Out With the Aught's and In with the Teens!

This New Year's Eve day, reading about the rising of Charlotte's uptown crown* I am sitting and thinking of reflections and resolutions and what 2010 could bring. Here's my list:

1. Health - Healthier cooking in the form of less processed foods, more fresh. Growing more in our garden for use in our kitchen. 2009 was a wonderful start, producing watermelons, peppers, carrots and more. I am going to focus on less meat centered dishes and more produce in each meal. Also, no junk food and less eating out.


2. Wealth - Less spending, more frugal. We are already on the right track, with careful thermostat monitoring we've taken the coldest winter in years in stride, reducing our gas bill from $300 last year to $103! Also, sitting back and reflecting these last few weeks during the time to buy gifts and donate items made me realize that a few good quality items are much better than a bunch of cheap throw aways. Better for our pockets and better for the environment. Credit card debt has been a big stress in our marriage and we are hoping to clear that out soon. Can't wait to learn how to sew and use my sewing machine to make things vs. buy things. Ashton's already got a great idea using a bathroom rug to make a car mat and Kate wants a nap rug. And, of course, guess who will be crayons this Halloween (Angelique and Gavin are invited to join the crayon bunch if they would like to.) Wish me luck!


3. Family - Less yelling and more loving. I hope to continue to teach the children that good manners and good listening are what Mommy and Daddy are really asking them for. Dad wants more cleaning as we go and I would like to see the kids fight less and play more. And we both want the kids to enjoy each other instead of competing with each other. I can't wait to see my first born grow in a leap and boud to start kindergarten. While my heart will be both heavy and joyful on that day, I am looking forward to more one on one time with Kate while he's there.

The Aughts brought Paul and I together and Paul down South, a mortgage, a cat, a baby boy, marriage, an A.A. & B.A. degree, two career changes, a baby girl and so much more (all of which I am so thankful for). But as I now turn my focus forward, I am hoping for a less tumultuous decade where I am able to slow down and enjoy my husband and children, this house we've worked to build and fill with love, the simple pleasures in life and each and every precious day to the fullest. Happy 2010!

* FYI - Charlotte raises something for the New Year's Eve countdown, doesn't lower it. (From Charlotte Observer Mon. Dec. 28, 2009 article) "In many cities, whether it's the Times Square ball in New York City, or the giant lighted beach ball at Carolina Beach near Wilmington, some object will be dropped to lead the countdown to 2010. Not in uptown Charlotte. Here, the Queen's lighted crown will be hoisted 25 feet just before midnight Thursday to part the curtain on the new year. "We like the symbolism of hope's rising," said Moira Quinn, spokeswoman for Charlotte Center City Partners, the organization producing the festivities. "It's the rising of a new year, and shutting the door on a year that was tough on a lot of people."

Ashton-isms

Lately Ashton is trying out some grow up talk. Sometimes it comes out right, some times wrong, but usually unexpected either way. Enjoy!

• Ashton:"So, what's with the guy mowing Susan's lawn anyways?" (He inserts the word "anyways" anywhere in a sentence and often.)


• Ashton: "Kate can wear my Superman PJs, but not on Sat." Me mildly amused: "Why, what's going on Sat?" Ashton: "I don't know, Sats are just kinda weird. So no PJs for Kate on Sat." (He also thinks kinda and weird should be in about every sentence. )


• Ashton: "Is it tomorrow yet?" (Paul and I can't figure out how to explain the concept of tomorrow to him so he can get it.)


• Ashton: "I want $64,000 so I can buy a toy." or "In 960 minutes I'll be ready." (Numbers don't quite mean what they should I guess.)

Love this time with them!

Where Does The Time Go I Still Wonder...?

It's been so long since I've wrote, I'm not sure where to start! Here's a stream of conscience list of things that come to mind -

• Kate wakes me up most mornings saying "It's a beautiful day Mommy, wake up." She then locks me out of my own room to keep me from trying to crawl back in bed at 6am.
• Ashton blows me kisses when he leaves to go somewhere when I have to stay home.
• Ashton is VERY excited learning about plants/seeds this week at preschool. He rushes outside every morning in his PJs to check on our strawberries to see how they are coming along. He rushes to school to see how their seeds are sprouting.
• Now that we are finally out of the drought our yard and gardens are turning out beautifully! We are growing carrots, lettuce, strawberries, broccoli, peppers and watermelon in a beautiful raised box planter Paul built me one afternoon.
• Every day Ashton asks if it is December yet, eagerly awaiting his 5th birthday.
• Every day Kate asks if it is Angelique's birthday yet, eagerly awaiting the time when we will give her the inflatable pool we bought for her.
• Ashton is trying out small talk on the phone. He says things like "Hows it doing?" and "So.....what are you going?"
• Ashton got a medal today from his 1st extracurricular activity, soccer. He is VERY proud of it and tells me he will wear it every day for everyone to see.
• Kate is a wonderful helper, empyting the dishwasher and doing the laundry with Daddy's help.
• Kate is a tremendous artist and can draw a nearly perfect face and includes eyes, nose, ears, mouth and hair. It's her signature and appears everywhere - on the walls, on papers on my desk, on her toys.
• Kate enjoys painting and I'm currently searching for a gently used kid's easel to put out in the garage for her. Ashton's BIG time into tools and loves to fix things. I'm looking for a gently used workbench for him.
• Blue's Clue's is out, Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob Square Pants are in on tv.
• Hide and Go Seek is the new favorite game to play inside or out and they are actually counting now and taking turns seeking and hiding.
• Ashton is very much into board games and tried to play "Life" the other day with us, pretending to get money and pay money. Kate just likes driving the pink car around the board across the hills making "vroom-vroom" sounds for now.

There is so much more, but that's all I can think of right now! I wish I could freeze this summer in time for eternity...but knowing I can't...will try to enjoy it as much as possible.

Second Born - KER

Second Born Share: Here are my answers to a different kind of survey for a change - it's all about my second born! Let's see how much I remember!

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? yes, we knew we wanted someone for Ashton to play with



2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? yes



3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? Wow, that was fast. We only tried for a month! (Ashton & Kate are 22 months apart - we were going for more like 24-30 months)



4. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 24



5. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? Pregnancy Test



6. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? Paul, then Paul's mom this time



7. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Absolutely



8. DUE DATE? September 2 I think, Kate was two weeks late!



9. 9. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? Yes, all the time for the 1st 4 months



10. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? Milkshakes and spicy food (Mexican, Thai, Cajun, etc)!



11. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? Morning sickness and maternity clothes and Kate coming two weeks late in the dog days of a hot NC summer!



12. WHAT WAS YOUR SECOND CHILD'S SEX? girl



13. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING?no



14. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 20 on top of the 20 I still needed to loose from my first pregnancy.



15. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER?Yes, two



16. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW? I knew



17. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS? She was two weeks late. Also, when Kate came out she had her umbilical cord wrapped around her throat in what the doctor could only describe as a knot he'd never seen before. She almost was a stillborn baby. Thank God she came when she did!



18. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH? Presbyterian Uptown in the same birthing center



19. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? 3 hours. Pushed for 5 minutes.



20. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? Paul



21. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Paul, she came so fast there was no time for anyone to get there!



22. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Natural



23. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? yes, an epidural and I regret it



24. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 8 lbs 4 oz



25. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ? September 15



26. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Katherine Elizabeth (Kate)

PLCMC

Here are all the reasons I love the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County (particularly the Independence Regional Branch):

• Free movie rentals with a great selection - Take the Blockbuster!
• Free CD rentals - Where else can you get this?!?!
• Concierge service - I log on, pick out what I want, give my card # and it's waiting for me on a shelf to pick up.
• Open Story times - If Kate is ready and in a good mood, we can just drop in and join the fun. If not, no need to call and cancel.
• Child-Sized - Enclosed reading room with toys and games for the kids to play with, and we don't even need to order a Happy Meal!
• Kid Friendly - So large that we've never been "shush-ed" by anyone there.
• Weather proof - Open rain or shine.
• Literature Love - No other place that we go to encourages the life long love of literature like the good ol' library. Ashton just said to me "Mom, where does sand come from?" As I began to explain he stopped me saying "Let's just get a book about it from the library." :)

Buddy, Family Cat

Buddy is our lovable cat. Everyone that meets him finds him sweet, adorable but a little odd. Here are a few reasons why:

Buddy refuses to eat table scraps of meat, but LOVES yogurt (even with strawberries).

• Does not run. Ever. Not after birds or from dogs.




• Walks quickly to meet strangers, not away from them. (Don't most cats run from strangers?)




• Comes when you call his name.




• Snores loudly.




• Does not know how to climb a tree.




• Enjoys visits with our neighbor's dog, Scotty.




• Has terrible balance.




• Has fallen from our loft and broken his leg.




• Grows back different colored hair if you shave him.




• Has blue eyes.




• Lets my daughter put necklaces on him and play with his hair.




• Stalks me in all rooms of the house, at all times of the day and night.




• Avoids his water bowl, preferring to drink only from algae covered fish bowls or toilet water.




• Gets attacked by birds if he is in our front yard.




• Lays under my neighbor's bird feeder watching birds all day, never chasing them in anything faster than a SLOW crawl.




• Tries to scratch my brother Brian's eyes out every chance he can.

Even with all his eccentricities - he's mine, I love him and you can't have him!

Christmas-ville USA

We took the kids to McAddenville, NC http://www.mcadenville-christmastown.com/ Tuesday and they both loved it. We've taken them there before, but this was the 1st year they were both aware and in awe. In all the times I've gone to McAddenville, I've never gotten out of my car and walked the town. We did this time and discovered the following:

1. The church in town plays old instrumental Christmas songs from it's bell tower.
2. In front of the church is a nativity scene made of statues perched high on a hill of sand.
3. Judging from all the footprints in the sand, it's ok to walk up to it.
4. There is no baby Jesus in the nativity, (I guess he appears on Christmas day), but we did find the following note: "If you want to see Jesus again, give us $1,000,000 or he will die."
5. There is a path around the lake with all the lights, but it's behind the trees.
6. The light sculpture of the old north wind blowing snow flakes is perched on a flat bed trailer.
7. When you walk along, 1 out of 3 cars will have a passenger that calls out "Merry Christmas" to you. (You get used to it)
8. You can walk the majority of the town in 30 minutes or less.
9. There is one restaurant in town, "The Village Restaurant".
10. Walking around you get the added bonus of "smelling Christmas", most of the lit trees are some kind of pine (Frasier fir maybe?) and smell amazing.
11. The kids loved picking a small branch of one of the pine trees, so they could take Christmas home.

Loved doing it and looking forward to many more visits around this time of year! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Bad Economy = Time To Rethink "Wealth"

As the economy stumbles and slides, I've observed the stress levels of people all around me inch upward. As the overall financial health of this country is beyond my power (other than making sure I cast my ballot in Nov), I've decided to turn my eyes toward the things in my life I can control and the happiness I get from them. Here goes!

• Picking up Kate from preschool every day and the always getting a big hug and even bigger smile followed by "Mommy's here!" (as if we've been away from each other 4 months as opposed to 4 hours)


• Hearing Ashton always ask for seconds, not for himself, but to ensure Kate gets whatever it is he is getting


• Watching the leaves change on the trees and realizing how wonderful fall is in NC. I'm thankful that nature takes no notice of the NYSE!


• Buddy, the coolest cat of all time, is mine and always has time for me to pet him and cuddle with him.


• Having a good man for a husband. One that is patient, even keeled and a good father to our children.


• Meeting new and always interesting people in my job and seeing them insist on having fun, no matter what type of day they had


• Loving my neighbors and the fact that we all know each other by first name


• Listening to my niece's voice over the phone. (It's so adorable and tiny)


• Having both my mother and father alive and around for me, but also for my children to know their grandparents (Both of my grandfathers had passed away before I was born)


• Talking to my grandmothers, both of them, and realizing what huge impacts they've both had on my life and how lucky I am to have to help me parent my little ones


• Having a great mother-in-law that truly loves her grand kids and who's grand kids love her


• Thinking ahead to how this will be the first halloween both of the kids will really be into it and how much fun it's going to be to take my little red dragon and fair maiden princess out to trick-or-treat!


• While we have little left over, I am happy that both Paul and I have jobs and are able to pay all our bills each month and on time!


• Realizing that myself, my husband and my children are all healthy

I mean, really, happiness come not from what happens to you in life but how you react to it right? So, while my retirement savings circle the drain (remember, my background is in the financial industry) all I can do is look forward to working the rest of my life and raising kids that will do well enough to support me in my twilight years! ;)

Arrrrg Me Maties!

Did you know today is "Talk Like a Pirate Day"? September 19 every year!

http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html

"Ahoy! - "Hello!"
Avast! - Stop and give attention. It can be used in a sense
of surprise, "Whoa! Get a load of that!" which today makes it more of a "Check
it out" or "No way!" or "Get off!"
Aye! - "Why yes, I agree most heartily
with everything you just said or did."
Aye aye! - "I'll get right on that
sir, as soon as my break is over."
Arrr! - This one is often confused with
arrrgh, which is of course the sound you make when you sit on a belaying pin.
"Arrr!" can mean, variously, "yes," "I agree," "I'm happy," "I'm enjoying this
beer," "My team is going to win it all," "I saw that television show, it
sucked!" and "That was a clever remark you or I just made." And those are just a
few of the myriad possibilities."

The Priorities of a Newly Turned Two-Year-Old.

At night, when I put Kate to bed, we say a simple prayer asking God to bless all of our family and friends. We begin with "God bless (insert name here)" and end with "Amen". Lately, Kate has taken to making sure God blesses everything she values. Here is a list of things she has thrown into our nightly prayer mix, somewhere between her various Grandparents and Aunts/Uncles:

• "God bless t.v."





• "God bless chocolate milk"





• "God bless fan" (ceiling I think)





• "God bless outside"





• "God bless baby doll"





• "God bless Elmo"





• "God bless light on please" (Is this her way of searching for a sign?)

My one prayer is that both she and Ashton look away from organized religion and begin a transcendental approach to life, possibly through the worship of nature. I would like to see them taking the time to stop and not only smell the roses, but appreciate all the flora and fauna around us. As Ralph Waldo Emerson one said "Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. "

I Hate Potty Trainning

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Birthday Wishes and Caviar Dreams...

Ok, my mother-in-law made the suggestion I write about Paul and I once in a while...so here's something about me! With my 27th birthday fast approaching, I ponder what a birthday should mean as I cross the threshold into my "late 20's". If you can get me any of the presents below, I would be eternally grateful!

Birthday Wishes:

1. To live in the moment with my children, aware of them and how wonderful and complex their personalities during each minute of the day.

2. More sleep, 7 hours a night would be wonderful. Ideally, at least one day a week where I can awaken naturally, instead of to the sound of Ashton kicking his door or Kate thumping me on the head.

3. I wish to learn to sew this winter. As a mother of young children, sewing seems like a great tool to stow in the "Mommy toolbox". I want to make a quilt before I am 30, knit a WEARABLE scarf before I am 29 and make homemade Angel/Devil costumes for Ashton, Kate and Angelique this year.

4. Improve my cooking and learn to bake! I want to learn to chop/slice/dice without band-aids being involved and bake confections that do not double as blunt objects.

5. Read more books. Have more dates with my husband. Drink more wine. Watch more movies on my AFI Top 100 of All time List. Go to the gym more. Take bubble baths. Practice yoga twice a week. Begin to study for the LSAT. Hang out with my friends.(More ME time I guess)

The Time Will Be Here Before We All Know It...

This list comes from Karen, but I agree with ALL OF IT. So, when the time comes for my little ones, I hope this still holds tried and true about the years post-high school with parents and pre-adulthood.
So you’re off to college? Things you should know…
-Go away to college! IF YOU STAY AT HOME AND COMMUTE, THAT'S JUST HIGH SCHOOL PART II!! (This is from Dawn).
- There is nothing worse than the first time you get sick and Mom isn’t there to take care of you. Driving to Wal-Mart to get your own Pepto Bismal and chicken soup is horrible and will make you feel very lonely and totally pathetic. To make this bad situation bearable, have “sick” supplies on hand (better yet, stock a medicine cabinet to take with you) before you get sick.
- You know you are a grown up when you have to spend your own money to buy toothpaste and toilet paper.
- You will hate doing laundry. In fact, you will go buy more underwear rather than washing your dirty ones.
-Good luck with roommates.
- The people you make friends with in college will probably still be your friends in ten years. You may never speak to the people from your high school again.
- Have mercy—call home.
- Tell your parents, grandparents, friends, and significant others to send you stuff in the mail. Empty mail boxes are depressing. Furthermore, have them send you “exam supplies” (with lots of sugar) during exam time.
- Stay on top of your academic adviser. They make mistakes that can delay your graduation!
- There is a limbo-zone in which you exist between graduating from high school and before you actually start college (or whatever you will be doing) when you feel like you no longer belong at home, but you don’t belong to this new phase in your life either. There is nothing to be done about this.
- There are idiots in your dorm who will pull the fire alarm at 3 AM. Keep a pillow and a blanket in your car (if it’s close) so you can stay warm and go back to sleep.
- Learn to write thank-you notes.
- Keep change on hand for vending machines and coin laundry.
- Take a multivitamin and drink A LOT of water.
- Everyone gets sick at exam time.
- Take advantage of the groups on campus but don't let them dominate and define you—Bible study, Young Democrats, sports teams, frats/sororities, RAs, etc. Be involved or you will get very little out of this experience.
- Live on campus for at least the first year.
- Learn to cook in a microwave and have a mini-fridge!
- If you’ve never had to study before, you are going to learn now.
- I would advise against a credit card.
- Have something you need to take care of—like a plant.
- You are going to make mistakes—some insignificant and some enormous—this is normal and it happens to everyone. Be the kind of person who learns from your mistakes.
- Every now and then, skip class to have an iced tea and sit in the sun with a friend.
- 8 AM classes will be the end of your academic career.
- The time that you are in college will be the point in your life when you are the most open-minded. Try not to forget what that is like after you graduate.
- Major in something you love—not something simply that may eventually make you a lot of money.
- Be safe, drive carefully, and wear your seatbelt.
- Go on big trips over summer break. Take LOTS of pictures.
- Sometimes life is going to throw you curve balls. You can't really practice for this, but the way you react to what happens will speak volumes about the kind of person you are.
- Try to conduct yourself in a way that you will not find embarrassing in the future.
- You absolutely never know what is going to happen to you so never say never, have a plan B and C, and remember that sometimes, when the door isn't open, you may have to go through the window.
- Keep a flashlight and an umbrella in your car.
- Remember that every person in your life is there for a reason. The right people always show up exactly when you need them and they stay just as long as you need them to stay. Be sure you make the most of the time you are given.
- Don't forget that "you are really fine" and "all is well in the universe."
- And, as Garrison Keillor says, “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.”

He that thinks himself the happiest man is really so...

Here is a list of things that just flow out of Ashton's mouth these days:

• Buddy (our cat) has sharks teeth on his feet. (meaning his claws)


• Please close window, the frogs wake me up when they sing the ribbits.


• I go candy store and toy store when I get 5 quarters and spend them.


• I love you today mommy.
  
• Happy Daddy's Day Mr. Jimmy. You a daddy so I give you a hug.(Our neighbor and it's not even Father's Day yet!)
  
• Clean up or the pigs will come. Lock the door so the pigs can't come.
  
• That's not a monster truck, it's a green truck.
• I'm not Curious George mommy, I Ashton.


• Kate! Turns. My turns, Kate's turns, my turns.


• Grandma come to our house in 2 days. No, 5 days. No... 2 months, yes Mommy, 2 months. (She came to visit the next day)


• Mommy, today is not Monday, today is Sunday. Sun-day, because the sun is out.


• I put rainbow in my hand and give it to Daddy. Here Daddy! I share a rainbow with you!


• I can do it! Look!....Uh oh, sorry Mommy. I make a mess.

"He that thinks himself the happiest man is really so; but he that thinks
himself the wisest is generally the greatest fool."