06:00

I'm just going to pretend like I didn't miss a whole summer of blogging :)

October and L's birthday! We read the entire Harry Potter series this year and L wanted a "Harry Potter Party". We had an elaborate "Scavenger Hunt" complete with spell casting to find gifts, which were the components of a his Harry Potter costume and some books to go with it.

I made (!) a birthday banner and purchased a Hogwarts one, which is making a nice decoration in our home still.

Each person was sorted into their house when they arrived. They wore the sorting hat and fished into a cauldron for a slip of paper telling them which house they were in.

I made Chocolate Frogs and had Bernie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

I also made Butter Beer & some "Wands". I also made a cake which did not look at all like an orange cat.... more like a flesh colored rabbit...sorta, but it tasted good.

I think my favorite thing was the expression on his face when he saw the banners up and the sorting hat on the table.

Happy Thoughts....

2011-06-26T20:52:00.000-05:00

I really love the addition of your thankful three to you blog, Meghan! I'm often finding my self feeling overwhelmed and writing down the good things, things to be grateful for is an awesome practice.

So, here's my attempt to share the things I'm grateful for, this past weekend.

The boys staying up late for their first fireworks.
Family over twice in one weekend.
L, after weeks (months?) of extreme pickiness, trying my meatloaf and telling me it was so good, we should have in twice a week.
Kids running in the grass, a sky full of hot air balloons and margaritas on the deck!

A year already?

2011-06-17T22:24:00.000-05:00

Actually, it will be a year and a month in two days that we have been in MI. It's becoming to far between blog posts that I'm having a hard time starting again. My journal hasn't had much action either. (Or home movies, photo albums and baby books!).

Summer is here after a rather wet spring, but it was more spring like than I remember MI being in the past. It's been special to watch all the trees getting leaves and see the various flowers blooming right here in our yard. Most recently it's been Iris & Roses. Overall the new house thing has been pretty good. We have encountered some ants this spring and are trying to figure out the best way to deal with them. Bugs really stress me out. On another bright note, I have herbs, tomatoes and peppers on the deck and they get watered nearly every day! I don't think I ever watered a plant in MO.

The children. I thought being pregnant and having an infant made life busier... but his being two has got me even more overwhelmed than I ever thought I could be. Fortunately two comes with new words, increased adorableness and affection along with the challenges.

Being closer to family has been wonderful. Weekly lunch with my mom, family parties and just knowing family is not too far away. Rarely a day goes by where I'm not thinking how lucky we've been to make this move in our lives. It has made a huge difference for the kids too.

That being said, L is pining for the "rocket ship playground". We've talked about the 3 of us taking a trip back next summer, when F will have a bit easier time in the car (I hope). Various playgrounds, the Magic House and City Museum are on the wish list. That's L's list... I'm a little scared to try City Museum with my second child without another adult.

Closet Complete

2011-04-25T14:05:00.000-05:00

Well, complete for now. A shoe rack or strage box at the bottom would be nice...

Before:

After:

The color is Benjamin Moore Metropolitan. I wouldn't have expected to like any color other than white for a closed closet, but I do like this.

Not meant to be...

2011-04-22T09:10:00.000-05:00

This was left by the sellers of the house. At first I was really excited, after all, I love trampolines and the idea of a "free" one, well, who can beat that?

After watching the boys together (L can pretty much knock F off with the weight difference), and doing some research on the safety of home trampolines... I have decided it's not for us, at least not in these early years.

Now to get rid of it...

Office Before and After

2011-03-09T16:48:00.005-06:00

I thought it was hard getting work done before we moved. It's just as hard after. We're unpacked and fairly organized. We still need to complete the "powder room" and master closet. Then it's time to think about the boy's bedroom and the guest room/bath.

M did his office and it looks really cool.

Before, a pretty blah blue:

After: The walls are Benjamin Moore Elk Horn.

The ceiling is done in Benjamin Moore Turmeric, it's Spicey!

The workspace, and Chalk Board paint wall:

He is wanting some art for the walls, cork flooring and new overhead fixtures to complete the office.

It's Moving Day!

2011-01-29T07:58:00.000-06:00

Are we crazy to try to move in the middle of winter? I guess we'll see. When we moved to our previous house it was August, hot and there were just two of us to do the work. We had a lot less stuff back then too. It's nice to have family to help this time around. Hopefully, this will be the last move for quite some time.

House Work - Living Room

2011-01-13T07:43:00.000-06:00

We went pretty neutral with these walls. Benjamin Moore - Hush
I like, but I think I'll like it even more when we have furniture.

Before:

That same dark color. We felt the molding just faded into it.

More accent walls.

After:

Ah, there is wood there.

No, you can't really tell the color or anything else in this one. I like the view.

This neutral color goes down the hallway, replacing the very dark brown that was previously in there. The dark wasn't good. The hall felt smaller and (obviously) too dark. The before and after didn't turn out that well. The flash made the brown look nicer and the new color too blah.

House Work - Bedroom

2011-01-12T04:35:00.000-06:00

We tried quite a few different colors for the master bedroom too. We don't have the switch plates or curtains yet, but I wanted to share the color.

Before:

After:

Benjamin Moore - Kasbah
The flash really lightened it up a bit. In person it's a bit darker.

House Work - Kitchen

2011-01-11T06:59:00.000-06:00

As mentioned in the previous post, we again choose Honeymoon as our color, this time for the kitchen. The kitchen was hard to figure out, with the "orangish" cabinets, the multicolored countertop. The existing paint left an impression on us too.

Before:

Yes, it's a pretty small kitchen. Changing that closet to one with shelving will be key to having room for all my kitchen items. Not only is this kitchen smaller than my previous one, it doesn't have room for my "island cart", which stored my baking pans. I'm also losing the storage from the microwave stand.

This will be the eating area. No formal dining room in the house.

Such a bold color for a kitchen.

The after:

The color is a little darker than this shot shows. I'd call it gold more than yellow. We still need to throw up curtains (or something).

The cabinets look better, in my opinion.

This color is not true at all in this picture. It's a nicer view of the cabinet hardware that we switched out. We spotted these drawer pulls at The Great Indoors, but couldn't get anyone into that area to help find more stock. While waiting, I found them on Amazon for a couple dollars less. The next morning, I finally bought them at Lowes, for a further discount. Yea for clearance items!

I'm feeling really good about the kitchen, even with the space change. Check back with me once I try fitting my plates in the oddly shallow cabinets.

House Work - Laundry

2011-01-10T22:49:00.000-06:00

In case you were wondering, we're not moved in yet. We're currently working on getting that stuff done that's just easier to accomplish when there is no furniture in the house yet, and it is taking some time.

My father helped us a lot, starting with changing a coat closet to a pantry closet. I really like the shelving, and think it's be a much better use of the space. I'll post a picture once I have some stuff populating it.

It took some time to choose colors and many a sample went up on the wall. Aside from white in the closet, the Laundry room was the first room we decided color on.

Before:
It was actually a white with a touch of green to it.

After:
Benjamin Moore - Honeymoon

We ended up really loving this color. We had put up three other color sample in the kitchen (and we thought we were so sure on Buttered Yam), but after the laundry was done we slapped up some more Honeymoon and still loved it. We figured in two different rooms, one with daylight and one with none, it wouldn't be too much.

The coat closet door in the after picture is nicely hidden. I have mismatched door knobs/pulls on them and neither one is working.

Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T09:39:00.000-06:00

Oh, it's an exciting time here. L is wrapped up in the magic in Christmas now more than any year before before.

We went to Children't Wonderland this season and for the first time ever, L found himself on Santa's lap. He wasn't sure about it, but this Santa was pretty persuasive. After telling him what he'd like to receive this year, he mentioned to Santa that he *could* find toys at Target. Santa thought that was pretty funny, and assured him that the toys were made by the elves. He also mentioned to me, "At least he didn't say Walmart!".

Santa was a bit heavy on the "naughty and nice", which I've told L I didn't believe in. We've talked about people acting in less that fantastic ways when they are tired, hungry, thirsty, etc. But besides all that, the funny part was Santa telling him there were two lists, and he was on one, but he didn't know which one, and he'd check when he got back. L heard that and jumped off his lap, saying, "I think I'm done with this conversation." I got video, but the audio isn't so great.

Happy Snow Day!

2010-12-13T09:00:00.000-06:00

Friday, it's an (old) picture...

2010-12-10T08:24:00.000-06:00

I'm really behind in uploading photos. I think I'm stil stuck in July. Here is one from August.

I really need to get on with it. Flickr is one of my major "backups".
Inspired by a friend, I decided I'd have books made from each year, to have a physical format of our photos. The boys have been enjoying looking through the photo albums from when I was a kid. 100 page limit, and I hit it at the beginning of August. I think I need to rethink how I can do this.

A month later...

2010-12-09T09:03:00.000-06:00

Wow, can it really be that long? It's now December and we're closing tomorrow! It's taken nearly 2 months to get to this point, I'm puzzling over how we were able to sell our previous house in just a month.

Unfortunately, interest rates when up instead of down for us, but I'mcv past that now. I'm still feeling quite fortunate to have had the time to take to find something we love instead of settling for something that will just work for us.

Making a deal

2010-11-07T18:09:00.000-06:00

We've been going back and forth, we each have quotes on the roof. Today we've come to an agreement based on the results of the inspection. We're very happy about the outcome (and I hope they are too). We got back our water test results Friday and all is well. It's a big relief to me to have a well that is not testing positive for Choliform. I realize that could change, but so far the experience has been much better than our first home buying experience.

SO we're feeling more confident than ever that this is our home! We are still awaiting the Radon test results and then it's on to the appraisal and securing the loan.

It would seem weird to post pictures of the inside with the seller's belongings, but here are some shots of the exterior that I like.

The front porch:

View of the driveway, or at least, a small portion of it:

Rear exterior:

Friday Photo

2010-11-05T07:45:00.000-05:00

Birthday Boy

October is over already? I feel like I could have used a bit more Halloween. I really hate how all the stores have Christmas stock in. I hate how they had it in BEFORE Halloween. I feel like I have to spend the next month avoiding all the Christmas stuff, just so I'll be able to enjoy it come December. (Or Thanksgiving evening, more accurately.)

It's reversible!

Inspections

2010-11-03T08:56:00.000-05:00

The inspection went pretty well. Well, all but that part about needing a new roof in the next few years. There were a couple of other, not too big issues, which were unsurprising when you looked at the age of the components. Overall, it's in very good shape.

The question is, how much is a new roof going to cost, and how much will the sellers drop the price to help us out with it? (If any at all?).

We're still waiting on water and radon results.

We have a contract!

2010-11-01T20:19:00.000-05:00

Thursday we did our second viewing, with my parents along. Friday we made an offer for not too much less than the asking price, and in our price range. It was accepted Saturday and tomorrow we have inspections! I'm very happy with how quickly things are now moving along.

We went trick or treating in the neighborhood last night. It's an older neighborhood, not many kids out. It feels very nice though. Peaceful and many trees. I have a good feeling about tomorrow. In fact, it already "feels" like our home, for whatever that is worth.

The night we saw it the first time, I had images in my head of being there in the winter, baking cookies. A few days later L and I talked about building snow forts in the yard...

Waiting is torture.

2010-10-25T20:13:00.000-05:00

We waited five days for a response from the seller. It was really hard to wait. The good news is that everything that was missing was completed and is satisfactory. Now we need to get in there for a second showing!

Progress?

2010-10-20T07:37:00.000-05:00

We received the Seller's disclosure last night! Unfortunately it was not complete and there are a couple pieces of paper work not included.

At this point we have requested the disclosure to be completed and presented them with some questions to have answered. It took some patience and multiple requests to get the paperwork to begin with, so I expect we'll be experiencing more of the same to get this worked out.

Is this the one?

2010-10-18T09:24:00.002-05:00

Last week we went to a see a house. A house that we both really, really like. Actually, I love this house. This is only the sixth house we've looked at in person, but we've spent the last few months pouring over listings everyday and have seen hundreds of houses online.

We've been looking at or so different cities in this county, and feeling like we've run out of options, were starting to look into other nearby counties too. This house is in one of the original cities we were looking at.

It has the right number of bedrooms and plenty of bathrooms. The kitchen and eating area is on the small side, especially for what we had in the previous house, but I think with a little creativity (and closet updates) we can make it work. The best part is an office for Marc to work in, one that is not one of the bedrooms. There is also a room for the kids to play, which is a high priority on our list.

We are currently waiting on papers from the seller, and if these are satisfactory, we'll be seeing the house again. I personally want to skip all this and jump right in with an offer, but considering our past house buying experience, being thorough and patient is really the best plan of action.

This is the first of what I hope to be many updates on the process of getting into our home.

Hello Sunshine!

2010-10-15T10:40:00.000-05:00

2010-09-17T09:31:00.000-05:00

Fall is here. It's been a beautiful summer here and fall is looking pretty good too. What we've been doing:
First playdate with the pre-school homeschool group
Fresh apple & pumpkin spice donuts from the nearby orchard
Local Honeycrisps!
Looking at houses

That last one is the frustrating part. We've been through hundreds of listings. Many we want to see are already under contract. When we do find something to look at, it seems there is always a deal breaker. Bedrooms too small, the smell of mold permeating the entire house, ridiculously high taxes, so on and so forth. The right place must be out there, right?

Friday, it's a photo!

2010-08-13T07:56:00.000-05:00

Friday, it's a photo!

2010-08-06T08:06:00.001-05:00

Recent trip to Domino Farms.

Summer's View

2010-08-04T10:37:00.000-05:00

That's pretty much it. Michigan has given us an incredible summer so far, with nicer weather than any of us remember from past years.
We've been spending lots of time at the beach. With so many lakes in the area, this has been pretty easy. We've also been hitting the area water parks. The only drawback of all this water time is F believing he can swim. He frequently tries to throw himself forward, backward and run into the water. No amount of water in his face or water swallowed seems to convince him this isn't a good idea. I see swim lessons in our future.

Friday, It's a Photo!

2010-07-23T07:06:00.002-05:00

Monday, park day

2010-07-19T21:48:00.000-05:00

A new park for us. They had a new, and very cool playground:

We spent some time with that, and a bit more digging in the sand in the vollyball courts. On our way out we checked out the activity center, where L was interested in the various bones of the white tailed deer, and F was really noticing the "stuffed" animals, especially the raccoon.
We stopped at L's suggestion to "sit and relax" at a picnic table under a tree to watch the construction work being done by a bulldozer and steamroller. This was nice until F wandered off and delighted L by "finding" tree created "secret hideouts". They played among the tress and L said, "I forgot how cool nature could be, I love it!" He also told me how fun it was playing with the baby and how nice it was he found this space for us. "We should have came here before the playground".

Friday, it's a photo!

2010-07-16T07:12:00.000-05:00

F, while we were at the farm in the nearby park.

A great day

2010-07-13T22:42:00.000-05:00

Today was a great day. With the baby sleeping and L and I getting up early, we start the day with coffee and email for me and TV for him. This morning, after less than a half hour, he jumped up and decided he was done with TV for the day. I asked him what he wanted to do today. He thought for a few moments and excitedly suggested the Imagination Station (cool science/hands on place in Toledo).
I pushed my hesitation of putting F in the car for the hour plus drive for my mind and enthusiastically said yes. We started getting ready and waited for F to wake up.

We went and spent the day and the three of us had a great time. There were new exhibits since our visit last year, and it's a place you can spend a lot of time just letting the kids run around a play. The kids play area is even closed of with a gate that has a mechanism you must lift (out of reach from the kids). F spent lots of time moving dishes to and from the refrigerator and stove in the "playhouse". He found the computer check in in the "Hospital", got himself in the seat in front of it and happily banged away. The shopping cart in the "Grocery Store" was a huge hit too.

L played a lot in the same areas, which was fun for them both. He was also firefighting and playing at the water table.

The car ride back was great, in spite of a storm and traffic. F slept, L had many interesting questions and I heard "Mama..." many times during the drive back. One of those "Mama..." moments was ended with, "I love you".

That Friday Picture Thing!

2010-07-09T12:37:00.000-05:00

I can't have two blogs

2010-07-09T12:07:00.000-05:00

I was going through my old blog and have realized I hate having two. I hate that all those entries are there and not here. I'm going to be combining and going back to High Frolics.

What a night

2010-07-08T22:48:00.000-05:00

L smacked his face into the counter top tonight. His mouth to be exact, he spilt his lip, and bent his top front tooth pretty good. Lots of blood. The gum line looks receded and dark. After lots of ice and some pain reliever, it looks a lot better.

This was our first major injury and it looked really bad to begin. I hate to admit, I started feeling light headed. I sat down with my head down because I felt like I was going to pass out. That was the last thing I thought I'd ever feel.

What to do in this heat wave...

2010-07-08T08:05:00.000-05:00

Go to the beach! We headed over to the lake, met up with some friends and had a great time swimming for hours. As soon as we left, F conked out and proceeded to take a 2+ hour nap. I'm remembering what I love about summer.

Yesterday we met up with family and went to my "home" Zoo. The zoo I grew up going to. We got a membership and had a great day. The recently built children's zoo is great and includes a a building with much to explore. The kids a lot of fun and we got to see the spiders being fed too.

Movie Break

2010-07-03T21:09:00.000-05:00

L and I snuck away this afternoon for a movie. We saw Toy Story 3. We both cried, although at different parts. He also made it outside of the theater before he cried.

F did great for the 3 hours I was gone. Our first big separation. Whew, so glad it went well.

2010-07-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

L, in the car yesterday. We had just left the farm where we saw the new baby pigs nursing.

"I want to nurse.... When I want to nurse, I'm SOOOO cute!"

Communication

2010-07-01T22:07:00.000-05:00

Communication with F is growing and growing! Yesterday he brought his shoes, reach to be picked up, and gave me his foot to put in a shoe, letting me know he wanted to go outside. Later that afternoon, after we came in for lunch, he could not find his shoe, so brought me his big brother's.

His sleep on the other hand... horrible. He has a hard time getting to sleep before 10. He has a hard time napping unless we are at home all day. He doesn't sleep in to make up for the late night bed time. I sure hope it gets better. I don't think he gets as much sleep as he really should.

Good Intentions

2010-06-21T09:48:00.000-05:00

Father's day was bright and sunny and rumored to be quite hot. We were enjoying a relaxing day, the kids playing with their Aunt & Uncle. I snuck outside and filled up 68 (4 broke) water balloons to surprise L with.

When we finally got out there, Granny, Grandpa, Papa, Mama and L ran around, gleefully throwing water balloons. The last balloon was beautifully broken above L's head, drenching him. He loved it, until he realized it was the last one, and then the tears came. F also started to cry, in empathy.

Next time, more balloons.

What have we been doing?

2010-06-17T20:57:00.000-05:00

Ok, totally hating the rental market here. OVER-priced. Too many negatives. We won't save any money to if we rent something we'd be happy with. So... new plan. Save up a down payment and start house hunting.

We had an awesome park day this week, meeting some people in the homeschool group. The kids got plenty of playground time, and hung out by and on the pedal boats on a dock by the lake. We saw a number of fish and a cool snake swimming among the lily pads.

We've been blowing lots of bubbles around here, in fact F is now saying bubble. We started off small and worked our way up to a couple of big wands. Now we're looking at recipes for bubble solution and a way to make really BIG bubbles.

Biking - I think L is really close to taking those training wheels off. We also picked up a trailer for my bike today. We spent the evening riding with two boys in the back and it was great. Now I wonder, why did I ever stop riding a bike. It's great - so much fun that you forget it's even good for you.

Farm Day

2010-06-07T21:22:00.000-05:00

Last week we attended an outing to a farm with the local homeschooling group. It was pretty exciting when the farmer gathered all the kids around him talk to them about how the day would go. When he asked the group if they were homeschoolers and all the different ages yelling "Yes!", I had a huge smile on my face.

It was fun! Hayrides and horserides. Feeding the baby animals, climbing into their pens, playing with the barn animals. Milking a cow and seeing butter made. Feeding the pig their lunch leftovers. Chasing my littlest, because he sure didn't want to be held, or do what we did.

That little one is exhausting! We were at the playground today and after some swinging, climbing, and their own personal front loader & dump truck show, he decided to fun off. Further and further until I saw him go down, just to emerge dripping and covered in mud and water. Poor kid found a huge mud puddle. Note to self: Extra change of clothes in the car.

Hunting down the rental

2010-06-04T17:01:00.000-05:00

Oh my, who thought it would be this hard to find a rental? Here?!?

The economy here is much worse than the rest of the US. There are lots of houses on the market, many in foreclosure, and a relatively large amount of rental properties. We were expecting to find a glut of options that suited our needs, in a fair price. Now we're wondering if we were wrong.

We think we've narrowed down the county we want to be in. We've found a homeschooling group and an unschooling group that I have a good feeling about. This county has remarkably less rentals that the alternate county we were considering. Now we've also found that the pricing for what is on the market in our range, is really high. What is in our range, that we've looked at, have some real issues.
Today's viewing was the worst. It looked great on the outside, great landscaping and yard, lake access too. The inside... reeked of cigarettes. It was dirty. Really dirty and needed lots of repair work.

Dirty will not get your house rented. I'll spare the details of the other properties we looked at.

This morning we had high hopes about a cute place we found in a really cool neighborhood. Alas, an application was already put in on it. Back to the search.

A Bike!

2010-05-31T09:24:00.000-05:00

My older son finally got a bike, training wheels and all. He's spent 2 hours out of the past 2 and a half riding around in the driveway and he's getting really good. A little more practice and he'll be ready for the bike trail at the park down the road.

I have pictures to post, but I'm still looking for my camera cord.

We've been scoping out rental properties this weekend. We found a cool one on a lake, but after seeing it in person we discovered a few too many safety issues considering how old the kids are. It's really fun to look.

Exhausted and singing

2010-05-28T23:53:00.000-05:00

SingStar, my favorite addiction. Sometimes it's a shame we need sleep.

Spring can be really nice here. The days warm (though that is not typical), the evenings cooler, not too many bugs out yet. Early evening is the perfect time to go outside and run up and down the hill in back. We had fun when everyone was out playing Frisbee.

My sister is in town and that's pretty great. I hope you are all having a good memorial day weekend too.

Meeting people is hard

2010-05-27T20:25:00.000-05:00

Today was rough. I was pulled in two directions by two kids (one who tends to fall face first into rocks a bit too much). It's funny how much harder it is to try to make connections with other adults when you have kids... (not really). It was very hot and while the children's garden is pretty cool, it does make me miss the missouri botanical gardens.

Never go grocery shopping when you're feeling bummed out. Especially at Whole Foods.

Week 1

2010-05-27T06:18:00.000-05:00

It's been a week! I still have a hard time believing we're free of that house.

We did a "drive by" of two new to the market rental properties yesterday. The houses themselves were incredible. The yards and roads leading the the houses... not so much. We'd need 4 wheel drive and Husband would spend far to much time dealing with the lawn. Very nice secluded setting though.

We're on our way to the city today to meet up with a group and check our the children's garden at the botanical gardens. Lunches are packed and I'm just waiting for the boys to wake up. Yesterday we went to the water park just down the road. By water park I mean the slides (my kids are too small for) and elaborate sprinkler set up on the beach in the metro park. We had a great afternoon.

Next on the agenda, aside from this constant rental search... Bikes!

Getting out there

2010-05-24T21:08:00.000-05:00

We had our first meetup today with a couple of local mama's and their kids. It went well, I think. Everyone is really nice and we have lots in common. The kids played. We had a couple of rough starts, but all in all they did pretty good.

The birthday party this weekend was good. It was great to get everyone together, the birthday boy really enjoyed it. One of his gifts was a blow-up pool for the yard. It was filled today and waiting for us when we got back from playing. I'm amazed at how different our lives are right now. We can actually play in the yard. We can play is a kiddie pool because the ground is flat, there are no chiggers or mites and no dogs roaming in and out. I know we're still in "honeymoon" mode here, but I'm so thankful for the children needing nightly baths because they've gotten dirty playing outside.

Taking a break from the research

2010-05-22T22:25:00.000-05:00

Researching cities and towns, trying to find a great place. It's going to cost us significantly more to rent than our mortgage was. I knew that, but it was easier to contemplate in theory rather than reality. Then there is the reality of winter here versus winter there (with a berm house and a heat pump).

It'll be fine, of course. An adjustment, but fine.

Tomorrow, we celebrate the littlest's birthday. He spent a lot of time today walking around the yard, little toes in the grass. Then he's gravitate toward something dangerous, the burn pile with all the jagged tree limbs sticking out. The concrete steps. When I try to head him off he shrieks with joy, huge smile breaking out. It's all a game to him. He sees an uncovered outlet and his finger goes for it. I'm telling myself the old standard "he'll grow out of it".

The other one is doing pretty good. Loves the attention and grandparents as playmates.

After the weekend we're going to try meeting up with some people. I'm hoping it goes well.

The First Day

2010-05-20T22:52:00.000-05:00

We got in last night at 2:00AM. We slept. Not quite enough, but when you have kids...

Our first day was pretty great. We went to lunch at the local Coney Dog place, the dogs are great, as was my olive burger. We visited my favorite vitamin store and got some basics that we needed. Tooth powder, Shampoo without the crap, etc. Items I'd have to order online or drive an hour just the other day. Now within 5 minutes. I was overjoyed to have a conversation about extended nursing with one of the employees. We poked into the realtor's office to get some help tracking down rentals.

The rest of the day was playground, frozen custard and beautiful views of the lake from the swings. Today was total vacation day. We have a lot of family to see this weekend and a birthday party for my baby. Monday I'll get to work on the rental search. At first glance, I think it's going to be a bit tricker than I thought. Researching areas and scheduling visits. I need to work on that meeting people part too.

Closing

2010-05-20T16:27:00.000-05:00

Tuesday night we drove a half hour away from where we would close on the house, to stay in a hotel for the night. We had a hard time finding a suitable place that would allow our cats.

We walked into the hotel room, finding the AC running on the lowest setting it would go. The room was 57 degrees. We soon found out the heat was not working at all. I reported it to the front desk and someone came by to take a look. Unfortunately, he could not fix it and the hotel was completely booked. They called their engineer in, he could not fix it, but we got a space heater for the room, $50 knocked of the room rate and free breakfast. All in all, it was worth it for the reduction in rate.

We slept well and the kids and I went swimming in the morning. Swimming first thing in the morning does a lot to make it feel like vacation time. We packed up our stuff and got on the road back to our town to close. We originally planned to close at 10:00am but swapped times with the buyer in hopes of getting our check from the sale (something has to pay for that trailer!). We were there in enough time to pass on the keys and to briefly meet the buyers.

Closing was pretty quick. Many signatures and forms... On our way out we exchanged gifts with our agent, wine for her and a travel pack for us and the kids. (How awesome is our agent? Organic treats for the kiddos!)
As we packed up to leave, our closer came out and asked us to wait for the ok from the buyer's lender so the check would be valid. We waited. We waited some more. We ended up waiting for over an hour. It was as if that little town wanted to keep us in it's clutches.

When we finally left, we felt lighter than air. That house has been a horrible weight on us and now I feel so free.

Pack, Load, Clean

2010-05-19T08:10:00.002-05:00

One of the things about this house selling business I didn't like so much was the uncertainty. We didn't know "for sure" until six days before the closing date (and the date we had to be out of the house).

I hade the truck scheduled, the boxes, and did some packing in the weeks before. Most days I found I had a baby who wanted to nurse round the clock and a child that want to play with exactly what I was packing.

We consoled ourself with the fact that we had no basement, no garage, and had packed and put a ton of stuff in storage just preparing to show the house.

This past Saturday we started loading the 28 foot trailer truck. We were incredibly fortunate to have three family members come and help. Everyone worked hard and the trailer was packed, all but our bed and the things we'd need in the next three days.

We packed and loaded more on Sunday and on Monday. We even stayed up till past midnight Monday, trying to get everything done while the kids were sleeping. Tuesday morning came at six for me and I got up and went to work. Not much late everyone else was up and the race to get the trailer finished before they came to pick it up was on. We got it done by noon, and it was hell. My poor husband, trying to get our king size, ikea foam mattress in there. I tried to help, and by the time I was done, I was ready to give the mattress away to whoever would come and get it.

By noon I'd decided that, even if it meant taking out a loan, I'd hire people to load next time.

After the truck was gone, we dropped of yet more stuff (three loads worth) to the local consignment shop, where they would donate it to a local church. Did I mention that the day before we loaded our van up with donations for Goodwill and the food pantry? Where did all this stuff come from?!?

We got a quote on enough space in the trailer for a three bedroom house with appliances. We went over that amount by 3 1/2 feet.

So, we went to lunch at Stefanina's, where the waitress recognized us from a year ago, coming in while I was at the end of my pregnancy, and exclaiming over how much he has grown.

Back to the house, time to clean and load our van up. We talked in the car and guessed it would take two hours to get it all done. In reality, it took five. Five, only stopping to nurse here and there, very long hours. It felt like a second day. Finally, we were done. I snapped a quick picture and we got on the road. The house looked great! We are exhausted and sore and hoping closing goes very smoothly.

2010-05-15T06:48:00.000-05:00

We had our farewell party yesterday. It was wonderful to see all our friends, but sad too. A couple of times I looked around and briefly wondered if I could take it all back. I'm excited about moving and I know it's the best thing for our family. At the same time, I've made more and closer friendships here than anywhere in my adult life. I can't help but wonder how things would have turned out if we had moved to the city or closer suburbs in the first place.

My son's friends made him cards and I almost cried. I think he'll like the idea of having pen pals, once we've arrived and it will no longer be saying goodbye.

For me, well, I have multiple electronic avenues of keeping contact. It'll be like I'm still here, but can never seem to make it out to a playdate.. sort of.

I'll miss the long drive out to meet at a playground or house, usually listening to the Diane Rehm Show on a Friday morning. The kids off to play and the mamas sitting and talking, telling each other about the week we've had. The long ride back, everyone happy and exhausted.

The early evening playground, after an API meeting, even though we haven't had a meeting in a long time.

Potlucks, Tot time swim, birthdays parties... Halloween. I'm really going to miss Halloween in Manchester.

Watching these kids grow up, the one I've known since birth, or nearly that long. One day in the future I'll meet them again and they won't know me anymore, and the freshest picture in my mind will still be them running around on the playground, laughing.

Visiting

2010-05-13T22:12:00.000-05:00

Today we did something I wish we did a lot more of. Have a friend over. It was just that simple, but has been so difficult due to being out in the "middle of nowhere", a good hour away from all of our friends.

My older child and his friend played and played. Together, they had such a wealth of ideas, fun to have, games to play. Sometimes solitary play just doesn't cut it.

I also had a good time spending time with my friend. Hanging out, getting to know each other more... I really think we've missed out being so far away. I want to have closer connections with other adults in my life.

I want community, I want a tribe.

It's Official!

2010-05-12T15:24:00.000-05:00

We got word that our buyers got their loan commitment today. Seven day before our closing date. Seven days and we'll be on the road.

I've been slowly packing all week, which is about the only way you can do it with young children. Now I look around and am overwhelmed with what still needs to be done. Fortunately we have family coming into town this weekend to help. We're not only fortunate but grateful. I don't think we could do this alone.

My main blog has been private for awhile now because I felt with all the little pieces of information I put out there, there was now more than I felt comfortable with. With more than 400 posts, that was too many to edit down to my comfort level.

I intend this blog to be a way for those we are leaving to know what we are doing. I like having the record of writing to look back on.

I hate naming things. Servers, websites, blogs... I feel much pressure to come up with the perfect name, full of meaning, clever and unique. Around the internet, unique in names is rather hard to come by. Sand in my toes... it comes from a Michigan tourism commercial, "Sand in my toes, sand in my toes, how I'll miss you woe, woe, woe." I have happy memories of beaches and the feel of sand between my toes after getting in the car to leave. Seeing as we're headed to Michigan, it might be more appropriate to call it Sand and Snow... Spring and Fall are pretty scarce here.

On this Thursday before we leave I have called all our utilities to set up the shut downs. I've passed on our new address. I've baked two loaves of sourdough bread and have a chuck roast in the crockpot. I'm just hoping that it will be something edible around dinner time.

2010-05-06T21:58:00.002-05:00

Kids at play:

More in May 2010

We got word to day that the appraisal went through. Moving... in two weeks.

2010-04-27T20:44:00.002-05:00

From up to down, all in the same day.

The appraisal. The comparisons have to be Earth Contact (Berms), because ours is. There having some trouble finding close ones. Even if the ones they have are ok, there is now a question as to wether they'll find a lender willing to finance this type of home. Lots of calls are being made., hopefully, this will all work out.

2010-04-27T09:50:00.003-05:00

This morning we woke up to an great decrease in the water on the field! I'm feeling positive enough that I've scheduled the truck and a storage facility at our end destination.

2010-04-26T20:14:00.002-05:00

Arggh! The stress of trying to sell a house. The appraisal/inspection is not yet scheduled and we now have water on our septic field. It appears to be a side effect to doing some cleaning, but we're having someone out to verify that. Unfortunately, the septic system won't pass with water on the field. So we wait and see, when will it dry up. We're getting mostly rain this week and that's not going to help.

The boys are doing well. F is walking! First one step, then 5, then 14 and we stopped counting. L is so happy his "Egypt Kit" is here and is happy learning about King Tut, Anubis and the rest.

I've been slowly uploading photos and finally got the set from Easter up April 2010. It was such a beautiful day.

2010-04-10T16:35:00.000-05:00

Spaghetti

2010-03-29T21:47:00.002-05:00

A bunch of photos March 2010.

We've got a beautiful week (70's!) coming up. I'm expecting a lot of playground time and I'm hoping to get compost in the veggie bed this week. Unfortunately this is also my week for the dentist.

Tevye is doing better. He's on 2 antibiotics right now, 3 total since this all started. He's had the collar (cone of shame, anyone?) on now for nearly 3 weeks. He cannot groom himself so Golde doesn't really know him. She hisses at him even when the collar is off. He's eating better. His stitches are doing the best they can. There is a gap and the plan is to let scar tissue fill it it instead of putting him under a third time to try to rejoin. This whole thing has been very stressful, but finally it seems to be getting better. We go back to the vet Thursday to have him checked again. The upside to all these vet visits seems to be L shaking a bit of his fear of dogs. He's been talking to dogs and their owners at each visit. Man, does he ever like to talk to adults. He picked up Charlie and the Chocolate Factory today, so we're re-reading that. We zoomed through the first four Magic Treehouse books and are awaiting the next four. He now has a notebook and pencil for writing stuff down (or asking us to write stuff down).

F is not sleeping well at night. He seems to be teething, of course. He's getting cuter by the minute. He likes to babble "mama mama mama". He loves to be chased right now and will stop so you can "get" him. He likes to crawl really fast in a circle. He's got a great laugh.

2010-03-25T19:59:00.002-05:00

Quick note to say I added some pictures to March 2010.
L read (recognized) his first word yesterday. It was stop.

2010-03-24T21:17:00.003-05:00

I'm trying to update Flickr with all my photos and finally got a round to February 2010.
I guess it was a short month.

February shots:

Puppet Theater:

The Sheriff or is it a cowboy?:

Bruiser with the guitar:

2010-03-19T21:17:00.002-05:00

My funny kid...

L was looking through a Target catalog and telling us all the things he liked. He came across a big water gun that looked cool. I told him no guns. He thought about this and then asked, "Mama, do you like puddles? Puddles to jump in?" I said I did and he smiled and told me he could make puddles for me with the water gun. Problem solved!

F is taking a step here and there, not too concerned about walking. When we put on The Coasters, "Charlie Brown" for cleaning up the room (L's favorite song for cleaning), he'd crawl around in circle fast as a dance. Too cute. He clapped yesterday for the first time. He hasn't waved yet, but Marc figures he just doesn't feel like it yet.

We've all been sick the last week. The boys still have horrible coughs. We've been taking it very easy and today L was enjoying me reading All of A King Family. I hope he keeps interest in that one! We've gone through 4 or so chapters so far.

2010-02-24T06:28:00.006-06:00

Yesterday I was making lunch for L and asked him, "if you have 2 cats in a room, how many cat legs do you have?" and if 5 puppies are in a room and 2 run out, how many are left?", various questions like that. He could figure out the answers and asked if I knew any more questions like that. I think it's cool he's doing basic addition and subtraction, and even cooler that he can listen to a "story problem" without running away screaming as I would do.

We confirmed last week, that even if L was going to be going to school, he wouldn't be eligible this fall because his birthday is after the cut off.

L got an idea to make a puppet theater, so we set up the playstands to be one and gave Marc a lunchtime puppet show. Those things are handy!

In the F's world... eating, eating, eating. Nighttime EC seems to have done its job, he's been dry overnight for more than a week now, more than 2, I believe. We're only part time in the day, but we still catch after naps and a few others when he's pretty obvious. As with L, it's easier to keep him dry out and about than if we're just hanging out at home.
F is ever fearless. He's got this new thing he does, he raises he arms up and throws his arms down, turns, crawls, repeat. It's cute, it's funny, until he rears up and slams down on the corner of the bed frame. This boy won't learn hot until he feels it.

I added a few photos to January 2010. Here are a few:

Boys having fun:

2010-02-13T21:16:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow is Valentine's day and we'll have a cozy day at home. I'm planning on Brats & Sauerkraut for dinner. The house needs to be cleaned... time for another showing I guess. That's one thing about putting your house on the market, more motivation to keep it clean.

This past Thursday F turned 9 months. He's changed so much since we got back from our holiday visit! He is crazy for food. He loves homemade bread, pasta, mac & cheese (go figure). He likes to share apples & pears... sometimes a banana. Beans, peas, celery root. Pretty much anything we have, he wants, and lets us know in a very obvious way. A way that makes you feel horrible if you don't share, so we have to hide some of what we are eating. He's not spitting up/throwing up food the way he was in December... well maybe just a couple of things if the texture is too weird for him or he gets to much. The vast majority is staying down now.

He's so different from L at this age. F has no interest in books at all. L was fascinated from practically day one and would sit for books from at least 2 months. F will not sit for books. What he really likes is to play ball. He can already throw! He also loves chasing the kitties around the house and trying to pet the kitties. He also loves to watch L dance and bop around with him to the music.

Not much going on around here. We're all reaming of spring and playgrounds. I've been baking bread multiple times a week and most of it is sourdough. Winter is nice and cozy but we're going a bit crazy cooped up in the house.

Happy Valentines Day!

2010-02-04T10:41:00.002-06:00

Yikes, already February and so few blog entries. I have pictures to upload and stuff to share, but it's hard to get to between basic housework, childcare and trying to claim some downtime for myself.

I still haven't uploaded the great sphinx we made out of clay... a project L suggested after seeing a program on the subject. The boys had eye exams earlier this week, all is well (and in L's case, better). We've signed up for library story time for the next three weeks, a great reason to get out of the house. We visited a local indoor play area yesterday and had a lot of fun.

So I don't have new photos, but I do have a video. L on being a Rock Star.

2010-01-15T09:34:00.001-06:00

A special treat in the middle of winter:

Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky, Ohio. Good food, lots of swimming and sliding in the water.

2010-01-13T16:05:00.002-06:00

I'm going to try to get all my pictures uploaded while we have the good bandwidth.

Sledding at Kensington:

Sun going down in the park:

2009-12-29T08:16:00.002-06:00

Christmas is over and here is what we made...

Inspired by a friend and found in the book Handmade Home. Bookmarks! My 4 year old drew pictures on fabric and I embroidered the image. L got to try out embroidery too. The fabric isn't what was used in the book, but we used what we had in the house.

For the black fabric, L drew with soap.

Coasters featuring drawn creatures by L.

Wrapping paper:

We cut stamps from a potato to make this.

2009-12-18T09:40:00.002-06:00

As you've seen, my blog has been silent for a few weeks. I've been sick for 3 weeks, and with the holidays upon us, I don't expect to post much until well after.

Here is an interesting discovery: Scientists Crack "Entire Genetic Code" of Cancer

2009-12-03T19:56:00.001-06:00

Just a quick video of F as he grows...

2009-11-26T22:44:00.002-06:00

Another Thanksgiving over and another Christmas season upon us. I love the cyclical nature of our world. I love how each season comes and goes and the knowledge it will come again.

Our Thanksgiving was cozy and low key. No travel, lots of lounging. I cooked a turkey, gravy, creamed potatoes, cranberry relish, veggies & dill dip and a pumpkin pie. unfortunately we're all feeling under the weather, with L getting the worst of it. He showed little interest in dinner and when he tried to eat dessert... well, let's just say that the one bite didn't stay down.
It's a lot of work cooking that much food and the cleanup after, but well worth it for the aroma of turkey cooking and the ending of pumpkin pie and coffee. After dinner I popped in Miracle on 34th street, which is my Thanksgiving tradition. This is the second or third year, and as is L's tradition, he feel asleep during. Someday he'll make it to the end.

I'll add what I posted earlier today:
I'm so thankful for my family, having food, clean water, shelter and the opportunity for so much love and fun.
I'm sorry and ashamed for how we treated those that were here before us.

---

F spent the day pulling himself up on furniture and willing himself to walk. Such a determined boy. It's going by all too quickly for me.

You can see his two teeth peeking out here:

I'm so in love with this baby face.

So on with the Christmas season! Our first craft, Snowflake Window Clings turned out pretty cute. I'll have to take a picture. We have two weeks until we leave for MI so I'm hoping to pack in plenty of fun crafts, holiday movies and stories. I picked up a few new Christmas books and can't wait to read them to L.

I'd like to officially wish everyone Happy Holidays, not matter what holiday means to you. Being involved in social networking website, I've already had my fill of silly complaints of "Oh my goodness, no one can say Merry Christmas anymore". Bullshit, it's a major freaking holiday in america. It's in everyone's face everywhere. I don't live in a book where everyone is the same. The are cultural differences in the world and it's something that makes this place better and more interesting. I apologize to those who I haven't shown that to. I regret that I've been oblivious to other's lives by being so solely involved in my own secular Christmas celebration.

And with that, I'm going to bed. It's already so late I'm afraid I'll be up to early and be a grumpy mama I don't want to be.

2009-11-22T10:03:00.002-06:00

I took these when F turned 6 months old:

Friday's Playdate ended with rolling in the leaves:

L told me this week how much he loves cooking with me. It's a nice reminder to try to include him in all that I am doing, as things go much smoother that way. I had him setting the table for breakfast and watched him refolding the napkins so they were "just right".

We started crafts this weekend in hopes of creating Christmas gifts. There's been a lot of asking L to draw pictures and some learning of new skills for me. Making can be so much more enjoyable than shopping.

2009-11-17T22:46:00.001-06:00

Decorated for Autumn:

Yum, melon...

What a cutie:

2009-11-16T20:16:00.002-06:00

All is well here. The weather will be gloomy and grey all week, but we plan on getting out to the library this week and have a fun playdate coming up.

F is all over the house with his "army man" crawl. He'll get up on his knees like he's going to crawl the "regular" way and then skips that and tries to get on his feet. He's determined to stand, but honestly he's not sitting up 100% on his own yet. Crazy baby :) He has a tooth on the bottom poking out now. He isn't liking sitting in the high chair at the table while we are eating... unless we share. He's been given apple and cantaloupe to play with. He's really enjoying gumming them, I think more for the new texture, taste and experience. His tongue thrust and lack of sitting completely on his own still put him in the "not quite ready for solid foods category". This is my favorite site for a baby-led introduction to solids.

L is wonderful and wild. This weekend we played on the playground while Papa hug out with a sleeping F. He wants to do everything all the time. He has so many ideas and plans and is doing a great job figuring out his place in the world. His imaginative play is so fun to listen to and he makes F laugh like no other.

Here are some pictures from our local playground, where tires were added this year:

There are also new pictures in October 2009. Halloween is included.

2009-11-12T22:25:00.002-06:00

L's Halloween "Haunted House"

2009-10-30T20:35:00.005-05:00

We're all excited about Halloween tomorrow! We had a Halloween party/playdate today, which was a lot of fun. We made paper bats on clothes pins to decorate L's playstands, which are currently a haunted house. We have a bunch of silks hanging down, bats hanging from them and a pumpkin in there. Oh, and a very scary dragon.

Last night we had hot mulled cider and carved our pumpkins, listening to creepy music.

F is growing at an amazing rate. Crawling, wanting to be into everything. This evening he even got himself up on his feet, hands on the ground. It didn't last long, but he did it. I've been able to aid his curiosity a bit with random kitchen bowls and the booster/high chair. He loves throwing stuff down.

At the moment he is wide awake and wants nothing to do with sleep. So much for getting to bed early...

2009-10-29T20:41:00.001-05:00

2009-10-28T08:43:00.001-05:00

And more...

2009-10-26T20:00:00.002-05:00

More highlights.

2009-10-25T07:58:00.003-05:00

New photos in October 2009. Well over 100 added.

Highlights:

I'll post more in a bit.

2009-10-23T07:22:00.003-05:00

I just uploaded my last batch of Missouri pictures taken before we left to October 2009

Some favorites:

2009-10-16T08:05:00.001-05:00

Landscaping:

Beautiful, beautiful boy:

2009-10-15T08:41:00.001-05:00

Goodbye summer, hello fall.

2009-10-04T20:55:00.003-05:00

Added a bunch of pictures to September 2009

Some favorites:

Space Boy:

L's Art:

Picking Apples:

Tie Dye F:

2009-09-28T22:26:00.002-05:00

I've been uploading family photos so check that out. I have ore recent stuff to upload but am making an effort to get to sleep earlier so I haven't finished that yet. Here are a couple:

At the Apple orchard:

Under a playsilk:

We got out the winter pajamas.. it has been getting cooler at night. L sleeps SO much better with them. He will not keep blankets on him no matter how cold it gets. F is the same way.

Off to sleep... it is later than I hoped.

2009-09-21T21:38:00.001-05:00

Messing around:

2009-09-15T21:44:00.002-05:00

Pictures in September 2009

We are hanging in there. Trying to get stuff done, keep everyone happy and stay sane.

Can you believe this face? There are a bunch of good ones of him in there.

My little boy.

That smile says it all.

2009-09-03T20:58:00.002-05:00

Just some photos.

Cool frog in the yard:

The boys:

2009-09-02T21:29:00.003-05:00

More pictures in August 2009.

Here is a picture from F's first time in the pool:

We took a trip to the Botanical Gardens today. We all had fun, it's great to see F noticing more and more around him. He's also already doing new moves. Marc thinks he's trying to get on his feet, not actually crawl.

2009-09-01T21:22:00.006-05:00

I've wanted to get a nice shot of F rolling, but he's just too quick. Here is a clip of him trying to work on crawling (way too soon):

Added some pictures to August 2009. I love this one of L. His hair is a bit shorter now. I cut more than I expected, so much of it gets snarled and tangled.

2009-08-28T22:32:00.003-05:00

More photos in August 2009. That is the last of the Michigan pictures.

F went "swimming" for the first time today. He hung out in my water sling and L held on to me and we had fun walking around the pool and spinning around. It can be so hard to find things both L and I enjoy and swimming is definitely one of them.
F also got his knees up under him a few times this evening. He talked and talked, so happy and full of joy.

We've been having fun playing cards with L in the evenings. He is getting really good. His patience is growing and he's getting good at board games too.

Last night M suggested we put his toys in storage so there would be less to clean up, trying to motivate L to help clean up. L said "Great idea Papa", quite enthusiastically. So we'll be working on that.

2009-08-24T21:29:00.003-05:00

I've started adding the August 2009 pictures from our trip.

F started rolling over full time yesterday, as in every time he's lying down he flips to his stomach. This is a ton of fun for diaper changes of course. He's started getting really frustrated about not being able to get anywhere, and has started trying to propel him self forward by moving his legs. It is not working quite yet, though he's been able to move the direction he is facing a bit.
It seems way too soon but I guess he's going to do what he's going to do. He's quite determined too.

The other night I gave L some dried blueberries with his dinner. He tried some and popped his head up, "Damn Mama, how good are these?" Funny kid. Tonight we were talking about how I try to keep him healthy and happy and how watching TV didn't really help with that. He paused to think (I could tell he wanted to say something good) and then cryptically said, "Two a day will keep the videos away." I struggled not to laugh too hard and asked two of what? He then said carrots and asked if he could have some.

2009-08-19T21:33:00.002-05:00

Finally, all the photos are in July 2009. All 723 of them.

2009-08-18T20:32:00.001-05:00

Fair shots added.