At Home

Pocket Photos: December Travels: Puerto Rico

2012-01-08T00:35:00.000-05:00

Back when I was in college I used to carry around and photograph with a Holga camera. It used 120mm film with 2 1/4" square frames...a hip, novelty, plastic camera with light leaking from random places. It was an art movement and I loved it. Digital photography (which I initially resisted) is returning to me that which I had lost in the shuffle of parenting. Using an application on my phone, I am having a Holga experience once again .

I call them pocket photos.

Business at Its Best

2012-01-07T23:55:00.001-05:00

Photography has been a passion of mine for almost 20 years. Unbelievable. I feel so amazingly lucky to be able to take photographs that people love and that I love! It brings me such joy to create a really stunning photograph.

In early December I had the greatest honor of photographing the wedding of an old and dear friend in Santa Cruz, California. I photographed the wedding as a gift and she provided my transport and housing...business at its best.
It was a wonderful, sincere, beautiful and moving experience.

Hopes for the New Year

2012-01-07T23:26:00.000-05:00

I have never been one to make new year's resolutions simply because they seem so definite. If the goal is not achieved, there is failure. Failure is scary to me!

This year I have found myself thinking about some hopes for the upcoming year, as I reflect on last year. A hope seems so much more positive than a resolution. Less definite with more room for evolution.

My hopes for 2012

:: I hope that we can be a bit more organized with our farm plans. The progress is there. It is the process that needs work ::

:: I hope to find more balance between being involved with the children and involving the children. Our boys learn so much when we involve them in what we do and we enjoy the time with them ::

:: I hope to make more time to make art ::

:: I hope to enjoy gardening more this year than last year ::

:: I hope to continue to strengthen and nourish my body, mind and spirit. This year was a great year for healing ::

Happy New Year!

Ancestors Altar

2011-11-03T14:06:00.001-04:00

This year has brought many changes for our family (as every year does). With the ebb and flow of friends in and out of our community, the practice of Druidry has slowly come trickling into our lives in a time when finding a name for years of feelings, beliefs and emotions is widely welcomed.

Both Matt and I have been practicing much of this nature based religion without realizing it. Our lives are very much connected to the seasons and the nature surrounding us and we have really noticed it since we bought our little farm in 2008.

I have always been a bit leery of religion, but felt a need for some spirituality.

Since my mother's death in 2007 I have had the desire to make an alter for her. Something small with a few items that she loved, a candle or two and some flowers. Occasionally when trying to fall asleep at night I would think about this altar in my head. What it would look like and where I would put it. I've never made one and don't know why.

October 31 and November 1st marks the Druid holiday of Samhain (Sow-in). It is a time to recognize and honor ancestors in your family. Some make altars, some attend rituals, some just acknowledge this within. I chose to do all three.

Last weekend I attended a Samhain ritual put on by our local ADF Druid group, Cedarsong Grove. Though not my first ritual with this wonderful group of people, it was by far, the most powerful for me.

Yesterday, the boys and I made an ancestors altar.

Last night we lit candles inviting our ancestors spirits to come home, as this time of year when the dark takes over the light and the human world is the closest to the spirit world.

I know this sounds like a bunch of hokey crap and there are probably a number of you rolling your eyes at the thought of a spirit world and such.

However, I invite you to make an altar for your ancestors in a visible place in your home. Put photographs of them surrounded by items that they loved or owned and offer them the foods and drink they loved. Walk by this altar every day, look at them and think about them. Light candles for them at night.

Do this for even a couple of days and then be honest with yourself and disregard what others think and ask yourself if you feel closer to your dead loved ones than you did a few days before. I see no harm in this ritual.

I needed this. I needed to feel close to my dead, loved ones and I needed my children to feel that too. And we are.

Sharing our family stories and memories, whether they are from when Matt and I were young children or from last week, has been really good for our minds, bodies and souls. Arlo seems to be most interested in all the process and discussion.

I am excited for my sister to see it and I am happy to be able to share with my family all over the country through image. I'd like to keep the altar for most of the month of November and remove it just as Thanksgiving arrives.

In the mean time, if you are in the neighborhood, please come and have a look, add something or not.

Picture Perfect Memory

2011-10-09T22:07:00.002-04:00

I recently read that the average human only remembers a very small percentage of their lives and that many of those memories are actually images or pieces of photographs from their childhood. I have a few specific memories of my childhood that I am sure are based on photographs and embellished with my vivid imagination and pure romantic view of life (one particular moment where I was playing in a child's pool with my nana, who died just six months after the photo was taken. I was not quite two at that time and too young to actually remember that event.)

As I photograph my boys and their childhoods, I do think about documenting events, every day and extraordinary, in a way that will help them remember, not just people, places and things, but the emotions associated with those times. Because I am usually the one photographing, I am rarely in the photos, and I hope that my boys will one day want to see images of me with them...

...that is why this photograph, taken by my friend Molly, is so dear to me, and will one day be dear to them.

I love this photograph because:

:: it honestly depicts a summer afternoon without make up, fancy clothes or posed bodies::

::Arlo has his shoes on the wrong feet and that is an everyday occurrence::

::Otis is curling his tongue like does when he is saying his "s" sound::

::Sam is looking very calm and grown up and relaxed and freckled and happy::

::we are relaxing in the hammock which is common in the late summer afternoons while we wait for Matt to come home from work::

::there is nature surrounding us which is how we live our lives here on our little farm::

::the chicken tractor is in the background (though I don't think most people would recognize that, we do, and we love it) which is also how we live our lives here on our little farm::

::Arlo's shins are bruised, also very common, no matter the season::

::Otis is sitting on my lap and as the baby of the family he is frequently found sitting on my "wap"::

::you can see just the corner of the book, "To Kill A Mockingbird", which Molly was reading to us as we sat in the hammock::

::I am in a kid sandwich and so happy there::

::the sun is shining and you can almost feel the summer heat as we snuggle in the shade of our grove of cedar trees::

To me this is the epitome of a picture perfect memory. Sam is very likely to remember this day, Arlo might remember, and Otis likely will not, but they will have this image to help and so will I as the years pass and my boys grow too big to sit on my lap and sandwich me in a hammock on a hot summer day.

Arlo's Big Day and My Baby Isn't a Baby Anymore!

2011-09-12T21:11:00.003-04:00


			Today was Arlo's first day of Montessori PPK (Pre-Primary/ Kindergarten). I am not quite sure how we made it to this day, because the last few weeks have been filled with so much anxiety manifested in multiple potty accidents everyday, tantrums and general foul behavior...stemming from a nasty bullying experience he had last fall at the part-time pre-school he was attending...but, I am so thankful we did! We talked about the new school, we met the new teacher, we read books, we met kids on the playground, we talked some more, we watched "new school" videos...and I knew it was going to take just going to make everything okay. We picked out a special outfit for today, he slept with his "S" scarf, appropriately named Sam and, this afternoon with his sweaty hand tightly clenched around mine, we went head-first into the winds of life together.

Arlo was beaming when I picked him up after school. He told me all about everything and from that moment on I had my sweet little Arlo back. No accidents, no tantrums, no anxiety. Just a happy 4 and 3/4 year old boy. Mama will sleep soundly tonight.

All three boys had hair cuts on Saturday...and it was Otis' first! He is 2 1/2 and was begging me in the salon to get his hair cut. I was a bit reluctant...he still had his birth hair after all...but he also had three dread locks that I couldn't get to go away and yesterday's breakfast dried in his hair. He gave me some of these looks and I agreed that perhaps it was time to have a hair cut. I still don't recognize him when I catch a glimpse of him running from one place to the next...but damn, is he cute!

I love this child so much.

End of Summer...Beginning of Second Grade

2011-09-06T10:17:00.000-04:00

Once again, my son is better dressed than either his father or I ever was on our first days of second grade. He loves the formalities involved with wearing a suit and tie and, this year, we found the matching hankie. All hand-me-downs or thrift store buys...and this boy is stylin'

He was nervous when I dropped him off...quickly running into his classroom. It was obvious that he noticed he was the only kid dressed like this, but he was proud. And so was I.

You can take the boy out of the farm, but you just can't take the farm out of the boy.

Man, do I love this kid.

Been cannin' a little...

2011-07-13T20:09:00.000-04:00

I have been waiting for our black raspberries to get ripe for about two weeks now. Last year they were ready a bit earlier, but with more rain and cooler temps for longer this spring, I wasn't too surprised we had to wait until after the 4th of July.

The boys and I wandered to the "back 40" yesterday afternoon while Otis napped. We started slowly, enjoying the cool breeze and sun (and lack of mosquitoes) and ended up picking nearly three quarts...which translated into 10 half-pint jars of black raspberry jam!

My friends Melissa and Heather and I and all our kids (nine total) picked strawberries a few weeks ago at a local farm. I froze my 23 pounds of berries hoping to make jam later....

...and this morning I found myself with only one child (Sam and Arlo were at a friend's house after a sleep-over) and with mid-morning temps around 60 degrees, I knew it was the perfect morning to continue my canning binge. I added 10 more half-pints of strawberry jam to my pantry shelf.

After gifting 2 half-pints to family and friends and losing one jar in the hot water bath, I canned a total of 18 half-pints of jam for our family...and it feels so good.

July 4th

2011-07-13T19:39:00.000-04:00

Once again we celebrated the 4th of July with many of our friends and family here at the homestead. With over 60 people mingling, the food, stories, laughter, sparklers and sweet goodbyes were amazing (our friends leaving the state stopped by for a solid hug and fair well). There was a bluegrass band this year and late night music around the campfire.

Although I had an amazing time at the party, the morning after was simply beautiful.

A small group of overnight friends gathered for a delightful potluck breakfast on the patio and after we dined....we relaxed in the shade of our generous sycamore tree.

I cuddled on a blanket with one of my most favorite little girls, Ada. She fell asleep in my lap and it was the highlight of my weekend.

Ruby Red

2011-07-06T21:54:00.005-04:00

This is my latest drawing completed this afternoon. It was commissioned for a fundraiser in Washington State...inspired by a photo taken of my dear friend Pam and her new baby, Ruby.
Pam, Luke, Mateo and Ruby left today for Arizona...for good.
It was so hard to say goodbye to them...

This is a little settling in treat for them...once they arrive and have access to the online world.
Welcome to your new home Plonsky family!

Sam became 7

2011-06-29T23:11:00.005-04:00

On May 18th, my sweet first born became seven years old! I still can't believe how grown up he really is...

Sam requested a 4 tier cake, "like the wedding cakes" and so I dutifully did my best with cake and frosting and added a lot of fruit...his favorite. He was quite happy.

"Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" by Mo Willems has been Sam's favorite book all spring. He was amazingly surprised when one of his friends gave him the pigeon as a birthday gift.

Sam is SO creative, always wanting to "make something". Sometime his ideas are beyond what we can handle here (like welding a catapult), but sometimes we can indulge his creative quests.
For spirit day at his Montessori school he was asked to dress up like his favorite book character. He chose pigeon and we made a pigeon costume.

There are days when I don't know what I would do without Sam's help. He is an amazing oldest brother; always helping his little brothers with chores, reading, making Lego constructions...you name it and he helps with it. He's been doing regular chores including putting away his laundry, loading the washer and moving wet laundry to the dryer, taking the recycling and trash to the curb on trash day, feeding the pets, loading the dishwasher and clearing the tables after meals, undressing his brothers, starting a bath, sweeping the kitchen floor, vacuuming!!!! I know there must be more as well...he is amazing.

Sam's reading is really taking off and everyday I hear him reading words he couldn't just days before. Now nearly six months into piano lessons, Sam is learning to read music and he continues to attend Sanchin-Ryu karate classes through the parks and recreation department. He is close to being able to ride his bike all over and to my great happiness, he still LOVES and needs to cuddle everyday. Sam just aims to please and is so rarely in any sort of trouble, though lately he has been testing out his "talking back" skills.

It is a real joy to have him home for the summer.

Otis and his Worms

2011-06-29T22:38:00.003-04:00

Getting the garden in has always been a chore with little ones, but this year Otis entertained himself with digging earth worms...and to my surprise, hiding them...

He carried them around all day...and I planted 50 strawberry plants.

Surprise. A business.

2011-05-30T21:42:00.004-04:00

About 18 months ago I was asked to create a logo for a friend's business. I agreed and we bartered logo design for home cooked meals and she threw in a few gift cards. It turned out nice and I felt good about being creative beyond this blog.

A few months passed and another friend asked for help, then a business asked for an advertisement, then another friend asked for a logo, then a photo gig, then another logo, and most recently a wedding, cooperatively shot with a friend who has an established photography business.

A week ago I was asked to apply for an independent graphic design and photography contract job working with the MSU Jewish Studies program on a grant funded project about genealogy! Initially I thought the project was too big for me, but after speaking with one of the project coordinators, I decided to apply!

Low and behold, I decided (after much encouragement from Matt) to start a legitimate photography and graphic design business. It is a little scary, but mostly exciting.

The next step is registering my business with the county, a website, business cards.....

Meet Milo!

2011-05-09T05:39:00.004-04:00

After about 6 weeks of looking for a new canine companion, we met Milo!
He's an Australian Cattle Dog/Beagle/Coon Hound mix and we just love him.
Found as a stray in Mississippi, he was rescued and brought to the Capital Area Humane Society.

He's about a year old, give or take a month, and about 65 pounds or so. He is house trained, knows how to sit, lay down and speak. His leash skills are lacking and he does not know his name, but he's a fast learner! One walk with a gentle leader training harness and he was responding incredibly.
Milo is definitely still a puppy, but is very calm and does not jump up or have any of that excessive puppy energy, though he loves water and chasing balls and toys.

The boys love him and boy, does Milo love them!

Our lives will be a bit more house bound for a while, as we get used to Milo and he gets used to us, but it is that time of year when farm work is in full swing.

We think he's going to be a fantastic companion for us all...even Cyrus seems a little bit happier.

True Story

2011-04-14T22:40:00.005-04:00

Today was a very strange day for me. I felt energy in the air; a sort of enlightenment occurred. I was surrounded by new life.

This morning, my dear friend Pam, gave birth to her second child, a daughter, Ruby Sue.
While she was laboring, birthing and cuddling her new daughter, I was visiting with her mother and father-in-law in her living room.

An hour later I was doing some graphic design work at a coffee shop and exchanged emails with another expecting friend. She had agreed to encapsulate Pam's placenta in exchange for a henna tattoo on her swollen belly, but in the last few days had been experiencing early signs of labor, despite her due date being nearly 2 weeks away. I offered to encapsulate Pam's placenta and stopped by her house to borrow some supplies. It was lovely to see her as I hadn't in a while. She mentioned watching Otis' birth video for inspiration. I was so moved, I didn't know what to say.

Within 30 minutes or so, I arrived at the birth center to retrieve Pam's placenta. My timing must have been right, because they were amazingly accepting and invited me in to meet their hours-old, sweet girl. I held her and immediately had an overwhelming desire to be with Otis. There is unexplainable energy surrounding new life.

On my drive home I remembered, vividly, Otis' birth and how I felt in the hours after. Today I felt similar things. It was very spiritual in a sense. Rare.

After preparing Pam's placenta to dry this evening, I learned that my friend who loaned me the materials to do so, gave birth to her fifth child, a son.

Wow. True story.

Spring Babies

2011-03-28T21:17:00.013-04:00

Two Spring seasons have passed since I last held this:

Here's my baby on the moment of his birth in the place of his birth, two years later:
Otis is so cute! However, he is also two years old and he is intense. We've entered the tantrum stage and I just keep repeating my latest mantra, "This to shall pass". He is amazing talker with an extensive vocabulary and he is rarely quiet. When he stopped using the pacifier a few months ago, he began going to sleep at night on his own. Despite the challenging days we frequently have, most of our time together is very darling.

Spring is a good time to have a baby and I have about 5 friends with big, round, beautiful bellies right now! It is so much fun to be around women creating life.

I was hired by a friend to photograph her and her family in the weeks before the birth of her second baby. She looked amazing and it was such a joy.
Here are a few of my favorites:
I was also able to give my dear friend, Pam, a mother blessing.
It was a wonderful afternoon. She wrote about it in detail on her blog, with photos and all.Pam is a true kindred spirit and I just love her.

You know Spring has arrived...

2011-03-21T22:24:00.005-04:00

...when you find...

treasures hidden from the winter, reappear on the patio;

and little boys digging in the dirt;
peas being planted;
and cold frames created...
...and then planted (lettuce and spinach);
and little hands as dirty as this...
...we are a happy, happy family these days.

New Year Tree

2011-03-04T09:17:00.002-05:00

We have had one hell of a winter here at the homestead. Cold temperatures, coupled with illness and buckets of snow have really kept us indoors. The real challenge falls on the mama, who has to plan snow days in such a way that everyone maintains sanity!

We've been making lots of art to help with this and trying to work some sort of education into the mix....thus, our "Tree of Thanks" evolved with the seasons and became our "New Year Tree".

Each of the boys made a snowman and we collaboratively collaged and helped our tree shed it's autumn leaves and grow a blanket of snow. All the while we talked about the new year and what we hoped it would bring. Sam spoke of playing with his friends; Arlo wished the new year to bring Legos, and Otis just whined as I kept pulling him away from the hot glue gun.

It was a very fun project for all of us. The boys posed for these pictures, dressed for the snow and all (Sam's idea). I think that our tree will continue to change with the seasons and Spring is just around the corner...

Sick Muffins

2011-02-17T16:05:00.006-05:00

This afternoon while trying to get Arlo to take a nap with me in our bed, I had this conversation with him:

ARLO: "Why do we need naps, mama?"

ME: "Well, we've both been sick and our bodies need rest to heal."

ARLO: "Hmm. Why do you keep getting sick?"

ME: " I don't know. We have doctors trying to help us figure that out."

Quiet for a moment.

ARLO: "I think I know why you got sick. Do you want to hear why I think you got sick?"

ME: "Yes, I'd love to hear what you think."

ARLO: "You ate a sick muffin because you like muffins and the sick muffin made you sick."

ME: "Mmm, I do like muffins."

ARLO: "The sick fairy left you the muffin and you ate it."

ME: "I don't like the sick fairy very much."

ARLO: "I don't like the sick fairy very much either."

ME: "Well, if you see another sick muffin sitting around our house waiting to be eaten, please point it out to me so I won't eat it."

ARLO: "Actually, I just made all of that up. It is a story...all make-believe."

The crud has hit our house once again. Despite the number of times we've all been sick this winter, I know it is not just our family. I hear about illness creeping into everyone's home, especially a most recent influenza that is wreaking havoc on all ages. I had a flu shot last week for the first time in eight years and I feel good about it.

Our first ick of 2011 was a round of bronchitis for me, then a puking flu that hit everyone in our house (plus a few unlucky outsiders that were visiting or caring for a sick one).

After about 10 days of that Arlo had a terrible allergic reaction that included snot coming out of his eyes (yeah, I didn't know that could happen either) which evolved to a nasty chest cold putting him on breathing treatments 3 times a day.

Otis caught it as well, though hasn't been as sick as Arlo was.

I managed to catch that cold and now have bronchitis again.
A few weeks ago I visited with an infectious disease specialist, as suggested by my thoracic surgeon at the Univ. of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor. This new doctor seemed to have some intuitive ideas and referred me to a lung specialist. I'll have some more tests done during an all-day visit to the hospital in early March. At this point adrenal malfunction has been ruled out, which is very good, and my immune system seems to be functioning within a normal realm, despite the reoccurring lung infections.
We're getting closer and I am keeping my spirits pretty high, most of the time. Occasionally, (when I get sick, especially) I start to feel sorry for myself worry about ending up in bed for months again or dying young. Matt has been a great calming source of comfort and support.

I've been meaning to share these photos from my 8 weeks in bed last fall.

Arlo turned 4!

2011-02-02T22:28:00.007-05:00

Arlo had big ideas about turning four....
He wanted all his friends to have capes to wear at the party and he wanted a "snowball" cake, "because it is winter time, Mama".

So, I indulged his requests and made 7 or 8 capes from scrap fabric (they were a big hit) and I made this delicious snowball cake, fashioned after the Hostess Snowball Snack Cake.

It was actually very easy to make, thanks to "Cook's Country" magazine and it was so yummy! Though I wasn't sure we'd have enough with all of Arlo's buddies at the party, so we bought some cupcakes, as well and I made little "4" pennants to make them a bit more festive.

The cake was a big hit....for everyone.

We blew up balloons with helium and they were also a big hit.

Arlo was given some amazing gifts including this "Arlo" doll hand made by Matt's mom. He was thrilled, as you can see, and "Arlo doll" is present every night in amongst Arlo's menagerie of bedtime "buddies", as Arlo calls them.

The kids received these silly glasses as a party favor...but as you can tell, the adults (and dogs) had just as much fun with them!

Lots of dress up and running around and even a special movie with popcorn...all in all a great 4th birthday!

At age 4, Arlo:

:: still requests cuddle time every night and I oblige. It is a special time where he and I talk about whatever he wants to talk about. Last night he "spelled" words and I told him what the "words" were. it was sweet.

:: weighs about 45 pounds and is about a head taller than Otis and a head smaller than Sam. Specific, I know, but we never measure the kids...we did just start a wall with their head heights labeled.

:: asks some pretty deep questions, such as, "Where did people come from?" and "If we are on this planet, could there be other people on other planets?" Intense.

:: is becoming quite helpful with Otis and in general around the house...and I mean helpful in a real way

:: still sleeps with his menagerie of "buddies" including, but not limited to, baby, ducky, blankie (a scarf Matt bought me on our honeymoon in Mexico), "Arlo doll", Twilight (his turtle that makes stars on the ceiling), Gooey doll (a home made "ugly" doll), purple dinosaur....

:: loves to play with Sam and looks forward to play time every day.

:: LOVES singing and knows all the words to all the songs on the Pete Seeger live children's album we play in the van everyday. It is a great album.

:: still uses the "w" sound in place of the "L" sound and the "R" sound. It is vewy, vewy, adowable.

:: will show up in our bed 4-6 nights a week and loves to cuddle with me on my side of the bed...never in the middle.

:: is becoming very compassionate and is learning to express his emotions verbally, very well.

:: does not like the cold and has expressed to me a number of times that winter is his least favorite season.

:: LOVES being at home all the time wearing his pajamas playing with his brothers...he'll choose this above all other activities.

Remembering August 19th

2011-01-07T22:33:00.003-05:00

Matt and I shared three days alone on the Old Mission Peninsula near Traverse City, MI in August in celebration of our tenth wedding anniversary. It was very romantic. More later...

Arlo's 4th Birthday

2010-11-11T16:11:00.017-05:00

While stuck in bed today (yes, I am sick again...more on that later), I began looking on Etsy at invitations for Arlo's 4th birthday party. He wants to have a "superhero" theme and have all the kids wear capes. I feel like we've done this before, but Arlo LOVES capes.

I can't argue. Capes are cool.

After looking at the 50th card that made me think, "I can do that!"....

I did that.

With inspiration from my artsy friend Melissa, a sharpie marker, a pair of scissors, an old comic book that was falling apart, a glue stick and a blue ink pen;

I made ten very cute birthday invitations.

This one turned out a little dark...I am not sure I will actually use it...but, I like it.

This one might be my favorite.

I can't wait for Arlo to see them tonight.

Being Thankful

2010-11-06T23:21:00.003-04:00

I saw this home school project on a waldorf website and loved the message....then a friend in Maine made one with her home schooled kids and I decided to make one with our boys.

Each day we will make a leaf, write something we are thankful for on the leaf and then add it to the tree.
Any visitors we have will be welcome to add a leaf as well.

By Thanksgiving the tree should be full.
Tonight Arlo was thankful for our neighbor Dennis. Otis was thankful for "Arlo" (brothers). Matt was thankful for his once-a-week karate evening with the boys and Sam was thankful for:
I was so proud.

Big Boy

2010-11-06T22:58:00.002-04:00

It is pretty obvious what Otis wants these days and it most definitely has everything to do with being a big boy. So...after falling off his changing table last week and then climbing into Arlo's bed at naptime we decided it was time to make the move to a big boy bed. He's made the transition with grace.
His vocabulary list includes:

:: Mama
:: Dada
:: Arlo (which means both "Arlo" and "brother)
:: dog dog
:: ow ow
:: Baba (bottle)
:: all done
:: down
:: no
:: mine
:: upa (up)
:: Star Wars
:: chicken
:: thank you
:: please
:: ire (fire)
:: hot

Chopped, Split and Stacked

2010-11-06T22:07:00.009-04:00

When my sister and I were very young our family mostly heated with wood in a large iron wood stove my Dad built. He drew a picture of our house on the door of the stove and I remember looking at the picture and picking out my bedroom window in the drawing.

My Dad would buy or trade for the winter wood and eventually it would be delivered to our house in a large pile of unsplit chunks. We would climb all over the pile and inevitably one of us would end up bleeding or with a nasty splinter! As we grew older we would help each fall by tossing the wood into the house cellar to stack, into the shed to stack or by stacking the wood. Stacking wood was a job that I remember dreading, but now find the smells and sounds of it very comforting.

It was always a family affair and usually that meant friends of my folks and their kids. The more people helping, the faster the job would get done. Now I realize, too, that extra hands means the kids are being watched with extra eyes. Chopping and splitting wood can be dangerous business.

We had a dead Ash tree removed from our front yard last month and over the last two weekends Matt (with help from friends of all ages) chopped, split and stacked the wood.

With the winter-like temperatures (30's), I haven't been going outside too much, a couple days ago Sam, Otis and I bundled up and walked out to look at the woodpile (and I wanted to smell the woodpile). I have been watching the black squirrels climb all over it and I had to see what all the fuss was about.
These strange seed pods fall from our Osage Orange trees which line the west side of our homestead creating a living fence. Every fall we pick up hundreds of the seeds...and the squirrels love to eat them.
Sam came down with a strange virus this week involving a body rash running from his head to his toes. His energy levels decreased (some) and he developed really red patches on his eye lids and under his eyes. Our family doctor recommended keeping him home from school for two days to rest...so we did...and it was really wonderful.
Just beyond the woodpile sits our new compost pile. Matt did lots of reading on home made rapid composters and finally settled on this model made of found pallets and reused PVC pipe. He (and his helpers) spent the better part of two weekends assembling and filling this. We've all enjoyed watching the top of the pile sink and feeling the warm air escaping through the pipes! Science everywhere!
Matt has been working like a horse this fall. Since the end of September he has:
:: butchered 31 broiler hens
:: harvested copious amounts of garden produce, including blue corn and the black beans
:: repaired a failing chicken fence
:: made a variety of house repairs including hanging some coat hooks for me
:: removed an old toilet, moved one working toilet to a new bathroom, and installed a brand new dual flush toilet
:: built and filled the composter
:: chopped, split and stacked the wood from the ash tree

I love him.

Halloween

2010-11-06T21:18:00.002-04:00

"Darth Maul"

Arlo's second choice: "Harry Potter"

choice 1: "Dark" Vader

this is a lovely girl at Arlo's school...so sweet...

all three boys have now worn this costume...time to retire the dragonfly...

Just Tired

2010-10-20T15:09:00.002-04:00

How to be Healing

2010-10-19T09:36:00.005-04:00

::READ::

I have read two and half books...which is a lot for me in three weeks time.

I have been reading the NY Times online and the occasional Times Sunday paper brought to me by my neighbor and friend, Dennis. When I was in art school in boston, I'd buy the Sunday Times, a cup of coffee and a bagel and sit and read the entire paper. It was like meditation to me then...it was like meditation for me all over again.

I spent many hours reading articles online. I'd be curious about something, look it up, and then read for hours. This is a pleasure I don't normally have so I really enjoyed it and I learned a lot.

My dear mother-in-law gave me a book she read recently titled, How to be Sick by Toni Bernhard. I won't spoil it; I haven't finished yet, so really I can't. The author went on a vacation with her husband to Paris and contracted the Parisian flu which has lasted over 10 years. She is mostly bedridden and house bound...and she practices buddhism. The book is about how buddhism has helped her actively accept her sickness.

While I am pretty sure that I will not have this illness for 10 years or more; I have been mostly in bed for three weeks with at least one more week to go (the longest I have ever had an illness). It has been a wonderful read for me...and I think it would be a wonderful read for anyone. The lessons are applicable to daily life, sick or healthy.

:: KNIT ::

I began knitting a dress for a friend's daughter in April of this year, just after the baby was born...and I am about to finish it. I am very happy about that.

Because knitting for hours makes my fore arms ache, I also decided to learn cross stitching. I am about half done with one pillowcase from a beginner's kit that Jane gave me.

:: WATCH MOVIES ::

I won't even list all the movies and tv shows I have watched...it is too long. But some of the really good ones were:

~ "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart" a documentary about the band Wilco.

~ "Son of Rambow" (yes, it is spelled correctly)

~ "Babies"

~ "This American Life", Season One and Season Two - this series I REALLY enjoyed. It provoked thoughts beyond diapers and laundry and cooking...it made me ponder my childhood, my relationships and my life...

:: THINK ::

There were plenty of hours over the last three weeks where I was too nauseous to read or watch tv or even sit up in bed or sleep. I'd listen to music and think. Or lay in the hammock (when it was warmer) and watch the trees and think. I thought about the kids and being at home with them, what they will be like when they get older; my relationship with Matt and all we've experienced together and will still experience together; my family; my mother and I tried to remember talking with her; simplifying my life by removing things we don't need and tasks I don't need to take on; impermanence, nothing ever stays the same...one thought lead to another and I started describing this experience as "therapy in the bedroom".

:: WRITE ::

Most of my writing has been in the form of this blog and I honestly thought about writing a lot more than I actually have. I also wrote a lot of emails to friends and family and made some thank you cards and hand wrote all of them.

:: SLEEP ::

Sleep is so good. I wasn't getting enough sleep before I got sick...I haven't been getting enough sleep since I became pregnant with Sam in 2003. I am going to change that in my life. I need more sleep to stay healthy and so do you!

The Two Sickies

2010-10-03T12:38:00.007-04:00

I've been spending a lot of time this weekend watching movies with the boys...all three of us, just Sam and I, and just Arlo and I. We joined Netflix for the free trial month and suddenly we have copious amounts of movies and television available on my laptop, right in my bed. We've watched The Princess and the Frog, The Incredible Mr. Limpet, and this morning we attempted, The Meteor Man. "Attempted" because we only made it about 2/3 of the way through and skipped most of that due to violence. It was rated PG, but filmed in 1993. I think that 1993's standards and standards today have changed! Arlo was in tears when the superhero, "The Meteor Man", received a sucker punch in the face. We immediately switched to Flipper, the T.V. series from 1964.

The boys have been having a hard time with me in bed all day and night. They are resilient guys, but it has been two weeks now, with only a few days in the middle where I was up and about. Sam's face is finally healing, but Arlo's still looks terrible and he talks about it hurting. We're doing what we can, but Hand, Foot, and Mouth is a terrible virus.

Matt's dad, Jim, arrived on Friday night for the second round of cross-country Grieshop family -tag-team nursing. He has so far helped Matt throw out an old toilet, install a new toilet and move one toilet from one bathroom to another. We once again have established "toilet order". Whew.

Things are moving at a different pace here and it is weird being an observer in my own home. I am so used to being an active member, moving around, interacting, making decisions and getting things done. Physically, it is necessary, but giving all of that up is a great mental challenge for me.

Slow and steady...patience...acceptance....letting go.

Summer Adventures: Installment Four: Our Korean Friends

2010-09-30T14:07:00.002-04:00

We were approached by an MSU organization that offers the final course in an ESL program for Korean school teachers to be a host family for a weekend in July...and this is how we met Alex and Song. Both fathers of boys in Korea, they fit right in to our family and farm.

The program director assured us that they were interested in learning about a "normal American family" and to do what we'd normally do on a weekend. So we did! We spent one day in the garden they both seemed to really enjoy it.

We also took a drive to Fennville and picked organic blueberries at Pleasant Hill Farm (Matt works with these farmers..they are a wonderful couple), saw Lake Michigan and ate some Korean food at a local restaurant. Both Song and Alex assured us it was very authentic food and my first time! It was delicious. The boys even enjoyed eating all but the very spicy things.

Being a host family was a new experience for us. We've wanted to share our space and large home with other families and this was the perfect way to do it. We all learned so much about Korea (they calculate age different there!) and the children made some new friends. It was hard to say goodbye to Alex and Song...but, we'll be hosting again next year!

Summer Adventures: Installment Three: Camping with the Traven Family

2010-09-30T09:19:00.002-04:00

Jeff, Michelle, Meera and Adelina are some of our very best friends here in Michigan. The four of them, also transplants from across the country (except Addie, she was born here and I was there the night she came!) are such a sweet and wonderful family. Michelle is a real friend to me. I can speak so honestly with her and know that she'll be understanding and open to what I am thinking. We feel very comfortable with all of them and our children love one another! Truly a treasure to have.

Just because we love each other as families, doesn't mean that spending 3 days together camping is a good idea...except that it was!! We had such a fantastic time! We stuck close to home and camped at Sleepy Hollow State Park. This was our first time Otis camping and with all 9 of us, we felt like it would be safer....we realized how smart we were when I forgot to bring COFFEE and drove home the next morning to get some!

Lots of fishing and eating (we made fish tacos from our catch), games, swimming, napping, camp fires, music, laughing, running, washing dishes in a bucket....it was a great weekend of family time, community bonding. We hope to do it again next year!

Summer Adventures: Installment Two: Annual Fourth of July Party

2010-09-30T09:00:00.000-04:00

Our second adventure of the summer came one week after we returned from Maine...our 3rd annual 4th of July Party. We had morefamilies attend this year than the other two and we had five families camp out and enjoy a really sweet brunch the next day. The sparklers were a big hit along with some glow bracelets. The food was fantastic and we had music with singing this year! We also have families that put this event on their calendars a year in advance (we do too) and it means so much to us to have this special gathering with our family! We had another set of families arrive the next day just for the brunch and our last visitors left at 5 p.m. It was a 24 hour party and we loved every minute!

Summer Adventures: Installment One: Returning Home

2010-09-30T08:00:00.000-04:00

The boys, Lindsey (our babysitter and friend) and I drove to Maine (via Niagara Falls, ON) to visit my Dad and help him sort through some of my mom's things. We ended up doing more vacationing than sorting, but I managed to help him some. Lindsey had never been to Maine or through Canada, so it was quite an adventure...the two of us with three wild kids...14 days of traveling all together...5 of them spent on the road! We both needed a vacation from our vacation.

Delicate Little Flower

2010-09-29T14:44:00.006-04:00

This afternoon as I laid in bed, my dear friend Jane, said in a sweet voice as she walked away, "goodbye my delicate little flower friend". I have never thought of myself that way, but in the last few weeks I have certainly felt that way.

Almost two weeks ago I was diagnosed with pneumonia. It came on very quickly and grew from a mild cold to serious ick within 24 hours. Matt's mom, Pat, flew all the way from California to help us for a week and I had a solid chance to rest in bed, in the hammock in the sun...wherever I needed to be. She left on Monday and last night I ended up in the emergency room with a serious relapse. After five hours of IV antibiotics, fluids and some wicked pain medication, they sent me home with a bag of drugs and instructions to remain in bed forever. Not forever, but it is beginning to feel like it.

I am so fortunate to have such supportive family. Pat's visit here last week was like magic. She arrived at 7:30 p.m., dropped her bags and had kids in the bath before I could say "thank you". While she was here she nursed me, nursed the kids (Sam and Arlo had Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease, and Otis had a nasty weeping ear infection), helped Matt butcher and process 12 of our broiler chickens, cooked and baked and fed us really well, did copious amounts of laundry and house cleaning....the list goes on and on. She seamlessly walked into our home and took over my job and did it better than I do! It was fantastic. The boys loved having her here, because, you know what else is in the repertoire of a grandma...reading books for hours. That make all three of my sweeties happy as can be. Thank you so much Pat. We love you!

Pat returned home to her life and here I am in bed again, worse off than before, and

we've turned to our community of friends for help. I posted a request on facebook for any info on a nanny and within an hour I had nanny contacts, a food train set-up, babysitting offers....I am truly blessed.

Jane, one of my dear closest friends here and pictured to the right, is here today helping with Otis and taking care of me. She and her family are our family here. She has come over to our house in response to late night calls because of illness, birth, flat tires, house fires...more emergencies than I'd like to admit to. I just can't thank her enough.

I am not forgetting my dear husband, who has taken on my job and his in between the extra help! Both our jobs are more than one person can handle, so for him to do both is pretty amazing. He is being quite militant with this relapse and only letting me out of bed for bathroom visits. I am so lucky to have his support. I know how scared he was in the hospital on Tuesday night. It can't be easy to watch your wife looking like she is dying...and he has had to do that twice in our marriage now. I love him so much.

Hopefully after I meet with my new pulmonologist in a couple weeks, we'll have a better understanding as to why I keep getting so sick. I was told that after my lung surgery two years ago, I wouldn't have anymore problems with this...I'd like to be thought of as a strong bunch of glowing flowers, not a delicate little flower!

The flower image above is borrowed from here.

Birthday

2010-09-01T17:30:00.003-04:00

Today is my birthday. For some reason I expected the universe to recognize that and make my day smooth and seamless. As I sit here trying to obtain some sense of calm, I am listening to my three boys, wild from our day of no structure and frantic racing around town, crash toys and scream from tiredness in the other room.

We are supposed to be leaving in 15 minutes to meet friends and family at a chinese restaurant for a celebratory dinner. Something tells me this dinner may be very chaotic...chiming right in with the rest of my day.

Since little (there have been a few very sweet moments) has brought me pleasure today, I attempted to gain some peace and I saw this blog via another friend's lovely blog that so frequently brings me solace. Seeing the travel journal of a newly wed couple only made my life feel so much more hectic...I was jealous. Jealous of seemingly unending and uninterrupted time with a spouse; a photographic career of epic proportions and talent and jealous of the quiet. I don't like feeling jealous.

I have decided that despite the fact that today is the day I arrived in to this world 33 years ago; I will attempt to find my joy in the future of the year ahead tomorrow and the next day....
...because it doesn't really matter what day you were born. Life can be celebrated everyday.

CRAZY!!!

2010-08-29T14:29:00.002-04:00

Let's just say that this summer has been CRAZY!!!!! I can not believe that Sam starts school in one week, Arlo in two weeks and I feel like my head is about to spin off!

Just to give you some idea of what has been going on.....in the last month we have (in no specific order):

:: Traveled to Pentwater on Lake Michigan.
:: Hosted visitors from Korea.
:: Hosted family from 2 parts of the country.
:: Moved my sister into her new house!
:: Traveled back from Pentwater and attended a talk that Matt gave at a composting farm. We saw a large scale vermaculture compost with worms (very cool).
:: Matt and I had a weekend away to celebrate our 10th anniversary.
:: Saw family off and had one quiet evening....before we...

...spent the last two days butchering and processing 12 chickens from the broiler hens we raised this summer!! That is a lot of chicken to process in a short period of time! We ate vegetarian last night.
Oh, and Pat and I canned 12 quarts of tomatoes, too.
We also harvested black beans and I am making ketchup as I write!

Anyway, I have loads of photos to share and now that we are actually home and will be on a regular basis...I may get to posting them....stay with me folks...

In my Opinion...

2010-07-27T20:53:00.000-04:00

...this is the most perfect outfit for a 16 month old baby

...and the most perfect 16 month old baby.

Obi Wan

2010-07-13T22:08:00.002-04:00

Yesterday after breakfast Sam wanted to cuddle on the couch in the living room. He has seemed so forlorn lately that I snagged this opportunity to spend some time with him and talk.
Here is how the conversation went:

Me: "Sam, you seem so sad lately. Is there anything you'd like to talk about?"

Sam: "Um, well, I guess I can tell you. Mom, do you believe in Star Wars?"

Me: "Well, I believe that it is a story someone created and the movies are based on the story, why?"

Sam: "Aw, I shouldn't tell you if you don't believe. You wouldn't understand or believe me."

Me: "Why don't you give me a chance. Tell me."

Sam: "Ok, so I am Obi Wan Kenobi. For real. I am not lying."

Me: " So what you are telling me is that I gave birth to Obi Wan Kenobi?"

Sam: "Yes! And I have the force. I can move things with the force. I dropped my light saber at Ruby's house and held my hand out to move it with the force and it moved!!"

Me: "Wow!"

Sam: "Yeah. Make a fist Mom. Like this. (makes fist) Squeeze tight."

Me: "Ok." (making a fist and squeezing tight)

Sam: "Can you feel that?" (meaning the sensation you get when squeezing your fist very tight)

Me: "Yes. I can feel that."

Sam: "That is it. That is the force. You have the force too Mom!"

Me: "Awesome."

He's been so happy ever since this conversation. The truth is out. Obi Wan Kenobi is my son.

First Pick of the Season

2010-07-10T11:02:00.006-04:00

On June 28th the boys and I wandered up to play with the chickens and realized that the berries were on!!
Everything seems to be ready a bit earlier this year and I remembered our wild black raspberries ready for picking around July 4th of last year.
So, to find them round and black and juicy and ready for our mouths made us all very happy!

I managed to pick a quart in between my and Otis' samplings (he was on my back and I would pass two or three back to him as I picked). Sam and Arlo each carried a berry basket, but at the end the baskets were empty and the only evidence of any berry picking was on their faces and hands!

After we had picked our fill, we played in the garden and I set Otis down. He hadn't had enough berries and wanted more. I gave him a small handful and then watched as he kept them in his hand for a bit before eating them. Enjoy this series of shots...a true summer experience and an afternoon I will never forget!

Slacker

2010-07-08T13:38:00.002-04:00

I know, I have been a great blogging slacker in the last six months. I have no excuses, except that I do, and I am trying to change. I want to change. I love writing about our lives...our crazy, never at-home, running an urban homestead lives.

I am photographing everything and partially because I am a perfectionist when it comes to my images, I can't just post any old photo. I need to modify them, etc. and that takes time. I have been having some computer memory issues, too, so that is making it a little harder to get images out.

Never fear. We are in a 10 day stretch of "at homeness" and I will be feverishly working on the image issue and the writing issue...and enjoying the nice cool temps of my basement office!

Please keep checking back and have faith that at some point in the very near future there will be grand summer stories told and photos of our beautiful children, chickens, turkeys, garden, friends and lives....

Arlo's Surgery

2010-07-06T22:38:00.001-04:00

On May 25th Arlo had his tonsils and adenoids removed and tubes put in both of his ears. I have been meaning to post about this since the surgery...but boy does time fly!

All in all he did as I expected... and it was intense. Coming out of the anesthesia was rough, though the time we were in the hospital was a bit sweet. He watched a lot of TV and I sat right next to him knitting. He loved having me right there with him and I liked it too. It was actually a bit relaxing.

For the first day he couldn't eat any solid foods, so by the next morning when he was able to order from the menu he went crazy! He ate little bites of each thing he ordered...but most of it went uneaten in the end.

The following two weeks at home were very hard. He had a bad reaction to the first pain medication he was on. We ended up in the ER one night after he woke screaming as if he was being killed. I ran into his room to find him with blood spraying from his mouth. It was horrible. After 5 hours in the ER, we returned home with a new medication and things went a bit smoother. Now, nearly 6 weeks later, he sleeps all night, the snoring is gone and he is generally in a much better mood!!

Busy as Bees

2010-05-23T23:33:00.005-04:00

Spring has sprung here at the homestead and we are quickly seeing summer peek its head out too! We have been so busy running around digging in the dirt and collecting eggs, tending our bees (yes, we have bees now...2 colonies!), mowing grasses.....the outdoor season is well underway.Finding the time to keep up with everything is such a challenge, so tonight I tried a new tactic....mowing the lawns after the boys were asleep with the mower head lights on! It was fun mowing in the dark! The boys could hear the mower through their open windows though and Sam wasn't asleep until 10 pm when I laid with him for a bit...erg. Maybe mowing at night isn't such a good idea....At any rate, we have a garden planted (mostly planted anyway) and we are sharing our large garden space with the son of an organic apple grower that Matt works with. He is an MSU student named Zach, and so far it has been a great arrangement!

We welcomed our newest "livestock" to the farm a few weeks ago...the bees. We have some dear friends that have been tending bees for years and Matt has been dying to learn. David has been a wealth of knowledge and I am enjoying learning from behind the camera!
Matt has been doing all of the "keeping" and my help will come into play when we harvest the honey in the fall. The boys are very excited about the bees and Sam keeps asking for a "small bee suit" so he can help, despite his experience with bees in the past.

Ten years ago Matt and I would sit and talk about our eventual place, our farm....bees were always on the list of "animals" we wanted to have. I am really enjoying being where we are right now...the place we've been trying to get for so long!
More to come soon with stories of Sam's 6th Birthday, Otis walking everywhere and Arlo's impending surgery!

Sam turns Six

2010-05-18T11:53:00.002-04:00

Once again I find myself writing about one of my children growing and changing and becoming a year older. It really is amazing how fast time flies by...and today we celebrated Sam's sixth birthday.

He invited six of his best friends, their siblings and families. We ended up having a nice group of people and some great laughs. One of our chickens escaped just as everyone was arriving and most of our guests came to see me running after a chicken through the field in a dress and muck boots! I am sure it was quite a strange sight to see.
Sam requested a "guitar cake". I have never been the mom to make the entire birthday a theme and certainly not a mom to make shapes out of cake, but I did it this time for my sweet first born and he was pretty happy with it. I don't think I'll ever do it again...although Arlo proceeded to ask for a guitar cake at his next birthday. Between Sam's birthday at school, Arlo's last day of school before surgery and extra for the party...I made over 100 cupcakes this week! I'll probaly never do that again either...until next year.
Arlo had a great time and it was a good thing he was able to try to get all his "crazies" out before his surgery. He can be such a fruit cake...in a sweet way, of course.Still big into dress up, Sam had a great time with this armor set, sword and helmet included. He and his friend ran around in the orchard killing dragons until it was dark.Otis had a really great time toddling around and getting into everything. Now that he is walking his body beginning to change so much. I just had to take a photo of his ankle fat resting on top of his converse sneakers (which both Sam and Arlo wore as their first walking shoes). I never want to forget that!
And here's my big boy; so sweet and freckled. Intelligent. Thoughtful. Sincere. Compassionate.

Five years

2010-04-29T23:51:00.002-04:00

After spending some time tonight reading a friend's archived blog posts, I was curious to revisit some of my first posts.

I stumbled across this post written nearly 5 years ago...all about Sam nursing and co-sleeping and how someday he won't be in my bed any more....

This morning I woke with not only Sam in my bed, but Arlo too and let me tell you that even in a king size bed, it was a tight fit!

Ah, I do know that really someday I won't have kids in my bed and I will miss. To be honest, I still enjoy a good early morning cuddle!

The Perfect Saturday

2010-04-24T19:47:00.005-04:00

:: Sam and Arlo participated in a pie eating contest at the grand opening of our new local city market.

:: We snuck Arlo into the contest because the age limit was 5 - 7 years and there weren't many kids participating. He thought it was great; had to kneel on a chair to reach the table; ate two bites and then said, "IIIII'm doooone! My face needs to be wiped!"

:: Sam made it through half of the chocolate cream pie and said, "My tummy hurts. I can't eat anymore." I was so proud of him. He stopped eating because he was "listening to his body"...a term we use a lot around here (associated with potty training).

:: Sam and Arlo went to see musical production at Lansing Comminity College with a dear friend, Molly and Megan. It is a swing music based performance done by a theater class that Molly took when she was in school.

:: We are alone with Otis for an evening. Weird.

:: With the boys gone, Otis took his first bath alone. This is a very big deal for a third baby. He was so excited about the space in the tub that he spent the first 10 minutes crawling and rolling around and from end to end, while giggling uncontrollably. It was the cutest thing I have seen since the pie eating contest.

:: At the end of the bath he was very curious about the drain stopper. Once all the bath water had drained; he kept pulling it out and trying to put it back in. It didn't take too many tries before he steadied his hand on his leg and slowly lowered the "post" end into the correct hole in the drain. I was incredibly impressed that he figured out how to do that on his own. The "problem" really required some steady hands and clever thinking! I have a genius child (ok, I'm a little biased).

:: I rocked Otis to sleep by the light of the evening. He made adorable little cooing sounds...probably some of his last. Everyday there are more signs of his growth. This is such a bittersweet age.

:: Our bees arrived and we are officially bee keepers! We have two hives; two colonies! I will have photos to share very soon...

Simply Spiritual

2010-04-16T01:19:00.003-04:00

We are in California visiting family this week and part of next. We just spent two days in Santa Cruz in a house that Matt's mom and dad rented. It was right across the street from the ocean (I'll have photos later). This morning the boys woke at 6:30 a.m. and I was able to watch the sunrise over the Pacific. It was amazing. The water crashing over the rocks...I never want to forget it.

Otis' Birthday Toy

2010-04-07T23:01:00.002-04:00

And He's One.

2010-03-14T22:59:00.002-04:00

Otis just a few hours old.

Otis on his 1st birthday.

At 10:35 a.m. this morning I woke for no reason other than, that exactly one year ago I was one minute away from birthing my third son. Strange, but sweet and the room was quiet with everyone else sleeping, so I sat and remembered my sweet Otis' birth.

We don't normally sleep in this late, in fact, it is a very rare occasion that I am able to sleep past 9 a.m. However, we are traveling and sleeping in a hotel suite...or rather I should write that we are not sleeping...so needless-to-say, we were getting the sleep when we could, even if it meant sleeping past the free breakfast our hotel provides.

Otis is a very darling little boy and everyone who passes by him stops and smiles and comments on how cute he is! I am not lying...it is true! He smiles and waves and has a handful of words, including "Ha", which is meant to be "Hi" as he waves. We were walking around Louisville yesterday and Otis was in the stroller waving at anyone that walked past the stroller (which was a lot of people in downtown Louisville)...very cute.

He is still crawling everywhere with no real interest in walking other than the occasional burst of want to walk while holding my fingers. It last only for a moment and then passes once he remembers crawling is much, much, much faster.
At one year Otis is about 28 pounds and wears size 18 months solidly, some 24 months. He sleeps 12 hours most nights, though he just cut his first molar and has been sleeping very poorly lately (who can blame him?) He is a bit attached to me and quite a "mama's boy", but I don't mind one bit! In fact, I quite like it. He's my baby and always will be....

We had a sweet little party for Otis on the 12th at home before we left for Louisville and then today we celebrated at a quaint little buffet style restaurant here in Louisville. Because we'd slept in so late we missed breakfast, and we were wandering the streets in search of some food. Cunningham's was the first place we found that looked kid friendly. They gave us our own little room and we had an array of foods to choose from including chocolate cake! We sang to Otis once again and he was able to dig in deep to the chocolate cake! Pictures to follow....

I am sad and happy at this mark in time. Things are getting easier as he gets older, but of course I am thinking about all these experiences being my last ones with a baby. Each one is so special...as it was with Sam and Arlo. I feel like I appreciate things so much more this time around...and so I don't mind when I am the only one he wants, when he needs me to carry him everywhere, when I rock him to sleep and it takes an hour (okay, when it takes half an hour)...

Finding Time

2010-03-05T16:13:00.002-05:00

Whew! Finding time is so hard!!! My days are a constant juggle of priorities:

"If I drop off Sam at x-time and make the traffic lights just right, I might have time to get Arlo to school by xo-time and then I can squeeze in a quick trip to the library to return the 3 week overdue books" OR "ok, Otis is occupied for 5 seconds in the playroom, I'll just run to the bathroom and pee and if he's still happy when I am done I can quickly swish the water in the toilet and call it clean...oh, crap he's unhappy, I guess I'll pee with the baby on my lap and then clean the toilet after all the kids are in bed, no wait I have to finish Arlo's preschool quilt and bake bread...."

You get the idea.

Needlesstosay, I have been having trouble finding time to blog and as I write this minute I am holding Otis...which is proving to be a challenge as he really enjoys banging on the keyboard!

I have wanted to post about our recent wonderful week long trip to California to visit Pat and Jim and Presh; the exciting news that Arlo did start preschool this week and loves it so much that he gets sad when he sees me arriving to pick him up; Otis' recent words (speaking words, not just signing words) including "apple", "mama", "ah da" (all done), and "hi"; our struggle with a dairy elimination diet for Arlo, which may have shown us he is mildly allergic to milk; Otis' impending 1st birthday; and Matt's organic conference that he organized which begins tonight.

Not to mention I still need to find time to finish the appeal for our insurance company regarding reimbursement for Otis' birth and get our final insurance claim together for our homeowner's insurance regarding the house fire.

I know I am forgetting lots of other things I can't seem to find time for, like laundry, cooking cleaning and volunteering at Sam's school; planning this year's garden, making the playgroup schedule; finding a guest speaker for my monthly discussion group; knitting the baby gift for Michelle's baby girl due in April; and reading my book club books.

Yeah, this post is turning into a "to-do" list. Sorry about that. I hope to find time to post some photos soon....that is after I photograph the conference this weekend and volunteer at the birth center for "Info Night" next week, and, and, and....

2010-02-04T17:52:00.002-05:00

Dear Mom,

I found an old email you wrote to me in November of 1997. It had been printed with an old dot matrix printer and was folded into fourths and tucked in a cook book I rarely use anymore. I had just moved to Montana and was attempting to cook my first Thanksgiving dinner. I asked you to send me specific details; recipes, ingredients and most importantly instructions on how to cook.
The list was long and the details were explicit. You were doing just as I had asked and every line of the letter was so very much from your heart. As I read it tonight it made me want to make a Thanksgiving dinner just as you had written it, even though it is nearly 6:00 in the evening and February.

I miss you. I miss you so much and I wish I could hear your voice right now. I wish you could know that Megan is here and we are a family together, even if Dad has a new partner and is so far away.

Anyway, all three boys are calling me. Arlo has been asking me to do a puzzle with him for the last 20 minutes and I should go be with them.

Send me an email sometime.

On a Lighter Note

2010-01-24T22:47:00.005-05:00

Megan with Otis in December.

On a lighter note...my sister has moved to Lansing!

It all began back in late October or early November. Megan works for the American Cancer Society and organizes and executes Relay for Life events. After visiting here a handful of times over the last two years, she decided that she'd look into transferring to the East Lansing office. There was some communication with the office here and to our surprise, what we thought would take a couple years, happened very quickly.
A position came open and Megan applied for the transfer. Same job, larger salary...it seemed too good to be true. The interviews went very well and we had no reason to think she wouldn't get the job...and then she didn't.

I was devastated. It took me a week to get out of a funk that made me so sad. I had been dreaming about her being around for Otis' first birthday, Sam's soccer games, Arlo's first day of school, helping her move into a house, going for walks together....having my sister really in my life again.

Two weeks after she'd been turned down, she got a call from the ACS East Lansing office with news that the woman who had been hired for the position had resigned. She had not accounted for the job being so emotional and didn't want a job that was also a lifestyle. ACS had originally given the job to her because she lived here in the area and had connections here. She had no Relay for Life experience (unlike Megan, who has had the job for 2 years in Maine).
They did not offer Megan the job immediately, but said that they wanted to meet her when she visited for Christmas. Essentially they held the position for her.

Megan met with the woman that would be her boss during her holiday visit and after a casual lunch and a tour of the office, they officially offered her the position giving her 3 weeks to pack up and move here. She arrived on Thursday afternoon. Tomorrow is her first day of work.

We are thrilled. Each and every one of us. Megan is living with us until she finds an apartment or house and it is so wonderful having her here! The boys LOVE having her around and I love having her around. It still feels like she's here on a visit, but I know it won't take long for us all to settle in to a routine.

Megan and I were not extremely close when we lived at home. We had different groups of peers and being nearly 3 years apart in age, she was only 14 when I left home for college. We haven't lived in the same state since. As we've grown older we've grown closer and we've especially become very close since our mom died 3 years ago. Other than Matt, she is my best friend and it feels so complete that she'll be a regular part of our lives now.

An Era Has Ended

2010-01-19T11:24:00.006-05:00

Otis at 1 month

I briefly mentioned this in a recent post, but as of about 10 days ago, Otis is weaned. The story is long and I am not sure I am ready to rewrite the whole thing now. I am feeling very torn by it all actually. It is hard for me to tell other people that he is weaned at 10 months and I wonder what they think. So many of the folks we know here, I feel, don't know me all that well beyond when we moved here and Arlo was 9 months then...my dedication to breastfeeding...I am still so submerged in the baby world with Otis being just 10 months. I see other mothers breastfeeding and I want to have those moments still. Like after Otis' naps, I want to nurse him. I want to nurse him first thing in the morning. My body still aches for those moments.
He is such a happy baby though and he seems to be very content with the milk he drinks (which is organic raw milk from a local dairy). In fact, he'll drink nealry 20 ounces of milk between 7 am and 12 noon. It is really amazing. He is sleeping all night and we rarely give him a bottle before 6 am, but during his waking hours, he packs it in!! We get 3 gallons of milk a week from the dairy and he consumes most of it!
I am mostly rambling about this. I wanted to document my feelings about it all and maybe I am just over-emotional about it because it is the end of an era! I will likely never breastfeed again. How can my child birthing years be done, when I feel like they just began?

Rediscovery

2010-01-09T13:53:00.002-05:00

Matt took Sam and Arlo sledding this morning with another Dad friend and his three year old daughter.
I stayed behind with Otis. Besides the fact that he just had two immunizations on Thursday, he is also teething and that adds up a cranky baby...needless to say, I was hoping to get him to sleep and have some quiet time to fold laundry. Yes, you read that right, quiet time to fold laundry.

Things worked out as planned. Shower with baby. Give baby bottle (Otis hasn't nursed in 2 days. I think he has weaned. Not sure how I feel yet.) Put baby to sleep. Watch movie and fold laundry.

It was very nice...the quiet, that is. The quiet that lasted for 20 minutes when baby woke up and continued to be crabby.

Here is where the divine intervention occurred and I remembered our snow shoes in the basement.
I strapped them on and put Otis in his snow suit and into the backpacking kid pack and took off into Fenner Nature Center right out my front door.

The sun, cool air, exercise, quiet time in the woods did amazing things for me...and it put Otis to sleep.

I will be doing more snowshoeing. Pictures soon to follow.

Nothing is Safe!

2009-12-30T09:27:00.003-05:00

Nothing is safe in this house anymore...Otis is on the move. Although is only army crawling, he is FAST! I absolutely can not assume he'll be safe anywhere unless he is in his high chair or crib. We knew it was coming and he is happier for it, but life is certainly different around here.

All the months of me warning Sam and Arlo that their toys would not be safe on the floor have come to fruition and Otis destroyed a balsa wood airplane yesterday. He can easily get to the Christmas tree and gravitates there first (I think we are taking it down on Friday!) My Dad brought Sam's old "Tot rider" (walker) and Otis loves it! He quickly figured out that he can move and while the bump in between the kitchen and dining room only kept him contained for a few minutes, he still only moves backwards!

Otis has three signs that he recognizably uses at this point, "all done", "more" and I am pretty sure he is using "poop/potty".

Otis' first Christmas was very sweet. My Grandma, Dad and sister were here and we sat by a fire and opened gifts, had a lovely and large Christmas dinner. We went sledding, we made candy...we did all the usual holiday celebrations and though I am usually feeling down about this time of year, I feel pretty good these days.

December was a busy month for us with parties every weekend and school events and I am just glad that it all went so smoothly! I feel like I was was orchestrating a huge holiday event called, "Family Life". It is a lot of work creating a month long experience for three kids! My office looked like Santa's workshop for weeks and now it looks like a department store that just had its going out of business sale, with strips of ribbon and little pieces of wrapping paper strewn on the floor and empty boxes haphazardly piled in the corner. I'll get down there and clean it all up once my motivation returns from its vacation. I think that will happen when Sam returns to school.

I did loose my mind momentarily when I signed Sam up for a swim class at the YMCA for Tuesday afternoons. As it works out I will be taking FOUR kids to the Y for swimming once a week for 6 weeks (Sam's friend from school will be joining us)! Yes, like I said, I lost my mind momentarily. By the time it returned, the damage had been done. I think it will probably be crazy, but worth it and I never really liked my life much when it wasn't crazy anyway, right?

Arlito Turned Three!

2009-12-08T14:14:00.005-05:00

Matt asked me recently if Facebook had taken the place of my blog and I said no, but after sitting down to post about Arlo's birthday and realizing that it has been a month since my last post....maybe he is right! I guess look for me on facebook...or don't and help me reconnect with my blog. I really want to.

So my sweet middle son turned three on December 5! It really is amazing how fast they grow up. It seems like yesterday I was writing about his birth.
Arlo is such a darling boy...when he wants to be (which is most of the time)! We went through the potty training haze a few weeks ago and shortly before we made the plunge and just did away with the diapers, Arlo was a monster. I think it was a developmental "bump in the road". He was so disagreeable to everything and had tantrum after tantrum, but once he made major progress his behavior changed. I feel like I can safely write that he has officially learned!! It is really nice to only have one child in diapers...the first time for me since Arlo was born. He is very proud of himself and we are so proud of him.

His favorite thing to do right now is imaginary play with Sam and they will do it for hours! I am not kidding. I have been feeling like the luckiest mom lately with my two older boys entertaining themselves in an imaginary world all day and a baby who sits and watches it all happen happily. There are some days when I just can't believe it is true...then someone screams or gets hit with a light saber and I remember that I do have real kids!

Arlo will wear a red cape pretty much every day and sometimes that is all he wears! He and Sam are really loving anything Star Wars related. Matt and the boys along with Uncle Andy and Grandma watched the first two Star Wars movies during Thanksgiving break. They LOVED them!! I was a little dubious about the movies and the boys' ages, but they did fine and really have been "in another world" with their play since then.
I can't think of any better than watching them pretend they are in an imaginary place! Yesterday they were telling each other that they were best friends. It was so sweet.

Arlo wears a size 3T, but just barely! He weighs 35 pounds and I am not sure of his height. He still needs to have his 3 year check up which will likely be after Christmas.

Right now he has a sinus infection and is coughing all the time. He is on amoxicillan and a nasal spray. I was able to convince him to use the neti pot in the shower with me last night and he seems to be doing better today, though he is still pretty mellow and tired. Kind of a nice change for me, but I feel bad for him because I know he is not up to par.

Arlo really wants to go to school and because his birthday falls 4 days after the district cut off date, he'll be home for 2 more years before he can start the Spanish Immersion program Sam is in. We may look into something for him part-time next year, but it is very expensive. I have been trying to participate in other activities for him on a regular basis, but with Otis and Sam (or Arlo) getting sick every other day (it feels like), we haven't been able to maintain much of a regular routine aside from going to the YMCA 2-3 times a week. He does enjoy the tot-watch there and there are lots of other kids his age, but there is no organized play and sometimes the TV is on the entire 90 minutes I am working out. However, I know we'll figure something out eventually and most days he is happy to just be at home all day (as am I, when we can actually do that!)

Perhaps I am just biased, but Arlo is a very clever 3 year old. He will ask questions or make statements that astound me. For example, yesterday we were in Target and he said (a bit louder than I would have liked), "Mommy, I have a birthday because I came out of your vagina, right?"
Yeah, like I said, clever.
He is also extremely polite saying "thank you" after everything!

He's been climbing into our bed every early morning lately and he snuggles up right next to me and goes back to sleep. Some mornings I don't even notice that he has climbed in until we wake up for the day. I am really enjoying it as he has never really been a cuddler, like Sam. I am trying to absorb all I can while I can.

I was afraid after I had Otis that Arlo would get lost in the mix, but so far he is holding his own and I am so thankful. He is really becoming a big helper with Otis too and wants to feed him and get toys for him. I love my days with him when Sam is at school and the days when we are all together.

And a Month Passes By...

2009-11-08T22:49:00.003-05:00

It seems when the week begins I dread the early mornings of school drop off and nap time fights, then I blink and it is Friday afternoon and a weight has been lifted from my mind...then I blink again and I am dreading the week's beginning again and before you know it a month passes by.

I remember my mom telling me that once you have children time seems to pass faster and I think that the more children you have increases that sensation exponentially!

Here is what has happened in the last month in the form of a list:

Otis cut2 more teeth and now has 8 total. He is still sitting-ish, trying to crawl, but falling on his belly and spinning in a circle! It is very cute.
Sam has made at least one drawing a day, if not more and can draw so well! I love being involved with him making art.
Arlo is making it closer to being potty trained, though he still fights it most of the time. We've tried all tactics at this point and the next step is to simply stop using diapers. Cross your fingers for us.
I read all 4 Twilight books in two weeks and started seeing vampires everywhere I looked. I really enjoyed the escape and it has started me on a reading binge, which is really, really nice!
Matt tried to ride his bike to work one morning, only find that the pine squirrels in our garage had filled his saddle bag with munched nuts! HA! He proceeded to try to kill the squirrels, but failed.
I set the yard on fire with the lawn mower trying to mow up the leaves. I am now banned from mowing when Matt is not around to help put out fires. No kidding.
Our friend Nik shot two bucks in our back yard with his bow. One was a 7 year old, 9 point buck weighing 240 pounds dressed. We will have venison in our freezer soon.
Otis woke with a nasty fever that kept rising until it spiked this afternoon at 104.5 degrees (rectal). Both Matt and I are still a little worried, but out pediatrician assures us we're doing all the right things and the ER is not necessary yet.
We clebrated Halloween for the first time in our neighborhood. Sam was a knight, Arlo was Superman, and Otis was a lamb.
Matt and I dressed as 70's disco studs and went to an adult Halloween party. It was a lot of fun!
The leaves have all dropped here at our homestead. The chickens are ready for winter and the yard is mostly ready.
This weekend was unseasonable warm so we spent it trying to finish up last minute "get-ready-for-winter" tasks including scraping and painting the front door frame. It looks nice now.
My sister applied for a job transfer to East Lansing, had two rounds of interviews and will hear the final decision this week. We are on pins and needles wondering if she'll move here.
Sam has a loose tooth.
The cat killed a mouse in the basement and then put it in her empty food dish. She has a great sense of humor.
We had 25 turkeys wander through our yard this afternoon. That is the most yet at one time. I was thinking about Thanksgiving when they walked by.
I no longer have a cell phone for the first time in 7 years. We now have a home phone which Sam will answer if he can get to it first. If you don't have our number, email me and I will give it to you.
I am still knitting a sock I started in June.
I have been going to the YMCA 3 times a week and am beginning to notice a difference.
We had mold removed from our basement and now I have an office space again.

Six Months...Now Seven

2009-10-09T20:45:00.006-04:00

Otis turned six months old last month! I started this post then and here were are at seven months old!

Whether it be that he is the third baby or that I am more comfortable with nature taking it's course in the realm of health issues; Otis had his first pediatrician appointment right after he became six months old.

He weighed 20 pounds and was 27 inches long! He is wearing size 12 months strongly and last night I put him in and 18 month size footed sleeper. His feet filled the slippers!

He sits really well now and is making major signs of movement. Today he scooted about 2 feet across the carpet while I was sitting in the chair beside him reading my book.

He's nursing like a champ again and all the issues we were having have subsided! I took Fenugreek and pumped for a while and then he started nursing lots and now I don't even need the Fenugreek anymore. We've been working with him on putting himself to sleep and sleeping longer stretches at night and he seems to be responding with ease. I am so glad. We had a very rough month where I was getting less than 4 hours of sleep a night. My under eye concealer was becoming my best friend. Last night he went down for a nap at 4:30 pm and slept until 4:30 am, nursed, then slept until 7 am!! That is a bit unusual, but we are getting from 8 pm until about 3 or 4 am now without a waking. I can lay him down in his crib awake and he'll just babble himself to sleep. So sweet.

He giggles and laughs a lot and has lots of babbling words like "ba, ba, ba" and "da, da, da", and "bumpfff". It is fun to hear him talk.

He's becoming more aware of strangers and will sometimes cry when a particularly large man gets too close to him and he is definitely my little "cling-on" most of the time. I have a great back-carrying pod that I love and wear him in a lot.

Otis has five teeth (three on bottom and two one top) and the sixth tooth is getting ready to push through any day. The teeth sure do help him with his eating! He can feed himself cheerios and little finger foods of the like. He seems to be doing fine with dairy baked into foods and I hope he'll be ok with milk and yogurt in a few months. He LOVES meat and tonight ate a piece of venison 2 inches in diameter!

He really is a a very jolly baby and I am so thankful. Getting ready to crawl, he'll sit and then lean forward onto his arms, rock back and forth and eventually end up on his tummy. Everyday he is a bit closer though and I know my life will be very different once he's a mover. I am enjoying the "sit and play" days while I have them.

News on the big brother front: Sam has a loose tooth on top and Arlo is making major potty training progress, though not without a fight.
More in the big kids later....

Finding Comfort

2009-08-30T23:23:00.003-04:00

Being married and having children at younger ages (wed at 22 and birthed at 26, 29, and 31), has forced me to age earlier. I don't mind it; in fact I am really excited about the transition in life I am about to make. I think my thirties and forties will be exciting years. I am going to get to watch my children grow and pursue some things for myself at the same time. I have found comfort in where we are in our lives.

In the last 6 weeks or so I have been having some trouble maintaining a sufficient milk supply for Otis. I never thought this would be an issue for me. I nursed Sam strongly for 2 years and Arlo for 16 months. Never once did I have more than a minor nursing issue.
It has been important to me to parent in such a way that I foster and nurture the attachment relationship with my children. I consider breastfeeding to be one of the core elements. This situation I am in is very foreign to me and I am not happy about it.
As my milk supply has decreased, Otis has been more and more reluctant to nurse. We've been supplementing with little bits of solid food, but rapidly he is wanting MORE! He loves it and has only encountered one foe so far: carrots!
In the last week he's been waking at night, wanting to nurse but becoming very frustrated with my lack of milk and extremely slow let-down (3 minutes or more) and just giving up and refusing the breast. It is not a good feeling to have your baby refuse your breast.
Those of you that know me well will know that when I write that I have been extremely reluctant to offer any other supplements, you know I mean it with valor.
However, after two particularly rough nights, we have started giving Otis some goats milk in a bottle. I offer him the breast first, but if he refuses I will give him a bottle.
He loves it.
Tonight he drank 4.5 ounces of goats milk, about a 1/3 cup of peaches with oatmeal cereal, nursed on both sides (based on my pumping experience, I'd guess it was about 5 ounces of breast milk) and he gummed a teething biscuit to death. Now he is sleeping soundly and should be with a tummy as full as he must have!
Becoming comfortable with this is very, very hard for me. Part of me feels like I am failing Otis; part of me is embarrassed; part of me is scared to tell some of my friends, as crazy as that sounds. Most of me knows this is all okay and is such a minor thing in the grand scheme of raising him; that there will be much harder challenges in the future. I just never thought I that I would find myself having to remember to grab a bottle of milk before I head upstairs to bed.
Tonight when I nursed Otis he fell asleep at my breast and he hasn't done that in months. It felt wonderful and easy. Nursing Otis up to this point has not been wonderful and easy and so I am now comforted just a little bit...

Visual Aids

2009-08-27T13:38:00.004-04:00

Just a few snap shots of my world. I haven't done anything to these images. They are what they are...

Done.

2009-08-26T22:15:00.004-04:00

A month or so ago I decided to make a list of all the reasons I know I am ready to be done having children. As the list grew it became a long list of negativity. I decided not to finish it and not to post what I wrote...
...instead here is a list of what I love about having my three boys in all of their stages...

I love it that/when...

...Sam still would rather be naked all day than wear clothes.
...Sam wants to cuddle every morning in bed.
...Arlo knows what a Zeppelin is.
...Arlo puts on his cape first thing in the morning and assumes "Super Arlo" duties all day.
...Otis plays with my hair while he nurses.
...I can fit all three boys on my lap when I read books.
...I can communicate with Otis pretty well even after only 6 months.
...I do have time for all three of them, one-on-one, at some point during the day.
...Sam wants to have serious "talks" with me when I tuck him in.
...Sam has freckles.
...Arlo has amazing blue eyes.
...Otis has chubby legs and two dimples.
...I can lay Otis down in his crib once he's fallen asleep and he'll stay AND I can sometimes lay him down while he is still awake and he'll put himself to sleep!
...Otis will still nurse to sleep sometimes.
...Arlo really wishes he could use a bottle still and some days wants to be the baby again.
...I love the way each of my boys smells.
...Sam is a great big brother.
...Arlo is a great big brother.
...Otis LOVES his two big brothers.

...I am really okay with being done having children. Now is the time to settle in and enjoy each of them as they grow. No more big changes for a while. We need to be still...to slow down.

Just Playin' Around

2009-08-16T23:42:00.005-04:00

Matt bought me a sweet little gift to help me curb my appetite for drawing and painting while the kids are sleeping...a Bamboo Digital Pen and Tablet!
Here is a work in progress as I learn Corel Paint and how to use the pressure sensitive tool. So much fun and it opens such HUGE possibilities. You can apply masks of sorts to digital photos to make generic photo paintings, but you can also actually paint and draw with all sorts of media tools. I am enjoying it, but there is a lot to learn! This is a painting I am working on to learn the different brushes and get the hang of mixing colors on a palette. Using individual strokes is much more appealing to me...

Overdue

2009-07-24T14:34:00.002-04:00

I am so very overdue for a post. I know. We've been living our lives so sweetly as summer has come upon us. Parties, visits from family, lazy days at home, chaotic days at home....the days just keep passing.

The kids are fantastic. All growing so fast. I will post some summer photos soon, but have been cleaning up my photographic archives and am not quite organized enough to find things I want.

I have been thinking a lot about herb gardens and growing herbs and gardening. It is a good feeling. I read a lot and talk herbs with friends.

Matt is getting busier with work as the Fall semester draws near. He'll be teaching in the beginning of September and he always has a lot of preparation to do. We're starting to think about Sam returning to school too...with only a little more than a month left to our summer break.

The weather is finally warming up and I think we might actually get some real summer activities in during the month of August. We'll actually be at home the whole with only visits from my sister, dad and grandma int he middle of the month. I am excited to see them.

Matt's mom and dad and Aunt Annie just came for a visit and it was wonderful...simply wonderful.

We are gearing up for a small road trip next week. We'll first drive to Maryland to see Matt's Aunt Meg and Uncle John. We'll also see Matt's cousin and her kids there. Matt will be in D.C. for a day meeting with some federal USDA folks. Then we'll drive south to Virginia to visit my Aunt Pat, Uncle Bill, cousins and their children. We'll make the 11 hour drive back to Michigan on August 4th and that will end our summer travels...whew!

Laundry to hang, dishes to put away and some cookies to bake...nap time is so nice.

New Places and Old Friends

2009-07-03T23:07:00.010-04:00

We first met Olgaly and Warren in Kansas in 2001. Olgaly and Matt were in the same Ph.D. courses and we became fast friends. Warren and Matt were always up to some crazy adventure and Olgaly and I felt so very comfortable together, despite our two very different cultural upbringings.
After the Ph.D.'s had been awarded in June of 2005, Olgaly and Warren returned to Puerto Rico and Matt and I made our trek to the Northwest. We hadn't seen them since that day when we waved goodbye to a packed Subaru, 2 dogs, and Olga and Warren....until June 19th when our whole tribe landed in San Juan and Olgaly picked us up! What a fantastic reunion. FIVE BOYS later (Olga and Warren had twin boys, 3 years ago), we were all back together again...and it was as if time had never passed.

Olgaly's mother has an apartment in San Juan right near the beach so we stayed there the first few days. We explored Old San Juan, El Yunque Rainforest and Cava Ventana, before driving the 2 hours to Utuado in the mountains to the 37 acre farm that Olgaly and Warren own.

Old San Juan

Arlo with Pablo and Diego

Sam LOVED this lizard. When it was finally time to let it go he cried and cried. It was very sweet.

Entering the cave.

Inside Cava Ventana...so beautiful!
Looking across Olgaly and Warren's acreage at their house, the white building on the outcrop and below the view from their wrap around, second story porch in the morning and then at night.
When we all lived in Kansas Warren used to tell stories of his 1966 Land Rover. It sounded too good to be true and then we got to meet the 'ole gal. Warren took us for a ride through the jungle of his land and it was fantastic! Sam and Arlo went for a ride the next day and LOVED it!
Both Olgaly and Warren had to work some so we explored the island on our own a bit. We went to Guanica Dry Forest (one of only five in the world)! We swam in the Carribean Ocean and played on the beach. Even Otis went for a dip!
All in all it was an amazing vacation. We loved the culture, the food, the natural variations of the island and most of all it felt so good to be reunited with our dear friends and to get to know their children. All five of our boys played so well together despite the language barrier. Sam attempted Spanish with them and by the end of the trip both Pablo and Diego had some English phrases they were using with us. It was hard to return home to 95 degree heat with 70% humidity, laundry to do and lawns to mow....but we've settled.
Thank you Olgaly and Warren...we'll be back!

Chickens and Such

2009-06-09T23:04:00.000-04:00

About this time last year I was writing a lot about the gardening and chickens and such. This year it feels like we are slow to start, but then again it is only June 1st. In Michigan our growing season is just really getting off it's feet. If you are a very dedicated gardener you might have seedlings going inside or have been planting outside, with great care, for a few weeks now.

I am not a dedicated gardener...yet. Small children make it hard for me be that dedicated. My time will come though.

We have been busy and the weekends do sometimes feel more crazy than the week days, and so is the nature of summer.

One of the more recent projects we undertook was building a chicken tractor! For those of you that are not savvy in the chicken department, a chicken tractor is a movable chicken pen! We've been wanting one since last spring when we first began our chicken adventures. The new baby chickens we took on this year (twelve barn yard chicken mutts) needed some new digs as they out grew the brooding box. We weren't ready to introduce them to the big girls as we have a pecking problem...and so we decided it was the right time!

Since these photos were taken Matt modified the brooding box so it is attached to the door and they have a place to roost at night, safe from raccoons. Our grand plan is to keep moving the tractor throughout the garden and let the chickens dig it up and poop on it...a bonus for our soil. We haven't planted a garden yet and may not do more than some cover crops. We joined a great new CSA this year, so we have lots of great organic veggies coming our way.
Our chicks from last year overwintered at a friend's farm south of here since we weren't living at the house. They keep roosters and our girls were pecked pretty seriously. Minus the roosters here we thought they would heal up, but once the skin is exposed they can't stop pecking! We're learning a lot about this issue and have found pine tar to be the best solution so far. We've been applying it every couple of days to the exposed skin and it seems to be helping.
They are laying, on average, six eggs a day (we have eight layers) and recently we had an egg that was HUGE. When cracked open, it had a double yoke! We couldn't even close the egg carton.
Building our homestead is a slow process and having babies along the way makes it even slower. We do see progress though and we're enjoying the hard work. We just recently bought a new garden tractor to replace our old one that finally kicked the bucket and it is making our lives much easier. As time goes on we'll get to where we want to be....or so I think, hope. A hoop house is in the plan and maybe a goat or two...

It's in the Genes

2009-06-08T21:30:00.002-04:00

Sam, 12 weeks

Arlo, 12 weeks

Otis, 12 weeks

Five Years Later

2009-05-27T22:58:00.001-04:00

Sam turned five on May 18th. He instantly became a big kid. Where did my first baby go?
Today is his last day of preschool...and as I write this, I sit here with Otis in my arms. What a great cycle. Sam has become such a wonderful boy to be around; so filled with curiosity and creativity.
We recently moved the painting easel into the kitchen area so I can "keep an eye" on Arlo when he is creating. Sam has rediscovered painting at home and his drawings are beginning to take on recognizable scenarios. He's drawn some great family portraits!
Sam is an excellent big brother and is a real help with Arlo. He can perform many tasks on his own now and is not afraid to things without asking for help (which can pose problems, but often does not). Sam's new "best friend" is a little girl name Adrienne from his school. She happens to live very close to us and her Mom and I have become friends. Erin also has a son Arlo's age and another new son just 6 weeks younger than Otis.
Having Otis has helped me to really appreciate Sam's "maturity". I don't find myself missing him as a baby at all and instead find myself loving where we are at so much more!

Tomorrow begins our summer as a family and I have been plotting my survival at home with three boys! Lots of outdoor activities, slow mornings here at the homestead or out and about. I'd like to revive our weekly city bus rides to the library. We plan to meet some friends at the local splash park somewhat regularly, as well.
We're traveling to Puerto Rico for 10 days in June and Matt's mom and dad have rented a house on Lake Michigan for a week in July. They will take Sam and Arlo with them for the week and Matt and I plan to join them for a day or two as well. We'll have our (now) annual 4th of July party and my sister may come visit in August (yeah!). I'd love to take Megan to Saugatuck Dunes State Park and the beach for a day.
This summer will fly by as fast as the last 5 summers and I plan on trying to take things slow. The kids require some level of momentum, but I want them to have as fond memories of thier childhood summers as I do of mine.

Otis' Birth Story

2009-05-12T22:57:00.002-04:00

Otis' Birth Story

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Fan Fiction Creative Writing birth story home birth

Six Weeks

2009-04-25T21:31:00.007-04:00

Six weeks (and a few days) have come and gone. Though with the other two boys, I felt a definite sadness with the passing of time; this time I do not. It has been a really hard six weeks. I am not going to sugar coat it at all. Otis seems to have a bit of colic and that makes what would already be challenging, just down right hard. There are predictably fussy times (like evenings) and we are beginning to figure out his cues and what works to calm him, but there are also very unpredictably fussy times. He seems to be very easily over-stimulated. Why on earth the universe decided to deliver me a third boy that is easily over-stimulated, I'll never know! The poor guy has little chance for quiet. We try to provide it as best we can, but I am not going "shhh" Sam and Arlo all the time. We compromise and during his fussiest hours (which happen to be before bed times anyway), we try to keep it more mellow. He is an exceptional sleeper at night and that has been a saving grace. Things are certainly getting better. Whether it is because he is getting older, or I figured out the food sensitivities, or we learned some of the triggers and soothers, or the frequent trips to the chiropractor; I don't know, but I have stopped trying to figure him out and am just trying to accept him. I have also stopped comparing him to Arlo as a baby or Sam as a baby. He is Otis as a baby and he is pretty damn cute (even when he cries).

Sam and Arlo are doing wonderfully and taking this all in stride! I am very lucky to have such aware and accepting kids who really love their little brother despite his current disposition. They both try to offer suggestions as to why he might be crying like, "maybe he needs milk", or "maybe he wants to be held", or "maybe he wants to eat some cheese"...most of the time they are great suggestions. Arlo seems to be rebelling a bit lately and I have noticed him acting out for attention. We are trying to nip that in the bud with more direct one-on-one positive attention. Although today was a challenging day and Arlo threw a sippy cup onto Otis' head in the carseat and then a piece of cheese. Whether he was trying to "soothe" Otis with the cheese after the sippy cup hit his head, I'll never know!

The first two pictures below were taken by my friend Shelie, who took the amazing images of me in my last days of Otis' pregnancy. Otis was about a month old in them. Since then he has lost a lot of hair and now smiles! The lower three are more recent images I took. Otis is six weeks old and you can see the hair loss. Sam and Arlo are being the creative little monsters we usually see in the other two. They really have become excellent friends and despite the occasional argument, they play together very well and it is a lot of fun to watch. Sometimes we see super heroes or transformers running around our house and usually they carry some sort of gun they have made from legos, or blocks or something of the sort. Arlo especially likes to make guns out of everything, even the crust on his sandwiches!

All in all we are getting by quite nicely and enjoying most of our waking moments. Spring has certainly sprung around here. We have twelve new baby chicks in our brooding box, little flowers and perrenial herbs and things popping up everywhere and the apple trees are just about to blossom. There is lots happening outside on the homestead...but that is for another post...

A Non-Baby Post

2009-04-08T17:10:00.002-04:00

Well, for those of you that read my blog somewhat regularly, I am sure you are getting sick of baby talk...baby this, baby that, isn't my darling chubby baby so cute, blah, blah, blah?
So, in an effort to keep all my readers entertained and to let you all know that even though my 24 hours a day is consumed by baby right now, even down to smelling like baby when baby is sleeping and I have a moment to myself...I am going to post about something non-baby.

I am a frequent reader of Franklin Habit's knitting blog The Panopticon. He's a writer, cartoonist, knitter and photographer in Chicago and I really enjoy his writing style, humor, sensitivity and his fantastic knitting! His most recent post, Strangers on a Train, made my jaw drop. Go ahead, click the link, read the post; I'll wait for you.

Appalling, isn't it? I suppose being a white woman in a more liberal part of the Midwest puts me in a fairly safe place. I am not likely to be in a situation where I will be heckled or singled out. Even breast feeding (oops, that is baby related) in public is accepted here.
Being so safe in my place I forget that there are truly ignorant folks out there. Franklin poses a great question at the end...if two very different people with opposing views can not find the gumption to endure a simple conversation on a train together; "how are opposing politicians and entire countries going to reach accord?"

There really is a world outside of my comfy little home and it isn't always as sweet as my darling little baby (sorry, had to get that in there).

Three Weeks Today

2009-04-04T16:12:00.000-04:00

Tradition

2009-03-25T09:29:00.004-04:00

When Arlo was a baby my father-in-law, Jim, found a photograph I had taken of Sam when he was about a week old (you can see it in Sam's hand). He suggested we take a photo of Sam holding his one week photo and Arlo at one week, together (see image at bottom).
Naturally, as a week drew near, Matt and I wanted to follow tradition and here you have it.

My three sons at one week of age,
2 years and 3 months of age and
4 years and 11 months of age.

Sam at 2 years and 7 months of age and Arlo at around one week.

One Week Later

2009-03-21T13:20:00.002-04:00

The first few days after Otis was born things were a little crazy around here. On Sunday we had a handful of visitors, mainly Jane and Dave and their daughter Molly. Dave is on crutches due to a broken ankle and he crawled up the stairs to see me and meet Otis! Needless to say, once he was up he was going to hang out for a while! I was still on "baby-high" and hung out in bed while he and Matt played chess; we ordered Indian food for dinner and all ate in the bedroom. It was very nice.
But Otis was having some very rapid breathing and strange tremors in his hands and legs. The midwives were concerned and thought it might be due to low blood sugar. They told us that babies over 11 pounds often have these issues before the mother's milk comes in. I have two breastfeeding friends and they brought milk to the house. We made a breast milk cocktail of the two mothers' milks and gave it to Otis. It seemed to help, but the 4 oz. we had wasn't enough to sustain him and we had a very rough Sunday night of 5 hours of off and on screaming.
By Monday morning his breathing had not improved and we were getting worried. Our midwives suggested we take him to our pediatrician, whom happens to be the husband of another one of our midwives. He is very supportive of home birth (obviously, if he's married to a midwife) and we trusted that he wouldn't just shuttle us off to the hospital. He felt that a chest x-ray would be good to make sure everything in Otis' lungs was clear. He also ordered a chest x-ray for me because my bronchitis was still hanging around! we made our way to the hospital for the x-rays, which went very smooth and Otis did really well in the car seat.
The x-rays came back clear for Otis and showed no signs of pneumonia for me, so we were glad to have that put behind us.
Tuesday was a turning point for us all. My milk came in and Otis was happy! So happy! He is a great nurser and seems to be giving us 3 hour stretches at night. Aside from a little gas from time to time, he is pretty much the perfect little baby.
In all of our runnings around on Monday, one of my stitches from the birth came out and I have been ordered to stay in bed a little longer than normal. The bronchitis wasn't clearing up with the first round of meds so now I am on Prednisone....but after 5 really good days of rest; very little walking, lots of sleep and water; I am beginning to feel really good. This next week will be very good for us all. Otis and I are getting downstairs some, eating with the family, socializing and it all feels like we're settling in to our family of five.

One week old

Matt's mom, Pat, is here helping...and boy is she a great big help!! She is really keeping the house running, with help from Matt (and Sam and Arlo). But she is amazing. It isn't easy to take over someone else's household and make it work, but she sure knows how to do it....and can the woman cook!!!! I am being fed like every new nursing mother should be! She'll be here until the 30th. Matt's dad, Jim, will join us on Thursday. They have plans to take Sam to see The Lion King broadway show that is here in Lansing for a bit next weekend! Sam is thrilled and I am thrilled that he gets to go.
The boys are adjusting well. It has been a good slow introduction for them. Now that I am a little more active and around them more with Otis, they'll get to help and interact a bit more. Arlo seems to be having a little more trouble with the adjustment (he's been acting out a little, but he's also sowing his 2 year old oats). Sam has been wonderful! He helps and wants to hold Otis. They have both been surprisingly patient as well.
I am still working on a birth story. It is harder to write than I though it would be. Time will help and in the next few days I think it will be done. I'll post with pictures then.

Spring Brings New Life

2009-03-14T19:25:00.002-04:00

Otis James Haviland was born at home, as planned, at 10:36 this morning, weighing in at 11 lbs 14 oz., 22 in long...we are both just fine after 7 hours of laboring.
Not an easy labor, by any means, but an excellent reminder of how capable our bodies are when left to do things naturally.

We are all so excited to finally have him here. Sam and Arlo did great. Sam was a big part of the labor, holding my hand through contractions, watching Otis come out and cutting the cord!

Otis is nursing like a champ...a lot!
A more detailed birth story to follow.

Baby Update UPDATED

2009-03-08T21:05:00.005-04:00

I have been waiting to make an update here about the pregnancy and the "waiting game" until I had a few more recent belly shots to share. It just so happens that my friend, midwife, and beloved photographer, Shelie came by yesterday, last minute and we had a little photo session! It was so much fun and I am really glad we got to do it before baby arrives (soon, we hope).
Have a look and enjoy! She is a great photographer and I don't think I have ever had nicer photographs taken of me (except by my dear love, Lisa!)...even as big and round as I am right now! I feel very lucky to have these images to document my final pregnancy. I am 39 1/2 weeks in all of these.
At last week's appointment my fundal height measured 44cm, which is the largest I have ever measured! For those of you who are pregnancy ignorant, you "usually" measure the same number cm as weeks pregnant you are! I was 39 weeks at that measurement. Now I usually measure a few cm larger than weeks pregnant, but this is a large jump for me. We have another appointment tomorrow and I will update again after that. I have been having lots of contractions, some just toning contractions and some that are pretty strong and require some minor breathing to get through. I can't tell when this guy will come. I feel like it could happen at any moment and then I also feel like it could still be a week! We'll just have to wait and see I guess! Please feel free to call and check in. I am not at the point where phone calls are annoying and I welcome the distraction! The boys are getting very anxious, as are we all!

*Updated Update* After a check up today with the midwife, I am 4 cm dilated and 50% effaced...things are moving along!

Back In and Still In

2009-03-02T09:51:00.005-05:00

We've officially moved back in to our house! The move on the 21st went very well, nice and smooth with lots of help from friends and loved ones. My Dad arrived around noon and helped get beds set up and boxes moved around. The furniture was delivered without a hitch and now, a bit over a week later, we are feeling mostly settled. We have living spaces cleared and many boxes unpacked...enough to feel comfortable for now.
A few photos are below. I think they are mostly self explanatory, though I have to say that the bunk beds are Sam's and he is VERY proud! Our first night in the house he was in PJ's by 6 p.m. all ready for bed and LOVES sleeping on the top bunk! Arlo likes his bed as well and other a night or two of fit-full sleep, they have adjusted amazingly.

Today is my mother's birthday and she would have been 60 years old. I thought it would have been nice if Otis arrived today, but so far there are no signs that he will! He is still in! From the photos above I am sure you can see that the birthing space in the bedroom is all ready, the baby room is ready (minus a crib, which will arrive any day) and we have officially begun the "waiting for baby" game. I even finished the blanket I started for him a month ago (you can see it draped over the back of the rocker in our bedroom).
We'll certainly keep you posted and if there are any images you are missing let me know and I'll try to get some more detailed photos up here.

Quick note

2009-02-24T14:11:00.001-05:00

Just a quick note to let everyone know that we hve finally moved in to our house!! The move this weekend went very well and we all feel so relaxed being back in there.
I will post pictures soon.
We have no internet at the house, just at the rental which we'll be completely done with by this Friday!
Sorry for lack of communication over the last few days.....

More to come!

Passing Update

2009-02-20T21:11:00.006-05:00

Matt's grandfather, John Donovan, passed away on Wednesday, the 18th.

Over the years that I have been in the Grieshop family, I never really came to know Grandpa very well. He was a man of few words around me. He was a firefighter in NYC for many years and was a hard worker. In the years before his health deteriorated, he enjoyed taking very long walks and sometimes these walks would fill most of his day. I was always very impressed that he had such a contemplative past time and wondered what he thought about on his walks.

I know he enjoyed getting to meet his great-grandsons, especially Sam, as he outgrew the baby stages and am glad that Sam was able to meet him, even if just a few times.
Grandpa had a thick NY accent and I don't think I'll ever forget the way he always said, "Nice dinner, Patricia", after a meal, and she'd respond, Thank you, Daddy", despite her age.

On one visit I remember him telling me that he thought I was doing a great job with Sam and to "keep it up". Those words meant a great deal to me at the time, and still do, as it was the nicest and most sincere thing he ever said to me.

This weekend Matt's family is gathering to have a small memorial ceremony honoring Grandpa. Of course, we will not be there and it is very hard for Matt to be missing this event. It is really tearing him up inside. I hate to see him upset about it and it is hard for me to not feel like it is my fault. I know it's just timing.

Grandpa will be missed. He held a history of Matt's family, of my family now, that is gone in a way. I am sure he had some incredible stories of his years in this world and I am sorry I didn't get to hear more of them.

Moving and Knitting and Babies.

2009-02-13T14:02:00.003-05:00

We have finally been given a move-in date! Our contractor has said we can start moving things in February 16; that is less than a week away. We will actually make the official move back into our house on the 21st...almost exactly 5 months since the fire!

A couple days after the fire we sat outside of our burned house, the air filled with that burned smell I'll never forget. Nothing like a campfire. It was a complex mix of burned plastics and paint and hair and fibers and sadness and memories. Just awful.
I was so nervous about meeting our insurance adjuster. I had this crazy image in my head of a pencil thin white guy in a suit carrying a clipboard and wearing a skinny little mustache. Of course he was out to get us, he was going to blame us for the fire despite what the fireman had determined as the cause.
With that fear came pure excitement to meet with the contractor that would rebuild our house. For some reason I had it in my head that we'd be back in by Christmas. That excitement was smothered by shock when Marv told us February. I lost it, tears streaming. I'll never forget the look on his face.
And my fears of the insurance adjuster were smothered when I met Brenda, a Midwestern mother of two, wearing a sweat shirt and jeans. She stepped aside for a moment in the middle of our meeting to take a call from her son. I knew then things were going to be okay.

Today we had the final walk through with Marv and Joe (the head carpenter). It felt so good to be walking through our house put back together, looking better than it did the day we moved in a year ago. New flooring throughout, freshly painted, new lighting fixtures and some bathroom remodeling....wow, I can't believe this is *my* house! It almost feels like we don't deserve to live in a place so nice...almost.

In the past few weeks of restricted activity I have been trying to get some knitting done and have managed to complete a few projects and start a few more! Sam lost a pair of socks I had knit him in the fire and he wanted a replacement pair. "Green this time, Mommy", he said. I dutifully knit him some green socks. It was fun and quick and he loved them so much he wore the first one for two days before the second one was even done, then he wore the pair of them for 3 days straight!
I managed to knit my first pair of adult mittens in December and am excited to start another pair soon. They are also a quick, satisfying knit. I started a baby blanket for this little guy, breaking my usual tradition of sewing a baby quilt. Since my sewing machine is still at the restoration company and I don't really have space to do one here. The timing is such that knitting one has been easier as well...though it will take a while.
I am knitting with a Kashmir Aran yarn that is so soft. I have wanted to knit with it for so long, but didn't have the occasion or finances to rationalize spending nearly $60 in yarn for one blanket!! The time has come and it will be a beautiful gift for my sweet, third son when he arrives.
In other knitting news, I have recently received two gift packages from dear friends across the country, both including some pretty fantastic yarns and sweet one-skein project book! One of the yarns is a blend of silk and seaweed! I am very excited to start some projects after the baby blanket is complete. I think I might have about 4 projects on needles by the end of this month! Whew!

Yesterday marked 36 weeks in the pregnancy. With one more week of restricted activity to go, I am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. However, this whole experience has been hard for me. At first I thought I would welcome the rest and quiet and time alone. What big pregnant mother of 2 active boys wouldn't want that, right? But with the rest and quiet and time alone also came loneliness and seclusion and my spirits have been kind of low the last week. I haven't seen most of the women I usually see every week and I generally stay quite active. So to suddenly be very still and relying on others to do most everything for me, is just not in my nature!

I had a visit from a good friend in the afternoon yesterday and she brought with her a big bag of home made foods, farm eggs and her two sweet sons. Her younger son is just 6 weeks old and I was able to hold him while he slept on my chest for over an hour. It was so special and just what I needed. He curled his little legs up under his belly and rested his little head on my chest and sighed and slept and I could smell his sweet baby smell. I was reminded of why I am taking things easy right now and reminded of what is to come for me in the upcoming weeks. It was a perfect hour and I am more excited than ever to meet our little Otis (there you have, it.....Otis).

Two Years Ago Today

2009-01-31T16:49:00.005-05:00

For those of you that know me closely, you'll know what happened two years ago today without reading about it here. And thank you for all of your sweet emails and Facebook notes...I appreciate your thoughts.

I have been feeling a bit more sensitive today and I did cry this morning when I read the eCard my Dad sent my sister and I. Even though he has a girlfriend now and is with her today and that seems so surreal to me, he knew just what to say.

And so I sit with Arlo next to me, the evening sun casting beautiful shadows across the backyard thick and smooth with fresh snow and I remember two years ago today. The light outside is quite like the light was that day. The stillness in this house is quite like the stillness of that day.

Two days ago I experienced what was as close to labor as I remember from Arlo's birth 26 months ago. Too early to have this baby, after some tests and great discussion, my midwives have put me on restricted activity for 3 weeks to deter preterm labor. It is hard to sit still.

In my efforts to rest this afternoon I have been on Facebook, Youtube, checked email, watched new episodes of this tv show and that one, and finished knitting Sam some socks. In my internet wanderings I watched this video of Kelly Corrigan reading an excerpt from her book "The Middle Place", sent to me in an email from a dear friend. I cried and cried by the end of the 5 minute video and just had to find her book. Our local library had no copies in print available to check out, but had an ePrint version I downloaded and "borrowed" on my computer. I read the first three chapters quickly and then sat down to write this.

The entire second chapter of her book is all about her Dad. After reading it and thinking about my Dad I wondered if I could write in such detail about him. I feel like I can't remember much about the way things were before my Mom's death or how my Dad was. However, in reading her writings I had a refreshed appreciation for my Dad, for his situation now.

In some ways her death has made me feel closer to my Dad and in other ways I feel more critical of him.

In our society, so much emphasis is placed on the mother as the nurturer, the bringer of life. And yet, in many families, in my family growing up, the father played an equally important role.

The Bush daughters wrote a very sweet letter to Obama's daughters and the last few sentences really resonated with me:

"Many people will think they know him, but they have no idea how he felt the day you were born, the pride he felt on your first day of school, or how much you both love being his daughters. So here is our most important piece of advice: remember who your dad really is."

So this afternoon as I sit and remember the passing of my mother, I am also thinking of my father, who is living and still very much a part of my life. He loved my mother very much and still does, despite new companions, routines or experiences. And he is still very much the father of my childhood. He carries that history which we share.

As Kelly Corrigan wrote, "He defined me first, as parents do. Those early characterizations can become the shimmering self-image we embrace...in my case, he sees me as I would like to be seen."

Oh yeah, I'm pregnant!

2009-01-13T14:19:00.006-05:00

People laugh when I tell them that daily I forget I am going to have another baby! Really, I do. I know that my giant belly should be the constant reminder, but when you grow gradually you tend to get used to your size and you are just "you". I do have moments when I realize that in just 8 short weeks we'll have three kids and one will be a newborn baby! Exciting, scary...mostly exciting. I haven't posted much about the pregnancy beyond the early stages of nausea and extreme discomfort. Mostly it has been a pretty good pregnancy; harder than the other two, but the stress levels of life have been much greater this time around. Plus, you know, I already have two kids to take care of.

11 weeks

22 or 23 weeks

28 weeks

32 weeks

I have been measuring just about the same as I did with the other two boys, 4-5 weeks big, which doesn't mean a lot for me. I grow babies, how I grow them and I grow them around 10 lbs. or so. We're still hoping to have this guy at home and assuming we'll get back into our house when they are telling us, that should be easy to do. I am beginning to get the desire to do some nesting, but have no real "nest" to prepare, so I knit! Ha! I started a blanket for this baby and really enjoy working on it and imagining him all wrapped up and in my arms!

The boys are getting increasingly curious about when the baby will come out. We read a lot of books and have started talking about what labor will be like for mommy. Sam really wants to be at the birth and the plan is to have him there. The other day he said to me, "Mommy, I want the baby to come out because I am getting anxious to meet the placenta!" We've had lengthy discussions about the in's and out's of baby making and I do mean ALL of the in's and out's associated! He is full of questions even at age 4. Arlo wants to know fairly regularly if the baby will "suck on my boobies". His words. I think he's feeling like he isn't quite ready to be a big brother, but would rather be the baby again for a bit. We're trying to help him see that being a big boy has its privileges too.

Big changes ahead for us all, but we'll adapt, as we keep doing when life challenges us!

Newness in the House

2009-01-07T18:42:00.009-05:00

*Warning* This post includes pictures of the interior of the house right after the fire. If you do not want to see those images, do not scroll down. They are disturbing to some folks.

There has been some major progress at the house!! Things are moving along so quickly and we were told this week that we will be moving in the 2nd week of February! We had March 1st in our heads and when we got the good news that move in would be a couple weeks earlier, my stress level decreased so much.

I have a few progression pictures of some of the big things that have happened in the last few weeks, but I want to save the real "before and after" images for once it is all done and painted. Walls are being painted this week and floors begin going in late next week!

You can see below the progression of the siding. I am very happy with how it has turned out.
This is how the boys' bathroom looked just after the fire and then the stages since. There is a good shot of Joe the "plaster master" working on the walls! He was amazing to see in action.Our closet just after the fire and then the other day after Allen built the new shelves and such. I was able to "design" the placement of shelving and clothes rods...something I never thought I'd do.

Last is our master bath just after the fire and then the new shower stall that was completed this week. Of course there is still a shower door and fixtures to go in, but we were REALLY pleased with the tile work. We used to have a cast iron tub and decided we didn't need that and so chose to put in the shower. I can't wait to use it!

There will be more later!

We got the YUCK...and then Christmas came!

2008-12-31T17:00:00.000-05:00

Sam got the yuck (fever, snot, coughing, body aches) from school. He was pretty sick for about 4 days.

I got the yuck from Sam. Mine turned into influenza and then bronchitis with the beginnings of pneumonia. One night I had so much trouble breathing I ended up in the ER. After some antibiotics and breathing treatments they sent me home and after 2 weeks I am feeling better.

Arlo caught it from me, though he maintained a pretty snotty cold and nothing worse.

Megan, my sister, came for the holidays and ended up with some sort of hybrid version of it all. She's back in Maine in now and seems to be on the mend enough that she's going out tonight to celebrate the new year.

Matt and my Dad escaped the yuck.

How? We will never know. Though you could find them anywhere in the house by following a trail of Emergen-C wrappers and that may have had something to do with it!

Megan arrived on the 18th and my Dad on the 20th. On the 21st, despite the below zero temperatures, we drove to the Peacock Road Tree Farm in Laingsburg. Matt and Dad braved the cold outside and cut us a tree while Megan and the boys and I hunkered down inside with hot chocolate. I was only 3 days out from the hospital and knew I would not be able to engage in the festivities, but wanted to tag along anyway.

Megan, Dad, Matt and the boys took the train out to see Santa.

The boys each sat on Santa's lap and were given candy canes and sleigh bells. They got to tell Santa, once again what they wanted for Christmas. Sam: a Spiderman Truck. Arlo: Candy and a truck.

The tree was expensive. In fact it was the most we've ever paid for a tree (we haven't paid for a Christmas tree since 2002, so it all worked out in the end). But, it was really pretty. Matt and dad trimmed it up and we decorated on the 22nd.
I found this really ornate and pretty cast iron tree stand in the laundry room of this house. We decided to use it being that this year's tree is so big and the stand seemed to be very sturdy. However, by the time we'd completely decorated the tree, including putting the angel on top, we realized the tree stand was leaking water all over the hard wood floors! Dad soaked up all the water from the floor and out of the stand and the next day he and I went on a tree stand search. It was not an easy task to find a tree stand large enough to hold a trunk 8" in diameter 2 days before Christmas! But, we did....and then after un-decorating the tree...

...we decorated it again!

Here you see the tree and fire and all the gifts Santa brought early on Christmas morning. My Dad and I were up before the boys! I was so excited and SO hungry! It was fun opening ALL the presents and the boys had a blast! Santa brought the boys everything they wanted and more!

We replaced almost all of the toys that the boys lost in the fire, which why we had such a huge Christmas. I was worried that they would be so overwhelmed that they wouldn't really appreciate the gifts or the time were spending as a family. However, both boys did really well! Sam was so into all the activities; the advent calender, the tree adventure, the gift wrapping and even taking turns opening gifts and the excitement and joy of giving. I was so proud of him and of Arlo. They really enjoyed having my Dad and Megan, or "Megit" as Arlo called her, here for the visit and I miss them so much already! Megan left on the 28th and my Dad on the 29th.

Tonight we will bring in the new year with some friends at their house. They are hosting an "Around the World" New Year's celebration with a toast at every hour for the new year in one part of the world or another! It is a family friendly event and I put the boys down for late naps to aid in a smooth, late evening!

March will be a big month for us with moving back into the house and the new baby, but beyond that, let's hope that 2009 is a lot less stressful for our family!

Happy New Year to All!!!

Whew, he made it to TWO!

2008-12-09T10:32:00.008-05:00

There have been some close calls...Arlo is a wild child! We, very gratefully, celebrated his 2nd birthday last Friday. It does seem like yesterday that he was born and was this tiny (errr, not so tiny) little baby boy.

However, in two years he has blossomed into a fantastic, explorative, and expressive little toddler. Running and climbing everywhere, talking up a storm, eating like a champ and asking so many questions...he really is a joy (and a lot of work) to be around.

Arlo has a wicked sweet tooth, likely inherited from me! He LOVES candy, especially lollipops. We hosted a play group on his birthday and had cupcakes with lollipops on top! Quite a splurge on my part, but you only have one birthday a year, right?

We had a wonderful weekend filled with holiday family events. The university hosts Santa every year in the arboretum and it is filled with poinsettias, including a huge poinsettia tree. We braved the crowds of families with 2, 3, and 4 year olds and managed a quick photo session. Not an easy task with two wiggly boys.

Arlo wasn't sure about Santa and if you ask him about seeing Santa he'll say, "Santa cary Arlo", meaning "Santa scared Arlo". Sam told Santa he wants a Spiderman truck for Christmas and Arlo felt a little better about Santa after he gave him a candy cane...which disappeared in a matter of seconds!

Over the weekend we began a new family tradition of building a gingerbread house. The boys loved the entire process, especially our little sweet tooth who kept eating the candy decorations.

All weekend Arlo kept asking,

"eat ginger house, please, please, please?"

When he was told that we don't eat the house right away he wasn't too happy as you can see below!

We've been seeing this face a bit more these days between Arlo's recent new fears of moving toys and Santa and his assertion with independence. The two's have hit and though he usually takes these developments in stride, we're definitely seeing more tantrums.

Where are we at?

2008-11-24T17:20:00.006-05:00

Specifically, we are in the very beginning of another Michigan winter! It has been snowing every couple of days over the last week or so and most of it is sticking around. We got another inch or so this morning and more is expected this evening and into tomorrow. Being that we LOVE winter, we're all pretty excited. I took this photo at our house last week during the first snow. I just had to go by and see what our space looked like with the first blanket upon it. So beautiful. We miss being there.

Along with the winter weather comes more time inside....it's inevitable and we find lots of fun things to do! The boys were sent a cute little gift package from a dear friend in Kansas including gummy Army men (her husband is in the Army) and lots of stickers! Arlo entertained himself for quite a while with his book!

Winter also brings some great capitol area activities including the Silver Bells in the City celebration. We went last year, as well as this year, and loved the electric lights parade and the lighting of the tree with the fireworks.

So cold, so fun, so worth it.

The house work is moving right along, too. Below is a photo of the bathroom when we bought the house. You can see the octagonal window and the HUGE vanity and double sinks.

We opted to put in a regular double hung window and replace the large vanity with one pedestal sink. You can see the basic changes below, though it is still hard to visualize where things will be. Once it is all done I'll post before and after pictures.

The house has now been fully smoke cleaned and sealed, which is the white powdery looking stuff all over the walls. We have all the new windows in upstairs and it is nice to have the plywood removed from the window spaces. It makes the house feel more like our home. Below is the master bedroom.

And the dining room all sealed. You definitely don't smell smoke anymore...now it just smells like sawdust and paint! Smells I much prefer!

Of course, when ripping apart an old house there will be surprises and what you see below are the remnants of a fire from possibly 30 years ago that began in our mud room wall and then smothered itself. The previous owners likely had no idea the fire ever started and were very lucky it didn't progress. The cause of this little surprise was taken care of...an improperly sealed 220 wire. Ugh. It was a little scary to find this, but the contractor has assured us that it is all being dealt with appropriately.

Next week the new plaster walls will begin going up and by the end of the week the new siding will also begin going on. It is beginning to feel like we'll actually get back in by February 1st....

Are you Two or Four??

2008-11-17T22:10:00.002-05:00

Saturday we were driving in the car. Matt was talking to me about something random. I can't even remember what and Arlo pipes in and says," Daddy, why?"

Matt responds, "I don't know why. Why do run around the house and destroy things?"

Arlo is quiet for a few moments, then says, "Mmmmm, ahhhhhh, wanna touch, Daddy."

"Why?" is the latest word/question/phrase and we're hearing it all the time. He'll even ask Sam and Sam's common response is, "I can't know why, Arlo."

Big Steps

2008-11-11T17:35:00.004-05:00

When I remember the potty training process with Sam it seems like it was such a long, rough road. He really resisted and thanks to my blog posts I can say with confidence that it took us the better part of a year to get him officially potty trained!

Arlo has been much more interested in the potty and the whole idea.

He watches Sam and though he rarely asks to go or tells us when he needs to go, he doesn't fight it when I take him. Last night I sat him on the potty before bed and he pooped! Then again this morning he made a little deposit on the potty. I think if I am persistent and regular about taking him, he could be fully potty trained by the time the new baby comes. We'll see how this winter plays out, but I am going to shoot for that.

Happy Halloween...err, Voting Day!

2008-11-04T19:18:00.003-05:00

Rebuilding

2008-10-31T08:34:00.005-04:00

We are rebuilding! (And I found the cable to upload images from my camera to the computer, so now I can share...)

The first image was taken this summer and is a reference point for what the roof line looked like before the fire. There is a gable in the center of the roof that was a part of the original structure of the house. I never really looked closely at the roof line before all this, but now when I see it I think it looks funny. The contractor asked us if we wanted to replace it; there is no structural purpose and is an energy sink. We decided to save some money and energy we wouldn't have then rebuild it.
This picture was taken about a week ago after they had removed the shingles (that we just had replaced in June!) and all the sheeting and are in the process of replacing the trusses. Most of the trusses were damaged by the fire or the construction was not up to the current building codes.
And here is the roof with the shingles replaced and the gable removed! I really like the new roof line. It is very clean and simple. It was amazing to see how fast they removed and replaced the roof...all in about 4 days!Once they finished the north roof they had to deal with another building code issue in the south part of the house. Apparently the three dormers were not supported properly and three HUGE beams had to be craned into the side of the house.

You can see they had to cut a hole in the side of the house to fit the beams in! I haven't been up there to see them installed, but I am hoping next week to get inside and see the progress there. They have been soda blasting the rafters and framing to clean the smoke and soot. Click the soda blast link to see a Youtube video of the process...very cool!

And last, but certainly not least, this photo was taken yesterday morning after they had removed the south roof shingles and were preparing to replace sheeting and put on new shingles. Smoke damage was significant in the south side and thus the replacement will be faster than on the north side, but still time consuming.

I will keep updating as I have more to share. Next week the smoke removal team will be inside all week hand cleaning every inch of the house to remove the smoke and then shortly after that they will start rebuilding the insides! Matt and I have a lot of decisions to make in the next couple weeks!

3's Company

2008-10-21T12:27:00.002-04:00

3's company and 4 is a crowd? Is that the saying?

I had hoped to post ultrasound pictures along with this, but we still have no scanner or printers here at the temporary Grieshop homestead...words will have to do.

We'll be welcoming another Grieshop BOY into our family in mid-March!

We weren't going to find out, then I decided as we walked into the ultrasound room that I needed to know and I feel much more relaxed knowing the sex. We're excited...and a little scared!

Out of Touch

2008-10-08T17:22:00.002-04:00

We moved into the new place and while having a nice living space has helped all of our stress levels decrease....I have been way out of touch without internet!

Pat and Jim are here visiting and helping a lot, as usual and are watching the boys while I am at a local coffee shop taking advantage of free wi-fi!

This will be short, but we should have our own wi-fi on Friday and I can update more regularly...including pictures of the progress on the house!

If you need our new, temporary mailing address, please send me an email and I'll give it to you!

More later...

We have a home!!

2008-09-30T21:19:00.006-04:00

Today we found a house to rent for the next six months while our house is being repaired!

This place is amazing!!

(click the link for detailed photos)

My good friend Jane went to see her chiropractor, mentioned our situation; he mentioned that he has a friend that leases homes for sale; she gave me the contact info; I gave it to our housing guy; he called the woman....and by 4:00 this afternoon we had a beautiful house to live in! We move in Friday.

The amount of stress that has been relived from my body is amazing. I feel younger, lighter and so much more at ease.

House Fire: Update

2008-09-25T06:24:00.004-04:00

We met with our insurance adjuster and a fire restoration company on Monday and we learned a lot...some of it was good news and some of it was not so good news:

At the earliest they see us back in the house by February 1st.
The dollar amount of damage is LARGE! More than I had expected.
We lost 95% of the things on the second story. Some of the stored items in one of the bedrooms will likely be able to be restored. We all lost all of our clothes and shoes. Winter items were in closets on the main level, so they are ok.
There is extensive water damage on the main level, though the furniture should be able to be restored.
When we begin reconstructing the house the city will force us to get everything to code which is part of the reason it will take so long. However, when it is all done it will be so nice to not have to worry about those things anymore.

This first image was taken on Friday night, before the fire and the second image is of the same spot in Sam's room. The following images are from around house. They are fairly disturbing, so be warned. I only post them as a sort of closure for me and because so many of you have asked.

Yarn...

2008-09-22T22:06:00.002-04:00

I have so many wonderful knitting friends asking about yarn...the most common question I get is, "Did your yarn survive?"

I must really be known as a knitter now!

Survive is a tough word to define...physically it is there. Will I ever use it again, no.

We were told today that we lost everything on the second floor of the house....that is all of our "things". Structurally there is a lot of damage, but a lot of the walls and floors can be refinished and what needs to be will be rebuilt.

I can claim the loss of yarn in our insurance claim and purchase it all over again....so there is some yarn shopping in my future.

Not sure about needles and things of that sort...I would imagine some of that can be cleaned.

More later...

House Fire

2008-09-21T08:48:00.002-04:00

We had a house fire last night. It was very scary, but we are all fine. Even the cat and the dog are fine.

The fire started in a light switch in Sam's room and it spread very fast.

There was a lot of damage from fire, water, and smoke, but most of our valuables and furniture on the lower level are okay.

We stayed with close friends last night and will be here tonight and then the insurance company is putting us up in a hotel for 11 days after which they will find a house for us. It will likely be 2-3 months before we can move back in to our house.

The boys are doing really well. They were very freaked out yesterday, but they are very comfortable with our friends and seem to be adjusting to the changes okay.

I'll post with more detail later. In the mean time, just know that we have been taken care of very well. The Red Cross gave us disaster funds for food and diapers, friends have brought clothes and shoes for all of us, and we are fairing with grace.

I do have photos and will post them later, but they are pretty disturbing. Please don't worry, call if you want and I'll talk if I can.

Additions

2008-09-15T13:45:00.007-04:00

Just a few things that I have been meaning to write about, but have either not had the time to do it or felt that there were more important things to write about!

Pregnancy Update:

Last Tuesday I took the boys and met with Kip, one of the three midwives at the Greenhouse Birth Center. We finally decided that the home birth midwife we interviewed didn't feel right and our other option locally for a home birth is the birth center. They will do home births if requested as long as there are no other mothers in labor when you go into labor. Their policy is such that they have two midwives at every birth and they can do multiple births simultaneously at the birth center, but not at individual homes. An average birth month for them is about 8 births and due in March, including myself, there are 14 women! There is a good chance I will be making the trek to the birth center; however, they have great birthing tubs and the prospect of a water birth excites me. The other bonus is that I have been so involved with the birth center in the last year I already know all the midwives quite well and I love them all. I feel very comfortable there. I am a board member! Some home birthing women would never settle for this situation, but both Matt and I feel very certain that this is the right decision for us.

The meeting with Kip was wonderful! We went over the usual health/birth history info while the boys played in the toy room (and Arlo played everywhere). We had easy, comfortable conversation, except for when I had to stop Arlo from getting into something, writing on something or eating something he shouldn't! I heard the heart beat and it was in the 130's/140's, very normal, healthy and strong.

I'll go back in 2 weeks for my 16 week check up and this time I am not bringing the kids!

Knitting Update:

While I was in my 6 week stint of ick, I didn't do any knitting and it has taken me a couple weeks of feeling good and catching up with everything else to reach a point where I feel like I can sit down and knit. But I finally made it to that point and I have been knitting!

I finished this sweater for my friend Stacy and her new baby, Carter. It only took me 8 weeks! Now I just need to mail it and I hope that doesn't take me another 8 weeks...

I started my next project, Ginger's baby's sweater, last night. I am finally knitting with actual Debbie Bliss yarn; something I have wanted to do for years, but could never really afford. It is such a pretty color and so nice to knit with.

Chicken Update:

We finally have eggs! But our silly chickens laid the eggs in a mud puddle outside! I conferred with my friend Ann and she suggested putting a wooden egg in one of the nesting boxes to encourage them to lay in the appropriate place. We'll see...so far no more eggs, but the weather has been dark and gloomy and cold and wet.

First Day

2008-09-10T09:10:00.006-04:00

Today is a day of firsts...Sam's first day of school, Arlo's first day without a big brother around all day, and my first day with Sam gone all day. WOW! I simply can not believe this day has come.

This is the "All About Me" poster Sam and I had to make for school. It was his first homework assignment. I love the "hot dog train" and the trail-a-bike drawing he asked me to make.
Sam and I worked on a quilt together for his nap time at school. He requested the quilt when we first learned that he would be taking a nap. The process started with us looking in my fabric stash. He found the red bug fabric ( I bought 8 years ago to make Matt boxers, never did...good thing) and then we found the red cotton (bought about 5 years ago and made Pat a table cloth). From there he told me he wanted his name on the front and we went to the fabric store. He chose the batik green and yellow fabric for the bug body and the shiny wing fabric. Over a week of nap times he would play in the sewing room while I sewed. He loved watching it all come together. Then he and I looked at fonts on the computer. He chose the "varsity" style because he said it looks like a baseball shirt! We printed his name out and then cut out the letters in the fabric. At his orientation last week we learned that the kids needed pillows as well and Sam requested a matching pillow...so, you see I used some scraps and it all looks pretty nice. He is very happy with it.

Last Week

2008-09-07T22:09:00.003-04:00

SAM:

had a toothache
went to the dentist
had the tooth pulled
now has a "tooth hole"
put the tooth next to his bed for the tooth fairy (who came tonight, shhhh)
went school shopping and acquired new Spiderman shoes and lunchbox
went to preschool orientation and met his new teachers

ARLO:

added "bee" and "hello" to his list of words which includes so many words his mama can't even list them
caused his mother to say "OH, ARLO!" approximately 500 times
fell asleep in a pile of blankets next to the bonfire we had last night
intentionally farted in his mama's face while getting a diaper change

MATT:

did 5 loads of laundry over the weekend to help his lovely wife catch up
harvested all the buckwheat in the garden using a borrowed scythe
built an amazing bonfire for his family and some close friends
taught another week of his class which is challenging him in good ways
harvested and ate approximately one dozen pears from his pear tree

AMANDA:

finally had enough energy to keep up with her three very busy boys...
but didn't have quite enough energy to post a long list of recent photos....soon to come....

Big Boy...

2008-08-27T19:40:00.004-04:00

Sam opted to take a shower tonight over a bath with Arlo. I asked him to please wash his hair and use soap. He spent about 10 minutes in there, turned the shower off, stepped out, dried himself off (dropped his towel on the floor), walked out of the bathroom and said, " Whew, my just had a really good shower!"

He had washed his hair and even dried it.

Then he crawled into my bed and began telling me about all the rocks he collected today.

When did he become such a big boy?

11 Weeks

2008-08-21T13:42:00.004-04:00

Today marks 11 weeks in the pregnancy. I am beginning to feel better more regularly and the bad days have become less than full days. I might feel really cruddy for part of a day, but I haven't had a whole nasty day in a while. I am still puking from time to time (like after our fancy anniversary dinner!), mostly I feel pretty good. As long I get to bed before 9 p.m. and take the Zofran regularly, I do alright.

Friends keep saying to me that "girls steal their mother's beauty"...and I think they say this to cheer me up!! Though I am looking pretty grim these days and am definitely ready for the "glow" to set in! The hormones are doing a number on my skin this time, with pretty bad acne on my chest, back and neck. The photos below were taken yesterday. I think you can tell I am beginning to show already and I have finally opened my box of maternity clothes....ugh.

We met with a midwife on Saturday and she seemed very nice and competent, but there was something about our personalities that didn't feel right. Matt felt pretty uncomfortable around her and after a few days to mull over the meeting, I also felt like it wasn't a good fit. We did here the heartbeat and the placenta and of course, I cried! We're going to keep looking into our other options for home births and keep plugging along through this first trimester.

I've been Tagged!

2008-08-20T08:28:00.002-04:00

Dreaming It Up tagged me...and, honey, of course I'll play!!

1. What was I doing ten years ago?

Oh, gosh....Matt and I hadn't quite met so in the late summer of 1998 I was dating a fun guy named Pat and we had lots of fun together as friends....the dating thing never worked out (obviously). I was living in Bozeman, MT, going to school, working for a little hippy shop called the Caravan, that no longer exists. I lived in a townhouse with 4 other guys!! They were my adopted big brothers and I loved living with them. In about a month from now I would meet Matt...

2. What are 5 things on my "to-do" list, not in any particular order?

a. Finish eating my oatmeal!

b. Get dressed.

c. Take the trash out to the curb.

d. Feed the chickens.

e. Clean up the breakfast dishes.

3. Snacks I enjoy:

This is a good on for a pregnant woman! I love chocolate, of course. Those baked snap pea things they market as kids snacks, but I can eat the whole bag. Nice ripe fruit...especially peaches right now. Cheese and crackers....

4.Places I've Lived:

I'll keep it to the states: Maine, Massachusetts, Montana, Kansas, Washington State, and Michigan!

5. Things I would do if I were a billionaire:

Pay any family debts, including our mortgage. Put cedar shingles on the outside of our house! Set aside college funds for the kids...I'd do whatever I wanted!

6. What are some jobs you've had?

Dishwasher, caterer, waitress, retail in an imports shop, sporting goods store, hippy stores of all kinds, landscaping, grounds maintenance, collection agent, internet researcher, teacher, and mother!

7. People I want to know more about:

Anyone who reads this and has a blog....you've been tagged and I'd like to know more about you. If I don't know your blog, leave the link in a comment!

At Home

Pocket Photos: December Travels: Puerto Rico

Business at Its Best

Hopes for the New Year

Ancestors Altar

Picture Perfect Memory

Arlo's Big Day and My Baby Isn't a Baby Anymore!

End of Summer...Beginning of Second Grade

Been cannin' a little...

July 4th

Ruby Red

Sam became 7

Otis and his Worms

Surprise. A business.

Meet Milo!

True Story

Spring Babies

You know Spring has arrived...

New Year Tree

Sick Muffins

Arlo turned 4!

Remembering August 19th

Arlo's 4th Birthday

Being Thankful

Big Boy

Chopped, Split and Stacked

Halloween

Just Tired

How to be Healing

The Two Sickies

Summer Adventures: Installment Four: Our Korean Friends

Summer Adventures: Installment Three: Camping with the Traven Family

Summer Adventures: Installment Two: Annual Fourth of July Party

Summer Adventures: Installment One: Returning Home

Delicate Little Flower

Birthday

CRAZY!!!

In my Opinion...

Obi Wan

First Pick of the Season

Slacker

Arlo's Surgery

Busy as Bees

Sam turns Six

Five years

The Perfect Saturday

Simply Spiritual

Otis' Birthday Toy

And He's One.

Finding Time

On a Lighter Note

An Era Has Ended

Rediscovery

Nothing is Safe!

Arlito Turned Three!

And a Month Passes By...

Six Months...Now Seven

Finding Comfort

Visual Aids

Done.

Just Playin' Around

Overdue

New Places and Old Friends

Chickens and Such

It's in the Genes

Five Years Later

Otis' Birth Story

Six Weeks

A Non-Baby Post

Three Weeks Today

Tradition

One Week Later

Spring Brings New Life

Baby Update *UPDATED*

Back In and Still In

Quick note

Passing *Update*

Moving and Knitting and Babies.

Two Years Ago Today

Oh yeah, I'm pregnant!

Baby Update UPDATED

Passing Update