It's Official

It's official...our house is on the market and on the web...officially for sale. It feels really good to finally be able to sit and play with the boys and relax in the evenings. Last night I made the drawing below for a Mother Blessing invitation. A dear friend I have known longer than Matt is due with her first in the end of August. It was so wonderful to just sit and draw. I am hoping to be able to do a few more things I have been thinking of lately...my mother's hands, a felted wool purse, the 2-year-in-the-making knit Grommit doll, etc......

Sink Bath

Talking Arlo

3 Years and 6 Months

On Tuesday I took Sam and Arlo to the DR for their 3 yr. and 6 mos. well-child exams at the same time. It was much easier having them together, though I was sure it wasn't going to be! Both healthy boys, here are their stats:

Sam, weighing in at 37 .5 lbs. and reaching heights of 40"!! He had a hearing test and eye exam and they tested his reflexes, which he loved!

Arlo weighed 19 lbs. 12 oz. and is 26 3/4" tall! A BIG boy. He had the usual physical exam and then had two shots. He did have a reaction to the shots that night with some real fussiness and no sleeping. He hasn't been much of a sleeper at all lately. He is on the verge of crawling and on the verge of cutting BOTH his upper front teeth...the right tooth came through this afternoon!

Still very busy getting this house ready to sell and it is moving along quite nicely. We have hired our neighbor's daughter, Taylor, to be my "mommy's helper" and take care of Arlo at the house while Sam is at school. I have been amazed at how much I am getting done with uninterrupted time. I am also really trying to be present in the moments I am alone, even if I am organizing clutter and scrubbing walls. A little good music and a pot of coffee can go a long way!

Father's Weekend

Gears around here have been switched from "getting the yard work done", to "getting the house ready to show". So, needless to say, our weekends are still not spent out having fun bike riding or going to the farmer's market (ug, now, there's a story). No we have stopped shoveling bark and started organizing cupboards, scrubbing walls and decluttering the entire house! Those of you that have bought and sold homes can feel my pain. However, with the pan, comes some pleasure, and this is all that keeps me going. Once the house is ready to show, we will get to enjoy our hard work and the remainder of our time here. Here are a few shots of our finished yard projects.

We did have a little fun this weekend in celebrating Matt as a father. Matt's mother made matching shirts for the boys and, as you can see, we took some time to photograph them together. It was so beautiful seeing my three boys all together, having fun in the grass. I left one in color so the beautiful colors on the shirts and of the day, can be seen. I made a special dinner with portabella mushroom stuffed flank steak, sweet potatoes drizzled with olive oil and honey and sauteed summer squashes. Mmmm, it was so good.
I think Matt had a nice weekend. We did do some house projects, but they were short and it feels really good to have them done.

The Impact of a Birthday

Yesterday afternoon the boys and I spent all afternoon at home. We hadn't spent much time at home up to this point, so it was very nice. I could tell Sam needed the time at home because he played very well all by himself. He drew a fantastic family portrait; very creative and sort of 3-D! At one point he was pretending to get ready for a birthday party. He stood at his new work bench and wrapped his wooden food, wooden screws and bolts and building parts in kitchen towels. He then put on his construction hat and wandered around the house saying, "Mommy, Mommy!" When he found me he held my "present" out to me and said, "Happy Birthday, Mommy! Open your present!" So I would open the present and ooooh and ahhhh and we played this game for an hour or so. He also gave presents to Arlo and Cyrus. It was such a sweet way to see the impact of his birthday celebrations. I saw how important it is to celebrate a person.

I am looking forward to celebrating Matt this weekend. He really deserves it.

Self-Portrait