hippiepotomus

Family skate plus

2012-01-19T05:01:00.000-08:00

We spend an awful lot of time this time of year on ice skates. Last weekend it was so cold, that we couldn't even take the free route and actually paid money to skate. We met up with some friends - the McCalls and half of the Lawrence family to skate in circles.
Ege drew smiles as he went against the flow of traffic. I'm being nice by not posting a picture of him laying on the ice:)
Remick was awesome as usual, though started complaining about being cold after about 10 minutes and then he was out sidelines referee as the other kids came around to check in.
Here are the check-ins relating how many people were not wearing helmets
accounting for close calls,
and generally looking for encouragement.

Makili for his part thought that he needed to try to skate as fast as he possibly could for the entire hour and 15 minutes straight. He crashed a few times, but for the most part it was actually difficult to even get him to slow down enough for a picture. He is really good.And then of course, there were the sillies.

In these parts,

2012-01-16T15:51:00.000-08:00

In addition to a certain mom who had a few nervous breakdowns this week, there is a certain member of the family inclined to wear too-big tap shoes around all day stomping out the rhythm of love (or something like that).

Simultaneously, I have another child who, when he is not skating (he skated like 4 hours/day all weekend), is extremely anxious to try out some cross-country skies that were gifted to him by some friends. He's tried out the rug and the grass and determined that in fact, snow would be better.Sometimes these two join forces to entertain together.
I'm just trying to hang on this winter. I've been calling it the winter doldrums. It might also be PMS, I suppose.

Before I forget

2012-01-05T11:37:00.001-08:00

I'm running a bitt behind, and I'm trying to get my mojo back, but I don't want to skip important markers of time, so

Before I forget to record them, these are some of the highlights for me of 2011, in no order except the order in which they hopped into my mind, and because I'm playing catch up, I'm sure I've forgotten some:

Fabulous, wonderful, magical gala wedding of Chris and Emily.
surfing with my cousin Caroline and her boyfriend Jake.
hitting NYC with 30 exchange students and my friend, Kirsten
pond hockey at the Moffats last winter.
meeting Ege
more focused success with the flowers
short, sweet visits with Nancy and Michael (who apparently play lacrosse) and Sarah and David (and Freddy in utero:)
Prescott Park concerts on the boat with farmer friends.
impromptu bonfire with the Fifields.
watching Makili ride bikes with Dre.
moutain biking with Raph in Vermont:)
Remick's unbelievable independent skating
flowers
seeing siding, some trim and a few doors put in their place on our lifelong house project
meeting Hudson
bamboo bike building with Gabe.
Suzanne letting us drop in on the Branford house for dinner with 6 extra people for a perfect sunset dinner
getting lost in the town forest with Makili and Remick
mushroom hunting with the Russians
getting to see Tuan when he came back as a college student.
watching Remick in his certainty that he is a big kid ALL the time. ie. trying to swim with no help and no life jacket.
Makili going through the chute at Barters' Creek for the first time with Caroline
running in the fountain on a HOT day in NYC with Gabrielle and Sam
a really nice unplanned back porch dinner at the McCall's.
thrifting with my sweet friend Mary.
eating Mary's homemade from their own cows frozen yogurt.
meeting my brother and his family for stolen moments in a deserted park in West Virginia
flying kites at the top of Agamenticus.
hiking with Morgan, with holes in her boot in February
water gun fights in the yard
Raph's homemade slip and slide.
Makili's amazing growing skills in the greenhouse.
Mitchell school playground
making saurkraut with Mary
discovering Mackey Skate Park
a lovely, restful trip to Pittsburgh in November in which train spotting was an actual activity
my parents introducing the kids to the Washington Monument in Washington DC.
Common Ground Fair
a really late night trip with Becky to hear Blue Grass with Camille and Stephane.
Nutcracker with Makili and Ann.

Sequins and glitter, balloons and a union

2012-01-01T09:01:00.000-08:00

Raph and I brought in the new year at a gorgeous sparkling wedding with candlelight and sparklers and music and glam. We spent the weekend without children, being pampered and glamorous like all the rest of the clan, and watched two people for whom we care greatly commit themselves to each other. What better way to bring in the new year than a celebration of love.

A family trip to the movies.

2011-12-29T05:21:00.001-08:00

My parents are in town, which has been lovely. We went to the movies last night to see We bought a Zoo, which I loved. The 4:20 movie was sold out, so we had to wait for the 6:45 movie, which might have been a bit too late.

During the previews, both kids screamed each time on ended. "Mom, is it over? What happened?" For every preview.

Then my dad bought the giant trough of popcorn, which immediately demanded the full attention of the children, particularly Remick, who ate twice his body weight in popcorn. Raph took him to the bathroom twice trying to ward of the inevitable, which came near the end of the movie, when Remick started screaming, "Will you wipe my bum?" At this point Makili was asleep on my lap.

So Raph took Remick, and when we found him again after the movie, Remick was at the video games, with his socks pulled up to his knees, with his little tush hanging out holding a bazooka.

I eventually couldn't carry Makili all the way to the car, so I put him down and he was walking, but I realized after he ran into a door frame really hard that he was walking with his eyes closed.

It was pretty funny.

holiday elving

2011-12-23T04:47:00.000-08:00

Nevermind that the mess is overtaking my life. We're making stuff together! We have had such a fun time this year elving. Raph figured out that there were 24 spaces between the ballusters on the railing (who sits there and counts that?), so we made pom-poms for our advent calendar. I'm going to fancify it a bit more next year, with glittery clips and ceramic numbers, but I have really enjoyed the pompoms. And then, there are the ornaments! Salt dough and wood mostly this year. Total love.

Moments at Grammy and Opa's house.

2011-12-16T08:24:00.000-08:00

We had a really great time in Pittsburgh with my parents. We visited a bunch of museums where we say dinosaurs, dug for dinosaurs, made our own collection (which happened to be dinosaurs that were red and yellow.)

We had mellow mornings together
Evenings of Dora and snuggles
And lots of attention for both my boys, so that their momma could put her feet up:)

All in all it was a terrific visit.

Hmmm

2011-12-16T08:22:00.000-08:00

Makili just asked me how to spell "All drains lead to the ocean."

I was really pondering where he might have heard this, and it just occured to me it was probably Nemo, which he hasn't even seen lately.

Sort of how I feel at the moment

2011-12-15T17:54:00.000-08:00

I complained enough about my missing cord that Raph went and pulled out the card reader he was going to give to me for Christmas. But I mean really, I'm a month behind on pictures. Pittsburgh, Thanksgiving, December.

This is Makili in Pgh doing a project where he tries to recreate a famous painting. Clearly this was hard work for him. That's how I feel lately. I feel so unproductive, and yet I never feel like I have any time. Viscious cycle. But I'm excited about many things too.

About the Holiday

2011-12-09T04:26:00.001-08:00

I so struggle to walk the line of enjoying Christmas without overdoing the materialism of the holidays. Today we decorated our tree. To start with, I struggle with the tree. I know they grow the trees for the purpose, but it still seems awful to cut so many trees down for a holiday. We tried using a live tree one year, that we would later plant outside, but it died, and we still had the needles all over the ground anyway. So we got a tree this year at a farm stand of a guy we know. I don't know where he gets the trees, but he's a nice guys and works tirelessly, so I guess I felt okay about forking over the $30 for our tree. Last year's mini $5 tree was pretty awesome, but I guess that what you expect when you buy your tree a few days before Christmas. The tree we bought is already dropping needles like Makili drops changes of clothes all over the floor, but who's counting. Decorating it was SO much fun for the boys, and since we've had this tradition of each of us making an ornament for the tree since 2007, it was very fun for the boys to open the ornaments up and have us talk about why we made what we made. They loved it and were immediately obsessed with making more ornaments so their contributions would be noteworthy. I was pretty into that. The boys and Ege discussed the best distribution of ornaments, and where everything should hang. It was really cute.

I've tried to get the boys into making gifts for other people though and I haven't been as successful. As soon as I show Makili something that he could make for someone else, he immediately wants his own, and every time he does a good job on something, even a drawing, it is officially his. Every time I buy a gift for someone, wrap a gift for someone, and include him, he is immediately completely obsessed with what he is getting, where his gifts are. Which of course prompts me to use the old Santa wild card. "Santa won't bring you gifts unless you're good." And that sort of feels yucky to me, even if it does work. The truth is I enjoy getting a really thoughtful gift for someone, making gifts for people, but I don't know how to balance that with really disliking my children's obsession with MORE.

Cute

2011-12-04T17:38:00.001-08:00

I find it really endearing that I am listening to Raph who is downstairs reading aloud The 5 People You Meet in Heaven to my 18-year-old exchange student, stopping to make sure he understands what is being read in as sincere a way as he does with Makili.

Can't Touch This.

2011-12-01T17:01:00.000-08:00

I can't find the cord to download picture, so I've been rather lazy. Plus I discovered cookies that you roll into dough and slice and I can't seem to control my self.

Anyway, last night, Raph is putting the kids to bed and I listened to the following conversation:

Makili: Dad, will you lay with me?

Raph: What are you going to give me?

Makili: How about that pillow?

Raph: I don't want any material things.

Makili: What are material things?

Raph: Things you can touch.

Makili: Okay. How about a sharp knife?

Raph: I can touch that.

Makili: How about a really high window in the sky?

Raph: You're going to give me a really high window to the sky?

Makili: How about the moon?

Raph: You can't give me the moon!

Makili: How about the dirt under the dirt.

This seriously went on for half an hour. It was awesome how many things Makili came up with that Raph couldn't touch.

Getting Big

2011-11-26T15:08:00.000-08:00

Little Rudy is getting BIG! He talks and is almost acting like a big kid these days. And he's going to be a big brother! Another Matty in the mix! Unbelievable how many babies these Matty's have created in the last 5 years! I think in the last 5 years there have been 9 Matty babies and 2 more on the way! Thanksgiving was great, but I miss when all Raph's cousins used to be around for the ruckus. I hope these little Matty's will get to experience that some day.

Brother and family

2011-11-20T13:49:00.000-08:00

In November

2011-11-17T11:53:00.000-08:00

We're in Pittsburgh right now, and just last week I sent this picture to my parents of my children naked on the beach in Maine, IN NOVEMBER! And on the plane on the way here, I removed a tick from Remick's neck. IN NOVEMBER! Why aren't those little suckers hibernating yet? I'm not complaining, but really, how lucky can you get? This kind of weather is too much to ask for. Poor Ege is already cold! Little does he know how warm this weather will feel in the spring! November is the month that my summer work is officially over. I get to visit my parents and pore over the books and photos tucked onto the shelves in my old bedroom, and poke around in closets of clothes left behind. November is the month the making goes into gear. I can start thinking about gardening again without getting nauseous. I'm neither fighting the grass, weeds, and pests nor the wood pile and snow. It is really my biggest time of rest. And I am not complaining. At ALL.

Yes, please.

2011-11-15T02:52:00.000-08:00

I would like to make an official request for more perfect, lovely days. The kind that allow me to follow my boys up a mountain, stopping as they make a fort under a hemlock tree, soaking in sunshine that will be elusive for months. In a t-shirt. The days that they spend searching for the perfect stick and then arguing that stick's merit to the brother. The carpet of leaves on the trail, a rust-colored invitation. Silliness and happiness, even while a certain little one should be napping. Yes, I'd like more. Please.

Evidence of Makili's genius.

2011-11-08T06:01:00.000-08:00

Makili didn't know the sounds that letters made at all a week ago, and I was slightly worried about it. Then in the course of a day he learned all the sounds and can easily tell you what letter words start with and sometimes the letters in the middle of the word too. It fascinates me how he learned. It's all or nothing. All of a sudden he just learns all at once. Interesting. So anyway, this letter learning is the backdrop for his latest evidence of genius.

So Makili came to me with the following drawing of him wearing a luchador costume with a pirate pumpkin and some letters (minus my writing) and asked me what the letters he wrote said.With a chuckle, I responded, "they spell Shitarpitarp" He seemed a little disappointed at first, but we laughed about it for a little while and then he told me he wanted me to write "This is a pirate pumpkin." As soon as I wrote it, it occurred to me that he really had a lot of the letters, though it looked like he had run out of room at pumpkin. So I started asking him about it, and seriously that was what he was trying to write and had guessed at the letters from the sound of the words and did indeed run out of room. I'm really impressed at how close he got!

Unplanned sweetness

2011-11-07T08:31:00.000-08:00

My friend Renee called me to check in one day on her way home from work. I immediately suggested she drop off Phin, since Makili was driving me nuts and I figured he might be happier with a buddy here. Renee said they would stop by, which they did, and we turned it into a dinner date. And outdoor bonfire sort of dinner, thrown together, with really not the right ingredients for any of the dishes I tried to make. She was a good sport though and in the end dinner was pretty tasty. I can't get enough of bonfire meals. Strange to some, but this time of year, and the early spring before the buds break are my favorite times of year. The world being suspended in motion for a brief interlude before the cold sets in upon us. Everything alive, barely. Except these kids who never stop moving.

Some kids we hang with...

2011-11-03T17:59:00.000-07:00

From a recent birthday party. Good neighborhood fun.

Thoughts on employment.

2011-11-03T05:18:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling particularly idealistic and reflective this morning, halfway through reading David McCullough's John Adams. I also received this morning an e-mail from one of my teachers in the cooperative extension office about "The Food Movement," which made me think about my many jobs. I recently was at a party of friends and neighbors and remarked to Raph, that I was the only one there who stayed at home with my children. Sometimes I lament that I am likely not the best mother in the world, and perhaps my nature isn't fit for the role in its entirety, but still staying home with my children has been a decided commitment since the moment I learned I was pregnant with Makili. Staying home with my children, however, does not mean that I don't work however, as was implied in a slightly snarky comment by another mother recently, who told me that she didn't have time to sew as she unfortunately had to make a living. And for some reason this morning I'm at the business of evaluating my choices in life.

Staying home with my children as I mentioned, was not a conversation, but a known quantity. When we moved back East from HI, we cut our combined income by more than half. This was a choice. And we all have this choice. I have friends all the time tell me that they wish they could stay home with their children. I don't say much, but in my heart I believe that every situation is built on choice. Raph and I chose to be able to afford a very small house, and initially we weren't even sure we could do that. We chose to go without exciting vacations, new cars, etc. Luckily for us health care was secured with Raph's employment, as that is a rather non-negotiable in my opinion. Right now, our house is not "done" by anyone's estimation, but we choose not to borrow money to pay people to finish it. In fact, if we didn't have such talented and generous family members, we wouldn't have even had the choice of enlarging our house in the first place.

I have always worked, even since I've "stayed at home." The first year I was a substitute teacher, thanks to Ann's willingness to babysit. That allowed us to afford our tiny home and afford our food. When I started working for CHI, it was because it seemed like a natural fit for me, and also something I deeply believe in. I impact young people, and that matters to me. I am part of an organization that increases international understanding and tolerance, and that matters to me. The fact that I am able earn money from home while serving those ends is a complete blessing, even if the job is unbelievably stressful at times.

When I started working at the farmers' market last year, it was because I couldn't resist it. I have always loved farmers' markets, and secretly always wanted to farm. I know a LOT more now about what "farming" means, and am pretty sure the scale of farming I'm interested in is far smaller than I previously thought. Choosing to take this job has significantly limited our family time, a fact that I am constantly weighing against its positive aspects. Nonetheless, I hold farmers in the highest regard. Few people truly understand the scale of work farmers endure. Long hours, bad weather, heavy objects, tough competition, lack of available land, etc. And like mechanics, I don't know too many rich farmers, even though sometimes what they charge seems outrageous. When I started selling flowers to sell, I learned even more intimately how difficult what they do is. In my tiny gardens, I battle all the same pests, but on a scale that is manageable. It is frustrating beyond imagination to watch an entire crop being devastated by cucumber beetles, squash bugs, vine-borers (yes, it was a tough year for cucurbits), horn worms, slugs, potato bugs, grasshoppers, etc. To handle such attacks without toxic chemicals is not easy. Very, very few farmers use little or no pesticides, even though they may be organic. And let me tell you, organic chemicals can be equally toxic to their synthetic counterparts. No chemicals in our food would be best, but VERY few farms are able to do this. The education that I've received at the farmers' market is beyond compare. I am a better grower, consumer, and citizen for understanding their livelihood and its immense importance in our society.

I guess what I'm reflecting on this morning is how fortunate I feel to be involved in so many meaningful things - parenting, international exchange, and farming. I'm proud of my husband for his equally meaningful pursuits. And I'm not going to feel bad when some snarky mom makes comments to me anymore, because I'm happy with my choices, even if they aren't the most lucrative.

Brace Yourself.

2011-11-02T04:35:00.000-07:00

The next few posts are going to be full of kid pictures. Halloween. Birthday parties. Bonfires. The kinds of landmarks that mark our days. And it just so happens that I love to photograph children. My own children get tired of my phottentions. (I just made that up. I'm so funny.) And I totally love Halloween, such that picture of my kids and others in costumes made me smile. The fact that my husband wasn't the only one who showed up to the party wearing underwear outside his pants makes me happy too. Family themes were big this year. Luchadors. Pirates. Wizard of Oz. Under the sea (mermaid, jelly fish, octopus, yellow submarine.)

Luchadors

2011-11-01T20:17:00.000-07:00

Words of Advice

2011-10-29T01:41:00.000-07:00

At the dinner table last night, we were talking to Ege about parties, etc. He exclaimed, "I won't go to any place where there is alcohol."
Makili was listening, and added with importance, "You also shouldn't go to any place with guns!"

??? It is good advice, I suppose.

To the top

2011-10-28T07:26:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month, we did our annual exchange student hike to the top of Mount Major, a beautiful and challenging hike. This year we had 15 or so exchange students, some host families, half a dozen of Raph's students, and my two adorable cousins, Emily and Caroline, who really came up to go to a concert with me (Slaid Cleaves) but were good enough sports to come along for the hike. Raph and I have declared them full on the most helpful cousins that ever existed. LOVE!

First Snow

2011-10-27T18:22:00.000-07:00

The first fat snowflakes are falling outside in the dark, collecting on the roof of the cars, and on the tips of blades of grass.

Thanks to Emma

2011-10-27T11:35:00.000-07:00

At the suggestion of a dear friend, I bought this book of poems recently called Hurry, Hurry Mary Dear by N. M. Bodecker, and boy oh boy is it full of silliness. She suggested the book to us because of the first poem: Hurry Hurry Mary Dear. I'm sure you'll see why.

Hurry Hurry Mary Dear

Hurry, hurry, Mary dear,
fall is over, winter's here.

Not a moment to be lost,
in a minute, we get frost.

In an hour we get snow!
Drifts like houses! Ten Below!

Pick the apples, dill the pickles,
chop down trees for wooden nickles.

Dig the turnips, split the peas,
cook molasses, curdle cheese.

Churn the butter, smoke the hams,
can tomatoes, put up jams.

Stack the stove wood, string the beans,
up the storms and down the screens.

Pull the curtains, close the shutters.
Dreadfully the wild wind mutters.

Oil the snowshoes, stoke the fires.
Soon the roads are hopeless mires.

Mend the mittens, knit the sweaters,
bring my glasses, mail my letters.

Toast the muffins, brew the tea,
hot and sweet and good for me.

Bake me doughnuts, plain and frosted...

What, my dear? You feel exhausted?

Yes, these winters are severe!
Hurry, hurry, Mary dear.

When you live with teenagers...

2011-10-26T07:04:00.000-07:00

You get to take their pictures before they head off to the homecoming dance. You get to tell them that they can't leave the house until they clean their room. You get to hear about the teenage drama at school: which girl is "the one" this week, and who else likes her, and how she'd be perfect, etc. You get to remind them OFTEN to shut off the lights before they leave, to pick up their underwear from the bathroom floor, that six towels on their floor of their room is TOO many. You get to watch them play with your children, even if it adds lots of decibels to the room. In all, it's pretty entertaining.

Friends, pumpkins, fire

2011-10-25T06:05:00.000-07:00

We've had a slew of bonfires lately, enjoying the fall as much as we can while continuing to scramble to complete house projects. Trim a door, eat a meal, add two courses of siding, take a hike, stack some wood, etc. Over Columbus day weekend (yeah I'm a bit behind on posting) we had some friends over to carve pumpkins and have a fire, and it was really fun. I'm so appreciative of nights like these.

My culinary adventures this season

2011-10-24T16:35:00.000-07:00

I made two things recently that were new experiments. I was proud of both. first I made homemade ketchup, which is very time consuming, but totally worth it. To be honest, you have to strain it to get the "normal" ketchup, and I ended up eating the stuff I strained out too as "thick" ketchup. I made enough to freeze, and for us each to have our own little bowl with grilled cheese and sweet potato fries. Yum.

And then I cooked a bunch of lemon verbena in a simple syrup to use with seltzer water for some fancy drinks. I loved the smell, but I couldn't handle the sweetness of the drinks. Raph and other seemed to like it, but I felt like it was something new and interesting to try. And amazingly, we did drink almost a whole jar of the stuff.

Melts me.

2011-10-23T06:36:00.000-07:00

My cutie.

2011-10-21T09:17:00.000-07:00

Quick friend visit

2011-10-21T04:49:00.000-07:00

I had a little Pampered Chef party for Ann, and got to hang with a few of my friends in the process. Alden and Daniel came to hang out with their moms, which was really fun. Alden is so big and cute. Delectable. We've seen these kids a lot and it will be fun to watch them all grow up together.

Basketball skies

2011-10-20T04:38:00.000-07:00

Ege was on the soccer team, but basketball is his real sport he says. I'm excited to see! We recently went to play some bball and had some gorgeous skies as a backdrop. Even Altana, from Mongolia got in on the act, and she wasn't half-bad either!

Making Kraut

2011-10-19T16:00:00.000-07:00

My friend Mary and I had an unusual afternoon together with no kids (well to be fair Peter was sleeping, which was pretty sporting of him I say) and we set to work making loads of saurkraut. Which if you didn't know involved crushing the cabbage, say with you feet! Much like grapes. So we had a day of standing on cabbage together with salt and jars and cuisinarts and screen-printed t-shirts as a back drop. And it was lovely.

My farmer

2011-10-18T04:19:00.000-07:00

My Makili is definitely my little farmer. (Remick is the worm herder/caretaker/torturer, depending on the day.) But Makili has his own little garden out there where he actually grew this amazing brussel sprout stalk pictured below. (We had already plucked the sprouts off.) He was so proud to eat them! And if you know Makili you know that he is pretty much all the time obsessed with something. Starting from birth those things include balls, tractors, racecars, and currently soccer. He takes breaks from these obsessions for sideline passions - gardening, puzzles, drawing, etc.
Makili is learning so fast these days. Two recent incidents totally made me stop and take stock of that. First the other day he saw a guy with a mohawk in the parking lot. He stopped dead in his track, and said, "Mom what is that?" I think I laughed out loud and told him, but it made me realize how he just knows what he's seen. And then while we were drawing the other day, he was frustrated that the wheels he was drawing on Lightning McQueen (I hope we move on from this phase soon) weren't right. He was drawing with pencil, and so I suggested he erase it. He looked at me like I was crazy. When I showed him what an eraser did, he went straight to the task of erasing everything. It was really cute.

New Garden Favorite

2011-10-17T04:08:00.000-07:00

Someone gave me some Sweet Annie seedlings at the beginning of the season. They are tall, plumy, weed-looking things, but they smell like absolute heaven and apparently have all sorts of medicinal value as well. What I love them for? Making crowns! Aren't they cute. My mom and the kids are pretty cute too.

Perfect Fall Days

2011-10-16T11:44:00.000-07:00

We've had some of the. loveliest. fall days ever. One of which, we got to spend with Grammy on Plum Island. I love the beach off season when there are no people there and crisp air. It was lovely. We love having Grammy here is general.

I just love watching this pile of kids grow.

2011-10-07T11:59:00.000-07:00

Brothers Rock!

2011-10-06T16:57:00.000-07:00

I'll be honest. When I was pregnant with Remick, I was hoping for a girl. At each of my three ultrasounds, I made them check again, in case the previous person had got it wrong. But I didn't know then that brothers rock. For real. I feel so lucky to get to raise these two brothers together, who love each other so much. Remick wants to do EVERYTHING Makili (or "Kili" as he calls his brother) does. Makili gets mad at Remick a lot for wrecking his garages, or whatever, but he also LOVES to play with him. And there is nothing better than when they are making each other giggle and playing together. I really think brothers are cool.

So lucky

2011-10-05T03:50:00.000-07:00

We got so lucky to have Grammy come visit us for 10 days, which as usual was not enough! More pictures to come.

Can you believe that THIS is my baby??

2011-10-03T16:10:00.000-07:00

Loud, willful, funny. Remick completely idolizes his big brother and will do just about anything for his attention, which sometimes means he'll stand there watching his brother as he slowly and purposely knocks down his brother's garage or whatever. He says EVERYTHING anybody else says. He's gone from being the bird of prey to the parrot. Everything. He tries to ride a bike like his brother, and almost can (with steering wheels). We think he might be color-blind, but we'll see. He's a peanut, but full of energy. He and Makili like to race more than anything. Doesn't matter how many seconds or minutes Remick finishes after Makilis, every time he'll say "I won!" He's a cuddlebug, which is nice can I can actually sleep with this kid occasionally. But he likes me to hold him when he wakes up. Divine. He's a hoot. He makes jokes all the time. At the moment he really likes being a "monster" and he runs around the house with a paper mask he made yelling really loud "monster in the house!"

The 3 hour tour

2011-09-30T14:11:00.000-07:00

Well, the kids and I have been spending a lot of times in the woods lately. It is perfect for that right now. Crisp air, but warm enough for shorts. no bugs. Just lovely. Before the loveliness falls around us and we are left with winter. So I convinced the boys to hunt for mushrooms (our newest obsession) with me for a half hour before we had to pick up Ege at soccer practice. Nearly 2 hours later (we ended up having to call Raph and have him pick up Ege) we finally emerged from the woods. We started jolly and full of wonder at the world around us, and emerged fussy (even me) and cranky, wishing the trails were better marked, and honestly full of relief. Remick who typically wants to do whatever his older brother does, kept telling me, "I'm too little to walk this far" and I did end up carrying him at the end, and I told him, "you might be too little to walk this far, but you are too big to carry!" Retrospectively it was fun though. Next time we'll probably stick to well-known woods.

Before the fair

2011-09-29T04:36:00.000-07:00

Before the fair we had another sort of adventure. We went to my aunt and uncles llama farm in Jefferson Maine. I love it there and always have, but a fire burnt their home to the ground two years ago, and now they have the lovliest house ever made to go with their llamas and barns. Everybody had fun, though neither of boys nor the two Turkish exchange students that came with us were terribly interested in the llamas. The highlight for Makili was riding around on the gator with Uncle Terry. It really was so nice.

My boys

2011-09-27T06:09:00.000-07:00

Some quick photos of my 3 boys with my new camera:)

The FAIR

2011-09-25T17:22:00.000-07:00

What is there not to love about a fair that sets out pieces of lumber, hammers, and nails for kids to pound away, hills with cardboard for sledding, buckets of beans just for putting your hands in, parades of people wearing veggie costumes, a "hay jump" for kids, people driving oxen, an ingredients list on the fried dough, and more oddities than could possibly be imagined. The Common Ground Fair is THE fair for fair-haters. Like me.

River of Hawks

2011-09-24T16:29:00.000-07:00

The boys and I had a blissful day this week. We went mushroom foraging at Mount Agamenticus, and then flew the new kites that Opa sent them at the top. (FYI 300 feet of string is too much for a two year. I can tell you that based on experience after spending close to an hour getting said kite and string out of the trees:) We stopped and ate the first apples of the year. And then at some point I noticed the throng of people on the upper observation deck oohing and aaahing. We made our way over and noticed their binoculars pointed to the skies. And there above us were literally hundreds of hawks riding the air currents over the mountains. Turns out it is the hawk migration that happens every year. That day alone they had counted 1500 hawks already at 2:00. It was awesome. We loved laying in the grass watching them.

Late summer camera phone recap

2011-09-14T10:41:00.000-07:00

My camera is out of commission and a new one hopefully in the mail this week. Here are some iphone late summer highlights: beach trips, Ege's arrival, Dre's visit, wood stacking, Irene, sweet exchange students returning for visits, free peaches, silly shirts, face plants, visiting cousins, boys with popsicles. The usual really.

Winter Panic

2011-08-17T04:39:00.000-07:00

So winter panic has been setting in for me this week. It is turning into the end of August. The house isn't done being sided. We have an exchange student coming in a week. We have no firewood stacked (or bought or split) for the winter, and that is our only source of heat. I have frozen one bag of kale and one bag of pesto. I think late blight is trying to set in in the garden. AHHHH!!!!And then a quick picture of the kids to calm me down.

More catch up: fun with Peter

2011-08-14T03:50:00.000-07:00

So little baby Peter doesn't know this, but he has officially reached the age of babiness that I love and find truly irresistible. Lucky for me, Mary humors me and lets me steal him away sometimes. Because even though he is completely delectible, I also remember what it meant to be a momma who always had a baby in her arms, could never put him down. It's nice to have a friend whisk him away for a little while. So it works out for both of us.

My friend Mary and her husband are deeply entrenched in the workings of a dairy farm. Her husband is actually the vegetable farmer for the operation, but really they are half of the team that run the farm. All four of the people involved are first-generation farmers, running one of the few, if not only, organic dairies in the state of NH. They lost the lease to their land and will be moving the entire farm (roughly 100 cows, plus pigs, chickens, and people) this spring. Can you imagine? Luckily, they're moving into Ann and Larry's territory. So we can still be friends:) In the meantime I'm just going to breath in Peter's adorableness.

A few other recent visitors!

2011-08-10T10:28:00.000-07:00

This is Dre, our Fresh Air kid for the summer! Great experience so far! So good with my kids and a nice kid in general!And then my cousin Sarah, with child, and David for a brief absolutely lovely afternoon by the sea...

A few recent developments.

2011-08-08T18:30:00.000-07:00

I am so far way behind on postings. I give up. I'm not going to catch up. So I'm just going to put a few pictures of what has been going on.

Our new window, aka stage. Looks awesome.A cousinly visit with ONE picture as record. Sorry Caroline.
Lots of flowers cut and bunched and headed to market over and over and over again.
A few trips to York's Wild Kingdom where you can ride antique amusement park rides at your own risk...
New potatoes.

A few from before...

2011-07-30T01:40:00.000-07:00

Almost like Hawaii

2011-07-24T08:39:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things we did with Brittany while she was here was to take her surfing. It isn't quite like Hawaii, but it was lovely. I rode a few waves, and I think Brittany got up once. Makili donned his own little wet suit and in general we all had a lovely time at the beach. I miss Brittany.

Lucky two (soon to be three) times over.

2011-07-14T17:57:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to get to stay with the Ainsworths in Connecticut on both our way in and out of New York. And not only that but we surprised them by bringing the other Mattys. Nice aren't we? And they're still letting us come back this weekend:)

We had a blissful summer time there, eating desert on the back porch, jumping off the dock, taking walks, eating Suzanne's amazing cooking. Yum. We are so grateful and lucky!

Oh, and by the way, this is what you shouldn't do: Give a 2-year-old access to markers on a long drive.

The Matty's take Manhattan (or Brooklyn to be precise)

2011-07-13T19:03:00.000-07:00

We had a great time on our quick trip to NY. Raph helped Gabe build a bike out of bamboo at the Bamboo Bike Studio while Laura and Ann and I managed the kids through NY. I got to meet up with my good friend Evan and her boys too which equaled a lot of boys 4 and under. They got along quite well though. It was really nice to see them. Makili LOVED the subway. I loved the fountain we ran through after the children's museum and the roti we got nearby at Glorias. There was ice cream in Chinatown and you know, a mellow and not-so-mellow NY trip. The best part: off of work!

Nothing so soft

2011-07-12T11:33:00.000-07:00

There is nothing so soft as a newborn's head. And nothing more special that being able to see them so tiny before they were who they are. Our newest friend Daniel was born July 3, and I was so lucky to meet him last week. Good thing I got those tubes tied or I would be vacillating. I offered Amy to take him off their hands...

Cousinly Love

2011-07-07T13:14:00.000-07:00

We've had a terrific week with the cousins and more pictures than you can imagine. Here a few I can squeeze the time in to post:) Makili and Gabrielle are so cute together. They get along SO well. They're are into being competitive (I can eat faster, run faster, sing louder, etc. than you) but actually they don't really care. But they think eachother's jokes are hilarious and that is pretty funny.
Oliviann and Remick largely ignore each other's existence when antagonizing the other one, as Remick was doing below by trying to get Oliviann to hug him non-stop.

Such unbelievable cuties...

A good chance meeting at the beach

2011-07-01T16:06:00.000-07:00

We had a really nice chance meeting with the Fullertons at the beach the other day. Makili and Lucy had a swell time running around in the water together and thoroughly enjoying themselves. Amy is actually due today so we're anxiously awaiting the big news. So exciting. Summer time is here.

Not exactly how I saw things going down...

2011-06-28T08:28:00.001-07:00

Makili turned 4 last Friday and he tells everyone he tells he see that he's 4. I was really pumped about it and when they were at Ann and Larry's last Thursday night, I decorated a little bit, and made and cooked cupcakes for nine hours until they were charcoal bricks and then Becky helped me make more, and I made him a card and picked him a bouquet because he's always asking for one.

But alas, the poor kid barely was able to enjoy Cars 2 (nowhere near as good as the original and FULL of guns and violence) or his gifts because he was so sick.

But he's the cutest 4-year-old that ever existed. Just so you know.

My little one turned 2.

2011-06-17T15:02:00.000-07:00

Seeing these pictures just breaks me down, because for some reason I feel like I can see all at once how he has grown. My baby is no more. Intellectually I know this, but somehow I just saw it for the first time. Remick chose his birthday activities (except for the big block of the day in which I had to go to work) and it included cereal, the beach, rumble tumble (postponed until the next day), popsicles, and pizza. I love this crazy, willful thing so much.

He got a box from Grammy the night before his birthday. He opened the gifts with gusto and when I asked what was it? He would answer "It's mine! It's someping and it's mine!"

UPS

2011-06-10T05:01:00.001-07:00

When the UPS truck arrived the other day and the woman got out, Makili screamed at the top of his lungs,

"Dad, the man that sells boxes is here."

Farewell to a good group

2011-06-09T16:02:00.000-07:00

We had a send off party for this year's exchange students. They were a really great group. I will miss them!

This new friend.

2011-06-08T18:58:00.000-07:00

This new friend of mine brought me dinner tonight. She made me the most delicious smoothie you can imagine, and a sandwich on bread she baked, and homemade frozen yogurt. For real. Like delivered it to me at the farmers' market while helping me take down my tent and pack up all my unsold stuff. I can't even begin to express my friend crush. I am totally having a moment over homemade frozen yogurt which is pretty much the bees knees and kicks store-bought ice-cream's ass. And when delivered by new friend while at work after sitting in a tent on a 85+ degree day equals the greatest confection conceived by the mind of man and just about the sweetest expression of friendship I can imagine. I feel lucky.

Taking Mr. Potato head too far

2011-06-07T07:55:00.000-07:00

Me Want Junk Food

2011-06-04T01:15:00.000-07:00

Little Remick is quite a hoot these days. Aside from being VERY two and refusing to do anything cooperatively, he is also my little diabetic in training. Last week when we were up at Ann and Larry's, Larry asked me what he would eat for dinner. I quickly responded that he won't eat anything - he just likes junk food. So then there was a hilarious half hour when Larry would offer him something, and no matter what it was healthy or not, he would reply "Me Want Junk Food!"

This little one is quite certain he is every bit as big as Makili and therefore should be able to do ANYTHING his brother or any other bigger kid is doing. Yesterday we took the kids swimming. Makili is pretty good now having had a series of lessons this spring, and though he wears a "bubbble" is able to go about on his own quite well. Remick is quite certain that he can swim and spent the whole time trying to push out of our arms, jump off the side onto kickboards when we weren't ready, and even tried to swim out to Raph one time when Raph was three body-lengths away. He was a pretty good sport too about nearly sinking as far as things go. He and his brother spend hours jumping off the furniture together and creating obstacles and games out of it. "Falling on my face" is a favorite one.

Remick also has THE most dramatic pout you've ever seen. It takes in his whole face and makes his look rather funny. It cracks us up through and random strangers too.

We've also learned that bugs like him. He'll scream at night - "OW! Ow! My back (or leg, or arms, etc)." He screams so much that we'll go in there at say 2:00am and it will all be over a bug bite. It is rather exhausting.

My favorite thing about Remick is how he likes to hug for a like half an hour after he wakes up. He'll just sit on my lap and tell me stories and hug me around the neck. It is so nice.

Full Weekend

2011-05-30T17:33:00.000-07:00

I can't believe what a full weekend that was! I'm exhausted, exhilirated and really sunburnt. In addition to LOTS of work, we had a LOAD of sun, beach, swimming, running in the sprinkler, making a "water slide" (which is our little tykes slide with a piece of plastic at the bottom and water sprayed down it). There was some excitement today about a snake, which we first feared to be a copperhead, then some sort of rattle snake, since it was shaking its' tail like a rattler but it didn't rattle. We thought maybe it was a juvenile rattler. So we called my good friends at the center for wildlife who assured us that there are no rattlers in Maine, and that the poor thing that Raph was in the process of trying to catch and relocate (crazy, I know) was actually an Eastern milk snake, and a great ally in the quest to downsize the rodent population. I actually can't relate all that went down this weekend, but I can say the gardens are MUCH closer to where they need to be, my children have way more vitamin D than they did this time last week, and we all need a good aloe rub down.

What Have I Done

2011-05-25T02:50:00.000-07:00

Raph has been hinting that I need to cut Remick's hair. I cried the first time I cut Makili's hair, and I knew this was the last time I'd see one of my babies transformed into a little boy before my eyes. It was time though. Everyone, and I mean everyone, thought he was a girl, despite the most boy outfits you could imagine. His hair got stuck in the bib at every meal. Half of the time it was in a matted mess. Still, I did cry. And I'm still trying to believe this little boy is mine. If it weren't for all the silly faces he made in our little photo shoot I might not be sure.

Coming Out

2011-05-24T03:44:00.000-07:00

Things are starting to come OUT of the greenhouse and into the garden which is such an exciting time. With no fan on the greenhouse, I have to be constantly aware of the weather (though admittedly during this rainy cold spring, I haven't had to worry as much), since one sunny day without open doors can result in trays of dead seedlings. So coming OUT is like liberation for me.

Makili has been a huge helper in greenhouse. One day I went in the house with Remick for something and when I came back he had prepared an entire tray of peat pots with potting soil, watered them and everything. He's pretty amazing. And really, quite good at the gardening thing. It's very cute.

Remick on the other hand is a complete and total menace. He loves to play in the potting soil and dump it all over the greenhouse. He'll dump the seeds all over the place too. But he likes to be out there with me too.

I'm a lucky gardening momma.

At the Table

2011-05-23T04:49:00.000-07:00

Makili has made us laugh out loud several times in the last two days.

Yesterday when Ann was here we were telling her that she needs to just move in already. I pointed out that she has some strengths that I lack (patience, cleanliness to start). Makili chimed in, "I think you should move in. (he paused) But, Paka needs a Mama." Ann really laughed at that one and then added that she was looking for a wife.

Last night at bedtime we read about about astronauts. So this morning as we were cuddling in bed I we had a conversation.
mom: Do you want to be an astronaut?
Makili: no
Mom: What do you want to be when you grow up?
Makili: a daddy.
Mom: That's so nice, but you can be a daddy and have a job. Like Daddy is your daddy and a teacher.
Makili: (quiet, thinking)
Mom: You could be a doctor and help people? Or a farmer?
Makili: I want to be a farmer but still live in your house.

Is that prophetic? I went on to explain that he might want to live in his own house someday, but that I will still be his mommy and Raph would still be his Daddy, etc.

Then over breakfast today, he shared,

"I think when we get bigger, we should change Remick into a girl and I'll be the daddy and he'll be the mommy and we can live in our own house."

Oh Yeah

2011-05-15T17:43:00.000-07:00

Raph got me a new battery and charger for mothers' day, so here I am again. Friday was a blissfully beautiful day. I decided that being a good mother and wife and cleaning the house and cooking yummy dinners wasn't getting me anywhere, so I fed the kids cookies for lunch, let them trash the house and then ignored them for my garden. It was great. Actually, everyone was happy.

Makili went to a birthday party on Thursday (don't get me started on his social agenda is WAY more full than mine) and came home with a party bag that had some candy in it. He obsessed over this candy all night on Thurs and all day on Friday, carrying around his Dots, which he calls "Opa's favorite candy." I finally got so tired of telling him no, that I told him he could eat one. He tried a tootsie roll and promptly declared he didn't like it. He had a second tootsie roll in the bag in a sealed wrapper, which he then gave to Remick since he didn't like it. I had already fed Remick cookies for lunch (again SO tired of fighting that one) so I wouldn't open it for him. He walked around trying to bite it open for seriously an hour.Then he finally succeeded. What a look of triumph he had as he came over, chocolate running down his face and covering his sweatshirt. I might never open a wrapper for him again.

Progress Since Easter Day

2011-05-10T15:41:00.000-07:00

Weekend Highlights

2011-05-01T17:02:00.000-07:00

Compliments of the hipstamatic app on the i-phone (since I still didn't buy another camera battery yet) are these weekend moments. It was absolutely beautiful this weekend and my last weekend off before six months of farmers' markets. Indeed, summer starts on Thursday as far as I'm concerned. We were busy on the house and in the greenhouse and all around, but we still made it to the ocean this morning, and Raph used old chimney parts to rig up our little outdoor cook stop and fired up the veggie dogs last night. So fun.

Yesterday's Escapade

2011-04-27T07:01:00.000-07:00

So on Monday night, Raph had a hockey game. Apparently he hasn't play hockey very recently because when we was packing up his gear he found a mouse nest with three itty bitty baby mice. Now let me be clear about how I feel about mice: I don't like em. I spend a lot of energy every summer trapping red squirrels, chipmunks, voles, and mice and relocating them across bodies of water so they don't come back. I am thrilled every year when I see the short-tailed weasel come back (cause they take care of the problem!) or a hawk circling above. Still, when these little babes became our problem, I wasn't prepared to be responsible for their demise. At first we put them in a basket back in the shed hoping the mom would come back to them (so that I could then trap them in a few months and relocate them.) This didn't seem to happen, however, and it was pretty chilly out there, so we brought them in. Raph tried to feed them out of the kids' medicine syringe, but they weren't really going for it. I spent a little time yesterday morning reading what needs to be done to keep baby mice alive. I was really unprepared to buy special formula, to massage their bellies so they could go to the bathroom, or to get up with them every hour. (Did I mention here how this would lead to me trapping them later this summer?) And yet, could I let the little things die right in front of the kids' eyes? No. I worried about it all morning, and then it occured to me to call the Center for Wildlife in York. So I did and amazingly, they took them! They were even excited about it! They had another mama mouse with babies about the same age. I couldn't believe it! And I don't even have to trap them later this summer!

Signs Easter Happened

2011-04-25T17:21:00.000-07:00

progress on the housebed snuggles
new friends

Yummy tofu scramble
beautiful artwork
the grass we grew for the bunny going into our smoothies!
and a whole lot of fort-building.

Hudson Cash Beal

2011-04-20T06:24:00.000-07:00

Before the trip to DC with the exchange students (where I lost my camera battery, card reader and a memory card full of pictures:() I got to see my brother and his family, including my new nephew, Hudson Cash Beal. What a little cutie. Luckily I still had the pictures on the memory card that was in the camera, so i didn't lose all of them, but I lost a lot.

Here I am making the whole family laugh with my behind the camera antics.And of course the boys were very interested in Hudson.

They spent a little time teaching Kaylee how to be a big sibling. You start by being nice.

Then you harass the crap out of a little sibling.
She'll learn fast, I'm sure.

Into Everything

2011-04-16T05:46:00.000-07:00

This little guy had (in addition to the broken leg) a bloody lip and a bloody nose this week. Last week he climbed out of and fell out of his crib - with a broken leg. He is into EVERYTHING. But boy is he cute. His language is absolutely adorable. He says almost everything in a mono-syllabic overly emphasized way. "Ploy! COME. BACK. HERE. NOW!" "Water. Get it!" He slept especially poorly the night before last and yesterday I was trying to talk to him about it. I said, "Remick, you were screaming at me all night long and mommy didn't like it!" His response, with a smile, "Mommy! Out!" He totally understood what I was saying and totally knew he had been screaming unneccesarily that night. I said I didn't want him to do that again. He said, "awight, I won't." And amazingly, that worked. He gets the cast off this week and he is so excited to go swimming like big brother, who has been taking swimming lessons. He is so cute.

Recovery

2011-04-15T04:47:00.000-07:00

Well, it's taken me all week to recover from a trip to DC last weekend with 20 exchange students. It was lots of fun, but lots of work too, and I came home minus my camera battery, battery charger, and card reader. I in fact took about three pictures in DC with my phone because I left the battery at the hotel after exhausting it taking pictures of my new nephew, Hudson Cash Beal, who I had the pleasure of meeting on Friday. So tiny and adorable! As soon as I find a card reader, I'll post some lovelies of him.

So any way, I thought I post a few of Matty and Rudy from two weeks ago that were sweet. I'm so glad they seem to be "settling" around here, and not trying to disperse like the rest of the Mattys:)

A sequence

2011-04-07T04:55:00.000-07:00

In the span of one minute my guy can give me all of this:

This kid is completely adorable and exhausting in the same breath. He is really into flying (jumping from one couch to the other over and over again with accompanying noise), playing pirates (which includes a lot of swords), building forts (inside and out), eating, eating, and eating (if someone else has food, he should too. just ask him. this irritates Raph to no end), digging roads in the compost pile (I think I might have mentioned the impact this has had on the laundry load), and swimming (major improvement over his first lesson which involved encouragement, bribery, threats) He's still obsessed with Lightning McQueen, though it's not really genuine any more. He is instantly attracted to anything "Lightning" but doesn't really play with them that much any more. He whines a lot despite my best efforts to ignore it. He likes his garden a lot, but might seriously not see anything grow because he insists on raking it every day. He insists on dressing himself every morning, often the second he gets out of bed and will absolutely not let me make suggestions as to what goes together. And speaking of "absolutely" - this is his new favorite word. As in, "This fleece (size 12-24 month) will absolutely fit me."

Until the next time

2011-04-05T04:44:00.000-07:00

We had a little going away party for Abram, Ny and the kids this weekend. I can't believe they are really moving to Thailand. I would LOVE to visit them, so I hope that could be in the picture! But I am genuinely worried that we'll never see them again. More of the great Matty dispersal. We will definitely miss them.

Poor Ploy is already learning to run away from the boys, which I'm sure she'll be doing a lot of in her life! Remick is just the first of many to follow Ploy around!

Look at this pile of cuties!

Kinda the Same, but different...

2011-04-01T04:50:00.000-07:00

Five years ago today, I woke up to a morning like this:and today, we certainly lacked the sunshine, but we definitely had snow:

And today, I got to wake up in an almost finished room in my own house and then shortly thereafter see these two crazies too - with bad bed head and stickers on their noses and all sorts of silliness.

But five years ago, our day was different. We gathered under a pine tree in the snow surrounded by our friends and family and said vows. Five years ago today Raph and I forged a super-human-life-bond (as it said on our wedding invitations).

Our lives have changed so much in five years and sometimes I miss things about our old lives - independence, quiet:), etc., but I never wish I was in it without Raph. Never.

Rudy turned one, but my camera died.

2011-03-31T03:23:00.000-07:00

Little Rudy turned one this weekend. He's practically just as big as Remick and about equally as demanding at the moment, but he is SO cute, and serious. Matty had a little birthday party for him which was fun. They're living in Raph's Aunt Pammy's house, since she moved to the Caribbean, and it was fun to see them in a house. And we got one of our last glimpses of Abram and Ny and the kids before they go back to Thailand next week. The great Matty dispersal! When we moved back here, we came to be near family, and they almost all moved away since then! I miss the old days, but I understand people need to move on I guess. Anyway, Rudy's a cutie...

Mini Photo-shoot with Mary and Peter

2011-03-30T17:19:00.000-07:00

Mary is one of my farmer friends, even though she really isn't a farmer either. She lives on an absolutely dreamy farm though, and she does their education side, since she is a teacher too. Her husband is the vegetable farmer on the otherwise organic dairy farm. I was so excited to finally meet little Peter who is complete love. My kids were a bit wild in her 300+ year old farm worker dwelling, but she took it in like air. It was a good glimpse into her future anyway. She's so cool. I have girl-crush on her. And Peter. And their adorable house on the river. And she's crafty. Did I mention my girl-crush...
Remick took the picture below. That's the nicest picture of a pair of lips ever. Apparently he's meant for photography:)

Random updates.

2011-03-27T05:51:00.000-07:00

We've had a lot of inside action this week between the broken leg and some chilly weather. I got this marble run at the dump on Wed, which has provided pretty much constant entertainment for the boys. Please note Remick wearing the rubber glove given to Makili by the Orthopedist on Thurs. Treasure! Both gloves are now in the freezer full of water for some fun this week.One day this week (they've all sort of blurred together at this point?) I woke up and though I saw an owl outside in our field. I was SO excited and hustled the boys to the window even though they didn't really care that much. So I threw my coat on and went outside to get a closer look. I looked up Maine owls on the internet and couldn't find one that looked like it, so I followed it all down the street to get a closer look before I finally decided that it was actually a baby hawk, which upon further research I now believe to be a Cooper's Hawk. I am pretty hopeful he'll call this area home.
This is an exciting new addition in our house - an upstairs bathroom!!!
And the barnwood floors now with finish in our bedroom. They look awesome and I sort of feel the need to give a little "I told you so" to all those who doubted me when I was out there pulling board off the barn in 40 degree weather. It was SO worth it!!
And I'm trying to remember this smiling face when I'm about to lose it from the whining. Thursday was great after he got the cast, but Friday I almost lost my shit. This kid is off, and it isn't just the broken leg. I don't know if he's sick or what but he has not been himself.
This is obviously pre-broken leg, but I just think it is so cute how Remick wants to do everything his brother does. Of course sometimes that leads to broken bones, but sometimes it's cute.
And this moment, I am enjoying some blissful serenity. My family went up to Ann's last night while I was at work. I think this is actually the first time I have ever been away from them both over night. I got to sleep in my own bed and lay there awake this morning. I got to do a little sewing and listen to great music. I got to blog and drink my coffee without waiting on anybody else. It was just the refresher I needed for another week.

Glimpsing Other's Lives

2011-03-25T05:33:00.000-07:00

Watching Remick so quickly make due with his cast, scooting all over the floor with his cast sticking out ahead of him like a compass, almost brings me to tears. Okay, so it does bring me to tears, but I'm not known for hiding my emotions. I've read a few blogs of people whose children are battling pediatric cancer or prematurity, and they often talk about their children's ability to life life fully, bravely facing the obstacles in their way. They talk about the unfairness of having their children deal with such adversity. I in know way can begin to fully understand what have experience, I will say that seeing Remick make due with his cast, find new ways to aggravate his brother, and get around, and not seem at all affected by his obstacle gives me glimpses of these feelings. I feel badly that he can't jump off the couch like he normally does, that he won't be able to run around in the grass (though it's covered in snow this morning) now that we can finally go outside, that he won't get to go swimming in the pool we've booked for a few weeks from now. I am so thankful our period of adversity is so short. I can't imagine what it would be like to have a child battling adversity forever. To see them and know all that they were missing out on, and to watch them face it all with a smile on their face. I really can't imagine that.

Magic Boot

2011-03-24T07:37:00.000-07:00

That, my friends, is a cast, or as we've been calling it, a magic boot. Yes, little Remick took a tumble off a swing on Tuesday and got a sprial fracture to his tibia. He's quickly learning to scoot around with his magic boot, and I'm grateful to know what is wrong, since I spent a lot of yesterday waiting for news only to be told his x-ray was inconclusive. This morning at the specialist there was nothing inconclusive about what they saw in the same x-rays. They say he'll heal quickly and four weeks from now, be able to take it off. Poor guy.

A Send Off.

2011-03-21T16:10:00.000-07:00

One of the families in our circle of friends is headed to California this spring. Ryan recently was hired by the DEA and had to be away from his family for five months for their version of boot camp, and now they're being "deployed" to San Diego. Some other friends rented the fish and game building a threw a little shin-dig for them this weekend. It was a nice time and the kids were certainly happy to see each other! I was given the job of coming up with kids' activities. Can you guess what they were?
Cape-decorating (yes I was somehow convinced to sew 15 capes ahead of time for this party!)

By the way, you know what's cuter than one baby in a kilt? TWO!
There was no shortage of sugar, and Madelyn was definitely not holding back:) Right out the of the bowl!
Coordinated t-shirts~!

And of course the face painting crayons were broken loose too!

So Much Going On

2011-03-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

Our lives have been pretty full lately. So many things to write and show, but also warming weather which turns my attention quickly from an indoor focus to an outdoor one. We had a day near 70 this week, and I wasn't interested in sitting at the computer on a day like that. And even today, in the upper 40's, I spent an hour cleaning up the yard (so much yard work to do!!) and am headed back that way to work on some compost-spreading in the garden (already!) I'm trying to resist the urge to go spring crazy and be mindful of the fact that I don't need to have everything started in the greenhouse just yet, and that there will be many many beautiful days and ever warming windows of time to get the unlimited list of projects slowly pared down. To take it slow and enjoy things like Remick's face upon holding his first worm (REALLY wasn't so sure about it!) or Makili being fascinated with birds' nests and eggs, and collecting sprouting buckeyes. Here are some highlights of the week:

Makili's first sleepover:

Remick's obsession with rainboots. Never mind they are two sizes too big. If big brother has them, he NEEDS them!Renewed interest in the potty and face-painting crayons.

Finding a skateboard hidden in the junk in our yard!Getting laundry on the line

Digging in the compost pail (this has not been a highlight of my laundry pile.)
Looking for worms!!!
Makili's love for "his" garden, where he has already planted peas (a bit early, but can't hurt, right?)
Shrinking snow and gardens unleashed for the work of the season to begin! Happy SPRING!

Did it really happen?

2011-03-13T07:35:00.000-07:00

My mom was here for a week and I almost feel like it didn't happen. This is a busy time for exchange student work and I had a huge training yesterday. I pretty much ignored my children all week since she was here and I feel like I barely spent time with her:( I think my iron must be low, cause I barely feel capable of functioning lately which doesn't help. My kids loved having Grammy here, and Remick in particular would completely ignore me if he didn't get the answer he wanted and turn directly to Grammy to get what he wanted. Sneaky little thing. We also we lucky enough to get a quick visit from my Aunt Suzanne who came up to spend a bit of time with us. It was SO nice to see her. I am such a lucky person.

I'm feeling a little down and sad this morning. I'm tired and my day started off with Makili crapping on the floor (he was naked and thought it was a fart!) and Remick coloring all over the couch while I was upstairs doing laundry. I'm trying to clear out the greenhouse but we still haven't built any shelves so I feel like I'm just moving mess from one area to another. And on top of all that, my mom is gone.

I'd pay money to see this.

2011-03-10T13:17:00.000-08:00

She's a natural. That's all I have to say.

The everyday

2011-03-09T06:04:00.000-08:00

At our house, waiting for the snow to melt, we spend a lot a time doing a few things:

Getting into stuff like mom's pin cushion.Whacking pillows with hockey sticks (thankfully not so much whacking each other.)
Some cheering each other on (mostly for the whacking but occassionally for other stuff.)
And a lot of dressing up, which I admit is my favorite.

I'm excited for the snow to melt and our focus to turn back outside. If only the snow melting didn't mean that I could see all the yard trash again...

Kid Parade

2011-03-07T16:06:00.000-08:00

Some of our friends are moving to the West Coast later this month. We've been trying to help them move their entire lives, sell their house, etc by offering to watch their kids. They had a big garage sale last weekend and we watched their daughter Kili, and our other mutual friend, Phin, while they were working. It was a lot of fun. Raph made fun of me, because I had a case of little-girl envy. I was following Kili around cause she was just so damn cute and I just wanted her to play with me!

Like Old Times, But Bigger

2011-02-27T08:14:00.000-08:00

We had a skate date with the McCall clan on Friday. It is unbelievable how big those kids are. It seems like 10 minutes ago that I was watching them - Morgan at Remick's age and Sam at Makili's age. They are like mini-adults now. So CUTE!

A little dose of the dude-man

2011-02-25T17:45:00.000-08:00

Matty stopped by the other day for a little while with Gina, Rudy, and her friend Rhiannon with her baby Callum. She said to Makili, "Have you met my friend Rhiannon?" Without a breath, Makili replied, "No. But have you met my friend Grammy?"

Anyway, The Dude-man, as Rudy is known, is a big little guy and so cute with those saucer eyes. Gina and Matty are mad at him cause he doesn't walk, and I think that he does it just to piss them off. It's all very entertaining...

Happy in Wool

2011-02-25T11:00:00.000-08:00

We put the floor down in our bedroom today, which is exciting. We took a little break to go sledding before the snow turned to rain, but overall it has been a day to cuddle up inside. Both my boys are wearing hand-knit sweaters, Makili's being the newest. It was a gift this week from Tamara, who whipped it out in a week! Cables and all! And Remick's is the sweetest little hoodie that Aunt Suzanne made for Makili as a babe. I think it's supposed to be 6-9 months, but I'm so glad we were able to squeak out another winter. I have knitter envy. I wish I could read those patterns and make such adorable things. But I am so lucky to have such lovely people in my life who share their talents with us.

Vacation

2011-02-23T13:08:00.000-08:00

I think today we're finally done timing the tylenol and ibuprofin and on to other things, like stacking wood and getting some house projects done. Yesterday, I waxed our floor tiles with paste wax and then Raph cut them and put them down. Unfortunately I woke this morning with a wicked headache from the fumes. So we've moved onto trying some eco-friendly stuff instead. Why we didn't do that in the first place is a good question. We're going to try to get the barn wood floor down in our bedroom this week too! We even have window trim up in that room! Progress - slow but steadyish.

I found my loves sleeping together at nap time the other day...so cute.And tell me he isn't the cutest little thing ever.
We spent the 40+ degree day today stacking wood. And I have to say I enjoyed it.

Sick House

2011-02-18T12:26:00.000-08:00

My boys are both a bit under the weather, so we've been sticking close to home a lot this week. Yesterday the boys discovered the costume bin and have been having a glorious time since then donning all sorts of creative outfits.

Fun with Tim and Tamara

2011-02-17T06:18:00.000-08:00

We entertained Tim and Tamara at our house for once! Cause we have room! The kids were pretty genuinely convinced that Tim was there for climbing on and sledding down, and he was a good sport about it, though I'm sure they both went home and let out a big sigh of relief for being free of their crazy energy. We haven't seen them as much lately so it was treat to connect (and talk seeds and spring!) and of course to eat yummy food.

My new favorite community resource

2011-02-16T10:33:00.000-08:00

We have passed the sign for the Mackey Skate Park a gazillion times on the way to soccer games, but never really knew what it was about. Well, volunteers offer to flood the ice daily, provide a small building for getting skates on and off, a bonfire pit, and well, an awesome winter-time activity for free! And while we love the Moffat Pond a whole lot, the Mackey Skate Park is also pretty great. Makili found this crate to push around and he was a motor, zooming around the ice so fast and falling just as awesome just for fun. It gave him a lot of confidence to push on the crate, and he was doing all sorts of crazy tricks. I couldn't believe he didn't get tired (I was tired way before he was!) Remick desperately wants to be one of the big guys, which is a really conflict for him since he can't seem to stay standing on the ice with skates on, or even shoes half the time. Anyway, I think it's pretty awesome that someone does this!

A Little Emotional

2011-02-14T18:34:00.000-08:00

I just bought the new Wailin' Jenny's album (SO good) and am listening to it while I sort through some photos and finding myself a little choked up. You know, I am so lucky to have this guy. And I meant it when I said that some of my best things were watching him laugh and skate. He is a different person on ice skates, and while most of my winter I spend pining for Hawaii, I would be sad to not get to see him on ice as often as I do. Skating unleashes his total youthful happiness, and he is so graceful and confident and well, attractive. Watching people do something that they are good at is a gift and a unique window into their soul.

I love making valentines.

2011-02-14T15:48:00.000-08:00

There is nothing I love more than Raph laughing and Raph skating.

I had to make a race car valentine for Makili and it was totally worth it because he has thanked me for it a half a dozen times tonight since I gave it to him. He LOVES it and I love that something as simple as a homemade valentine makes him so happy.

This little one thought that he might be nice as a decorated valentine which would explain why he is covered in marker. But like I wrote on the back of his valentine, my love for him grows every day.