in the common hours

The Force is strong with this one.

Thanks to a $1 paper mask off Ebay and the magician's cape Brian's mom made him as a boy, Aidan is ready for Halloween '08...assuming this Star Wars phase last that long!

This week he's all about Planet Heroes, thanks to the Wallings. Check out the free DVD offer on their site. Thanks to the characters, Aidan can now name all the planets (even poor Pluto, the non-planet).

I had a post in my head all day yesterday. And it's gone now. But that's okay. What is that line of Blake? Thanks to Google, here it is:

He who bends himself a joy
Doth the winged life destroy;
But he who kisses joy as it flies
Lives in Eternity’s sunrise.
--- William Blake

Hopefully this site can be my attempt to kiss joy, as treacly as that sounds, as it flies.

Brian and I spent Friday in Grand Junction. I am in great debt to Amy for watching my boys during several of these prenatal dr appointments.  And to Brian for taking time out from work to join me. I forgot to ask any of the questions I had for our doctor, but it is just nice to hear the baby's heartbeat. I've had requests to see the growing belly---or as Aidan and I refer to it, my watermelon. I still hope to get a shot with Brian this weekend, but here's one I took in our closet mirror this morning.

"Annie" was our Friday night movie, and the next day Sean carried around his toy dog calling it Sandy and being Annie:-) Sunday Brian had to work, but I drove the boys out to see his prescribed burn after church. They were already in awe just seeing him walk in the door most evenings last week with his face black from ashes and smelling of smoke. Luckily the wind was blowing so we didn't have to breathe smoke, and the boys loved seeing the flames, the trucks, and Bri's coworkers, whom they think are their buddies.

There's a funny story here about an evening snowfall, dispatch miscommunication, and our local fire department, but I'll leave that to Brian to tell...

This weekend we also learned that my sister Maria is having a BOY! Yay! So excited that these two cousins will have a pal...assuming they ever get to see each other! And I can just imagine Elizabeth's little girl, Maria Anne, bossing the two of them. My brother John had a baby boy in October, so my parents will have FOUR grandchildren born within 12 months of each other. Wild!

Okay, I'm worn out from all that exclamation mark use. I have ten minutes left of "Super Why" before Sean demands some interaction. We're off to the post office with small packages for Russia...something from my December to do list that never got done...

Thank God for Girlfriends

                      Late for Market by Charleen Martin

Lines (possibly) overheard Thursday night:

"I'd be wearing a BIDEN bumper sticker for a bra!"

"Steam some onions and rub that on their chest..."

"Then she fell from the ski lift..."

"Someone please take this chocolate away!"

"Don't they all look the same once they're excited?"

"only it was Daniel Craig washing the dishes..."

We all have different things in common with each other, but in many ways we are a diverse group---different backgrounds, nationalities, religions. The main two things we have in common:

1. We all gave birth for the first time six years ago (give or take a few months).

and

2.We make each other laugh. A lot.

What more could one want?

Overlooked #1

Got the camera out this morning. So much to learn. I'm going to try to do the Overlooked  challenge, which offers a prompt each month to photograph a specific everyday item. Your Favorite Mug is the current challenge, and this is mine. A gift from Erin many years ago. I'm not a Starbucks fan, or even a coffee fan, but when I have tea or cocoa, this is the mug I reach for.

Love that it is big enough for me to not spill as I carry it to the table:-) Love that it reminds me of our old hometown. Brian gave me a similar sized one that says Utah, which comes in a close second, with third place being another Erin gift: a Greta Garbo one that says "I want to be alone." I just wish I could add the footnote "for just five minutes" to it, because I don't really want to be alone. Just want to finish at least one cup of tea while it is still hot at some point.

I love the idea of noticing the little, everyday things in our life more, but I also prefer people in my photos. So I turned my camera on an innocent boy who was eating breakfast next to me. As soon as he saw the camera, he turned into Buzz Lightyear:

Note to self: next time, move the sippy cup.

I couldn't get him to stop making serious Space Ranger faces and smile,

until I remembered a tip (can't remember from where though, maybe Lisa Russo) to get a natural smile (instead of the fake "cheese" smile) from a child by telling them to NOT smile.

He's such an obedient boy, he tried really hard then to not smile.

Dude, come on. Stop smiling. Seriously now. Oh no, I see what's coming...

Yes, the uncontrollable, throw-your-head-back-and-laugh fit!

Here's to never saying, "Cheese!" again.

Weekend Highlights

Simple and sweet weekend here. Lots of little things accomplished. Love that feeling.

Ten little things I'm grateful for:

1. Freezer space, now that we used the broth and dark meat from our Christmas dinner to make Turkey Gumbo, using a combination of recipes from Emeril and No Food Left Behind. With Angie's yummy sweet potato biscuits.
2. Having things back in their pre-holiday spots, even though I really enjoyed having some empty space for the past few weeks.
3. Bumber lanes at the bowling alley. I need them as much as the kids do! Bri got 4 strikes in a row at the end. Is that normal or am I living with an undiscovered bowling talent?
4. Sean's little victory dance after every turn. Whether he knocked down one or ten pins, he'd flex his muscles and wiggle.
5. Little boys who like brown rice.
6. Watching Aidan watch "ET" for the first time Friday night. Magic.
7. Sean pointing to me and saying "You incredible lady!" all weekend. I know what he really means is that he's Mr. Incredible and I'm supposed to be Elastigirl, but he hasn't seen the movie and I'm not going to correct him:-)
8. Role-reversal on Sunday morning. Bri was running late for a change---it was good for me to get a taste of how frustrating that can be. Let's just say I wasn't half as patient as he usually is.
9. Getting take-out for lunch after church, setting the kids up at the table while we watched taped political shows. I love round-table discussions...maybe they remind me of my family growing up.
10. Brian's willingness to hear me out on our basement plans. He spent much of the weekend framing walls. He's doing all of the work himself, and yet he still is open to collaboration.

But, when does collaboration become compromise, and compromise become  surrender? My worst  fear is that the entire space becomes nothing but storage/utility rooms surrounding a huge flat-screen TV. And that just might be Brian's dream!

Meanwhile, Sean's things have finally found a home in Aidan's room and his old closet is now empty and ready for Baby #3's things to slowly come out of storage. One of my goals this week is to print out the list of suggested names and our favorites from when we were expecting Aidan and pin Brian down on a name for this babe. So Friday is your last day to enter the baby name game here!

Since a post without photos just isn't the same, and because I still haven't tamed my new camera, here's an oldie but goodie from this summer. They were unusually quiet so I went to check what they were up to, and found this scene. My advice to all parents--have your camera ready and accessible at all times. I'm very thankful for the chance to capture moments!

tired

Inspired by MA, I got up at 6 am and hit the treadmill. At 31 weeks, more like descended on the treadmill. There was a slight morning stall between the boys' breakfast and actually getting dressed, but then we made Angie's yummy winter salad and took it to Brian's work for a retirement party, visited the library, picked up "Brother Bear" at the video store, and did the week's grocery shopping.

None of which is that impressive, unless you consider how each stop entails a very preggo woman conforming herself to buckle a very-energetic two-year-old into the car seat of a Subaru wagon. Seriously 5x the workout of the treadmill.

Now we are home and they're watching the movie with a big bowl of popcorn between them. I put away all 101 boxes of breakfast cereal I bought, because that is all Baby #3 seems to want, and now get to blog for a moment, even though I obviously have nothing to really say.

But this footnote is for SW:

Dude, you made me question my memory. So I had to go look it up. At that time you thought it way inferior to Owen Meany.

I really like the name Owen, and it was on our potential baby name list, but then I kept imagining everything the child said being in ALL CAPS.

I tried to talk Brian into a spontaneous trip to Denver this weekend. He and Aidan could ski, we could car shop, and I could see my two favorite people in Colorado, Maria and Kris. Bri doesn't like to say no, so he said, "Not this weekend", even though Aidan has a 4 day weekend and...as Kris pointed out to me, my bladder isn't going to like a 5 hr drive as we get closer to Delivery-Day.

So I'm bummed, and considering all kinds of insane ways to get us out of the house this weekend, despite how cold it is here...thankfully Mary Alice made my week with a package of Happy Mail, several DVDs of movies we had no hope of ever seeing on the big screen. We couldn't wait and already watched "Juno" during the week. Oh so good. So rare to see something unpredictable! So if I can't have Mimi, at least we have The Great Debaters tonight.

I'll make the spinach dip and Kevin's punch if you join us, Mimi.

Greener Than Thou

My friend A. recently asked me if I get annoyed with people playing "greener than thou." She was specifically referring to old friends of hers who are having solar panels installed. Despite driving SUVs and living in the city, in a house twice the square footage of hers, they thought they'd educate her about the benefits of their 30K improvement.

There is so much more we could be doing, that we want to do...eventually, that I'd never be tempted to engage in such a competition. Still, maybe it is a good sign. If people are silly enough to be competitive over their green habits, at least they are making efforts to help the planet.

There are things I feel good about, and things I feel bad about in terms of our impact.

The good: Living where we do, I normally fill my gas tank once a month. Outside of winter, we can walk to most places. Our water comes from the surrounding mountains instead of the Colorado river (alleluia!), we grow veggies in our garden using a drip system, and conserve water with a xeriscape garden out front, we can buy locally-raised meat at the butcher shop (thank you 4H!). We recycle what we can here and take the rest with us to Colorado once a month or so.

Thanks to Bri, most of our light bulbs have been switched out to compact fluorescents. I have to give him all the credit for training the boys--and me--to turn off lights. I remember him walking me home from a date and looking up disapprovingly at the light still on in my empty apartment.

He also gets points (man, I hope he doesn't read this) for encouraging me to wear a sweater instead of turning up the thermostat. 

The bad: we don't compost, at least not yet. And we're about to buy a mini-van.

The ugly: disposable diapers *sigh*

Aidan wore cloth diapers for the first six months. With Sean, I didn't even try.

On a more positive note, one of my favorite green purchases this year:

Aidan's bento lunch box, I love it:-) Definitely more expensive than a lead-containing Spiderman box, but with all the ziplocks we've saved, I think it has or will pay for itself. And there is just something more appetizing about opening your lunch box and seeing your food, compared to pulling it out from a sack. The little compartments also encourage me to provide him with smaller servings and more variety. Aidan loves it. At the beginning of the year, he wanted to have a hot lunch (via the school cafeteria), but after trying that twice, he now only wants his lunch box.

Ours came with an insulated case, ice pack, and waterbottle.

I have to say I am SO proud of my little man for not losing any of it (so far!). 

Almost Six

Is it just me or does he look more like 16 in this photo?

At school this week, he discovered No, David! by David Shannon, and was determined to write and illustrate his own No, Aidan! this evening.

But he had to stop and give me a little lesson in the fine art of book making, Aidan style (which involves lots of little pieces of paper all over the floor, some of  Momma's favorite pp for the cover, and staples). By then it was time for pjs, so we'll have to see what kind of mischief his alter-ego creates tomorrow.

I'm such a non-football fan that I feel compelled to mention that the cute pullover is a hand-me-down from my good friend Kris.

Meanwhile, even though he still (of course) looks cute, I am missing Sean's long locks.

   

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

That is the opening line to Michael Pollan's "Unhappy Meals", an article I read in the NYT's magazine last year. I jokingly told Mimi that it should have been on my 2007 list since it was one of the best things I read last year.

Now Michael Pollan has published it as a book, In Defense of Food. I haven't read it yet, but the reviews haven't mentioned anything yet that wasn't in his original article. That first line seems simple, but the catch lies in how little actual "food" we eat these days. I loved his advice to avoid any food that makes health claims---because to do so, it must be in a box, while the veggies still silently by, not waving any nutrient-flags.

We have a long way to go in using meat "as a flavoring more than a food", but it dispelled numerous misconceptions and is a voice of reason in a culture where the medical community changes their advice weekly.

Check it out.

new haircut

Sean got a haircut today at Miss Laura's. He never stopped talking the entire time he was there, telling her the details of his Christmas, his new bedroom, and the plot of "Toy Story", including his favorite line, when Buzz tells Woody, "You are a strangle little man."

I unfortunately laughed hilariously the first time I heard him say that in his play, and now he says it to everyone in hopes of a big laugh.

Guess who's getting his cut tomorrow?

We'll see if Aidan says more than "Hi" and "thanks" to Laura.

Best of 2007, Part V: Moments

I'm limiting myself to 10, because this post will still be too long and I'm anxious to be focused on moments in 2008. Inevitably I will post this and then think of moments that deserve to be remembered more than those listed here. That's the nature of all best lists, and I'm happy just to have any record.

1. Seeing my mom and dad in their beautiful new home, last January, and actually getting to cook for my mom instead of the other way around for a change. While my mom was in the midst of her battle against breast cancer, it was inspiring to witness my parents' love and support of each other, and the life they have created together at this stage.

And it is a rare treat to spend time with my siblings. Karen screamed when she first saw me, and had me laughing all weekend.  Erin and her children picked me up at the airport and took me out for an amazing dinner. I remember watching in awe how her 18-year-old son Liam helped his younger brothers and sisters, and the way Erin and Liam were able to talk and joke with each other. Isn't that every mother's wish?  With Eileen I got to exchange teaching stories and see how her baby has grown into a little girl. We love living in the west, but I do feel that our children pay the price in not seeing their three grandparents or knowing their cousins back in Illinois.

2. Our week in Tucson. Brian had a conference there, and we made a vacation out of it.  I always find  February a difficult month, just before the warmth of spring arrives. We stayed at a great hotel and the boys and I had fun exploring our old town before meeting Brian for dinner each evening. Angie and her three kids joined us midweek, as did Mary Alice. Such a gift to see our kids playing together! On Valentine's day, Angie kept our boys overnight at her mom's and Brian drove us out to Gates Pass where he had proposed fifteen years previously.  Being back in Tucson, I felt so grateful for the history we share, as well as the future that awaits us.

3. My dad's 70th birthday. I wasn't able to be there for the party, but putting together a book for him, with all my siblings, was a highlight of the year. I'm grateful to have such a great dad.

4. Fourth of July at our house---a very kid-friendly party with lots of food, toddler pool, sparklers, and frozen margaritas, yum! The kids grabbed instruments and had their own little parade around the neighborhood, with our friend Gen playing his trombone. Living so far from family, I relish that sense of community. (Most of these photos were taken by Amy Walling)

Halloween at the Wallings and Thanksgiving with the Rockows had that same sense of community.  We miss our families-of-origin, but we are also grateful for the one we have created piecemeal out of friends.

5. A September weekend in Phoenix with Angie. It was ungodly hot, often over 100 degrees even at  11 pm, which only added to my 1st trimester state of nausea, but it was an incredibly fun time. Even if I did lose a few meals, the ones we shared were great, and the conversation over them even better. We went to a scrapbooking tradeshow/conference, where I bought beautiful paper and learned lots of stuff, none of which would have been half as fun without Angie there to laugh with throughout it--and take silly self-portraits with:-)

6. Our Texas roadtrip. In Wichita Falls the highlight was welcoming Maria Anne to the world and witnessing my little sister Elizabeth and her husband Gabriel in those early days of parenthood. We stayed with them at the beginning of our trip, and when we returned a week later, one would think they had been parents their whole life.

I also loved seeing how interested and gentle our boys were with their baby cousin.

In Austin the boys got to play  with their Keating cousins, Makenna, Cole, and Ava, as well as take a little hike, explore a kids' museum, and watch bats fly out from Congress Bridge.

In Houston, my dad and five of his siblings--flying in from Chicago, Ireland and England, gathered for the celebration of their sister, Carmel O'Malley, and her 50th anniversary as a Sister of the Incarnate Word. It was such a beautiful thing to see them together, and I don't think there was a dry eye in the room when they toasted to their late parents. So glad we were there.

8. Learning we were expecting a baby!

I'm a planner, a list-maker, a goal-setter. With my previous two pregnancies, I was testing way before you're supposed to. This one came as a surprise, and there are moments now when I feel I've just gotten used to the idea I'm pregnant and have yet to comprehend that a baby is coming.  But the best things in my life have all been unplanned---meeting Brian, making a home in Utah, and now this child. I feel excited, a little nervous, but, mostly, greatly blessed.   

9. Aidan and Sean becoming friends as well as brothers. Obviously seen in little moments throughout the year, but I saw it mainly click this summer. Sean got older and we had time to explore, swim every day, go to the waterpark, play at Mill Creek. I love knowing my sons will always have each other.

10. All the little moments. Aidan's excitement over riding the school bus and learning to read. Sean's ability to talk (and then never stop). The small kindnesses of Brian that brighten my day. Emails from former students of mine. Weekend mornings with the four of us snugged in one bed. Hot cocoa, working in the garden, movie nights. More. That is all I can think--I just want more of this. Please let us all stay healthy and enjoy more of these moments.

Hopes for 2008:

• a healthy baby
• a warm and loving home...with lots of house projects completed!
• learning new skills, like how to raise three boys, how to sew (I can't even sew a hem), how to use my SLR...many things.

Mainly I want to cultivate an eye for all the blessings in my life and an attitude of gratitude. That alone adds so much to my life. So I hope to, at least weekly, stop and give thanks for the big and little things, and actually write or photograph some of the things I'm feeling especially grateful for at that time.

And shorter blog posts!  There's a good goal. Here's to a year full of great small moments!