Brother to brother

The other night, Thomas and John Paul were finishing up their baths (much needed after the muddy, muddy day on the farm and some little kid messes).  I was in the kitchen cleaning up dinner and was listening to them talk in the bathroom.

Most of it was Thomas, with John Paul responding a little.

It was one of those moments that I immediately wrote down because I never wanted to forget it.  I love having boys together, so close in age.

Thomas: "Did you know that you will need to work hard in preschool and pre-k? You will need to focus on getting green and blue stickers because red and yellow are not ok. You might have a sticker chart and get prizes!  You will have a new teacher and you can ask them their name and they will tell you.  And they will be happy to see you and be nice to you at school.  And you can tell me about it at the end of the day.  THEY WILL HAVE PUZZLES!"

John Paul: "WOW! I DID NOT KNOW THAT, THOMAS! I LOVE PUZZLES!!"

Thomas: "You will have your own cubby and it will have your plant and it will be yours and you will love it.  You will make friends.  Don't worry about that.  I was afraid when I started because I didn't know my new friends but now I know them and they are my bestest friends in the world besides you and Alexander. And you will make new friends too.  You don't have to be scared.  I will protect you."

An oldie but a goodie... December Daily 2011

In November, I reminded myself just how much I love seeing how much the boys have grown...in something tangible, not on Facebook or online...so I committed to doing the December Daily for our second December together.  As last year's December was a bit more "exciting" than anticipated with Alexander's early arrival...I was excited to refocus and spend a few minutes each day documenting what is happening.

My last full December Daily was in 2010...when we had just one Wee Ski (here are a bunch of pages from it).  I looked at my 2011 files on my hard drive, and realized that I had about 10 pages to finish...and I decided to do just that.  I took my first "free" evening in weeks (since my time at my computer has been nonstop editing and designing for Finian Road)...and made this just for me.

I sent it to Shutterfly, and last night the familiar orange box showed up on my doorstep.

AND I LOVE IT.

They offer lay-flat pages and I upgraded again to the padded cover, and the boys were thrilled to go through things, page by page.  They were pretty confused by how it was John Paul as the baby and not Alexander...so maybe by 2015, I will have last year's done too.  :)  I had read the quote "perfection is the enemy of completion"...and it couldn't be more true than here.  I chose to not worry about missing a day or detail. I just wanted to have it in hand.  I AM SO GLAD I DID. 

This should be a link to the full album. 

It's now a little "blast from the past"!  :)

Quick Takes: The First Day of November Edition

Seven snippets of life right now.

1. Thomas went indoor skydiving.
   His buddy Mic turned four, and so Mic, Thomas, Zac and Alicen headed north to iFly at Southcenter.   I was flying home from Atlanta at the time...so I LOVE LOVE LOVED touching down and opening this video that Amy shot for us.  He loved being Peter Pan and did even better the second time. 
2. I think fall will always be intense.
   Even with a relative few travel dates for me (just Anchorage and Atlanta this fall), the entire season flew by.  Thrilled to have nearly a dozen major design projects all finished up and sent to the printer, and working like mad to get my latest shoots out before a full day of mini sessions tomorrow.  Things are crazy until Thanksgiving, and then the day after Thanksgiving, our tree farm opens for business through Christmas.  I LOVE IT.
3. I've lost ten pounds in the last two weeks.
   Apparently, there is something to the "eat less, move more" theory.  Who knew?  What also helped?  Jonathan bought me new boxing gloves for our gym in the mancave.  Autumn came over and we had an incredible hour with the speedbag and punching bags...and even headed out into the night for a starlight walk (which you need a lantern for on the farm).   It's helped balance out the crazy office hours I have right now (yesterday, they were 3:15 - 9:30 am and then switching gears to 'mommy mode').
4. Love fall cooking.
   We've had lots of soups (chicken & rice or turkey & rice are my faves right now), fresh italian baguettes, and I made an awesome turkey, swiss and apple panini. 
5. Love my Silhouette cutter.
   Working on wooden projects for the tree farm, awesome vinyl lettering for cars, made sweet mustaches for The Mauss Group's hilarious Christmas shoot for Dad's last official ML Christmas card before retirement, a sweet skull & crossbones eye patch for the Wee Ski 1.0's pirate costume, and cool custom pumpkins for the farm and Relay.  This thing is ridiculously addictive.
6. Clutter.
   The bane of my existence.  Working on getting rid of things and touching things only once.  So incredibly tough. 
7. Alexander hit 17 pounds!
   An awesome milestone.  Yesterday, he ate two eggs, a banana, and half cup of cheerios for breakfast.  He's got cheeks and giggles and babbles and LOVES his older brothers.  I will upload some photos soon.  He is ridiculously awesome.

I'm a Pre-K-er!

We welcomed with open arms the first day of Pre-K. A return to routines, getting up early, and schedules from the crazy laid-back theme of summer.  But the beautiful summer weather changed the first day of school, and this is what we started with:

Ridiculous amounts of pouring rain.  So we held off for a bit for this "school picture". 

Thomas is so proud to be in Pre-Kindergarten.  There's a lot of structure this year, lots of new friends, and two fantastic teachers whom he adores (Mrs. Lembke and Miss Meghann). 

And this is the classic image of his face right now:

And his first day "record" of the important things right now:

Quick Takes: The Quiet Saturday Edition

Seven snippets of life right now.  Seems like my blog posts of late resemble the length of time of the Wee Skis' attention spans.  :)

• John Paul is becoming a crazy hoarder.  He can now find anything on top of the fridge and no shelf is too high to discover treats.  He has been banned from eating from the big containers because I find the insides EVERYWHERE.  I couldn't help but take this photo of the visual evidence that he broke this rule...he was sound asleep with his hand right inside the container of white cheddar baked cheetos.  And he is still in the 40th percentile...seems like keeping up with Thomas keeps him little!
• The Art of Saying No.  This was an excellent and timely read for me.
• A beautiful story about a priest who died from cancer, just two days after ordination.
• Our local school is on the cutting-edge of technology with an app (the first of its kind in the nation) that can lockdown the school within seconds.  Seriously love the forward thinking of our school district!  From the Olympian
• It's Christmas in August.  I have been crazy busy with the Sprouffske Trees farm marketing as we gear up for the fall and Christmas season.  We launched our first formal wholesale sales campaign, and are gearing up for increasing our nonprofit sales.  And while feeding the Wee Ski 3.0, I began our Pinterest boards for the farm.  You should follow them for great Christmas ideas!!
• We are all looking forward to school starting.  Thomas will be going five days a week, three and a half hours a day.  John Paul is starting a tumbling class, and Alexander is working on keeping up.  :)  I'm looking forward to the return of routines and schedules and cooler days.  
• The last one is this photo.  I just love it.  This was the conversation just before it:
  Thomas: I am going to sleep on the floor tonight.
  Me: Are you sure? It's not as comfy as your top bunk.
  Thomas: John Paul was scared last night. I think the kids want me to "ratect" (protect) them. I'll just sleep in the middle of them. Pope Francis will watch out for monsters for us.
  
  I just love how he calls his brothers "the kids".

Sweet little baby Alexander

Dear Alexander,

Over the past two days, you have skyrocketed to the place of favorite Wee Ski, in a world where no such title had existed before.

You weren't the Wee Ski that hid my car keys in a tub of toys and tucked it away on a shelf and caused Mommy to tear apart the house for two and a half hours.

You weren't the Wee Ski who drank the only remaining Diet Coke in the house when the aforementioned car keys were missing.

You weren't the Wee Ski who clogged the toilet and caused it to overflow while yelling "WOW! WOW! WOW!" the whole time.

You weren't the Wee Ski who took off his diaper and put it in the garbage to be "helpful", only for Mommy to realize it 20 minutes later by following a trail of "breadcrumbs" around the house.  You were really lucky you weren't that particular Wee Ski.  Really lucky.

You weren't the Wee Ski who dug out Mommy's lavender plants (again).

You are the Wee Ski who only wanted to cuddle today.

You are the Wee Ski who has started cooing with a hint of a giggle.

You are the Wee Ski who put up with your older brother smothering you with attention, playdoh puckies, and baby carrots. 

You are the Wee Ski who has finally started nursing on his own, nearly all the time.  Heavenly.

You are the Wee Ski who took good naps today and gave Mommy a rest from the older Wee Skis.

Sweet child, you are four months old now and the time is flying by.  You've meshed right into our family and we cannot imagine it without you.

We love you, Alexander Xavier, more than you can possibly imagine.

Just please don't ever take off a heavy, dark diaper on your own. 

A few images of life right now.

I'm sorry that blogging has been a little light! :)

It's not been for lack of activity, that's for sure.  We've had a busy three months since Alexander was born.  I'm winding down maternity leave from Finian Road and finally finding a bit of time to go through photos of OUR family...instead of everyone else's...and I love it. 

Wanted to share some of my favorite of the boys over the past month or so.
All three boys together:


I love how John Paul always "talks" with his hands.


Jonathan and Alexander.


A major milestone for my 5 pound, 13 ounce newborn: this photo was of the day he hit 10 pounds!!  (February 7th)


John Paul on a hike on the farm.  We've been blessed with a relatively mild winter (good thing we have Zeus the Generator -- of COURSE Murphy's Law says that we'll have a mild winter after we finally got the monster generator hard wired into the house!).  The boys have LOVED going on hikes. I have loved hikes more when it hasn't been raining and we aren't trudging through mud.  So much more fun to run through the grass instead.

Doesn't John Paul look old here?


This is when Thomas is just being calm, relaxed Thomas.  A rare moment, indeed.  And no photoshopping on his eyes -- they are simply that clear blue. 


In getting ready for the Blarney Blast, we did welcome placecards at each of the 200 seats.  I was on the eternal hunt for a leprechaun costume...and we couldn't find one in toddler size.  So I hunted for pieces -- found the hat and mustaches at Old Navy (mustaches lasted all of 30 seconds), the bow ties and suspenders at Claire's, and the green sweats from Gymboree.  The cute little leprechaun white shirt?  It's John Paul's -- 2T on my 4T boy.


These were the welcome cards.  I sliced just above and just below his fist, and slid a green and white lollipop in there.  It looks really cute when it's all done...and they were a hit!


On the election day of Pope Francis.  My sweet little innocent Wee Pope Alexander.  His brothers were axed from the photo when one Wee Pope strangled the other Wee Pope. 


Sheesh.


Grumpy Wee Pope.


After the Blarney Blast, the next morning when the boys woke up to find Grandma and Grandpa had stayed the night:


And my wee cow herder. 


The first day I let the boys go get the mail on their own.  You can imagine their incredible joy to not only get a package in the mailbox, but to find it filled with marshmallows.  They do love their "Auntie Uff Da"!!

One Little Word: Discipline

Much of this functioning with a newborn, toddler, and preschooler comes down to discipline.  For me, the key pieces of keeping life sane right now are these:

• Keep the main thing, the main thing.
  Do not get wrapped up in things that are not the primary focus of our lives right now.  Mounting laundry, shoes in the middle of the floor, and a clutter-free entrance to the house?  Not important.
• Accept that I cannot do it all.
  This is definitely harder in practice...especially when I am used to balancing a number of different projects at the same time.  Jonathan and I sat down for our annual "family year-ahead planning meeting", and went through all of our commitments.  We discussed each one, discussed the balance of time, energy, and joy we find in it...and made decisions about what was most important.  It wasn't easy, but it was necessary.  The key part of it?  Finding humility in that there are many people who can serve in the roles we are in...all but the ones of "mom" and "dad" or "husband" and "wife".  Those are the ones that only we can fill...and our decisions need to wrap around those. 
  
• Know that right now is a season.
  And it will pass.  There are sweet treasured moments in right now, along with the challenges.  It's often the treasured moments that make the challenges bearable and worth it.  A good lesson?  If you are attached to a breast pump while feeding your newborn, you might just have to accept that the toddler and preschooler are going to have a water war in the bathroom with the diaper sprayer, and there's nothing you can do to stop it.

You may know that the day that Alexander was born, I developed a severe case of preeclampsia.  By the grace of God, I happened to have a doctor's appointment that day, where they caught the developing stages.  One week earlier, I had a full blood panel run and there was no impending sign of any problems.

The biggest challenge of the recovery from his birth?  The fact that preeclampsia has no cure and doesn't go away immediately following the birth.  It was the reason I stayed a week in the hospital.  It was a huge lesson in the fact that there are things in life that you cannot control, you can only control your reaction to them.  The nights were particularly difficult in that I am NOT a night owl and that's when my blood pressure tended to have the biggest swings.  I was so grateful to Fr. Raftis who would respond to late night emails and Fr. Wichert who gave both Alexander and me the anointing of the sick the night before he went into the NICU and my health got worse. 

With Alexander's challenges in the first few weeks:  time in the NICU, thrush from the antibiotics in the NICU, and catching his brothers' colds, I've been pumping and bottle-feeding him breastmilk for 6 weeks instead of nursing.  It's not been easy, but it's definitely been worth the time and effort. And we're slowly moving toward nursing instead of pumping, a little each day. 

I have made major progress in the things I can control following his birth -- lowering my stress level dramatically (see my key pieces of life above), making healthy, consistent choices in what we eat (no stress-induced fast food since December 3rd-- the only trip to McDonalds was at Thomas's request on his birthday), and working to lose the baby weight (and then some) -- down almost 40 pounds since his birth...without sacrificing the nutrition needed for breastfeeding and chasing the two older brothers.

Each day brings progress in the steps to be off blood pressure medication entirely...as well as finding our new normal in our family.  My amazing husband has been patient beyond all human expectations. 

What I have been finding is that it's the little steps every day that count right now.  Finding the discipline to rest when I'm exhausted, to plan ahead for traveling with three little ones (or even day trips with three little ones), to keeping up with what I can around the house, and most importantly, asking for help when I've needed it.  That last one, by far, has been the hardest for me...but the most impactful.  Last week, Sandy came down for four days to help with the boys...and it gave me the chance to put Alexander into my 4 day intensive Nursing Boot Camp, and rest.  The week before, one of the sweet moms of Thomas's preschool friends offered to take all three boys after a rough night dealing with clogged milk ducts, and it was just what I needed to find the solution to the duct problems.  Asking for help wasn't a sign of weakness, but one of finding strength.  That was a huge lesson for me.  I am so grateful to both of them for forcing me out of my comfort zone. 

So for the year, looking ahead, discipline will be key in continuing to heal from Alexander's birth.  To make the right decisions regarding my time, to serving those I love with joy, and to soak in every moment of these Wee Skis right where they are at.

This is my life right now.  And this is the opening page to our Project Life scrapbook this year.  Choosing to make one family album instead of stressing over three individual ones...and being able to track our growth week after week as the year goes on.  I am three weeks into this project, and it's given me a little creative downtime, peace, and the chance to relish in the incredible blessings that I've been given in my family.

I couldn't ask for anything more. 

37 Weeks.

• How Far Along:  37 weeks
• Size of baby:  Just over 6 pounds.
• What the Wee Ski 3.0 has right now:  Two crazy big brothers who are in love with him already.  This was at our doc appt yesterday...and they are smiling at my incredible doc, Dr. McMahon.  She has taught Thomas to play soccer in the office, how to cheer "YESSSSSSSSSSSSS!" and won him over when she said she would bring him something back from Cars Land at Disneyland.   John Paul adores her, well, because she's the one who first held him when she brought him into this world.   We heart her. 
• Total Weight Gain/Loss:  Gained 15 pounds.
• Maternity Clothes:  Addicted to the Liz Lange maternity/yoga pants from Target.  Pretty sure I've lived in them every single day for the last two weeks.  My feet have had some crazy swelling in the last week or so, and it's finally subsiding.  Which is awesome, since croc flip flops are not what one would call "crazy attractive" on a 9 month pregnant mama in the middle of the muddy northwest fall.
• Movement:  All the time. Especially when I first get up or lay down.
• Sleep:  HILARIOUS -- this quote is from my 40 weeks post w/John Paul.  It's still true now.  Over the weekend, the first weekend of tree season, I was asleep by 7 each night and it was HEAVEN.  On Sunday evening, I even woke up, thinking it had to be my 1 am waking...and it was only 9:17 pm.  It was the best bonus sleep I've had in a long while!
  
  "Mostly two hours at a time...so waking up every three hours to feed him outside the womb sounds like a DREAM COME TRUE.  Most mornings, I wake up anywhere from 2-4 am, and I'm up for the day.  So I crash around 7:30, just after the Wee Ski 1.0, and try to nap for at least an hour when he goes down in the afternoon."
  
• What I miss:  Nothing.This pregnancy has been an awesome combination of peace and calmness, even in the midst of a toddler and a preschooler and a very busy fall.  I'll be honest, I was incredibly tired last night, and I was not at my finest with my husband.  When I woke up this morning, I apologized and explained that I was pretty awful the night before and I was sorry.  His response?  "It really wasn't that bad, since it's hardly ever happened this pregnancy and it made me realize just how different this round is!"
• Cravings:  Quesadillas with sharp cheddar cheese and sour cream.  Egg nog.  Banana milkshakes.  But not all at the same time.
• Symptoms:  Giant hobbit feet.  Mastering the waddle of a full term pregnant mama.  Forgetting that I'm much rounder in front now and burn my belly on occasion when I am standing too close to the oven.
• Best moment this week:  There have been so many.  A great weekend on the farm with all the Skis.  Feeling very lucky to truly love my in-laws and look forward to tree season where we are all around each other nonstop.  A huge blessing when Dawn, her sister and her kids came out to the farm and were amazing helper elves with wreaths, the boys, lunch, life in general.  It gave me the chance to sit down so much more and take it easy.  Honestly -- you really do meet amazing, amazing people through Relay.  She is a huge blessing to me, our family and our team. 
• Second best moment this week:  When my mom came down today.  After I shot the preschoolers in Thomas's class for one of my last pre-baby shoots, I met Mom in Lacey and we swapped cars.  She took John Paul to the grocery store, picked up Thomas, and then wore them both out at Charlie's Safari.  When they came home, the boys went right down. While they were gone, I went through a dozen full boxes of boys' clothes, sorted their closets and dressers, put away five baskets of clothes in my room, prepped 3.0's dresser in our room, and started laying out clothes to vacuum seal for storage.  It would have taken me 2 days to do the same with the boys at home.  Such a big weight off my shoulders. 

New Routines

With the new school year, Jonathan and I spent some time talking about what we each needed to make the transition successful...especially since he takes Thomas to school two mornings a week, and I take him one morning...and I pick him up each day.  What did we need to make the mornings calm and not crazy?  How to handle the pickup time since it's normally right in the middle of John Paul's nap?

We ended up coming up with adjusted routines for both the night before and the morning of.  The big things the night before -- making lunches/snacks, laying out clothes, and taking a bath (all time killers in the morning).  The big things the morning of -- the boys getting up at 6:30 and immediately eating breakfast, Thomas's 'bathroom routine' of the potty & teeth brushing, and everyone making their beds.  Having things clearly laid out helped everyone know what was important and what was needed before either going to bed or leaving for preschool.

We did a dry run on Labor Day, to see where the problems might be.  Moving the wake up time to 6:30 ended up shifting John Paul's nap earlier (yea!) and by the time we hit Thursday, I just rolled him out of bed, slid him into the carseat, and he slept all the way to school to pick up Thomas. Both boys are slow breakfast eaters, so they had time to eat without rushing, and I did morning chores in the kitchen while they were eating. 

We ran a few days of the new routines, and after they seemed successful...I designed routine signs for the bathroom to keep everyone on track.  There are images for Thomas to look at, and of course, they coordinate with the bathroom.  :)  Because I am a design nerd like that. 

All in all, both the initial discussions between Jonathan and me, as well as the dry run, helped make sure that things ran smoothly...and that Thomas's first days of preschool were as drama-free as possible.  And THAT is always a good thing!

In the Skitchen: Pork Chops with a Marionberry Pan Sauce

 

The "other white meat", tasty delicious pork.  I love picking up a stash of pork chops at Costco, using some and freezing the rest in individual portions so they can be pulled easily from the freezer.

This is a quick and easy recipe to give you a "delicious pork chop dinner" as reviewed by three-year-old Thomas.  The chops are browned on the stove, finished off in the oven, and the browned bits are the base of a sweet sauce that reduces to complement the savory flavor of the spices on the pork.  Browning first and oven finishing keeps them moist without drying them out. 

I love pan sauces, they are so versatile.  With this recipe, feel free to substitute any jam you'd like -- we just had marionberry on hand.  Apricot, raspberry, peach...they would all be good.  For the liquid -- I used white wine, but you could substitute apple juice, orange juice, a sweet vinegar (apple cider, strawberry, etc) or a red wine. 

 

INGREDIENTS

• 4 pork chops -- these were 6-7 oz each, about 3/4" to 1" thick
• 1 1/2 tsp seasoning (you could use a combination of sage/thyme/salt/pepper -- I used salt-free Sunny Paris from Penzeys)
• 1 TB butter
• 1/4 cup marionberry jam
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 tsp butter

DIRECTIONS

• Combine the seasoning in a small bowl, and press into the pork chops on both sides. 
• Melt 1 TB butter over medium heat in a large skillet
• When the butter is melted and just starting to bubble, add the pork chops to the hot skillet to brown.
• DO NOT TOUCH THEM.  For five minutes.  Browning them means letting them sit and sizzle...don't stir, don't do anything.  
• After five minutes, flip them over and let them brown on the other side for another five minutes. Don't touch them again, even though you're going to want to poke them your spatula just so you feel useful.  RESIST THE URGE.
• In the meantime, preheat the oven to 375°.   Spray a baking pan with Pam.
• When the five minutes are through, move the chops to the pan and finish baking in the oven.  They should bake for 5-10 minutes or until the chops reach 170° when measured at the thickest part.  
• To make the sauce, pour the wine into the hot skillet.  It will steam as the alcohol begins to burn off.
• Add the marionberry jam and let the flavors meld together for a few minutes.  
• Add 1 tsp butter to the sauce as it reduces and stir to combine.  
• Pour the sauce over the pork chops when serving.    

These are great served with mashed potatoes, steamed or roasted broccoli, or asparagus.  And while our three-year-old loved the marionberry sauce, the one-year-old was happy with ketchup to dip.  :)

The First Day of Preschool

So hard to believe that our sweet 3 1/2 year old is gearing up for his first day of preschool.  It's definitely a time of transition for all of us...from having less flexible mornings (which is incredibly nice when you're pregnant!), learning new routines, and getting into the "fall flow" as we say goodbye to our short summer.  John Paul will have to get used to being the only Wee Ski for most of the week at daily Mass.

Most important thing -- Thomas is thrilled to be able to go to preschool.  He's been working very hard on consistent potty training (which is AWESOME for all of us) and is motivated by these things: being able to go to school, gummy vitamins, and marshmallows.  In that order.

We have visited his new school a few times, from the initial tour to the uniform sale to the open house last week...which may have tainted Thomas's vision since they had a giant bouncy house to celebrate.  "Wait, Mommy, they won't have a bouncy house today?"

His "first day of school photo" is taken out in our tree fields...which will be awesome to see as the years go on.  Right now, the patch right next to the house has no tree seedlings, as we just tilled the last of the field this summer.  It will be replanted next spring and each year, the trees will grow a bit more for Thomas's (and eventually, the other Wee Skis') photos.  The next time the fields will be bare like this?  When Thomas is entering 7th or 8th grade, most likely.

Things we have laughed about -- he is still too small for the smallest uniform sizes.  Thanks to Facebook, we learned about Dapper Snappers, which cinch up the waist without having a buckle in front to get in the way of using the restroom.  Let me tell you -- XS in youth sizes are TINY.  Adorably tiny, yes, but tiny nonetheless.

We did a dry run yesterday of getting up, having breakfast, getting cleaned up and dressed for school, and getting out the door.  We definitely have room for improvement...but it was a solid start. We are celebrating with a special lunch after school, just as Jonathan's parents did with him when he was little. 

Here's to the first day of school!

My sweet 16-month-old

Dear John Paul,

You stop for nothing...a little like how life feels right now!  In the past few weeks, you've made two big developments: you started climbing (on anything and everything) and your cries have changed from a baby's cry to a little boy's cry.  Your papa and I have a hard time knowing whose cry is whose when you're in the same room.  You've been watching your big brother climb on things for months now, and the first time you climbed up on the kitchen table -- I have never seen you prouder.

Just remember, our kitchen table is on a hard tile floor...so I hope you'll only learn the lesson of falling off one time.

We have loved watching you play with Thomas.  He watches over you like a good big brother, and even takes the iPad into your room sometimes when you're sleeping...he'll lay down on his bed and watch cartoons while you sleep: "because you might get lonely when you wake up."

You have learned to run like a little boy, trying to keep up with your big brother.  You dance in your carseat to whatever Thomas dances to...but your current faves are "Call Me Maybe" and "Stronger" and "Country Girls". 

With the heat we had in the last month, I could usually find you two out on the deck, playing with the hose and one of you (usually you) soaked to the bone. 

You love banana-peanut butter smoothies but get so cold each morning by the time you're finished...your lips usually are purple and you're shivering.  It's hard not to giggle as you hand me your cup wanting more. 

You're in 12-18 month clothes, and sleep pretty soundly from 7:30 pm until the morning.  You and Thomas both love your new DreamLite that lights up your ceiling at night.  You're still taking two naps a day (hallelujah!) and eat like a horse.  This morning at breakfast: fruit, toast, cottage cheese and a smoothie. 

You're finally at the 30th percentile in weight -- up from the 4th percentile.  You've developed a "major outtie" which the doc calls an umbilical hernia.  For the time being, it's nothing to be worried about, as long as we can push your belly button back in.  We love that you've watched us push it back in...so now you take care of that yourself too. 

You can sleep anywhere and everywhere (you get that from me -- you're welcome) and you sleep especially well with your white noise that we have in your room or on our iPhones and iPads. 

Tomorrow is Thomas's first day of preschool, so it will be you and me on our own in the mornings, three days a week.  I'm looking forward to some good one-on-one time with you until your little brother arrives in December...and then you'll get to learn how to be a BIG brother like Thomas!

You are still sweet and cuddly, but showing a bit more independence each day.  You like to walk into Mass each day on your own, but you're not too sure of sidewalk edges or tiny speed bumps. 

We love you so much, sweet baby, and can't wait to see what's ahead as you near 17 months old.

Love,
Mommy and Papa

It's beginning to look a lot like...Relay Training Season!

We are in the heart of Relay training prep right now.

It's safe to say that over the past few weeks -- mainly since the National Summit in July, I have been living, breathing, eating and sleeping Relay For Life.

I knew that when I woke up with my first Relay bad dream, that the first major training is approaching.  It may or may not have involved me up on stage, in all my pregnant glory, wiping out as I stepped off the stage.  And having the baby right there.  That would definitely wake ANYONE up!

I have the awesome privilege of heading up a great team of peeps who design and create the general sessions of our Great West trainings.  The Great West Division covers a 12 state area -- with the nation's highest per-cap states (meaning they raise the most per person in the state) as well as the lowest.  It's quite a training challenge -- meeting as many needs as possible, while delivering great content in a way that gets Relayers fired up.   We train volunteers from nearly 500 events, with more than 5000 attending over the fall training season.

Next weekend's training is two parts -- the first official Summit of Great West as well as the "Train the Trainer" for our Summit leads.  The other Summit leads -- from 12 different Leadership Summits in our Division -- join us to see how it's done.  They have their own track and attend our General Sessions so they can see how we hope it will be done in their own trainings. 

It's safe to say there's a little bit of pressure not to screw up.  :)  Or to fall off the stage and have your baby at the same time.  That's probably my bigger focus after that dream.

Jonathan's been fantastic, because since he returned from North Carolina, I've pretty much been holed up in my office -- designing templates, updating scripts, importing content from our National Summit and updating it as things change and building out training pieces for the General Sessions.  I feel very blessed to be able to have an impact on this level -- and to be able to put my creativity to good use.   Finian Road has designed much of the collateral pieces for these trainings -- including some sweet surprises which will be unveiled next weekend if everything comes together.

But I'll be honest, I'm really looking forward to having this month-long crazy-focused adventure come to an end, as everything is presented, refined and packaged to be given to each of the Summit leads by the end of next weekend.  The end of summer is always intense as we finish everything up.  At that point, my role transitions to presenter and emcee over the fall -- in Las Vegas, Phoenix, Nashville (for the Mid-South Division Summit) and finally Seattle...where I will be too far along to fly anymore.  :)  It will be much less stress...and then we transition to focusing on a major training event in January for our top Relays in the Great West.

The Wee Skis have always been a part of Relay -- Thomas was in his first Division meetings at 7 weeks old, when I chaired the Division's Training Task Force.  John Paul was 7 weeks old at his first overnight Relay For Life, and the Wee Ski 3.0 will be about 7 weeks when he comes along to the 2013 Mega Event Experience in January.  You could say the Skis are big believers in not letting age hold you back from volunteering. 

I'll be honest -- I have been blessed with some amazing people in our Division who make it possible for me to volunteer AND have the Wee Skis (usually during their first year) with me so their nursing isn't affected.  Both boys have been to more than half a dozen Summits and trainings, and Thomas can spot a Relay logo from a mile away. "They Relay, Mommy!  Look!  They're my friends!"

One of these awesome people is Linda Kohls -- who is my staff partner for the Mega Event Workgroup.  She lives in Minnesota so we've never actually been to each other's houses -- except for now.  She's been to the farm.  She was visiting one of our Mega Events in SW Washington, and took a few hours to come up to the farm and brainstorm out some ideas for Mega this winter.  It was so much fun having her here.  She's famous with John Paul because she let him eat a cube of butter off a plate in Denver, Colorado -- and Thomas adores her after she taught him to say, "Uff da! I'm a farmer!" with a big piece of hay hanging out of his mouth.

His funniest quote since then?  Telling everyone he sees, "I had fun with Auntie Uffda, she works for Relay, and gave me weed and I put it in my mouth."  

Hay = weed in this sweet three-year-old's mind.  :)

She's amazing to work with, and so great at taking care of our top Relays.  Very excited to see her next weekend.


I LOVE THIS PHOTO.



Back to the grindstone...I'm on hour six today and needed a blogging break from scripting!!  :)  I'll stop for dinner with the Skis in a few, and hopefully finalize up the 3rd General Session before bed tonight.

Everything needs to be finished up before I step on the flight to Nevada on Wednesday.

CANNOT WAIT for next weekend!!

An ever-so-brief respite from the dusties on the farm...

Soaking in the beauty of a clean, clean, clean deck. With no visible Wee Ski clutter.  At least for now.

This summer has, amazingly, been very dry...even though it feels like I have been living in the middle of a mudpit since the snows in January.  With the combination of haying over the past few weeks and trimming the rows in between the Christmas trees, everywhere on the farm has just felt...dusty.

"Mommy, your car's all dirty. You need to wash it."

Trust me, kiddo, I know.

With the combination of the new gas-powered blower and pressure washer, I found some peace here.  Over the past few days, we have been cleaning up the deck and areas around it.  And when I say "we", I mean I'm doing the work, Thomas is helping with the hose by spraying down John Paul every chance he gets, and John Paul helps by climbing up all over everything covered in the mud created by said spraying down above.  We're a bit of a motley crew, we are.

Yesterday, in the early morning before the heat set in, I pressure washed until I ran out of gas (literally, for the first time, and not just figuratively with the pregnancy).  Scrubbed down all the furniture in the sun and let it dry (LOVE that this set from Costco still looks brand new 3 years later!), weeded all the flower pots, and washed all the windows.  The farm dust, at least for now, is gone.

And we can have breakfast out here, while it's cool, and the boys can ride bikes and fire trucks and play and relax. And I can work from the outdoor sofa, peanut butter-banana smoothie in hand, stacks of Relay Summit papers filling up the table in front of me.  Just as long as Thomas doesn't get out the hose again when there are computers on the deck.

I seriously love this deck. I love my in-laws for planning it into the house.  It gives you shade year-round, a place for the boys to play outside when it's pouring outside, and keeps the living room and kitchen cool from the sun that bakes the rest of the farm. 

We've held our own in the heat so far -- especially since in Washington, unless you have a brand-new home, you tend not to have air conditioning.  So when it's 86° in the evening without wind, you find yourself laying down on the tile floor (which is AWESOME) next to a fan, drinking a smoothie.  Or you find yourself sitting in the fruit cooler at Costco, soaking in the fact that you can see your breath when you exhale.  

Getting ready for the next two days which are looking to be toasty...will probably find ourselves out on the water or in a pool.  And napping in the middle of the afternoon. 

Bring it on, summer, we're ready. 

Sweet, sweet summer.

A quick glance at our last week or so, thanks to my iPhone.  I LOVE having it handy, and that the boys know how to take photos as well.  It's easier than lugging one of my bigger DSLRs around, and it's there for those moments you don't want to miss, even if it's not a technically perfect photo.

Like the one below. 

This is my family, every few weeks at the doctor.  We're watching the Wee Ski 3.0 on ultrasound right now, and John Paul is camped out on top of my head.  As long as he has his sippy cup and an endless supply of snacks, he's pretty content to hang out...for up to 45 minutes or so. 

His only point of jealousy?

When he sees his big brother out in the hall, playing soccer with Dr. McMahon.

I will tell you...I am SO incredibly blessed by my doc!


It cracks me up looking at a similar image of Thomas during a non-stress test in April 2011, when I was 37 weeks along with John Paul.  It apparently is the "place to be" when you're a older brother in the making.

The boys usually get rewarded with Round Table Pizza and a trip to play at Kandle Park after going to the doctor.  They both love water, and I love being smart enough to usually have a backup outfit stashed in the car in case they are having so much fun that pulling them out of the water would be mean.  :)




Jonathan was back in North Carolina for nearly a week -- the longest he's been away from the farm since we married.   We spent lots of time at Bush Park by our house, where the boys played soccer on the grass, made new friends, and rode the slides 149,349 times.  Maybe a few more or less.  How can you NOT love that little chin?



With the heat, we spent a few days loving our giant porch on the farm, and getting lots of naps...and over the weekend, we headed up to Mom and Dad's for some fun on the water.  The Wee Skis 1.0 and 3.0 went tubing for the first time.  Mike and I were laughing about how different it was from our first adventures as kids on the water - with a chunky yellow kneeboard behind the red Bayliner. 

Thomas was in heaven.  John Paul was in the middle of a three hour nap in my old bedroom, in our house on the beach (on the very right).  It was a perfect afternoon.  Dad pulled Mike, Avila and Thomas as well  in the tube at one time, and that was one time I kicked myself for not having my long lens. 

Next time.



Thomas even did a few rounds of 'no hands' as well.


On Monday, the boys, Mom and I met up with Stella at the water park at Kandle Park.  Crazy popular in the midwest (Mike and I have lots of memories, especially of the park in Waukon that we played at as little kids), they are just gaining steam out here in Washington.  It's crazy inexpensive compared to Wild Waves, and has lots of grass, a big wave pool, and a kids pool off to the side.  The boys were covered in SPF 70 and we all slept very well that night.  But not before Stella and I caught the latest Batman movie -- my first viewing, her third.  It was pretty crazy awesome. Excited to see it again with Jonathan.


LOVING summer's full arrival. 

At the beach...

Last Saturday, we packed up the boys and headed to the coast.  A day trip, to get away from the hot, hot tree fields, and to let the boys run free.

We were all in heaven.  Jonathan got to fly kites with his boys, Thomas got to run and dance and jump and splash, and John Paul couldn't believe how soft the landing was every time he ended up on his bum.

I was loving the summer fruit bounty -- I made raspberry white chocolate muffins for a treat when we arrived, and fresh peach smoothies for the drive.  John Paul had breakfast in the backseat while Thomas helped Jonathan get the kites in the sky...and I got to hang out with my three favorite boys. 


Seriously, this kid is ALWAYS all smiles.


And he loved the sandy feet.


Most of the time you just heard him squealing.


Thomas ran everywhere. And jumped. And danced. And sang songs.  Usually "Hillbilly Deluxe" and "Country Girl, Shake it for me". 


And he threw sand.  A lot.  We were not fans.  But wow, does he look old here.


Check out his wet, sandy hands.  And feet and knees.  And face.




I love this photo so much that I don't care that the focus is soft. 


Splash + holding onto the hood = delaying the inevitable for just a few minutes.


...because soon, both boys would be sitting in it.


When you ask your husband if you look like Medusa, it usually means TO TELL YOU BEFORE THE PHOTO IS TAKEN.  At least this child can't deny that he's mine.


Down goes Frazier!  The other soon followed...and a bit later we found ourselves getting some tasty lunch and sleeping on the drive home.  A perfect break away.