Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Sunday, December 23, 2007
What a Difference a Year Makes
It is amazing when I look back at where we were this time last year and compare it to where we are now. I know it's trite to bring this stuff up at THIS time of the year, but there's a reason why so many people do it now! And so up on the band wagon I hop...
Last year, our area had a record year for rainfall--not record-breaking, but still, a lot of rain. Lake Norman was up higher than I'd ever seen it . This year, we are almost breaking records for the dryest year on record. Lake Norman is over 10 feet below it's typical level. There are islands of dirt cropping up all over the lake, making it generally unsafe for boating.
Last year we were just starting to figure out our way around town. We hadn't really developed any favorites as far as restaurants, shopping areas, coffee spots, or grocery stores were concerned. This year, our family favorite restaurant is Brooklyn Boys (with Davinos a close second), our favorite Chinese place is the Golden Wok (yum!), the best Mexican can be found at Sauza's (with El Cerro Reyes a VERY close second), I prefer shopping at Birkdale Village, the best coffee can be found at The Human Bean--you've got to love the name, AND you get a yummy chocolate covered espresso bean with each cup! And I almost always do my grocery shopping at Lowes Foods--unless I have enough green points saved up and then I let them do my shopping for me with Lowes Foods To Go! Love that.
Last year we knew a couple of families in the area, but hadn't really made any real friends. This year we are blessed with three families who we are honored and privileged to call "friend." They have become a source of fun and amusement, and more importantly support as we've grown closer over this past year. And we are continuing to meet more people as our sphere increases--folks from Peninsula Baptist from basketball and baseball, the families of children in our classes at school, people I work out with at the Y... I don't feel so lonely anymore.
Last year I was feeling big and frumpy and didn't fit into my clothes. So I bought new clothes in a larger size. And then they started getting tight too. This September I started going to the YMCA 3 - 4 days a week and now my old clothes don't fit anymore! I've come down nearly 3 sizes, and counting... Oh, and I feel fabulous--my heart beats MUCH slower when I'm resting, and it takes it a lot longer to reach 80-85%.
There have been tons of other changes over the past year--Ryan's confidence, Olivia's communications skills, Katelyn's independence, oh, wait, she's always been independent! So how about Katelyn's obedience, yes, that is improving. Kevin's office location (to the attic), new teachers, trying new foods (my kids will eat broccoli now, as long as it's raw with dip), Ryan's reading ability (he's testing at the 5th grade level!), Olivia's patience at putting together puzzles, Katelyn's interest in writing and drawing neatly. Oh, the list could go on.
But the real reason I was doing this post was the change in decorating a gingerbread house! Last year, there was arguing. Ryan lost interest after about 15 minutes. Katelyn just squished candy (that she'd licked) wherever she could. Olivia enjoyed the process (this has not changed). Mom and I ended up doing most of the decorating once the kids lost interest.
This year Ryan did the front:
Katelyn did one side wall (notice her careful patterning of green/orange and purple/orange around the windows) and worked on the roof on her side with Ryan's help:
Olivia did the other side wall (notice her consistant use of mini gumdrops to do the outlines, and her red/green pattern on the roof) and also did most of the roof on her side with some help from Ryan:
And all three of them worked on parts of the back wall:
All I did was the icing, and other than the icing at the seams of the pieces, the kids told me how they wanted the icing to be applied to their respective sides. I was thoroughly impressed!
Last year, our area had a record year for rainfall--not record-breaking, but still, a lot of rain. Lake Norman was up higher than I'd ever seen it . This year, we are almost breaking records for the dryest year on record. Lake Norman is over 10 feet below it's typical level. There are islands of dirt cropping up all over the lake, making it generally unsafe for boating.
Last year we were just starting to figure out our way around town. We hadn't really developed any favorites as far as restaurants, shopping areas, coffee spots, or grocery stores were concerned. This year, our family favorite restaurant is Brooklyn Boys (with Davinos a close second), our favorite Chinese place is the Golden Wok (yum!), the best Mexican can be found at Sauza's (with El Cerro Reyes a VERY close second), I prefer shopping at Birkdale Village, the best coffee can be found at The Human Bean--you've got to love the name, AND you get a yummy chocolate covered espresso bean with each cup! And I almost always do my grocery shopping at Lowes Foods--unless I have enough green points saved up and then I let them do my shopping for me with Lowes Foods To Go! Love that.
Last year we knew a couple of families in the area, but hadn't really made any real friends. This year we are blessed with three families who we are honored and privileged to call "friend." They have become a source of fun and amusement, and more importantly support as we've grown closer over this past year. And we are continuing to meet more people as our sphere increases--folks from Peninsula Baptist from basketball and baseball, the families of children in our classes at school, people I work out with at the Y... I don't feel so lonely anymore.
Last year I was feeling big and frumpy and didn't fit into my clothes. So I bought new clothes in a larger size. And then they started getting tight too. This September I started going to the YMCA 3 - 4 days a week and now my old clothes don't fit anymore! I've come down nearly 3 sizes, and counting... Oh, and I feel fabulous--my heart beats MUCH slower when I'm resting, and it takes it a lot longer to reach 80-85%.
There have been tons of other changes over the past year--Ryan's confidence, Olivia's communications skills, Katelyn's independence, oh, wait, she's always been independent! So how about Katelyn's obedience, yes, that is improving. Kevin's office location (to the attic), new teachers, trying new foods (my kids will eat broccoli now, as long as it's raw with dip), Ryan's reading ability (he's testing at the 5th grade level!), Olivia's patience at putting together puzzles, Katelyn's interest in writing and drawing neatly. Oh, the list could go on.
But the real reason I was doing this post was the change in decorating a gingerbread house! Last year, there was arguing. Ryan lost interest after about 15 minutes. Katelyn just squished candy (that she'd licked) wherever she could. Olivia enjoyed the process (this has not changed). Mom and I ended up doing most of the decorating once the kids lost interest.
This year Ryan did the front:
Katelyn did one side wall (notice her careful patterning of green/orange and purple/orange around the windows) and worked on the roof on her side with Ryan's help:
Olivia did the other side wall (notice her consistant use of mini gumdrops to do the outlines, and her red/green pattern on the roof) and also did most of the roof on her side with some help from Ryan:
And all three of them worked on parts of the back wall:
All I did was the icing, and other than the icing at the seams of the pieces, the kids told me how they wanted the icing to be applied to their respective sides. I was thoroughly impressed!
Monday, December 10, 2007
Who Knew?
So decorating the Christmas tree has been an evolving process for us the past 9 years. Before we had kids, we'd get a tree, set it up, and I would unwrap each ornament, thinking about the memories it held and would place it on the tree. Sure, we had to be a little careful about putting breakable ornaments down low because of the kitties, and also had to be sure that ornaments were attached securely (again, the cats).
Things didn't change much for Ryan's first Christmas--he was only a few weeks old, so did not pose a threat. But then the next year we had to be more careful than before. Now it wasn't just a matter of breakability, we also had to be concerned about choking hazards. So only soft, stuffed ornaments went down low. Basically more of the same the next year (2001), but we were a bit less cautious. He understood not to take ornaments off the tree, and really didn't put tons of stuff in his mouth.
By 2002 we had pretty much come back to the same type of decorating as when we were just being kitty-cautious. Although, by 2002 Ryan wanted to help put the ornaments on the tree, so that was a bit of a change. He would generally put any ornament we gave him on one of 3 or 4 branches, so there was a lot of "clumping." Fortunately for this aesthetically-minded Type-A mommy, he didn't ever notice that the ornaments got spaced out a bit more after he went to bed that first night, and he never moved them around later.
But then in 2003, we took a giant step backward with two 8-month olds in the house. For most of that year we resorted to using a gate to surround the tree because even though we kept the un-safe ornaments low, and the more special ones up high, it just wasn't possible to keep our eyes on the girls ALL the time. And Katy was starting to pull up. I had all kinds of visions of the tree being pulled over...
In 2004 we weren't worried much by the pulling over of the tree, just the breakability and choking hazard issues--especially since Katy tended to put EVERYTHING in her mouth... Oh, and since Ryan was becoming quite the little ornament hanger, the girls wanted to get in on the fun about a year sooner than he had shown any interest. So then there was some fighting over who got to put an ornament on the tree. And some more fighting when my Type-A son would try to get the girls to spread the ornaments out, and not clump them all on one branch. I finally convinced him that it didn't matter where they put it at first, that he could help spread them out later (he'd come a long way in 2 short years!)
By 2005 we just worried about breakability and clumping. Oh, and the arguing over who got to put an ornament on...
Last year, we put ornaments wherever we wanted on the tree. Breakability was only a concern in who got to put an ornament on the tree. But the girls were no longer a threat for taking ornaments down once they were up, and Oreo had long ago lost any interest in playing with ornaments on the tree. As long as there was a soft skirt under the tree for him to doze on, he was a happy camper for the entire holiday season.
This year the decorating went very smoothly. The kids did a great job of getting in line and taking turns hanging ornaments. Ryan was terrific at de-clumping Olivia's clusters. And I actually had the chance to start telling the stories behind the ornaments--the ones from my first few Christmases, why we had bought certain family ornaments, where ornaments had come from, which ornaments belonged to each of the kids and who had gifted them, etc. After about 25 ornaments, each with a unique story, Ryan looked at our huge box of decorations and said:
"You mean that EVERY one of these ornaments has a story?"
"Yes, Ryan, every single one" was my reply.
And for the first time ever, I actually got to tell those stories. I can't wait until the year when they'll be able to re-tell those stories to me...
Things didn't change much for Ryan's first Christmas--he was only a few weeks old, so did not pose a threat. But then the next year we had to be more careful than before. Now it wasn't just a matter of breakability, we also had to be concerned about choking hazards. So only soft, stuffed ornaments went down low. Basically more of the same the next year (2001), but we were a bit less cautious. He understood not to take ornaments off the tree, and really didn't put tons of stuff in his mouth.
By 2002 we had pretty much come back to the same type of decorating as when we were just being kitty-cautious. Although, by 2002 Ryan wanted to help put the ornaments on the tree, so that was a bit of a change. He would generally put any ornament we gave him on one of 3 or 4 branches, so there was a lot of "clumping." Fortunately for this aesthetically-minded Type-A mommy, he didn't ever notice that the ornaments got spaced out a bit more after he went to bed that first night, and he never moved them around later.
But then in 2003, we took a giant step backward with two 8-month olds in the house. For most of that year we resorted to using a gate to surround the tree because even though we kept the un-safe ornaments low, and the more special ones up high, it just wasn't possible to keep our eyes on the girls ALL the time. And Katy was starting to pull up. I had all kinds of visions of the tree being pulled over...
In 2004 we weren't worried much by the pulling over of the tree, just the breakability and choking hazard issues--especially since Katy tended to put EVERYTHING in her mouth... Oh, and since Ryan was becoming quite the little ornament hanger, the girls wanted to get in on the fun about a year sooner than he had shown any interest. So then there was some fighting over who got to put an ornament on the tree. And some more fighting when my Type-A son would try to get the girls to spread the ornaments out, and not clump them all on one branch. I finally convinced him that it didn't matter where they put it at first, that he could help spread them out later (he'd come a long way in 2 short years!)
By 2005 we just worried about breakability and clumping. Oh, and the arguing over who got to put an ornament on...
Last year, we put ornaments wherever we wanted on the tree. Breakability was only a concern in who got to put an ornament on the tree. But the girls were no longer a threat for taking ornaments down once they were up, and Oreo had long ago lost any interest in playing with ornaments on the tree. As long as there was a soft skirt under the tree for him to doze on, he was a happy camper for the entire holiday season.
This year the decorating went very smoothly. The kids did a great job of getting in line and taking turns hanging ornaments. Ryan was terrific at de-clumping Olivia's clusters. And I actually had the chance to start telling the stories behind the ornaments--the ones from my first few Christmases, why we had bought certain family ornaments, where ornaments had come from, which ornaments belonged to each of the kids and who had gifted them, etc. After about 25 ornaments, each with a unique story, Ryan looked at our huge box of decorations and said:
"You mean that EVERY one of these ornaments has a story?"
"Yes, Ryan, every single one" was my reply.
And for the first time ever, I actually got to tell those stories. I can't wait until the year when they'll be able to re-tell those stories to me...
Saturday, November 24, 2007
A Diverse Thanksgiving
This year we were Thanksgiving 'orphans' again. We knew that we would not be traveling because of Ryan's tonsilectomy, so at least we were prepared to be staying home. As it turned out, there were three other families in our neighborhood who were also going to be orphaned this year for various reasons (new baby, recent family reunions, travel at Christmas, etc.), so we decided to celebrate turkey day together. We all have different family backgrounds and traditions, so we each decided that we would bring several of our favorite traditional foods to the table.
It turned out to be quite a feast! The Shraga family always gets a fresh turkey which is prepared in a brine soak and then cooked with an apple brandy glaze. Wow. It was delicious! The Shragas also typically have asparagus with a parmesan breadcrumb topping that was also quite tasty and homemade cranberry sauce (I'll never eat canned again!). The Sedgleys brought their family's broccoli & rice casserole and bacon wrapped scallops--both delicious! The Kennedys always have a sausage stuffing, but it is not the kind of sausage stuffing I grew up with--it is made with sweet Italian sausage, golden raisins, apples and bread, and it was a taste sensation that was incredible. I brought our family's traditional cranberry apple bake and sweet potato casserole. It was quite a feast, to say the least.
For dessert we had pumpkin cheesecake, mile-high apple pie with crumb topping, homemade fudge, and bourbon chocolate pecan pie. And the kids had turkey cupcakes.
We had 11 children eating grown-up food (plus 2 more that were too young to partake), so Barbara set up a kid's table in the kitchen complete with brown paper covering the top as a tablecloth and crayons to decorate the paper. The kids loved that part. And the 9 adults ate together in the dining room on real china. We all took a moment to go around the tables and say what we were thankful for over the past year. And this was the very first Thanksgiving ever celebrated by one of the adults, Alma, who is the Kennedy family's au pair from Panama. She really seemed to enjoy the experience.
So, the food was wonderful. The company was enjoyable. The atmosphere was spot on. And yet, there was still something missing.... our extended family. It's just not the same without YOU! We're looking forward to seeing everyone in December!
It turned out to be quite a feast! The Shraga family always gets a fresh turkey which is prepared in a brine soak and then cooked with an apple brandy glaze. Wow. It was delicious! The Shragas also typically have asparagus with a parmesan breadcrumb topping that was also quite tasty and homemade cranberry sauce (I'll never eat canned again!). The Sedgleys brought their family's broccoli & rice casserole and bacon wrapped scallops--both delicious! The Kennedys always have a sausage stuffing, but it is not the kind of sausage stuffing I grew up with--it is made with sweet Italian sausage, golden raisins, apples and bread, and it was a taste sensation that was incredible. I brought our family's traditional cranberry apple bake and sweet potato casserole. It was quite a feast, to say the least.
For dessert we had pumpkin cheesecake, mile-high apple pie with crumb topping, homemade fudge, and bourbon chocolate pecan pie. And the kids had turkey cupcakes.
We had 11 children eating grown-up food (plus 2 more that were too young to partake), so Barbara set up a kid's table in the kitchen complete with brown paper covering the top as a tablecloth and crayons to decorate the paper. The kids loved that part. And the 9 adults ate together in the dining room on real china. We all took a moment to go around the tables and say what we were thankful for over the past year. And this was the very first Thanksgiving ever celebrated by one of the adults, Alma, who is the Kennedy family's au pair from Panama. She really seemed to enjoy the experience.
So, the food was wonderful. The company was enjoyable. The atmosphere was spot on. And yet, there was still something missing.... our extended family. It's just not the same without YOU! We're looking forward to seeing everyone in December!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Happy Halloween!
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know it's been a while. So here's some cute kid pics. When Kevin saw Katy and Livvy with the make-up on, he realized just how much trouble he was going to be in for in about 10 years...
Thursday, July 26, 2007
I'm finished the Deathly Hallows...
Actually I was up until midnight Monday finishing it. I had reached a point in the book around 10 p.m. and knew I just wasn't going to be able to put it down until I found out how it all turned out... There was one point where I got major chills and all the hairs on my arms actually stood up!
I can't believe that there won't be anymore HP books. Sigh. I won't post any details for those who may still be reading, but I will say that it was a great book. Quite the roller coaster ride. And I liked that JKR answered most of the major questions that had been lingering from previous books, although not always in the way I had hoped...
So, if you're back in the world of Muggles and want to discuss, call me!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
The Past Weeks in Pictures
Cousins (Olivia, Riley and Katelyn, all 4 years old)
Cousin Devin (7)
Three Silly Heads on their way to Fort Delaware
Not necessarily what you want to see posted outside of an inn... (fortunately they were just talking about their restaurant)!
Ryan checks out the big cannons at Fort Delaware
Ryan taking the test to be recruited to the Union Army at Fort Delaware
Katy sharing her snack with Ally at the pool
Norah, Katy, Mia, Olivia and Carly waiting for the fireworks
Watching the fireworks
Liam and Ryan acting(!) like noisy boys at the fireworks
Beach Bound
Life's a Beach
Ice Cream on the deck at the beach...can life get much better?
Christmas photos?
No Beach Bums Here!
Olivia (4), Ryan (7), Samantha (7), Cameron (5), Katelyn(4)
Beach Babes
Muscle Beach (?)
Lovin' the Beach
Katy looking for a wave with her new boogie board
Livvy rides her wave
Surfer Dude
Can
You
Say
Private
Beach?!?!?
Beach Ball
Sitting pretty
Coquinas (live baby clams-kids LOVED digging them up!)
Putt Putt Anyone?
Tuckered Out
The BEST Sand Castle Ever. Period.
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