Category: see

i saw this little writing about interruptions yesterday, and it really resonated with me.  it can apply to anyone, but it might especially resonate with those of you who are parents, because let’s face it, who doesn’t hear ‘mama!’ or ‘daddy!’ a thousand times a day.  they are sweet words (and ones we longed to hear), but sometimes, don’t you wish someone wasn’t calling your name?  i remember when i used to work at a corporate job, i didn’t want to hear ‘cara’ anymore after i got home.  i had heard it enough, and people were just wanting stuff from me.  i remember my mom telling the same story about her nursing days.  but maybe, instead of looking at those moments as interruptions, we look at them as little moments that someone is acknowledging us, needing us.  because, you know what?  someday, these little people will go to school or soccer practice or college or be tending to their own sweet children, and we won’t hear ‘mama’ and ‘daddy’ nearly as much.  it made me cry to type that.

INTERRUPTIONS

When you are exasperated by interruptions, try to remember that their very
frequency may indicate the value of your life. Only people who are full
of help and strength are burdened by other persons’ needs. The
interruptions which we chafe at are the credentials of our
indispensability. The greatest condemnation that anybody could incur –
and it is a danger to guard against – is to be so independent, so
unhelpful, that nobody ever interrupts us, and we are left comfortably alone.

-Anonymous
from The Anglican Digest

for the last several weeks, i’ve been preparing for a party to help welcome my nephew emmett (part of my distraction from the blog of late).  since my brother and sister-in-law live in denver, i thought it would be nice to have an open house where friends and family could come to congratulate the parents and meet the baby instead of them having to travel all over kansas city trying to do the same thing.  the party was a hit –  everyone had a great time, and even stayed late.  it was very much a team effort to pull this off, and i have to give equal credit to my dear husband, parents, and aunt and uncle for efforts great and small.  here are a few of the party details.  come back tomorrow for more scoop and a few of my own party tips.

{the gorgeous guest of honor}

{b-man sneaking a little icing}

the short guys is 21 months now, which i think is just bonkers.  you mean i’m going to have a 2-year-old???

he is busy busy, and honestly, that has got to be an understatement.  for example, last night, while i was unloading groceries, he was doing shuttle runs in the kitchen for about 20 minutes.  this cannot be normal.  he is counting from 1 – 10, knows his colors, several shapes, and quite a few letters too.  we haven’t been pushing him, but he genuinely seems interested, so we’re going with it.  he is still loving all things with a motor, and my dad thinks he has a little engineer brain, which he had to get from his grandfathers.  his parents do not have engineer brains.   he loves to color, play with sidewalk chalk, and still enjoys books when he’s in the mood.  we haven’t been to the pool yet, but he really loves the water, so i hope he’ll love the pool too.

on the not-so-great side, he has sure been testing the limits.  he loves to throw things, but we don’t love that.  i do understand the concept is hard.  throw the ball – yay, you’re great!  but, don’t throw the toy, shoe, cup, etc!  i think my fuse has been a little short lately, but i am struggling with how to handle these situations.  i’m trying to be calm, get down to his level, and just talk to him.  unfortunately, it’s not working.  i do understand that he is still young.  any hot tips???

overall, he is an easy-going happy kid.   he is sweet, sweet, sweet, and a little charmer.

{favorite pastime – bowls of water on the patio}

{sleepyhead, wrapped up on a chilling morning}

carsyn’s dad, doug, and i have known each other since high school.  a few years ago, he and his wife moved into a house just down the street from ours, and they have since had two darling kiddos.  they recently asked me to take some photos of sweet carsyn, who has gorgeous blue eyes and porcelain skin.  here are a few highlights…

this sweet family is kind of on the same timeline as mine.  their daughter, kendley, was born just a day after beckett (same hospital too, but we didn’t know the other was there), and their son, miles, was born on the exact day as my nephew, emmett.

you might remember miles’ tiny feet from this post.  i finally finished editing his session, and i think we got some great stuff.  i’ll let you judge for yourself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

while miles was off with ‘craft services’, i got to play with kendley.  what a doll!

 

she even busted out her own camera!

we had a full weekend…

we kicked it off with a school carnival, and back at home, a visit with great friends.  when we went to check on beckett at the end of the night, we found this.

{sleeping like a log}

a few funny things here:  1)  sure, it’s completely light in there.  isn’t that what you do for your kids?  actually, he can reach the light switch from his crib, and turned it on.  no wonder it took him so long to fall asleep that night.  2) the poor kid’s legs are through the crib slats.  3) yes, that’s his entire room in his crib.  he must have 3 blankets, a tiger and ernie.  i mean, who could think about sleep without this stuff!?!   4) also, yep, it’s a onesie over pants.  we forgot to snap it first, and we were much to lazy to fix it.

b has developed a shoe addiction.  he is my child!  he wants shoes (his, mine, or jared’s) on…and off….and on….and off.  now you know what we did all weekend.

{big shoes to fill –  his ol’ dad is quite the guy}

a special breakfast on mother’s day.  not only did i get to sleep in, but the boys went out and hunted pastries and coffee and whipped up some eggs too.

our little buddy has turned into quite the climber.  i think his future in gymnastics could be bright.

we finished off the weekend with a family gathering with both sides at our house for lunch (unfortunately, i forgot to bust out the camera -so unlike me)  – and some playtime in the backyard, just the three of us.  let spinfest 2012 commence!

{my herbs are getting bigger by the day}

happy happy mothers’ day to my dear sweet mother.  it never ceases to amaze me how much this woman will do for me – from watching b-man on a moment’s notice to schlepping me around town when my car is in the shop, she will stop at nothing to make my life easier, and i am forever grateful.  she is an amazing role model – watching her take challenges in stride, helping others, and continuing to push herself makes me want to strive for the same things.   she gives of herself though no one may be watching.  she doesn’t need the encouragement; to do the good deed is enough.

she always has a wise word to offer.  “to whom much is given, much is expected” and “this too shall pass” are a few favorites that have really stuck with me.  in my younger days, i only viewed them as lectures (she’s a great lecture-giver :)), but i’ve come to rely upon her encouraging and wise words.  frankly, i think she could talk anyone ‘off the ledge’.

she is special, she is lovely, and above all else, she is mom.  i love you.

“slightly more than half of everything i am is thanks to you”.  to find out what i mean, check this out.  your nursing background will appreciate it.

{in a favorite spot – the front porch of the cabin}

beckett and i went to our MOPs meeting this morning (find a group near you here), and when i picked him up, they handed me this.

{oh, be still my beating heart}

it’s his little finger prints!  this is his first piece of artwork that i haven’t been involved in.  i know it probably seems like no big deal, but it made me pretty darn happy to get this today.  it’s something i will most definitely have forever and ever.

we had a few trying days this week – we were without a car for a few days (our 5 year old car was getting a new air conditioner – thanks for the crappy a/c volkswagen) and stuck at home, which doesn’t suit us too well, and b reacted with copious amounts of whining.  oh boy, it had me a little frustrated.  i really shouldn’t complain about something so dumb, but i learned that we both really like getting out of the house – we need it.  we’ve been back to our regular groove the past two days, and we’re both much happier campers.

so a super high and a (sort of) low for the week.  and that is how parenting is, but i have to say there are a hundred highs for every low.

have a great weekend.  go hug yo mama.

what a whirlwind of a weekend!   we had a house full of friends (just the way i like it) from thursday to sunday and nonstop activities, all centered around a beautiful wedding of a sweet friend from college.  here’s what went down.

{first stop – oklahoma joe’s – for the best kc barbeque}

the next morning b woke up with a 103 degree fever.  it quickly slid downward, and he had no fever by bedtime, but we never figured out the root cause.  poor guy.  while wonder-daddy, jared, and b held down the fort at home, our houseguests and i went to a friends house for a little bbq and celebrated a little birthday while we were there.

{brookside art fair with recovering kiddo in 90 degree weather – not a match}

the wedding reception was at the nelson atkins art museum, and it was lovely – unfortunately, i didn’t take very many pictures.

{friends entering through the modern wing}

 

{the bride’s vail – lonesome at the coat check.  it was 90 degrees.}

we were off to brock’s 1st birthday party on sunday afternoon, where all the kids donned dinosaur party hats…for at least 5 seconds each.

{the short guy with his beloved cars}