Add One More...

It doesn't take much...

2012-01-10T09:55:00.005-05:00

...which is good because, we did not get much! The boys reveled in our first "snowfall" of 2012. It was only a dusting but, they sure made the most of it by playing outside yesterday evening while it fell and again this morning just after breakfast.

Jay came to us this morning in a panic. "No more (s)now outside." He and Andrew had gone to bed last night with high hopes that it would continue to snow during the night so that they might wake up to a true winter wonderland. Instead, they woke to find most of yesterday's snow had already melted. Still, they had fun playing in it this morning.

Happy boy

Two happy boys

Remnant of a snow angel made the day before

Snowball maker

Used his shovel to build a snow castle

Snow castle (walls for protection, the sticks in the front are trumpets, and the rest is decoration)

Adding the castle gate...

Letters to Santa

2011-12-20T15:41:00.004-05:00

This was the first year the boys sent letters to Santa Clause. I just had to share them because they were so sweet.

Dear Santa, I love you. I was a good boy. Please come see our Christmas tree. Please can you bring me a present? Thank you. Merry Christmas! Love, Jay

Dear Santa, I have been a good boy lately. This is the boy that has been good, Andrew. This is my Christmas wish list. Thank you. I will leave you a yummy snack on the table by the brown couch. Hope you like it. Merry Christmas! Love, Andrew

We dropped them off at Santa's Post Office at Macy's. What fun!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T17:40:00.002-05:00

Spooooooky......

2011-10-23T17:30:00.002-05:00

Happy 5th Birthday, Andrew!

2011-10-05T09:20:00.006-05:00

Dear Andrew,

Happy Birthday! Today you are 5 years old! And I swear it seems like you turned into a 5-year-old overnight except, it wasn’t last night. It was the day Jay turned 3. It was a Sunday morning, and you walked your brother up to the front of our church for the children’s message. This was something you never wanted to do on your own. But, now that Jay was 3 and was going to start going to the Sunday school portion of Sunday service, you assumed the role of big brother and decided to show Jay what to do. It’s as if Jay turning 3, was a huge milestone for you.

October 2010

January 2011

The next day you started pre-school. And you are doing awesome! All of a sudden you have this life outside of the one you and I have shared for the past 5 years. Sure it’s just three mornings a week but it’s a big step toward your independence. Jay and I love to hear all about your morning when we pick you up. Jay always asks you what you had for snack. You seem to revel in this attention from Jay and me. Add in your toothless grin and well, you truly look the part of a 5-year-old!

September 2011

Yes, you lost two teeth, one in August and one in September. You love to show off your toothless grin. And you were very excited for your first visit from the tooth fairy. As with most things, you were full of questions about what would happen. The funniest was asking if the tooth fairy would be able to open the little bag that your tooth was in. You were really concerned that it would be too big for her little fairy hands and that she wouldn't be able to manage it. Turns out she got it open and was able to leave some shiny quarters for you. Oh, how excited you were about this!

September 2011

This past year also saw a huge spurt in your appetite and growth, mostly over the summer months. You started to seem like a teenage boy sitting at the lunch table unable to be sated. You outgrew just about every item of clothing and all of your shoes!

August 2011

This summer also saw you improving your water skills. By mid-summer you gained free reign over the 3-4 foot area. Learning how to doggy-paddle and even swim under water to make progress when it got deeper. You would also jump off the wall and plunge under all by yourself. I think your favorite accomplishment was learning how to dive down to the bottom to pick something up in the 3 foot area. And I might add that you taught yourself all of this. You had a little help from me but, most of it you learned by practicing or watching older kids at the pool. It was really neat to watch you improve and to see how proud you were of yourself.

Your hand-eye coordination is really improving as well. You’ve become quite good at baseball in the front yard. And I couldn’t have been happier when you asked me if we could play basketball at the pool. Well, actually, I was happier still when you sank 8 out of 10 shots! To see you strut was a new experience for me. And I loved that first chance to teach you basketball. Oh, how I would love to teach you more.

May 2011

Not only has your physical development seen a big jump this year but, your mental development as well. Just recently, I’ve noticed that you: can add small numbers without counting on your fingers, pick out words on signs and in books, have great story comprehension, draw awesome pictures and are getting really close to writing your name. As great as all of these new skills are, Daddy and I have a favorite. It’s listening to you read to Jay. We like when you read to us too but, it’s so cute to watch Jay intently follow along as you weave an exciting story for him.

August 2011

This is an exciting time for our family. We just bought a house and will be moving in just a few days. I have been very proud of how well you have been handling this transition. You have been very helpful getting your things packed. I had been so concerned you would take some time to adjust to pre-school and then have to handle moving to a new home. Instead, you have totally amazed me by not only taking it all in stride but, truly flourishing.

I am going to enjoy this last year together before you start kindergarten next September. I am so excited for all that is in store for us as we venture into those school-age years but for now, I want to soak up every bit of these remaining pre-school days.

I love you, AP. Happy Birthday!

Love,
Mommy

Happy 3rd Birthday, Jay!

2011-09-11T08:28:00.007-05:00

Dear Jay,

Happy 3rd Birthday! You continue to grow into a very sweet boy. That's not to say that you haven't truly gotten in touch with your stubborn side, which you certainly did this past year. Your willfulness, however, is perfectly within the normal range for a 2-3 year old. And I think it is a direct result of your desire to do more and more things "all by yourself". You have started dressing yourself, helping yourself to snacks in the kitchen, helping me set the dinner table and even going to the potty all by yourself. Daddy and I have always admired your independence. You continue to prove this is one of your strongest personality traits.

October 2010

Going hand in hand with your independent streak is your sense of adventure. You are fearless in so many ways. Just last week you were jumping along a set of raised cement circles at our park. The space between these circles would seem to be too wide for you to jump across. Yet, you bounded along them as if it were no big deal. You are always game to try something new. I admire that about you a great deal. And yet, I also imagine you will cause me to have heart failure a great many times over the course of your childhood because you are so very daring! I will have to sit back and enjoy your adventures along with you, for I would hate to ever be responsible for curbing your great sense of adventure.

January 2011

This year saw you successfully master potty-training. You've also learned how to spell your name. And you are a total fish in the water. You loved swimming/wading at the pool and beach this summer. By the end of summer, you were jumping off the wall into the 2ft pool without any assistance from me.

June 2011

August 2011

You continue to be Andrew's shadow and mimic. Andrew has taught you to love putting on puppet shows. You love to tell a good knock-knock joke taking great pleasure in making others laugh. Your physical prowess combined with your sense of humor make us forget sometimes that you are two years younger than Andrew. I often joke to others, "don't tell Jay he is two years younger because he does not seem to know that he is." You keep pace with Andrew like it's no big deal.

March 2011

This coming year is going to be very special for you and me. Andrew is starting pre-school tomorrow which means you and I are going to have a chance to spend some quality one-on-one time together. I am really looking forward to being able to focus on just you for those few hours each week that Andrew is in school. You hardly seem like my little baby at all anymore and I know that is going to continue to fade over the course of this coming year. I look forward to soaking up every little bit that remains while at the same time reveling in the big boy you are becoming. I am so excited for the adventures which lie ahead of you.

I love you, Jay. Happy, happy birthday!

Love,
Mommy

First Lost Tooth

2011-08-21T16:59:00.004-05:00

Andrew has been so looking forward to losing teeth since he's heard older kids talk about it. He's had two loose ones in the bottom front for a couple days.

Today, very nonchalantly, he popped out the more loose of the two. I imagine the second can't be far behind.

He's excited about getting a visit from the tooth fairy tonight. I wonder what her going rate is these days. ???

Fathers

2011-06-27T07:51:00.007-05:00

Our summer has been off to fantastic start. We started things off with a lovely vacation in Massachusetts with my in-laws over the Memorial Day weekend. And we just spent a week in Ocean City, NJ with my extended family. The neighborhood pool is open and the boys are really enjoying spending time there. Hard to believe June is almost through.

Since we've been away, I was getting behind in my blog reading. As I was catching up this weekend, I noticed a lot of posts written by women honoring their husbands and/or fathers on Father's Day.

Our vacation in Ocean City always coincides with Father's Day. So, I am lucky that I get to spend Father's Day with my father, my Godfather, and Mark. Not to mention a whole slew of other great fathers (my brothers, uncles, and cousins).

Every blog post I read boasted their husband was the best father in the world. I don't think that is possible because, MY husband is the BEST father in the whole world! I could not ask for a better partner with whom to navigate parenting.

And then there's my father. I have been so blessed throughout my life to have a strong relationship with my father. Over the years, I've come to appreciate that more and more as I realize not all daughters have this kind of bond with their fathers. My father was always a great "dad". He coached little league, helped with homework, listened to and comforted his children and most importantly, showed them how much he loved Mom. To have grown up in a such a stable nuclear family is a true blessing and my father was a large part of that.

However, none of that compares to how incredible my father is as a grandfather! He never tires of his grandchildren and their constant demands for time with PopPop. This past week, he was often seen holding hands with two grandkids and jumping little waves along the shoreline, searching for seashells, playing "catch the seagulls", pitching a wiffle ball or reading books. He is like a magnet to whom all of the grandkids are drawn. Just look at this photo. I dare you to tell me he's not an exceptional grandfather!

Did I mention that I also have a wonderful father-in-law?

I am truly blessed. I am related to, no...bonded to, a husband, father and father-in-law, all of whom could vie for the "Best Father in the World" title.

Milestone!

2011-05-19T06:44:00.006-05:00

Those of you who know me well, know that I can be...at times...a little bit...competitive. A little. (Thankfully, most people who love me find it endearing rather than obnoxious!) However, I try very hard not to keep track of when the boys hit their milestones in relation to each other. First steps, first word, etc. But, I was very curious recently to see where we would end up with potty-training because, they started at two different ages.

I waited until after an important family wedding in which Andrew was the ring bearer to start his potty training. As a result, he was more than ready and old enough to do it well. He figured it out right away and was potty trained at 2 years, 8 months.

Jay on the other hand, showed interest in toilet learning (this is the phrase used in the "what to expect..." book and I think it's funny) much earlier. However, it has taken much longer for him to truly accomplish complete potty training. But, he has and it was right at 2 years, 8 months.

Isn't that interesting? (sounds of crickets chirping...people deleting my blog from their bookmarks...)

Well, that's not even the milestone I wanted to document here. The important milestone reached last night was:

Andrew and Jay's First PISSING CONTEST!

The boys and I were in their bathroom (which if you've been to our house, you realize has a maximum capacity for 3 people if you stand in just the right spots). First, they were racing to see who could get undressed first. Then, they sat side-by-side on their respective commodes (Andrew on the toilet and Jay on his potty) and commenced with their pre-bath duties. (snicker, snicker) Andrew leaps off of the toilet and declares, "I win!". Jay with all his pride, stands up and says "I win too!". Now, comes the bickering over who peed faster.

Ahhhh...raising boys is going to be so much fun!

Mudder's Day

2011-05-08T19:06:00.007-05:00

Recently, Andrew and Jay have started calling me "Mudder". It cracks me up. I'm pretty sure they picked it up from me too. Here's my thinking. I will scold them when they are being rude to me by saying "I am your mother and you can't talk to me that way." They seem to hear "I am your Mudder and you can't talk to me that way." See, what I mean? Evidently, I slip into a New York/Long Island type accent when scolding them about being rude to me, their mudder. What's funnier is that Andrew definitely knows it is incorrect which naturally makes it all the more funny to him.

So, I hope all the mothers out there, especially those who are so near and dear to me had a very special Mudder's Day! I sure did. Thanks in no small part to my wonderful husband who pampered me all weekend. This man sure makes me feel loved and appreciated. I am so blessed.

And being mother to these guys...well, I am really blessed.

Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-17T16:29:00.007-05:00

Our neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt was today. You would not believe how excited Andrew was for this.

Here he is scoping out the field before things got started:

Jay in action:

Jay's friend Connor giving an egg to Jay:

Andrew in action:

It was a beautiful sunny Sunday for the annual egg hunt. We had fun.

March

2011-04-04T09:53:00.007-05:00

March was a fun month.

There was a visit from Oma and Opa (technically this was in the last week of February).

A sign Andrew made to welcome Oma and Opa.

Andrew and Oma freshly squeezing Florida oranges.

Opa reading to Jay.

There was a visit from my brother Chris, my nieces Samantha and Sara, and my nephew Nathaniel.

Samantha and Andrew on the Metro.

Jay and Sara on the Metro.

Nathaniel on the Metro.

Chris and his kids at the Washington Monument (note the White House in the background.)

It also rained a fair amount so the boys have been having fun playing in the mud puddles that form in our side yard.

Seems like there was something else...Oh, right! There was a little trip to....Walt Disney World. It was a Holland Family Grand Gathering. All 16 members of the Holland family met in Orlando for a week together at Walt Disney World. It was awesome!

This is all 16 of us at the Polynesian Resort.

A Walk in the Woods

2011-02-11T15:31:00.005-05:00

I have a friend who lives in Maine. Last week, she wrote something on her blog that came back to me this morning as I was lying in bed wrestling with the notion that I would have to get out of bed soon.

I've been dealing with a sinus infection all week. The way I've dealt with this sinus infection was to let the boys watch more tv than usual so I could rest. When I was lying in bed this morning, thinking about how cooped up we've been, and how unfair it has been to the boys, these words from Maine Momma's blog came back to me.

"i have not gone out just because. today i see i need to. i must. a walk in the woods or maybe a climb over that snow bank to reach the beach. something, anything. i need some sun on my face and fresh air in my lungs and to walk off a bit of this cabin fever that has set in my bones and in my head."

All three of us needed to walk off some cabin fever. Of this I was sure. Andrew confirmed this notion for me when he came in to wake me up saying, "Mommy, it's a great day to go outside. It's sunny and beautiful."

So, with every intention of getting some fresh air, clearing the cobwebs, and soaking in some sunshine we headed to Huntley Meadows Park for a nature walk. Bucket in hand we walked along the path searching for nature. Andrew and Jay collected pine cones, sticks, rocks and other things. I collected some much needed fresh air and vitamin D!

Thanks for the inspiration, MaineMomma! This photo is for you:

As promised...a recap of my birthday

2011-02-07T10:44:00.004-05:00

It seems to have become a tradition on my mother’s side of the family to celebrate birthdays multiple times. You celebrate once with your immediate family, then maybe again when more members of your extended family can be together. We have come to call this celebrating your birthday “McDevitt” style. In this fashion, you can celebrate your birthday for a week or a month instead of just one day. It’s great!

For example, when Andrew turned 3 we had a birthday party here with some of his friends, we celebrated with dinner on his actual birthday and he had a party at MomMom and PopPop’s house with his cousins. That’s three separate parties to celebrate one birth-day. Understand?

Well, for my birthday...

We (Mark, Andrew, Jay and I) celebrated my birthday on the Sunday before my birthday. It’s much more convenient (and fun) to celebrate on a weekend instead of a weeknight. Mark coined a new phrase for the celebrating of one’s birthday multiple times, “false birthday”. And what a great false birthday it was…

8:30 – 9:30 – church

10:00 – breakfast at Evening Star Cafe

11:00 – 4:00 – putting on puppet shows (Andrew), playing with cars (Jay), crafting and mending projects (me), cooking (Mark)

4:30 – birthday dinner of roasted chicken, stuffing, roasted potatoes and creamed spinach

5:30 - presents

6:30 – birthday cake with our dear friends, the Sprungs

Andrew had planned my birthday cake weeks in advance. And he even managed to keep it a surprise. He was very excited about it. It was so adorable. He absolutely loves birthdays. And he has come to be quite the party planner. He was so sweet in his general excitement for me to enjoy my birthday. The cake was great, there were special animal plates picked out for the cake, and I got lots of birthday hugs and kisses. It was wonderful!

Two awesome gifts:

A pair of crocs from Andrew & Jay along with two jibbitz (a heart from Andrew b/c he loves me, and Mater from Jay b/c he loves Mater)

A single cup coffee maker from Mark. What a cool little machine. It’s awesome!

I’m one lucky lady to have three guys who love and pamper me so.

On my actual birthday, I got the kids to bed early and Mark ran out for some sushi takeout. We had a nice quiet evening in front of the tv with sushi and Netflix.

Having remembered the time when he got to celebrate his birthday more than once, Andrew kindly suggested to my mom that we celebrate Mommy's birthday again when we were visiting my parents this past week. So, one whole week after my actual birthday, I was "surprised" with a birthday cake that Andrew and MomMom made.

I highly recommend the multiple birthday celebrating...it's wonderful! Especially, because it will remind you just how much you are loved.

3-5

2011-01-25T09:59:00.004-05:00

It's official now...I am in my mid-30's. I don't really mind this ... well, that's not entirely true. I've come to realize recently that I am no longer considered a young person. ..or a recent grad...or even a young mother. I am a mother of young children, I graduated many years ago and well, (as a friend pointed out) I must start checking a new age group box on survey forms.

But to be honest, I am so blessed and so happy with my life, I really don't mind this birthday nor dread any ones coming after this one.

Still...I think I'll pretend to mind it so I can have this for breakfast...

Mmm...chocolate cake and coffee. Life is good!

PS - I will have to post a picture of my birthday cake later today. Andrew & Mark made me an absolutely awesome cake this past weekend. I will be sure to post a picture and recap my lovely day celebrating my "false birthday".

Here's to a New Year...

2011-01-24T21:54:00.006-05:00

Every January the blogosphere is always flooded with posts about New Year’s Resolutions. I don’t typically make resolutions. But, I have set two goals for myself for 2011. And I’m proud to say that I got working on these goals before January 1.

This summer I finally found out why my knees have been bothering me so much for the past two years. Possibly due to many years of playing basketball, the cushioning around my knee cap has deteriorated so that my bones are rubbing against each other causing early-onset arthritis. The condition was technically diagnosed as chondromalacia. This meant I would need to forego running and find other cardio workouts to strengthen my leg muscles specifically my quad muscles. I am thrilled to have finally tried spinning. I joined a new gym in October and I’ve been to several classes in addition to working out on my own. Spinning has proven to be a fantastic workout. I’m very excited about it.

So, that is goal number one – get in better shape, regain core fitness and improve leg strength.

Goal number two was to find a way to bring some income into our household. For some time now, I’ve been mulling selling my handmade crafts. For a couple years now, I’ve been making stenciled tee-shirts and onesies as gifts for my nieces, nephews and friends’ babies. As I was ruminating on what I might sell, my mind kept coming back to these. So, in November, I finally took the plunge and opened an online store through Etsy.

The store is called Brush & Paint. I hope you’ll take a look. Initially, I have been stocking it with my hand-stenciled t-shirts and onesies. Last week, I added some stationery for Valentine’s Day. I’m very excited to finally be underway with this idea that has been in the back of mind ever since I became a stay-at-home mom in 2006. I have had some early success selling my t-shirts and onesies to family and friends. I hope to gain some traction in the online marketplace over the next year.

A snowflake tee:

A lobster lovenote:

Who knows what 2011 will have in store for me? Come 2012, I hope to be looking back at 2011 proud of the work I put into these two goals. Sitting here, right now, I’m feeling optimistic and I’m very excited by the possibilities.

Wishing you a fulfilling and satisfying new year! xoxo, Reen

ah...what fun!

2011-01-14T09:58:00.006-05:00

So, I don't think this counts as one of the "joys of motherhood" but, it is one of those moments that can define motherhood (or really any caretaker of small children's 'hood). Let me set the scene for you.

Warning: the rest of this post may not be suitable for everyone (as it deals with p-o-o-h.)

Jay started taking a true interest in potty training last week. I was thrilled since it was his idea and it seemed to come to him out of the blue. He's been doing really well but, as is normal, I've been living in a perpetual state of anxiety about when he might have an accident.

Andrew has been under the weather for over a week with a cough and runny nose. So, it's just been one of those weeks where I felt like I was bouncing back and forth from the bathroom to the tissue box to the fridge for more juice etc. Yesterday, Andrew started having diarrhea. Hoping this was just a result of something he had eaten I figured it would just run its course. And towards the end of yesterday I was feeling really confident in my prediction. Well, this morning he had two more bouts of it.

Here's where the defining moment occurs.

This morning, while I was researching causes for diarrhea online (and choking back my gag reflex at the detailed information concerning such a topic), Andrew appears by my side and says, "Mom, Jay has something in his hand and it smells like poop." I rush downstairs to see Jay holding a large amount of poop in his hand. I wish I hadn't said this but, I said, "Oh, Jay!" at which he turned and immediately dropped the turd to the carpet so as not to get in trouble for having it in the first place.

I think this is one of those times where you need to either laugh or cry. So, I laughed...much later...once I had cleaned the child, my hands, the carpet, the toys that were on the carpet and my hands again!

And to think earlier this week I was saying that I was tired of wiping runny noses. Oh, how I long for the days of runny noses!

First snow of the season...

2010-12-17T12:45:00.005-05:00

We had our first snowfall yesterday. We enjoyed somewhere between 1.5 adn 2 inches. I say first because I am so hopeful that we will have more snowfalls this winter. Andrew absolutely loves being out in the snow. Saying he was thrilled to see the snow falling yesterday doesn't even come close to describing his reaction. What's better is I think he might actually think I planned it/ created it for him! (Although, that might backfire when I can't reproduce another snowstorm. Hmmm...)

I am really glad that Jay enjoyed being out in the snow yesterday too. Playing outside last year was a total disaster with Jay. He was too small to walk well in his snowbibs, jacket and snowboots, etc. He wouldn't keep his gloves on and it only took one faceplant in the snow for him to be completely in tears and wanting to go inside. And when I had just spent 30 minutes getting him ready to go out, I was a bit annoyed to be going back inside with him to disrobe. So, I was thrilled that he wanted to go out and play after he saw how much fun Andrew was having in the snow.

Andrew picked up where he left off doing his favorite snow activities: eating snow, demanding we build a snowman, and wiping snow off of the car. Andrew & Jay have also come to enjoy a game where Mommy makes a snowball and hands it to them and then they throw it at Mommy. Jay calls this game "ball". And he very sweetly asked today when we were getting dressed to go out..."play ball with you?" How can I resist? Andrew figured out how to make his own snowballs today and he had great fun throwing them at me.

What a nice surprise this snow was for us.

Happy winter!

2010-12-16T08:53:00.009-05:00

If you’ll pardon the cliché…it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here! I have not been feeling the Christmas spirit or whatever you want to call it at all this year. I have felt no great desire to decorate or bake or listen to Christmas music. And yet, with a 4 year old who is growing very excited about Christmas, well, I have had no choice but to fake it! (I cannot believe I just revealed that secret!)

We’ve put out our decorations around the house and we have put lights up outside. Mark and the boys picked out and bought our Christmas tree on Sunday. It is a beautiful tree. They did a fabulous job! On Monday, I put the lights on the tree and Andrew put the ornaments on the tree. (Jay had no interest in putting his or any ornaments on the tree.) It is the most adorable clumping of ornaments I have ever seen. All of his and Jay’s ornaments are hanging on the lowest branches. There is a specific cluster that faces the fireplace. Andrew remarked that he put those specific ornaments there so that Santa will see them as soon as he comes down our chimney! How cute is that?

Yesterday, we baked some cookies. We made Spritz (which were always my favorite growing up) and chocolate chip cookies. Now, I’d be lying if I said the boys were a huge help. But, they were very cute in their excitement about making cookies for Santa. Well, Andrew is looking forward to leaving some out for Santa. Jay just wants to eat them now! Forget what’s-his-face.

We made cinnamon ornaments last week. And we have been listening to Christmas music, namely John Denver and the Muppets and the albums my brother Mike made in 2000 and 2001.

All of this combined has made our house look, smell and feel Christmas-y. Yet, I still don’t feel it. It all seems kind of like a giant to-do list of things I must do to make sure this Christmas is special for Andrew & Jay. And I guess that’s what it means to be Mommy. Your job is to make Christmas special for your children. And if I can only do that half as well as my Mom did, well then I’ll be glad.

As I do each of these tasks on my Christmas to-do list: I can’t help but reminisce about the Christmases of my childhood. My mother always made our house look so nice. She would pick out special craft ornaments for us to do each year and it is fun to look back at those now remembering sitting at the kitchen table with my brothers designing them. I have hung eucalyptus on my front door because my mother always had a eucalyptus wreath on our front door. Every time I open my storm door and smell it, I am reminded of my mother. Baking cookies, reminded me of the cookie tins that were always filled with our favorite cookies. I realize now that my mother must have made several trips to the grocery store for more eggs, sugar and butter to make sure when we got home from school that there would be cookies in the tins. I don’t know when she made them…I just know they were always there. Thanks, Mom! Thanks for these warm memories. I hope Andrew & Jay will be able to think back on their childhood Christmases with similar affection.

I will say there is one thing that I have really been enjoying this Christmas season. And that is Andrew’s ability to patiently open one door each day on the Advent calendar. My parents gave us a beautiful Advent calendar that they picked up on their recent trip to Germany. Andrew has been very good about only opening the specific door for today and no others. He is eager each morning and asks Mark or me “what number is today?” I’ve been impressed with his ability to find the numbers on his own and open the doors himself. He seems to thoroughly enjoy finding out what picture is waiting behind the door. I cannot believe the self-control he has shown with this. It makes me happy. Like everything else, Jay is oblivious to the calendar. He likes to look at the picture if Andrew shows it to him…but, I don’t think the calendar is even registering on his radar screen.

Along with his enjoyment of the advent calendar, I’ve enjoyed watching how Andrew can appreciate the special prayers we say each night at dinnertime when I light the candles in our advent wreath. Andrew closes his eyes and folds his hands in front of his face. It makes me feel very warm and content inside. He and Jay have been offering grace before our meals for a couple months now. Usually, they say “Thank you for this family. Amen.” Sometimes, they will add a thank you for an activity or toy. But, the other night, Andrew said “Thank you for my family and thank you for God. Amen.” Now, I realize these are just words to him…but, I found I was bowled over by it. After all isn’t that the message of Advent and Christmas? I love it.

Merry Christmas!

Nature vs. Nurture

2010-12-15T10:32:00.003-05:00

Given my latest posts, you might not find it hard to believe that I've been having a nature vs. nurture argument playing in my head. Are the behaviors my sons are presenting a result of their innate nature or are they a result of the environment I create for them in our home each day?

Hmmm....well, here is an exchange I just had with Jay.

Scene: Me in the kitchen, Jay entering

Me: Hey, you!

Jay: I'm not you, I'm me!

As they say "from the mouths of babes"...

Keep an eye on the gauge...

2010-11-24T10:03:00.003-05:00

I've often thought of my patience level as being similar to the gas tank in the car. You know that feeling you get when you get in the car and see you have a full tank. Well, I feel just as happy when I know I have a full tank of patience.

Now picture this, you're in your car and staring at the fuel gauge as the needle moves closer and closer to the E. You're wondering how much further could you go before getting gas. Knowing that you never actually want to find out how far by running out of gas. Why put yourself in that position where you've broken down on the side of the road because you thought you could make it .25 miles further.

Well, this morning I felt like I was watching my patience gauge with the same careful eye. My patience gauge has been nearing E all week but, I decided to see how much is left in the tank before refilling. I decided to let Andrew & Jay help me bake a pumpkin pie for tomorrow's feast.

Baking with your children is supposed to be so special. Yet, my kitchen is never quite the scene of a cute Pillsbury holiday commercial.

I'm happy to say my tank has not run completely dry. This gives me a good chance to make it to the next refilling station, a Thanksgiving Feast with my family!

(All of this is in jest. I had fun baking the pie with the boys and they are so proud of it. They can't wait to tell MomMom and PopPop that they made it. And in the interest of full disclosure, I actually made it to a patience refilling station last night thanks to my wonderful husband. I had a girls night out with two of my friends. So my tank was actually pretty near full this morning.)

Love is a Battlefield...

2010-11-19T08:24:00.002-05:00

So it feels like I haven't' been posting here very often lately. I gave it some thought and I realized why that is the case. I seem to be caught in a bit of an endless loop of battles with Andrew & Jay. These little people with whom I share my home are under the impression that I want their feedback on every decision I make throughout the day. And I realized I don't like to post about the negative. I prefer to post pictures of how cute they are and how special they are to me. But, that's when I realized I don't post anything because there is not a lot in that pot right now.

Jay is fighting like the dickens to not nap anymore. So long as he's still in his crib, however, I think I will win this battle.

As for my battles with Andrew. Well, he is a fiesty foe. It seems we go toe to toe on every topic under the sun. And that we do so the entire time that we are in fact under the sun. From the minute we get up in the morning, we battle about breakfast, going potty, what we'll do today. And it just continues all day with little flare ups here and there until we are finally arguing about what I made for dinner, the need for a bath and the fact that it is bedtime.

I think this current cycle of behavior is normal. I'm not about to run out and read a bunch of self-help parenting books about 4 year-olds. Because really why would I spend any of my precious free time reading about what I'm living through. I really do think he is just testing limits and trying to find the boundaries for what is acceptable and what he can "get away with". And I realize that I must stay firm with our rules so that he can learn the boundaries and become a pleasant member of this household (community, society, blah blah blah). But, it is just so emotionally and physically draining to be this broken record.

Which brings me to the other battle...which I think may rage on through his teen years. He does not listen. I don't mean he disobeys. I mean he does not actively listen. And I got a glimpse of my future 16 year old. When I asked him to reapeat what I had just said. He said I can't. When I asked him why he wasn't listening. He said I didn't want to. At least he's still so very honest!

And since Jay is always striving to be just like Andrew, he is adopting a lot of the same body language and phrases that Andrew uses when he's upset. So, it feels like a I am battling Andrew and then a little Andrew at the same time!

On some of our harder days, I can't help but imagine what life might be like when they are older and don't need me as much as they currently do. And we won't have these specific battles. (I'm not so naive to think we won't still have arguments later.) Then, as a sign from the universe, from God, or whatever you choose to insert here, I will have a stranger tell me to enjoy this time because they grow up so fast.

So, I'm doing my best to enjoy this time. I'm doing my best to take it one day at a time. I'm doing my best to not look forward, not look back but just be in the present. Frankly put, I'm doing my best.

Daddy B-day

2010-11-12T08:28:00.005-05:00

He's known by many descriptors ~ Son, Brother, Friend, Co-worker, Colleague, Manager. But around here he goes by Daddy:

or Husband:

Happy Birthday, Mark! We love you!!!

XOXO
Reen, Andrew & Jay

Having a Super Halloween!

2010-10-31T13:07:00.005-05:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

My little superheroes had a fantastic Halloween. Andrew was very sweet to give Jay lessons in how to "trick or treat". We did a "practice run" on Gifford Court hitting 4 houses before joining our friends. We were with a group of 8 other kids and their parents (all 2 year olds and 4 year olds!) Both boys did a great job going up to doors by themselves. A good time was had by all.

Andrew and I participated in our neighborhood Halloween parade during the afternoon.

Ready to fly...

Flying door to door for treats...

Happy 4th Birthday, Andrew!

2010-10-05T13:45:00.006-05:00

Happy 4th Birthday, Andrew!

You are my wonderful little explorer. I think one of the words you've uttered the most over this past year was the word "why". You are not willing to accept things on face value alone. Always asking why we are doing what we are doing, why things are the way they are, why do things work a certain way.

It's been fun to watch how much your knowledge of your world is expanding too. You have such a strong memory. You retain the answers you get to "why" and apply those answers to problems you are trying to figure out. I love the conversations we can have now that you can appreciate more in depth answers. Sure there are times when I get tired of "why, why, but why". But, I truly enjoy bearing witness to your little brain at work.

You continue to be the most adorable big brother ever. I don't think you realize how much Jay watches you and looks up to you. I think you realize he looks up to you and tries to mimic you because Daddy and I will point it out to you. But, if you only realized he watches you nearly all the time and tries to completely mimic your behavior. He wants to be able to keep up with you because you are his number one friend and playmate. I love those times when I do see you basking in his attention. There is a connection between you two that is just pure love.

You are such a great helper. You still love to help Daddy and me bake and cook in the kitchen. Oh, how you love to "make salads". Which is basically, chopping any vegetables we have in the fridge. You will help bring the groceries in from the car, help unload the dishwasher, help rake leaves and clean up the yard. You are very industrious.

It's also very sweet to watch you teaching Jay how to do things and helping him. It shows how much you've matured this year. It's nice that I can rely on you to help him. But, you do love to point out to Jay that you are older and therefore, stronger and taller. This naturally allows you to do things that Jay cannot. It's funny that you relish being older than Jay, as if you have been around the block so much longer than he and are so much wiser in the ways of the world. You like to remind him that he's just a baby but, if he keeps watching you and following in your footsteps, he's going to be a big boy in no time.

Which reminds me of one other development from the past year. You often correct me (or anyone) when I call you my sweet baby boy or even my little boy. You proudly and confidently say "I am a big boy not a baby.". Well, I suppose that is true. In so many ways, you are no longer a baby. You are getting too big and long for me to hold easily in my arms, you make clever jokes and understand nuanced riddles, and in general are growing up so fast. But, you must understand (and maybe someday you will), you will always be my baby.

I love you, Andrew!

Happy Birthday.

Love,
Mommy

The End of Summer

2010-10-05T13:45:00.005-05:00

I've heard a number of people say they mind it when Summer ends. Now, I'm someone who loves Autumn so, I naturally welcome the end of Summer and the beginning of cooler temperatures, apples, pumpkins, fall festivals, etc. But, what I do suggest to those who really mind Summer ending...spend 2 weeks on Martha's Vineyard in September after Labor Day. It's a great way to bring your Summer to a close. It worked for us anyway:

Happy 2nd Birthday, Jay!

2010-09-11T16:35:00.005-05:00

Happy Second Birthday to our Sweet Jaybird! You are such a sweet little boy and we continue to ooh and aah over you even though you are a fiercely independent spirit.

You have always been an independent spirit, not snuggling much or hugging for too long. But, this past year, you've become very interested in books. You will now allow us to hold you and read several books each night at bedtime. Daddy and I have embraced this new change literally. We love to snuggle you.

Even though you may have become more cuddly, your independent spirit is still a very dominant trait. This past year you developed a very strong "I can do it myself" attitude. You are very insistent that you do not need help (coming down the stairs, climbing up on the couch, opening a door) even if you do in fact need help. It is so cute to hear you say, "I do it."

I think a lot of you wanting to do things on your own stems from watching your big brother Andrew doing things on his own. This past year we have watched you try to emulate your big brother Andrew not just watching him. You like to follow Andrew's lead and will often repeat what he says. Especially, if what he says gets a laugh out of Mommy or Daddy. For example, you tell the knock-knock joke Andrew made up with such passion. The punchline is "uh, oh, the door is locked." and I'm not sure you even get the joke but, you tell it so well.

I love how you have become such a part of our inside family games and jokes too. Pretending to be asleep, or saying "wake up Daddy (or Mommy or Brother)" when one of us pretends to be asleep, stalking around the house playing monsters, playing hide and go seek. How you love to play hide and go seek with Mommy and Andrew. There was a point when you could play in these games and not just watch and we could all see how proud you were to be a part of the action.

You’ve made great strides in communication and general awareness of your surroundings. I loved when you would say “Come with me” or “I show you” when you wanted to ask for something. Daddy and I always marvel at the stages when communication can kick in and we can interact with our children. You spoke your first words this past year and now you are talking in complete sentences. Sure your pronouns and tenses are adorably mixed up but, you are talking in full sentences!

You are so curious about what other people are doing. You will often ask “what’s he doing?” when we are out and about. Wanting to know what’s going on around you. I’m not sure there is anyone you are more interested in than Andrew. Sure you get very excited when you see Daddy at the end of the work day or Mommy when we’ve been apart but, often your first words in the morning these days are “where’s brother” or “go find brother”. (Which by the way, is the adorable way you refer to Andrew, always calling him Brother.)

As part of your transitions from passive observer to active participant, we have watched you imitate Andrew in so many physical ways. If you see Andrew do something at the playground, you do it too, and sometimes you can do more than him. You are absolutely fearless at the playground. I often think you do not realize that you are not the same age as Andrew. You seem to think “if he can do it, I can do it.” And in most cases, that has been true. We marvel at your physical capabilities. Kicking a soccer ball, climbing (always climbing!), playing in the shallow end of the pool. It’s hard to believe that you only just took your first steps less 11 months ago. You walk and hop and are really working hard on being able to run fast. You will practice at home by standing with your back to the front door and running into the kitchen to the sliding door.

You also have caught on to Andrew’s creativity. If Andrew pretends to be a monster and roars, you do the same. If Andrew says Mommy watch this, you say and do the same. You are great at playing make-believe. How could you not when you have such a strong teacher in Andrew. I love when you pretend to pick something up that is “heavy”. Grunting, huffing and puffing while saying “Heavy!”

I think this year can be characterized by monkey see, monkey do. And yet, you are clearly not a clone of Andrew. You are your own unique person and personality in so many ways, Jay. And I love spending my days with you. You are becoming such a special little boy, clearly no longer my baby.

I love you Jay, more than words could ever say.

Happy Birthday!

Love,
Mommy

Winding Down

2010-09-01T07:37:00.005-05:00

Yesterday, we took our final trip to the pool to close out the summer season. It was one of the best days we had all summer. Daddy met us for dinner and a swim and we stayed until closing at 8pm! We just couldn't seem to leave. We will be sad to see the pool close for the season. We've had such fun spending our late afternoons and weekends there with our good friends. Jay and Andrew have both gotten more brave in the water too. Andrew is now jumping in and climbing out unassisted. He can also be pretty much on his own in the shallow end up to 3ft. And Jay in wanting to always be like Andrew started hanging out in the "big pool" too. By the end of the summer, they did not want to spend anytime at the baby pool. They preferred to be in the shallow end of the regular pool. Jay could walk on his own in the 2ft end. He also liked to jump in from the wall. Holding Mommy's thumbs he would say, "One, two, FEE!" and jump off the wall. Very cute. He can climb up and down the stairs and even mastered the ladder in the deeper end. He tries so very hard to keep up with Andrew.

Some photos from our last hurrah at the pool:

A Few of Our Favorite Things

2010-09-01T07:28:00.005-05:00

Well Summer seems to be drawing to a close. I think this will be my favorite thing from this summer:

Andrew learning to jump into the pool all by himself.

And if I had to guess what Andrew & Jay's favorite things might be, I'd guess...

Eating snacks at the pool for Jay:

And for Andrew, I'd say it would be being allowed to eat a freezepop for breakfast! (Since we made them with V8 juice I figured it was ok.)

Peaches

2010-09-01T07:16:00.005-05:00

This summer I've made a couple new peach recipes. I just love peaches in the summertime. But, does anyone else have the song "Peaches" by "The Presidents of the United States of America" running in your heads whenever you are working with peaches in the kitchen?

Here's what I made:

peach cobbler (can't believe I never made peach cobbler before)

peach salsa (yum!)

peach pie (I have made this before...still yum!)

Summer!

2010-08-05T07:25:00.010-05:00

We have been enjoying a very busy and very hot summer here in Virginia. We've kept our social calendar full of children's performances at the library and at Wolf Trap's Theatre-in-the-Woods, afternoons at the pool, picking up our CSA on Saturday mornings at the Alexandria Farmer's Market, vacations to Ocean City and Richmond, and 2 baseball games.

Andrew & Mommy picking daisies in our front garden:

Fresh strawberries from our CSA:

One of a few batches of pickles Andrew and Mommy made with cukes from our CSA:

Reading Phillies game with MomMom and PopPop:

Ocean City vacation:

Theater in the Woods:

"picnic" aka "snack time"

Potomac Nationals game:

Our neighborhood pool:

Big Trucks!

2010-05-13T15:18:00.006-05:00

Last week we spent some time in Herndon, VA. Their Public Works Department puts on Big Truck Days each year. They park a garbage truck, a paving truck, a snow plow, a steam roller and other construction/ public works type vehicles in a barricaded parking lot and allow kids to climb up into the driver's seats and play pretend. The kids can move the steering wheels and play with all of the buttons and levers contained inside. It was awesome! Andrew & Jay did not want to leave. We'll be heading back there next year.

Jay next to a tire for reference of the size of these trucks.

Jay on a steam roller.

Andrew driving the garbage truck.

Andrew's friend Rory in the passenger seat.

You can see Andrew making engine noises with is mouth. Jay in the foreground.

Andrew and Jay on a ... I don't know what it was...

Mommy!

2010-05-09T17:56:00.004-05:00

I had a funny thought this morning. And this was it: Most days by the time 8pm rolls around I am tired of hearing the word "Mommy". Since, usually I have been hearing it uttered all day coupled with different demands, requests or complaints from about 6 in the morning. And yet, on this beautiful Sunday morning I laid in bed and thought..."I love being called Mommy. What a blessing to be a mother and to have created two independent people for whom I will always be related to as Mom. "

Me and my two kiddos (who apparently could care less about getting a photo with dear old Mommy.) Photo taken on our walk this morning along the George Washington Memorial Parkway.

Happy Mother's Day!

Fruits and Vegetables!

2010-05-03T10:17:00.003-05:00

This spring I signed us up for a half share in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). The program will run May through October. I signed up for a share with Bigg Riggs Farm of West Virginia. I'm able to pick up our box of vegetables, etc. each Saturday morning at the Alexandria Farmers Market in Old Town.

I'm hoping this will kick-start us in to some healthier eating habits as well as get us into the habit of eating local seasonal harvest instead of what we can get at the supermarket.

This past Saturday was the first pick-up. We were thrilled with our first box which contained: scallions, ramps, a strawberry plant, a curly leaf parsley plant and a jar of their peach jam.

I thought it was really neat that he included two plants. Andrew has been enjoying watering them each day and checking for strawberries each day. We should have some berries in about 2 weeks. Very cool.

So far we've sampled the jam, mmm....peachy. Mark made a yummy breakfast for the two of us using the ramps. He simply quick sauteed them in some olive oil, then served them with eggs over easy, toast and tomato.

We also picked up some tomatoes, radishes, and really huge scallions at the farmers market. Mark made an onion dip using the greens of the huge scallions, and we had the bulbs of those scallions roasted on the grill, along with some roasted portabella mushrooms. Yum!

This is going to be fun to have such fresh veggies all summer.

My Boys

2010-03-18T08:20:00.004-05:00

Somewhere along the line here my babies have turned into boys! B-O-Y-S! I mean dig in the dirt, play with hose water, make mud pies, turn all sticks into guns, make believe spaceship adventures, bad guys vs. good guys kind of boys.

Take a look:

Clearly, this will be my new ally this spring:

L-O-V-E

2010-02-18T08:58:00.007-05:00

Our home was filled with L-O-V-E for Valentine's Day once again. Thanks in no small part to a visit from the Michaud Clan of Massachusetts. We played in the bountiful snow banks, read books, made valentine's cupcakes, ate Mark's wonderful gumbo for valentine's dinner, watched the olympics and in general had a lovely time together.

More snow!

2010-02-10T10:34:00.006-05:00

Some clean-up efforts on Sunday:

More snow this morning:

Andrew just loves to play in the snow! He has been climbing to the top of the mounds of cleared snow along our driveway and pretending that one of them is his castle. This morning he was atop another mound pretending to be Humpty Dumpty and having a grand time saying "oh, oh, oooohhhh...." as he would fall down the side. He told me I could be one of the king's men. Hilarious. As if you couldn't tell...his other favorite thing about snow is eating it.

Snow!

2010-02-06T19:15:00.005-05:00

What a wonderful blizzard! We measured 19", although it sure seems like A LOT more than that!

I'm noticing a pattern here. When Mark and I move to a new area the first winter is filled with huge snowstorms. Moved to Cape Cod (which usually does not see as much snow as say, Boston) and we had over 100" that first winter. Now this is not our first winter here in Virginia (which typically does not see much snowfall) but, it is our second winter here and we've already had two 18"+ snowstorms with some other 2-4" snowstorms in between. Incredible. Ridiculous amount of shoveling aside...we're loving it!

New Year...New Do

2010-01-06T19:19:00.005-05:00

Jay's first haircut by Mommy.

Before:

After:

Yes, Virginia, there is a..er....snowstorm?

2009-12-19T19:03:00.005-05:00

It's snowing...a lot...in Virginia! Huh??? Either way, we're loving it. Andrew was so excited to wake up to snow covering our yard. He looked out the window to check if it was morning time (This is something Mark and I have taught Andrew to do. If it's light out it is acceptable to be awake...if not, go back to bed until it is light out or what we call morning time.) He turned away from the window and said, "Yep, it's morning time." Then, he froze and quickly went back to the window, poked his head under the shade and said, "There's SNOW! ... It SNOWED! ... Yay, SNOW!"

Mark and I felt excited going to bed last night knowing Andrew would wake up to a winter wonderland and knowing how thrilled he would be. His reaction did not disappoint.

Mark was able to measure 16" accumulated as of 5pm.

Some photos of our beautiful wintry day:

Roscoe watching Andrew playing outside for the second time. Check out his nice new sweater. A Christmas gift from Andrew. He couldn't wait to give it to Roscoe. It certainly helped keep Roscoe comfy-cozy all day.

S/he's Crafty....

2009-12-17T14:33:00.009-05:00

It's been a week full of Christmas projects. What fun!

Andrew & Jay decorated the tree,

Andrew decorated a gingerbread house,

and Andrew painted some wooden cut-outs for ornaments:

(And if I may toot my own horn...I can report that during all of these projects, I was able to keep my mouth shut and push my OCD to the background for the most part and just let Andrew decorate as he saw fit. "Why would you mix red and blue paints together on a snowflake????" is what I asked in my head. I'm pretty proud of myself for not forcing my "artistic vision" over Andrew's. Someday I can teach him the true beauty of things being neat and orderly, color appropriate, and aesthetically pleasing. But right now, I'm going to enjoy the big smile on his face and seeing how proud he is of his art.)

Deja vu

2009-12-10T13:53:00.006-05:00

Andrew is very excited about Christmastime. He's enjoying decorating the house, talking about Santa and Christmas Eve, watching Christmas specials and going for walks at night to look at Christmas lights. We also like to pretend we are Santa's elves and that we need to wrap the gifts for Santa's bag. So, we take some of his toys or books and wrap them in Christmas paper and stuff them in a big red sack. Well, Jay likes this too especially the crinkly sound of the wrapping paper when you crawl or walk on it. I took these photos of Jay yesterday...

...which reminded me of these photos that I took 2 years ago.

Crazy Shoe-Hand Man

2009-11-30T08:58:00.006-05:00

This is a wonderful new game we have started playing. Jay invented it, Mommy named it, and Andrew loves to play it! It's called "Crazy Shoe-Hand Man". It plays well into Jay's obsession with shoes! Whether it's throwing shoes down the small flight of stairs to our rec room, carrying shoes to the people to whom they belong, saying the word "shoes" or wearing shoes on your hands and walking around the house, which is the basis of this game. Ironically, Jay does not like to wear shoes on his feet!

You'll notice these shots are a bit blurry. That is because "Crazy Shoe-Hand Man" is a fast-paced game. It's not because I don't know how to take good photos!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

2009-11-13T08:26:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was the birthday of a wonderful man whom we call Daddy.

Andrew helped me make a chocolate pudding pie (which was the brithday guy's request.)

We also had chicken parm for dinner. I'm not one for the obligatory baby eating spaghetti shot but, when you see a perfect handprint of tomato sauce in your son's hair well, it must be captured and shared.

Jay *loves* having his picture taken.

We love you, Daddy! You're the best Daddy we could have ever asked for. XOXO

Fun Fall Weekend

2009-11-08T19:49:00.007-05:00

Saturday we spent a "day out in the country" picking apples in Winchester, VA. Very pretty drive to Winchester. Beautiful day to be outdoors. Sunday we spent picking up leaves. Andrew was a HUGE help. Mark and I couldn't help fantasize about the day when this will be Andrew & Jay's chore and not ours! Although, we did treat ourselves to a leaf blower this year to help lighten our load. And it's awesome.

Mmmm...apple cider donut.

What a woman!

Working Our Mojo

2009-11-02T09:49:00.003-05:00

It was a full day of sports for the Osler's yesterday. There was the early game of Eagles v. Giants followed by a Revolution v. Fire MLS playoff matchup, with a Phillies v. Yankees, Game 4 of the World Series to round out the day. So, I thought we should spread out our fan support of these teams, so that we could ensure 3 victories for the good guys.

Here you see Andrew supporting the Eagles: (Eagles win 40 - 17)

Jay and Mark supporting the Revs: (Revs win 2-1)

Reen supporting the Phillies: (Phillies lose 7-4)

WHAT?!?!?!?! But, we were doing so well! Extremely well, what happened??? It is my theory that during the first two wins, all 4 of us were wearing our respective team shirts. However, everyone else went to bed during the Phillies game which meant a shedding of team gear, thus interfering with our good mojo. That's my theory. You may challenge it if you like.

OSLERWURST '09

2009-10-25T13:02:00.007-05:00

The rain could not keep us from having a great time! Mark's sausages were fabulous this year. It was nice to see some new friends enjoying Oslerwurst. Of course, it was great having Oma and Opa and MumMum and PopPop visiting as well. They alone have been to all three Oslerwursts so far.

The sausage, mustard, pretzels, potato salads, beer, wine and birch beer were enjoyed by all. And talk about deserts...my goodness, I've never been gifted so many deserts. What a treat! (Pun sort of not really intended.)

In fact, Oma, Opa, Mark, Andrew & I are enjoying some leftover sausage today! Yum!

Thank you to everyone for braving the ugly weather to celebrate Oktoberfest with us. A special thank you to everyone for sharing your culinary delights with us. What fun!

Mark Osler, THE Abe Froman of Alexandria!

Look what I can do...

2009-10-14T15:51:00.002-05:00

Jay has started walking. He gets a lot of positive encouragement from Mark and I but, especially from Andrew. Andrew will often, say "Good job, Jay" or "Look at him go, look at Jay go!". I always love to watch the expressions on kids' faces when they are so proud of themselves. Jay adds this latest accomplishment to a list that keeps growing. He also recently mastered the steps. Not just going up but, he is the master of coming down too! (Safely.) We're very proud. Check it out:

Happy Birthday, Andrew!

2009-10-05T18:55:00.004-05:00

Dear Andrew,

Happy 3^rd Birthday! Last year at this time I was thinking what a big boy you had become. That you were no longer my baby anymore but, rather my big boy. Now, when I look back at Andrew age 2, he seems so young and still so baby-like. The boy you are today, at 3 years old, seems so much older. Your typical milestones this year have also aided in your transition into becoming a true big boy. You never miss a chance to correct me when I call you my baby. You are a big boy and not a baby! You are right. (You will always be my baby, but you are right that you are not a baby now.)

A year ago, I was a bit worried about how you would handle the transition to our new home in Virginia. You have showed me that I need not worry. Instead, I have been able to watch you grow and mature in so many interesting ways. You are outgoing, friendly, and thoughtful. I marvel at how easily you will introduce yourself to other kids at the playground. How you accept every kid in the world as your friend. Seriously, you refer to nearly every kid we encounter (especially if they talk to you) as your new friend.

We’ve also seen your communication skills growing by leaps and bounds, as well as your ability to associate concepts in your mind easily. These skills combined have turned you into quite a shrewd negotiator at times. Your current favorite comment is to request, “2 minutes”. You’re always asking for 2 more minutes at the playground, at the library, at bedtime.

Some of these changes in you seem to take place overnight. As if you are growing up right before my eyes. Your father and I will often spend some portion of our evening talking about “guess what Andrew did/said today.”

There are three things that stick out in my mind about this past year. Seeing how much you liked referring to yourself as a big boy because you were sleeping in a twin bed. Then, watching how easily you took to potty training. In discussing our potty-training strategy with Aunt Erin, she advised to set expectations low so we wouldn't get frustrated. She also said, “You never know he may surprise you.” Well, you did surprise us (figuring it out in about 3 days).

The third thing doesn’t necessarily surprise us but, does make us beam. This is how naturally you took to being a sweet brother to Jay. Our days are not without their “sibling issues”, but you can be so thoughtful when it comes to Jay. We just love watching you two interact and seeing you mature into a kind and caring boy. You and Jay will always have a special bond as brothers.

All this talk about your becoming a big boy, it would be remiss of me not to mention how much you are turning into a BOY. You accompany many of your stories and your playtime with big hand motions, engine noises, super power sounds. And you like to be silly. It’s so neat to see what makes you laugh. As you turn into more of a BOY, I’m noticing it is silliness that makes you laugh the most. (And being tickled is pretty high up there.) I never get tired of your smile or your laugh. Nor will I ever get tired of the way you blow me a kiss when you say goodbye and goodnight to me. So sweet.

This year has also seen you uttering this phrase more and more…"I can (insert action) ALL BY MYSELF". In this regard, you are developing so quickly and also, continuing to be such a good helper around the house. You want to cook by yourself, walk by yourself, get the mail, wash your hands, make your oatmeal and many other things, all by yourself.

Oh, how you love to cook. Both pretend cooking and real. And your father and I both enjoy cooking with you. I love to bake with you and your father will often include you in the preparation of one of our big weekend meals.

Andrew, watching you grow into the special boy you are today is a special gift for me. Sure, we have our times of miscommunication, misunderstanding and well, generally driving each other crazy. But, that is only a part of the process as you continue to explore your world, test limits, and try out these new ideas that pop into your mind. I feel as though your brain is firing twice as fast (or faster) than a year ago. I imagine this upcoming year will prove to be just as enjoyable and amazing.

Happy Birthday, Andrew. I love you!

Love,
Mama

P.S.

2009-09-25T11:31:00.003-05:00

Jay - I wanted to document you have spoken your first word. And it is "please". You make me beam with pride.

So, let's see your favorite words/sounds are: Mama, Dada, and please. And I can see you working on other ones, especially, "Andrew" and what I thought was "where Andrew?" For a while I thought your first spoken word was going to be "more" but, it makes me so happy that instead the first word is "please".

xoxo
Mama

Happy Birthday, Jay! (aka PumpkinPie, Jaybird, JayOne, JayJay, JayJay the Jet Plane)

2009-09-11T15:08:00.009-05:00

Dear Jay,

Happy 1^st birthday. I doubt I will ever forget your promptness, arriving very early on your due date. You decided to be born on September 11^th no matter how much I originally did not want you to be. When I was holding you in my arms shortly after 6am, I realized you wanted to be born on this day. I must admit it crossed my mind that someday you might be a politician. Jay Osler, a true American, born on September 11^th, with great accuracy! I’m sure that was just conjured up in the deliria / afterglow of childbirth.

You woke me at 12:45am with strong contractions. And I hope I’ll never forget the feeling I had laying in bed, in the dark, being one with just you. It was such a special time. The calm before the storm, I suppose. I spent a few moments listening to you, feeling you, knowing I would not have you all to myself for much longer.

Your father and I were completely shocked by your quick arrival. Dr. DeMeo must have been too, because I remember how he remarked, “this baby is coming fast and furious.” And like a flash, you were out and a part of this world. And I would have to share you with this world. But, I don’t mind. I’m so proud to be your mama that it’s fun to share you and your wonderful nature with others.

In the early weeks of your life, I often felt amazed by how constant caring for you and your brother felt. Now, I look at you and I am just constantly amazed by the boy you’re becoming. You have always been a very content baby. I would comment that “life on the back burner seems to suit you.” Feeling somewhat guilty about admitting that you were even on the back burner of my attention. And yet, your father and I started to notice that you have a very strong independence. You were more than content to play with your Little People farm by yourself. As you get bigger in our arms, we notice you are not a snuggler either. Perhaps, just another form of showing us your independence.

You are such a happy child too, very content from the beginning. You have a wonderful smile and I delight in seeing your dimples every so often. I think my favorite smile right now, is the one I see when you are in your high chair and see me approaching with your tray. How you love to eat! We have yet to encounter a food you do not like. Even though you have now demonstrated that you have learned the sign language for “more” and “all done”, we rarely see you make the sign for “all done”.

I delight in watching how you admire your big brother. Since you’ve been able to notice Andrew, you have always been watching him. I love in the morning watching you light up when you see Andrew first thing. There was a time when Andrew would bound into your room to greet you while you were still in the crib, with a cheery, “Good Morning, Jay!”. How you smiled then.

We always get a kick out of watching you crawl. It is really fun to watch, when you crawl super fast across the floor after something you spied across the room. You are a quick learner too. Already just a few days after you mastered climbing the stairs (thanks to Opa teaching you), you were able to follow instructions on how to get back down the stairs...sliding on your belly. Impressive! Now, you are on the verge of walking on your own. You do mighty fine already with a little bit of assistance. I can’t imagine you’ll be bounding all around the playground in a few months time.

Jay, you are my special boy. I love watching over you, guiding you, caring for you. I am so very proud to be your mother. Watching your personality continue to grow will be such a treat this coming year.

So glad I have a front row seat.

Happy 1^st birthday, Jay! I love you.

Love,
Mama

Ahhhh....vacation

2009-08-28T18:32:00.003-05:00

Dreams

2009-08-12T08:03:00.006-05:00

When Andrew was learning to talk (actual words) he would seem to be the clearest right as he was waking up either from a night's respite or his afternoon nap. He would rattle off a whole lot of words. The words were clear. The point often was not. As we are anticipating listening to Jay's onslaught of speech, I've overlooked how incredibly well-spoken Andrew has become. He is so easily able to explain his ideas, fairly patient with us when we don't get it the first time (or 20x) and has started to really come to utilize a rich imagination coupled with a long memory. (This can be good and bad.)

I was reminded this morning, however, of those early days when he would prattle on about what I assumed were his dreams. Upon waking, he asked me (as he searched in the bed and on the floor by the bed), "where did the boing-a-boing go?" I asked him what a boing-a-boing was, and he then as only (I think) a boy can...described with lots of gestures with his fists and arms, and motor noises that a boing-a-boing goes boing! You know, engine noises, movement, boing! He said it twice for clarity. It reminded so much of a time I woke up in the middle of the night searching in my sheets for my softball glove because I was having a dream about being 9 and searching for my glove in the dugout of my little league team before we took the field. Well, it was neat to see him operating in that world where you're awake but not fully conscious of reality and still have one foot in the dreamworld.

Oh, how I wish I could see into that little mind. Still, I'll settle for these wonderful glimpses.

The Power Nap

2009-07-16T15:43:00.005-05:00

I've never been a believer in the "power nap". I realize there is scientific evidence that napping for just 20 minutes will cause you to feel re-energized, increase productivity, relieve stress etc. However, it has never worked for me and is working EVEN LESS for me today now that Andrew has become a power napper!

All he needs is 20-30 minutes (usually in the car no less) of sleep every few days to recharge those pre-schooler batteries! I have finally (after weeks of fighting it) given into this new habit. I have come to realize that he has basically given up his nap all together and that these power naps when they happen are a blessing.

Still, look at him, he just fell asleep while having a snack! I mean, you fell asleep while eating yet, you tell me you don't need a nap???

Remember me???

2009-07-06T06:28:00.017-05:00

I have heard people say that the transition from having one child to having two children is not as difficult as the transition from zero to one. Well, I guess that would be true if you take the easy route and stay living in the same home, city, state, keep the same job, etc. How boring! Mark and I thought the true way to keep things interesting would be to have him start a new job in a different state just before our second was born. Therefore, we could move with said children to a new home in a new city, new state, where we'd have to meet new people. I must report that so far it has been just that...interesting! We love our new home town and are doing great. Part of this transition was finding a new routine. The one we've found keeps us incredibly busy. There's story time, lunch with Daddy once a week, the MOMS Club, playdates, going to the pool, and more. I guess that's my excuse for the lack of posting here. I will aim to do better. As the pictures and blog ideas piled up it felt more and more like too much of a challenge to tackle in the little bit of free time I do have to myself. But, I'm going to get this off the to do list so we can get back in the blogging game so to speak. Hope all is well with you!

What keeps us busy:

Trips into D.C. on the metro

MOMS Club events at My Gym (a gymastics place for little ones)

A visit to our local fire station

Doing crafts

Jay's been learning how to feed himself.

Visiting Krispy Kreme everytime MumMum and PopPop visit

Going for nature walks

Washing the car

There was Uncle Jay & Aunt Malissa's (Red, White & Blue wedding)

There was a trip to the Jersey Shore

And my first run in about 5 years!!!

I knew the sun would come out today...

2009-04-16T08:36:00.002-05:00

...we finally found rain boots for Andrew!

Adoration

2009-04-03T08:54:00.005-05:00

In looking through some recent photos to send out, I noticed there are more and more pictures of Jay watching Andrew. He is in full adoration of his big brother. And we've reached a point too, where Andrew enjoys it and enjoys making Jay laugh. Jay has always been content to get a passing glance from Andrew but, now that they are interacting more, Jay is always watching.

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T07:15:00.005-05:00

These are construction paper hearts Andrew and I made to hang in our front window. I just loved the shadows the late morning sun created on our floor filling our home with love.

Unfortunate Timing

2009-02-12T07:32:00.003-05:00

Jay has learned how to make raspberries with his mouth and we just started solids. Talk about unfortunate timing. Feeding him peaches this morning was like being front row at a Gallagher show. (Ok, it wasn't that bad. It was actually very cute. Messy but cute.)

Jay eat it....

2009-02-07T12:38:00.002-05:00

Lately Adrew has been noticing (and pointing out) that Jay puts a lot of things to and into his mouth. (i.e., toys, books, his toes, Mommy's necklace, etc.) Whenever he sees Jay do this he says, "Jay eat it." OR "Jay eating it."

Today, Jay made his first attempt eating something other than his toes. He had his first taste of rice cereal today and seemed to like it.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T22:14:00.002-05:00

It was a very merry Christmas indeed. Andrew and I waiting for Santa to come down the chimney on Christmas Eve. And again on Christmas morning playing with the train Santa brought Andrew. (Mark and Jay had a merry good time too!)

Season's Greetings From The Nation's Capital

2008-12-20T17:24:00.004-05:00

We took the metro train into D.C. today to see the National Christmas Tree. There were lots of other trees too, trains, Santa and hot dogs! Andrew loved walking along the streets of a city. Looking forward to the many trips to D.C. we have in our future.

Standing in front of the National Christmas Tree (unfortunately the lights weren't on)

Mark and Andrew watching the trains

Andrew in front of the Massachusetts tree

Mama, Andrew & Jay in front of the Pennsylvania tree

My, the Bush's decorations are lovely!

Enjoying hot dogs for lunch

On the metro train going home...

Friends...

2008-11-25T13:59:00.002-05:00

Part of getting ready to move to Virginia involves saying good-bye to our good friends here on Cape Cod. Today, Andrew said good-bye to his playgroup friends:

Simon, Sarah, Benjamin and Andrew

At least he'll have his brother to play with until we make some new friends:

A Star is Born...

2008-11-11T12:40:00.005-05:00

...and immediately humiliated by posting this photo on the web!

Working from home...

2008-11-10T13:56:00.001-05:00

We have been lucky lately to have Mark working from home. We get to see him for lunch everyday and he only has a 15 second commute to his office. Andrew has been very good about not disturbing Dada when he is at work. Working on his lunch break today:

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T14:57:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday, AP

2008-10-05T06:52:00.018-05:00

Dear Andrew,

Happy 2nd Birthday! This past year you've learned so many new skills. You progress has made it very clear to Daddy and me that the baby we knew a year ago has grown into the amazing boy you have become. These past months have seen you learn how to walk (and run), how to talk and communicate, improve your comprehension of language and the world around you, and feed yourself, just to name a few.

October 2007

What strikes your father and I over and over is how much personality you have and how much fun you are to be with. You can make us laugh with a funny face or by imitating one of us. You love to mimic. Whether it is imitating me when I say "ummm." or imitating Daddy when he clears his throat or blows his nose. But, you don't just mimic our sounds and the things we say. You love to do what we are doing. You like to help cook, vacuum, put things in the trash, clean up your toys, comb your hair, read, put your clothes in your dresser and refill the birdfeeders. A lot of these tasks you do with such seriousness and concentration. You are a hard worker. You could spend hours moving rocks from one pile in the driveway to the patio and back.

March 2008

We are also proud of how well you follow instructions, say please and thank you and love to give hugs and kisses. This all seems like typical things parents should be proud of or say they want their kids do. But when we see you do these things on your own, we can't help but gush.

You've begun to play more on your own and it is interesting to watch you problem solve. We wish we could see into your brain to see what you are thinking. You are learning so much, so quickly, that I often feel like I'm reacting to your development instead of anticipating it. Your personality and intelligence are always coming out in new ways that cause my jaw to drop. Usually, this is most evident in how strong your memory is getting. You’ll remember a game we played weeks ago and ask for it again. Or you’ll sing the last word of each line of a song.

May 2008

One of my favorite things you do is when you come in the door after a walk with Daddy with your arm outstretched clutching a little bouquet of wildflowers for me. The smile on your face and the earnestness with which you give them to me make me feel like the luckiest woman in the world! I also love the fervor with which you have started to give hugs and kisses. You no longer just offer a cheek or tolerate a hug but, give a good smack on the lips and a little grunt when you hug. Daddy and I are lucky to get hugs half as intense as the ones you give your best friend and companion, your stuffed puppy Roscoe. We can see already you have so much love to give and it's a joy to see you share it.

May 2008

We are enjoying how funny your vocabulary is and how much you have learned to say this year. You can point out cars, trucks, motorcycles, bikes, boats, planes and helicopters no matter how far away they are. You know the different sounds as well and you will name the passing vehicle when it goes by your bedroom window without even looking out.

Your enthusiasm about the things around you help us realize how seldomly we get excited about anything. It always brings a smile to our faces when you see a favorite thing and start your chatter about it with an enthusiastic "WHOA!". Our home echoes with your calls of "Whoa, big truck!", or "Whoa, big pancake!", or “Whoa, big box!”.

September 2008

This year also saw your transformation into a water rat. You took swimming lessons in the early spring at a high school pool. Then, this summer you spent lots of time in the ocean at Cape Pogue and Ocean City. You also spent a lot of time swimming at the lake in our neighborhood with Daddy. You are fearless, always wanting to run along the dock and jump into the water. It was all we could do to make sure we were in the water first to catch you.

July 2008

For nine months of your past year, I was pregnant. We enjoyed watching you talk to my belly. Saying, "Hi, Baby" in such a sweet little voice. You would pat my belly and were excited when we started to prepare the house for Jay's arrival. You would point out what things were for the baby. And your general concern for Mommy was so touching. If I would let out a loud exhale or a grunt of discomfort, a knowing look would cross your face and you'd commiserate with me, saying simply "the baby". You are so sweet and would take it so serious when I ask for your help. No matter what the request, you would usually oblige happy to know that you were helping Mommy.

And now, you are truly a big brother. Little Jay is so lucky to have you for an older sibling. You already care about him so much. Letting Mommy know when he is crying, giving him a blanket, sharing your Roscoes with him, getting his binky. And you talk about him a lot. We are so happy and proud to see how you have accepted him into your world with ease.

September 2008

This has been a wonderful year and I am so excited to see what you will accomplish in the next year. Happy 2nd birthday, Andrew! I love you very much!

Love,
Mama

What a difference a week can make!

2008-09-16T19:20:00.005-05:00

9/9/08

9/16/08

9/9/08

9/16/08

9/9/08

9/16/08

Baby Osler has arrived!

2008-09-13T17:35:00.002-05:00

Jay Schoonover Osler arrived promptly on his due date, September 11, 2008. As our doctor commented, he came fast and furiously. And I might add punctually. Once he realized it was his due date...he woke Mommy up and was in our arms less than 6 hours later!

First Family photo:

The Osler guys:

Two Jays:

Holding Pattern...

2008-09-09T10:47:00.006-05:00

We're still in a holding pattern here waiting for Baby #2 to make his/her official debut. Some fun we've been having to keep ourselves busy:

Fried Clam dinner at the Elks club Friday night:

Playing with a BIG BOX that came to our house for Daddy:

Playing horsey with Daddy:

At the playground this morning:

MumMum is visiting...

2008-09-01T17:53:00.003-05:00

MumMum is visiting while we all wait for my baby brother/ sister to arrive. I am having so much fun playing with my MumMum! We read together, go for walks, play with blocks. I'm a lucky boy.

Recent fun

2008-08-10T18:00:00.010-05:00

Opa's boo-boo...(not fun)

Andrew saying "boo-boo" (fun)

Calling Aunt Erin on her BIRTHDAY! (fun)

Andrew brought all of his stuffed animals into Mark's lap for bedtime stories (funny)

Helping Opa open a birthday present (fun)

Playing in the pool with cousins (lots of fun!)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andrew has also taken a strong interest in cooking lately. He really loves to watch Mark and I cook/bake. Mark has been patient enough to let him help too. It's neat to watch and listen to them in the kitchen together.

Cutting green peppers for stir-fry

Placing them in the bowl - aka learning about "mise en place"

Silly bar-b-que boy...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another recent fun thing...I'm getting huge!

Grandmom and PopPop's visit and the Barnstable County Fair

2008-07-22T09:08:00.004-05:00

watching e-cards online with PopPop

reading with Grandmom

trying to pet a goat

Vocab

2008-07-10T15:46:00.004-05:00

Andrew seems to be on the verge of communicating much more eloquently. Just today he added three new words to his vocabulary...or at least they were new to my ears.

1) lawnmower (mow-mower) - we saw one on our walk this morning...I'm convinced Opa taught him this word.
2) wheelbarrow (wheelbarrow) - I taught him this on our walk this morning...and he picked it up instantly!
3) ocean (ocean) - to refer to his Baby Einstein DVD about the ocean

Add these to his already growing list of words (helicopter, airplane, truck, and FINALLY...Mama!)

This is very exciting! I'm looking forward to finding out what more of those sounds he's been saying actually mean. As Oma pointed out...we've all become fluent in Andrew-speak while waiting for him to "speak our language". But, we may be getting much closer now...

My babies...

2008-06-09T12:05:00.003-05:00

Mashpee pool is open...

2008-06-05T21:25:00.003-05:00

free admission...uncertified lifeguard on duty!

Make room for baby...

2008-06-04T20:27:00.004-05:00

To accommodate the baby arriving in September, Andrew is moving out of the nursery and in to his own room down the hall. This used to be our computer/ guest room. Thanks to Amy, it is now an adorable room for our little boy. Andrew moved in last Saturday night and seems to like it. He often gives Peter Rabbit a kiss or makes one of his stuffed animals kiss Peter. Here are some photos of the room.

Quick trip to PA

2008-05-16T07:48:00.005-05:00

Andrew and I just returned from a week long visit to Pennsylvania. AP had lots of fun playing with his cousins (dancing, having tea parties, reading), following PopPop everywhere he went, snuggling with MumMum, and chasing Jack-dog around the house. He also got a huge kick out of wearing the leis PopPop and MumMum got on their recent trip to Hawaii. Thank you everyone for a truly nice time. We benefited greatly from the change of scenery!

Side note: Andrew was a real trooper in the car. Now that he doesn't sleep 5-6 hours out of the 7 hour drive...I was a little worried how it would go. He did great! Looked at his books, pointed out all of any cars or trucks that drove by, and sang with Mommy. Even in a one hour back up delay on the way home he maintained supreme composure. I'm a lucky Mommy! Thank goodness for small miracles.

Reading with PopPop...

Hawaiian Mr. T...

Getting tickled by MumMum (with Patrick)...

Working in PopPop's garden with Connor...

Molly teaching the finer points of baseball to AP...

Mother's Day with his Godmother, Amy...

Snuggling...

Reading the Sunday paper...

1st Haircut

2008-05-06T17:06:00.003-05:00

Andrew's first REAL haircut. He's had trims by me and a trim by a strange guy at an empty hair salon...but, this was the first time he sat on his own in a barber shop chair and got a complete haircut. He did great. He did not enjoy being sprayed with the water bottle but, he did like seeing himself in the mirror, looking at and talking about the cars on his cape and playing with a hair clip. Here are before and after photos. I hardly recognize him! Although, I'm glimpsing the little boy he's becoming. If you thought he looked like an Osler before...what do you think now?

April

2008-05-06T10:26:00.008-05:00

We've recently changed computers so, I don't have access to all of my photos. But here are few good ones from April. Grandmom and Pop Pop's visit in the beginning of April, swimming lessons, a turkey fry with Mark's Uncle George Osler and more.

Lunch at Popponesset Beach

Love...

Little footprints...little shadow

New hat from Aunt Amy...
looking like a bruiser from South Boston in this photo

Swimming lessons

Learning to spin the lane rope

Hello Pop Pop...good, good...bye!

checking his stocks on Oma & Opa's computer

THE TURKEY FRY:

The anticipation building....

Uncle George lowering the first turkey
(incidentally, he got the idea to put a funnel on his head from Andrew)

Coloring with Daddy...

Welcome!

2008-05-02T15:21:00.003-05:00

Thanks for coming to check out the new blog. As you can see, I was able to transfer all previous posts and links over to this site. This made me very happy! I will be updating soon with some pictures from April to include Andrew's first swim lesson!

Silly photos and a new buddy

2008-03-25T11:50:00.006-05:00

I (mommy) recently gave Andrew another haircut. I think I need to ask Mark to give him a shave. Check out that beard!

Future member of Pi Kappa Alpha??? (I swear this photo was not posed. Andrew put Mark's hat on backwards and headed into the kitchen. We heard him wrestling with something and found him hauling a case of empties towards the living room. True story.)

Welcome Hayden Bryant Ruthven! Congrats to Trey, Lindsay & Sarah.

Easter

2008-03-25T11:37:00.004-05:00

We had a lovely Easter this year. There was a basket from the Easter Bunny, we went to church and Oma & Opa, Aunt Erin, Uncle Dan, Duncan and Ivy came to our house for dinner. Everyone had a lot of fun. We even got to play outside! Yeah!

My Easter basket

The dinner table

Helping Daddy in the kitchen

AP and Oma

Serious boy

Happy boy

Spring ???

2008-03-11T14:39:00.005-05:00

It can't be. Mommy tells me Spring doesn't start until mid-June 'round these parts. Still, we're starting to get a whiff of Spring! Yesterday, Oma took Aunt Erin, Ivy, Mommy and me to the New England Flower Show. It was a lot of fun. We saw lots of pretty flowers:

Froggies among the lillies

Turtle in the daffodills

And I saw my buddies out sunbathing...

Roscoe, Lavender Lab and Percy catching some rays

And today, we played outside for over an hour without my hands turning to ice.

We only came in because Mommy said she was getting tired. Personally, I could have stayed out all afternoon. I love being outside!

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T10:52:00.007-05:00

Love, Andrew

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-25T20:06:00.000-05:00

'Twas the Night Before Chistmas...(not interested)

Peek-a-boo puppies...very interested!

I had no trouble at all opening my own gifts...

A little help from Daddy...

I loved my new fleece sweatshirt...I had to put it on right away!

Checking out my doggie slippers from Grandmom & PopPop.

Big present from Santa

Oooooh!

My new puppy and farm!

Somebody couldn't wait for me to take my morning nap!

Getting in the festive mood...

2007-12-17T09:30:00.000-05:00

To help get in a festive mood, we went to see the Spectacle of Lights at Heritage Gardens last weekend.

It was pretty cold that night...luckily I was all bundled up.

I sat on Santa's lap. We were in the back seat of an antique car.

Then we rode the carousel.

I was a big help to Mommy and Daddy this past weekend too.

Picking out a tree...

Decorating the house...

Wrapping presents...

Taste-testing the cookies...

We're ready for Christmas!!!

November

2007-12-05T19:16:00.000-05:00

Hangin' out with Mommy in the morning:

Surveying the damage of Hurricane Noel in Chatham:

(A visit to PA) - great minds getting together:

Visit to Lehigh University:

Andrew reclining in Fiona's bean bag chair:

Feeding Tostitos to Jackdog:

Playdate with Ben:

Meeting Shubhra:

Back in Massachusetts, Andrew had his first haircut by Mommy:

October

2007-12-05T17:34:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since any photos have been posted here. A look at October:

Andrew's 1st birthday party:

Fiona taught Andrew what to do when someone puts cake in front of you:

My quick learner:

Oslerwurst '07: Andrew in his lederhosen and alpine hat...shown here with PopPop.

Down to PA to meet Nathaniel Christopher:

Hi buddy, I'm your cousin...

Visiting Daddy at "work"

Andrew helped enter the GPS coordinates.

Halloween:

All sugar'd up!

2007-10-08T06:32:00.000-05:00

Now, we'll have no trouble getting Andrew into his highchair. He thinks there will be either donuts or cake served when he's sitting there. I guess we should get to work on our broccoli cake and green bean donut.

Mmmmm...phillies donut (the official donut of the Red Sox)

Puppy dog birthday cake

Happy Birthday, AP

2007-10-04T12:44:00.000-05:00

Dear Andrew,

Happy 1^st Birthday! I can still feel my emotions from one year ago today. I was completely overwhelmed with joy, pride (and relief). I was so relieved to be done pushing…I forgot to look for your face. You were whisked away from me and I just looked up at the ceiling, smiled and cried. I remember saying “Oh, my God” over and over. And “We have a baby.” Of course, I knew you were a boy…I had consulted the crystal and Oma had done some tests, plus one of the housekeepers at the hospital told me I would have a boy. So, I wasn’t surprised when Dr. Cabe said, “It’s a boy”. Once you were cleaned up and checked out, a nurse placed you on my chest and in my arms. I couldn’t believe I was holding you.

And in all of the commotion and emotion, after we had nursed for the first time, you were taken to the nursery to get a blood test (or something…sorry I don’t remember). And it wasn’t until then that I realized I hadn’t studied your face. I asked your Daddy if he knew what you looked like. Would he know if they brought us someone else and not our baby boy? I was panicked. How were you able to turn my life upside down in less than 3 hours!?!?!

Oh, how you have changed my life. I never knew what being a mother would be. I thought about it, I read about it, I talked to other mothers about it, and I prayed about it. But, I have to tell you this has been nothing like what I expected and greater than any experience I have had to date. You are a true blessing and I love watching over you and watching you grow. I am so proud of you.

I have been proud to be Grandmom and PopPop’s daughter. I have been proud to be Uncle Chris and Uncle Mike’s sister. I have been proud to be your father’s wife. None of these compare to the pride I feel as your mother. And I am bowled over when I see someone else’s face in yours. I have seen your father and myself sometimes in there. Usually, I see your cousins and my cousins in your face. It’s amazing. I feel so proud to have connected you to the Holland/McDevitt and Osler/Self family trees.

Andrew Patrick, you are my special, special boy, my pride and joy. Oh, how I love you…I’m so glad we got you. I am grateful to God that He sent you to us.

Happy 1^st birthday, Andrew. I love you.

Love,
Mommy

Family Vacation

2007-09-21T12:39:00.000-05:00

E-A-G-L-E-S

2007-09-17T16:09:00.000-05:00

Andrew and I are all geared up for the Eagles game tonight. We missed watching their season opener because we were on family vacation (photos to be posted this week, I promise). I know ugh. So, tonight we get to see our team on national TV...yay! Will Andrew be allowed to stay up half an hour extra tonight to see kickoff? Will Maureen make it past halftime? Sources say TiVo will be on call tonight. Go Eagles!

August

2007-08-31T09:10:00.000-05:00

On August 1, my cousin Patrick Kieran was born.
Mommy and I went to Pennsylvania to meet him:

While we were there, Uncle Mike took us to the pool.
Check out the cool fish I got to float on:

With Uncle Mike and Fiona after our swim. (PS - Fiona is a really good swimmer)

At our playground, swinging with Daddy:

I like to watch kids play and I like to yell to them:

Flying:

Chillin':

Yesterday, Mommy and I had lunch at Oma & Opa's house.
Aunt Erin, Duncan and Ivy were there too:

Boy, do I love my doggie

July

2007-08-02T05:11:00.003-05:00

Osler men:

Andrew at Family Fun Friday:

Family Fun Friday - The Toe Jam Puppet Band:

At the Lobster Shack in Maine with the Zecchinellis:

Silly:

All clean:

Playing with Ivy and Oma:

Cheezy poofs!

Mmmmm....cheezy poofs:

Ivy and Opa:

Meeting George Carpenter (and Mr. & Mrs. Carpenter and Tess):

Dog-eeeee: (George licking Andrew..Andrew loved it)

Unhappy teething boy...watching Sesame Street:

New pool:

Trying to hold both of his doggies while napping:

Soooo Busy!

2007-07-09T16:33:00.000-05:00

See? I'm so busy that I forgot to include the four trips I've made to Martha's Vineyard since the Mother's Day post. 1) 3 days in the first week of May with Oma & Opa and Lynne, 2) Day trip with the River Road Hollands, 3) Memorial Day Weekend, 4) Day trip to visit the Michauds while they were on vacation. SORRY!

Here I am with Opa in the beginning of May:

At Betty the Jetty in early May:

Playing with Lynne:

Memorial Day weekend with Daddy at Betty the Jetty:

Asleep at Betty the Jetty:

Playing with Ivy:

I don't have photos of my visit to MV with the Hollands but, I did play with a doll while they visited, so that will have to content you:

And a one day visit to Cape Pogue while the Michauds were on vacation:

My apologies to those I omitted. (Thanks Oma & Opa)

Busy

2007-07-06T09:16:00.000-05:00

What?!?!? It's been almost two months since my last post? Yikes!

Sorry about that but, I've been very busy:

Visited Grandmom and Pop for two weeks

Went to a Reading Phillies game with Grandmom, PopPop, Uncle Mike, Aunt Amy and Fiona

Ate wings with Uncle Chris, Aunt B and Taylor (not pictured)
and then played with Sara and Samantha

Chili dogs at the Crystal Palace

It was so very tiring

Then I spent a week in Ocean City, NJ

Celebrated Charlotte's 1st birthday

Went to the boardwalk

Caught a sunrise

Then, there was Sarah Ruthven's 1st birthday party

playing soccer with Daddy at the birthday party

Then a playdate with Sarah

There was also a party for Simon's first birthday and we went to a Cape Cod Baseball league game (Cotuit Ketleers vs. Falmouth Commodores). I think Mama got tired of taking pictures...so, I don't have evidence of these two things. But, I promise you we did them. Oh, and Mommy and I went to Heritage Gardens and Museum yesterday and rode the carousel. So, you can see I've been very busy. Will you let me off the hook for not posting???

Mother's Day 2007

2007-05-14T13:28:00.000-05:00

Mama post:

Yesterday was my first mother's day...and it was wonderful! My friend Erin was visiting for the weekend and got to share in my day. Mark (& Andrew) made a lovely breakfast of French toast, bacon, homemade macadamia nut & honey butter and warm syrup. Mark also had at the ready my coffee and a bloody mary. Plus, there were three freshly cut tulips from our yard on the table in a vase. I'm a lucky lady!

We went to church at 10am and found out that our church has a tradition of giving a flower to not the oldest mother but the newest mother. Guess who won? So, Andrew and I got to stand up and get a round of applause. It was nice too because the deacon who was announcing this remembered Andrew's name. We just love our church and are so glad we joined last fall.

We spent the afternoon showing Erin some of Cape Cod's lovely scenery winding up in Woods Hole for lunch at Pie in the Sky bakery. Then it was off to Providence Airport for Erin's flight back to Pittsburgh.

Once home, I was surprised when I walked into our room to see my baby boy sitting on our bed next to a present and homemade card. Mark truly spoiled me! He managed to get Andrew's handprints on a piece of construction paper and there was nice poem with it too. I also got a nice card from Mark. My present was wonderful: a new address book (much needed), a pair of earrings that looked just like the pair I broke on Thursday, and a pair of opal earring studs. Well, the first pair of earrings were the very ones I broke. Mark had them repaired and cleaned. And opal is the birthstone for October...Andrew's birth month. Truly wonderful and thoughtful.

Thank you, Mark. Thank you for making yesterday feel like it was my birthday. Mostly, thank you for giving me the opportunity to be a mother. I just love it.

How could I not love being his mother?

My mother's day gifts:

Old earrings and new earrings:

Andrew's card:

Miscellaneous photos of my week...

2007-05-01T20:28:00.000-05:00

Mommy and I had lunch with Aunt Erin and Ivy today. I'm a camera hog. Luckily, Ivy is patient with me.

Yay! Spring is here...or so I'm being told.

Latest Fascination (& sweet potatoes)

2007-04-13T11:11:00.000-05:00

I love playing with these little blankets Mommy puts on my feet!

Hmmmm...what is this...

Please don't be rice cereal (blehk!)

Finally, Mommy is giving me something good...sweet potatoes!

More, please...