Happy Halloween!!!

We realized tonight just how much we LOVE our new neighborhood!  As we walked around trick-or-treating, I told Gabe to "absorb" this moment.  He said, "Oh, I'm absorbing :)"  It was simply awesome!

Halloween Party-Dog School Style :-)

Dog School Halloween Party 2011

Click on the Picture above to see the whole photo album :)

Last Friday...

Princesses on Ice!

Pumpkin Patch : )

Sunday October 16, 2011

Vermont!!

There is no place like Vermont (except possibly my hometown :)  Gabe and I had the best 4 days away and we felt as though we "ate" our way through Burlington.  It was so fun and quiet!  On the 3rd day, I looked at him and said "I love you and all, but I miss the chaos of kids and dogs!"  He agreed.  Life would be pretty uneventful for us without them.  I reflected on the fact that we only spent 6 months as a married couple before Maddie came along.  So, we don't really know marriage without kids.  I'm sure when they're grown and gone, we'll have plenty of time for just the two of us :)

Happy 5th Birthday Maddie!

Dear Madeline,
  Today is your fifth birthday and I'm completely blown away.  The time has seriously flown by and if I think about it too long, I will cry.  Now that you are 5, I want to tell you some things about yourself so that you can know who you were today. 
  You LOVE anything to do with Strawberry Shortcake.  You have amazing manners for your age.  You work very hard to be kind to others and sometimes the sweetness you show to Grace brings me to tears.  You feel all feelings very strongly, which makes me think you are passionate.  You crack me up when you belly laugh after using "potty" words at inappropriate times.  You are terrific at Tae Kwon Do and just received your black stripe belt last week.  Most of all, you are an amazing little person with a beautiful heart for God.  You often sing songs that you've made up.  They almost always have to do with Jesus.  They are beautiful.  Your whole life I've said to you, "Maddie, you are beautiful on the inside as well as on the outside."  I never really knew if you were listening.  But, a couple of days ago at bedtime while I was sitting beside your bed, you looked at me deep with your eyes that are a perfect reflection of mine.  You said to me, "Mommy, you are beautiful on the inside and on the outside.  And, I love you."  I will never forget that.

 I love you.
Love, Mommy

Maddie's 5th Birthday Party

I'm pretty sure the pictures speak for themselves, but, basically, we had a BLAST!!!

*You can see all 106 pictures here :)

BookShelves

  I've been looking at my bookshelves a lot lately.  I found some things recently that had still not been unpacked and they fit right in.  It occurred to me just how much you can tell about someone (me, specifically) from looking at their shelves.  The very first things I noticed were how much I love color as well as pictures.  Color seems necessary.  It also feels brave.  There is sage green, fluorescent orange as well as sparkly red being represented.  Pictures are on another level.  I fell in love with taking pictures at a young age.  I'm not necessarily good at it, but I LOVE to capture moments.  My memory isn't always so great (mommy-brain) and so pictures really help me remember what I've been doing :) 
  The funny thing about my pictures on these particular shelves is that they are almost all part of my life's journey.  The majority of them, are of me and my family.  All of my parents are represented (although I wish the pic's of them were a little more current), my sisters make numerous appearances, Gabe & I are there (pre-kids) and, of course, the Girls.  As I look at the photos of times past, I'm reminded how much I love all of them and how much I know they love me.  Since I believe that one's bookshelves say a lot about a person, it's only fair for me to interpret my own, and I think mine say "Wow!  She is blessed."

It is definitely Fall! :)

10-6-11   5:16pm

                                                      

Georgia

September 2011

So, our family went on a trip to Georgia about a week ago. We headed down south for a dog show; more specifically The National Portuguese Water Dog Specialty. There were a lot of things about Georgia that I did not enjoy, however, I want to focus on the positive :) The following album of pictures (there were too many to narrow down) showcases the fun times we had! Gabe did a great job of showing dogs for confirmation, Sandy did an awesome job of competing with both Lois and Zora in obedience, and the girls and I did a terrific job of hanging out ;-)

When Dog Shows were not happening, we did have some down time. We took the girls to the butterfly exhibit that was on the premises of the resort we stayed in. That was fun and if you look at the pictures, you can see when one of the butterflies landed on Grace and she didn't even know! We also took a day trip to Atlanta and played at the Children's Museum. It was a blast and Gabe and I even got in on the fun ;)

This week has been busy with preparations for Maddie's 5th birthday (which is fast approaching!) The girls and I have also been cooking and baking a ton. I love the Fall just for the simple reason that it's a season that seems to be all about food. It is cold and raining here (finally!!!) and so tonight's dinner will be Butternut Squash Soup with crusty warm bread and roasted fall vegetables. Happy Weekend!

1st Day of School !!!

Party!

We celebrated Grace's 3rd birthday today at Chuck E. Cheese's and fun was had by all! Our clan was so exhausted from all the partying, we headed home and took a family style snooze :)
Video's can be found by clicking here.

Birthday Girl

Dear Gracie,
Happy 3rd Birthday baby girl! I love you so much and so deeply that it's hard to find words. You are such a light in our lives. Your sense of humor is amazing for your age and your little laugh is infectious.
In one hour from now, three years ago, you were born. I was so happy to meet you. All I ever wanted for Maddie was a sister and you were it. After you were born, you cried for literally an hour straight! I was exhausted and thought it was a sign that you would be a tough baby. But, I was wrong. You were an easy, easy baby who really loved to sleep :)
I just want you to know how very important you are to me. I love you so unconditionally. You are indeed a gift and a blessing. I can't wait to see what this year has in store for you :)

Love always,
Mommy

Summertime Girls :)

August 31, 2011

California!!

We have lived in our new home since May but due to my surgery, recovery, vacation and general busyness, I haven't been able to do a video-tour of it until now. We are loving living here and I know that I feel grateful every day that this is where I get to live! Enjoy! (**Sorry it's so shaky! I'm not a professional ;)

Our New Home from Sarah Mejias on Vimeo.

MarkerGate 2011

We went to a crab feast the other night in Maryland at my dear friend, Rosana's, home. It was spectacular! We picked Maryland Blue Crab to our hearts content. While the adults were busy with messy fingers, caked in Old Bay seasoning, the children were...umm...playing. Or so we thought. Us, adults were having a blast listening to music, eating and most of all laughing. We should have wondered at the quiet coming from the playroom; after all there were 6 kids.

One by one they started to appear and each looked a little more marked than the one before. Suddenly Grace appeared and this picture is exactly as she looked. She had drawn all over her face, feet and arms (sticking almost entirely to the right side of her body). She looked a little lost and the only thing I could do was...laugh, and laugh, and laugh. She has never done this before and it was so funny to me. Other parents were, shall we say, upset with their kids; for a minute I thought mine and Gabe's reaction was wrong. But, I thought about the fact that I really like those moments when "kids will be kids" and to me, that's all I really want them to be. :-)

There have been times lately where it seems the summer is dragging on. Maybe it's because of the terrible heat or because preschool is on vacation. Either way, some days have felt extremely long. Which, I'll admit, has caused some anxiety on my part. I find myself with racing thoughts, "What will we do today?, How can I keep them busy so they don't fight?, Where can I take them that is inexpensive?, How can I enjoy the summer a little myself?, What will I do with them for the next 12 hours?!?"

Then, a thought hit me. It was something I've heard from my mother many times before: "A little boredom is good for kids." It seems so radical in today's world! The idea that I don't have to be their constant source of entertainment!? That I can pick up my own book and enjoy it while they find something to do that doesn't require me driving them anywhere! That if I allow them some boredom they will actually find a way to have fun; maybe even tap into their imaginations. That if I turn the TV off, they will survive!

It all seems so retro and because of that, I'm in. The old way of doing things sometimes is best. The time before IPads, DVR's and Leapster Explorers. I want to taste that bit of nostalgia for myself. I want to see the girls come up with skits and dance routines to perform for Gabe and I (just like Lizzy and me :). I want them to scribble on paper and call it their "journal" because that's what they saw me doing this morning. I want them to find fun in the ordinary. I want them to get lost in a book!!!

So, the other day while I was having these thoughts, my sister posted something on her website that is exactly what I was thinking but didn't have the words for. While my sister didn't write it, she is an amazing journalist, writer, sister and you can find her here.
I want to say for the record that neither Maddie nor Gracie have said they want to be a writer, (this week Mad's wants to be a Firefighter and Grace wants to be a frog) but I found the suggestions in the following piece applicable to all parents; of girls in particular! ;)




Written by M. Molly Backes

What should you do to help your child pursue her dreams of becoming a writer?

First of all, let her be bored. Let her have long afternoons with absolutely nothing to do. Limit her TV-watching time and her internet-playing time and take away her cell phone. Give her a whole summer of lazy mornings and dreamy afternoons. Make sure she has a library card and a comfy corner where she can curl up with a book. Give her a notebook and five bucks so she can pick out a great pen. Insist she spend time with the family. It’s even better if this time is spent in another state, a cabin in the woods, a cottage on the lake, far from her friends and people her own age. Give her some tedious chores to do. Make her mow the lawn, do the dishes by hand, paint the garage. Make her go on long walks with you and tell her you just want to listen to the sounds of the neighborhood.

Let her be lonely. Let her believe that no one in the world truly understands her. Give her the freedom to fall in love with the wrong person, to lose her heart, to have it smashed and abused and broken. Occasionally be too busy to listen, be distracted by other things, have your nose in a great book, be gone with your own friends.

Let her have secrets. Let her have her own folder on the family computer. Avoid the temptation to read through her notebooks. Writing should be her safe haven, her place to experiment, her place to work through her confusion and feelings and thoughts. If she does share her writing with you, be supportive of her hard work and the journey she’s on. Ask her questions about her craft and her process. Ask her what was hardest about this piece and what she’s most proud of. Don’t mention publication unless she mentions it first. Remember that writing itself is the reward.

Let her get a job. Let her work long hours for crappy pay with a mean employer and rude customers. If she wants to be a writer, she’ll have to be comfortable with hard work and low pay. Let her spend her own money on books and lattes – they’ll be even sweeter when she’s worked hard for them.

Let her fail. Let her write pages and pages of painful poetry and terrible prose. Let her write painfully bad fan fiction. Don’t freak out when she shows you stories about Bella Swan making out with Draco Malfoy. Never take her writing personally or assume it has anything to do with you, even if she only writes stories about dead mothers and orphans.

Let her go without writing if she wants to. Never nag her about writing, even if she’s cheerful when writing and completely unbearable when she’s not. Let her quit writing altogether if she wants to.

Let her make mistakes.

Let her stay after school to work on the newspaper, but only if she wants to. Let her publish embarrassingly personal stories in the school literary magazine. Let her spill the family’s secrets. Let her tell the truth, even if you’d rather not hear it.

Let her sit outside at night under the stars. Give her a flashlight to write by.

Let her find her own voice, even if she has to try on the voices of a hundred others first to do so. Let her find her own truth, even if she has to spin outrageous lies in search of it. Remember that her truth isn’t the same as anyone else’s truth, and that even if you were there with her when it happened, your memories of a moment will likely be vastly different from hers. Let her write thinly-veiled memoirs disguised as fiction. It’s okay if she massages past events to make a better story, or leaves entire years of her life on the cutting room floor. It’s okay if she writes about characters who have nothing to do with her life, her experience, or her world. That’s what fiction is.

Let her write poetry on her jeans and her shoes and her backpack, even if you just bought them brand new.

Keep her safe but not too safe, comfortable but not too comfortable, happy but not too happy.

Above all else, love and support her. Love her and believe in her. Love her, and let her go. In the end, your love is all that matters, and it will be enough. The rest will come from her.

Recent Pictures I LOVE

Pizza Night!