SNOW!

Wahoo! I took Leilani to Chaprral Ice (an indoor ice rink) to experience "snow" for the first time today! We went with our mom's group, it was so much fun. Basically they scrape up the top layer of the ice rink into a huge pile of snow for the kids to play in. It was about 8 to 12 inches deep in places and about 20 feet in diameter. Leilani wasn't so sure to start with, but really enjoyed herself. She was ready to go in about 35 minutes. Thankfully Grandpa came to watch Orion (off the ice), he's not quite ready for snow yet. I don't know that Leilani would like living where there is LOTS of snow, like I did. This should fill her quota just fine. :)

family time

I have not blogged in a while, we have been SO busy around here! I opened my new office, but I will make a separate post for that! :)

I have lots of recent family pics to share... may I just say I LOVE late fall right before Christmas, its my favorite time of year. I am glad the kids are enjoying the weather, we all love being outside right now.

Leilani saw this moon a couple weeks ago and said "Mommy, the moon is dirty!" sigh, kids say the cutest things.

Sunday, Russ hung Christmas lights on the house while the kids and I played in the leaves and in the park across the street. Leilani and Orion have never played in a large pile of leaves, ever. There is something so wrong about that! They LOVED it!

We make sure our kids know the value of manual labor, even Orion pitched in! ;)



Hmmmm which rock will taste better, I think I'll try both just in case.

Leilani was "supervising" Daddy hanging lights.

Tonight we started our Family Christmas Tree... I thought it would be fun to make and then bring out every year. Tomorrow Leilani will paint the lights and ornaments on it. I'll post a finished picture when its complete. Its our hand prints on a stretched canvas. Russell's and my hands are on the bottom, then Leilani's and Orion's hands at the top. Cheesy I know, but I love kids hand prints, they grow so fast!

Deep heartache

I am still carrying a deep sense of loss for my mama friend who recently lost her husband unexpectedly. I think about her every day, as well as her 3 year old daughter. Its as if a hurricane came through my community but only wiped away her home and all its belongings, yet the rest of us feel the pain as if it were us.
During the last school module I was fortunate to get some bodywork to help integrate my confusion and sadness. It has greatly touched my heart to be part of a community of women who have supported her over the last couple of weeks. It has been a realization of a large extended family, who I love and support as much as my own blood relatives.
A classmate of mine who is a local midwife, lost her husband about 5 years ago and was a great help to me this past few days. She gave me some great advice about the care taking of a sudden widow, and I hope I can look into some of the things she mentioned.
Life will go on.. in a different way... it always has and always will. But for now my heart aches as I hold tight to my family. I am lucky to have today, and that's all that matters.

Today's song is Iron and Wine.. naked as we come

For the mamas preggo with #2

Here is the best part about having a second child! They entertain each other to no end!

If you commented... it didn't come through... I'd love to see your comments again! :) thanks

Super Heroes

My mom was over helping me a few days ago and Leilani demanded that she play super heroes with her. Basically running around the backyard "flying" in their capes. They put out a "fire" on her house... phew they saved the day!

I hope I am the kind of mother my mother was to us and Grandma she is to my kids. Thank you for EVERYTHING you do and have done for me and the kids! Mom, you are MY super hero!

Busy day

pic taken by Jenni W

New photos of our day on Wednesday! We went to the pumpkin patch to buy our Jack 'O Lantern punkins, played in the backyard with our neighbor buddy Cooper, went to lunch with Grandpa and Great Grandpa at "Chuy's House", AND went to a pumpkin painting playdate! Whew, busy but VERY fun day! :)

notice the lack of one shoe? I didn't notice it was gone for about 15 minutes... oops. :)

picture taken by Jenni W.

music of our lives

I was driving yesterday and several of the songs on the radio brought back very vivid memories, of events I have very a lot or very little emotional attachment to. I kept thinking about how I can place myself in any year of my life by the music I listened to. I am always amazed at our power of memory, and the physicality of the stored memories and emotions in our bodies. When I heard this song you are listening to, (Black Velvet) I immediately think of the first time a boy asked me to ice skate in a couples skate at the indoor rink in my hometown. His name was Jonah and he had curly blond hair (actually he kinda looked like Justin Timberlake, in hair at least) and I was wearing my ripped in the knee jeans and a Washington State Univ sweatshirt. I was so nervous, I said no and was too embarrased to skate the rest of the session . Just hearing the song brought on those flushed cheecks and the crazy crush anxiety, wacky huh? I will never forget that feeling, even though I had no real encounter with him, and it will ALWAYS be tied to this song.
The Pat Bentar song had different meaning until I watched 13 going on 30, and now I will only think of this movie and "Love is a battlefield". Jennifer Garner is cute, but I have a secret crush on Mark Ruffalo. ;) (the song is set to play after Black Velvet in case you are jonesin for some Pat Benetar)
Pictures couldn't do this post any justice, since these memories are all in my head... enjoy the tunes! :)

crappy economy

This sucks! The economy that is. Everybody is going to be better about spending (hopefully) but that means they are cutting out things like taking care of their health (ahem... massage). That is painful to our household economy. So it looks like I have to tighten our spending even more to be able to afford "school" for the kids 2 days a week. sigh. That means ... a budget... blech... I said it. Now I have to follow through and actually make one... and attempt to stick to it. SO I am officially announcing it to the universe now, I can't take it back, it starts today.
AND don't forget... Massage gift certificates make GREAT gifts! ;)

oh, and I posted a bunch of recent pics of the kids on their blog :)

Its all TOO MUCH!

THAT'S IT!!! I am clearing my house of baby STUFF! No more giant boxes of baby clothes! Out go the baby toys/equipment and all the stuff my kids use very little! I am over it all! I would love some space in my house and better yet, I would LOVE to have LESS stuff to clean up! My tornadoes of clutter start spinning at 6am when they wake and never slow down until they crash into bed at night. All I ever do is clean up the aftermath of these Tasmanian devils. SO.. less stuff, less mess.

I was listening to Suze Orman on Oprah talk about how people who value the things money can buy take care of them in an organized way. ooooo, that hit home, big time. Dang Suze and her valid points! ;) It is so true though. This is why we are clearing out, buy only things the kids will play with and take care of what we have. The kids stuff isn't the only thing to go, but its a start. I still want to do my kitchen, who needs 5 mixing bowls anyways? and my closet, but those are HUGE projects in themselves.

I am going to do a Craigslist sale here at the house... two days where people can show up and buy all this stuff!! A large chunk of our proceeds will be going to the Austin Habitat for Humanity. I chose this non profit because we are lucky enough to have a house to fill with excess while many have no home at all.

So, if you live in the area and need ANY baby stuff... stop by THIS Friday or Saturday October 10th or 11th. I will start at 9am and go till 5pm. Come by anytime!

What I have (this isn't everything):

Exersaucer,

playmats, toys (baby and toddler),

pool floatie for infant

baby boys clothes Newborn to 12 months starting with fall/winter stuff,socks, shoes (Robeez)

toddler girl summer clothes mostly 2T

colorgrown cotton cloth diapers and cloth diaper covers

diaper/burp rags

bath accesories, tub and pillow

potties

blankets

bibs

Baby Legs

XL maternity clothes (cold weather)

cloth storage cart

BPA free glass and plastic bottles

and MORE!!

If you are a friend of mine and would like to haul your kids stuff over here to sell (as long as your willing to share your $$ with Habitat) feel free. Just email me and let me know! The more the merrier!

We're Ba-ack!

Song: Up up and Away by 5th demention (again)

We arrived home yesterday lunch time from our vacation to New England. It was fabulous! Just what I needed. To recap... Russell went up to Peabody, Mass last Sunday for work, and I flew up Wed night to join him. Thanks to the gabillion business trips he takes a year we had enough miles to get my ticket for free, woohoo! And thanks to Russell's work for paying for Wednesday night's hotel stay, phew.

We met up with Russell's BU college friend Gideon in Boston late Wednesday, straight from the airport. I am crossing my fingers for this guy... he is looking for a gorgeous, Jewish, highly intelligent, red head to call his own, so if you know anybody, let me know! ;)

Thurs we headed up to Vermont. We stopped by the little picturesque town of Quechee, where we had lunch at Simon Pearce. Simon Pearce is a glassblower who moved to VT from Ireland in the 70's, and opened a studio at this gorgeous mill. It is his original location, but now has like 12 across the US. His restaurant uses all his hand blown glasses and pottery, very cool. Good creme brulee too!! You'll see the pics below.

We came back to Quechee for our balloon ride before sunset. Russ promised me a hot air balloon ride as a wedding gift, but we never had a chance to do it. When I saw that they did balloon rides near where we were staying I jumped all over it! I love the fall, it is my FAVORITE season. So seeing the changing leaves from above sounded like a dream to me. It was everything I had hoped it would be, and more. The people from Balloons Over New England were wonderful. Russ and I shared the balloon with two lovely ladies from Bellingham, WA and the pilot. We flew over the hills and dense forests for a bit over an hour. The landing was adventurous and bumpy, but made for an exciting end. We landed in a privately owned pasture which was at about a 30% or more angle. The balloon basket hopped and tipped over about 5 times before coming to a stop. I loved seeing the changing trees from this perspective, they looked like coral. As we pulled away from the landing spot in the truck, the pilot got out and gave the land owners a bottle of champagne as a thank you. I guess its a 200 year tradition to do that. How sweet is that?

Anyway.. the rest of the weekend was fab as well, we went to a working farm where they make their own cheese and maple syrup. I have a new respect for those who still produce this sweet sticky yumminess the old fashioned way. In the snow with buckets collecting sap and boiling it down on a wood fired evaporator. 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup, pretty cool.

We also went to a fine woodcarving festival in nearby Woodstock, VT. Our Bed and Breakfast owner did the PR for this event, so she encouraged us to go. I am glad we did, really cool stuff! Someday I will own furniture that my kids will not destroy. For now... Goodwill is good for us! :)

Glad to be back, the kids look different, but had a smashingly good time with Grandma! Enjoy the pics!

Gulp, swallowing my pride

Sometimes events happen that force you to swallow your pride and admit you were at least a little wrong. Life's hardest lesson is to see the bright side when something feels like it happens to you. I admit, I did not match someones expectations of me. I understand as well that I did not have the same expectations for myself, which is ok. I am glad in many ways for the decision that was made. It relieves me a bit of responsibility and allows me to focus on school and Orion's birthday. Every challenge presents a learning opportunity, I have learned and am moving forward. I will not make the same mistakes again. Sigh. Inhale. Exhale..... moving on. :)

Happy Anniversary Sweetie!

So its not quite our anniversary, but I will be packing and flying before the actual day. Sept 25th four years ago I promised these things...

To put our marriage first, always

To be faithful to you

To be truthful and honest to you

To listen with and open heart and mind

To make our home one of love and understanding

To show you my love for you through my words, touch and actions

To bring joy and happiness into our lives everyday

To encourage you to achieve your full potential

To honor the divine in you for you are God's love and creation

I can only hope I have kept up my end of the promise as much as you have. You inspire me every day! I am the luckiest woman in the world! I am honored to call you my husband. I love you always and forever!! Thank you for being my best friend, my partner, my cheerleader, my confidant, the best Daddy in the world, the family bread winner, and all around great guy!!

I can't wait to spend the weekend with you in Vermont! (and thanks in advance for the balloon ride... I am SOOOOO excited) Happy Anniversary! Love you!!!

Love, Your Honey Bunches of Oh's!