Sweet Summer!

As summer is nearing its end, I have so many stories I could tell about Jacob’s first fishing trip, my cousins visiting, trips to the farm, etc. However, sometimes all you need is pictures to weave a story. You know, a picture does say a thousand words. So, here is the story of our summer so far!

Movies!

This has been a summer of more movies than ever for us.  Jacob has been able to sit through a movie for a while, but in the last year he has really started to get into the plot.  This summer we saw The Smurfs, Cars 2 and Winnie the Pooh.  Jacob even saw Smurfs and Cars a second time with Ms. Becky.   I am not one that thinks kids should be plopped in front of a TV for hours every day while eating a bunch of junk (well, maybe it is okay some days!), but there is something magical about seeing a movie in the theatre with popcorn in one hand and candy in the other. I love sharing that magic with my little buddy!

Art is the ability to convey that we are not alone. When I sit down next to you in a movie theater, we get to share each other's point of view. We become part of a collective soul. That's the magic in the movies.

~ M. Night Shyamalan

The Pioneer Woman

Have you ever met someone that changed your life almost in an instant? Maybe your spouse or a great friend?  Well, I won’t say this is exactly the same; but it just might come close. ;)

I have a few old friends that I have connected with on face book that have status updates that I really look forward to.  Some are funny or sassy, some have great quotes, and some are just so filled with the joy of life that you can’t help but to be inspired.  For me, Jen P., is the latter.  Much to my happiness, she also has a blog full of cute family stories, her love of God and wonderfully yummy recipes.  I often drool over her pictures and one day I just couldn’t take it any longer. I HAD to make the monkey bread she had made; recipe courtesy of the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond.   For those of you who have made monkey bread, you know that it is not hard, but boy, is it good. For those of you who have not, I suggest you do.

If the monkey bread was not enough, I searched through the Pioneer Woman website and found a plethora of yummy recipes. I mean, down-home, butter-filled, lick-your-lips, yummy!  This woman can cook and to top it off she is a suburban girl married to a country boy. For some reason, I can relate to that. 

These recipes were so good and Ree’s writing is so engaging that I have cooked more lately than I have in a long time. I even reorganized my cabinets to make some of my previously less-used pans and dishes available.  Perhaps the best part is that I often find Jacob at my side, ready to help. Considering the richness of some of these recipes, I don’t cook them every day, but she has some healthier recipes too.  Besides, sometimes you have to treat yourself.

Thank you Ree Drummand for reminding me how much I love to cook and for making it a family affair. I cannot wait for the Food Network show.

Vegetables are a must on a diet.  I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie. 

~Jim Davis

Might not be good for you, but it sure is gonna be good!

~Paula Dean

Imagination

I love my son’s imagination. Sometimes it can be the source of being scared at night but I still love it.  I love how he can make toys out of his hands or make friends out of toys.  Lately however, we have had to work on not allowing the imagination to turn into lies. Don’t get me wrong, Jacob can tell the difference between a story and the truth, he just does not always share it with me. In fact, I am now finding a regular phrase at my house to be, “Is that real or a story?” Each time Jacob will reply with complete honesty, as nonchalant as can be, “Story!”  We are working on him starting by saying it is a story to make sure he does not slip into full lying. However, if I am going to be as honest as he is, I have to tell you; I sometimes love his stories enough that I am not really as mad as I seem.  There is something wonderful about a kid’s imagination, and I hope he keeps at least a little of his forever!

I am imagination. I can see what the eyes cannot see. I can hear what the ears cannot hear. I can feel what the heart cannot feel.

~Peter Nivio Zarlenga

My Little Swimmer!

Over that past 4 years, I have learned that sometime I can teach Jacob things, and sometimes, I just have to wait until it clicks in for him. This summer we had one of those “a-ha” moments in the “big pool.”

Jacob has always liked the pool and the water, but he never loved the idea of water in his face. He would splash around the bathtub or the baby pool with full on excitement. That is, until he got splashed in the eye or it was time to rinse his hair.  At that point he needed the ever-important, eye towel to wipe his face. This summer that changed!

At the beginning of the summer we started with an inflatable pool and he was blowing bubble and putting his face in. Then, on the first trip to the pool, Jacob realized he could stand in the 3 feet and that gave the confidence to try swimming.  All of a sudden, he just got it. Don’t get me wrong, he didn’t join the swim team or anything, but he was independent in the water for the first time ever in the big pool. In about 6 weeks he went from standing and playing to swimming between my legs.  The best part is how much fun he has and how proud he is of himself. This was a big, new step . . . and he loved it!

Inflatable pool full of dad's hot air,

I was three years old splashin' everywhere.

 And so began my love affair with water

~Brad Paisley

Time is Flying!

Mid-August in Maryland means last minute vacations, humidity and back-to school shopping.  For me, however, I have not been part of that last activity for over 10 years. Sure, Jacob goes to preschool, and I might need to get some tissues or a folder to bring his papers home, but I do not have lists of items to buy and I do not have to prepare for fights about homework.   As I watch this year, though, I have a different feeling.  I am realizing that this is my last year of “freedom” with my little guy and my last year of preparation.

As I think about it, to be honest, my anxiety level is going up. Once he starts school, I can’t use my every other Friday off to plan a fun “mommy and me” day.  We can’t just plan weekend trips and not care about how many Mondays or Fridays he misses.   I will have to start making sure he gets to bed on time every night and not just on days that he has pre-school.  No more keeping him up on Monday night because we are at my parents or because my favorite childhood movies are on. I will have to be organized to get dinner in and homework done after work before that earlier bedtime.  I am also worried that about doing the right things so that he is prepared.

Don’t get me wrong. I know it is only kindergarten. I know that he can miss some days here and there without a crisis and that homework should not be too intense. But . . . I also know it will change things, and I am not ready!

You know what that means?!? It means we have a lot of fun, late nights and maybe even a little learning to get in over the next year at my house! Maybe we will even work in a little time-management planning; Nah, that can wait.

If growing up means it would be beneath my dignity to climb a tree,
I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up
Not me!

~Peter Pan

Slacker!

So I started this blog last year and I have been a big slacker. Considering that about 2 people read this, I guess it's really not a big deal. Anyway, I plan to get better at it but to be honest, I can’t promise that I won’t slack, again. What I can tell you is that I have had a great summer with my boys and other family and friends and I want to share it.  Maybe if I can get myself into a pattern, I will get better at being consistent with my blogs. And if not, I will at least have little bits and pieces of my life to share with friends and family; and in the future to look back on and smile!

Making Some Changes . . . Woo Hoo!

In general, I am a happy person who tries to remember the immense blessings that God has bestowed upon me.  However for the last year or so, I have had 2 things that have been a constant distraction for me.  I am so happy to be able to say that I now have a plan to work on both!

The first one is my house.  Anyone who knows me knows that I am not OCD and that my life depends on organized chaos at some level.  As a result, I do not have the cleanest office and I am often procrastinating cleaning at home.   However, as I get older and have less time to do more things, I really need some organization; the lack of it wastes time that I do not have.  As well, although it may contradict my habits, I do love organization. I love the idea of “a place for everything and everything in its place” Now do not get me wrong, if I have a busy week and it leaves me with only a few hours to spend with Jakey or clean, I will always pick time with my little buddy.  I do not think I will ever be the kind to pick cleaning over time with him. I do, however, hope to find a better balance. 

As I have said before my life can be chaotic, as a result, I do not have time for crazy cleaning all the time. Therefore, I am so excited and thankful that my mom is going to come over this weekend to help me organize and simplify!  I have been looking forward to this for a while and am glad the day is here. We are going to find a place for everything. Some items may find a place in the house, some in the attic and some in the donation/trash pile.  I am looking forward to easily knowing where everything is and finding a place for those random items that have never had a home.

The second distraction for me has been my health, or lack thereof.  I am lucky not to have any major health problems at this point in my life, but I am also well aware that I do not always make the right choices.  I simply have not made myself a priority. Even now, I feel selfish saying it that way. However, I realize that an unhealthy me is in no way helpful to my family. So . . . I joined a gym.  I joined a gym that has hours and classes that will fit into my schedule.  I now have no excuses. I know that you do not need a gym to be healthy, but I have not been successful at doing it without one so far, and I think the gym time will also be helpful for me mentally. I love my guys, but I am kind of looking forward to the alone time while I work out. I am also looking forward to feeling good about the shape I am in.  I know it will be hard process, but I am excited to make this change that I have been thinking about for so long.

Most importantly, I am looking forward to that fact that making these two changes will mean less distraction for me and more focus for my family.  Watch world, here I come. Once I accomplish overcoming these two hurdles, who knows what I will be able to do!

Williamsburg Weekend

Jacob, Mike and I spent this past weekend with my mother-in-law, Kathy, in Colonial Williamsburg. We had a great time swimming in the outdoor heated pool, seeing the colonial sights, perusing through the little shops, petting horses, going to the Yankee Candle flagship store and eating yummy treats. The best part of it all, the family time.

Mike and I make it a priority to spend time with family. Since we live so close to my family, we seem them several times a week some weeks and we try to make the 5 hour trip to the Stafford family farm at least once every other month. However, there is something fun about experiencing something new with family. I love seeing what interests different people and what their "vacation goals" are.  For example, on a trip like this to place with lots to see and do, I am a "wake up early and go to bed late, making sure to squeeze everything you can in" type of person.  Don't get me wrong, I like a relaxing trip to the beach, but even then, I want to make sure we fit in appropriate sights. I just hate to go to a place (new or not) and miss anything it has to offer.  I was pleased to see that my mother-in-law was very accommodating to my go-and-see desires.  She is the type of person that is always on the go, so I was not surprised, but I was pleased.  Considering Mike can’t spend the day walking through sights, it was wonderful to have her along for the day with Jacob and I for company and it was wonderful to spend the extra time with her.

I am not sure Jacob learned as much on the trip as he would at an older age (well, that and the fact that Kathy and I spent much of Saturday in little local shops) but I am sure he got a great experience, and that was the point, right? In fact it was a place I would suggest anyone go. I know we have all been on the school trips, but you can get more out of it with your own itinerary. Even if you are not someone who is into history, the Yankee flagship store is fantastic. And no, it is not just candles; it is knick knacks, fudge and gourmet popcorn, a Christmas store where it snows and a place for children to dip thier own candles. There are also great little shops and restaurants and you can just sit back and listen to the drum and fife corps. We had a great trip! Thank you Williamsburg! In fact, you have inspired us to become weekend travelers more often.

A Regular Cattle Drive . . .

We went to the Stafford Family Farm in VA last weekend. As usual we were well fed and taken care of, Jacob loved being outside and we had a wonderful time.  This trip, however, we had an extra little adventure that just cracked me up.

On Sunday morning I was inside with Mike’s grandmother, Eleanor (affectionately called Erner) and Jacob, finishing up breakfast when Jacob yelled, “there are cows in your backyard.”  While there are cows on the farm, they are usually on the other side of the property gated in.   As a result of my knowing this, and Jakey’s active imagination, I just thought he was being silly.  That is, of course, until Erner shockingly replied, “There are cows in my backyard.” You see the neighbors cows had gotten out of the field that they are usually fenced in and moseyed over to the yard.  I am not sure what shocked me more, the fact that there were cows 20 feet from the house, or that fact that no one but Jacob and I seemed too excited about it. Erner calmly called the neighbor and I called Mike’s brother, Shane, to let him know they were going to the hay fields.

With Shane at the market, it left Mike and me to try to get the cows out of the fields. And thus . . . our adventure started! Although Mike has trouble with physical things, I knew I could not do this alone. Because of Mike’s back he can’t do too much walking and would have serious trouble chasing cows, so we went to get the “rhino” for some assistance.  The rhino is like a supped up, 4 wheel-drive golf cart on steroids. Not wanting to miss the action Jacob came with Mike and me on the rhino to drive through the fields and chase the cows back home.  Being near people and farm equipment quite often, the cows were not extremely concerned as we ventured toward them in the rhino. This prompted Mike to start waving his walking stick and yelling something that sounded like, “Hee-Ya, Hee-ya, go on cows.” Now imagine this in his a southern accent and a grumbley, yelling voice.  If that doesn’t, “have you tickled” as my in-laws would say, now imagine my 3-year-old son imitating this.  Oh, and to add to the humor, imagine this suburban girl (me) driving a rhino and yelling along.  I am sure to a bystander, especially one who knows me, this whole thing was rather amusing.

Eventually we got the cows back toward their property and Jacob and I went inside to get cleaned up.  As I walked in, I thought to myself how nice it is for Jacob to get such cool experiences by hanging out on the farm.  Not many kids spend several weekends a year chasing cows, feeding horses apples, planting football field-sized vegetable gardens and learning about calves while watching farmers on tractors mow the fields. And, he gets to do this on beautiful land in the mountains surrounded by family that loves him.

This weekend may have had a special added adventure, but overall most weekends at the farm are pretty cool and I love getting to watch Jacob spend time there.

This picture is not of our adventure but I just love it!