So much to be thankful for

Every year I feel I have so much more to be thankful for. While we do not say grace before meals in our family, Travis and I have been saying our "I'm thankful fors" for the past few years before our meal.

I'm not even sure I could limit it. I am so incredibly thankful for a stable job that I really enjoy, wonderful coworkers who challenge me to be better and more humble, a roof over our heads, an amazingly supportive husband who loves me (even if he is about as romantic as mud), and children who everyday amaze me. I look at them all the time and can't believe they are mine.

Times may be stressful and a struggle, but what a blessed year it has been.

Death and Taxes

They say the only sure things in life are death and taxes. Well. I've got another one. With two kids...freaking laundry...a lot of it!

Anyone want to come help fold ten loads? I'll pay you with the homemade applesauce I made today. Ignore the way-to-much water. I'm not quite in touch with my domestic diva yet. I doubled the recipe witout accounting that I should not have doubled the water too since I cooked it in the crockpot. My bad.

But really, who wants to come match socks :)

Emergency Kit Goof Up

I used to be Coordinator of Campus Safety in my last job. Even before that position, I was always a worse case scenario gal. Maybe I watched too many end of the world made for TV movies with my mom growing up (luv you mom ;) ). Given all of that, I've always belived in having: an emergency kit ready to go, and a fully stocked pantry.

Travis is more than supportive, and if anything, would love to have a doubly fully stocked pantry. It gives him piece of mind. A few nights ago, I got to thinking of our emergency kit. I hadn't really gone through it since moving, and I could guiltily count the times I had gone in to grab something "to be quickly replaced" that never was. The waterproof matches used to light birthday cakes, the batteries used for dead remotes and kid toys, the bandaids long since used over the fun summer. With new resolve, I decided to update ours.

After ten minutes of cussing, I finally had to interupt Travis to ask where the heck our emergency kit was (Fail #1). It apparently had been moved into a closet, under a bag of old clothes, tucked behind a suitcase. Where any emergency kit should be, right?

Now, here I justify that our emergency kit used to be a large tupperware bin. In moving to Maine, I had temporarily downgraded it to a much smaller container because I needed to larger bin in the move (Fail #2). I never got it back in shape.

Upon going through it I found: One large battery that goes to a lantern. Lantern no where to be found (Fail 3), some square batteries- that go to nothing (Fail 4). I did have a first aid kit (but no ready ice pack- used when Koda fell once- or thermometer- used when Tristen got sick and couldn't find ours- or scissors- who knows where those went), the plastic sheeting Homeland Security ordered every kit to have in the days immididately post 9/11 (yet no duct tape, hammer, nails, etc to do anything with it...so maybe a fancy see-through blanket?). How many fails am I up to? Basically, all said and done, I had supplies for, um, nothing.

Looking at our pantry, we always keep a stock of fruits and veggies, and pasta. That said, we've definately depleted our stock in recent months and have 0 bottled water.

So, my news years challenge will be getting up to date on our emergency preparedness. Would you believe I don't even have my families phone numbers actually written anywhere? They are in my cell phone. Thank goodness I don't teach others about safety now, I'm failing hard here! We'll get back up to speed just in time for the bird flu, attack, depression, or whatever calamity the latest talking head is spewing today.

Sunday Koda-isms

Upon arriving at Walmart today, Koda began reciting the store rules to Tristen that we normally tell Koda.

"No running, no screaming, no crying, when say stop- STOP!" and upon finding Tristen giggling at him, he added a new store rule "and no laughing, no funny!" Serious trip to Wal mart it is.

As Travis was bringing the dog out this evening Koda called out to him "Daddy walk the dog real quick, daddy watch out for dinosaurs!". Those silly dinosaurs get us every time.

Happy Sunday!

Some days it is worth a broken dish or two

It is 5:30pm, do you know where your sons are? Mine are wrestling, screaming, yelling, and otherwise pushing me over the edge. After a pretty nasty match over a stupid little blue ball, I had a momentary inspiration. I went into the bedroom where we store Christmas presents that we pick up throughout the year. I pull out a beach ball that was going to be a stocking stuffer.

Momentary cooperative play.

When it gets dark by 4, and by boys have unbelievable pent up energy, momentary is golden.

Crap, the moment has passed. They're screaming again.

Overdue pictures

Some long overdue pictures... I decided to get all fancy on you :)

Santa here yet?

Koda has discovered the "magic" of Santa. Sure, he humored us last year while we made cookies from scratch that happened to closely resemble Travis' favorite cookies, but he didn't "get" it. As I was flipping through the Sunday paper looking for the coupon pages, a ToysRus ad fell out. Koda was enthralled. He flipped through it for a good long while. Then, he went where last Sunday's paper was and looked for another. Well, last week Target put out their giant "toy" catalog. This is now Koda's favorite book.

He took the "book" to nap. He took it in the car. He asks to read his book non-stop. He also announces to anyone who will humor him that he wants to go to the Giraffe Store (AKA ToysRus). Travis and I explained to him that he couldn't have the toy truck or train he wanted so badly. Christmas wasn't here yet. We explained how the elves are stil busy building toys and we have to wait until Christmas for Santa to come.

After nap time, Koda sat next to me, again flipping through his new favorite book and asked "Christmas yet?". No Koda, not quite. We watched Rudolph which he stared at with his mouth open. He excitedly pointed to Santa and the elves. After dinner he turned and asked "Santa here yet?". No Koda, not yet. This morning after running in the living room to see if Little Einsteins was playing he looked around and asked "Santa coming?". Yes Koda, he is coming. But let's celebrate Thanksgiving first (darn you mall with your ready made Santa Vilage who isn't helping my cause here).

Today, we will be writing to Santa, and apparently, coloring him a picture according to Koda. But not until after nap, and not until I hear the now routine post-nap "Santa here yet?". And as much as I pretend to be annoyed with the constant questioning, I'm being reintroduced to the magic of this season through the eyes of my three year old.

Bread Check...Kids? Um?

I don't go to work until 1pm on Thursdays. When I set up that schedule I had images of getting all sorts of things done in the mornings. Never happens.

Today, I did manage to get to the grocery store. After hurrying through and grabbing stuff for lunch, we checked out and I got the kids in the car. I was backing out when I saw an old lady looking very oddly at me. I simultaneously realized I was about to hit the cart I just used. Only then did I notice, the cart FULL of groceries that I had nearly left in the store parking lot.

At least I remembered the kids.

Daylight Savings Hell

Daylight Savings sounds like such a good thing right? Surely something called "savings" must be beneficial.

It stinks. Nope, I can't even put a positive spin on it. The kids wake up by 5:30-6, it is already dark outside and I still have half an hour of work, and everyone is grumpy. Well, I'm grumpy. And that is making everyone grumpy.

I always struggle with the time change, but this year seems even worse. It might be due to the unseasonably gorgeous fall we had that allowed me to be in winter-denial just a few more weeks. Today, I needed mittens. And apaprently, if I walk the dog, I will need a flashlight less I risk stepping in poop.

On a good note, this means the holidays are drawing closer. Turkey was on sale for .48 a pound this week. Crazy. I can't wait to put up the tree if for no other reason than to offer a little more light on these dreary Maine afternoon/nights.

Tomorrow I will aim for a more upbeat posting :) Did I mention we have been pretty much done Christmas shopping since Aug/Sept?

Looking back two years ago

(Let me first say this is NOT an announcement, thank you very much)

Exactly two years ago I sat Travis down and told him I had made a video for our families for Christmas. Two years later, how our lives have changed and I am so thankful and blessed.

What A Journey It Has Been...

We got it right!

Election Night is like Christmas morning for me. Or maybe the SuperBowl. Maybe even both all rolled into one.

I tally results and post them in the residence hall lobby for the students to see who are busily running to check mail and aren't as interested in following the state by state result, just want to know when they call it.

After spending the early evening trying to explain to Koda why I wanted to watch out next President and not Little Einsteins (and failing, and resorting to bribes of all the crackers you can eat...or stomp...whatever), I put the children to bed and watched state by state. After watching many election result nights, you'd think I would know not to panic when McCain was up in some states with a whopping 0.5% of the polls reporting. After spending some initial hours sick to my stomach, remember how I felt this very night in 2000, it started.

It started with Pennsylvania. Being the political geek I am, I knew it was close.

When they called Ohio, I knew it was to be, if not officially.

When, at around 11pm they simultaneously announced our new president-elect, suddenly it was.

And yet, I couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe it as I watched tens of thousands of people erupt in celebration. I couldn't believe it when I saw the tears run down Jesse Jackson's face - only imagining him thinking back to walking next to Martin Luther King Jr and wondering if this day would ever come. I couldn't believe it when I watched an acceptance speech that made me hope for better days ahead and found tears in my own eyes.

Tristen was asleep in the corner of the living room in his pack and play. As the glow of the television slightly shown on his face, listening to my new president talk about what could be, I believed.

I usually end my posts on an uplifting note like the one above. However, as I logged into my Facebook account today and read the postings of people I know, I read one that weighs heavy in my heart. A "friend" from high school wrote "How could any white person vote for Obama..." She noted she was not a racist. Instead of being fired up, instead of alienating her by blasting a posting back, I will do what I think our new president would do. Put my head down, and work. Work to fix this country and do my part. Those that doubt can hypothesize conspiracy theories, can yell what ifs. Some day soon they will look around and say WITH us, as one country, yes we did. Our Country has moved forward as the UNITED states.

Happy Thanks-Christm-oween

Say What?



A few years back my mom got tired of the crazy holiday shuffle. The trudging from one home to another, the competing with others to see who gets the grandkids on Christmas Day, and let's not forget the snow, and sleet, and general Maine yuck in December.



One day she called and said "we are celebrating all holidays on Halloween this year". Odd? Yes. But, it works for our family, and certainly slows the pace of the holiday season just a little bit.



So, the day after Halloween- the Pooh Bear costume still flung over the back seat, we trudged down to my brothers house. We were blessed with a beautiful day so allow an outdoor picnic of al the Thanksgiving fixings, a birthday cake for my brother, pizza (and Christmas eve tradition for us), and holiday gifts for the kids. Koda thinks every time we visit gramma's that it is his birthday. He spent a good twenty minutes in the van singing to himself on the ride down. Heck, let's throw that holiday in too.



Another year so quickly past. My baby cousins are now pre-teens and disney gift certificates have long been replaced with itunes. Whether our holidays are in December or on Halloween, I can't help but think back to the holidays that have already been. The buffets at my aunts, my Grampa offering his walker to a then very young Amanda so she could do flips, a Faith who wouldn't talk tohugh you knew she understood well beyond her age, the smell of pine tree in the living room on Plymouth Drive. The Rudolph ornaments, a Snoopy ornament my brother and I would fight over, and the old Santa tin ornament that was always reserved for mom. It seems like yesterday, really.



This year has been a hard one on my mom's health. I sometimes worry about the Christmas's to come and try to remember to live each moment, create a memory that my children will one day recall. It doesn't much matter that Christmas was on a picnic table. Our family was there, that mattered most.

Halloween on Campus

Living on campus has its perks when you are a three year old. Most notably, college students love you. Tristen is still too young to understand, but not Koda. He basks in the attention. Halloween was a two-day affair. Koda was Pooh Bear, Tristen was Christopher Robin which is mom-speak for "I didn't have a costume for him....so yeah...he can be Christopher Robin".



I have had a tradition for a while now of reverse trick or treating on Halloween. Basically, my staff and I go around knocking on student doors and handing out costume. Of course, we dress up- and look amazing :) the students enjoys it, and this year, Koda did too. He woke up the following morning, ran out to the living room, got this puzzled look on his face and demanded in that way only a three year old can, "Where'd my people go?". I delicately told him his "people" were probably all still sleeping at 7 in the morning, and likely hung over. Thankfully, he doesn't understand the latter. On actual Halloween we went to the Student Union where offices handed out candy. We finfished out the holiday with stall to stall trick or treating at the University horse farm.



Without a doubt, Halloween 2008 will forever be remembered as the "Where'd my people go" holiday. Enjoy our holiday pics.

Stay tuned today...

I know , I know. I'm behind. I'm planning 3 catch-up blog posts today/tonight. They will probably be uploaded tonight since I need to take pictures of my camera. Stay tuned :)