Boo

Happy Halloween everyone.

And the answer is.....

The cutest Great White Shark you ever saw,

and a smiling crocodile too!

The favorite candy of the night was; lolly pops for Duncan and Starburst for Coop. Not interested in chocolate at all (I think maybe it's the age?). And because Coop has been singing it ALL day and it's stuck in my head...I thought I would share...

They're creepy and they're kooky,

Mysterious and spooky,

They're all together ooky,

you know the rest...

Sneak peak

They have never had ANY interest in dressing up for Halloween. As far as they were concerned, handing out candy to all the fairies and goblins was much more fun than dressing up as one. Well, yesterday, 2 days before Halloween, don't they decide that they want to dress up after all... So off to K-Mart we go (me thinking there isn't a chance in you know what that there is going to be 1.)anything left 2.)anything in their size), but low and behold, what do we find...but their FIRST pick Halloween costumes!! What are the chances?? Apparently my children want to be really unpopular costumes but hey, they were 50% off so I really don't care. Can you guess? Stay tuned... On another note... Yep, blog looks a little different. I FINALLY tackled the header picture. Something I have been wanting to do for a long time. It was SO easy, once I figured it out. I'm not sure about keeping the A degrees... I kind of wanted to keep it but maybe change how it lookes in the picture. Problem is I can't make the "degrees" symbol on my laptop. It requires either the number pad which is on a regular keyboard or a reconfiguration of my computer...and well, just the word reconfiguration scares the crap out of me. But hey, I figured out the header right? Well keep touching back, watch my progress, thanks for bearing with me during my trial and error period! Happy Halloween Eve all...

Monday Mosaic

1. On the 1st of November, 2. zebra water, 3. around the circle, 4. llibreria, 5. Taking a Stand, 6. Awake, 7. cold rain, 8. Abandoned, 9. I c y *, 10. liquid petals, 11. She Loves Me, 12. row, 13. RGB - Barcelona, 14. Lanterns, 15. M o r p h o *, 16. Celebration

I have been playing around on flickr - dangerous - at least for me, I can get lost for hours. I'm just learning about making these mosaics so it's not perfect...but still totally cool I think.

Be Who You Must Be

A poem by Diarmuid Cronin I don’t know where you are on your path I have never stood in your shoes I see not with your eyes I know not what your purpose is here In this stage of your evolution But I feel blessed to know you As you are not in my life by chance And you are my teacher As I hope you learn from me I pray I show reverence to you I pray not to judge you I wish to let you be Who you are Who you dream of being I will just be beside you And watch you grow And the day will come for sure When we will know why Our paths crossed this way And until then my friend Be who you must be

Dunc

He fights to not be in Cooper's shadow,

yet look where he loves to be...

Peace and Joy - A work in progress

Yep, it's blurry. But it's also so incredibly rare lately...so I kept it. I don't know if it's their age, the fact that they are brothers, or, I don't know, maybe our parenting sucks, or they aren't disciplined enough, or hey, maybe they are disciplined too much, or maybe they eat too many vegetables, who knows...but what I do know is this; they are most generally found fighting, yelling, chasing, hitting, biting or basically pummeling each other if in fact I am stupid enough to leave them in the same room alone together for longer than 60 seconds. Please mom tell me this is a phase just like teething and potty training...

Peace and war begin at home. If we truly want peace in the world, let us begin by loving one another in our own families. If we want to spread joy, we need for every family to have joy. ~Mother Teresa

I'm working on it Mother Teresa, I'm working on it...

Remember

There is nothing stronger in the world than gentleness. ~Han Suyin

Absolutely breathtaking

It's the smell that I loved the most. What a gorgeous day. 76 degrees, peak color...it was a crime to stay home today. Rails to Trails was today's destination - 57 miles of an old railroad bed that has been converted to a biking/walking/hiking/running trail. We biked all of 5 miles (2.5 up and 2.5 back). John had the seat on the back of his bike and I had the caboose on mine. Our dear friend Richard got to go solo.

After our glorious bike ride, we were off to Little Pine State Park where the boys played at the beach and waded in the water (even though the sign clearly said not to).

And the best part of the day? The photo above. Aahh, life is good. Hope all of you had great weekends too.

For the first time

I woke up this morning and heard two little boys talking and playing in the next room. After about a 1/2 hour of playing they came and told me they were going downstairs... I laid in bed thinking we have reached a new stage...the one where they get up on their own. I came downstairs a little later and found the picture above. Hey, at least they weren't eating ice cream.

How nice

May the stars carry your sadness away,

May the flowers fill your heart with beauty,

May hope forever wipe away your tears,

And, above all, may silence make you strong. ~Chief Dan George

*These beautiful flowers were given to me on boss's day from Annie and Stacie.

Bedtime conversation

Bedtime conversation...

Me: So Coop, what is one thing that you don't know how to do, that you would like to learn to do?

Coop: Hmmmm...Jumping Jacks.

Me: Jumping Jacks huu? Okay buddy, you got it...tomorrow I will teach you how to do Jumping Jacks!

Coop: (sits up in bed) ....and...um...(long thinking pause)...and how to tie my own shoes.

Me: Wow, how to tie your own shoes? Very good idea! Tomorrow I will show you how to do Jumping Jacks and how to tie your own shoes.

Coop: (tucking under the covers)...mom?

Me: Yes Coop?

Coop: and how to make my beddy just like you do...

Me: (smile) You got a deal sweet pea.

Blog Action Day

Okay, so today is officially Blog Action Day. A day for all bloggers to come together and discuss one issue with the hopes of "talking towards a better future". This years topic is the environment. I sat thinking, "what am I going to say about the environment"? I didn't even know where I would begin on this HUGE subject. I don't drive a hybrid, I use way too much plastic, I buy cleaning products that are probably horrific for the environment, I use paper plates that create unnecessary garbage...well, you get the point. But in thinking about all the things that I don't do, I sat in my kitchen and noticed these bags sitting in the corner (and then remembered I had a picture of them full - yes, I take way too many pictures)...

These are my reusable grocery bags that not only do I love, but have cut down on our plastic bag consumption greatly. Then there is the fluorescent bulb in my kitchen light. And then I thought about my refrigerator that is filled with vegetables out of my mother's garden that is not sprayed with insecticides. And to the best of my knowledge my mother is not in the business of genetically engineering her bell peppers. This thought then brought me to all my Saturday morning trips to our local farmer's market to support our local growers throughout the spring, summer and fall. And although I don't drive a hybrid, I also don't drive a gas guzzling beast. This list could go on and on too I suppose. Which got me to thinking...I do think about the environment. I could do more. I need to do more. I will do more. Because why not? Really? Now, could someone please give me some tips on actually remembering to take the recyclable bags to the store with me?

One day at a time :-)

Local tourists

What an absolutely gorgeous day. We were like tourists in our own backyard. We went to the pumpkin patch and picked out our pumpkins, went on a hayride, pet all the farm animals, did the maze, ate hot dogs with sauerkraut, drank hot cider and took some pictures...

Duncan wanted a really BIG one, but this bin of $3 pumpkins was right up my ally! Maybe tomorrow we can do some carving? Stay tuned...

Deserving recognition

This is my grandmother. Virginia Mahaffey. Amazing, strong, bull headed, funny, hard working, giving, Pennsylvania Dutch, partying, jokester, sly, loving, grandma. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer's a couple years ago - she knows us, but no longer our birthdays. She may forget to bathe, but she does not forget bingo. She is my mother's mother. She became a great grandmother finally at the age of 87 when Cooper John was born. She is now a great grandmother to 2, and admits she is glad they are both boys (she said her family has plenty of girls!!) Today is her birthday. 92. Happy birthday grandma - may peace be with you today and always. I love you.

Stuff

I just got home from Photoshop class...which got me rooting through my thousands of photos. I love pictures of my kids in the garden...don't know exactly why, but I like their feel. I am loving taking this class. Sometimes the guy says stuff that goes way over my head, but I don't seem to care, I just want to soak it up and learn. Boy, school is so different when 1.) I actually enjoy the subject matter, 2.) there is no pressure of a test, and 3.) I get to immediately apply what I've learned to something real... Other stuff; Thank you all for your comments (on the blog, in emails and in person) on "having three". Everyone at least laughed, which was really the point. Many of you asked if the woman's column helped our decision making process one way or the other. Unfortunately, no. But it did make us realize that if we do actually decide to have a third, a really good sense of humor must be present in order to survive! Our decision changes daily, no make that hourly. This afternoon we had our attorney run down all the costs associated with a third and we walked out saying "no way"...but you see, right now, they are both sleeping and we think "well, maybe?" Either way, our life is good...it's all good. One last thing tonight... It rained today (at least here it did). And I love rainy days. I find something so cozy and comforting about a rainy day. I am most productive on rainy days. When I see them coming on the weather channel, I quietly look forward to them! I know I am in the minority, but I found this little quote that is kind of a "look on the bright side" kind of quote that I thought appropriate today... I will greet this day with love in my heart. And how will I do this? Henceforth will I look on all things with love and be born again. I will love the sun for it warms my bones; yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit. I will love the light for it shows me the way; yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars. I will welcome happiness as it enlarges my heart; yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul. I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due; yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge. ~Og Mandino

On having three

As some of you know, John and I simply can not seem to decide whether two children is just perfect or whether three would somehow be the better number. Well in our continued effort to interview, read, study and way over analyze the issue, we came across a woman who has a website called havingthreekids.com She is a part-time engineer, a freelance writer and a mother of three. Her website is, if nothing else, hysterical!! She says her site is for those who; want three, have three, or fear three. I found this column she wrote and laughed so hard I had tears running down my face and I was trying very hard not to pee!! I hope you too enjoy... On Having Three Kids By Jennifer Eyre White Where I live, just north of Berkeley, hardly anyone has more than two kids. I suspect it's because so many families have two career-oriented parents, and kids are really bad for careers. Or maybe it's because it's so expensive to raise kids here. I dunno. Anyway, when Kennard and I decided to have a third child, we became something of an anomaly in our social circle. And after little Kirby was born six weeks ago, a lot of our friends started asking us, what's it like having three kids?

Here's what it's been like so far.

1. With three kids in the family, someone is always grumpy. Often, everyone is grumpy. When Kirby was five days old, we went on a family outing to Copeland's Sports Store (I'm having trouble remembering why we thought that was a good idea or what we wanted there). On the 15-minute drive home in the minivan, Kirby was screaming and Ben was whining, "I wan dat bike, I wan dat bike!" (we had made him get off dat bike and leave it at dat store). Riley was sulking in the back seat because we wouldn't buy her a sandwich at Togo's. Kennard looked at me and said, "Our family is starting to sound like the seven dwarves -- Screamy, Whiney, Sulky, Grouchy, and Sleepy." I'd like to think that I was Sleepy and he was Grouchy, but I can't be sure.

2. I hate it when people advise me to "sleep when the baby sleeps." What am I supposed to do with the other kids? Tie them up in the back yard?

3. Having three kids cuddled up to me on the couch feels like heaven.

4. There is always a little person in need of something. Food. A drink of water. A boob. A bath. A hug. A mouth, nose, or bottom wiped. A timeout. Electroshock therapy. Oh no, sorry, that's me.

5. La Leche League's book on "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" doesn't tell you how to nurse in combat situations. There is advice on keeping a toddler occupied while you nurse an infant, but that's not my problem. My problem is supervising two additional kids who often view nursing as an opportunity to try to maim each other. What I really needed a couple of days ago was something along the lines of: "If, while you are nursing your newborn, your toddler and school-aged child become engaged in a vicious fight over a pair of children's scissors, with your toddler attempting to stab his sister and the sister biting him on the arm hard enough to raise welts, do X-Y-Z.

"What I did was to yell, "STOP THAT!" followed by, "STOP THAT GODDAMIT!" with no noticeable effect. I considered treating them like labrador retrievers and dumping a bucket of water on their heads. I considered ignoring them and letting it be a painful learning experience, one possibly including an educational trip to the emergency room. Finally, I lurched up from the couch, cradling Kirby in the crook of one arm so as not to dislodge him from my breast. I stomped over to Riley and Ben, pulled them apart with my free hand, and dragged the wailing Ben across the room to get him away from his sister. Problem solved, but I couldn't help wondering if there was a more elegant approach.

My tenacious little Kirby managed to hang on and maintain suction throughout the entire episode, though he must have felt like he was nursing on the high seas. His little head bobbed up and down, and he briefly opened one eye to look around, but he never let that nipple go. The bad news is that my nipple is now half an inch longer. The good news is that if this keeps up I'll soon be able to leave Kirby on the sofa with my nipple and it will stretch far enough for me to reach all the rooms in the house.

6. The third kid gets dragged around a lot. Our schedule looks like this: Take Ben to preschool. Take Riley to school. Pick Ben up. Pick Riley up. Take Riley to soccer or ice skating. Take Riley home. Do big families homeschool just to cut back on car trips?

7. Riley and Ben have become closer. Since I'm so tired and frequently nursing, I've begun recruiting Riley to help take care of Ben. She brushes his teeth in the morning and helps him get dressed. She holds his hand at the grocery store. One weekend she spent the night in his room, then got up with him at six the next morning. She poured him a bowl of Cheerios and turned on his Bob the Builder video and only woke me up an hour later when he began throwing things at her. She suddenly seems older and more competent. More confident. More useful.

8. Both of the kids -- and in fact all the kids we see -- adore Kirby. There's just something about a newborn that no-one can resist. Even a grouchy and sleepy third-time mom like me. This essay originally appeared on literarymama.com.

Sunday afternoon

Like a moth to a flame.

smile now

Okay, I'll admit it...for the first time ever I brought home the soap from the hotel room. I couldn't resist, it's the best soap...and just look at it! Does that have Andria written all over it or what? The soap box read "rosemary infused", but I think it smells more like a citrusy something... I tried to stock pile, but I think the maids were on to me after the first 2 days?

Other news...I am taking an Adobe Photoshop class that is so much fun! It started this past Thursday (it runs the 4 Thursdays in October). It was fun to not only "go back to school", but to actually take a class in something that interests me. Looking forward to learning more than just the basics of this program that I have been using for years.

Jamin'

Just kickin' back tonight to the sounds of Dunc on the drums. The headset and diaper are key to the performance...

A year from now

Technical difficulties tonight. Sorry about the new sidebar picture...I have never had trouble in the past and I am not sure how to fix it...but after an hour of playing with it, I give up. I'll work on it more tomorrow. I love the quote though, so I kept it up. It seems to tie into so much of my life right now. At my Comfort Keepers convention we learned over and over (and over again) the importance of setting goals, having a plan and knowing where you're going. I know this, I have books on this...I even give inspirational talks on this to my comfort keepers - the problem lies in implementation. Knowing vs. doing. Can't pick a road if you don't know where you want to go. I found this today and printed it out...

"A year from now you may wish that you had started today." - Karen Lamb

How true is THAT? Wow was all I could say. Think I'll pin/tape this up in a visible location for myself. Just something to think about...

Oh, and one more thing...happy birthday momma. And as we say in our house, "love you bigger than a baseball field".

Good to be home

After a week of being gone on CK business it was so good to come home to a gorgeous weekend. We packed up the boys and off to Snyder's Farm we went. Hayride, corn maze, pumpkin picking etc. My favorite was my white pumpkin...I'll snap a photo and post it!

It seems that whenever I come back to blogging after being gone for awhile, I think I need to write something huge and profound...so instead I don't write... Well, I'm letting go of that tonight. Nothing profound here. I learned a lot on my trip and enjoyed getting away...it re-energized me and gave me an opportunity to share with others, get lots of new ideas and help me set goals and make plans for the future. Even just the drive alone did me wonders. I think it just showed me how very little time I actually spend ALL alone!

In coming home and catching up on reading and blogging myself, I came across this and just thought it rang so true...

Mary Jean Iron : Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are. Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart. Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow. Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so. One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return.