Flashback Friday...April 2006

I thought I'd join back in on this Flashback Friday wave in an effort to pull out some old photos of me and the boys...it's fun to see them a few months or a year ago and see how much they've changed!  A friend of mine was in my office at work looking at old photos of Nathaniel the other day and was saying how funny it was to see him so little.  She said "the face looks like Nate's but I keep thinking, who is that little baby?"

Flashback Fridays are a popular blogging theme.  Heidi does them over at Starts at Eight (she's my personal inspiration in this, and many other things!)  I've seen them here and there's a whole list of them here and here, too.  I used to do a version of them but have since gotten away from it for whatever reason(s).  It's definitely not a new idea, but it's a fun one.  What better excuse to dig through old photos and relive some old memories before I forget them all!

Nathaniel, Easter 2006

 

So I decided to start this week flashing back to this time (April) in 2006.  I was on maternity leave with a brand new baby at home (Nathaniel, of course!) and my life had very recently changed drastically (for the better!!).  There was something to be said about those early days of Motherhood.  I was exhausted, no doubt.  I remember feeling a little bit like I was in a fog for the first few weeks (months?).  But I was on an adrenaline high of some sort, too.  I trudged through my days feeding and burping, changing diapers and rocking to sleep.  Lather.  Rinse.  Repeat.  (Although that gives the illusion that I showered with some regularity but let me tell you...that was a novelty all its own!)

Nathaniel, 4 weeks old (even then with his beloved Boo Bankie)

 

I loved not having to go to work for the first time since I had started working at 16.  I stayed up late staring at this new creature that I had created, watching him sleep, making sure he was breathing.  I spent early mornings and middle of the night feedings watching VH-1 videos (it was music!) and would drift off to sleep snuggling the most precious thing I've ever been blessed with!  I cried a lot.  I stressed out a lot.  It was hectic with visitors and chaotic with trying to figure it all out.  But I loved it!

No one could have ever have prepared me then for how tremendously different life would be with a little one in it.  They could have told me all day long that it's hard work and that it has its rewards, but it is nothing compared to how challenging, difficult, and gratifying this job of Mom has turned out to be!

It's The Little Things...a snail's pace

My good friend, Heidi, has issued a new challenge called "It's The Little Things Thursday" over on her blog, Starts at Eight...I love this idea because our world is too crazy and hectic and life has a way of carrying on without us if we don't take the time to slow down.  This is a great opportunity to stop and focus some (much needed!) attention on the little things that make a difference.  Too often these little things get brushed off, forgotten, or pushed aside for the bigger more demanding things in life.  So join with me as I take a little time each Thursday to highlight some little things that make a BIG difference!

Today is a rainy, dismal day here in Rochester.  After a week or more of gorgeous, unseasonably warm, sunny days, it's day two of this gray miserableness and I'm feeling it.  As I was trudging into work this morning after a short night of sleep, I saw this:

You're probably wondering why I would choose this as my little thing but watching this little guy make his way across the parking lot at a snail's pace (literally!) made me see the bigger picture.  We all have our journey to make.  For this little snail, his journey just to get across the parking lot was way more difficult (and would probably take a lot longer) than my measly day at work.  Yet, undeterred, he pressed on.  He was a welcome reminder about the world at large.  I guess I can't explain it very well, but seeing him lifted my spirits.  I hope to garner some of this little guy's motivation, determination, and spunk.  Despite how gray my day started, I will trudge along, just like my new friend, Spike.  (Is it weird that I just named him?  Never mind, don't answer that!)

For more revelations about the little things that keep us going and make this journey worth it, stop over and pay Heidi a visit.  Link up to her blog and take some inspiration and feel good spirit with you when you leave!

Wordless Wednesday - Grumpy McGrumperson

Simple Woman's Daybook...April 6, 2010

FOR TODAY...April 6, 2010

Outside my window...the sunny, unseasonably warm skies have gone gray.  They're calling for thunderstorms today which is ok by me...I love sitting in my garage and watching them roll through! 

I am thinking...about preparations for my big trip to Arizona next week!  I am leaving the boys at home and while I'm SUPER excited about making this trip with my sister, I am going to miss them and worry about them while I'm gone.  Not that they won't be in excellent hands (home with Daddy) but still...I can't help but worry!  I have a lot to do before next week though!  Laundry to catch up on, packing to get done, and so on.

I am thankful for...my sister!  She is going shopping with me this afternoon in search of a flattering dress for the wedding in AZ.  It's a big undertaking seeing as I have about 40-50 lbs to lose, so "flattering" is a hard concept!  I hate dress shopping but I want to be comfortable and not look like a house!  My sister has fantastic taste and style and helps alleviate some of the "shock" of trying on dress after dress that looks horrible.  She's good at eyeballing them and knowing if it's even worth trying.  I love my baby sister!

From the kitchen...my Keurig is brewing a fresh, hot cup of mint tea.  I love my Keurig!!

I am wearing...my usual fare.  Comfy pants, t-shirt.  I would live in them 24/7 if it were possible!

I am remembering...Nathaniel falling asleep while cuddling with me last night.  It was the highlight of my week!  He told me he wanted to "camp out" like we did last weekend so I told him he could come sit with me until his movie was over.  He snuggled up and before I knew it he was snoring in my lap!  Awww!  Seriously a moment to soak in! 

I am creating...to-do lists out the wazoo!  I have lists of things to pack for AZ, lists of things to accomplish for the house, list of projects I'm working on, etc.

I am going...dress shopping with my sister (see above)! 

I am hoping...to find the motivation and TIME to accomplish the MANY things looming over my head!

I am hearing...the world whipping by at an astonishing pace!

Pondering these words...I was venting to my father the other day about how Nathaniel has turned into a bratty 4-year-old in the last few weeks and I was THISCLOSE to not having the Easter bunny pay him a visit but couldn't figure out how to do that and NOT wind him up in therapy in 10 years.  My father said to me that "the Easter Bunny, like Santa Claus, HAS to come, but he doesn't always have to bring a lot"....Love these words!  So true!  I will be using this wisdom down the road, no doubt!

Around the house...There are projects going on everywhere.  We're trying to get the house de-cluttered, fixed up, and cleaned to put it back on the market and get out of the City.  Dave is replacing curtains, spackling cracks, and I'm supposed to find time to purge stuff, organize our mess and downsize to maximize our space.  It's a BIG project and I'm not doing very well with it so far!!

On my mind...my upcoming trip to AZ, several deadlines for work this month, trying to find the time to get the house ready to put it on the market.

Noticing that...this time of the year is always a crazy one.  I'm not sure if it's the Spring Fever thing but it seems March/April are always ridiculously busy for us!

One of my favorite things...weekends.  I LOVE weekends!  Busy ones, quiet ones, in between ones.  I just love not having to go to work and being able to wake up, enjoy a cup of coffee, watch my boys play, and NOT have to rush off anywhere right away.

A few plans for the rest of the week: dress shopping tonight, Walk 'N Talk with Heidi, laundry, packing, cleaning, and hopefully playing outside with the boys a lot more!

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

I love the dreamy look in Alex's eyes here...it makes me happy!  "Bo-Bo!"

Be sure to check out other entries at Simple Woman's Daybook!

A Walk In the Woods...

Yesterday Nathaniel was lucky enough to go on a walk in the woods with Geema on Easter Sunday.  So Alex and I tagged along...

My Mom is an incredibly smart lady and knows a lot of stuff about a LOT of stuff.  I love every second my boys are able to spend with my parents because I know they are learning rich tradition and some very important knowledge.  I am very grateful to have my parents to pass these things on to my family and keep these lessons and values alive!
 

Yesterday's nature walk consisted of a lesson in tracking deer.  Grandma taught Nate what to look for and where to look to find deer tracks.  She taught him how to tell what direction the deer is traveling in and how there are big deer and little deer (this time of the year).

Here Grandma is pointing out a deer crossing where the deer travel across the creek.  She showed Nathaniel some raccoon prints on the bank and even showed the boys where the worms make tracks in the creek bed.  So cool!

Just when I thought Nathaniel wasn't paying attention, he stopped and said "Here's one Grandma!" and when I asked him what direction he thought that deer was headed he stopped, looked, and pointed in the RIGHT direction!  Yeah, Geema!

Thanks, Mom, for being such a fantastic role model and wealth of information to me and my children!!  You will never understand how much I fully appreciate all that you have taught ME and all that you are sharing with my boys!  We are SO lucky to have you!

Let me know when the tadpoles are ready and we'll be over for a lesson in amphibious creatures!  :)

Dry spell

Blame it on the mentally exhausting weekend I've had dealing with my 4-year-old who seems to have turned into a snotty 7-year-old overnight.

It's also quite possible that spending the last 48-72 hours outdoors getting fresh air in this beautiful weather has wiped me out.

The fact that Nathaniel had me up for over three hours in the middle of the night and was STILL up before 7 AM definitely has me pooped for sure!

Or maybe it was the busy day we had celebrating Easter all day long that has my brain on quit mode.

And even more possible, perhaps the three four glasses of wine I had with my Mom at dinner have done me in.

Whatever the excuse, I have nothing remarkable to say tonight.  I did take a TON of fantastic pictures of the boys this weekend however and promise to share those very soon...There really are some cute ones (and LOTS of them!)

Either way, I promised myself I would get to bed early (for me) tonight so I am keeping that promise and making excuses for (another) lame post.  I promise to make up for it!  I hope everyone had a happy Easter with your families!

So, until later...I'm going to go do some of this :

...so tomorrow I have no excuse for being brain dead!

Happiness is...

weather warm enough to do lots of this:

The Heck YAYS

Seeing as "Hell's Angels" was already taken, I thought this crew of renegades deserved their own name.

Introducing the "Heck YAYS":

That would be the notorious motorcycle gang comprised of a Yousey, an Aman (not pictured), another Yousey, and a Smith. 

These guys are bad ass.  (Or at least they could have been in another time or place).

In all seriousness, though.  These four guys mean the world to me.  With warm temperatures and dry roads ahead of us, they will be out there on the roads intermingling with all you big trucks, SUV s, and 4-door Sedans.  So be careful!  Watch for them and show some respect!  Thanks!

Playing Catch-up

I'm playing catch-up over on my photo(s)-a-day blog tonight.  So I haven't really had a chance to put my "pen to paper" (as it were) here.

Regardless of that, today marks the start of a new month and a new NaBloPoMo goal.  Even though I missed a day of posting in March (due to my extended stay in NYC), making me a "miss" for my NaBloPoMo goal for last month, I still really enjoy the daily habit of writing and sharing here.  So, let's take another go, shall we?.  My Bloggoversary is coming up in a couple of weeks, so in honor of one whole year of blogging, I will keep up my daily posting!  Aren't you lucky?!?

Wordless Wednesday - Spring Fun!

Simple Woman's Daybook...March 30, 2010

FOR TODAY...March 30, 2010

Outside my window...sun!  They're calling for "unseasonably warm" temperatures by week's end and I can't wait!  It's so nice to be able to send the kids outside without worrying about their cold fingers or runny noses!

I am thinking...about the list of things we have to do to get our house ready to put on the market.  Alex's room is ready (minus a couple bins that need to go downstairs) and Nate's is closer to ready than it was a couple days ago.  Now if only I could find the time to pack up the china cabinet so Dave can move that out and figure out what to do in our bedroom....

I am thankful for...two healthy children.  They both had their check-ups yesterday (Alex's 18-month and Nathaniel's 4-year) and are fabulously healthy children.  Alex is 22 lbs 10 oz (10th percentile) and 31.75 inches tall (34th).  He's on track developmentally for all things and is fit as a whistle.  Nathaniel is 45 lbs (95th percentile) and 40 inches tall (45th) - that's only 18" shorter than ME! 

From the kitchen...EASTER EGGS!  'Tis the season to stain our fingers, floor, clothes, table, shoes, eggs pretty colors and take lots of pictures of the fun while we're at it!!  Not sure when we'll squeeze that in this week but Easter is this weekend so I better figure it out!

I am wearing...a pair of fabulous new teal shoes I bought at Goodwill with my sister the other day.  We were dress shopping to find new digs to wear to the wedding in Arizona in a couple weeks and I found nothing but my old (constant) feelings of inadequacy and low self esteem.  Fun stuff.  Anyway, the shoes were adorable and CHEAP so they helped lift my spirits (can you say "retail therapy"?!?)!  At some point I'll have to re-tackle that dress issue but I still have two weeks so what's the rush?  HA!  If push comes to shove, I'll just squeeze into some unflattering item I already own and call it a night. 

I am remembering...to contact the mortgage lady to see if she's found anything out about our pre-approval.  Dave is getting antsy so I told him I would follow up.  I can't forget to do that...

I am going...to get back on 101 in 1001 goal.  I totally lost momentum and it's frustrating me.  I hate being the person with big ideas that never GO anywhere so I vow to focus on formulating my goal list and starting that project so I can FINISH something for a change!

I am reading...very little.  I still hope to work that in somewhere, but it hasn't happened yet.  I've even falled behind on my blogs.  I think my reader has over a hundred unread blog posts...I keep up on those that I can but the more involved ones remain unseen.  Just about the time I catch up I miss a day and then fall behind again.  I wish I knew where to draw the line!

I am hoping...to get this day over with soon!  It's been a busy week (already!) and having today behind me will be one day closer to the gorgeous weekend we're planning.  My husband is off this weekend so that's a bonus!

I am hearing...nothing but the typing of my keys, a few cars driving past.  I love the silence.  It's refreshing!

Pondering these words..."Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first" - Mark Twain
In a world where too many people have this entitlement attitude, I think this is a fabulous quote.  What ever happened to the mentality that you get what you WORK for?  To EARN what you have?  This is one thing I hope to instill in my boys.   

Around the house...I am downsizing.  Or at least trying to.  I was in a mood to purge the other day so I went through Nate's toys and pulled out ones that he either has no interest in, were annoying, or just plain too big and we donated them.  He did very well with the idea, actually, only asking to keep two of the toys I had chosen to get rid of.  I did the same with Alex's toys (pulling out toys that he's "over") and will continue that pattern until my house seems less claustrophobic! 

On my mind...I'm still angry that the doctor's office has Nathaniel classified as "obese" because he is (and always has been!) in the 95th percentile for weight.  He's 4-years-old, people.  Seriously?  The doctor wants us to watch what Nate is eating, when, how much, etc.  Apparently his BMI has him in the "obese" range which pisses me off.  That's why I'm focusing on the fact that they're both healthy.  I refuse to instill a complex simply because society wants me to.

Noticing that...Nathaniel's check-ups are always near his birthday which is poorly timed since it's at the end of (a very long Western NY) winter!  He always seems to "bulk" up in the winter and then has his Spring growth spurt where he lengthens out - why can't the doctor weigh him THEN? 

One of my favorite things...my camera.  I (obviously!) love to take photos of anything and everything.  I feel like taking photos is like emblazoning that moment, that expression, that outfit, that cute mannerism, a flower, a sunset, you name it, in my memory and in the world forever. I've been having a recurring dream lately where I am on a trip of a lifetime (Ireland, Switzerland, etc.) or at a wedding or another once-in-a-lifetime event and I've forgotten my camera.  It's horrifying.  I wind up trying to capture what I can with my cell phone (only to be "warned" that I'm out of memory, of course!) and that's just not sufficient!

A few plans for the rest of the week:  Busy, busy.  Playdate with the Ayers' tonight.  Walk 'n Talk with Heidi tomorrow, Melon Bean outing with Tiff & Brie on Thursday and then the family and I are heading down to camp to enjoy the beautiful weather they're forecasting.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

I just love Alex's smile.  It's so infectious and lights up my world.  

Stop over to see Peggy at Simple Woman's Daybook and read other weekly entries!

I ♥ Faces...Dramatic B&W

I've been hesitant to join up with the challenges over at I ♥ Faces seeing as my photos are no where near the caliber of the rest of the challengers' photos. However, this week I figured I'd take a quick look to see if I had anything that fit the bill. The theme this week is "Dramatic B & W". I struggled with the "dramatic" part but hopefully this demonstrates some drama:

Stop over to I ♥ Faces to see some fabulous photos in dramatic B&W!

Spring is in the air!

It's official!  Spring is in the air!  Not just because two weeks ago we SPRANG ahead on the clocks...or because last weekend marked the official start of Spring.  Although that helps.

But even more than that...there's this:

And the promise of these:

And we've been doing a whole lot of this:

And even some of this:

Oh, I can't wait!  Bring on longer days and balmy evenings.  Jaunts outdoors that don't require an hour of prep work to get the boys bundled up.  I look forward to BBQs and morning coffee out on the veranda (that's what we exaggeratedly call the concrete slab that is our patio), sitting in the garage watching thunderstorms, and catching bugs of all shapes and sizes.  I even look forward to the inevitable mud and wet dog smell.  C'mon Spring!  I'm ready!

Cheating

I just woke up from an evening snuggle (nap) with Nathaniel on the floor of the living room. We were "camping out" (which in tired Mommy language translates into "falling asleep")...at some point I'll either rejoin him or carry his (heavy) self into his bedroom. Though, honestly, I'm leaning towards rejoining him.

So in spirit of keeping with my NaBloPoMo this month, I wanted to post SOMETHING today, but my foggy brain is not composing anything profound so I will share this photo and beg your forgiveness for cheating out tonight:

"Pretty please?  With sugar on top?"