Foodie at Heart

Joe found her like this one Saturday morning after I had left my Good Housekeeping cookbook lying on the couch. It wasn't until he heard her sweet exclamation "daddy!! can we make this?!" that he realized why she had been so quiet. She is a future foodie at heart.  And with any luck, those books will be as much a passion of hers as they are of mine.    

Brotherly Love

He loves her.  More than he'll probably ever admit.  Wait, no... I take that back.  At the sweet and tender age of 6 he'd admit it to anyone willing to listen.  It's when he reaches the teenage years that I'll likely have to dig this photo out as a reminder.  Or possibly laminate it and give them each a copy to look back on... to remember the bond that a mother can only hope will last a lifetime. My heart aches with love for these two beautiful little people. Despite all my faults at least they'll always have that...

Yours, not Mine

My husband has taken up kayaking.  To those of you who know us well, this is an incredible understatement.  At any given time we probably have at least 6 kayaks hanging in our garage (and occupying my parking space.)  But we rotate supply as this current hobby involves buying, restoring and reselling these precious boats.  The problem lies in the fact that Joe has fallen in love.  With the river and the serenity it has to offer.  And with the boats he originally intended on selling.  He tries to reason with me.

"I want to keep a tandem... and a single... and maybe a second single for taking someone out with me... and then the super fast one that I still need to learn to use... but the rest of them can go..."  Or so he says, until he falls in love all over again.

The problem lies in the fact that it's not so much my passion as it is his.  Although he wishes this weren't the case.  The above photo occurred on one of the handful of days that he coaxed me out to practice for the Pole Pedal Paddle, the relay race here in Bend for which I chose the kayak leg for my women's team.  Yes, I needed the practice.  But no, it wasn't high on my list of desired things to do.

Of course men deserve their hobbies and I'm resigned to the fact that this is his.

Oh, and because of him I ROCKED that kayak leg...

This Is What We Found

My good friend Sarah and her boys made the trip out here from Portland to spend a few days with us this past week.  She had planned on coming out last week for Brendan's birthday party but knew that I would be on my own from the 16th to the 30th since Joe would be leaving for annual training.  After thinking it over she asked if I would rather she come for one night for the party or the following week for 4 days.  I opted for the latter... 4 days with our best buddies?  Nothing sounded better.

We had a blast cooking, playing, swimming.  And at the end of the day when the kids were in bed we wound down in front of the TV and talked for hours.  It was therapeutic for me... much better than feeling lonely without Joe.

At one point during the day we found ourselves wrapped up in conversation and realized that silence had ensued.  The boys had been slightly rambunctious, playing dress up, swords and legos so the silence was slightly alarming.  But when we went to investigate and this is what we found, we both stifled a laugh and stood in awe.  These boys are so good for each other...

I was overcome with sadness when they packed up to leave.  She asked me if I wanted them to stay another night and I told her no.  She needed to go home to her husband and I needed to survive on my own.  But as she drove away and tears fell down my cheeks I knew I should have asked her to stay.  One more night would've been great...

I miss my friend...

Birthday Breakfast

Every child deserves a day to call their own.  Birthdays are so much fun when you're young and I intend to make the most of it for my offspring!  So I spent Sunday evening asking Brendan what he wanted to eat for his Birthday breakfast lunch and dinner.  The one day where (almost) anything goes...

With only a little coaxing and suggestion he chose chocolate chip pancakes with strawberries and whip cream for his breakfast, peanut butter and jelly with carrots and apples for lunch, and bbq steak with baked potatoes and broccoli for dinner.  The boy knows what he likes and I aim to make it all about him.

So here he sits, yesterday morning, all smiles in front of his chocolate chip pancakes... quickly devoured and enjoyed :)

Happy Birthday Brendan

Six years ago he entered this world.  Six... years... ago... Every year that goes by it gets harder to believe how fast he's growing before our eyes.  I try to hold onto every moment to make it last.  He rarely asks to snuggle at bedtime anymore... when he does, I jump at the chance.  He still calls me mommy which I know won't last forever.  He still hugs me like he'll never let go and believes that his parents know the answers to everything. He's caring and sensitive, intelligent and kind and I'm proud to call him mine.

His love for Legos made the theme so appropriate for this year's party.  The boy can follow directions to put together even the most intricate of sets.  He can stay busy for hours, letting his imagination take over.  And when asked what he wanted for his special day this year, his one and only answer was "Legos!"

While my perfectionism felt that the cake left much to be desired (not realizing the difficulty level would be so high) the lego loving birthday boy proclaimed it as absolutely perfect.  Dinner and cake, games and presents... happy birthday sweet boy... till next year :)