Magic Moments

I often wonder what my life will be like with 2 kids. I don't think it's fully set in that I'm going to be responsible for 2, but there are a few things that I am aware of and I'm a bit scared of. 1. Laundry. I'm pretty sure that when Aiden was born, that tiny little boy somehow managed to triple my laundry load. Add in cloth diapers and I was constantly trying to knock down Mt. Washmore. I don't even want to think about adding in laundry for another baby. 2. Sleep. Aiden is still high maintenance at night, but once he's asleep, he's ASLEEP (for the most part). So as long as you know the tricks of the trade in terms of Aiden's sleep habits, Tom and I can usually share a quiet evening and sleep ALL night. Getting up with a little baby is going to be a big reality check. 3. Stamina. Sometimes I'm afraid that all of my mama-energy got used up on Aiden. Sometimes I wonder if I have anything left for a second child. I sang or talked to Aiden...

Most days I don't think much of having a little boy in the house. It's all I know. But yesterday was one of those "boy" type days and I went to bed thinking, "How on earth will I do it with two little boys running around?" Yesterday Aiden took a lid to one of those big storage tubs upstairs. I found him standing on it at the edge of the steps getting ready to "surf" down the steps. I quickly said no to that little stunt and promised that he could slide on his bottom when Daddy was home to oversee that venture. I cleaned the bathroom while Aiden was in the shower last night and when I opened the curtains to get him out I found a little boy and a shower covered with at least 1/2 a can of Daddy's shaving cream. When I sat down on the bed this morning I sat on something hard and wondered what it was. I reached under the covers and found Aiden's sword (a wooden spoon) and a lid to one of my pots and pans (Aiden's shield). Of course...

We have had this little boy's name picked out for years! I loved that the meaning of Aiden's name had a little bit of spunk to it. And the hippie part of me loved that the meaning had a natural element to it and it was easy to tie into scripture. So, we had to have another boy's name that contained all those elements. Without further ado we are so excited to meet our sweet little Sage! Isn't it perfect? Sage is a healing herb and can just about pass as a spice....so for my two little boys I'll have a fire and a spice. I think Sage will live up to his name and have no problems keeping up with his older brother. Tom and I sometimes think we'd be better off giving our child a name that meant "calm" or "tranquil" but I must be a glutton for punishment because I just love my little boys to be curious, full of life, and full of energy. Sage also means "wisdom" which is something we pray our little man will grow to have. When we ...

I know, I know..if you are waiting to hear our sweet baby's name, you probably don't want a recipe post. Trust me. If you try this recipe you'll be glad I posted it. Now, if you cook for a man who turns up his nose at meatless dinners, you may have to adjust this recipe. Thankfully, oh thankfully, I have a husband who has a palate for a variety of foods. So...here it is! California Grilled Veggie Sandwiches Ingredients 1/4 cup mayonnaise 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/8 cup olive oil 1 cup sliced red bell peppers 1 small zucchini, sliced 1 red onion, sliced 1 small yellow squash, sliced 2 (4-x6-inch) focaccia bread pieces, split horizontally 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese ...

I really, really love Aiden's name. Even though I now know it was the most popular name of the entire decade I would probably still choose it. I was 9 months pregnant by the time we decided on it and there was just no time to fret about it or over analyze it. And that is probably a good thing! We loved the name Aiden and it's meaning is "fiery one" or "little fire" which describes Aiden to a "T." Even though I feel like I'm running a circus with just 1 little boy, I just love that he has so much spunk and personality. We pray that Aiden's fire will be refined and that his fire will be for God. When we dedicated Aiden we dedicated him with this verse: "My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you: bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a go...

To be honest, I was so sure that I was having a girl that today's results were a bit shocking. I'm still trying to let the fact sink in that my mother's intuition failed me and I'm having a BOY! But there is NO mistake... I AM having a boy. Tom told the ultra sound tech today that he wanted to try to see for himself before she told us what we were having. Tom and I are like Ross and Rachel on the "Friends" episode where Ross can see the baby on the ultra sound and Rachel can't. Tom can make out images on the ultra sound REALLY well. And I can't. So it was pretty funny when I laid down on the table, the nurse put the sensor (what is that thing called?) on my belly, I looked at the screen, and yelled, "It's a BOY!" The results were immediate and crystal clear! Even I could tell! Aiden denied the fact at first too...he kept saying, "No, Mama! I'm having a sister!" We were blessed enough to have Grandmommy with us and ...

What are little boys made of? Snips and snails, and puppy dogs tails That's what little boys are made of !" More to come....

Oh, Lollipop tree. It wouldn't be 4th of July without you. You give such a magical experience. And like always, the harvest was good. It was 11 0'clock at night before we had managed to wrangle all the kids and have them plant "the stick" and water "the stick" with the special watering cans. But, it was worth it! The tree grew pretty big this year! Aiden woke up at 6:30 AM and said, "MAMA! Do you think the lollipop tree growed big?" I told him I thought it was still growing and thankfully he went back to sleep for another 90 minutes. Finally all the kids had eaten breakfast (eggs, since they were about to fill up on sugar) and it was time to check the tree! The branches were heavy with lollies! Assorted ones grew...blow pops, ring pops, tootsie pops, dum dums....no one was disappointed! Picking the "fruit" Such a treasure! Don't ask me how many lollipops Aiden ate that day. You don't want to know. And here's the annu...

Could life really be any better than this? There are so may moments I never want to forget.

It doesn't happen very often that ALL of us are together. So we soak up the family time when we can. What better place to gather than the lake?? I have a 3 year old who was entertained non stop for one week so pictures are coming in bits and pieces. ;)

Yes, we had F-U-N! And, no, we didn't want to come home. More to come....