Charlie and Judah

Happy birthday, Charlie

2011-09-20T13:44:00.000-07:00

Baby girl, I'm sorry it's late, but you know how busy Mama has been. You know how busy, because, of course, you watch me and you help me. I hope that I'm teaching you great things and that someday you'll use them to mother your own baby girls and boys. And I want you to know that I couldn't do this without you. So thank you for making me a mother, six years (and five days) ago.
Happy birthday, my sweet, spunky, over-cautious but so astute and beautiful, lanky, blonde, mothering cutie pie.

Birth story

2011-09-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

I think I’d mentioned that I had about 3 weeks of on-again-off-again labor, right? And also that I was about 42 weeks pregnant by the time my baby arrived? The plan was to break my water on the evening of July 13 to try to get things started, which was not ideal, and I had a really hard time making that decision. I was nervous to do so, since once we did it, I’d pretty much be on the clock to have this baby. So the night that I actually went into labor—the kind of labor that produces a baby—it really is no wonder that Paul didn’t believe me and told me several times to leave him alone and go to sleep. Seriously, I can’t blame him. But boy was I mad at him then. We had watched a movie (I wish I could remember which one), during which I was ignoring contractions. Sort of reverse psychology with myself. Anyway, once the movie was over and we were trying to go to sleep, I just couldn’t ignore the pain anymore, and I asked Paul to time the contractions for me, as I wear contacts during the day and glasses at night, so in order to see the clock across the room, I have to put my glasses on, and it just didn’t make sense to me to do that every four minutes. EVERY FOUR MINUTES??? Contractions are really coming every four minutes? Geeze, I had no idea that I’d so successfully started labor by ignoring contractions!

12:00 AM So, Paul was timing these for me and then nearly falling asleep between contractions, and so every time I had another one and then had to wake him up, yes, he was getting a bit annoyed with me. At one point I said something like, “Paul, you need to STEP UP. I’m in labor here.” Then I asked him to please call my midwife and get things going. I think he still didn’t believe me even at this point, but whatever. He made the call and the birth team started on their way. Then I got out of bed and started a bath for myself, and Paul finally realized that this was the real deal. Then he totally did “step up.”

1:00-1:30 AM My wonderful midwife (this was her third time with us) showed up and seemed to be pleased that I appeared to actually be in labor this time. She sat in the bathroom with me while I labored in the tub by candlelight. It was so peaceful, and I was so glad to be laboring at night while the kids slept. I stayed in the water for as long as I was comfortable and then got out and labored in the bedroom, switching often between the bed and the floor. I really wanted my body to be stretched out, even standing, but I felt too weak to hold this pose for very long. I had thrown up several times and was so tired that I had to be very careful not to lose my strength.

2:30 AM The pain was so intense. I think this was my most intense labor ever, probably because it was so quick. I felt like I could just not get on top of things. At this point, I realized (as a woman must do at some point during labor) that I needed to let go. Labor is this incredible experience where three very strong forces—the woman’s body, the woman herself, and the baby—are in action and need to be cooperating in order to bring about good results. In order to have a successful labor, the woman must give in. She must surrender to labor. It’s so hard, because she feels like her body is trying to destroy her. It’s so difficult to feel those waves rising around and to just surrender to them, almost feeling like they’re going to consume and drown you. But once the laboring woman gives in to the experience, the intensity, it’s almost like her body invites her back in for a little more of the control. It’s so hard to explain. Once you give up control, you get a little of it back, and then all three forces are synchronized. The body squeezes another “God-help-me” contraction and the baby moves down into the birth canal, and then mama feels that urge to puuuuushshshsh, then hold that baby right where she is to wait for her body to start the next play. It’s an unbelievable well-oiled machine, a beautiful and perfect picture of nature at her best.

3:00 AM At this time, I first felt the urge to push. I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I was. I knew we were near the end. I kept shaking my head and crying, “Come on, baby, come on out. We want to meet you.” Shortly after first feeling the urge, I tried to stand up. I could feel my baby sliding ever lower, and the sensation was just so intense. I then asked Paul to sit on the stool that we’d brought into the room so that I could sit on his lap, facing the same direction and sort of creating a birthing stool with his legs. It’s the position that we used to birth Judah, and it worked very well then, as he was born after only a couple of pushes once I sat on Paul’s lap. This time was taking a little longer than Judah’s birth did, and poor Paul had to endure sitting under a laboring woman for way too long. What a trooper. We made a great team, and it was awesome for me to have his support, both emotional and actual physical support. Each contraction produced bigger and stronger pushes, and the entire birthing team assured me that it would not be long at all until I held my baby. I started to then touch her head as she crowned, or actually the bag of waters, as the sack didn’t break until about a minute before she was born. I had to hold her head there through three contractions in order to ease her out, so as not to tear. That was agonizing but necessary and very much worth it!

3:35 My water broke, and with the next contraction, out came baby’s head. I got my hands down there, ready to catch the rest of her. Just a minute later, out slithered her little body. I caught her myself and wrapped her up in my arms, which means that I was the first one to see whether baby was a boy or a girl. The light was so dim that I didn’t believe it—“It’s a GIIIIIRRRRLLLLL!!!” Not that I would have minded a boy, but I was so surprised and happy to have another girl.

Just a little while later, Paul brought the kids in to meet their new baby sister. What a strange experience it must have been to go to bed one night and then wake up with a new sibling. Judah wasn’t very interested until the next day, but Charlie was having a blast studying the baby, holding her, and hanging out with the birthing team. Among all the many reasons, this is probably my favorite reason for having a home birth—being all together in our own home for the entire experience and having that immediate bonding time.

Well, that’s about it. We had a pretty short babymoon, considering we moved two and a half weeks later and Paul had to work his last week on Capitol Hill! But she has nursed like a champ from the very beginning and is already sleeping through most nights. So for me, the transition from 2 to 3 has been a bit easier than from 1 to 2.

Just for you, I’m posting some pics from Baby Penny’s baptism which took place in our home parish in Virginia before we left, while she was only days old. It was so special to have her baptized by the same priest that baptized me into the Church just months earlier, and, in fact, with the same godmother.

In my spare time

2011-09-07T18:55:00.000-07:00

I was talking with a customer today (a customer of my sewing business, that is--she needs a nap mat for her little pre-schooler) about the specifics for her purchase. Once we had decided on the fabric and the other particulars, she thanked me for making this custom item for her. I told her how happy I am to do it, as it is a pretty fun project for me. I really love making things for kids and babies. She laughed and said, "I wish I had time for projects!" I would have laughed along with her, had this not felt like such an isult. Who does she think she is implying that I'm just sitting around all day waiting for people to call me with sewing projects??? Doesn't she know I have three kids at home, two of whom I'm homeschooling and one of whom is an exclusively breastfed newborn? I also somehow manage to maintain a home, without a dishwasher, mind you. If I'm working on a sewing project, I promise it's not because I have nothing else to do!
And while everything I just said is actually true, I'm only joking about the "insult" part. Okay, maybe I am truly a little bit insulted, but that's just my pride. There's no reason at all to feel this way. No REAL reason. We're all given the same number of hours in a day, and we all choose how to use them. While sometimes I feel like I can't even go to the bathroom without the explicit permission from at least four people, deep down I am happy about how my hours are spent.
That said, I have been EXTREMELY busy since Penelope was born almost two months ago. Since giving birth, we have packed up our life and moved two states away, Paul has started a new job, and Charlie has started first grade in homeschool. Judah started potty training, and then I thought I was going to lose my mind. I realized he wasn't ready, and we have set that on the back burner for a bit.
I, with the help of Paul's family, also organized a surprise party for Paul's 40th birthday. It totally went off without a hitch, and he would have been completely surprised, had not Judah opened the door just before Paul walked in. It would have been fine at that point, had not Paul's dad whisked Judah from the doorstep and shut the door on Paul. And Paul might still have not suspected anything, had not someone instantly closed the blinds. Oh, no, nothing going on here! Anyway, Paul knew what he was walking into, but it was still a great party. I became a bit emotional at one point, remembering life without kids at all, and somehow now there are all these little ones running around at these family gatherings. Life is so, so much fuller these days.
And how did all this happen? One day I'm going out with my boss's brother, a few months later I realize that I don't want to live without him. One day we're married, one day we start a family. Day by day we make our choices. The little choices add up to become bigger decisions, and somehow we're a family of seven (five of us here in this life, and two already on the other side). So many huge things in such a seemingly short time.
We've left the life in the big city and are closer to the life that we want in the country. I am loving being back in South Carolina. While I miss my old neighborhood and, of course, my precious friends, things are feeling familiar to me here. We're getting settled into our little brick country house on two acres of grass and woods. Paul even has a riding lawn mower. Yep, he's gone country. :) We buy raw milk from the dairy farmer down the street, and we're looking into an organic CSA from Mini Miracles Farm.
I see at least one extended family member ever day. It's just wonderful. The kids have nearly daily access to all of their grandparents and nearly all of their cousins, aunts, and uncles. I'm so happy that they will grow up this way.
I am sorry to say that I am going to have to be signing off here. It's almost my bedtime, and I suppose I should get back to my sewing "projects." :) I will be taking photos and also posting them in the near future. Until then, feel free to visit my friend Joy's blog and take a look at the photos she posted from her trip here last weekend.
One more thing before I go: I absolutely covet your prayers right now for my sister Stephanie. She has just today been put on the list for a heart-liver transplant. Her story is long, but basically she was born with congenital heart disease and has had multiple operations during her life, the last of which was January, 2010. She is now in pre-liver failure and needs both a heart and liver. She needs our prayers for her daily peace, energy, and ability to care for her two young chldren and husband. I would also ask for your prayers regarding the mixed emotions that she must be experiencing surrounding needing new organs from a donor. Please pray that her faith would not be shaken. I ask for your prayers for all of us who love her, that we would seek God and his love through this difficult time.
The peace of Christ be with you all tonight. I will write again as soon as I can find just a few minutes.

My lovely

2011-07-20T13:26:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in an earlier post that I'd become the subject of a photography student's project on homebirth. After my friend Ashley finished her project, she came back to our home to do an absolutely breathtaking newborn photo session of our little Penelope Joy. Here are some of my favorites.

Ashley, thank you so so much for taking the time to do this for us. These pictures are such a treasure. :)

At last . . .

2011-07-13T18:13:00.000-07:00

I'm afraid I don't have a lot of time at the moment, but I wanted to announce the arrival of our latest: Penelope Joy. She arrived after a fast (well, "fast" except for the 3 weeks of practice labor) and furious four-and-a-half-hour labor at home during the night. It was a perfect and beautiful, albeit pretty darn painful and intense experience.

Our biggest baby yet, Penny (I'm going with "Penny," while Paul and Charlie seem to prefer "Pen") weighed in at 9 pounds, 3 ounces and measured 22 1/2 inches long. She's very healthy and pink and nursing like a champ! We're all doing very well, the kids SO excited to have a baby sister. I'm feeling great, though pretty tired. Laboring at night proved to be a very good thing where the other kids were concerned--they just slept right through it! However, the down side is that we were just settling in for naptime as the kids were waking up refreshed and ready to face a new day as always.

There were so many blessings and answers to prayers. I'll get to those when I share my birth story. For now I'll just say I'm so completely blessed and just bubbling over with gratitude. The most amazing gift that God could have given me (along with my brand new daughter and, of course, all of my other children) is my husband. Paul is truly the most incredibly selfless servant of a father and husband that I've ever seen. You really should see this man care for me and the kids like he has, even after being up all night supporting me through labor. I just want to say thank you. Thanks to God and also to Paul for allowing himself to be used as he has.

Penelope, welcome to the world. I can't wait to show you what a wonderful God we serve and what a beautiful world He has allowed you to be born into. Welcome to our family, where we hope to love you as we should, giving you everything. Charlie and Judah, I love you and I hope that you find in Penelope all the love and joy that you have found in each other. Paul, God bless you, my incredible prince of a husband.

Sigh . . . still waiting

2011-07-07T17:47:00.000-07:00

I'm getting awfully tired of this. I really shouldn't complain, I know, but really I just want to meet my baby! The thing is, the due date has been up in the air this whole pregnancy. If I go merely on dating, as in last menstrual period, taking into account my long cycles, my due date would have been around June 23 or 24. I was inclined to go by this date, considering that I found out on October 29 that I was pregnant and was having such strong symptoms, and that would have made me about 4 weeks gestation, which seemed about right. However, when I had what would have been my 20-week sonogram (20 weeks by those dates), the baby measured just over 18 weeks. But one cannot estimate the age of the baby according to measurements beyond 11 weeks, because all babies grow at different rates once they pass the 11-week mark. Anyway, the ultrasound people don't seem to be able to think analytically and decided that my new and improved due date would be July 4. So my midwife and I talked and decided to split the difference and set the due date smack in the middle of those two due dates at June 29.
Boy am I glad now that we did that. You see, if I want to have this baby at home, I have to do it before the 42-week point. I thought for absolute certain that the baby would come before the end of June, no problem. And here we are. It's July 7, and there is no sign that the baby is coming any time soon.
I've gone into "practice labor" several times the last three weeks or so, and just last Monday, July 4 (which would have made a cool birthday!), we had the entire birthing team here. Contractions started early in the evening on the 3rd, and by 1 AM on the 4th, I was calling my midwife, birth assistant, midwife student, my friend who was on call to help with Charlie and Judah, and my friend who is photographing the birth for her photojournalism project (that's 9 people, including the family, in my 970-square-foot 2-BR condo). Anyway, while contractions had been a minute and a half long and two minutes apart for a couple of hours, for some reason they ended up spreading further and further apart until they pretty much stopped. We called it quits around lunchtime, which was pretty disappointing. I thought that things would pick up later that day, but even now, three days later, there has been little activity other than the Braxton-Hicks contractions that I've had for the last 21 weeks.
Here's why I'm happy: I'm birthing this baby at home, and I have choices and power to decide what happens. When my midwife came to me and suggested that we take a break and have everyone leave so that I could get some real rest, she laid everything on the table and handed the decision to me. She offered that we could reconnect later in the day and try some things like castor oil, etc. and try to push on, or we could just leave things alone and see what happens. I opted for the latter, feeling no real pressure to force this baby to come. While I would LOVE to have birthed the little guy or girl by now, there is no real reason that it has to be. I firmly believe in letting nature take its course (at least until I run into the necessity of birthing in the hospital--I WILL take action to avoid that).
When I think about what may have happened had I chosen to labor and birth in the hospital, I am so thankful! I probably would have ended up being coerced into pitocin to help labor progress, when in actuality, the baby just needs a little more time to "cook," and my body is just preparing a little more for when the time is right. I'm okay with that. And being at home with such an understanding and gentle and knowledgeable group of women gave me such perspective. They aren't rushing me through the birthing process. They recognize this as perfectly natural, and most of all, they recognize my right to make decisions that I (and Paul) feel good about. It's just so lovely that I wish more women realized the value of midwifery.
Now, that's why I'm happy. Here's why I'm frustrated: Frankly, and please forgive me, I'm getting so tired of having the conversation about how dilated I am and why this baby hasn't come yet and can I believe that it's so late. I really wish that I had not shared my due date with anyone, including myself! I know that people love me and are excited, but I just can't talk about it anymore. It has taken me days to write this post because it's just so tiring.
So the lowdown for all of my loved ones: I really feel great, but I get tired easily, as one can imagine. I am sleeping pretty well, except for when the kids come in on occasion and wake me up. I'm not going to discuss my cervix here, 1) because eww and 2) because it really doesn't matter--when labor starts, it takes its own course, and dilation/effacement really matter very little. The baby was estimated at my 41-week sonogram to be about 9 pounds, but it feels a little bigger than that to me. I'm excited about that--I think big babies are actually easier to birth and eat and sleep better once they are born.
There. I think I've hit the highlights of my current status. I really, really do appreciate everyone's concern and excitement. I'll be quite sure to update everyone via email, Facebook, phone, and blog (probably in that order) as soon as there is a little one to introduce. A happy night to all, and keep me in your prayers, if you think about it.

People say the darnedest things

2011-07-03T16:03:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd take my mind off what is sure to be more "practice labor" (only because although I've been having somewhat intense contractions every 5-7 minutes for the last hour or so, I have now called my midwife for the headsup, which only seems to slow labor almost immediately), and tell you about some recent conversations I've had with total strangers.

1. This one has happened about six times during the last 4 months or so, ever since I've been visibly pregnant:
Stranger: "When are you due?"
Me: "The end of June."
Stranger: "Well, my birthday is June the 6th, so I think you should have the baby that day."
Variation: "Oh! You should have the baby on July 12th--that's my birthday!" (this one was said just the other day, after I told a woman that I was past my due date)
Now, I don't mean to be cranky, but seriously? Why the heck do I care to have the baby on a COMPLETE STRANGER'S birthday? I mean, the baby IS going to be born on many, many complete strangers' birthday, regardless of what day that is. And really, my own mother's birthday was yesterday--if I had any control over the day that this baby is to be born (since I don't believe in scheduled c-sections or unnecessary inductions, that is), would I not try for the birthday of someone that means a little more to me than the random guy at the local farmers' market?

2. I'm actually having a contraction during this conversation, mind you.
Stranger: "So, when are you due?"
Me: "About a week ago or so."
Stranger: "So that's the stressed-out look on your face?" (Tactful)
Me: "Um, I guess so."
Stranger: "Pizza helps."
Me: "Excuse me? Like, pizza helps with stress? Or pizza helps with what exactly?"
Stranger: "Both of my kids were born two days after my wife ate pizza."
Now, there's some scientific proof. Once again, some random guy's wife ate pizza and then TWO DAYS later she gave birth. But that's not all! It happened TWICE! Amazing results! Even if she does eat pizza every other day during a pregnancy, who knew?

3. Stranger: "So, just those two kids, plus the one you're carrying?"
Me: "Yes."
Stranger: "You need four more."
Me: "Why's that?"
Stranger: "Because I have seven, so you need seven."
So, nevermind that I have two children in heaven, I know this guy doesn't know that, and I'm not offended by it. But basically because this random guy taking my order at Panera has seven children, I'm supposed to have seven children? Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have that many someday, if God wills it. But it won't be because Chuck the bagel guy thinks his kids are great, which I'm sure they are.

I know that people mean well and that they are only trying to relate and be friendly. It really is okay. I've said some pretty stupid things during my time here on earth as well. I just find it unbelievably entertaining sometimes.

Waiting for baby

2011-06-27T05:17:00.000-07:00

I haven't written in a while. I have all these great posts partially written in my head, but I've been so so busy with life, that I just can't seem to get them transferred to the blog. There is so much to catch up on.
First of all, I'm still pregnant. Enormously pregnant. Like, you-would-not-believe-how-big-my-belly-is pregnant. I see people as they approach me trying so hard not to look down. It's like they're all having this inner dialog "Don't look down. Don't look down. DON'T LOOK DOWN!" And then they just can't resist and their eyes are forced to take in the planet-sized belly that is surely holding twins or at least a ten-pounder. And their eyes ever so slightly bulge open, and I laugh inside. It IS pretty funny.
I'm currently timing contractions and hoping to God that this baby makes his or her debut tonight. Not making any promises. I typically have "false labor" for several days before baby arrives. Yesterday I swore that this little one was sending the signal, but no go. So here we are. I'll be sure to keep you posted.
Among other BIG news is that we are moving. It's time for this family to get out of the city. In my blogger profile you can see that we "live a simple life too close to the city and longing for the country." Well, dear readers, it's going to happen. We've prayed and prayed that God would make His will known to us and open a door somewhere, somehow, and He's finally done so. He's stretched our patience and proven His love yet again.
In just a little over a month, we will be relocating back to the upstate of South Carolina, near family and in our hometown where we met and were married. We have rented a beautiful house on a country road with two acres of yard. This 3-bedroom house is almost twice the size of the condo we're in now and has more kitchen cabinets than I will know what to do with. I seriously wonder if I could place one dish inside each cabinet and still have storage space left over. That's okay, though--I'll figure it out. I'm also especially looking forward to having a washer and dryer in my own living quarters instead of having to walk outside to the end of the building and then pay $10 per week to do the laundry. AND the rent is HALF our mortgage payment! God has provided a cute married couple to rent our condo here, which was also a big answer to prayer.
We're so thrilled for the opportunities that lie ahead. God is so good to our family. Of course, though, we have mixed feelings about uprooting the kids and leaving the only home they've ever known and also leaving some very dear friends that have been so wonderful to us. We will miss our church--the parish where I was confirmed Catholic, and also the parish where my babies were baptized. We will miss our incredible little neighborhood. We'll miss our little condo, where one of my babies (and another one any day!) was born. It'll also be pretty difficult to leave the town where our Benjamin's grave lies.
And as much as we desire to live in the country, at least I (I don't know about Paul) will miss living 4 miles south of our nation's capitol, just across the Potomac River. It's been such a fun adventure being able to drive or run along the river and have a daily view of things like the Capitol building and the Washington Monument. Any time we want we have the chance to visit a Smithsonian or other museum (most of them for free!). However, one thing we will absolutely NOT miss is the traffic. Goodness, are we glad to get away from that!
So now we are beginning the packing as we await the next little baby. And besides the obvious things I am looking forward to (i.e., the baby itself), there are quite a few other things I'm looking forward to: being able to breathe, being able to sleep on my stomach and my back, seeing Judah as a big brother and Charlie as an even bigger sister, running again.
On a side note, I started this post a few days ago and cannot believe that I am still working on it. Part of me wonders if the baby is waiting for me to finish before he or she enters the world this side of the womb. Hopefully that's the case, because I'm going to hit "Publish Post" now and would really, really love to feel a nice strong contraction to finally begin real labor. :) Have a great day, and I'll keep you posted.

Preparations

2011-06-02T15:15:00.000-07:00

We are getting very close to birthing time, but things feel so different this time around. At this point with Judah, I was definitely having mixed emotions, it having been only a year since Benjamin was born. I also was having huge conflict over somehow destroying Charlie's world by allowing a sibling to enter into it. Even during labor I remember lamenting to my birth assistant that everything was going to change for Charlie. But now I understand that birthing a sibling is the best gift that I can give my kids, and I'm so excited to be doing that again.
Except that they are growing way, way too fast. Just a minute ago, when Judah spied a picture of a cat on a blog, I heard Judah start to say, "Meow," which USED to be his name for cat, and then stop mid-word and correctly say, "Kittens." It made me sad. He's also stopped saying "wow-ee-o wuck" for "fire truck" and "hee hee" instead of "sissy." Charlie's all grown up in other ways, and suddenly we need to stop spelling things in hopes that she won't hear what we're discussing. It's a beautiful thing to watch them grow up, but it's so painful to recognize that they're in our hands for such a short time.
These feelings make me want to hold onto every single second, which, I think, is partly why I'm not quite ready to birth this baby. I am one of those obnoxious women who so love being pregnant. I really do. When I'm pregnant I feel more myself, almost as if this is why I'm here. And so I'm holding onto the pregnancy for that reason, as well as because once the baby is born then he/she too will start to grow up like everyone else. It's crazy, I know. But right now the baby is mine all mine.
But alas, the day will come when I have to share him/her, and so I have been working like crazy to prepare. I've become the subject of a photography project on homebirth, which has been much fun! It has also lit a fire under me to do some projects of my own, which I might not otherwise choose to do.
Ginny over at Small Things had a great idea that I copied in order to get photos for my friend's project, but the dried herbs didn't arrive in time for the deadline. The kids and I put things together this afternoon by combining comfrey leaves, calendula flowers, rosehips, rosemary leaves, chamomile flowers, and lavender oil in small muslin bags. When in labor and after the baby is born, I'll steep a bag and pour the tea into the bath for healing and relaxation.

Yesterday I sewed this pretty gauzy nightgown to wear during our birthing time. I wanted to have something special and nice for photos.

And though I have no pictures, you should see my stocked freezer! I've made several casseroles to have on hand for immediately after the birth and in the weeks afterward. As for the food needed during labor and immediately after birth, I know that some people think it's preposterous that a woman should have to be concerned with providing food for herself, let alone the birth team. But what they should understand is that this is the way it is. Having a baby at home means that there will not be a cafeteria (thank goodness), and that it's a really, really good idea to prepare food ahead of time. It also means that the midwife and the rest of the birthing team (birth assistant, possibly a midwife student, childcare provider, etc.)--these people on whom the birthing woman is depending--may not be coming from their own homes, and therefore will not necessarily be able to grab a TV dinner on their way out the door to come help birth the baby. I'm happy to provide a good, healthful meal for myself, my family, and everyone involved! In fact, it's sort of a fun ritual to welcome baby. It fits nicely with our philosophy regarding the home and the family, if you think about it. We homeschool, homebirth, and provide a homecooked meal. :)

So, as soon as I know that I am in labor, I will make my phonecalls to gather my team, set out a casserole to thaw, and then settle down with my little ones that are here with me already. I'll do my best to relax and gently welcome baby into his or her new world. Until then, more nesting. ;)

My Mother's Day

2011-05-13T11:05:00.000-07:00

First, I was awakened by my little guy, just like I am every morning. Judah is usually the first to rise, and he always stomps into our room and climbs into bed. On my side. Every time. Never wants to cuddle with anyone but Mommy. It's okay--he's quite the cuddler. Then Charlie quietly (which is more her way) tiptoes into the room and joins us in the bed, too. On my side, as well. So I entertain them for a while and then remember that it's Mother's Day and I get to sleep in if I want to. :) So I nudge Paul and ask if he would kindly enlist Charlie and Judah's help in the kitchen with Mother's Day breakfast in bed. Which he does.

I doze for about a half hour while Paul slaves away in the kitchen over fresh baked croissants with honey butter, scrambled eggs, perfectly crispy bacon, fresh berries, orange juice, and a cup of Irish breakfast tea. I'm sure the kids are helping, but all I can hear is giggling and occasional bickering. But I stay in bed, because I know Paul has it all under control. Breakfast was just lovely, eating alone in my bed and reading my new book, which was my gift from the family--The Handbook for Catholic Moms. I actually read a couple of chapters AND drank a cup of tea before it became cold!

We went to the later Sunday morning Mass so that we I could have a more leisurely morning than usual. It was nice. We ended up walking to church, since it was such a perfect day, and letting the kids play on the playground for a few minutes before the service. On our walk home, we retraced the path that I used to walk from the bus stop, back when I was a childless working woman in the city. The walk triggered my memory of those days, and I began to talk about what life was like when it was just Paul and me, before I was a mother. The days of office work, happy hours, last-minute weekend trips to the beach. I actually used to fix my hair EVERY DAY! While we were walking past our old condo--the one-bedroom on the second floor that we owned (and were perfectly happy with) before we learned of Charlie's existence--I pointed up to show the kids where we used to live. "Look! That's where Mommy and Daddy used to--"

"Hey, Mommy! Did you see that bumpy slide at the playground? It was so fun!"

Not only does she have no problem cutting me off while I'm on Memory Lane, but she has no idea that there was a life before she was born. As far as they know, we didn't even exist until they came around. There was no reason to, right?

It really is hard, though, to remember life before these guys. It feels like a lifetime ago. As if I'm remembering someone else's memories. Life was totally about Paul and me back then. We came and went whenever we want, slept as long as we wanted on the weekends, did pretty much whatever felt good at the moment. Now I can't even write this blog post without having to get somebody a drink of water or help settle an argument.

We came home from church, had a light lunch, and then headed outside to plant our little seedlings in pots to hopefully have the opportunity to nurture an abundant container garden of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and herbs. We had so much fun digging in the dirt and running away from the hose (this is how Paul gardens--chasing us with the hose).

We went out to dinner that night, though I wonder if we will next year. Mother's Day is really a crazy day to go out. No one wants Mom to have to cook on Mother's Day, but Mom really doesn't need to wait an hour for a table and then spend her entire dinner not only entertaining her own kids but having to endure listening to everyone else's kids be cranky and all that, does she? It's my fault--I really wanted to go out. But hopefully I'll remember next year that it's not all it's cracked up to be. :)

I spent the day completed delighted with my family. Life is certainly so different these days. I stay busy being at home, homeschooling, and making a peaceful environment for the family, with very little time to myself. It's really hard having to be "on" all the time. But life is so full, and I wouldn't want it any other way. These little guys are what I always wanted before I knew what I wanted. :) It isn't always so rosey (as I'm sure you know!), but if I weren't home with them like I am, I feel like I would miss so much. I'm so, so thankful for our simple life.

I'm also thankful for my own mother, who showed me what self-sacrifice is all about. She gave of herself every single day, and continues to do so, even though her children are all grown. Even when times were difficult, we always, always knew we were deeply loved. I hope that my own children will say this of me someday. Thanks, Mom, and happy Mother's Day (a few days late). :) Love you.

Springing forward

2011-05-06T08:28:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Paul was priveleged to travel a couple of days for work. He visited the district in SC that his boss represents--mainly the Columbia area--and toured several agricultural facilities like a cattle ranch, a farm, and the largest peach orchard in the Southeast. Ever since that trip, Paul has been reading and talking about supporting small farms and wanting to somehow be involved in community-supported agriculture. As a result, he and I spent some time with the kids over the weekend planting seeds for our first-ever container garden. We live in a small condo with not much direct sun, which is why we have never attempted a garden of any sort. But we started thinking that there's no reason we couldn't put a few things in pots and move them around where the sun is, right? Well, we're going to try it. So now we've got seeds for cherry tomatoes, basil, and cucumbers sprouting in egg cartons in the house. I have to move them from window to window during the day to make sure they're getting the sun they need. I also have a pot of cilantro outside, and just yesterday I gathered some seeds from a green pepper that I'd like to get started, too.

Paul shot this with his Blackberry yesterday morning. This is the cucumber growth just since Saturday!

There has been a lot of spring cleaning and nesting going on lately, too. I think the combination of the time of year and the time in my pregnancy has resulted in an obsession for me. :) I really like to clean already. But always, around 32 weeks, I get the bug to constantly organize, donate our unwanteds, clean, spruce up, etc., as if once the baby gets here the whole house has the potential to just fall apart. As much as I'd like to live in a larger space, having a small condo grants the opportunity to get it all done. In addition to cleaning, I've been able to make a few things like a new wreath and the bathroom curtains for which I've had fabric for about a year!

My front door spring wreath

We have been having such a beautiful spring seaason. Easter was just lovely, quietly celebrated at Mass with friends and then brunch afterwards. Our Lenten season was also very special, as I take inventory of everything going on in our family's life lately, and sort of streamline a bit. For Lent, in addition to giving up my late night snack (which I really don't need anyway but somehow always feel entitled to since I am, after all, pregnant), I focused on some wifely and motherly duties that sort of needed some "tightening up."

These ideas sound so archaic and repressive, in the modern world we live in. "Wifely duties." The duties that I've been working on are things like setting the table for dinner with a tablecloth (for example) and having family-style meals instead of fixing our plates in the kitchen and being sure to pick up the house, make the kids presentable, and fixing up myself with set hair and makeup before Paul comes home from work. I know these things might sound so silly to some people, but they have become very important to me. I feel like being in this mindset helps to create a place of peace. It's the little details that show a little more care, you might say.

I'm also working on having a set time for prayer and quiet time, and especially praying for patience with the kids and Paul. It's not exactly natural for me to be patient. Being pregnant, mom to two, homeschooling, providing part-time childcare (just for a few more weeks!), handling almost all the household duties (Paul does do all the laundry, which is so great!), running a sewing business, and making sure to get the kids out of the house when I can, makes for very long days and not a lot of me-time, or God-time, for that matter. I do realize that it's a matter of priority, and if that means heading to bed earlier and actually setting an alarm clock, then it's what has to be done.

I love this time of year for the idea of waking up from the winter, shaking off the dust and cold, and preparing for the growth of summer. There is a feeling of potential in the air, and responsibility to cultivate that potential. So as we transplant our little seedlings, and I begin to close out this pregnancy, I'm praying that God will help me to always recognize what's most important--that while it's nice to have a clean, organized house, it's better to have children and a husband who are at peace, know they're loved, and are growing in God's grace. It seems that it's an ongoing prayer.

On a side note, my parents are giving me a camera soon, so I'll be able to get back to taking pictures and hopefully will then have more incentive to blog more often! Yay! :)

New at JoyfulGifts!

2011-04-11T14:12:00.000-07:00

I'm working on some new gifts for Moms over at JoyfulGifts! Take a look at my handmade diaper clutch gift sets--I have 4-piece and 5-piece sets that are the PERFECT gift for a new mom, or just a mom that deserves some pampering. I'm also working on a brand new item--designer aprons! They will be made with some new fabrics by designers like Michael Miller, Amy Butler, and Alexander Henry.
All Mother's Day gifts are specially priced and will be shipped for free!
Take a look and let me know what you think, and be sure to come back again to see new inventory!

Blessed

2011-03-31T09:23:00.000-07:00

I once heard that the human gestational period is 8 months and 2 years. So, as I'm tempted to write that I'm in the home stretch, having officially entered the third trimester, I won't. As fast as the last 6 months have flown by, I know these next 3 probably won't. But it's okay. I love being pregnant and will savor the time, growing belly and all.

I couldn't wait to show you the bedding that I made for our next little one. I'm very grateful that last summer I was commissioned to make a crib bedding set, because without that experience, I don't know that I would have taken on the task of making a set for my own baby! I'm really happy with the results. Thanks to Joy for taking the photos for me!

I wish that I could show you the whole room. This is just the baby's corner. On the other side of the room we have the big kids who sleep side by side on a daybed and a trundle bed that gets pushed underneath during the day. It's an excellent way to make space. We had originally wanted to get bunk beds, but the more we thought about Charlie's fear of heights coupled with Judah's lack of fear of heights, it just didn't make much sense. At any rate, we will have all three kiddos in one room, which I have absolutely no anxiety about whatsoever. ;)

So, things are moving along here. Charlie is about three-quarters of the way through her first year of school. She's doing so well, and I am so blessed to be her teacher. I know that all homeschooling parents wonder at times why we do what we do, but right now I know exactly why I'm doing this. Yesterday we spent the majority of our school day talking about gravity, which turned into a discussion on the planets and the universe, which developed into a discussion on God and His immense power. I don't know that a discussion like this would have ensued at a conventional kindergarten, and I'm so happy for the opportunity to participate in a learning experience like this. I'm trying to get a head start on preparations for next year, since I know that a large part of my summer will be spent babymooning. Charlie is becoming quite the little lady and ever the great helper. I'm so looking forward to seeing her at this age with a little baby!
I'm also working on preparations to start some Montessori work with Judah and will keep you posted. His new development is being able to dress himself. He's so happy with his accomplishment that he goes through "costume changes" several times a day! The only problem is that the only shirts that he can reach are his pajama shirts in his dresser drawer, so the child is constantly changing into pajamas. I want to encourage his autonomy, but it certainly makes for some extra laundry! He's such a silly kid. I know he'll be a great big brother, too.
I bought my first items for new baby (that's his/her name right now): a two-pack of gender-neutral sleep gowns and a few disposable diapers for the early days. Now I can start washing and putting things into the empty dresser beside the crib! This little one seems to be my most active baby yet, and I'm wondering if that's going to translate well once he or she is born. Dear God, we are begging for a child who sleeps well--maybe not at the very beginning, but maybe within a few months? :)
Of course, we know how incredibly blessed we are, regardless of the sleep issues we've had the last several years. Psalm 127:3 says, "Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him." It's such a different mindset from the typical modern view of children that makes them more of a burden than a blessing. We are so, so thankful. My prayer is that we always remember that.

The Emerald Isle

2011-03-09T07:01:00.000-08:00

I recently had the great pleasure of visiting my twin sister (and best friend) and her beautiful family in Ireland. I went solo (well, solo except for the baby in utero), which was hard for me, given that it was the first time I'd ever left the children, and the longest Paul and I had ever been apart. I cried buckets walking through security leaving Reagan National, and I'm pretty sure I almost attracted too much attention. Once I'd made it through my connection in JFK, I relaxed as I boarded the plane for the long flight over the ocean.

I was sooo happy to see my sister who drove with her baby early in the morning to pick me up at Shannon International Airport about an hour and a half away from her house in a pretty little town in the countryside of Ireland. During the week that I was there, we drove through the Gap of Dunloe and Connor Pass; walked the towns of Killarney, Dingle, Kenmare, and Tralee; and visited Muckross House and Ross Castle. Since I was there primarily to visit with some of my favorite people in the world, I wasn't terribly interested in spending all my time site-seeing, but I think we had a really nice balance of quality time and tourism. One of the highlights for me was having high tea with my sister at an Irish tearoom in Killarney. Of course I also enjoyed the many afternoons spent by the fire just hanging out with the family.

The view from Connor Pass, the highest mountains in Ireland

The view from Castlegregory

The girls scaling the walls of Ross Castle

Cindy and baby

The view from Muckross House

A traditional Irish breakfast, one of my favorite delicacies

The Irish breakfast upon leaving the restaurant :)

Guinness and Bailey's ice cream at the best ice cream place I've ever patronized

Taking a rest upon the altar of the largest stone circle in Western Ireland in the town of Kenmare

The girls dancing on the altar

Making homemade pierogies and pasta

Me and my Ireland-bred nieces

Posing with my sis under an archway at Ross Castle

Our impression of a mirror

I miss them all so much, but I was happy to get home to my own babies and Paul. It's hard to be separated from my twin over such a distance, but this world just isn't perfect. I keep thinking about the day when we will all be in Heaven and can spend eternity together. I am so thankful to have an identical twin and to have had the opportunity to spend a week with her.

Thank you to my mother-in-law who traveled to spend the week taking care of the kids while I was away, and for the friends who filled in the gaps for childcare, as well as my parents who helped with the cost that traveling incurred. It was a wonderful and relaxing trip!

I should have said "No"

2011-02-01T11:29:00.000-08:00

So, I had a former friend accuse me of being a bad friend, of not making an effort to "be there" for her during the time of her recent wedding, and of making everything revolve around my children.
Excuse me, but THEY ARE MY CHILDREN. Not some random people that live in my house that I can sort of care for if I feel like it or if the bride-to-be feels that she has had enough doting for one day and can allow someone else to have some attention.
And why do brides always feel like EVERYone in the world needs to feel the same way about their wedding as they do? I mean, it's important to the bride, but people get married every day. It's a fun, big event, but does everyone need to drop everything and provide the proper amount of doting or else kiss the friendship goodbye? Geeze.
The problem here is that I was the only bridesmaid with children. There was one other bridesmaid that was very recently married, but no kids. I sort of felt like I was back in college in the "Oh-the-wedding-is-the-most-important-day-of-your-life" phase. But I'm so far past that, and no one else in the wedding party could relate. Well, there was one groomsman whose wife was about to have a baby. As a matter of fact, her due date was the day of the wedding. No kidding. Coincidentally, Paul and Judah and I were seated next to them at the rehearsal dinner, faaaaar across the room from the rest of the wedding party, where we enjoyed pleasant adult conversation about kids, etc., as opposed to the "man-I-was-so-wasted" conversation that was going on elsewhere.
I really should not have accepted the request to be in the wedding, knowing that I would likely have to bring the baby along, but we were close enough friends that I assumed she would understand. She had seen me parent my firstborn and knew exactly what kind of a breastfeeding, baby-wearing, co-sleeping attachment parent that I am. I figured that if she was asking me to not only attend the wedding but actually be a part of it, then she knew exactly what she was asking of me and also what I would need in return. Friendship is a two-way street, right? Oh wait. I guess that doesn't apply when one of the friends is a bride.
Judah was seven months old at the time of the wedding. I had hoped that he might take a bottle, but after many, many, MANY attempts at giving him one (using ALL the tricks in the book), the little guy always preferred the breast. I had also hoped that maybe he would be eating solids, but he didn't until he was over a year old. Knowing that there was going to be no way to feed the child while I would have to be away for at least 6 hours, we knew that we had to bring him along. It wasn't like we brought a toddler! We even hired a sitter for Charlie (even though I do not understand why people don't just allow kids at weddings--what event could be more family centered than a wedding, for crying out loud!).
Things actually went well. At least I'd thought they did. Paul dropped me off in the city early so that I could join the bride in her ritual of getting dressed and all that. He would then go home and get Judah and himself ready, greet the babysitter, and then head back to DC for the wedding, strolling the baby as he walked from a far-away parking place. He was a trooper and even kept Judah out of the ceremony, so that no one could complain about any imposition. Immediately after the ceremony I met Paul, grabbed Judah, and headed to the bride's dressing quarters to privately nurse the baby, again, so that no one could complain. Judah behaved very well during the reception and was even enjoyed by some. So, I really couldn't tell you what the problem was.
I hope that this post hasn't seemed too negative or complain-y. I'm just surprisingly very hurt at being accused of being a poor friend. I have always done everything in my power to hold onto friendships and show the people around me that they are loved. I have a few words of advice to offer, if you're still here.
If you are bride, you should know this: while you are trying on veils and tasting cakes, there are other people in the world who are doing other things. There are moms of small babies who are just trying to drag their tired bodies out of bed in the morning, wondering how on earth they are going to take care, not only of themselves, but also two (or more?) small kids for the whole day. Some of them may even be co-hosting a bridal shower despite their fatigue. There are even other brides who are doing the EXACT same thing that you are doing, but it's for their own weddings. And get this: they don't care about your wedding.
If you are a friend, you should know this: your friends have their own obligations, their own priorities. And it is impossible to understand a mother's priorities unless you have been a mother. I do have a handful of friends who are not parents but who are also very supportive, and I'm very thankful for them. But even they don't fully understand. If you have a friend who is a mother, please recognize that she may not "be there" for you the way your childless friends are, but she is probably doing all that she can to show you that she loves you. Just because she has little people at home that she needs to care for does not mean that she wouldn't, at times, rather be out at a party like all the "young folk." You see, she is probably feeling very torn about her old life v. her new life. It's not easy to have to be the grownup and learn to sacrifice to self. Not easy at all.
If you are a mom, you should know this: it is okay to say "No" once in a while. I thought that I could do both. I thought that I could raise my kids the way that I want to and also hang onto what I thought was a strong friendship by supporting my friend the best that I could. Now I see that it was not possible. Despite my tremendous effort, she feels it was not enough. I obviously could not give her the attention that she felt she deserved, even at the expense of my kids, and I'm very sorry that I even tried. I wonder if things would be any different had I never accepted the request to be a bridesmaid.
However, that is the only thing that I am sorry for. I'm not sorry for bringing my baby to the rehearsal dinner and wedding so that he could have some milk (the nerve of him), and I'm not sorry for missing the bride's shower for which I supplied all the food because I had come down with my third bout of mastitis in 7 months (the nerve of me). While I was unbelievably disappointed to have had to miss it, it was the only sensible choice I could have made. And I'm not sorry for defending myself and mothers everywhere.
Unfortunately I had no clue that I was being given an ultimatum. If forced to choose, I will ALWAYS choose my children. Any decent mother would.

Awesome giveaway!!!

2011-01-03T16:12:00.000-08:00

I'm sharing a really awesome giveaway by a very talented photographer, Melody Yazdani, in the area. She took some INCREDIBLE photos of C and J a couple of years ago. Check it out!

Charlie and Judah and a Bun in the Oven

2010-12-15T08:08:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm going to have to change the name of my blog. I knew it would happen sooner or later, and I really wish I had thought things through a little better when I first established my blog. But at the time, it was impossible to imagine that another little Callahan would be a reality. But here we are--I'm pregnant! Yay!
I found out the day before I ran my last half marathon in October. Paul had been telling me for days that he could tell I was pregnant, but I kept replying in denial. However, the day before the race, I thought it might be good to know my "condition" before I ran, so that I could feel good about taking it easy. And I did. We had a great race--just me and the unborn little one. It will probably be the last big race I run for a couple of years, so it was a very nice way to welcome a new baby.
I was instantly thrilled to find out that there will be another child joining the family. I was actually still sitting on the toilet when the stick showed a bright blue "+," and I screamed to Charlie, "Charlie! Come here! Mommy's going to have a new baby!" Then I took a picture of the stick and, embracing the age of technology, texted it to Paul. He was a little shocked at first (though I don't know why--he says he already knew I was pregnant), but within a few hours he was pretty excited, too.
It so happens that I am due in June, near the summer solstice, and NOT September, which is when I'm used to having babies. What a wonderful feeling to know that I will be at my biggest, fattest, and most uncomfortable stage of pregnancy at the BEGINNING of summer and not the END! I'm ecstatic about this fact! And I get to wear winter maternity clothes for the first time ever!
I'm feeling well most of the time, but I have been hungrier than ever with this pregnancy and also experiencing more nausea than I ever have, mostly in the late afternoons and evenings. Perhaps those two facts are linked by the reality that I am also busier than I ever have been and therefore find little time to eat a full meal. At any rate, the baby and I are doing well. I was able to hear the little one's heartbeat last week at my first midwife appointment, which seemed to make it official. Well, that and the announcement on Facebook. I feel like the baby is a girl (only because I feel somewhat similar to how I felt when pregnant with Charlie), but we are considering not finding out the sex until the birth. Not sure about this one, but considering it. Of course we are also planning a homebirth, since things went so well with Judah. I'm really excited about bringing another life into the world in my own home.
I suppose this news can partially account for my lack of blogging the past few months. It seems that once Paul comes home and starts the bedtime routine with C and J, I'm nearly instantly asleep on the couch and therefore have very little time to catch up on projects like Christmas gifting, let alone blogging. As I round out the first trimester, though, I am starting to have more energy and should be able to keep my eyes open a little longer into the evening.
I've also been extremely busy handmaking almost all of our Christmas gifts. For the nieces and nephews, I've put together a blankie/pillow set with matching backpack for daycare, a princess crown and cape set, three little girl aprons, three little girl baby slings, and three "Twirly Girly T-shirt Dresses." In addition to gifts from us, I've also been commisioned to make a few things for others to give. It's been a very busy and very productive sewing season! I've about finished everything for everyone else and can finally begin on gifts for C and J! From us they will be getting mom-made crown and cape sets (complete with a wand for Charlie and a sword for Judah), slippers, and a stuffed animal. We like to keep things simple and this year are instituting a new tradition of giving three gifts to each to represent the three gifts that the wise men offered to Jesus. We are doing our best to keep the focus on Christ and the miracle of His birth.
Charlie's first year of school is going so well. I'm so pleased to be her teacher and to have the opportunity to watch her grow and learn on a daily basis. She is reading now, and it absolutely melts my heart to watch her point to words, sound them out, and grasp their meaning. She has entered a new world now. It's one more thing that we share. Thanksgiving night we took our little lady ice skating for the first time, which she really enjoyed. When we arrived home, she told me,"Mommy, that was the best night EVER!"
Judah is busier than ever. His vocabulary is totally taking off, although most of the time he needs a family translator. :) He's also starting to assert some independence, which is certainly a double-edged sword. It's wonderful to see him develop as a growing little person, but, and if you are a parent or anyone familiar with little kids you know what I mean, it's so hard to get him through a parking lot when he absolutely refuses to hold your hand. Or watch him carry his cereal and milk to the table all by himself. Or try to zip up his jacket. Oh, the list goes on and on. This is definitely a stage that he has to get through, and we'll all be better for it, I know. It's just exhausting.
We will be staying here in town for Christmas for the first time ever. We are certainly torn about not seeing our extended family during this time, but also excited about waking up in our own home on Christmas and opening presents in front of our own tree! Because it's such a special time for us, we are working on making our own traditions. We have a blank slate since we've never had our own Christmas! What sorts of traditions does your family hold?
Well, I hope to check in again sooner than later, but you know how that goes. So much of it is up to what life allows, at least at this stage in my life while I'm still making babies and raising little ones. :) God bless you all during this Christmas season.

Team Callahan

2010-09-22T12:36:00.000-07:00

While it appears I may actually have a few minutes to sit here and blog (although, as you parents know, that could easily change at any moment), I'd like to share a little bit about our latest adventure as a family: a half marathon!
Back in May when I started running, I could do maybe a mile without stopping to walk. I signed up for a half marathon in June as sort of a motivation to keep at it. The training schedule that I adapted (per Hal Higdon for you runners) had me running up to 5 days a week, most of which I could do during the mornings before Paul left for work. On the weekends, Paul would push the kids in a double stroller that was gifted to us (thanks, Victoria!) and we all did my long runs together on the Mt. Vernon running path along the GW Parkway.
We had a VERY hot summer, which made running really difficult at times. I remember our seven-mile long run one weekend in July. That morning it was 90 degrees by seven A. M. It was absoutely dreadful. But I think that training in the heat paid off, because once the cool September mornings arrived, we noticed that a whole minute dropped off our time.
As we got closer to race day, Paul decided to join me and sign up! I was so excited that the whole family would be together for this fun event! I was also happy to have the encouragement, as I'd felt like I had my own cheering section on every long run over the summer. There were times that I'd be running in front of Paul and the kids, and they would shout, "Go, Mommy, go!" I loved hearing their silly little voices cheering me on, and I knew it would help the day of the race.
The morning of the race was a bit of a stressful time. We had to get up at 5:00 and then get the poor sleeping kids up, dressed, and out the door, so that we could be at the start no later than 6:00. We had packed a bag of snacks for them the night before so that they would (hopefully) be entertained and fed while we waited to start and then during the race. Charlie and Judah behaved better than we had expected! We had a few touchy moments with Judah, but eventually he fell asleep and slept for about half the race. Then they both seemed to really enjoy themselves and all the happy energy surrounding them!
The race started at George Washington's home, Mt. Vernon, and ran down the George Washington Parkway and then over the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. It was the first race ever to cross the new bridge, which was built in 2008. What a view from the bridge! Then it wound around and eventually ended in the National Harbor, Maryland.
I ended up tripping and taking a little tumble around mile 7, but I felt like a total warrior running the rest of the race with bloody knees. I'm pretty sure adrenaline carried me for a while, because I didn't hurt much then, but I sure do now.
Paul is a rock star. Of course you already know I'm a fan, but seriously. This guy pushed these kids in a double stroller (all of which is half his body weight) up and down hills for 13.1 miles! Every time we passed someone or a spectator spotted him, we would hear, "HOW is that guy DOING that???" or "Look at that Daddy! Way to go!" It was so fun to see people's reactions to Paul's incredible ability. I don't know how he did it. And he could have finished waaaay before me, but he'd held back so that we could finish together.
The last 3 miles or so were killer. By then the sun was out in full force, and there were lots of hills. And let's face it, it was more than I'd ever run in my life (the longest run we did in training was 11 miles). But we did it! I nearly cried when I was handed my medal! Our finish time was 2 hours, 20 minutes, which was my goal.
What a fun experience to have as a family. And a special thanks to my friend Chrissy, who encouraged me to do it, and Melissa, who ran the race with us. I'm already thinking about a full marathon for next year!

She's a big girl now

2010-09-20T16:34:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Charlie's 5th birthday this week. I just can't believe it. I remember her being so small. I remember that the first thing she did after she was born and I said, "Nice to meet you, Charlotte" was to go poo and pee all over me. I remember when she was two days old and we were alone for the first time since she was born, and I told her, "You're growing up so fast!" But she really IS growing up so fast. When I tell her not to grow up--"Please, PLEASE stop growing! Please stay small so I can hold you forever!!"--she says things like "That's not the way it works, Mom." "MOM"? Since when did I become "Mom" and not "Mommy"?
I also cannot believe that she has started kindergarten! We have just finished our first week of home kindergarten. Our books arrived Monday morning, and we got started right away. We're using Sonlight Curriculum and so far, so good! I'm impressed with the reading lists of this curriculum and also the style, which seems to be fairly classical in its technique. What drew me to it is its literature basis and also the fact that the lesson plans are ready-made. In the future, I may adapt a bit and put together my own curriculum from different sources, but for my first year, I thought this may be the way to go. We are doing a four-day kindergarten week with history, science, math, handwriting, and reading. Once Charlie has learned to read on her own (hopefully in the next couple of months), we'll add in her language arts.
I am really loving homeschooling and having a regular routine to our day and our week. Every day we take Paul to work and then come home and make breakfast (or stop for a bagel). Then we head out to a park or some other activity, maybe errands if we need to. Then we come home, make lunch, and then Judah heads down for his nap, and Charlie and I do school. The routine makes things so much easier (and relaxing, even) for everyone. I'm plannig a couple of field trips for the near future: apple-picking and a trip to a museum. Living in DC gives us LOADS of field trip opportunities of whick I need to take advantage.
I am so enjoying being fully focused on my own children, as I have recently closed my home daycare. Please don't get me wrong, I enjoyed having other little ones here. It's just that I feel like I finally have the freedom to raise these two the way I've wanted to for so long. As for the bills getting paid, I'm not entirely sure how that's going to work in the future, but I'm trusting God and trusting Paul. This is the way we felt we were being called, and we know that God is going to prove Himself faithful, as He always does.
Going back to the birthday festivities . . .
So Wednesday I offered to make whatever Charlie wanted for dinner, and she chose chicken and dumplings. I wish I had a photo, but unfortunately, our camera is pretty much trashed. I think it may have something to do with the fact that we realized what a fun car toy the camera happens to make for a bored little girl on long trips to grandma's house. Anyway, we had good friends come over to help celebrate, and we had such a great time. Over the weekend, we had a more formal celebration in the form of a combined birthday party for Charlie and Judah (his birthday is on the 30th), but this little dinner was the perfect way to celebrate Charlie and Charlie alone. :) She got a brand new scooter from Mom and Dad and some really nice other things from close friends and family.
Charlie is one amazing little girl. She melts my heart every single day with her concern for others and her sincere love for God. She astounds me with her intelligence. She also drives me crazy with her incredible sensitivity, but I know it's something that will be a very special attribute as she grows up. She really is a special, sweet, funny, and beautiful girl that I'm so, so happy to call my daughter. I thank God for her sweet spirit and for giving me the opportunity to carry her and give life to her. Happy belated birthday, my incredible Charlotte.

Here's my chicken and dumplings recipe (this recipe makes a huge pot):

The soup:
2 Tbsp. butter
1 medium onion
3 stalks celery
4 or 5 carrots
2 cloves garlic
1 pound chicken thighs (boneless, skinless)
1/4-1/2 Cup of flour (I never measure, so I'm guessing)
32 oz. chicken broth

Melt your butter over medium heat in a stock pot and cook all your veggies until slightly tender. Then add your chicken thighs and cook them until they are just browned on the outside, then chop them in the pot. Add flour and stir to make a roux. Add broth and whisk until it thickens a little. If you have found that you didn't add enough flour to make this mixture thick enough for your liking, you can always add corn starch at this point.

The Dumplings:
1/2 Cup butter (cold)
2 Cups flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3/4 Cup buttermilk (since I don't make a habit of keeping buttermilk around, I use the trick of adding about a teaspoon of vinegar to regular milk and letting it sit and curdle a little bit)

Cut butter into dry ingredients using a pastry cutter or criss-crossing two knives. Add buttermilk and stir until mixture makes a big doughy ball, leaving sides of the bowl. Then drop your dumplings by the spoonful into your soup, turn the heat down to low and let them cook until they look edible and fluffy.

Happy third birthday, Benjamin

2010-09-03T13:38:00.000-07:00

Today is Benjamin's birthday. I overheard Charlie telling a friend this morning that today is her brother's birthday--her brother who is in Heaven. She said that we will be having a party for him. Then Charlie's friend said, "But your brother won't be there." And Charlie said, "Yes he will. He is in Heaven, but he will be at the party."

The hardest part (these days) of having lost a child so soon after his birth is trying to figure out how to feel. I've always felt like on the grief scale, we're somewhere between 'had a miscarriage' and 'lost a child that had been around for a while.' Does it matter that we knew during the pregnancy that we'd lose him? Does it matter that he wasn't our first child? Isn't this ridiculous? There's no reason we should be comparing our experience to any other experience, real or hypothetical. But I've always wanted to know what is the proper response to having a lost a son to Trisomy-13.

I have since learned that there really isn't a *proper* response to losing a child--no matter the point that he or she was lost. It just plain hurts. It feels like a bottomless pit of pain. So the only thing that a person can do is *feel* the pain.

I will say this, after three years, it doesn't really hurt as much anymore. I really miss Benjamin, and I feel a loss, like I should have been able to parent this baby that I carried for a full pregnancy. But the loss isn't nearly as sharp anymore. So for those of you out there that are wondering if the day will ever come when you won't cry yourself to sleep every night, I say to you, Yes, it will come. And it's okay to allow yourself to heal. It doesn't mean that you are forgetting your child or abandoning him somehow. It means that you are healing from the pain of the experience. Benjamin will always be my son, and I will always love him and miss him. But I have chosen not to live under the dark cloud that surrounded his little life and his death.

Because of this choice, I like to share his story. I want to pay tribute to this little saint. Please read about his birth story here. I'd also like to mention that I'm thinking today about all of you out there that have recently lost children, whether due to miscarriage or some other tragedy. Please know my thoughts and prayers are with you.

Soon I will pack up the kids and the cupcakes that Charlie and I made today, and we will pick up Paul and then head to the cemetery and have a little graveside picnic birthday party. I have no idea what people generally think about this potentially morbid celebration, but for us it works. We will enjoy our time together as a family saying happy birthday to Benjamin and remembering his beautiful life.

It's such a strange thing that every year when I want to post about my first son's birthday, I have only pictures from his actual *birth*day. I'm so very thankful for those photos, though. Which is while I will mention them yet again: The Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation is how we were able to capture his short little life on camera. I like to mention them whenever I can, so that people can prepare, should the worst occur.

2010-08-31T18:09:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful, wonderful summer vacation we enjoyed. It was so worth the wait. The long, hot summer, the working way too much, and the days of traveling to get there seem like a fair trade for the fun that we had with each other and with Paul's sister, her two kids, and Paul's parents.

Before we left for the beach, Paul had to head to another part of SC for work, so the kids and I spent a week in the upstate, visiting family. Just a couple days before we left the upstate, I had a conversation with my older brother who expressed sympathy for me at having to go to the beach. Of course he was being sarcastic (and funny, as usual). Apparently my brother is not a beach person. I can respect that--to each his own, right? While I can respect it, I just don't understand how a person could dislike the beach. I mean, what's not to love? Where else can grown people run around half naked, lie down outside for hours at a time, talk as loud as they want, make sand castles, and dig holes in the dirt?

Kidding aside, we find the beach just the perfect vacation. We rented a house in Cherry Grove, SC for a week. We have rented this house in the past and just love it. It's a little 3-bedroom cottage overlooking Cherry Grove's canals and perfectly suits our needs, sitting only a block from the shoreline. What we Callahans like to do on vacation is arrive at our destination and then sit in one spot for a week. Apart from the occasional trip to the grocery store, one night out to dinner (thanks again, Kelly), two trips out for ice cream, and the three times we went for a run, we stayed at the house and the beach (and in our bathing suits) the entire time.

The beach offers a natural playground for the kids where they are easily entertained and pretty well contained. For the most part, we big people could just sit down on the sand or in the water and watch the little ones, playing with them when they would invite us into their digging games. It was actually quite relaxing. Our typical day was something like this: a group breakfast (pancakes or French toast and bacon), then head out to the beach for a couple hours, back to the house for lunch and naps (in which, I must admist, I also indulged), then back to the beach for a couple more hours, then back to the house for dinner (we cooked out almost every night), then kids down for bed while the big people sat out on the back deck and had a beer and talked until we had to drag our own tired bodies to bed. It was just lovely.

Our first day at the beach, Charlie was very happy to play in the water, but Judah, being a novice, was pretty apprehensive. The only way we were able to get him comfortable with the waves was to let him sit in my lap while I sat right on the water's edge, letting the waves come in and out, covering our outstretched legs and then receding. Sitting there with him like that, I was reminded of the last time we took a long family beach vacation. It was about a month before Judah's birthday, and I felt like a beached whale. We had played all week in the tide pools when the tide was out, but the last night of our stay, Paul, Charlie, and I (and Judah, in utero) sat in a tide pool while the tide came in and erased our mini-ocean. It was a strange feeling sitting in a tide pool one moment and then the ocean the next. For some reason it symbolized for me the changes that were about to occur in our family, going from having one child one moment and suddenly having two the next. We were sitting in our warm, comfortable spot, having become used to raising one child, but soon we would be thrust into life with a little girl and a brand new baby. Everything was about to change, and though we were thrilled to soon be having our Judah, it was all unchartered territory for us. Sitting in the water with Judah in my lap and Paul and Charlie beside us felt to me like coming full circle. Looking those waves in the face and being grateful to have our two little ones here with us and our two little ones watching us from Heaven, I was overcome with peace.

Now that our vacation is over, I'm facing a whirlwind of a September. Every September I feel a little overwhelmed, but this one seems particularly staggering (it's fortunate that we just enjoyed such a restful and pleasant vacation). This weekend we will celebrate Benjamin's birthday, and then Paul's. Later in the month we will celebrate Charlie's and Judah's birthdays. This month I will also be starting Charlie in home-kindergarten and running my first half marathon.

Though I'm talking about the near future, I've been doing a lot of learning how to live in the present moment. Live in the here-and-now and really enjoy it. Just like those waves that crash in and ease out again, time keeps moving forward, regardless of how we feel about the past, present, or future. We would do so much better to go with the flow and welcome the change into our lives and be thankful for our blessings. And even those things that maybe we don't immediately call blessings.

This is me (and Judah) on our last beach trip 2 years ago:

This is us now:

You know you're a mom when . . .

2010-07-30T18:01:00.000-07:00

So, it's been a while, huh? I can't believe it's been over a month since my last post. It's just been so busy. So wonderfully busy. Over the 4th we traveled to celebrate with good friends and had a wonderful time relaxing in North Carolina over local food and even a local beer. Our stays with these friends never seem to last long enough.
There a changes coming in the Callahan household. We are looking forward to officially starting home-kindergarten with Charlie this fall. We have weaned Judah (yay!), which is going very well for everyone. For the first time in 5 1/2 years, I am solo. That is to say, I'm not directly sustaining any life other than my own.
I've also been sewing a LOT. I worked on my first nursery bedding set a few weeks back and was very pleased. I'd like to post some pictures of it, as soon as I receive them from my customer. I'm also working on stocking up the stores that carry my baby things. After I bulk up my inventory with the retailers and also my Etsy store, I will be working on creating a website of my own, which I'm really excited about. It will take a lot of effort, but it's something I've wanted to do for a while, and it just feels like the right time to do it. I will be keeping you posted on that!
Today I'd like to share with you a list of ways you know you're a mom that I worked on with my twin sister, Cindy (which also reminds me that I need to be working on a post about sharing my twinship with her). So, please, read ahead. And share your additions with me. This list is not so much for those of you who handle motherhood much more gracefully than the rest of us. I'm interested in hearing from the moms (and dads!) that relate. :)

You know you're a mom when . . .
1. You don't remember the last time you drank a cup of coffee without reheating it.
2. Cleaning out your purse involves a multi-purpose cleaner and a shop-vac.
3. You can somehow find the emotional wherewithal to comfort an upset little one even while you're on the toilet.
4. You ALWAYS multi-task. Doing only two things at once seems like a waste of time. See number 3.
5. Before leaving the house, you examine your clothing for bodily fluids and determine how many stains are acceptable.
6. You haven't seen a mirror for three days.
7. You say things like, "Hand the poopy to Mommy," and it seems perfectly natural and sensible (in fact, so natural that I questioned whether to list this one).
8. You wash your hands at least a hundred and fifty times a day.
9. You don't remember the last time you finished your own snack without sharing it.
10. On more than one occasion you have eaten food that has gone into and come out of another person's mouth.
11. You're no longer embarrassed to make a total fool of yourself in public just to make someone laugh.
12. Every time you go out someone says to you, "You sure have YOUR hands full!"
13. You look forward to your semi-annual dental cleaning because it's the only chance in six months you will have had to sit down for an hour.
14. You cannot accomplish ANYTHING without being interrupted. This includes taking a shower, having sex, talking on the phone, and writing a blog p--. Okay where was I? and writing a blog post.
15. You can't explain why, but you wouldn't change your life for anything.

Summer fun

2010-06-24T07:16:00.000-07:00

This morning Judah and I went for a short little walk in the courtyard while Charlie slept and Paul got ready for work. While we were out I noticed that the sprinklers were on and thought what fun the kids would have if they were able to run around in them. So we put on their swim suits and headed outside to the courtyard. Charlie had so much fun in the sprinklers, but the big puddle in the breezeway was much more Judah's speed. Here is a glimpse:

Solstice

2010-06-22T05:03:00.000-07:00

On this longest day of the year, I thought I'd share a few thoughts about mothering. Today I took the kids to the center of Old Town to splash in the fountain in market square. I was surprised to find no other kids there with their moms (maybe they're all at Stonehenge?), but we were delighted to take off our shoes and jump in. Pretty much all that Judah wanted to do was pick up the wishing pennies and throw them, but he had so much fun doing so. Then he decided to sit down in the water and needed a new change of clothes by the time we left to get ice cream.
After the ice cream we needed to walk by the fountain to get to the car, and I wasn't really in that much of a hurry, so we headed into the water again for a few minutes. I had every intention of making sure Judah stayed somewhat dry this time, but of course, even the best intentions can't keep an almost-two-year-old boy neat and tidy.
At this point, there just wasn't anything I could do but jump in the fountain and splash with my kids. Judah was already soaked, so I thought let's just have some fun. So we did. And what fun we had! It was such a fun way to pass the time with my little ones.
As we were cleaning up and packing up the car, a passerby made a comment like "I sure don't miss the stroller days." I made an I-hear-ya kind of face and then he said something that I don't think I'll forget: "Just remember, the days go slow, but the years go fast." It's just so strikingly true. And so fitting a day to hear such wise words. It was a reminder to me to make the best of every moment. And while the days seem so long, they're so fleeting.

Stickin' it to the Man

2010-06-20T19:03:00.000-07:00

I recently "ran into" (via Facebook) an old college friend who was pretty surprised to hear that I'm a work-at-home mom who sews and cans her own strawberry jam, etc. I wondered where he figured I'd end up, since my way of life is just second nature to me. So I've been thinking about this idea quite a lot lately. If you're wondering what in the world this has to do with pictures of homemade pickles, hang on--I'll get there.

I've mentioned in the past that if you'd known me back in college or the few years just afterward, you'd likely be as surprised by my present-day lifestyle. I was not exactly the model Bible college student. I always meant well, but, let's just say that there were certainly things about me that were never tamed. Needless to say, learning to sew my daughter dresses and baking bread don't exactly match up to the girl who was constantly in the Dean of Women's office having to explain this offense or that.

I certainly have changed quite a bit since then, but I'll also add that a lot of my choices of late are sort of born out of that spirit of rebellion, as opposed to being in spite of it. I'm doing a lot of things that are unconventional--natural childbirth, cloth diapers, alternative and holistic medicine, and the list goes on. Certainly my food choices are going to be no exception.

For example, today Charlie and I made homemade pickles from this recipe. While I was prepping, Paul asked why in the world I felt the need to make my own pickles when I can just as easily buy a jar of them. I laughed and replied that I'm "sticking it to the man," or something like that. I hope that by now you know that I'm half kidding, but only half. I don't mean to be melodramatic about it, but canning my own pickles, simple as it is, is one of my many little protests that I display against the machine that is the conventional American way of eating. Instead of buying yet another prepared food off the supermarket shelf and having no idea where these things that are called pickles come from (did you know that pickles actually start out as cucumbers???), I'm buying vegetables directly from a farmer and turning them into food for my family. A very tasty food, if I do say so myself.

A friend recently showed us this video that was so well done for a variety of reasons, and it so artistically and hilariously describes this battle between Supermarket and Farmers' Market. Please check it out if you have 5 or 6 minutes (if you're a Star Wars fan, you definitely do not want to miss it): "Grocery Store Wars."

Today it just so happens that a brand new farmers' market opened up just around the corner. Another small victory for the rebellion! I'm so happy that this way of shopping for food is becoming even more popular these days. People are shopping more wisely and supporting our local farms, and it is paying off. We're gaining momentum, and we need to keep heading this direction in order to make our voices heard. So keep frequenting your farmers' markets, growing your own edibles, and joining your CSAs.

Pickles

8 small pickling cucumbers, unpeeled and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices

1 medium onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
1 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Combine cucumbers, onion, vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seeds, dry mustard, turmeric, and celery seeds; heat to boiling over high heat, stirring occasionally.

Boil 1 minute, stirring frequently.

Pour cucumber mixture into a large bowl; cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Cover and chill overnight before serving.

From sliced cucumbers:

To Bread and Butter Pickles

Williamsburg

2010-06-20T04:16:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we were blessed with a visit from my parents, my sister Stephanie, and my niece Chloe. We decided to brave the intense heat and take a road trip to Colonial Williamsburg. (Unfortunately, my sister became ill while we were there and couldn't leave the hotel room, so the rest of us had to go on without her.)

Colonial Williamsburg is a really interesting and beautiful place. It's also a great place to take kids. There are so many things to see and so many activities for kids. We highly recommend taking a weekend to spend with just the family.

Here are Charlie and Chloe checking out the inside of one of the buildings on a farm just outside the town. This farm has been recently constructed to show exactly how a farm would be run during colonial times. It's quite fascinating and shows how much we can take for granted today.

Here is one of the vegetable gardens on the farm:

Here are my sweet parents having a little rest while we wait for our next attraction.

Here Charlie is being handcuffed at the town jail:

Here is a picture of Chloe helping to take care of Judah. She's a sweet little cousin!

Judah became very attached to his Pap Pap.

Poor Charlie is squinting because of the sun, but here she is showing off her new doll that she bought with her own money:

Here we are on our way out:

I wish I had taken more pictures of the buildings to show you. The town is really quite beautiful, even when it is 90 degrees. I hear that Christmastime is also a great time to visit. Maybe we'll return and take some better photos then!

Dancing Queen

2010-06-15T03:13:00.000-07:00

Little Charlie had her second ballet recital on Saturday. We are so glad that she is enjoying ballet and wants to continue her classes. I think it's giving my little girl confidence and physical strength and all those benefits that come from learning something new. She was so precious dancing with her little friends. I made a video of her recital, but for some reason I can't attach it here on the blog. I've posted some photos instead.

Saturday morning

2010-06-14T17:16:00.000-07:00

Every Saturday morning the Callahan family enjoy the sunshine and shop at the best farmers' market in the area. This past weekend I finally remembered to bring the camera, and I just wanted to share a few photos of our beauties. Enjoy!

These cherries are packaged in one of my homemade produce bags

The Del Ray Farmers' Market

Fun in the City

2010-06-07T17:44:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I forgot the camera! Aaargh! Since today was the first Monday that I've had off (and by "off," I mean only my two kids) in a while, we decided to make the most of city life and head to a museum. We left the house early and drove Paul to his office (free parking!), stopping at Cosi for a simple bagel breakfast with coffee (I sound so citified, don't I?), and then to the National Air and Space Museum.

Since we parked at Paul's office, this trip also involved a trip on the Metro, which is no easy feat with two kids and a stroller. Got to find all the elevators and push the stroller with one hand while holding tightly with the other hand to Charlie's little hand and all that. And try to find a seat and make sure the stroller isn't in the way of all the people exiting the train, etc. Some of these maneuvers make me feel like a professional mom but also kind of like a tourist in my own town. I wanted to explain to all these people that I used to ride the train every day and could have done it walking backwards with my eyes closed and had the Metro map memorized in a former life. "I'm not a tourist! Honest!"

But the Metro ride did not disappoint the kids. Good call, Mom--scored points there. The museum was a different story. Oh, we had fun, but a lot of it was the mom-invented sort of fun, like finding a mostly deserted exhibit area and letting the boy out of the stroller to chase him and his sister around a little. They did most certainly enjoy looking at the suspended airplanes and spacecraft, but not much else. I think this museum is maybe a little too advanced for my small kids.

I used to feel like we had to spend a certain amount of time at a place to sort of "get our money's worth." Not that we spent anything--the Smithsonians are free--but you know what I mean. Get my effort's worth, I guess. But I'm realizing that we only need to spend as much time as proves enjoyable. If I push my luck beyond that, I'm totally asking for a public meltdown (call that foreshadowing).

After we'd seen enough, I towed the children into the museum shop to see if we could find a trinket or a book or something that wouldn't cost an arm and a leg or break in five minutes. As soon as Judah spotted the bin of 4-inch plastic airplanes, it was all over. So I picked up a couple and happily realized they weren't quite as cheap as I'd expected and purchased those along with a book on the history of flight (for my dad for Father's Day--he's a pilot and will hopefully enjoy this book and I really hope he doesn't check my blog before he gets his gift). Meltdown ~~avoided~~ postponed.

Since it was nearing lunchtime and I knew that these two were absolutely not going to survive the long trek back to Capitol Hill (was not going to attempt the train again) and then the ride home without something to eat, we decided to have a light lunch at the museum's food court. Okay, if I'm going to be completely honest, I'm going to have to admit that secretly I really wanted to do lunch at the food court. The Air and Space Museum's food court happens to serve Donato's Pizza, which is a chain that was started in Paul's hometown of Columbus, Ohio, and it happens to be a real treat for the Callahan family. One of his sisters in particular practically foams at the mouth over the thought of Donato's and is quite jealous that we have such access, since it is not available in her current city. Anyway, so we split our little Donato's pizza (for $10 bucks with a bottle of water!), and then it happened. I made the mistake of buying a vanilla cone to share.

Maybe all you-know-what broke loose because he was tired, or maybe it was the sugar intake (albeit, very small sugar intake due to the ridiculously cute way he licks ice cream with just the teeniest tip of his tongue), or maybe because I'd ordered ONE cone for all three of us to share, but OH MY GOODNESS. Seriously. The food court was absolutely filled with tourists, school kids, and who knows who else, and you could hear MY child above it all. He wanted to hold the cone. So I let him. Then I had to keep taking it away--scream after scream after scream--so that Charlie and I could actually eat it so that we could get the heck out of there. The only exit is through the museum, and you can't take food in there. I wasn't about to throw it away and then deal with the inevitable simultaneous meltdowns. By this point, I was sweating and wishing I hadn't taken on this whole day. What was I thinking? This morning I was whistling, "I'm going to take my lovely children on an outing to the city. We're going to a MUSEUM! Oh, what a lovely day we will have. I'm such a good mom." By now my feet were killing me, I was so stressed out, and I still had the walk back to the car.

To end the suspense, we survived. The walk to the car was actually quite enjoyable. Judah ended up falling asleep (ah!), we stopped in to see Paul again, and he walked us down to the garage to see us off. Then Judah slept for another hour when we got home, and I actually napped for a bit, too! And Charlie didn't complain, because I let her watch a few cartoons on the computer while I dozed. Score.

I did actually really enjoy my day. And I know the kids did, too. I know that I just need to chill and go with the flow, which is what I'm trying to do. Later this afternoon, after my few very short moments of quiet, I threw the kids outside to burn off the last of their energy while I cooked dinner. I was actually skyping with my mom and sister and asked mom, "When does a mom get to relax? When will this get easier?" Her reply: "I'm still waiting."

Juicy, red summertime goodness

2010-05-31T05:49:00.000-07:00

There is something so special and so satisfying about picking our own fruit right off the plant and either eating it just like it is or turning it into jam in our own kitchen. Yesterday, we did just that! Paul and I packed up the kids as early as we could and headed out to a little family-owned Shlagel Farms near Waldorf, Maryland to pick strawberries. What fun! The warm sun was shining and ripening those gorgeous berries practically before our eyes. Charlie, once she got past the mud that she had to trudge through, thoroughly enjoyed everything, as did silly Judah.

Together as a family, we picked about 6 quarts. After we'd paid for those and were heading out, Paul spotted a few flats of "Day Old" berries at a ridiculous rate of $20 per flat (8 quarts). So we snatched up one of those for making jam.

We were up to our armpits in strawberries yesterday (in my tiny kitchen, although it's way better now with the recent mini-renovation), and for a little while I wondered if I'd bitten off more than I could chew. Four hours later, with Charlie's help, I'd canned 16 pints of jam and frozen 6 bags of chopped berries. We also ate a huge bowl of berries, saved a quart for this week, and gave away 2 quarts.

Paul and the kids searching out their treasure

Here are the kids reveling in their bounty

Such a sweet little berry-gatherer

He had so much fun

The best berries I've ever eaten!

My first home-canned jam!

Lots of catching up

2010-05-29T12:32:00.000-07:00

There's just so much going on lately, that I'm just going to ramble to catch everyone up on it.

1. Meet the newest member of the Callahan family. After living without one for 6 1/2 years, we have decided to go ahead and sacrifice the cabinet space and put in a little 18-inch dishwasher! I've never really minded washing the dishes by hand, but if we ever sell or rent the condo, we think it might be a little more attractive with a dishwasher. So, here she is. Yay! Welcome, little one.

2. For some ridiculous reason, I decided that, even though I had my own two kids plus another, Thursday was a great day to paint the playroom. (What was I thinking?) Charlie and I were able to apply almost one full coat while the little ones napped, and everything was fine until Judah woke up and I left Charlie in charge while I took a shower. Yes, I had gated off the playroom, but Charlie was totally glued to the TV (since we've really been limiting her screen time, when she does get to watch, it totally captivates her) and didn't notice her sneaky little brother tip-toe in and grab a wet paint brush. To make a long story short, I had quite a mess on my hands, although it could have been much worse. The playroom looks great, especially since Paul finished up the edges and a couple small spots that needed some touching up. I'll post some pics as soon as I get done with what we're doing there.

3. So, we've been sleep training Judah. As a matter of fact, I think we've been sleep training him for his entire little 19-month-long life. Anyway, it's been a battle with this kid. It's just slow progress, and we are tired. We are more tired than I ever thought we'd be. For almost 2 years now, we haven't had more than a VERY sporadic full night's sleep. And by "full night's sleep" I mean more than 4 hours at a time. It's been excruciating. But every night is getting better and better, and I know that one day we'll be at his college graduation saying, "Wow, do you remember what a tough time we had with him in the beginning? When all he wanted to do was nurse and nurse and nurse and he wouldn't take a pacifier or a bottle and he didn't want to eat solids until he was 13 months old and he wouldn't sleep more than 4 hours at a time and napping for only an hour? And look at him now--graduating magna cum laude from Oxford, speaking three languages, about to publish his fifth book. And such a compassionate, loving young man. It has really paid off, hasn't it? I'm so glad that we raised these kids with Attachment Parenting philosophies and homeschooled." Okay, I guess I got a little carried away there, but at any rate, he's starting to sleep better, I'm nursing him only three times a day now, and he's eating three square meals a day plus snacks. For those of you that don't really know Judah, this is HUGE progress.

4. Ah, it's officially summertime. Not only because it's Memorial Day weekend, but because our neighborhood Farmers' Market is in full gear these days. I'd meant to bring my camera this morning and forgot it, but next week I'll be sure to get a few shots of the glorious strawberries, zucchini, onions, several types of greens, carrots, local meats and eggs, homebaked bread, and fresh squeezed OJ. And the tomatoes--ah, the tomatoes. I didn't know it until today, but one of the vendors sells seconds for making sauces and canning. I was so thrilled to hear this and bought eight pounds today at $.99 per pound and turned them into this:

Homemade tomato sauce

Homemade tomato soup

(Charlie had hers hot, but I had mine chilled--gazpacho style.)

If you knew me during college or shortly thereafter, you might be surprised that I've blossomed into such a Domestic Goddess. ;) But I'm trying my hand at canning. I've cleared a couple of shelves in my pantry for jars of homemade local food. I'm planning to do a little canning at a time on the weekends this summer and hopefully have enough to last through the off-season. We're going strawberry picking tomorrow and will freeze some berries and make jam with the rest.

I will be sure to some pictures of the kids, since it's been a while. Tomorrow's strawberry picking should be quite a photo-friendly adventure! Until then, have a great Saturday evening!

To cloth or not to cloth

2010-05-16T14:34:00.000-07:00

This post is part of the Real Diaper Facts carnival hosted by Real Diaper Events, the official blog of the Real Diaper Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to cloth diaper education. Participants were asked to write about diaper lies and real diaper facts. See the list at the bottom of this post to read the rest of the carnival entries.

Have you heard about the new line of Pampers that are allegedly causing chemical burns on the little bums of little ones? If you haven't, here's the story. Now Proctor and Gamble (who owns Pampers) has posted a ridiculous page on their website pitting "truth" against "myth." I'd like to take a minute to give you some real facts.
Let's talk about cloth diapers, shall we?

Pampers says:
"Myth: Cloth diapers are better for my baby.

Fact: Disposable diapers like Pampers were developed to offer babies benefits that cloth diapers could not meet. That goes beyond convenience to helping keep babies' skin dryer and more comfortable by reducing leaks and locking wetness inside the diaper in a way that cloth doesn't. As a result, doctors and parents simply don't see the same level of diaper rash that used to exist before disposable diapers."

The real facts are:
Disposable diapers contain traces of Dioxin, an extremely toxic by-product of the paper-bleaching process. It is a carcinogenic chemical, listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. It is banned in most countries, but not the U.S.
Disposable diapers contain Tributyl-tin (TBT) - a toxic pollutant known to cause hormonal problems in humans and animals.
Disposable diapers contain sodium polyacrylate, a type of super absorbent polymer (SAP), which becomes a gel-like substance when wet. A similar substance had been used in super-absorbancy tampons until the early 1980s when it was revealed that the material increased the risk of toxic shock syndrome.
In May 2000, the Archives of Disease in Childhood published research showing that scrotal temperature is increased in boys wearing disposable diapers, and that prolonged use of disposable diapers will blunt or completely abolish the physiological testicular cooling mechanism important for normal spermatogenesis.

Pampers says:
"Myth: Cloth diapers are better for the environment than disposables.

Fact: In October 2008, the United Kingdom's Environment Agency published an update to its 2005 Life Cycle Assessment study on cloth versus disposable diapers. The update confirmed the earlier study's findings that there is no clear winner in terms of environmental impacts between disposable and cloth diapers in the U.K., once all factors such as water, energy, detergent, and disposal are considered."

The real facts are:
The instructions on a disposable diaper package advise that all fecal matter should be deposited in the toilet before discarding, yet less than one half of one percent of all waste from single-use diapers goes into the sewage system.
Over 92% of all single-use diapers end up in a landfill. No one knows how long it takes for a disposable diaper to decompose, but it is estimated to be about 250-500 years, long after your children, grandchildren and great, great, great grandchildren will be gone.
In 1988, nearly $300 million dollars were spent annually just to discard disposable diapers, whereas cotton diapers are reused 50 to 200 times before being turned into rags.
Disposable diapers are the third largest single consumer item in landfills and represent about 4% of solid waste. In a house with a child in diapers, disposables make up 50% of household waste.
Disposable diapers generate sixty times more solid waste and use twenty times more raw materials, like crude oil and wood pulp.
The manufacture and use of disposable diapers amounts to 2.3 times more water wasted than cloth.

I know that generally people think that using cloth diapers is time-consuming and/or financially infeasible, but let me tell you that both of those thoughts are just not true. The fact is that cloth diapers are so easy to throw in the wash (even someone who has shared laundry facilities and has to walk outside to her laundry room) and not so much by way of financial investment (even for someone who has to pay to do her laundry). Once the initial cost of buying the diapers is met, the rest is only what it costs to do the wash. Think in terms of the long run what disposable diapers cost over the span of 2 1/2 to 3 years of diapering.
I personally think that most people who use disposables are just a little nervous about trying something so different from what everyone else around them does. I know that the choices and the washing routine can be overwhelming, but it takes such little time to get the hang of it. I really believe that if people really thought about the ramifications of using disposables, both to their babies' health and to the environment, that most would choose cloth over the convenience of disposables.
My goal here is not to judge or even necessarily to change minds (though that would be wonderful). My goal is to help give the facts and to help squash the rumors perpetrated by this ginormous institution that is not interested in the health and well-being of your baby. They are interested in making money and will post these ridiculous ideas in order to do so.

Besides, cloth are so cute, aren't they?

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On Mother's Day

2010-05-10T17:06:00.000-07:00

Oh what a sweet day we had. I wish I'd gotten to this post last night, but I was so enjoying being pampered that I just couldn't pull myself away from my foot rub and many-course meal prepared for me by my little ones. Ha!
In reality, as the mother of small children, yesterday wasn't very different from any other Sunday. Okay, so there was the breakfast in bed, which arrived promptly at 7:45, as we had to leave for church by 8:15, and there was the extra long Sunday afternoon nap (thank you, Paul). Then there was the gorgeous brunch at Micki's house in between, followed by a sunny trip to the playground to let the little ones release their crazy energy. Otherwise, there was still the never-ending shushing during church, the many spats between the siblings, the dishwashing throughout the day, and the fatigue that overtook this mommy by about 8 o'clock in the evening.
And then there is this:

This, my friends, is my gift. Okay, so I helped buy it, but Paul chipped in, and he and Charlie stayed up late putting it together for me (a la Ikea), and I can tell you it has already made my life easier. :) This bookcase for my sewing corner (and also Charlie's art supplies) is one of those things that maybe I wouldn't appreciate nearly so much if I had a house with a sewing room (or even a laundry room, for that matter) and didn't understand how important it really is to keep things impeccably tidy and organized. But now that I have lots of experience living in a tiny city condo with two kids, I am just about drooling over this blessed oasis of organization. If I could marry this bookcase, I would.

Which is bringing me to my point, in a round about way, as usual. At times I find myself wishing for things like a house with a yard and a garden, or enough money to just stay home with my kids without having to keep other kids just to pay the bills. What I should be doing, instead of looking at those things that are just out of my reach right now, is to look at the wonderful things that I DO have: a really cute two-bedroom condo on the ground floor (as opposed to the one-bedroom on the second floor that we lived in prior to this one), the opportunity to be home with my kids (even if it means being stretched a little thinner due to watching other little ones, as well), a really great husband who works hard and loves to be home with us at the end of the day. When I count my blessings, (like this incredibly functional and aesthetically pleasing craft cubby), I'm so much happier than when I picture things that I don't have and "just can't live without."

And there is such virtue in going without. Not that I'm calling myself "virtuous," please understand. I just want to teach my kids the value of self-denial--the virtue of saying "no" once in a while to things that we would love to have, even when there is nothing inherently wrong with having them--and the art of loving the things that we have, even if they aren't our first choice.

I read another blog this afternoon whose author was paying tribute to her mother. It was a beautiful expression of thanks for all her "Mama's" sacrifices over the years. Giving of oneself is not always easy. But a mother is never done with giving of herself. It starts with pregnancy and birth, then nursing and endless nights of little sleep, then everything that follows with child-rearing. Caring for sick little ones, patiently teaching them at all hours of the day, when there is just no more to give. And that's when things are going right! My own mother is a prime example of the kind of self-sacrifice that makes a good mother a great mother--working long hours to send us to a Christian school and take us on great vacations. Even now, my mother spends money on all of us and our kids.

I hope that one day my kids will see me as a mom that made a few sacrifices but was overjoyed to do so. I hope that they will hold me up as an example, but not a martyr. It's a blessing to have an opportunity to give so that my children's needs will be met. And it's a blessing to teach them these important lessons in priority, virtue, and self-sacrifice.

Honestly, though, I have really great kids. Maybe I wouldn't feel this way if they weren't so beautiful. ;)

See what I mean?

Mother's Day 2010

Pork chops and Winchester apples

2010-05-03T17:26:00.000-07:00

This weekend we visited our great friends (thanks, guys!) in Winchester for the annual Apple Blossom Festival (or "The Bloom," if you're local). Such great fun with parades and other festivities. Riccardo, our friend and chef of Violino was involved with a cooking demonstration, during which he made several sauces and a beautiful apple cake with real Winchester Golden Delicious apples. As far as eating-out-of-hand apples, Golden Delicious is not my favorite, but these apples are great for cooking.

This cake is moist and dense yet had such a light flavor that it doubles as a breakfast as well as dessert. Riccardo was kind enough to send us home with a cake of our own. Here is a piece I sliced up for after the kids went to bed tonight.

Tonight I made pork chops (which Paul has been requesting for some time), adapting this recipe from Rachel Ray. I used the very same apples from Winchester. :)

Honey Mustard Glazed Pork Chops and Apples

1/4 C Honey

1/4 C Spicy brown mustard

1/4 C Apple cider vinegar

Splash of OJ

1/4 medium onion, finely chopped

A few dashes each of nutmeg, ground cloves, and ginger

4 Pork Chops

3 Golden delicious apples, sliced crosswise (with peel and core)

Olive oil for drizzling

Salt and Pepper

Heat grill pan or skillet to a pretty high heat (I don't have a grill pan, so I used a skillet, and it turned out great). Preheat oven to 350.

Combine honey, mustard, ACV, OJ, onion, and spices in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sauce thickens a bit. Should take about 5-10 minutes.

Coat chops in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Then pan sear or grill about 2-3 minutes on each side. Baste with honey mustard sauce and cook a minute or 2 longer.

Transfer chops to baking dish, drizzle any remaining sauce, and bake for 12 minutes.

Coat apple slices in olive oil and grill or pan sear for 3 minutes.

Layer chops and apples on platter and serve.

We ate local asparagus with brown butter and lemon juice alongside our chops and apples. Charlie and Judah ate about 5 spears each of this local treat and probably would have eaten more if I hadn't put a stop to it!

I couldn't resist

2010-04-27T15:43:00.000-07:00

Handmade pottery has become a weakness of mine, especially when I find a good deal. And Sunday, I found a GREAT deal. I'd come across a posting that there was to be a student sale at the pottery studio/shop in my neighborhood and made a mental note not to miss it. That's the kind of mental note that usually bears no follow-through, but this weekend was fortunately an exception. While sitting across the street having coffee with Paul and the kids, I saw the sign for the sale and remembered! Just a few minutes after it'd started, we went in and found LOADS of beautiful pieces. I seriously could've spent WAY more than I did, but I had to be responsible and settle on these few gorgeous pieces to enhance my smallish but growing collection.

What I love about pottery like this is knowing that someone sat down at a wheel and labored, probably intensely as these are students, to create each piece individually. He or she had a vision and manipulated the clay for each piece to come into existence. Every piece is different, even within a set. They are useful as well as artistic. Practical and beautiful.

I purchased all of these for about $40:

Charlie picked out this mug for herself:

Now I can't wait to use them!

What's new at Joyful Gifts

2010-04-24T13:05:00.000-07:00

Today we've spent a lot of time in the car, which has actually been kind of nice. Except for the traffic, things started out fairly relaxing. I had to drop off some of my inventory at ArtSpring, where I sell wine gift bags, blankets, and burp cloths. I've been sewing like crazy for the last two weeks so that I could get things stocked up and hopefully start making a little money again. I so enjoy sewing, and the fact that I can bring home a little profit makes it that much more enjoyable! Here are a few photos of my things that are available at a few stores, as well as at my Etsy store, JoyfulGifts:

Security blankets with wooden teething ring

Burp cloths

Baby blankets and XL baby blankets

Wine gift bags

Paul and the kids were kind enough to accompany me on my trip to Silver Spring, MD, which is only about 10 miles but an hour's drive from home (such is life in this city). Just after we'd dropped off my inventory, we headed into a nearby restaurant for a quick lunch, only to glance at Judah and find him waste high in vomit. The poor thing. We headed outside and got the sick little one all cleaned up and wrapped up in Paul's T-shirt, and then he got sick again about 20 minutes later. After cleaning up Judah again and dressing him in ridiculous scraps of whatever clothing we found in the back of the car, we ended up at Whole Foods (lately, my home away from home) for some great takeout, which we spread out as a car picnic on the side of a very busy street. Then headed home, while Judah slept, Charlie daydreamed, and Paul and I talked to each other and enjoyed each other's company for the long ride home through nasty traffic, scary neighborhoods, and crowds of tourists.

I really love my family. I love that a day like this is actually somewhat pleasant. It reminds me how much times have changed--that a day in the car and cleaning up puke can be nice. Maybe I'm just old and my standards have dropped, or maybe I'm wiser than ever and I'm learning what's important. Some might say, "Six one way, half a dozen another."

Melts my heart

2010-04-21T15:30:00.000-07:00

I don't have a lot of time, but I wanted to get this photo up as soon as I could. Judah has taken quite the liking to Charlie's little baby doll, and this afternoon he brought me Charlie's baby sling and asked for help getting it on him. Then he brought the baby doll and asked for help. Just take a look:

Great Outdoor Challenge

2010-04-19T10:29:00.000-07:00

Because we live in the city, we don't see too many wildflowers besides your basic dandelions, which can grow even in the middle of a sidewalk. Even those get mowed down so often that we really don't see as many as some of you country folk. :) So this challenge has us looking high and low at what little nature that does surround us. It's inspiring!
Here are just a couple pics of some beautiful things we've spotted close to home:

This gorgeous wisteria

These Star of Bethlehem that Charlie wanted in a vase in her room:

Finding Peace

2010-04-16T12:01:00.000-07:00

People have different ideas about the definition of peace. For me, peace might entail having my work done for the day (laundry done and put away, the house is clean and fresh, the kitchen stocked, and maybe dinner is ready to go into the oven), children playing quietly and happily, husband happy and satisfied and on his way home, money in the bank to at least cover this month's bills. Everyone is rested and purring like a cat sunbathing in the window. When life occurs this way, I feel peaceful. Except that I don't. Or maybe I do, but it's quite temporary.
The fact is that things rarely go as we like. And when there isn't enough money in the bank, and I haven't had a full night's sleep for months, and nothing in the world is going to make a fussy Judah happy, and the house is really not up to my standards--if my peace is coming from the wrong place, I'm quite dissatisfied.
While I'm writing this, I'm thinking about how rare it is to find a blog about this sort of thinking. Somehow you always see pictures of my smiling babies and a beautiful (if I do say so myself) chicken pot pie coming out of the oven, but honestly, such a small portion of my life is represented in those photos. Sometimes I feel like I live the rest of my life preparing my kitchen and my kids so that I can take a quick shot of everything looking perfect so that I can post it on my blog. As a matter of fact, at this moment, I'm listening to my kids fight on either side of the bedroom door--Judah trying to get in, "Sissy" not letting him in, Judah screaming, "Sissy" yelling back, etc. I should probably go intervene. Blogging to resume shortly.
Okay, I'm back. Where was I? Oh yes, peace.
In my circles growing up, people always liked to say things like, "Just give it up to God." And what exactly does that mean? When I was pregnant with Charlie, Paul and I attended a Bradley class on natural childbirth. The Bradley method stresses normal breathing and relaxation. When in labor, I found out just how difficult it can be to relax when you feel like your uterus has turned against you and you just might actually die of pain. But even if a woman can't relax, her uterus is going to contract over and over again until that baby pushes her way out. The fact is learning to just give in to the contractions and letting go of all control is the easiest path through labor. My midwife, when watching me struggle through the most painful part of labor, gave me the instruction to just press my body into the mattress and relax. It was such a new feeling--this ACTIVE relaxation. The idea of "giving it up to God" feels very similar. It's not just passively giving up and caring less. Instead it is handing things over to God and then actively following his will, confident that His plan is best.
So I write all of this to say that peace is not in our circumstances. We are not promised happiness in this life. There will be financial struggles, there will be fussy kids sapping the last of a mom's energy, there will be cancer, there will even be death and loss of loved ones. There will be many unexpected heartaches. But there can be deep peace and even joy through our struggles. Peace is an inward understanding of who (and what) God is. My peace today comes from a God who loves me. Knowing peace is knowing that no matter how I fail, God loves me just as I am. It's knowing that God delights in me--that He created me with my quirks and that He actually loves them. That I don't need to earn His love--it's freely given. That even when I'm not looking to Him for peace, He is there to provide it. It's knowing that I have a home in Heaven, when this life is over. First John 4:8 says very simply, "God is love." That means that God loves me because it's what He is! He can't NOT love me!
How can I now be overwhelmingly ecstatic?!

My big little girl and some thoughts on schooling

2010-04-14T07:27:00.000-07:00

Charlie is learning to read! I'm so proud of my little girl, and so happy that she is discovering the world of reading. And I must admit, I guess I'm a little proud of myself, too, for learning how to teach her. :) Paul and I'd decided a long time ago that we want to homeschool, but I have to tell you, as resolved as I am, the thought seemed more than a little daunting. We have this book that I've been very happy with:

Every day we do our lesson together when the little kids are sleeping. It takes about 15 minutes or so, and it's a very special time for us. Charlie is getting quicker and bolder every day. I'm learning how she learns, and I know that is going to be immensely helpful once we start the real deal.

We're not going to start "officially" homeschooling for a little while. Charlie turns 5 in September, and as far as we're concerned, there's no need to rush her. We'll start kindergarten some time next year.

The further along we get in our parenting journey, the more I know that homeschooling is the best choice for our family. I know that we all have different preferences and needs, and I'm not at all going to question anyone else's choices. I just know that I can teach my kids better than anyone else can. I like the flexibility that homeschooling offers--both with our schedule as a family and also with the pace that our kids will learn. Homeschooling also offers the opportunity for a parent to immediately see where a child is excelling and should be encouraged and also where that child is having trouble and needs a little reinforcement.

For me, though, one of the biggest reasons for homeschooling is the socialization. Ironically, for some reason, this also seems to be many people's reasons for NOT homeschooling. I don't mean to sound morally superior, but sometimes I see the way kids of all ages are acting, and I just can't believe it. So many kids are rude to adults and their peers, materialistic, hyper, uninterested in learning, aggressive, dishonest, and self-destructive. I personally don't want my kids to be "socialized" in this manner. It's really the blind leading the blind. Kids NEED to be taught by adults how to interact in the proper way. Having them at conventional schools puts kids in a room full of 30 other kids their same age (that are also learning how to behave) and one adult (unless, of course, we're talking about a montessori or other learning establishment). I know that it's not all kids that are misbehaving, and I also know that putting kids in conventional schools is not necessarily going to ensure that they have behavioral problems or that homeschooling is going to ensure that they don't. But I DO know that if my kids are home with me, I will be the primary source of information that they receive and the eyes and ears of how they are behaving.

I should also mention, regarding the socializing, that there are really good homeschooling communities and co-ops in most parts of the country. Homeschooled kids get lots of opportunities to socialize together, do field trips, and learn in many different environments. I know that I will be doing my best to capitalize on these opportunities once we get started!

Talking to opponents of homeschooling, one might hear something like, "I just don't want to shelter my children from the world." I don't understand this philosophy. Why is "sheltering" our children a negative thing? We SHOULD be sheltering them. There are so many negative and even (dare I say) evil things that can influence these little people at such a vulnerable stage in life.

Again, I'm not judging anyone else's choices. I know many children that are in good homes and are being taught wonderful things at home and at conventional schools. These kids have received great foundations at home and have parents that they know they can openly communicate with. Their parents have made the best choices for their own families.

These are just my thoughts regarding my own family. We all have to do what is best for the little ones that we've been entrusted to raise and turn into responsible big people. We get only one chance to do it.

Our Great Outdoor Challenge

2010-04-13T05:04:00.000-07:00

We've joined the Great Outdoor Challenge! Around here, we usually do a pretty good job at getting out of the house around lunchtime, but I have a hard time with the hours towards dinnertime and the later part of the afternoon. I'm cooking dinner, getting kids ready for bath- and bedtime, and usually someone is fussy. I'm oftentimes just hanging on until Paul can get home. Anyway, yesterday we'd done our usual midday trip to the park, but just before dinner, keeping the challenge in mind, we decided to head outdoors for a little more nature. So, I slid dinner into the oven and headed out with these two very grateful kiddos. These kids just thrive on being outside! I realized that getting them outside and giving them some fresh air and a change of scenery is an excellent way to distract them and lighten the mood while we wait for dinner and head into the last stretch of the day.

Look at those monkeys!

My nature princess :)

I had a really hard time getting them to stay still for a picture:

A jumping nature princess:

I guess he's taking a rest from all the running!

After a while, I got tired of chasing them, so I just plopped down and took a few pics of what I saw right where I sat. Remember this tree from the blizzard pics?

Right above my head:

And just for fun:

Thanks, Lisa, for the great challenge idea! Everyone else, please join at: 5 Orange Potatoes!

Pie's not just for dessert anymore

2010-04-08T17:25:00.000-07:00

If the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, then the way to a woman's heart is to compliment her cooking. I've said this to Paul many times. Not that I'm fishing for compliments. I'm really just trying to make things easy for him. ;)

Today I ventured to make a chicken pot pie from scratch. Okay, I used frozen veggies instead of shucking my own corn, chopping my own carrots, etc., but the sauce and crust were entirely from scratch, and I used leftover chicken that I'd roasted a couple of nights ago (yet another way to stretch your roasted chicken).

I'd never before made a chicken pot pie. In fact, I didn't think I liked chicken pot pie, but as it turns out, I must not have rememberd it very well. It has been a long time. So, I turned to the Internet for an easy-looking recipe and didn't like any that I found, so I just made my own. And, if I do say so myself, it was undeniably delicious!

Jenni's Chicken Pot Pie

Pie crust (see link)
I followed these directions exactly except substituted butter for shortening. You really, really need to make your own pie crust for this recipe. Seriously. Do it. If you don't, it's just going to taste like you bought the whole thing in the freezer section.

Sauce
3 Tbsp. butter
2 cloves garlic
1 small onion, chopped
2 stalks celery
1/3 C flour (I never really measure stuff, so I'm just guessing, but that seems about right)
2 C chicken broth, heated
1/4 C heavy cream

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, and celery. Cook until soft. Now add flour to make a roux. Once you've got that stirred and smooth, add broth. Stir and cook until it's thickened to a gravy consistency. Add cream and stir.

The Rest
1 bag of frozen mixed veggies (I used a bag of peas, green beans, lima beans, corn, and carrots. You could always chop your own and just throw in whatever you like, but if you're using fresh, be sure to steam them first.)
About 3 or 4 Cups of cooked and chopped chicken (ahem--Leftover roasted chicken is amazing here.)

Take half of your amazingly buttery from scratch pie crust and carefully place it in your deep dish. I think that those big Corningware casserole dishes will be too big, but a regular pie dish will be way too small. You need something in between. I used a medium casserole dish that was just perfect. Toss in your veggies (right out of the bag) and chicken. Pour your sauce over and carefully stir everything so that it's evenly mixed. Now lay the other crust on top, pinch the edges together, vent the top. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes to an hour. Let it sit for a few minutes before you dig in. It's seriously worth the wait.

Easter 2010

2010-04-04T17:11:00.000-07:00

Did you have a good weekend? We sure did. Praise God for the incredible sacrifice of His Son, Who rose from the dead so that we could be with Him in glory one day! What wondrous love. I hope that you were able to worship today, and that you will every day.

What a lovely Easter. It was the warmest that we've had in years. Paul's parents were here for the weekend, which was such a great treat for us and the kids. We used to travel to South Carolina just about every holiday to visit with both of our families, but the last year or so we've found it just too taxing to be in the car for that length of time with two kids. It's really great to have family come up our way for a change.

This morning we woke up bright and early and hid the kids' Easter basket (yes, basket--they shared. they will each get their own starting next year, once judah is a bit bigger). I don't know if everyone does that, but in my family, my parents always hid our baskets and let us find them before church. I love this tradition! Anyway, we went to the early service with Paul's parents and then to brunch with good friends, Micki and Parker (pictured in the previous post on the egg hunt yesterday). Then we had some play time the rest of the day and were able to visit Benjamin's grave, too.

I've been reminded lately of how much life changes once kids are in the picture. Our weekends totally revolve around these little people and Charlie's ballet class and Judah's naps and what we can do that would be fun for them. Short of necessary errands, there are very few activities that are not about the kids. It's exhausting, but oh so rewarding. It's so interesting to view life from this perspective and to know that this is why my parents did so much for us when we were little. I remember our egg hunts (then again, my parents still have egg hunts for their adult children--I'll tell you about this sometime, but it's awesome!) and our trips to Disneyland and the pool we had in our back yard and so many other fun things. I never really thought about it then, but I get it now. For all the effort that goes into a really great surprise or fun trip, etc., the joy on my kids' faces is so worth it.

I'm also impressed with the daunting task of teaching my children about God. It's such an incredible calling, and it's certainly one that I never gave much thought, until Charlie was born. I pray many times a day that they will grow to love God and to love others. I know that God loves my children more than I am able to and that He will raise them to be the people that He wants them to be, but we have such a responsibility as their parents to teach them consistently.

And now the little ones are tucked into bed (at least one is asleep already), and Paul and I are going to have some quality time with a movie and then go to bed and get ready to start the new week. What a wonderful life.

Charlie blew some bubbles to Heaven for her brother, Benjamin:

I promised Mom that I would send post some photos of the dress and hat that I made for Charlie:

Egg hunt

2010-04-03T18:37:00.000-07:00

Oh, another glorious day in the DC area! We had some friends over today for an Easter egg hunt in our condo's courtyard and then a simple lunch of salad, sandwiches, fruit, and yummy desserts. It was such a nice, relaxing, and fun time. The kids had a ball. Here are a few pictures:

Judah has taken such a liking to his Pa pa. :)

Did you notice Charlie and Judah's handmade Easter totes? ;)

We're really looking forward to celebrating our Lord's resurrection at church tomorrow. A happy Easter to all of you, and God bless.

Rant Friday

2010-04-02T19:25:00.000-07:00

I'm really tired and on my way to bed, but I really wanted to post another short rant. This post is for the guy sitting next to me, or in front of me, or somewhere obviously within earshot even though I can't necessarily tell exactly where you are, while I sit in my minivan at a red light listening to Vivaldi or Mendelsohn or even REO Speedwagon on occasion and you are interrupting my Four Seasons or my "I Can't Fight This Feeling Anymore" with your RIDICULOUSLY obnoxious bass-pumping bad music. TURN DOWN YOUR RADIO!!! I do not want to hear your crap that you call music, do you understand? I know that I sound really old and really whatever, but seriously. It's soooo obnoxious and rude. Nobody needs to listen to music at that volume anyway, okay? So, if you're not going to pay any mind to the damage that you're inevitably causing your fragile eardrums, please respect the air space around you and recognize that it's just not okay to impose your bad taste on those around you.
Whew, glad I got that off my chest. Now, good night and pleasant dreams to you all. :)

Cherry Blossoms 2010

2010-04-02T19:16:00.000-07:00

Every year we try to see the cherry blossoms, and every year we drag a kid or two and a stroller down to the Tidal Basin at the same time that the rest of the country seems to be in DC to do the same thing, and I complain the entire time that there are just too many tourists here. This year, I thought we'd do what the locals do. So I dragged the family down to the Tidal Basin VERY early in the morning on a weekday to avoid the crowds. It turned out to be a really beautiful day with the temperature and the sun and the peaking of the blooms. Just perfect. We grabbed breakfast on the way into town and sat on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial with our bagels and egg-and-cheese sandwiches, and then made the mile-and-a-half hike over to the trees.

Awwwww . . .

Here is Judah breaking rule number one, the little rebel that he is:

Charlie took this one of us:

Ten Years

2010-03-30T18:51:00.000-07:00

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.

I love thee to the level of everyday's

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;

I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.

I love thee with a passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death.

~Elizabeth Barret Browning's Sonnet 43

Paul and I celebrated our 10th anniversary on March 17. I'm finally getting around to blogging about it.
I recently had dinner with a friend of mine who waxed eloquent about the kind of love she wants to find. She said something about "Sex and the City," at which point my ears become totally deaf, but at any rate, her words were something along the lines of finding love that is really passionate and crazy and all-consuming, etc. It's a really nice thought, but I told her that I think too many people are chasing movies and not finding what is actually REAL love. Love isn't always butterflies and giggles, or even amazing sex. Maybe this sounds disheartening to you. Maybe you've been married for a while and you know exactly what I'm talking about.
Please don't think that I'm saying that staying together means that eventually you hate each other. It's not that at all. It's just that we've been through so much history and have fought so many battles (some as friends and some as foes) that we've become accustomed to each other. Maybe we don't laugh at each other's jokes as much as we used to and maybe don't even close the door to the bathroom all the time, but what we have is the real thing.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning's poem describes a love that IS all-consuming. It's a beautiful love that reaches every corner of the woman's soul. It's the kind of love that married people should strive for, no matter how many years.
REAL love is defintely passionate and all-consuming AT TIMES. But not all the time. Sometimes love is very quiet or even grumpy (Paul). Sometimes it flies off the handle at the simplest little thing (ahem--me). But it's constant. It survives. REAL love stands the test of time. Love stays even when all it wants is to leave. It forgives. It forgets. It rubs your feet. It holds your aching, laboring body when you're birthing a baby. Love will care for that baby on an early Saturday morning, too, just to let you sleep. Love will go to work every day to provide for the family. And it will come home at the end of the day to do it all over again. Love is making a choice to love, even when it doesn't feel like loving.
Paul, I'm so thankful for your incredible friendship and love. You're an amazing man, and I hope that you know that I love you more and more every day, even though sometimes it feels like the puppy love is gone. I love you so deeply that loving you has become part of me. I adore you--ten times more than I did on our wedding day. I'm so happy to be your partner, your love. "And, if God choose, I shall but love thee better after death." Happy anniversary.

Why are weekends so short?

2010-03-21T15:07:00.000-07:00

Oh what a LOVELY weekend we had here in Virginia. It just couldn't have been more beautiful. We were able to spend some time at the park in between errands on Saturday, and tonight we had a little picnic in the courtyard of our condo complex. Here are a few pics:

This is one of Charlie's summer tops I made for her:

Charlie's Twirly-girly T-shirt Dress

2010-03-18T07:21:00.000-07:00

That's what I'm naming this little dress that I created for my twirly-girly Charlie. Today I'm attempting my very first sewing tutorial.
I was inspired my my fashionista SIL, Kelly, who had on a really cute dress back at Christmas time, that was basically a silk skirt sewn to the hem of a designer T-shirt. I decided to make a couple of these for Charlie for summertime. It's a REALLY inexpensive article of clothing, costing about $4 for the T-shirt, $2 for the fabric for the skirt, and a few cents for the ribbon around the hem. I also added an iron-on design, but it certainly isn't necessary. For added embellishment, you could always sew a handmade fabric flower to the top or even a ruffle around the cuff. So, for $10 or less, you have an entire outfit that's perfect for your little girl's typical summer day and really cute!

What you'll need:
One T-shirt. I bought mine at AC Moore, but you can get these anywhere. You can also use something you already have on hand. I bought a 4T for my little girl, so these instructions will be for this size, but you can easily adjust them to be a little bigger or smaller. You may also want to pre-wash, and you definitely want to if you are planning to add an iron-on design.
Cotton fabric for your skirt. I used a fat quarter. If you're not familiar, it's called a fat quarter because it's cut half the width but twice the length as a quarter yard--a quarter yard being 9" x 44", a fat quarter is 18" x 22". Quilters use them a lot, but they're really great for small projects like this. Once you have your fat quarter, cut it in half lengthwise so that you now have two pieces that are 9" x 22". You can, by all means, use a piece of fabric that is not a fat quarter, and if you do, there is no need to cut it in two pieces. You can have one piece that is 9" x 44" (a quarter yard).
Ribbon for the hem. It should be about 46", just to give you a little wiggle room on the ends, and at least 3/4" wide.

1. With right sides together, sew (or serge) both pieces of skirt fabric together at the selvedge. There is no need to finish the edge here, since it's the selvedge. If you have one piece of fabric as opposed to a fat quarter, skip this step.
2. If you have a serger, finish the top and bottom edges by serging the lengths of the fabric. If you do not have a serger, fold about 1/8" of the fabric down twice (in order to hide the cut edge) and iron it to hold in place. Sew the folded edge down on both long edges.
3. Along one of the finished long edges, pin your ribbon to the right side, being careful to hide the shirt's hem behind the ribbon. Sew the ribbon in place.

4. Use a smocking technique to gather the skirt (or use a gathering feature on your machine if you have it. To use the smocking technique (which might sound intimidating, but it's really easy), about a 1/2 down from the top of your skirt (the long side without the ribbon), just straight stitch the whole length, and leave several inches of thread at the end once you've sewn. Then grab the bottom thread, and gently pull it through, gathering the fabric. When you have gotten the fabric to the desired size (it should be the same length as the hem of your T-shirt--use a measuring tape to be sure), then even out the gathering so that it's about the same fullness all the way around. Once you've gotten things to look right, straight stitch the length again to sew it all in place.
5. Now you're ready to attach your skirt to the T-shirt! Turn your shirt inside out, and lay the skirt on top, right side down and lining up the skirt's side edge to the shirt's side seam Now sew the top hem of your skirt to the shirt, careful to cover your skirt's upper seam behind the shirt's hem.

6. To sew the skirt's side seam, put right sides together and either serge, starting at the top, or straight stitch, starting at the top and being sure to fold the edges in again (like you did in Step 5).
7. When you've finished attaching the skirt to the shirt, you can add your embellishments. Voila! Your Twirly-girly T-shirt dress!

Seafood Fridays

2010-03-13T07:37:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to share a couple of mouth-watering photos of our latest Seafood Friday. I told a friend yesterday that if I could choose my last meal, it would, no doubt, include crab legs. I get these about once a year, though the last time was a year and half ago. I remember because I was about 30 months pregnant at the beach in late August. I made Paul drive me a round to about 4 different restaurants before we found one that served crab legs and wasn't an all-you-can-eat-trough-I-mean-buffet. Yesterday I realized that they are not much more work to have at home than they are in a restaurant, given that most of the effort is put in at the table. They take about 5 mintues to steam, and they're done! I bought two pounds at Whole Foods, and it was more than enough for Paul, Charlie, and me. Judah didn't care for them, which is just as well. :) Anyway, I paid $7.99 per pound! Since they were so cheap, I also bought a half pound of already cooked shrimp cocktail (also on sale for $7.99 a pound), and served up our shellfish Red-Lobster-style with rice pilaf, steamed broccoli, and homemade garlic biscuits.

They were amazingly sweet, and oh my gosh, anything that you dip in melted butter, c'mon. My mouth is still watering . . .

The legs:

The biscuits:

Rant Friday

2010-03-12T16:49:00.000-08:00

It's not in my usual spirit of happy blogging, but I think I might start a new thing here. Maybe not. Maybe it'll just be today, but I have a few things that are getting on my nerves.

1. GPS. It makes people stupid. People no longer know street names or things like North, South, East, or West. People rely a little too much on these little machines to get them around. I know, I know, they have cool features like "Where is the nearest Chik-Fil-A?" And maybe I'm just jealous 'cause I don't have one, but lately hearing "I'm just doing what the GPS is telling me to do" is really bugging me.

2. So, I'm trying to find new children to watch in my home daycare, since a couple kids are going to be leaving me soon. I emailed and finally talked to one woman in particular who is currently and wants to continue to be a stay-at-home mom to her brand new 3-month-old little girl. The trouble is, "she's fussy and needs a lot of attention during the hours from 3-7 (i.e., 'the witching hour')." This brand new mom wants to take her baby somewhere and drop her off so that someone else can deal with her meltdown. WHAT?? Now I have no problem dealing with fussy babies--it's part of my job. I do, however, have a little trouble with the idea of someone paying me SPECIFICALLY to deal with her baby's difficult time. I mean, every mom who is with her children between afternoon naptime and dinnertime has to deal with this difficult behavior. And this mom wants to bring her little one here so that I can deal with my two kids, plus whatever other little one I'll have in my care at that time, PLUS her baby? Seriously? Is there some kind of a disconnect with the motherly instincts? Do people not understand that being a mother is HARD? You can't spend just the fun, happy times with your baby, right?

3. What is with people using the word I instead of me? As in: "Just between you and I." Drives me absolutely CRAZY!! The word me is a completely valid word and has its place. You do not sound smarter using the word I all the time. I know I was an English major and am therefore WAY sensitive to these kinds of things, but really.

I don't think it's a good idea to constantly dwell on things that are getting on our nerves, but I wanted to tell someone. Thanks for listening. Now I can stop thinking about this stuff and get on with real life. :) Tomorrow I'll post something on Charlie's new homemade summer clothes. Hope you all are having a fantastic Friday night and have a great weekend. I'm going to watch a movie now with Paul and relax for the first time today. Cheers!

New Growth

2010-03-07T17:29:00.000-08:00

What a lovely weekend we had here in Alexandria. The weather was just gorgeous for this time of year. A little chilly, but bearable with just a light jacket (or my bright red trench coat that makes me so happy). The sun shone so bright, and the sky had woken up from a long, hard winter and was just bursting an unbelievable blue. I know it's still technically winter, but we had such a nice taste of spring that I'm ready to pot my geraniums and sport my sandals. I always jump the gun this time of year and then regret it during our inevitable "Dogwood Winter." C'est la vie.

Anyway, yesterday was Alexandria's annual St. Patty's Day parade, and I won't bore you with pictures, because they would, no doubt, look a lot like last year's photos. We went and sat at our usual spot on the curb and had a blast, as we do every year. I love that this has become a family tradition for the Callahans. :)

Today we went to church and then spent some more time outside at the park. Oh, it is so wonderful to be outside in the warm sunshine! When it was time to leave, the poor kids had to tear themselves away. We just don't know when we'll see the sun again, you know?

While we were at the park, I tried to climb across the monkey bars like I used to as a kid, and I was (not very) surprised to find that I couldn't do it. It was the funniest thing to realize. Something that was so completely natural to me as a kid--I mean, I could have done that in my sleep--I just couldn't do, at least not without substantial effort. Then I started to think about the real topic of this post. It's something that I've been mulling over for quite a while but just couldn't think about how to tie it all together.

Paul and I have so much that we want to teach to our kids, but as far as specific character traits that we consciously want to instill, compassion and respect for others are at the top of the list. We've talked endlessly about how to model these traits for them and how to talk about them and create teaching moments in our daily lives.

Consciously teaching these traits is important, but the more Charlie grows up, the more I realize that this little girl embodies these characteristics. She seems to have this natural sensitivity toward others, as I believe many children have. Kids somehow see past things that their adult counterparts can't overcome. I've seen Charlie watch coverage of these recent awful earthquakes in Haiti and Chile with tears in her eyes. One night she watched a special about children with cleft palate and was genuinely concerned for these poor kids. She so enjoys making lunches with me for our Salvation Army volunteering and talks endlessly about hoping "the people like their sandwiches."

Our job as parents is to continue with the God-given natural ability and nurture it and cultivate it, shaping it while pointing always to Heaven. Just like zooming across monkey bars is so natural for a kid, I pray that she keeps her kind spirit and doesn't become conditioned like so many adults who find compassion and respect as unfamiliar as child's play.

Some welcome signs of spring:

Hello again

2010-03-04T04:23:00.000-08:00

I've been mulling over several posts in my head for a few days, and I'm not sure how they're going to turn out, or if I'll ever have time to blog again, but while Charlie's still in bed and Judah is shaving with Daddy, I just wanted to take a few minutes and express how unfathomably thankful I am (wow this is a long sentence!). Paul and my 10th anniversary is coming up (St. Patty's Day, in fact), and I'm just so thankful for this man and for these incredible children I get to see and care for every day. We don't always appreciate time with our loved ones like we should, so I just wanted to have said this.
I hope you all are having a wonderful time with the loved ones of your own.
Happy Thursday. :)

Affording to eat well

2010-02-26T17:04:00.000-08:00

I had mentioned a while back that I'd like to defend the cost of food at places like Whole Foods. I really could write a lot on this subject, but mainly I shop at Whole Foods (and believe me, I'm on a STRICT budget) because I care about what my food is made of. I know that it probably costs me more than most people in my tax bracket care to spend, but I know that I'm not going to inadvertantly buy MSG or Red #40 or High Fructose Corn Syrup. It just is not going to be at Whole Foods. Now, I know that I can probably read the labels at Harris Teeter and get out of there without any such scary "ingredients," but I really like that I'm buying at a store that is on-board with the whole philosophy (kind of like having a baby at home as opposed to a hospital).

Okay, I've read The Omnivore's Dilemma and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, and I understand that there is a difference between what Michael Pollan calls "Industrial Organic" and the real thing (as in local organic). I do my best to buy locally from the farmers' markets and other local sources, but there are times that I need to get to one place and do all the shopping then.

It takes a paradigm shift to swallow spending more money. So, as for defending the prices, I'm happy to pay a little more for the confidence that I'm buying GOOD food that is actually food, not food with junk added to it so that it can sit on my shelf for 2 years. I'm happy to provide for my family real meals that have been cooked here at home and not at some factory. And, yes, we do spend a little more, especially on things like organic chicken and grass-fed beef. But the way we get around that little hiccup is to eat less meat. Portion sizes have gotten way out of control over the years anyway, and some people don't realize that a serving of meat should be about the size of the palm of your hand. Here are a couple of ways that I've stretched out our meals.

While I'm not Catholic, Paul is, so I like to do seafood dishes on Fridays during the season of Lent. Last week we had fish 'n' chips. Tonight we had salmon chowder. I adapted a recipe that I'd found on All Recipes.

Salmon Chowder

2 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Onion (medium)

2 Cloves garlic, minced

3 Stalks celery

1/2 C flour

6 C Chicken or vegetable broth

1 Lb. Potatoes, cubed

1 Tbsp. Fresh tarragon

1 Tbsp. Fresh thyme

1 Lb. Salmon fillet, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/4 Vermouth (or dry white wine)

1/4 Teaspoon Hot sauce

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 Teaspoon Black pepper

1 C heavy cream

1 Bag of frozen sweet corn

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, combine the butter, olive oil, garlic, and celery. Cook until onions are soft and transparent. Stir in flour to make a roux. Gradually add broth and stir until thickened. Add potatoes and herbs. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Stir in salmon, vermouth, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Simmer over low heat, uncovered for 10 minutes.

Add cream and continue to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not let boil once cream is added. Add corn and stir just to heat through. Serve hot.

This recipe is so easy and absolutely delicious! We ate until we were full, and I know we'll have enough for at least lunch tomorrow! It's a great way to stretch out a main entree that could potentially be on the pricier side.

I also like to stretch out a whole organic chicken by roasting it with a ton of fresh veggies one night, and then turning it into soup the next. This little vegetarian-fed hen cost me about 10 or 12 bucks and fed us three times!

"Nursing Our Future" (Breastfeeding video)

2010-02-16T14:03:00.000-08:00

I'm posting a link to a video that was made by many members of Holistic Moms Network in response to an article in Australia. The article reports that young women are reluctant to nurse their babies in public, but this video says otherwise. Please watch this. It's beautiful.

Snoverkill

2010-02-11T12:40:00.000-08:00

We're still under several feet of snow here. Some are calling it "Sno'verkill" or "Blizzaster." Hilarious, but some still are "sno'ver it." We spent the day inside again yesterday, which was actually pretty fun. Yes, we have a touch of cabin fever, but we are making the most of being together and watching such a beautiful, albeit scarily windy, snowfall. DC has received it's snowiest winter in recorded history, with a total of 56 inches. The former record was 47 inches, if that gives you any idea what an anomaly this winter has been!

This morning Paul and I bundled up the kids and ourselves and headed up the street to investigate the neighborhood and grab breakfast at our favorite local coffee shop. I never realized how fake snow in this quantity can look. It's so funny to me. This kind of snow is surreal. The way the sun hits it and it glistens reminds me so much of the Christmas decorations around a Santa's Workshop display in a mall. And the icicles! Paul keeps commenting on how many photos I'm taking of the icicles, but these babies are three and four feet long. They're incredible! While we walked (and slipped and trudged), I took a few pictures and contemplated my next blog post. Today I'm writing about a few lessons I've learned from the incredible winter that we are enduring.

1. There can indeed exist too much of a good thing. And I'm not just talking snow. I'm talking cookies, s'mores, and playtime.

2. A winter like this brings out the best and the worst in people. For the most part, people are feeling some sense of community, some excitement. On our walk this morning, I felt this warm energy exuded by our neighbors, even those deep in the hard work of shoveling. There's this we're-all-in-this-together feeling being shared. And I love it. But there are many people who have hit their limits. And I'm not judging. I'm trying to remember, while I'm off of work and enjoying spending time with the family and romping around in the snow, I have no idea what the next guy is going through. Which brings me to my next lesson . . .

3. There's always somebody who has things worse. We are so lucky (and so thankful) to have power--MANY people do not. I have no idea what we would do without power. I guess we would dress in many layers and bundle up with blankets. I have a friend who offered to bring over a small grill so that we could heat up a few things to eat. And I suppose we would survive with candlelight and lack of radio, TV, and Internet access. So, we would survive, but life with power is so much better than life without. There are also many people with several days of lost wages, which is crippling to the working poor. We are very fortunate to be receiving wages even though we're not responsible for our regular work hours these few days.

4. Know your limits, and be okay with them. After all, there is only so much Candyland a mom can play before things start looking like a scene from "The Shining," and before you know it, someone is muttering "red rum" or hacking at the bathroom door with an axe. When cabin fever sets in, it's okay to turn on your child's favorite video for a few minutes and take a nap, take a bath, or read a book that contains no pictures.

Watching from the window:

S'mores:

Multi-tasking:

Our front door:

See what I mean?:

A few views of the neighborhood:

"It's bigger than me!"

On our walk this morning:

Letting the Pictures Do the Talking . . .

2010-02-08T13:21:00.000-08:00

Blizzard 2010

2010-02-06T16:47:00.000-08:00

Didn't someone once say, "Parenting is two percent inspiration and 98 percent exasperation"? Okay, well, if no one ever said it before, I'm saying it now. Maybe not exasperation, but on a good day, it's at least 98 percent exhaustion.

This weekend, we in the DC metro area and many other places, are enduring the Blizzard of 2010. It's the second blizzard to have hit this area in 6 weeks, and it's a doozy. We keep hearing such statistics as "We are now hitting our all-time record for most snow in a season," and "This is the fourth biggest snow in DC history." And it's barely February!

Our experience with this snow storm officially started on Thursday evening when I had to go to Whole Foods with all the other last-minute shoppers and make sure that we had enough supplies to last the few days of what they're calling "Snowpocalypse." I knew it would be pretty busy, but as soon as I finally got the minivan inside the parking garage, I was overwhelmed with this energy that I can only describe as desperate fluster. Not me, of course. I was happy to just be out of the house, mind you. But everywhere I looked there were harried expressions and racing grocery carts and food flying off of shelves. It was as if all these people had won a shopping spree and were simultaneously racing the clock. Insane.

I'd finally made it through to the checkout line with a shopping cart full of slow-cook items (chicken soup anyone?) and junk-food items (who ever heard of sitting through a blizzard without cheese puffs?), when I heard over the loud speaker, "Attention, Whole Foods shoppers, we wanted you to know that we now have bananas." In case you're wondering, yes, the song "We Have no Bananas Today" also entered my mind. If you weren't wondering, please disregard my latest admission of dorkiness. Anyway, so, we heard the announcement, and you would have thought that the shopping spree winners were now on the bonus round, searching for the golden ticket. Half the store RAN to the produce section and nearly mobbed the poor guy unloading the banana cart. Bananas for bananas (sorry, it was begging to be said).

I, too, ran for this most precious commodity, and when I made it back to my shopping cart, the guy who checked me out was just so pleasant. That's one thing that I absolutely love about Whole Foods. Say what you will about their prices (and that's a talk we can definitely have another time--I'll be more than happy to defend them), but the service is amazing. This nice young college guy asked what I'm planning to do during the storm. I sort of blanked. Charlie's ballet class will be canceled, and we'll have to stay in, but otherwise, it's not really going to be any different for me than any other Saturday. I imagine we'll play and I'll change a few diapers, breastfeed a little, cook and wash some dishes, and hang out with Paul all the while. But mostly I'll be keeping my small kids busy and happy.

The snow started around 10 Friday morning and started accumulating later on in the day and has since dumped somewhere between 20 and 24 inches here. The trees out front have lost several branches, and I'm sure that when we finally get out for a walk tomorrow, we'll see a lot more damage in the neighborhood. I'm so thankful, though, that we still have power. Many people in this area don't. And I'm so thankful that we are all together. It's so wonderful to have Paul and our little ones all under one roof while the snow piles up outside and the wind is howling. But, and I say this in the most grateful way possible, it is absolutely exhausting. In a good way. :)

We have been very, very busy today. I ventured out only once for about 4 minutes to take a few photos. Because it's 13 degrees with the wind chill factor, I was surprised at how many people I saw out there--the other crazies taking pictures, a few kids with sleds, and the poor souls responsible for dogs' potty breaks. But inside, we baked blueberry muffins from scratch, we made this fabric wreath, we made watercolor lanterns, we baked white chocolate chip cookies (also from scratch), and we played and played. And played.

No sir, parents of small children don't get to sleep in on the weekends, and we certainly don't get to watch movies all day or sip hot chocolate while we lazily watch the snowflakes drift down from a gray sky. But we DO get to bake and work on fun crafts! :) And tomorrow we'll head out to play and build another snowman. This one will be bigger, since daddy's home this time.

Our wreath:

The walkway and snow banks right outside the kitchen door:

One of the trees in the courtyard. I take a picture of this tree almost every time it snows:

Our watercolor lanterns:

Graced again with snow!

2010-02-04T08:25:00.000-08:00

Oh, my goodness. Tuesday we got our fourth (or was it our fifth? i've lost track) snow this season! It was just a few inches, but we still had snow on the ground since the last storm. This one was the first one that was any good for packing a snowball or building a snowman (or snow-woman, in this case).
I'd like to send out a message to our loved little ones who live south of here and are DYING to have snow to play with: Our prayers are with you. :) As we await our fifth (or sixth?) snow (which is promising to be another blizzard), we are asking God to send the giant piles of snow your way, too.
Here are just a few pics of us playing.

Action shot:

I wish we could've built a bigger one, but remember, I had Charlie and two barely-walking toddlers in tow.

What Groundhog Day Means to Me

2010-02-03T05:18:00.000-08:00

The other day, after I'd painted the picture of a typical day in my home daycare, a woman actually said to me, "That sounds like a lovely day! I wish I could just play and go outside, but I have to go to the office." Maybe she was being sweet and complimentary and positive, but I honestly laughed, because I thought she was kidding. She had to be kidding, right? We do our best to get outside, yes, but it's not so simple as just opening the kitchen door and floating out with bluebirds greeting us and humming a tune while the children skip and play. It's like a military operation. It probably takes me about 30 minutes to get everyone on board and bundled up so that we can spend about 30 minutes out there before I need to triage. The last time I described my typical day for someone, she said, "No offense, but that sounds like torture." I'm really not offended by either comment.

So, I'm not here to whine or build myself up like some kind of hero, but my life isn't nearly as glamorous as it may seem to the outsider. There is a lot of poop (when somebody was potty training and I had three babies here, for instance, I once changed 9 poopy diapers and cleaned up one accident in one day). There are lots of squashed peas to wipe up (I probably sweep and wipe the floor underneath the dining room table three times a day). Then there is the challenge of putting three kids (only three because, of course, Charlie no longer naps) down for naps in a two-bedroom condo. They all have to go down at the proper times and without waking each other up. I have to get food into them, even if they don't want it. Then I have to handle the unexpected like diaper blowouts or falls or gigantic spills of soup. And on top of all the logistical stuff, I must reserve enough energy to give each little one the "Essence of Mom," that little special touch or cuddling that every baby craves. I also have to give Charlie the attention that a four-year-old needs, which will soon include homeschooling.

Then I get everyone happy, fed, and changed, and just when I think I can sit down for five minutes, somebody cries, and I have to reach deep within my soul and cry out to the Almighty for the strength to stand up and care for the upset child. I tell you, a day at the office sounds like a vacation. Unless your office is in the middle of a volcano or something.

Yesterday was Groundhog Day (or Candlemas, for you more-Waldorf-less-Punxsutawney types). Groundhog Day marks the half-way point between the beginning of winter and the beginning of spring. I've always thought that February was the harshest month. Maybe that's why it's the shortest. But Groundhog Day always brings a glimmer of hope (I know this sounds ridiculous, but I spent my teen years in Pennsylvania, and both of my parents are from PA, so there is quite a lot of PA in me. If you were from there, you'd totally get it). It's the idea that it won't always be this way (Aha! I finally just got the irony of the movie!).

Which is precisely what Paul said to me this morning when I was complaining to Paul that sometimes I feel like I'm jailed in this house. I just don't get out enough these days. Part of it is the weather, part of it is just my chosen profession. Part of it is simply being a young family. So to put things into perspective, it won't always be winter, our kids won't always be this small, and then we'll have older kids. And then our kids won't even be kids, and Paul and I will be empty nesters. And in the VERY long term, we won't even be on this earth anymore. We'll be in eternity with our Creator, where we've been longing to be all this time.

In the grand scheme of things, this is going to be a very short time. And because of that, we had better make the most of it. I'm learning to offer my daily pressures up to God and view my work (both raising my own children and watching the others) as a ministry. When I see things this way, it's so much easier to wipe the runny nose, pick up the crying baby that doesn't want to nap anymore, or change the nasty diaper that just couldn't stay contained. But I also need to learn to cherish these times, not just endure them. Please don't think that I'm saying that my life is difficult, all work and no play. I do enjoy my work, and the kids do have a great time here. They're small for such a short time, and they're such a joy right now. That's partly why I blog, actually. It helps me to focus on what the daily task is teaching me.

So we are heading out into the snow today, to make the most of wintertime. I'm heading out there with Charlie and two just-barely-walking toddlers. There will inevitably be a fire to put out, but I will cross that bridge when we get there. In the meantime, we are bundling up to build a snowman and have some fun.

So, I hope this wasn't too much rambling for you. Thanks for always humoring my stream-of-consciousness kind of writing. With that, I'll leave you with these photos of the kids coloring a cheerful depiction of our Punxsutawney Phil.

This is the first time Judah ever colored a picture:

Things I Never Thought I'd Say v. 2

2010-02-02T16:10:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted these in a while, and I have a few recent additions, so I thought I'd post again. Please pass along any that you'd like to add! If you're not familiar (I'm sure you can figure it out, but), this is a running collection of ridiculous things that we moms and dads find ourselves saying to our very creative little ones. If you stop to think about some of the things that actually escape your lips (and your good sense, for that matter), it might go something like this:

No, we don't want to eat the poopoo snakes.
Get your hands out of your pants and eat your cereal.
Hold on to your pee pee. I'm tired of cleaning pee off of everything.
That's okay, honey. Thanks for helping, but Mommy can wipe her own bottom.
Well, Momma is driving so wipe your boogy on your pants.
[Said to the professor]: Excuse me a moment, I need to use the potty.
No, Mommy doesn’t want to see how big your penis can get.
Please don't pull on Mommy's pubic hair to get yourself up off the ground (said while changing clothes).
Hand the poopy to Mommy.
Mommy told you to stop hitting her booby with the duck. Now you have to leave the bathroom and let Mommy take a bath.
Stop hitting me with your fork.
Books do not go in the refrigerator.
Who stuffed toilet paper down the sink drain?
Stop wrapping your brother in tape.
Bye-bye, poopoo!
Don’t headbutt the baby.
Don’t shoot the baby.
Can you please just eat your boogers?
No, please don't tear off my mole.
That's enough with the acrobatic nursing; you're hurting my boobies.
Get your shoe out of your mouth.
Can you hold on a second? I think Clara has poop on her hand.
Stop drinking out of the pirate’s head!
Please stop dropping banana into Mommy’s shirt.
That was so funny that if I hadn't been doing my pelvic floor exercises, I would have peed in my pants.
I can't understand you while you're holding your tongue.
I've told you I'm busy! I can't come eat you right now; you'll have to occupy yourself some other way until I am done!
If you fling your panties around one more time and hit your food with them, you’re going to be put in timeout.
No, I don’t want to suck on your fingers anymore.
No barking at the dinner table.
[Said father to son] No, No, No! It's not okay to hit other people's ding dongs!
Then why do you have dried poop on your butt?

Home-baked goodness

2010-01-31T15:48:00.000-08:00

Paul shot these from our living room window:
Such a wonder, even after you've seen it a hundred times:

So, yesterday was a pretty lazy Saturday. At least for me. Paul and I had sort of a mini date Friday night after the kids went to bed (i.e., we ordered Thai takeout and ate in front of the TV and took as long as we wanted to enjoy our food and had as much of it as we wanted without stopping every 30 seconds to hand a sippy cup to someone or cut food for someone else, etc.). The food was great, but about 10 minutes after dinner, I started to feel what would eventually knock me out for a full Saturday. Not sure if our takeout was solely to blame, since Paul didn't get sick, but the timing seems a bit uncanny. I was sad about this mostly because we had our season's third snow, and it was just the perfect amount (about 6 inches) and a great temperature to be out playing with the kids.
Paul, who really needed to spend some time this weekend diving into work for his latest class (he's working on a master's in theology), spent half of his weekend fully responsible for the kids (which entails the regular feeding and naptimes, plus extra weekend things like Charlie's ballet class) and also for his very ill wife, who could do little other than lie in bed and call for a glass of water or a dry piece of toast. He did a really great job, and fussed only a little. :) I just wanted to acknowledge here what a blessing he is to me. Thanks, Paul.
Sunday morning I woke up feeling so much better, that I decided to bake bread for the family to enjoy on a snowy January day. My friend Joy (who is apparently my only friend who has a Blogger ID, on account that she is the only reader who ever leaves a comment--thanks, Joy) tried this recipe from Catherine Newman when we visited just after New Year's, and I've been wanting to try it. It turned out sooo tasty, and I really can't believe what little effort went into it. I tried it with just regular old organic unbleached all-purpose flour, but next time I'd like to try some different flours, as Catherine suggests.

If you already enjoy baking bread and would like to try a simple recipe with incredible results or have never tried and would like to get started somehow, this recipe is a keeper. Please go check it out. You'll also LOVE Catherine Newman. She's hilarious and so talented.

Just a couple thoughts

2010-01-27T16:41:00.000-08:00

Really quickly, before I get on with the actual post, I just want to share a couple of pics of my latest sewing projects. I have a new love, by the way. It's a Janome Juno serger, and I just can't keep my hands off of it (thanks, Mom and Dad! Merry Christmas to me!). Anyway, I've been planning to visit my sister, Stephanie, just as soon as she is home from her surgery. I'll be taking Judah on the plane with me (and leaving Charlie and Paul at home :( ), so I'm trying to find the perfect little activities to take for Judah. Here are a couple of pics of a backpack that I made just for him and also a little crayon roll, not that he'll do much coloring. I'm thinking more along the lines of him taking the crayons out and putting them back in over and over again. Hopefully, that will kill at least a few minutes and then eventually (sometime in the next year?) he'll actually color with them.

These projects are helping to keep me focused on something, while I regret that I can't do much to help my sister right now. It sucks. Being so far away. I can't wait to get there and DO SOMETHING! It reminds me (once again) of one of my favorite poems.

John Milton
On His Blindness

WHEN I consider how my light is spent

E're half my days, in this dark world and wide,

And that one Talent which is death to hide,

Lodg'd with me useless, though my Soul more bent

To serve therewith my Maker, and present

My true account, lest he returning chide,

Doth God exact day-labour, light deny'd,

I fondly ask; But patience to prevent

That murmur, soon replies, God doth not need

Either man's work or his own gifts, who best

Bear his milde yoak, they serve him best, his State

Is Kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed

And post o're Land and Ocean without rest:

They also serve who only stand and waite.

(Milton is writing about the fact that he lost his sight before he had written anything that he would consider a masterpiece. He'd felt very strongly about the idea that God was calling him to write Paradise Lost, and when he became blind, he truly had no idea how he was going to accomplish his goal. So, the poem is about the period of time between losing his sight and being able to finish his greatest work.)

Oh, I love this poem. It speaks so beautifully of how God can use us, even when we feel useless. God doesn't need to use us--He can accomplish whatever he wants without us. But he allows us to be a part of the greater picture, the beauty of his ministry.

In heaven, the angels of the highest position are the angels that do nothing but "stand and wait" at the throne of the Almighty. Revelation 4:8 says, "Day and night without ceasing they sing, 'Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to come.'" It's remarkable to me that this is the entire task that God asks of these angels. Maybe they could be doing something more useful somewhere, no? But the point is, they are glorifying Him. This is where God wants them, and what an incredible duty!

Getting to my point, I'm having a hard time with being so helpless when it comes to Stephanie and her family. But God has me right where I should be, and what I should be doing is praying for her and all the rest of them and praising God for what He's done! By making use of my time this way, I'm trusting Him fully to have His will. After all, He's completely in control, isn't He?

Please follow Stephanie's progress with me here. We would all appreciate your prayers and warm thoughts. Thanks for reading.

Hi. I'm Judah. I'm a boy. My mission is to seek and destroy.

2010-01-25T14:01:00.000-08:00

This little guy is growing up waaay too fast. He has recently started walking, which I was wondering if he was ever going to get around to. He has seemed perfectly content crawling faster than I can run and occasionally walking on his knees.

I used to think that Charlie was a handful of a baby, and then I had my boy, Judah. Goodness gracious he keeps me busy. Today I had to lift the grate off the top of the heater in order to extract about a dozen crayons and color pencils that he decided to hide in there while I turned my head for five seconds.

But he is oh so sweet. There is nothing I love more than a smile on one of my kids' faces. I mean, look at him! Couldn't you just eat him? And he's still such a cuddler. I finally realized the other day that what I thought were cute sounds that he makes are actually words. He says "mook" when he wants to nurse, and "aye ya ya" means "I love you" (i think) when he's waving good-bye. He's just growing up so fast.

Here's a short clip of some of his first steps:

These photos and the one above were taken by my very talented friend, John. You can find his website here.

Hibernating

2010-01-14T17:04:00.000-08:00

First off, I'm sorry it's been so long. I have great excuses, but really I'm sorry. Mainly, I haven't downloaded Christmas pictures yet because our computer fell in the way of a certain boy's coffee spill (thank you, Judah). Before you scream, "How did Judah spill hot coffee?" please understand, that it was cold coffee. Of course it was cold coffee. I haven't had the pleasure of finishing a hot cup of coffee since I gave birth to my first baby over 4 years ago. Anyway, so the computer is on the fritz, and Paul hooked up our old computer in the meantime, and I don't want to put new pictures on the old computer because I'm desperately hoping that we can restore life to the "new" computer.
Because there are no Christmas pictures to update the blog, I feel a little out of sorts just writing. But I find that I have lots to say, so here goes (with no pictures).
I find January introspective. After all the busyness of the holidays, now is the time to sit inside with a cup of hot chocolate and do a little housekeeping. And by the way, this January is not the beginning of a new decade, okay? It's the end of one. Sorry for the English major moment, but that kind of thing drives me nuts.
2010 has punched us in the face. Really, it's been cold, hasn't it? Geeze, I mean really, really cold. We had such a lovely December snow, then such a wonderful trip celebrating Christmas with friends and family, then we get home, and practically before the car is unpacked, POW! Welcome to the coldest January EVER! I'm cooped up in the house with the kids (my own, plus others), and then the work week finally ends, and I think I'm going to have a chance to get out, but no, instead I find that I have come down with a breast infection. My fourth since Judah was born, and by far the worst I've every endured. I'm finally on the mend, which is wonderful, but it was pretty rough there for a few days.
I hate to complain about this sickness when my sister, Stephanie, is lying in a hospital bed in Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. This girl is amazing, let me tell you. She was born with a heart defect and has undergone multiple open heart surgeries over her lifetime, the latest of which was two days ago. And her spirit is not broken. She has so much faith in her God, that just before they wheeled her away, she was comforting her husband and my parents. Her example throughout this entire saga has been one of absolute trust in God's love and His ability to provide. You can follow her process here. I love you, Steph, and am praying for you constantly and can't wait to throw my arms around you again and give you the biggest hug--carefully, of course. :)
If you follow the link, you can read about her goals for her recovery. Number one is "Don't waste life." Which is essentially where I'd like to go with this post.
I've got some New Year's resolutions, or goals, I'd rather call them:
1) Strengthen my prayer life. I've started a family prayer book, and I'd like to start using it. I'd like to really develop my relationship with God in this way.
2) Tighten up our eating habits. This includes more raw foods, more fruits and vegetables, less eating out. I don't have any very specific resolutions here, just general ideas.
3) Pay off our credit card debt by September. Why September? I don't know. I just think it's realistic.
4) Exercise. I need to be running 2-3 times per week and doing something else at least that much. We quit our gym membership a few months back due to money, so it'll probably be Pilates at home with the DVD.
5) To quote my sister, "Don't waste life." I love this. Stephanie and I have talked a lot about the kinds of things that preoccupy a mom. I could seriously spend the day cleaning, organizing, etc. because I'm at home all day with the kids. And being home with the kids is where I want to be. I wouldn't change this for anything, but I need to keep my focus.
Yes, it's important to me to have a clean, orderly house. But I need to remember WHY it's important. If I lose sight of that, then I become a slave to my obsession to have the perfect household, and my children see that what is important is the house and not them. It's a delicate balance game. It's the whole "Be a Mary, not a Martha" thing (if you're not familiar, in Luke 10, Jesus is visiting with the sisters Mary and Martha and their brother Lazarus. There are lots of poeple there, and Jesus is spending time with everyone, and Mary is at His feet, while Martha is running around the house making food, probably washing the dishes, just trying to keep everything orderly. Jesus ends up rebuking Martha and telling her to be more like her sister and just chill). I've always identifies with Martha here, because if it weren't for the Marthas of the world, what would everybody eat? How would all the Marys survive? But the point is, as I said before, remember WHY you're doing it all. Nothing we do matters if we don't have the right focus.
So, if the laundry has to stay in a pile for a while, or the sink has to be cluttered with dishes so that I can read a book to my daughter or wrestle with the kids on the bed, then it's okay. So, my final goal is to learn how to just let go a little bit. I think the whole family can benefit from that.

Our first blizzard

2009-12-20T09:38:00.000-08:00

It's been a very interesting and fun weekend here at the Callahans'. First of all, we have a heater that is not working in the master bedroom. It was supposed to be replaced on Friday, but due to some miscommunication, the repairman didn't actually get here until yesterday (and it's still not done!). It's been so cold in that room, so Paul and I have been camping out in the living room on an air mattress. It's actually been kind of cozy and fun with the snow outside and the Christmas decorations inside. We also get to watch TV in bed, which we never do!

The snow didn't start here until Friday evening about 8:30. We had some friends over and of course ran outside as soon as we noticed the blizzard (yes, it's officially a blizzard!). I'm sure many of you have your own experiences with this very same storm, but this is more snow than I've seen in at least 15 years and probably EVER! We received somewhere between 16 and 19 inches! It's the first time I've seen it snow that hard for over 24 hours! It's just gorgeous. Because it was soooo cold yesterday and the snow was coming down so hard, we stayed in and didn't venture out until the sun appeared this morning.

Sipping from a mug of homemade chicken soup, I made a movie of our fun family time playing in this prefectly fluffy white blanket that the storm left for us:

I hope you all are happy and warm and enjoying the closeness that follows a storm like this.

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

2009-12-11T11:42:00.001-08:00

I've been going through a real comfort food kick lately. I think it's the cold weather, but anyway, it's been so great to snuggle up with a warm cup of lentil-vegetable soup or butternut squash risotto this week. Today Charlie helped me bake this loaf of homemade French bread. I can't wait to tear into it with tonight's dinner: meat loaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans.

We were also brave enough to bundle up and get outside! Here are some pics of my beautiful (pardon my pride, but they really are) children having a ball:

Christmas Season 2009

2009-12-07T16:39:00.000-08:00

We like to celebrate things as long as we can around here. Well, some of us do. SOME of us don't think it's okay to listen to Christmas music until after Thanksgiving. I know a lot of people feel that way, but personally I think it's ridiculous. I always just consider Thanksgiving part of the holiday season thereby lumping all the holidays together into one great big time of year.

Anyway, I digress. So, because we (and by "we," I mean the non-Grinches of us) like to celebrate a long time, we get a tree pretty early--usually as soon as our little church where we buy the tree has them out.

Here are a few photos of picking out the tree, decorating it, and sneaky Judah indulging in his cute little temptations:

When we finally got home with the tree that evening, it was too late to decorate it completely, so we just put the lights on it and put the kids to bed. The next morning we all woke up early, made some hot cocoa, turned on some Christmas carols, and finished trimming our beauty. Which explains the grumpy face here:

Last Saturday was my birthday. :) Believe me when I tell you that at least 5 of the 7 birthdays that we've lived in this area it has snowed. Crazy, but true. And this year was no exception. Here is a photo of the very excited kids and me posing in our little dusting of snow:

Charlie's Dance Recital

2009-12-05T10:07:00.000-08:00

So, I'm a little behind on my blog updates, but I just couldn't put this one off. Charlie's ballet recital was this morning, and she just blew us away! Here's a little movie that we put together of the highlights:

New digs

2009-11-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

We recently came across a deal for new couches that was too good to pass up! A friend of ours needed to unload a couch and a chair, and our sofa-loveseat-ottoman combo was pretty old and also just way too big for our space, now that we have two little ones and all the gear that accompanies a growing family. So one weekend we picked up our friend's set and a few days later we sold our set on Craig'sList for pretty much an even swap! With the furniture, I put my sewing machine to great use again and made some new curtains and pillows to pull together a spacious, bright, and peaceful look (at least we think so!) I promised some friends that I would post pics of the "new" furniture and set up. Here you go:

More sewing projects

2009-11-19T12:45:00.000-08:00

Today I'm shamelessly featuring some of my own creations. :) My wine cozies are here just in time for Christmas! I'm selling these at Joyful Gifts and at A Show of Hands in Del Ray, Alexandria, VA. I've got some really fun, whimsical prints and some more traditional styles, depending on your gift recipient. Everyone loves wine, right?

This morning during baby naptime, Charlie asked me to make her a sling for Henry (you do remember Henry, don't you? he's her little puppy sidekick) and also a matching apron, since she doesn't know what happened to her old apron. She doesn't remember that she outgrew it almost a year ago. :) Anyway, I made this pair for her. I put a ruffled pocket on the apron so that it can go from play kitchen to arts and crafts time, holding either a spatula or a paintbrush, depending on whatever task she's performing.

I love her expression (or lack thereof) in this photo:

Halloweeeeeen!

2009-11-01T17:01:00.001-08:00

I know it's been a while. I know, I know, okay? No, really, I'll be better. I promise. And before we get on to the Trick or Treat photos, some of you have asked when I'm going to post about the family trip to Pigeon Forge, TN. The thing is, there are other family members (you know who you are) that have yet to share pictures. As soon as I get those, I will be more than happy to post about the wonderful, peaceful trip to the Smokies.
Now on to tonight's (well, last night's) business. We had a very fun, warm-but-drizzly Halloween night. We started out at Parker and Micki's house for some pizza and homemade chili and then into the costumes! Here is Judah looking more precious than ever, if that were possible:

He even growled a few times for us, which made him cuter and actually less ferocious. :)
And here are Charlie and Parker. Oh my gosh, have you ever seen anything cuter? These two were practically tied at the hip the entire evening.

And a close up of those gorgeous green eyes. She still has glitter all over her blonde head, by the way.

We had a blast running around the neighborhood with friends. As soon as we got home, these two heads hit their beds and were fast asleep. This morning Charlie and I went through her candy and sorted out all the Red #40 for Paul to take to work. It kills me that Charlie is probably more cognizant of that than I am. That's my girl! :)

As I'm writing this, my two babies are sound asleep in the next room, and I am filled with peace and utter joy. My fairy princess and my little tiger. Thank you, Lord, for this family.

Judah's first birthday celebration

2009-10-01T07:31:00.000-07:00

Maybe he was tired, but here is the reaction to the organic carrot cake that Charlie and I baked for Judah's first birthday. He made that face pretty much the entire time, but he did have a few mouthfulls of that cream cheese frosting. :)

Here is the big sister doing her job of helping her little brother:

And here is our little guy's reaction to one of his gifts: Once Judah had this guy in his hands, he was just tickled! I bought this monkey name Mandalay from this incredible shop on etsy: www.sewnnatural.etsy.com. Charlie also received the pink elephant named Petaluma for her birthday. I have been oh so pleased with their customer service and quality of their products and just wanted to share. My parents bought Judah the toy train set from www.mikebtoys.etsy.com that is also of very high quality and so cute! Take a look at both of these shops when you can--Christmas is not far off!

Happy birthday to precious Judah!

2009-09-30T06:14:00.000-07:00

So, as I write this post, I remember where I was one year ago right now. Charlie and I had dropped off Paul at work and were heading to breakfast together. I had mentioned to Paul that "I guess I'm not going to have a September baby." I don't know why, but I thought it would be fun if all our babies were born in the same month. Now I think it's crazy.

We were sitting in our normal booth at Panera when I noticed that I was having contractions somewhat regularly. I'd been having contractions for weeks, and I was five days past the due date, so I really felt that he could come at any time. I'd felt for a month that he could come at any time. This is a picture of my belly 2 weeks before Judah was born. You can see what I mean:

Anyway, we sat there and ate our breakfast, I had contractions, and so the morning went. We had planned a stop at Trader Joe's, so we headed over there for a few things that I thought would be helpful for the few days after the baby was born. While shopping, I started timing what had become significantly more painful contractions. They were anywhere from 10 minutes to 15 minutes apart at this point. I quickly realized that I was actually in labor.

I had resigned to a long labor, since that had been my experience with both other times I had a baby. We took our time shopping and headed to the park to continue the day that I knew was going to be my last day being momma to only Charlie. It was bittersweet sitting there on the bench watching her play with two other girls while I made my phonecalls to the midwife, birth assistant, friend/sitter, and Paul. She was so carefree, having very little comprehension of how much her life was about to change.

The plan was that we would go home and eat lunch, and then I would put Charlie down for some rest time and evaluate my labor situation, and then check in with everyone again. I love this about natural childbirth--it's all up to me! I love that Bradley classes enable the laboring woman to know what's going on and to make the call based on the signs that her body is showing her. I continued to labor for a while, contractions getting closer but still not extremely painful.

After a short while, I called everyone and told them to go ahead and come on over. My friend Ami was the first one on the scene. I'd asked her to be on call to watch Charlie during labor and delivery. She did a wonderful job with her. At times, I could hear her laughing so loud, and that was so helpful during the painful points. Actually made me smile a few times.

The midwife, the student midwife, and my birth assistant all arrived, and then Paul. It was about 2 in the afternoon, and contractions were getting pretty painful by now. I labored in the bath tub for a little while and then back to the bedroom. Charlie was still nearby playing with Ami. The house seemed peaceful, with everything surrounding this beautiful event.

Sometime around 4:30 I felt the urge to push, and shortly after that, my water broke. I knew that I was in transition, because I honestly wondered if I could keep doing this. But Paul and everyone else did very well with reassuring me. At one point, I said something like, "He's coming." I could feel him moving down, and though this might sound painful, it was a very encouraging sensation, knowing that he would soon be in my arms.

I had mentioned to my midwife early on that I'd like to try a few positions for the pushing stage. One in particular was the birthing chair. Since we didn't have one, we sort of created our own by having Paul sit on a low stool and then I sat on his lap facing out. I had tried a few positions for pushing and really couldn't get comfortable (a relative term). Then I looked right next to me and saw Paul sitting on this stool while I was squatting, so I just sat down on his lap and continued to push.

I think it was the next contraction after I sat on Paul's lap that Judah's head was born. I was resting between contractions with his head right there, and then Charlie ran in and saw what was going on. Then she screamed and ran back out. Paul thought that maybe she was just concerned about me and asked me to maybe yell to her that "Mommy's okay," so that she would be calmed down. I told him I really couldn't say anything right then, that I was a little preoccupied.

So the next contracion came, and I put my hands down and caught Judah myself--all 9 pounds of him. It was the most incredible feeling. He has been the sweetest big boy ever since. Having this homebirth was such an incredible experience. I'm so thankful to everyone who helped!

Well, I just thought it would be fun to share Judah's birth story on his birthday. He's an incredible little guy, as are all my little ones. And, frankly, I'm a little relieved to have September nearly behind me now. ;)

Happy birthday to sweet, wonderful Judah, who teaches me every day how to love more and more. I am in love with your smile and your laughter, and your patient eyes that love me back. I adore you.

Just a couple hours after Judah was born:

Just a couple weeks old:

First Christmas:

Best buds:

Another weekend in Winchester

2009-09-27T17:32:00.001-07:00

On this beautiful first full weekend of autumn, we thought it would be just lovely to do some apple picking. So we packed up the fam and headed to see our friends in Winchester. Here are some shots of Charlie's (and my!) first time picking apples.
Poor kids have the sun in their eyes, but they were still so sweet to let me take a shot:

Yes, I dressed Judah in these overalls specifically for the apple picking. :)

Our friends own and run this incredible Italian restaurant Violino right in the heart of Old Town Winchester. If you are ever nearby, you absolutely must try this place. It is authentic, quaint, charming, and has the best Italian food I've ever eaten.

Before we headed to the orchard, our chef friend was kind enough to feed all of us, and he even handed me a jacket and apron and allowed me in the kitchen with him for a cooking lesson! It was my first time in a professional kitchen, and it was so much fun! Here I am prepping the shrimp for the grill and then the white wine sauce. Amazing!

Paul and Judah are hard at work, too, playing bartender.
Some shots of the dishes we prepared:
Happy dining:
This is just a shot of Charlie riding her friends' trike while she waits to eat:

Charlie in ballet

2009-09-22T09:33:00.000-07:00

"Smile and look here, Charlie!"

"What?"

"I said, 'smile, and look here!'"
"Dad, I'm cooooold!"

"C'mon, Charlie, I just need one good picture!"
"Daaaaaaaad!"

"Finally. Sheesh."

Yes, our little one received ballet clothes and classes for her birthday. So far she's been to two classes and just loves it, although the parents are not allowed to watch, so we have very little idea what's going on in there. It's so great, though, to watch her walk in with confidence and know that she's having a good time and probably learning a few things, too. :)

Charlie's party for the big number 4!

2009-09-22T09:22:00.000-07:00

Charlie's party was a huge success and lots of fun! It was held 2 days before her birthday on a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon. The kids topped their own homemade pizza crust with a variety of local veggies, raw cheeses, and pepperoni and bacon. Then they enjoyed them on a picnic blanket outside just before running around and playing a few games like hot potato and pin the tail on the donkey.

Charlie had requested a dinosaur ice cream cake. I found these wooden dinosaurs on etsy, and Charlie and I painted them together to go on top. Here we are blowing out the candles as a family. :) And there's Judah eyeing the camera as usual.

It was such a great time. We had many friends here, some from quite a distance, and we are so blessed to have had so many loved ones to share in the celebration of our "big little girl's" happy day.

Happy birthday, sweet Charlie

2009-09-15T10:43:00.000-07:00

It's a little late in the day for this post, but a very happy day to (one of the) the love(s) of my life, my incredibly beautiful, brilliant, and hilarious Charlotte. My life became so much more the moment that I caught you with my bare hands the morning you entered the world four years ago. (Has it really been that long?) I only started to understand at that time what it means to have my heart outside my body. Thank you for teaching me and for making me the woman that I am--your mom. I love you more than you can know.

Labor Day weekend and birthdays all over the place

2009-09-10T07:25:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we celebrated our second of 4 birthdays in the month of September--Paul's! We had a fun day watching the first Ohio State game of the season over at Micki's house, and then surprised Paul with a cake. Okay, not much of a surprise, but we had fun all the same.
The next morning we decided to head to Virginia Beach for one night. We hadn't seen the beach all summer and just wanted to have a great unofficial end of summer. It was Judah's first time, and though a beach veteran, Charlie acted as if it were her first time there, too.

Yesterday's Celebrations

2009-09-04T06:48:00.000-07:00

The candle pictured below was made by my friend Joy in honor of Benjamin. We burned it last night as a family, while we talked about our little saint.

We all went to Benjamin's graveside to have a little birthday party. It was a gorgeous day, and spirits were high. Charlie even sang "Happy Birthday" and blew out the candles.

We each wrote a message to Benjamin and then tied it to a balloon and released it for him. We've done this for both of his birthdays so far and will make it a family tradition.

This is a picture of his grave and the cupcake we left for him, as well as the white roses that Charlie helped pick out: