Thinking About Resolutions...

I think everybody makes some sort of New Years resolution. Even if you don't write out yours on a piece of paper or declare it loudly to all your friends and family, almost everyone looks at the new year and thinks about ways to change it and make it better than the last. I know next year I definitely have some things I'd like to do and not do, new things I'd like to try, goals I'd like to achieve, children I'd like to avoid creating...
So here is a list of some of my resolutions, in no particular order:

-Cut waaay down on the TV watching-the watching my kids do and the watching I do (I watched "The Cable Guy" last night and it really freaked me out!)
-I want to make good choices on the TV we do watch.
-I'd like to spend a lot more time creating things this year, whether it be knitting, pottery, drawing, beading or new recipes...I just really want to be productive.
-I want to learn how to make a basic website.
-I want to be active more: go on more walks and hikes, maybe start riding my bike again, jumping on the trampoline, and snowboarding (!!)
-I want to read more, and I especially want to read my Bible more!
-I want to manage our finances better and more tightly- yeah I know, how many people's new years res it to be a "tight wad" (LOL!)
-I want to be a better parent, not get frustrated with my kids, not manipulate, not yell. Be more affectionate and fun and less disciplinarian (not to stop discipline, mind you, I just feel like some days all I do is discipline Drew...and I'd like that to change.)
-I want to be a better wife.
(Not that I'm horrible at the last too, I'm actually pretty good, but I think there is always room for improvement.)

So we'll have to see how I do with this list- it'll be fun to actually have a record and be able to check back and look and see what kind of progress I've made.

A Working Dog

How I wish that I could enjoy Christmas vacation just like kids do. Playing with their new toys. I know this is a big shock, but mom's don't get vacations, like, ever. Okay, okay, well maybe someday it'll happen, but I'm still in the stage of "total twenty-four hour dependence"- meaning someone is depending on me ALL the time, not the other way around. (And even though- I'd really like to wait a good two years to have another kid, the thought has occurred to me to just go ahead and have another one sooner so I don't get too used to having any freedom, and then forgo having a third kid at all, but I digress...) Yesterday, was nice though...I never changed out of my pajamas and the only work I did was prepare leftovers from Christmas and nurse Beau. And no complaints from the other half (who has a hard time grasping the concept of rest, but I love him anyways and at least the house projects he starts actually are finished in a reasonable amount of time.) But this week in which I am longing to just sit and play with some yarn and my new knitting needles, spend my gift certificates, and eat the leftover candy, I still have to do laundry, and feed Beau, and feed Drew, and feed Kevin, keep things clean, (including myself), pay the bills, and so on and so forth. Just lamenting the fact, the FACT, that a mothers work is never done. Just wanted to share my pity party with you.

And not forgetting that there is the other half's side of work never being done, here is Kev's quote from last week: I asked him what kind of a dog he'd want if we were to get one, and he said, "One that goes to work and pays all the bills."

In Other News...

...my Gramma gave me a cool knitting book "Stitch N Bitch"- which should be helpful for nights when I stay up till 2:30, like I did this Christmas morning. (I know, I know...sigh.) It was a gift for Jeremiah, so here is a pic of him wearing it.

Christmas Surprise!

Well, it's December 26th, and I hope all of you out there had a nice holiday-whichever it is that you celebrated or are celebrating. My Christmas was quite a bit of fun. We had a lot of family over to our place which translates into a lot of work, so I felt like I was constantly cleaning and straightening up and putting away and getting out. Unfortunately, Beau seemed to be suffering from either a cold or just a hell day of cutting teeth. Thanks to my mom and dad for cuddling him for several hours so I could be a hostess. I still ended up opening my presents while he was nursing. (You'd be surprised what you can do with a kid attached to you!) And opening presents: herein lies the story of the day... So I'm sitting there watching my hubby play Santa and hand everyone their gifts. Everyone is reading their tags, and tearing the wrapping paper looking at what they uncovered and giving thanks to their givers. I hadn't had a present handed to me yet, and I thought my sister must have noticed I'd been forgotten, because she jumped up and handed me my present from her and Jeremiah. When she handed it to me she made sure that the tag was facing me and that I read it. She had a funny look on her face. She sits down and I look at my tag: it says "To: Aunt Sarah" and that is as far as I get. I think to myself, I'm not an aunt...then I scream, "ARE YOU GUYS PREGNANT!" and she nods "yes." Then of course all the family members in between insert their own exclamations and there is much commotion and excitement. Yes, Ariel and Jeremiah are in fact going to have a baby! Wow! So there you have it, one of the best Christmas gifts, I finally get to be the aunt. Something to add to my "woman" resume. I'm so happy and excited for her. It hasn't quite settled in my mind yet, that my sister is going to have a baby- so every once in a while I have to giggle with anticipation. She should be due around the end of August.
Later on I discovered that she learned this news on the Tuesday before Christmas. She had to endure my mother and I dragging her all over town to do the Christmas food shopping before she could get home to tell her hubby... Sorry, Ariel! Then she kept it in through a Wednesday of rehearsing Christmas songs (for a little Christmas album we recorded-nothing special) and the Thursday of recording them. She told our sister, Hannah on Thursday, because it was her birthday and....and she just happens to be a labor and delivery nurse. Had I checked her blog...I would have been suspiscious.

So from now on, I'm sure you'll read plenty of my driveling about her pregnancy and so on...I'll try not to be too boring.
Here are a few shots from our Christmas day...





Yes, that is wrapping paper on my head...





The tired pregnant woman.





Intently working with the playdough...the pursed lips are his concentration look.

In "Light" of Christmas...

From the MOPs daily devotional:

I Can't Share My Light
Christ tells His followers, "You are the light of the world." Well, what if we think our light isn't good enough?
Does any human soul feel up to the task of sharing our faith?

I can't . . . I have such a small light. How could I possibly make a difference?
I can't . . . I might fail. I might mess up at sharing my faith.
I can't . . . I don't want to get involved. Sharing with others is risky and expensive.
I can't . . . I don't want to offend.
I can't . . . I don't have a dramatic story to tell. It'd be different if I did.
I can't . . . I don't know all the answers.
I can't . . . I don't know how to relate to people who aren't like me.

And yet, we who have God's light burning within us are asked to share that light with others. All of us. I have this gut conviction that God wouldn't invite us to be a part of something impossible. In my soul, I have a feeling that we make the whole share-your-faith thing much more difficult than God makes it. I have this suspicion that our "I can'ts" won't hold up in real life when we meet a person stuck in a dark and hopeless situation. We can hide behind them, but God's light will poke out of our very beings-if only from our very real human cracks.


MOPS groups (Mothers of Preschoolers) are meeting all over the country -so join us as we TWINKLE and shine during this season of mothering! Visit our Web site at www.MOPS.org to find a MOPS Group in your area.

This really speaks to me...not only during the Christmas season, but every day of the year- this is what it's all about.
I wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas- and as the cards that I sent out say, "May the gifts of the season, renew your spirit."

Holiday Thoughts

Yesterday as I went to the bathroom in an overcrowded Wal-Mart, sans children (they were with Gramma), and sans cart (also with Gramma), I sat in the quiet stall all by myself and exhaled. It was so nice to be alone, even if it was in fifteen cubic feet of space. I thought, "I could sit here for hours-too bad I don't have my knitting with me."

Yay for Pickles!

As you can see...we discovered that we have yet another child who likes pickles.
(Too cute not to share.)

Notice Anything Different?

Being that this was the only end of the hair color spectrum I hadn't explored, you knew it had to happen at some point in time. However, I must say that this was actually not my idea. It was Kevin's. He cooked it up and Ariel (whose hair is the same color at the moment) jumped in the frying pan, and at the end of the night, my hair looked like this. I think I like it, and Kevin likes it, which by all means, is actually more important than me liking it, since he has to look at me all the time. I just forget that I did it and then I surprise myself every time I look in the mirror...
Happy Hair Coloring- People!


Oh and p.s. those little whisps up by my bangs- yeah those are from when my hair started falling out when Beau was four months old...dern HERmones!

Due to the Response....

I just have to say thank you all for your nice compliments about my pottery work. You all are very flattering!

And since I have no "shopping button" here's my solution for that:

If you would like to purchase a mug or a bowl or sugarbowl, or a set, or commission something in particular, here are my prices:

Coffee mug: $8 (Personalized with a name: $10)

Sugar bowl: $16

Small bowl: $6

Any other pieces- I will give you a quote for, and of course if you live out of town- you will have to pay shipping.
So if you are interested, leave me a comment with your email address and what it is you are interested in, and I will contact you as soon as possible to make arrangements with you.

As for all pieces pictured: they are currently spoken for, so I cannot sell any of them to you. However I should be able to duplicate the green color in future pieces, if that is what you like. Keep in mind that it may take as long as month for a piece or set to be completed as each piece has to be thrown, then bisque fired, then glazed and then glaze fired.

Please feel free to ask any questions! Thanks so much!

Results

Since I've been gushing here and there about my pottery class, I thought it only fair to share with you the results. This is my first batch of things, and there will be more to come since I am going to keep taking my class! Enjoy!

The Evil Wal-Mart Spider Momster

So today as we (meaning myself and the boys) are walking through evil Wal-Mart, I discovered a giant evil fake rubber black widow. Apparently it had made its way from its rightful spot in the toy aisle. So naturally, the "eldest child" in me coming out, I had to pick it up and try to scare to Drew with it. I was expecting him to laugh and pretend he was scared, and then want to play with it himself, try to scare Beau like any normal curious two year old, toy hungry, eldest child and last but not least: BOY. But no, to my surprise, he screamed so high pitched that people actually stopped to see what was going on. Who knows what they were thinking I had done to my poor child. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with the thing and wanted it as far away from his as possible. Call me what you will, but I could not contain my laughter. I was not expecting this reaction, and it was just too funny and surprising. Of course, then I felt horrible for torturing my own child and thinking it was funny, so I tried to show him it wasn't real, but he would have none of it. So then I showed it to Beau, who was only too happy to chew on the thing. We returned the spider to it's rightful spot (I think.) And I am comforted knowing that as long as it is small enough, I will at least have one bonafide spider-smoosher (but only with heavy duty shoes on, mind you.) Beau will be the kid who brings them in crawling all over his hands to show me how cool they are. Sorry Drew! I really do love you!

Call Me Hooked

Okay, maybe not exactly, but I DID try knitting for the first time this weekend- and to my surprise, I liked it! We had an impromptu surprise party for my best buddy Mel. (Her birthday is Christmas Eve, so we never really get to celebrate with her.) Allie and Jim came up- and later when things kind of settled down a bit (meaning the guys were out in the family room with the kids and the TV) us girls sat out in the quiet(er) living room, and Allie brought in her knitting work. She was working on a cute little purse. Anyways, Mel and I both expressed interest in wanting to learn and Allie happened to have enough extra string and needles, so we got an impromptu lesson! (It was the night of all things impromptu!) We had a blast all sitting there knitting and talking (hence the term stitch n' bitch, pardon the french.) Mel and I decided this should be a weekly thing, so Allie you're committed whether you like it or not, HA! No, but really, I did enjoy it quite a bit and would like to continue on. I don't know how much time I'll have to commit to it, but that's pretty much the story with anything.

Dear Beau,

You're nine months old today, kiddo. You're about to be a full blown walker. I aint got a clue how much you weigh, well, actually probably about 25 pounds. One of your daddy's recording clients actually dubbed you "beefcake." Ha ha! Which is really so true, I just never imagined that one of your father and my kids would be as chunky as you are. But I just love your cute little chubby cheeks. They are so fun to kiss. And it is super cute when we wrap you up in your down jacket and you fall asleep and your cheeks and lips all pooch forward and jiggle every time we hit a bump. You are still pretty smiley most of the time. But this month you've taken to screaming quite a bit. Not sure where that came from, but your brother went through that stage too. You have the determination of your father. I know you don't know quite what that means right now, but lets just put it this way: your father pursues his dreams and lesser things as well with every fiber in his body. He doesn't stop for roadblocks, he just plows through, and when he sees a mountain, he runs up it instead of slowing down. Yes, that is the kind of determination you have. I can't tell you how many times yesterday I told you "NO" while you were desperately trying to get the ornaments off the Christmas tree. Then you finally grabbed a branch and pulled the whole thing over (the fake one.) And your determination shows with you constantly trying to walk. Not slowly either- when you are finally able to master your balance, you'll be running. (Lucky for me...) Now lets talk about your sleeping habits kiddo- (as if I could actually "talk" you into sleeping.) You are still waking up to be fed every night and you have a knack for doing it just as I am drifting off to sleep. Still headbutting the headboard and now your father, but thankfully haven't gone for the end of the bed again. No, we haven't gotten you into your own room yet. Lets just say that the family room has been ready for weeks and we're just now moving toys out there. So it might still be a while yet. Oh well, I like your warm little heater body next to mine when it's not wiggling. I'm going to savor these moments since you may be my last baby. (Although the other morning, your father informed me that we need to have five boys. And I said, "Five! Can't just ONE of them be a girl, then? Just One?!" To which he replied, "Well, okay, she'll have to play bass then, but she has to be good!") You and your brother are playing together more and more these days, which is kind of nice. However, whenever I put you both in that "car" cart at City Market, you two almost start to fight with each other. I didn't know it began so early. And I must admit that when Drew is taking his nap, (and you are not, ehem...) you roam the toys with glee and make yourself readily and happily busy.
You are also getting in your top two teeth this month. (Once again, yay for me! Ha!) That has made for some interesting ear pulling, snot sucking, and sopping drool moments.
Well, I think I hear the jingle of Christmas ornaments being played with, so I must run to see what you are up to...buddy!
I love you so much!
Love,
Momma

Not That I Endorse Any of This, but You May Relate...

HOW THE BIRTH ORDER OF YOUR CHILDREN CHANGES THE WAY THINGS ARE DONE:

Your Clothes:
1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy.
2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.
3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.

Preparing for the Birth:
1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.
2nd baby: You don't bother because you remember that last time, breathing didn't do a thing.
3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your eighth month.

The Layette:
1st baby: You pre-wash newborn's clothes, color-coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the baby's little bureau.
2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains.
3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can't they?

Worries:
1st baby: At the first sign of distress--a whimper, a frown--you pick up the baby.
2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.
3rd baby: You teach your three-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.

Pacifier:
1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it.
2nd baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby's bottle.
3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.

Diapering:
1st baby: You change your baby's diapers every hour, whether they need it or not.
2nd baby: You change their diaper every two to three hours, if needed.
3rd baby: You try to change their diaper before others start to complain about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees.

Activities:
1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and Baby Story Hour.
2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.
3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaner.

Going Out:
1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home five times.
2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.
3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.

At Home:
1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.
2nd baby: You spend a bit of everyday watching to be sure your older child isn't squeezing, poking, or hitting the baby.
3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.

Swallowing Coins
1st child: When first child swallows a coin, you rush the child to the hospital and demand x-rays.
2nd child: When second child swallows a coin, you carefully watch for the coin to pass.
3rd child: When third child swallows a coin you deduct it from his allowance!

Sent to me, courtesy of my hubby...

Walking

Okay, I just have to spill the beans. For all intensive purposes...Beau is walking!!! He is still really wobbly and falls down constantly, but boy is he determined! He has no concept that falling hurts and tries to walk as much as he can. He doesn't just walk to me and Kev either- he'll walk from furniture piece to furniture piece. I'm pretty sure he'll be fluid by Christmas. And...and...he turns nine months on the eighth! I'm so proud of my baby! (As if you couldn't tell...)

Saturday, December 3, 1999

Six years ago on this very day (and it was even a Saturday!) Kevin and I went for a hike up to our favorite rock overlooking the valley. However, that is not where the story begins. Earlier that week Kevin and had talked about going snowboarding on the weekend. I explained that I couldn't because I had to study for finals, and Kevin was a little upset about it. That was my first clue, because normally he didn't complain about school or school work one iota. My second clue was a couple of days later when I heard Kevin's dissertation on all things diamonds. The cut, the color, the clarity, you know. He told me everything he had learned. And then Friday night, while sitting under the Christmas tree, Kevin reaches into his coat pocket and says, "What have I got here?" My heart jumps into my throat and quickly back into my stomach as he reveals his cell phone. "KEVIN!" I yell at him. "What?!" he teases. "Like you don't know! " I say back. Then we head off to dinner with our best friends to a place with kareoke and some guy proposed to his girl there. I very clearly explain that I think that is the cheasiest thing ever. Meanwhile, Kevin and I make plans to go on a hike on Saturday in the middle of all my studying. On Saturday, we arrive at the beginning of the trail. It is a beautiful and clear winter day. The sun is shining, but it is still chilly. We start making our way towards the top. I remember being very tired. About half way up, Kevin, who has already been so transparent this week, asks if we can run the rest of the way. Eyeing the many steep switchbacks and trying to catch my breath, I giggle out a "Yeah, right, I can't do that!" So we make our way up the rest of the hike. We scale the rock that looks like a ball-cap and look out over our beautiful valley. We snap a few pictures of each other. Then, Kevin, reaches into his coat pocket and says, "What have I got here?" This time he pulls out a little jewelry box. Then he opens it up, and says (something to the effect of), "Sarah, you are my best friend, and I love you. Will you marry me?" I have probably been beaming since oh, Tuesday, but I smile even more and say, "Yes." Then Kevin realizes he is not down one knee, repositions himself- and asks again. And of course, I say "yes" again. Then we snap some more pictures of each other. And happily skip back down the trail. Later, he reveals to me that the night before while we were sitting beneath the Christmas tree, the ring had been hanging on one of the branches and had I been observant enough to notice, he would have asked me right there. I gasp and giggle at the thought, but I am really glad it happened the way it did. In the year and a half preceding the proposal I had gone on the same hike with my best friend Melissa. While sitting up there and pondering what lay before us, I had said to her, " Wouldn't it be neat if you got proposed to up here?" And there I was with Kevin, who had no idea I had ever said those words, and he was proposing to me. It was perfect. I'd like to say things still are, but this is reality and they aren't all the time. But I love him even more now than I did then. My life has been so full and rewarding, and changed in ways I could never imagine because of him. I love you, Baby!



These are the pictures we took that day and my cheesy way that I put them in my photo album....

Quotes from Eden

I'm glad I waited till later to post today because I wouldn't have gotten these adorable quotes from Eden. (I was watching Allison's kids this afternoon for a couple of hours.)

After stubbing her toe on the floor:

Me: "Are you okay sweetie?"
Eden: "It's okay, (her toe) it didn't fall off, it stayed on."

After being chased around by Drew.
"Drew, you really are a weird guy!"

Talking to me about her Daddy.
"My Daddy's a funny guy because he bites people's toes. But they don't fall off, because he's funny."


Here's Drew and Eden coloring and having a snack. These kids could be brother and sister.

Dear Drew,

Well two months now to your big 3! I know I say this every time, but I can't believe you are going to be THREE! It has gone by so fast, and now I'm not looking at my first little baby anymore, I'm looking at my growing boy! You are so charming and handsome. (Even if you think you are Darth Vader.)



This month has been a much better month for you and I. I have not been nearly as frustrated with you, and we have not had as many blow ups. I attribute this to a lot of prayer and God really helping me out. Although, you have been better behaved as well. (Do you think there could be a correlation there?) My only beef this month is with the whole Star Wars thing. Now this is not your fault, you are just a lover of all things Star Wars. This is Corporate America's fault (I have a few things I can think of to call you, but I wont...) We can't get away from it. We, well YOU see Star Wars everywhere. We can't drive past a Burger King without you saying, "I want a Darf Bader toy!" Of course, your Dad and I are probably also to blame, since we have indulged you just a tad (seeing that we secretly think Star Wars is pretty cool too.) But, this is what you look like when we've just told you, you can't have the Star Wars item you are asking for.

Notice the Yoda Pez Dispenser in your hand...

This month I am really looking forward to Christmas with you. It is a blast being the parent who gets to watch their kid all excited about Christmas and of course, presents. However, you have to stop adding things to your Christmas list. Just about every commercial on TV, "Mama, I want (insert some toy here), for Kissmess." Now I've taken to telling you that you can have whatever only if you are a good boy. Maybe that is why we haven't had many behavioral problems this month! Ha!



Lets see, what are some notable things about you? Well you still amaze us (at least me, since you got this trait from you father I don't think he is as impressed) with your observational prowess. You still see the tiniest things in the most obscure places and point them out to us. Also, your memory is like that of an elephant. Several times we have asked you where a certain something is and you lead us right back to the exact spot it is in. (I'm thinking this may really come in handy at times.) You also remember places and happenings. I only discovered just yesterday, why you were asking me to make a punkinman face out of the tortilla last time you had one; it was because your Gramma Summer had made one for you the last time you were with her! (If only I had known.) And yes, we encourage you to play with your food, because we believe it builds your creativity, and sometimes, sometimes you even eat it better that way!

You are really coordinated for a two year old. We took you out to play soccer the other weekend and you can dribble the ball as well as me (which isn't that good for me, but excellent for you!) You love to climb and scale all kinds of things, and are pretty resourceful at finding a way to get where you need to go (which could be good or bad, whatever way you want to look at it!) You really impressed me on the hike we went on while we were visiting your Gramma Cherry. This was your first hike and besides being upset that you couldn't join in the snowball fight with the boys, you didn't complain a whole lot you just hiked right up that hill. You were happy to be outside, doing something with everybody.

You just adore your Uncle Philip and Aunt Andrea as well.Poor Philip, you didn't leave his side the entire Thanksgiving weekend. But who can blame you, he is a great Uncle! I am sure that one day, you'll have adoring little cousins at your heels as well. Hopefully you will have learned a valuable lesson about how to play with them from Philip.And here you are with Andrea during the hike. She held your hand almost the whole way.

Well Buddy, I love you. I am going to tell you that a lot because I don't ever want you to wonder. You have made my life full, given it a greater purpose, and made it happier. I love you!
Love, Mama