Rock

While waiting for the bus this morning, he pulled this rock from his pocket -- a friend gave it to him -- and asked if I had any googly eyes he could put on it. When I said I didn't, he said he could just use some feathers then. I asked if he was making a bird. He said yes. I'm thinking I might just need to go out and get us some googly eyes.

Weekend

Spring is so busy it seems, which makes the weekends even more precious. They go way too fast for my liking. Saturday was spent at two cold and wet soccer games. The worst! H's team won, while C's lost. But both boys played really well. Afterward, we stopped by the tae kwon do tournament that was going on in Brookfield. Maybe next time we'll actually participate in it. We watched a couple of our friends compete and it actually looked kind of fun. Never wrecking, but fun. Today was another soccer game for H (they unfortunately lost), catching up on homework and checking out the new Fresh Market that opened up down the street. We are full of fun! Now, I'm just waiting for Brian to come home from New York, where he's been the last five days. We kind of can't wait. Too bad we didn't have one more day before the week started.

Missing -- Front Tooth

From what I understand, someone threw a ball at someone else's face today, and ended up knocking his tooth out! C was thrilled it finally happened, and kept thanking H over and over. I've been waiting for this tooth to go missing for awhile too. It's my favorite.

P.S. Doesn't he look exhausted? I was volunteering at a fundraiser for the Milwaukee Jewish Free Loan Association, and the minute I entered the door, he came running down to show me. So sweet. Now he can get some sleep.

Sentimental

This morning I dropped a bunch of donations off at Goodwill. There were books and clothes -- the regular stuff. But also some of the kids toys that we were hanging on to and decided we probably just didn't need anymore, and C's little tiny suit jacket. The one he wore for a week straight during the holidays a couple years ago. The one he wore to a play date at a girl friend's house. (He got a new jacket for Christmas, by the way, and just wore it out last week to have dinner with my dad. He even put gel in his hair for the occasion. It's too cute.) Anyhow, seeing this little suit jacket getting dropped off made me a little sentimental! It's funny, because as the boys are getting older, I find myself really just enjoying the ages they are at. I have extremely fond memories of when they were little. And I do wish the years would slow down a bit. But really, I'm enjoying the journey with them each year as they get older and am completely content. Never the less, parting with that little suit jacket and wooden airplane set made me a little sad today. When I told Brian about it, he said this drop off made him a little sentimental too. For him, it was the little life vest that we gave away. Maybe it's just one of those days.

One Year ... and a Pie

Crazy, but today marks one year ago since we moved to Wisconsin. In so many ways it feels like we are still really new. In other ways, it feels like we've lived here forever. It's still a very good thing. So, I made a pie. Just kidding. I was going to do that anyhow. It's been awhile since I've been on a pie baking kick and this mocha pecan was looking pretty delicious (...it was). What a good excuse since the kids reminded us of our one year Wisconsin anniversary this morning!

Spring Soccer Season

Spring soccer season has officially started -- and the next couple months are jam-packed with games and tournaments. Most of the players on both the boys teams take on baseball too. I have no idea how in the world they do it. C's team had a home game bright and early this morning (they unfortunately lost). Then we headed up to Cedarburg to watch H's team play (who won). H even scored a goal, which always makes for a good day. Afterwards, it was lunchtime so we decided to stop in Cedarburg and walk around a little bit. Tomorrow will be another full day -- four games starting at 9:50, with the last one at 4:30. Thank goodness we all love this sport!

 

Living Room :: Before & After

Before

The living room in our house is a huge open space -- it is definitely a central gathering place for our family and friends. Our furniture never quite fit the room. We knew we needed new stuff, but wanted to live with it for awhile, which I'm glad we did. We moved what we had around a lot, trying to figure out the best way to utilize the space. The prior owners replaced the orange shag the original owner had, with a cream shag carpet. It actually wasn't bad, but Brian and I have never been big carpeting fans so knew it was something we wanted to replace. I'm happy to report that exciting things have happened to our living room over the past month and a half!

After

Gone is the shag carpet -- hello, cork flooring (and Flor carpeting)! And while we still have a phase 2 and 3 in mind for furniture purchases, we absolutely love our new sofa, bookshelves and credenza from Room & Board. Sofas are really challenging, I find. We wanted something not too formal, but that fit our mid-century modern home. I think what we found is perfect. What you can't see in the after photo, is that we moved the brown sofa we had to the left of the bookshelves. It's not ideal, but for now, works really well for another sitting area. It's right next to the loggia, so you kind of feel like you are sitting outside. I use it all the time. We are so happy with our new space.

Art by C :: Silhouette

Home

Here I am. My first official day with no other title except mom. It’s something I’ve wanted for over ten years. And I’m so thankful to be getting the opportunity. It’s not something I thought I’d ever get the chance to do. Today is a good day. A really, really good day.

But, I’ve been kind of a wreck the past five weeks -- ever since I found out my consulting gig could be / would be coming to an end. When we moved, I thought I'd be at place I’m at today, then. My mind was ready for it. But as it turned out, I was lucky enough to have gotten to work from home for my company in Chicago -- the one I was familiar with, where I had been at for the past (now) eight years. It was comfortable, flexible, part-time and really gave me the best of both worlds. Even though being home has been a dream for a long time, I’m really not sure how I would have been going cold turkey into a stay-at-home role. Truth is, for the past twenty years, I’ve always had a job. It’s what I know. Working part-time from home gave me a bit of an outlet, while providing the flexibility of being home. I’m able to volunteer at the boy’s school, be home for them when they get off the bus, and take them to extra-curricular activities. It’s really good stuff.

I hope Brian’s life is easier not to have to worry about when the kids are off of school, or the fact that AT&T was here again today -- twice -- and he didn’t have to deal with it (it's still not fixed). He’s busy enough. And even though he says he misses child care, I hope C appreciates a bit of down time when he gets home. I can’t tell you how many times he would be so exhausted after picking him up at 6pm, that he wouldn’t even make it to dinner without falling asleep. I think me being home more has affected H and me most. H’s confidence has absolutely sky-rocketed this year. I know a lot of it has to due with age and maturity. Every child is different, but I believe that for him, just knowing I’m home if he needs me has been huge. And me? As much as I wish I were, I’ll never be a laid back person (gosh, do I wish I was). Working full-time with a travelling husband and children, frankly, completely stressed me out. And I like to think, even if it’s just a little bit, I might just be a bit more patient and maybe, just maybe, calmer.

(Are you still with me? Don’t worry, I won’t always be so wordy. I’m driving myself nuts! This is not the normal kind of posts I write.)

I never thought I’d be getting a chance like this, so what I’ve decided I’m going to do is simply enjoy it. I’m not going to lie -- not having guaranteed hours makes me really nervous. It has nothing to due with the fact that my kids can sometimes absolutely drive me crazy (they do), or feeling isolated (it happens). Rather, life is just so gosh darn expensive. Days like this where I have no other role, aren’t going to last forever. And so, for now, I look forward to a fun summer with the kids ... and will figure it out from there. There are not many opportunities in life when you can do that. I’m extremely grateful. Today is a new day. I'm going to enjoy it.

Upside Down Carrot Cake

H loved the frosting on his carrot cake at Alterra so much that ate it upside down. (** For the most part, our internet has been out all weekend, and Brian had to submit his time sheet. Thank goodness for coffee shops and wireless internet.)

Art by C :: "Stitched" Art

Lunch with Dad

The boys are on Spring Break this week. Guess where we are going? No where! Kind of a bummer, but we'll make the most of it. As soon as our break ends, spring is looking pretty insane. So if anything, we'll relish in a bit of down time. Today we met Brian for lunch at the Smoke Shack. It was delicious -- C was really into the super hot sauce.

Vinyl Sunday :: Kiss Alive II

This week, C picked out the album and went straight for KISS.

Easter

Easter morning started with an early Easter egg hunt in the house. We had a pretty lazy morning. The kids hid the eggs outside and had themselves a few more Easter egg hunts, while Brian and I actually got some stuff done around the house. Kind of a nice feeling. Later in the day we went to Brian's mom's house where Scott, Ali and A joined us too. Such a great day -- both kids said they were sad to see it end.

Family

The day started out with a killer Tae Kwon Do class. I love it when they crank the music and you spend the morning punching and kicking. We worked a lot on the Wavemasters -- it was awesome. (By the way, last week we tested again! The boys and I are purple belts and Brian is gold. It will be at least a couple months before we test again, but aways feels like such a great accomplishment.) After that we ran errands, and did stuff around the house. Later in the day, we met up with Scott, Ali and A at the Audubon Center. It was only for a little while, but fun seeing them. Although, the gnats were pretty insane. I'm not sure what was up with that. Tonight, the Easter Bunny comes. And the boys have been trying to figure out a way to rig up night-vision on their iPods so they can try to capture him on film. They also hid letters and treats way out in the back yard. They are set!

Decorating Eggs

Spring Break had officially begun! We spent the day lounging in pajamas, riding bikes and skateboards, playing soccer, mowing the lawn, and decorating eggs. My favorite thing ever. Of course, Brian and I only got to do two each. I love how different they all are. Brian made psycho Sharpie bunny and eyeball egg. I made polka dot and string-wrapped egg. The boys did the rest. I sure hope the Easter Bunny likes them.

The Birthday Celebration

I think it's fair to say, H had a great birthday. His locker parter -- who is at least a head an a half taller than him -- shares the same birthday, so they had double treats in class. He had a great soccer practice, picked out exactly what he wanted for dinner, and got another birthday cake. For over a week, he has been hoarding mail and presents that have been sent to him in his bedroom closet, just waiting to open them. I love that he still gets so excited about the photo books I make him each year. And this year, he even got a new bike! Honestly, he outgrew his before the beginning of the summer so it's long overdue. The look on his face was amazing. He went to bed -- smelling of the new deoderent stick we got him -- and saying it was his best birthday ever. Success.

Ten

Ten years ago, our first-born entered this world and changed our lives in so many ways we didn't even know it would. I'm so proud of this guy every single day. It's such a joy to watch him grow and thrive. Sure, he has his moments of 4th grade boy goofiness (something didn't understand when I was in 4th grade, and something I don't claim to understand now -- 4th grade boys can be weird). But overall, he's so kind and thoughtful -- I really can't believe how lucky we are to be his parents.

H's ("The Hawk") Favorites:

Color: dark red

Food: steak

Drink: root beer float, “um, does that count?”

Toy: Legos

TV show: F1 Racing on the Speed Channel

Subject in school: science

Animal: sheep

Sport: soccer and football

Day of the week: Saturday

Happy 10th birthday H! We absolutely adore you. Love, Mom

Vinyl Sunday :: Superstars Greatest Hits

Brian and I have been an item going on nineteen years. And in that time, we have never ever owned a decent sound system. We have an ipod dock, and that has been our stereo for years. Before that, we were using the one Brian purchased in high school. Towards the end of its life, we couldn't even adjust the radio dial or sound. Honestly, it was pretty pathetic. We finally made the leap and got ourselves hooked up -- and even have a turn table so we can play all the vinyl Brian has collected over the year. Our plan is to play a new album every Sunday. The record collection is pretty interesting. We may even have come polka in the mix. H got to pick the first album, and this was it.

Celebrating 2

February, March and April are really busy birthday months around these neck of the woods. Besides a majority of family members celebrating birthdays during this time, a lot of our friends do to. And today, we got to celebrate with a special little two-year old. It was a Blue's Clues party, and everyone -- especially A -- seemed to have a really great time.

Birthday Dinners

With H celebrating the big 1-0, and my sister, Christie, finally turing 4-0 next week, we thought it would be fun to get together for a celebratory birthday dinner. The kids all decided on hibachi, and were so excited to get to see their cousins. It was a fun ... and goofy ... night.