30 Days of Photos: Day 14

Not my best day and not my best photo either.

Horrible Mother. That is pretty much how I felt today. The day started off with a squabble with Raph over the computer. Not at all necessary, but I've been computer-deprived all weekend while he was finishing a big project for the class he's taking at UNH, and just wanted to do the e-mail/blog run through before school today, but he was in a hurry and taking the computer and I was feeling underappreciated for all the effort I put in to give him lots of time to work on his project all weekend, which was in essence no break for me. Any way, that started the day.

Then the worst thing happened. I stopped at the library to pick up some new books (Beyond the Rainbow Bridge and the Einstein bio, both of which I'm very excited about) and decided to stop in at the coffee shop to say hi to the owners, with whom I'm friendly. So of course I have to get a cup of coffee, you know support the community. And often I actually crave coffee, but today I really wasn't in the mood, and almost didnt go, but figured oh I should stop in and say hi. So I did, and I got my small decaf with room for cream and I am trying to add the cream, while holding Makili, he grabbed the cup and spilled it all over both of us. He started screaming and I thought it was his hand that he had used to grab the cup with. I was embarressed and apologizing and it wasn't until a minute later, that a man there pointed out that the coffee had spilled on his leg too and he was wet. The coffee had collected at the top of his booties and gave him a second degree burn around his little ankle, but I didn't even know that until we got to the car and I went to change his clothes. He had long ago stopped crying and I thought he was fine. imagine my horror to pull off his sock and find skin blistered and missing. Horrible. Traumatic. I spent a large part of my otherwise tough day crying about it even though Makili seems to have gotten over it just fine. (He really liked playing with the Neosporin box.) Nadine, the woman I babysit for, is a nurse-practitioner. She checked it out and said he'd be okay and that it happens to everyone, but it still felt pretty shitty and i still feel like a second class mom today, despite hearing everyone's horror stories all day long. It's like I was inducted into the "real mom" club today. Everyone else appears to have had awful things like this happen too, but I can't say that makes me feel much better.

30 Days of Photos: Day 13

Won't let me finish my project...

Free Time / Teaming Up

Nadine's husband is away for the weekend and Raph has a huge paper due on Monday for his UNH class, so Nadine and I decided to get out together today with the kids and hit a hike. Yes we have snow again even though it had all just melted at our house, but that made for good mud play. It was pretty cold, but the blue skies are hard to argue with.

Then they came over for pizza. When I invited them, Nadine said "Sure, but we don't tread lightly." When we were kids, our family friends, the McNeishes, would come over. We referred to them (5 children) as the swarm because there was a flurry of activity and mess that sort of followed them around. We have a picture of Sue and Larry, the parents, kissing in our living room, and a completely blurry mess of kids and toys flying around their perfectly in focus kissing moment. Having the kids in our tiny little house sort of reminded me of that. Jack was going from room to room inspecting our things and most likely looking for candy. Sam was running in circles and being a snake on the floor while Morgan was climbing any chair she could find. And we were busy making the homemade pizza while Makili was crying for pear in his high chair. It was fun though I did feel the same sort of sense of forgotten calm that would follow the swarm's visits when they left. Good day.

30 Days of Photos: Day 12

30 Days of Photos: Day 11

Grandma's Creamer.

So Many Pictures, So Little Time

30 Days of Photos: Day 10

Decorating Easter bunny cakes. Can't get enough of Easter.

Blogosphere

Why watch tv? go to the movies? leave your house? when there are blogs out there. So I've become a bit addicted, I admit, but not without reason. There is great stuff out there.

Suspense!(Read through the last few days as she waited for Finley.

Romance (Scroll down to "Timeless")

Courage (On the part of Gretchen, Liam, and the rest of the fam)

Educational(I like these ideas for breaking up a week with kids)

Beautiful (I love their pictures)

Humor (Also a BEAUTIFUL blog)

Craft Oriented:
inspirational1
inspirational2
Inspriational3

But, there are babies to play with, husbands to love, and quilts to make, so I've got to put some limits on this stuff.

Can't Handle the Cuteness

(Paka - can I help on the next house?)

30 Days of Photos: Day 9

On to the ironing...
(Suzanne, Mom, want to come back and help?)

30 Days of Photos: Day 8

Punching Balloon.

Portraits - Children's Things

Nine Months Already

and what a nine months it's been. We've opened a new page recently. All of sudden, Makili is big. Today for example I learned that he can crawl up stairs. I blame his buddy Morgan for that one. Bad influence. I was astounded nonetheless! Everyone says he's going to walk soon, but we'll see how soon. He definitely has gotten into crawling and will crawl anywhere to get to me. There is no such thing as private bathroom time, a quick escape into the kitchen to get something done. I have a baby hanging on my pants and collar of snot and drool pretty much at all times.



But this growth is coming through in all sorts of ways. He opens every door, has long spells of independent play, wants to sit at the table at meal time with everyone else, pretends to laugh (sounds more like coughing) so that you'll laugh too, is just so darn interactive it is amazing. He likes to turn pages, open boxed, remove parts, hold things. He loves eating, whether it is him or anyone else. We have just started some solid foods - apples, bananas, carrots, and pears. Boy does he dig it! Giving him a piece of an unpeeled banana is quite an entertaining thing. He'll sucks the banana right out of the middle and won't remove it from his mouth until every fleshy banana speck is either in his mouth or on him.





The warmer weather certainly makes him happy too. He loves to be outside, and I've even gotten to the point that I'm letting him crawl around a little out there, getting those fleeces dirty... He has some of his grandpa genes...the way he was shutting his eyes and tilting his head back to suck in the sun...DST (Direct Sun Time) When my Dad would come to Hawaii he would insist on certain amounts of DST.



And then there's the whole cuteness factor. For example, look at his green eyes. Have you seen anything to cute. I am really into this age - have been loving it. He has been sleeping better (bed at 7:30, one crying session for 15 min. around 11:00, then sleeping to 4:30, nurse, sleep with us until wake-up at 6:30-7:00.), he's been playful (first we learn to walk, then we learn to trot...a favorite), he sucking in everything - i see his brain working learning how to interact, learning words. He's been snuggly, sweet, and funny. His sense of humor has really blossomed! He laughs if I wear sunglasses, a towel on Raph's head, if I talk funny. I am so lucky to be able to be home with him.

30 Days of Photos: Day 7

Trouble With a Capital T.

30 Days of Photos: Day 6

My Favorite Holiday

Most people are surprised when I say Easter is my favorite holiday. Sure Christmas is great, and Thanksgiving, well you can't argue with that yummy food. And I do love Halloween, the inherent creativity involved. But honestly, there is nothing better than Easter. My Easter is a true celebration of Spring whether she has visited yet or not. I love hunts, and dying eggs (even though I don't eat them), and flowers and sun. All things which seem to inevitably come with Easter. THroughout college, Easter was the best holiday because most of my friends wouldn't go home nd my parents would have a big candy hunt in the back yard, and the weather was always great and we lounged in the grass and soaked up the sun. Today was the Maine equivalent of that.

The day started with a visit from the Easter bunny. Raph and Makili followed the clues hidden in the eggs. The final clue said "You're almost to the Grand surprise. Look in a favorite thing of guys." He had some other ideas as to where the surprise might be hidden, none of which included the truck or could have actually held the surprise. But eventually they found it.





Then we had a lovely brunch with Tim, Tamara, and Sally. This included a candy hunt, which sadly I did not win. I was at a real disadvantage being short and besides when reunited with another Beal I realize how much I have to work on my competitive spirit, which isn't as practiced as it ought to be, spending so much time with the mellow Mattys. Raph made delicious waffles and we had a fruit salad too. Mmmmm. And to top if off, Tim and Tamara stuck around for a game of farkel. I think the whole neighborhood heard when Tim scored the necessary 1500 points to win the game. Tamara wasn't at all happy about the loss, but what can you do? You're up against Beals here.




After the party left, the weather was so nice that Raph and I did yard work! We cut down sumac and jagger/pricker bushes. It was LOVELY! Then feeling motivated still, I went running and ran the full 1.2 mile loop, which is a small miracle. Another miracle: as I walked out the front door to go running, I realized a whole slew of lillies? had sprouted...spring really is coming!



As my grandfather might have said about today, "This could've conceivably been the most beautiful day in the history of the world." And Easter is still at the tip top of my list.