I can't believe that I have missed three months of blogging. Between birthdays and the biggest event of my work year, I guess I have been a little side tracked. Not that I haven't thought about it. I do occasionally start a blog in my head. Sadly, it never makes it to paper (or digital screen as is the case these days). So I will try very soon to post a few recaps from the past month and move into the present day events of life. Just a few of the blogs to come:
Nic's First Birthday
Recapturing the Renaissance
The Mother's Day Present
Celebrating Ten Years: The parents getaway
Planning the Griswald's Revisited
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Thoughts from my week
Sunday’s Scriptures
Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Although I have often seen these words in a wedding setting, our minister brought a new perspective to me. He said to replace the word Love and It with your own name. Then read the verses.
Monday’s Measurement
What’s worse than a Monday? How about a Monday in which you scrutinize and measure your past year’s work? I always feel so good about my work until this time of year comes… the annual evaluation. I spent my Monday writing narratives of my year’s work and how it relates to last year’s objectives and my job description and then list objectives for the next year. It is an essential element in the job growth process, but it can take you from patting yourself on the back with your head in the clouds on one item to wanting to crawl under a rock with the next. I have always been a very tough critic upon myself since I was a child. My dad said punishment was rarely an issue because simply knowing the displeasure of my parents would crush me. I am often the same way with work. I strive to please people, and ultimately please myself, but I am an extemely tough evaluator so that lead to…
Tuesday’s Troubles
I had spent the previous night and the better part of Tuesday morning agonizing over how I could do my job better. How could I see my percentages really increase, not just hold steady, but increase? Where could I improve my return on investment for events? What is my next career move? Do I have one? How do I get there? Oh, the questions… they can eat you alive.
Did I mention that this was also my husband’s birthday? So, here I was, down in the dumps while trying to keep my head up and not take it out on him on his birthday. Growing older is not one of his favorite things. He almost takes it personally that the universe has decided he must age. I’m being a little dramatic, but trust me I have a spouse who very much enjoyed being in his twenties. His mid-thirties with two kids sometimes brings him down.
Wednesday’s Way Forward
By Wednesday, I was ready to move on. I turned my evaluation in to my boss, and I let it go. I had some other very important items to get prepared and I settled in to address them and get them done. By the end of the day, I felt back on track. Just in time for…
Thursday’s Theatrics
My morning was spent with acrobatics of planning and preparing items that needed to be out of my hands for the next two days as I left the office for a Board of Trustees retreat. I was able to get everything together by
We were on our way to
Friday’s Forum
Not much to write here although the day was probably one of the most interesting days of seminars/speeches/lectures that I have ever experienced. I generally drift in and out after an hour in a "classroom," but not this time. The speakers were interesting and entertaining and the topics and data were fascinating. They kept my attention from
Saturday’s Separation Anxiety
My hubby and I returned home to the kids today. When we walked in the door, our four year old ran to both of us and gave big hugs and excitement to see us – every parents dream reaction from their kids. Now our ten month old not so much, he just stared at me. He looked almost in disbelief. Finally, when he came to me, he placed his small arms completely around my neck and placed his head on my shoulder. As I hugged him and thought how sweet it was to embrace and be embraced by my baby, he broke into tears. I couldn’t fully tell if he was mad at me or that he had been hurt and confused over the days without me and was releasing his pent up pain when he finally had me back. I tried one of our special games that almost always makes him laugh, but instead he cried. So I took him and sat quietly for a few minutes of nursing. I think this reassured him that his mommy was really home and he was all smiles and laughter after that. But wow, what a reaction and how clearly even an infant can relay their displeasure with you in a way that cuts you to the core for hurting them.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Waste of an Evening
Those words or something like that were the words uttered by Mr. Hurst in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice in regards to the social outing of a country ball. These words are also the way I know that my husband and I often feel depending on how our night has gone.
A non-waste of an evening would go something like this:
The baby goes to sleep at
However, most of our evenings go one of about three ways:
1) If the baby happens to sleep, the older son will not and therefore cries, fusses, and pleads to be in cuddled in which case one of us (usually me) falls asleep with him while putting him to bed. 2) If by chance the older one goes to sleep in a reasonable amount of time and I have not fallen asleep with him, the baby will cry within thirty minutes, and I will fall asleep putting him back to sleep. 3) On the rare night in which both boys go to sleep reasonably, I am usually dying to get to bed and enjoy as much uninterrupted rest as possible before the inevitable happens of the baby waking up because he will then typically wake every hour or two from then on.
And so I sit here tonight at 10 p.m., with the baby asleep in his crib, my hubby reading/cuddling our preschooler, a thunderstorm rattling outside, an episode of Two and a Half Men paused on the DVR in hopes of being watched, and I write to fill my mind with exercise and some form of relaxation. But for my hubby and me, it is turning into a typical “waste of an evening.”
P.S. Then the lights went out.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Celebrating Motherhood
Today is the fourth anniversary of my becoming a mother. I remember the labor and delivery like it was yesterday, except for some drug inhibited patches. And despite doing my best to go it without drugs, God bless the epidural at the end. The epidural in both of my labors seemed to jump me into light speed for dilation and my babies were delivered within an hour of its taking effect. But let's not get into that aspect of becoming a mother.
The real celebration is of the first time I held my baby boy. I watched as they took him to the table right beside me, checked him out, and cleaned him up. I remember I kept asking, “is he healthy? Is he okay?” Due to some scares we had gone through personally as well as with family, all my mind could focus on was his health. All reports came back healthy and strong. He was 21 ¼ inches long and weighed 8 lbs. and 10 ounces. We called him the sitcom baby because he looked already a month old at least.
Then they laid him in my arms…I have loved people in my life—my parents, my wonderful husband, other family members and friends; I have also lost people and thought I had felt the deepness of my love when they were lost, but this was…utopian love!
My husband spoke of utopian love when we dated. The kind of love that is endless and unconditional. But honestly, I thought that love was only the kind that God could give. I mean I have always done my best to offer my husband that kind of love, and I do love him unconditionally most of the time. But to love another human being so much that your heart physically hurts when they hurt, you can’t breathe when they fall, you become completely selfless when taking care of them, and you discover patience that you never knew you had, who does this? A mother does.
Now four years later, I still love him as much as I did the moment he was placed in my arms, probably more. Because even through the stubborness, the tantrums, and the constant barrage of questions, all he has to do is look at me, and I know that motherhood is a truly glorious thing. In these four years, that love for him has also taught me to love others more deeply.
My husband and I will celebrate ten years of marriage this summer, and I can truthfully say that I love him more everyday, and I cherish each kiss and embrace more now than ever (possibly because there is so little time for us that each moment seems like a miracle in itself). He is wonderful and undoubtedly completes me. His love, friendship, and partnership are exactly what my mother told me marriage should be. I just wish she were here to see all this. I’ve also learned to love another precious baby boy, and I honestly didn’t how my heart would expand enough for more love in my life, but it has and his giggle is infectious.
So, today, I celebrate my motherhood and I toast all those mothers and fathers who have learned more about love through the life, eyes, and embrace of a child… may we keep these feelings and sentiments close to our hearts when we have to face the teen years!
The real celebration is of the first time I held my baby boy. I watched as they took him to the table right beside me, checked him out, and cleaned him up. I remember I kept asking, “is he healthy? Is he okay?” Due to some scares we had gone through personally as well as with family, all my mind could focus on was his health. All reports came back healthy and strong. He was 21 ¼ inches long and weighed 8 lbs. and 10 ounces. We called him the sitcom baby because he looked already a month old at least.
Then they laid him in my arms…I have loved people in my life—my parents, my wonderful husband, other family members and friends; I have also lost people and thought I had felt the deepness of my love when they were lost, but this was…utopian love!
My husband spoke of utopian love when we dated. The kind of love that is endless and unconditional. But honestly, I thought that love was only the kind that God could give. I mean I have always done my best to offer my husband that kind of love, and I do love him unconditionally most of the time. But to love another human being so much that your heart physically hurts when they hurt, you can’t breathe when they fall, you become completely selfless when taking care of them, and you discover patience that you never knew you had, who does this? A mother does.
Now four years later, I still love him as much as I did the moment he was placed in my arms, probably more. Because even through the stubborness, the tantrums, and the constant barrage of questions, all he has to do is look at me, and I know that motherhood is a truly glorious thing. In these four years, that love for him has also taught me to love others more deeply.
My husband and I will celebrate ten years of marriage this summer, and I can truthfully say that I love him more everyday, and I cherish each kiss and embrace more now than ever (possibly because there is so little time for us that each moment seems like a miracle in itself). He is wonderful and undoubtedly completes me. His love, friendship, and partnership are exactly what my mother told me marriage should be. I just wish she were here to see all this. I’ve also learned to love another precious baby boy, and I honestly didn’t how my heart would expand enough for more love in my life, but it has and his giggle is infectious.
So, today, I celebrate my motherhood and I toast all those mothers and fathers who have learned more about love through the life, eyes, and embrace of a child… may we keep these feelings and sentiments close to our hearts when we have to face the teen years!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
"Official" Disney World trip - The Prologue
My husband and I are no strangers to Disney – although as I have learned through my research we are by far not the most obsessed Disney enthusiasts. We definitely know our way around the World – many a family vacation as kids, taking backstage tours in our youth, traveling the kingdoms on our own, and sharing it as a couple.
We purchased our Disney Vacation Club membership while in Orlando on a deal from another timeshare company. We had been married two years at the time and chose the DVC membership for two special reasons: as traveling enthusiasts and Disney fans we believed the investment was sound for our future enjoyment, and second, it was a special tribute to my mom who died of cancer in 2000. She loved Disney World and growing up she and I planned our treks to WDW together and enjoyed every minute. I felt there was no better gift to give her future grandchildren than wonderful memories at Disney World like she had given me. Thus began our next generation Disney traditions.
We began using our DVC points traveling to different places – Colorado, Miami, Chicago, etc. After three years, I booked our first DVC vacation to Walt Disney World. Two weeks later I found out I was pregnant. Fortunately, I can’t imagine a better vacation spot when pregnant than Disney World. So at four months along, we were headed to Orlando. It was a wonderful trip staying for five nights at the Boardwalk Villas.
We welcomed our baby boy. Then at the age of five months, we took him to meet the Mouse in California. From there we began talking about his “first” trip to Disney World. We started out with age five being the prime target, then thought four would be good, finally we settled on December before his fourth birthday. Having selected the “perfect” time of year in which this trip would be a new adventure for us all (neither of us had been there at Christmas time), we then began doing even more planning. Knowing we would like another child, we discussed the right time for that to avoid my once again traveling to WDW pregnant or trying to take a tiny temperamental infant.
This was in the summer of 2008 when, at the same time, DH was chosen to attend a conference in Orlando. I of course wanted to go and it seemed only right to take our then two and a half year old son – BUT his “first” trip was not supposed to be for another 18 months. So we compromised. Our son and I hung out at Saratoga Springs resort in Disney World while DH attended his conference. Then we spent just a couple of days getting a taste for the parks, but absolutely no visit to the Magic Kingdom. We visited Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and Animal Kingdom. And a special little seed was planted when we ate dinner at Narcoossee’s and saw the castle -- to be visited on our “official” trip.
Upon our return from Orlando, my hubby and I realized the window to have another child was then. We started trying and were pregnant within a month – not exactly what we had pictured but it worked. This meant the baby should be around seven months old at our time of travel. Once the baby was born, full blown plans for WDW ensued.
We purchased our Disney Vacation Club membership while in Orlando on a deal from another timeshare company. We had been married two years at the time and chose the DVC membership for two special reasons: as traveling enthusiasts and Disney fans we believed the investment was sound for our future enjoyment, and second, it was a special tribute to my mom who died of cancer in 2000. She loved Disney World and growing up she and I planned our treks to WDW together and enjoyed every minute. I felt there was no better gift to give her future grandchildren than wonderful memories at Disney World like she had given me. Thus began our next generation Disney traditions.
We began using our DVC points traveling to different places – Colorado, Miami, Chicago, etc. After three years, I booked our first DVC vacation to Walt Disney World. Two weeks later I found out I was pregnant. Fortunately, I can’t imagine a better vacation spot when pregnant than Disney World. So at four months along, we were headed to Orlando. It was a wonderful trip staying for five nights at the Boardwalk Villas.
We welcomed our baby boy. Then at the age of five months, we took him to meet the Mouse in California. From there we began talking about his “first” trip to Disney World. We started out with age five being the prime target, then thought four would be good, finally we settled on December before his fourth birthday. Having selected the “perfect” time of year in which this trip would be a new adventure for us all (neither of us had been there at Christmas time), we then began doing even more planning. Knowing we would like another child, we discussed the right time for that to avoid my once again traveling to WDW pregnant or trying to take a tiny temperamental infant.
This was in the summer of 2008 when, at the same time, DH was chosen to attend a conference in Orlando. I of course wanted to go and it seemed only right to take our then two and a half year old son – BUT his “first” trip was not supposed to be for another 18 months. So we compromised. Our son and I hung out at Saratoga Springs resort in Disney World while DH attended his conference. Then we spent just a couple of days getting a taste for the parks, but absolutely no visit to the Magic Kingdom. We visited Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and Animal Kingdom. And a special little seed was planted when we ate dinner at Narcoossee’s and saw the castle -- to be visited on our “official” trip.
Upon our return from Orlando, my hubby and I realized the window to have another child was then. We started trying and were pregnant within a month – not exactly what we had pictured but it worked. This meant the baby should be around seven months old at our time of travel. Once the baby was born, full blown plans for WDW ensued.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Vacation Survived.. and Fun
So we did it: six nights, four grandparents, and two kids at Walt Disney World! The itemized details will follow over time with ratings and reviews of the planning, the actual visit, and of course the food.
For now, I will smile and simply say we survived and I believe most (although probably not all) of our party are ready to go back! In fact, as we boarded the plane my DS3 said, “Bye, Mickey. See you next year!” My hubby, however, had a slightly different take when asked when we were going back: “We will discuss it after we have taken a vacation for ourselves.” I certainly can’t argue that. We are due some hubby and wife time!
All in all I think we monitored and adjusted well to the needs of those around us, like the grandparents who preferred a later start than we had planned or the child who was a zombie by day three and just wanted to go to the room and play or the grandparent who had a head ache and went back to the room for a nap.
We apologize that we were obsessed with getting the most for our money and trying to see everything even if that meant trudging along exhausted. We have to admit to getting tired, too, and needing to slow down; we just don’t like it! At this point and in hindsight, I realize that my planning was a bit ambitious, but we had built this up for two years as Zac’s first trip.
I would like to go on record as saying that once we got rolling I really did try to let Zac call the shots – though going back to the room to play with toys was kept to a minimum; seriously, he can do that at home. On the bright side, he did get to ride the Haunted Mansion ten times (I think we were on a first name basis with the cast members by the end of the night). And I was even crazy enough to take an infant and a 3 year old on HM by myself while daddy rode Splash Mountain!
Looking at the schedule, I’d say we are eighteen months to two years from our next Disney trip, but who knows, only time will tell! Right now, it is time to plan a mommy/daddy trip. Our tenth anniversary is next summer! I better make this one a good one!
For now, I will smile and simply say we survived and I believe most (although probably not all) of our party are ready to go back! In fact, as we boarded the plane my DS3 said, “Bye, Mickey. See you next year!” My hubby, however, had a slightly different take when asked when we were going back: “We will discuss it after we have taken a vacation for ourselves.” I certainly can’t argue that. We are due some hubby and wife time!
All in all I think we monitored and adjusted well to the needs of those around us, like the grandparents who preferred a later start than we had planned or the child who was a zombie by day three and just wanted to go to the room and play or the grandparent who had a head ache and went back to the room for a nap.
We apologize that we were obsessed with getting the most for our money and trying to see everything even if that meant trudging along exhausted. We have to admit to getting tired, too, and needing to slow down; we just don’t like it! At this point and in hindsight, I realize that my planning was a bit ambitious, but we had built this up for two years as Zac’s first trip.
I would like to go on record as saying that once we got rolling I really did try to let Zac call the shots – though going back to the room to play with toys was kept to a minimum; seriously, he can do that at home. On the bright side, he did get to ride the Haunted Mansion ten times (I think we were on a first name basis with the cast members by the end of the night). And I was even crazy enough to take an infant and a 3 year old on HM by myself while daddy rode Splash Mountain!
Looking at the schedule, I’d say we are eighteen months to two years from our next Disney trip, but who knows, only time will tell! Right now, it is time to plan a mommy/daddy trip. Our tenth anniversary is next summer! I better make this one a good one!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Family photos
Apparently I have a little ham on my hands -- and in the spirit of the season he is a little turkey sometimes too -- at least that is how it appeared as we tried to take family photos today. My oldest son started out all smiles and giggles, along with some shouts and a few tirades about Star Wars characters. He followed direction for the most part. He jumped into one shot when his daddy and little brother were playing on the floor which turned out pretty cute. Then just a few shots left to get and he exclaims, "I'm Done!" Well, okay, Mr. Diva, somebody get him to his trailer for sparkling water and cartoons!
Seriously though, not a bad outing. These were technically my baby's seven month photos which turned into a full set of family Thanksgiving photos. Yes, I know the second child gets the short end of the stick. But honestly, I have all the photos of our oldest at every age in three different poses and they just collect dust -- in fact they are not even where anyone can see them. So I went with the family shots, which did include individuals of the baby, because I thought that we could get the most use out of them. Now, I just hope they turn out well. Should get the proofs next week.
Lessons learned:
Seriously though, not a bad outing. These were technically my baby's seven month photos which turned into a full set of family Thanksgiving photos. Yes, I know the second child gets the short end of the stick. But honestly, I have all the photos of our oldest at every age in three different poses and they just collect dust -- in fact they are not even where anyone can see them. So I went with the family shots, which did include individuals of the baby, because I thought that we could get the most use out of them. Now, I just hope they turn out well. Should get the proofs next week.
Lessons learned:
- Plan on just one outfit when getting photos of four people including two children -- changing an infant tends to make for a grumpy baby.
- Parents, watch the camera and smile. Let the photographer make your kids smile; otherwise, your kids will be smiling while you have some weird expression on your face used to make them smile.
- Plan a reward trip, such as lunch at Burger King, directly after the session for your older child if he/she is good.
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