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.

Game/party highlights

POPCORN - PEANUTS - GET YOUR FRESH ROASTED PEANUTS

POPCORN - FRESH FROM THE POPPER.

9th inning...Sam Engel is up to bat...he hits a grounder...he makes it to first...

next up is Duncan Larson...the pitcher could not find his strike zone... he is forced to walk him...

with Sam now on second, and Dunc on first...Barbie hits one to center field...Russ was munching on the fabulous popcorn and missed the catch...the bases are now loaded...

everything was riding on Cooper Larson...and sure enough...he hits it out of the park.

The Quiggleville Coopers win the game 4-3.

Good game boys...time for a little "after game" cake & ice cream.

One proud 4 year old

He woke up this morning and ran to the mirror to see if he was bigger. He stood admiring himself and his new age. He said "am I really 4 mom?" I said, "yes Cooper, you are really 4." "But how did I just get to be 4 over night?" It was SO cute. Then about a half an hour later we were eating breakfast and he said "mom, am I still 4?"