warm november

The weather here has been amazing. So yesterday we met some friends at a park in town.

I don't go to the park by myself ever. Mostly because if Jack doesn't have friends there, he hangs right by me, and I end up wondering why we went to the park in the first place. But I was at the park a little earlier then my friends and I actually coerced Jack onto the playground.

My little boy is cute.




These two are already friends...




And these two are "frenemies"

popular

(We opted for a digital copy of Ana's school picture this year.)

I always knew Ana was a social butterfly, and I knew that school would suit her well. Though I didn't imagine it quite like this.

Ana went to a birthday party of a girl in her class on Saturday. She had a great time, and I got a chance to meet several other class mothers. I learned that Ana is little Miss Popular. Every one of the moms said how much their kid liked Ana.

One of these classmates is a boy named Mikey. I met Mikey's mom on Saturday. She informed me that Mikey adores Ana and often talks about her at home. One time after school Ana blew Mikey a kiss and he blushed the whole way home. Last Monday they had a field trip that Mikey's mom went on and she thought Ana had the greatest personality - she was so kind and happy. *Proud Mama moment* The first time I volunteered in Ana's classroom, which I do every Monday afternoon, Ana was sitting at a table of boys. (This surprised me because she says she doesn't like boys.) One of those boys was Mikey and during the course of the hour Mikey said to me, "I really like your daughter."

I was watching the kids on the playground one Monday afternoon when a little boy from a first grade class came up to me and asked if I was Ana's mom. I said yes and he asked if I knew where she was. She was off playing, which I told him, and then he kinda hung around me until Ana showed up. He then proceeded to show off for my little girl, saying things like, "hey Ana, watch this" to which she replied, "How do you know my name?"

Interestingly enough, the classmate Ana talks most about is a little handicapped girl in her class who can barely see, can't talk at all, and doesn't hear much. At Parent/Teacher conference a few weeks ago, Ana's teacher told me that Ana is the kindest, most caring, compassionate little girl and that she plays with and talks to this little handicapped girl any chance she gets.

She also said that Ana gets distracted by her friends easily.

That's the Ana I know.

tres meses

*Before Katie was born, I was nervous about having 3 kids. Everyone said that 3 was the hardest, especially my mother, who had her 3rd baby when her oldest was just 3 1/2 years old. I really couldn't remember how I handled going from 1 to 2, but that was different because we lived with Dave's parents for the first 5 months. I had no idea how I would handle the new baby. Would I lose my mind? Would my house ever be clean? etc.

Here it has been 3 months and it has been wonderful! Granted, Ana started school and so most of the day I just have 2 kids still. Jack and Ana have been helpful and sweet with their sister. She loves to smile at them already. She has been a great baby! She is happy and contented and loves to snuggle. She doesn't sleep well in her bed at night, so often she ends up snuggled next to me in bed.

*I will say that having 1 baby is the hardest. The transition to having someone totally dependent on you for their survival is the biggest change of all. And as the years go by the challenge changes from physical to emotional. Katie is physically demanded, Ana is transitioning to the emotional demands.

*I told myself when Katie was born I was going to trust my maternal instincts and do what I felt was right for this baby. I don't worry about what the latest parenting "expert" says or anyone else. It has been liberating. Parenting is so much easier when we trust ourselves.

*I can't imagine our family without this sweet little angel in our home. We all adore her.



(Daddy gets the biggest smiles around these parts. And pulling the camera out makes them stop. But sometimes I can sneak them in around his shoulder)

without ana around

(Oct 31, 2009. Ana - age 3 1/2, Jack age 17 months)

I've been weird this fall. I look back at pictures from a year ago and we were always doing stuff... tumbling tots, story time, walks to the park. Something about this year has made me want to stay home, clean house (weird, I know) and play cars with Jack. Going back even farther, when Ana was Jack's age, we were always doing art projects and playdough and baking. She needed that constant stream of activities.

Jack is so content at home that sometimes I forget that he would probably like those things too. Of course, a lot of times when we go to the park, he just plays right around where I am (unless he has a friend). At storytime he has a hard time leaving my side. With Jack being clingy and a new baby, I'd rather stay home. This is a new thing for me. I'd never categorize myself as a homebody. I used to always be up for an adventure and Dave and I always said we wouldn't let kids stop us from doing things. But trucking 3 kids around takes so much work. And I'm lazy.

But yesterday after Ana got home from school, we headed over to their favorite "brown park" (because on the way home, Ana said "I want to go to the orchard!" and I said no and then she said, "I want to go to the brown park!" and I said yes.) and I remembered how much fun it is to do stuff with the kids. There was a big pile of leaves there that we jumped in. They played hide and seek on the playground. I ate entirely too much of the popcorn we brought for a snack. The TV stayed off all day. And they were so much happier when we got home.

Sometimes I miss Ana when she's at school. She got me out of the house. She always wanted to be busy having fun. But I think I need to get out more. It would be good for us.

happy halloween

There is a tree behind our house....



that just begs for a Halloween photo shoot.







A pumpkin, a mermaid and a race car driver. I made Ana's fin and Jack's NASCAR patch and and put the patches on Jack's jacket.

Hope you all have a wonderful Halloween!

power of moms

This week has been crazy. We had family pictures on Monday, book club on Tuesday (and I didn't start the book til Monday), and Halloween activities starting on Thursday, (and I didn't start making costumes until Thursday.) Not to mention housework, and a sick baby who just wants to be held and won't really nap... You know, real life.

So I've been having a hard time sitting down to process and write about my awesome weekend that was the Power of Moms retreat.

And it was awesome! It was wonderful to meet together as moms and talk about our struggles and successes, our joyful moments and our "joy-suckers." It struck me that even though we came from so many different places, we were so similar. I felt and learned so many things.

I learned strategies to help kids work.

I learned the importance of weekly planning.

I learned to work little "I love you rituals" into every day life.

I learned the importance of setting clear consistent rules in the house that everyone knows.

I learned to keep a "next actions" list of projects so that spare moments can be utilized more effectively.

I learned that as women, we need each other. We need to be accepting and supportive of each other and that when we are, we are POWERFUL!

reality show

Last night, after I had fallen asleep on the couch and then woke up and couldn't get back to sleep, I was thinking about our family pictures we took earlier in the day. What we should have worn instead and if I should have put more effort into it. Honestly, I just made sure we were all in something clean and presentable. (And I'm sure they will turn out great because our photographer is awesome, both as a person and a photographer. I am really excited for them.)

Then I started comparing. I do that way too often. (At the power of moms retreat I went to this weekend we talked about combating "joy suckers" - things that take the joy out of motherhood - and I have to say comparing myself to others is one of those joy suckers.) I look at other people's families and think that I will never been cool enough, stylish enough, smart enough, talented enough, clean enough, nice enough.

I wish when we got Christmas cards in the mail, we could somehow see reality. What really goes on behind the picture-perfect family. It is like the velveteen rabbit asks, "what is REAL?" If I could send "real" in the mail, this is what is would look like:

Real is constant sticky floors and piles of laundry.

Real is telling Jack for the millionth time not to jump off the back of the couch.

Real is cleaning up bodily fluids at any given time or place.

Real is finding "ANA" written on everything - including walls - and then having a certain 5 year old blame it on her brother.

Real is holding Katie during "fussy hour" which happens to be between the hours of 5 and 6 - when I'm making dinner.

Real is me getting snappy at anyone in my wake when I am stressed and/or tired.

Real is snuggling my baby, kissing Jack's boo-boos, and hearing Ana's teacher say she is such a caring, compassionate little girl.

Real is the moment the other day when I had dinner on the stove, Katie on my hip, Jack at my legs begging for something to eat, and Ana calling from the other room "How do you spell 'I Miss You'?" It was a crazy moment, and yet it was a happy moment. I wish I could send that in the mail.

"Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he's been robbed. ...Life is like an old-time rail journey — delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride." (source)

new hampshire

It is a beautiful thing to gather together as mothers and talk about the power of moms. And that is what I got to do this weekend. I went to a Power of Moms retreat in New Hampshire and it was incredible. I learned so much and I'm still trying to process it all.

Dave and the kids drove me over to Lake Winnepasaukee on Friday. Katie and I went to the retreat and they explored a little of New Hampshire. While I gather my thoughts and insights, here are some pictures of their adventures.

The beach by our motel:

Lighthouse near Portsmouth, NH:

The Children's Museum of New Hampshire:


Looks like they had fun, too!

in which i pretend to be a food blog

I like to think I am a good cook. And though I'm not very original, I rarely follow a recipe exactly. Mostly I just use one as an inspiration and adjust it however I want.

I just wanted to share some yummy things we've enjoyed around these parts.

Cajun Chicken Pasta: Ana calls this "my favorite noodles that have the little bit of spice." I actually made my own cajun seasoning without the cayenne pepper so I can add however much of the spiciness I want. I also leave out the tomatoes and usually I use penne or bowtie pasta. This is a favorite here!

Corn Chowder: I also threw in a cut up potato and left out the chiles. It was enjoyed by all.

Grilled Cheese sandwiches on homemade bread with homemade tomato soup: Wow. Ultimate comfort food. I don't know if I can ever make grilled cheese on store bought bread again. It just isn't the same.

Penne Rustica: I felt like I had eaten out after this. Except I had to clean up the mess...

Pumpkin Pie Pancakes: I just follow the Better Homes and Gardens Buttermilk Pancake recipe except I sub 1/3 cup fresh, cooked pumpkin (though you could use canned, I suppose) for the egg and add a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. Served with Pure Vermont Maple syrup and whipped cream. There is nothing better.

Mushroom Burgers: saute mushrooms and onions in butter and a little apple juice (or wine) until soft. Cook burgers and top with sharp cheddar cheese, mushrooms, lettuce and mayo on a toasted bun. Delish!

Anyone else made anything yummy lately? I'm always looking for dinner inspiration...

harvest

Remember our garden? Want to know how we did?

Our 2011 Harvest Summary:

*At the end of July we had harvested a bunch of peas, a few zucchini and a summer squash. Success!!!

*After that squash bugs killed our pumpkin, squash and zucchini plants. Pretty much everyone in the garden had an unsuccessful squash year.

*Our peas were in a sad state due to high winds and lots of rain. We didn't get much.

*After a few weeks of wondering where all our ears were, we caught a squirrel stealing our corn on the cob. We ended up with about 15 tiny ears that we ate in one night.

*We have a lot of peppers and cilantro and basil and yet somehow I forgot why I wanted to plant chile peppers and herbs.

*We had one watermelon grow to the size of a softball, then we forgot about it. I just found it in the garden today all squishy - and still the size of a softball.

*My carrots and parsley seeds got washed out by hard rain, but we did manage to get some scattered carrots anyway. They are bitter.

*My favorite success for the garden was the sungold grape tomatoes. I have never enjoyed salads as much as with those babies nestled among the lettuce and craisins and croutons. Yummo! We will definitely be planting them again. (The Salsa didn't happen, by the way.)

Despite the disappointments, I will do it again next year. I learned a few things. I learned not to plant tiny parsley seeds at the top of a little mound. They will be washed away. I learned to stay on top of weeding because with all the rain we got, weeds grow fast. I learned to plant onions. How could I have forgotten those? (I also learned that much of what we call vegetables are really fruits. A fruit grows from the flower of a plant; a vegetable is the root, leaf or stalk of the plant. So squashes, tomatoes, peas, etc are fruits. Carrots, lettuce, celery are vegetables.)

Besides, we grew other things this summer:

We grew bigger:
We grew a baby:


We grew together:
That's a better harvest anyway.