Creativity

I touched on this a little bit yesterday, but I am truly thankful for my creativity and my ability to create.  Sure, it's been known to get me in a spot of trouble at work when I'm more interested in the side project I brought in to work on at lunch than what I'm supposed to be working on, but more often than not, it's a good thing.
I'm so thankful that I can create beautiful and useful things from yarn or fabric or any number of things.  I'm thankful that I can give friends and family a piece of my heart when I give them a gift made by my hands.
I'm also very, very thankful that my Gram took the time all those years ago to teach a 7-year-old, impatient me the beginnings of crochet.  I'm thankful that my mom helped me learn how to use a sewing machine and still enjoys doing projects with me.  I'm thankful to both my parents for putting a camera in my hands and teaching me to "see" the world and encouraging me to push my boundries.
I enjoy the relaxation I get from engaging my creative side.  I love the fact that I have skills that I can use to make something both beautiful and practical.  I'm very glad that I can manage to find time, make time, to be creative just about every day.  And yes, cooking has become a creative outlet for me as well, but I still prefer my other creative endeavors with yarn or fabric better, but in some ways nothing will top my love of the camera.

Peace to all and may you find some way to be creative.

Cooking

I had a hard time figuring out what I'm thankful about today.  Sitting here after enjoying a nice, if every day kind or supper, I decided that I'm thankful that I enjoy cooking.  Not only because it's something that has to be done to keep me and my family fed, but because it is yet another way I can be creative.
I admit that I have my old standards that I go to week in and week out and often get into food ruts, but I do enjoy experimenting too.  And usually, it doesn't turn out too bad, at least according to Gak.  Now, if only I could get my boy to try more of my food.  But that's a whole different story.
I don't really have much more to say about that, other than maybe that I'm also thankful that I can afford good food to cook with and that it's available in abundant supply without too much effort.  So, today I am thankful for food and my enjoyment of preparing it.  (And I guess that's a good thing since I'll be cooking Thanksgiving dinner again this year.  I'm still toying with the menu a bit... I really liked most of the recipes I used last year, but I keep thinking I want to switch it up a bit and experiment some... we'll see what Thursday brings.)

So, peace to you all and may you have good food and good times.

Jobs

I know, I know, I complain a lot about my job.  But, usually I'm just complaining about small things.  I really, truly am thankful to have a job, and to be making as good money as I am.  Sure, I'd love a bigger pay check, who wouldn't?  Everyone I know wishes they had just a bit more, not a lot more, but just a bit would make life that much easier.
And, they're right.  But, one of my favorite fortune cookies I got a few years ago now was "If you're not happy with what you've got, how can you be happy with more?"  Which is a very true statement.  And I'm very happy with what I've got.  I've got a good job that I've been at for 10 years now.  It pays me well enough that we're struggling only because of bad decisions, not because we don't earn enough in the first place.  It continues to hold challenges even after 10 years and there's always something new to learn.  Yes, I may be bored or tired of it some days and totally stressed out others, but in reality, I really don't know what I'd be doing if I wasn't doing this.
Sure, I'd like to be actually using the degree I went to school for, but at this point in my life, what I learned then has mostly left my brain and melted into a puddle on the floor from disuse.  There are days I wish I'd stayed at the lab, or gone on for my masters or applied for the DEP or the parks system or something.  But then I realize that what I've got is pretty darn good.
I'm thankful that my honey has a job.  Sure, we both wish he was earning more, or had more hours or had more (any) benefits such as paid vacation or paid holidays.  Gak's feeling a little strangled and antsy with his job, and that's OK.  I don't blame him.  It's been 5 years and no real change.  There's not much new or exciting for him.  I totally get that.  He also wishes he contributed more financially to the family, and I can understand that too.  (But, a part of me likes him having the job he has, because it allows us to have Boo in day care only half days, which saves us a good $400 a month or more.  And that he can walk to work, so we don't have to have a second car... but it really comes down to how he feels about his job, not me.)

I'm also thankful that all of my close friends (save Joan) are employed right now.  Yes, Mom and Dad's business is struggling mightily, but they're still open.  Jon just got a great new job and Becca is at least one step closer to full certification.  Both of my cousins and their spouses have work.  My friend Michael from college just got what sounds to be a great new opportunity in MN and a chance for him and Chelsea to really live on their own, have their own lives.  This truly is a rarity in this economy, and for that I'm thankful.

So, peace to all and may you find something that stimulates you and pays you well enough, even if it isn't your dream job.

Peace to all and may

Body

Today I am thankful for my body and my health today.
I know that sounds kind of silly, but my body has been through a lot in the past year.  I'm down about 60 lb from a year ago.  That in and of itself is HUGE.  I have no idea how I lived carrying all that weight around.  I get tired just trying to carry Boo around, and he's not quite 30 lb!  But that's only part of it.
I'm thankful that my health issues are small.  Sure, I've got my asthma and allergies to deal with from time to time, but over all, they haven't given me issues in quite some time.  Yes, I've been dealing with sleep issues for years, but at this stage of the game, they seem manageable for the moment.  Yes, I just lost a pregnancy, but I really don't think it was my fault, there was something wrong from the start.
It could be so much worse, it really could.  I could have to fight something as monumental as my friends Ellen, Deb or Ron from work have.  I could have a hundred other little things wrong with me that could make live miserable.  As is, I have my health and for that I am thankful.

I say this because I had my water aerobics class this evening.  And I realized as I was pushing myself through the exercises exactly how much I've improved over the last 6 months.  It really is amazing.  And this is just from one evening a week.  I am so much stronger and more fit.  I take the stairs without thinking about it, or getting winded.  I can, and sometimes actually do, walk two laps around the 1-mile loop at work, without thinking too much about it and at a fairly good clip too.  When I started, it was all I could do to get through 1 at a decent pace.  So, I'm thankful that I've been able to give my body a new, healthy shape.  I know my dear, sweet husband appreciates it, he tells me so.  I know he's always loved me, no matter what my shape, but, yes, I do like the fact he likes my shape.  No, this isn't said in a "man pleasing, women are inferior and exist to serve men" kind of way.  Pssht.  Anyone who knows me knows that's about as far from the truth as you can get.  No, I like the fact that Gak appreciates the work I've done because it makes him happy and because I love him, I want him to be happy.  I am happy with my progress, if only because I do have more energy.  It didn't happen over night and I really don't think about it until I do something like class tonight that I never would have dreamed of getting through even 6 months ago.  I hope to have good health and a more fit body for a long, long time to come.

Peace to all and may you have good health.

Parents

I know this is going to sound very cliche, but I'm so very thankful for my parents.  Especially considering today is my Dad's 72nd birthday.
Growing up they let me get into, and out of, all kinds of things by myself.  Yes, there were many messes along the way.  There were many tears and triumphs as well.  They exposed me to so many things and supported me in whatever I chose to try, no matter their doubts.
As a little girl I wanted to be a ballerina (you can stop snickering now... I know I had way more enthusiasm than talent...).  So, my parents signed me up for classes, bought me leotards, tights and shoes and carted me halfway across the city it seemed every week to go to class.  I enjoyed it for many years, until my studio closed and I had to change.  The new studio was for "serious" students, and I was anything but.  I hung up my shoes for good when we moved to PA.  My parents even took me on a "date" when I was 7 or 8 to see "The Nutcracker" downtown, including dinner at a very fancy restaurant.
When I showed interest in photography at an early age, they put a camera in my hands and taught me what they know and let me experiment.  We would talk about art and photographs and critique each other's work.  We'd go to the art gallery several times a year and all kinds of craft or art shows just to see what we could see.
When I threw myself into Girl Scouts Mom was there by my side.  And for those trying Intermediate School years when I'd think about quitting at the beginning of each year, but decide to go to a few meetings anyhow, Mom stood by my side then too, no matter my decision.
Are my parents perfect?  Of course not.  They are the greatest gift I could have, and I hope that Gak and I can be equally good parents to our son, even if we do some things a bit differently than they do.
What makes me even more thankful this year is all the recent issues with Dad's health.  He's had issues of one kind or another as long as I can remember.  This year has been especially trying though.
This is another one of those things I've been sitting on all summer, not sure what to say or how.
Today I have good news, but it isn't all roses.
For the last few years Dad's memory has been getting worse and worse and very flaky.  Earlier this summer he was given the diagnosis of dementia, with pre or early Alzheimer's symptoms.
Yeah, that was a blow.
Anyhow, he's actually been having memory issues of one kind or another for years, but only recently has it gotten extremely bad.  At one point a few years back we'd heard something about Lipitor possibly causing memory problems.  Our family doctor brushed it off at the time.  Well, there's been more research recently, or at least more evidence.  Dad's three major complaints of late has been his quickly fading memory, the ringing in his ears and the aches in his legs.  Mom has a friend who's a pharmacist and had recently heard about some research or information about just this.  So, Mom had her present the information to Dad and after talking with our doctor (I think), Mom and Dad decided to wean him off the Lipitor.  Before he was even totally off the medication, things really started to improve.  The ringing in his ears has all but gone away.  He has stopped complaining about his legs and the best of all, his memory seems to be back to where it was a year or more ago.  He's told mom that he's got his mind back.
So, yes, that's happy news.  Of course, there is the potential problem of his high cholesterol.  And the looming specter of future memory loss since everything wasn't caused by the Lipitor, and it really is Alzheimer's.  But that's a question for another day.  I'll just take having my dad back, as he was really becoming quite sullen and withdrawn.  He's not the most social or sociable person, but the spark was fading, and fast.  I didn't like it and I'm sure Mom hated it even more.  But for now we can push that to the back burner.  We've got to keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't boil over or burn, but we don't have to give it our full attention right now.
And for that I am thankful.

Peace to all and may you have family to be thankful for and many years with them.

Thankful

I think I'm going to try and take a little time each day the next few weeks and write at least a few sentences about something I'm thankful or grateful for.  I mean, that is what the holiday next week is all about isn't it? Being thankful for surviving another year, with another harvest and having friends and family and a community?
Well, the biggest thing I'm thankful for right now are my two boys.
I know I've said it before, but I can never say it enough.  I am so very thankful to have two such wonderful guys in my life.  And to think that I was at least partially responsible for the genetics that brought one of them into the world, still astounds me.
My husband is a wonderful man.  He does his best to take care of me and to take care of Boo.  If there's one fatal flaw to him, it would be that he just can't see how wonderful he really is to us, how special he really is.  I try and tell him often that he means the world to me and that even if he doesn't think so, I know he goes above and beyond what is expected or required.  He's always treated me, and just about everyone that I can think of, with respect.  Sure, there are days when he really wants to tell customers (or me) where to go and how to get there.  Just about every time, he doesn't though.  He could be mean or rude to these people, but he tries his best to be polite and help resolve whatever it is that's within his realm that's making them upset or cranky or just plain rude themselves.  And most of the time if he can't help them, he can let their insults and rudeness roll off his back.  It may collect in his shoes and make him cranky after a while, but it takes a bit.
I know he wishes he could do more for us.  But I'm not really sure he could.  I mean, yes, he could have a higher paying job and contribute more financially, but there is so much more to life than that.  He takes care of Boo, and of me, in ways that he never could if he worked a more traditional job.  (I totally understand him wanting a more "normal" job at times though.  There are days that I really believe he gets the raw end of the deal working where he is.)
Gak's a wonderful poppa to our boy and willingly spends so much time with him.  And he's a pretty awesome husband too.  He gives me the space I need when I need it, but is there for me physically, mentally and emotionally when I need him to be.  Sure, I may "lead" this family more than he does, but he has a very strong, equal say in things.  I value his point of view, it helps keep me balanced.

And my son.  How could I not be thankful for my wonderful little boy?  Some days he really is what makes my world go 'round.  He truly is a miracle.  Just the mere fact that he was conceived mere weeks after I lost the first pregnancy is a miracle.  Especially considering it took a year to conceive the first one we lost.
But that's only a small part of why I'm thankful for him.
I'm thankful because as much as I teach him things, he teaches me.  He's reminded me to play on such a simple and basic level.  He's taught me to look at the simple things and see the universe in them.  He's taught me patience and humility and truly about unconditional love.  There is nothing I wouldn't do for my Bubsie-Boo.
He is such a wonderful little boy.  Somehow Gak and I have managed to teach him to be polite at least most of the time.  And usually when he forgets his "please" or "thank you" or gets demanding and whiney it's because he's tired, or not feeling well or in some other way just plain old out of sorts.  I understand this.  I get this way too.  But the hugs and the snuggles and the laughter make up for it a million fold.
He's so adorable both in looks and attitude.  He's such a happy little guy most of the time that you can't help but be happy with him around.  He's a huge flirt.  Just over the weekend he's actually started addressing people by their names.  I mean, he's known who people are for ages and if you asked him who someone was, he'd say their name.  But for example, yesterday when we were at Kat's, Any walked in and he said "Uncle Andy!  Hi!  Follow me!"  Before, you would have only gotten "Follow me!" or maybe "Uncle Andy!", but not a whole conversational turn or even a real sentence, just a verb/noun pairing.
Gak is my rock and my support, Boo is my light at the end of the tunnel that is the work day.  They both mean the world to me and help keep me rooted and together.
I love you two, and am so very, very thankful to a part of your lives.

Peace to all and may you have someone to be thankful for.

Veterans

OK, so I started out November pretty strong in the posting thing and then fell asleep at the wheel again.
Sorry about that.
Last week was crazy busy at work (I think I mentioned that already).  And I had a lot of other stuff on my plate. This week's been crazy busy at work again, but thankfully, other than Monday I've remembered and been able to force myself to take a lunch and walk away from my desk.  I even got a walk in outside both yesterday and today.  Part of me is glad I got to take a lunch, but sometimes, I'm glad when I don't take a lunch, as there are days that it is just so very hard for me to get back on task after a break of an hour.  Today was almost one of those days.  Of course, I think my brain dribbling out my ear from the big honking project I'm working on, didn't help any.
I would be so much happier if the 3 or 4 HUGE projects I've got going on would be done so I could move on to, and close, the hundred (or so it seems) little things I've got going on.  I'm sure there are some customers out there that are feeling pretty neglected by me, but only because I've worked on about 4 different things all week.  Oh well, I try and keep them in the loop, but it just doesn't happen as well as I'd like some days.  One of the things I need to get better at.

Anyhow, today is Veteran's day.  Under our old corp, we actually got the day off.  That was nice, of course, but some how I felt like I hadn't earned it.  Oh well, this year it didn't matter because the new corp doesn't do a lot of holidays throughout the year, but instead does a week-long shutdown between Christmas and New Year's.  That's actually pretty nice and I think I'd rather have that.  Everyone tries to take off that week anyhow, and as much as I like the 3-day weekend, having an extra week off, especially once Boo gets to school and will have that week off anyhow, is nice.  Of course, any excuse to spend extra time with my family is a good one.

Anyhow, back to Veteran's day.  As a "thank you", Applebee's started doing a thing where vet's get to eat free (from a select menu).  I'd found out about it and mentioned it to Gak.  He mentioned to Scott, who was supposed to be going out with Steve and some others and well... before you know it, there was about 10 of us getting together for dinner.  Scott and his dad were there.  Steve, Shelby and her two kids were there.  Liz tagged along and there were the three of us.  Kat stopped by after we were done eating because she'd had a parent/teacher conference for Zoe this evening (quarterly progress report, Zoe made honor roll!).  Anyhow, I felt very outnumbered.  Other than the kids, Liz and I were the only two who hadn't served in the armed forces.  Which I think is great.  I love the fact that I know so many people who think this country is worth standing up for and serving.  I hope and pray every day that the people I know who are still active duty (or those in the reserves who may get called up) don't have to pay for our liberty with their lives.  I hate that the military is needed, but I'm thankful that we can still manage to have an all volunteer service.
Anyhow, just a rambling way to say thank you to everyone I know who's willing to put their life on the line so I can say what I want to say, wear the clothes I want to wear and have the job I want to have, without fear of being scooped up and put in jail for it.  Sure, there are problems in this country with the government at all levels and with some people in general.  Overall though, I think we've got it pretty good.  And I'm thankful for that.

I'm off to bed now, I've been up since 5.  Thankfully I don't have to get up quite so early (but I probably will anyhow) tomorrow.  Gak's working a full day, so I get to go in for 8 instead of 7.

Peace to all and may you remember that freedom isn't free and that we all must do our part and vote and thank those who are willing to stick their necks out for the rest of us.

October In Review

It's been one heck of a week.  Work was busier than busy, I only took lunch one day this week. I had an appointment Thursday with the sleep doctor, Dr. P.  I really like him.  Since the sleep study was "normal", the only thing he can really do is give me something to take if I wake in the middle of the night.  It's fast acting and only lasts about 3 hours.  We'll see if it helps any.  I may not need it much, but we'll see.  I have a follow up in three months.
Anyhow, I finally got the October pictures edited and up on Flickr.  Thought I might just give you a photo summary.

The first interesting thing of the month was on the 8th when Boo declared that it was Trey's birthday.  What's really weird is the fact that Trey came to live with us in October of 2008, when Nana sent him to us.  Who knows, Nana may have brought him home on the 8th, we'll never know...

That weekend we also went up to Knoeble's again on Sunday.  It was a nice day trip.  It was the last unofficial day for most of the park and it was the annual covered bridge and craft fair.  I got a pin for Amma and there was some good food and other purchases made.

The kids had a lot of fun playing by the creek while the adults wandered through the crafters.

We did get to ride a few rides.  Boo really likes them now.  Zoe, Boo and Billy had a lot of fun on this.  We also went on the big wheel and the trains and a few others.

Here are all the cousins that were on this trip: Rachel, Billy, Zoe and Boo.  Boo looks like he's smiling, but really he was fussing to get Trey back.

Halloween day Amma, PopPop, Gak, Boo and I had a bit of a Lancaster County adventure.  The three of us drove down and picked up Amma and PopPop at their hose.  We then went to the Gap Diner for brunch.  It wasn't quite as good as in the past, but still good enough.  After brunch was the highlight and the real reason for the adventure.  We wen to the Straussburg Railroad.  This is because lately every time you ask Boo what he wants to do, it's "Ride trains".  So, we went and rode trains.  Engine 90 was the engine on duty.

Boo patiently waiting for the train to start.  Isn't he so cute with the way he holds his hands when he's trying to be good?

Boo was a wizard this year for Halloween.  He picked up that stick from the parking lot at the apartment over the summer.  I thought it was a perfect wizard staff, so I got an adult small T-shirt and made him this awesome wizard robe using some glow in the dark paint and some felt.  Very cute.  He did great trick-or-treating too.

Here's me and the rest of the crew at work that dressed up.  Yep, that's the business manager dressed as Fred Flinstone and my buddy Donald dressed as a Rabi.  Donald the Rabi won the costume contest.  I was just having a bit of fun.  My T-shirt reads "If the Broom Fits, Ride It."  So much fun.

Anyhow, this is is October in photo review.  There are many more pictures up on Flickr.  Go, take a look.

Peace to all and may your memories be good and your photos fun.

Life and Loss

This post was supposed to go up Thursday, but I figured I might as well post it today.  It was going to be a happy, if anxious, post.
Unfortunately, it is not meant to be.
As I say in the opening paragraph, I've been keeping a secret.  I found out early last month that I was pregnant.  Thursday was supposed to be my 8-week prenatal visit.  Yes, supposed to be.  Saturday I started bleeding a little and by Sunday evening I was pretty sure I'd lost the pregnancy.  I just got the confirmation from blood work done yesterday.  My hormone levels are very low, I've had another miscarriage.
In a strange way, I'm nowhere near as upset this time as I was three years ago.  I think part of it is that I've lived through this before and I now have a very happy, very healthy son who's almost 2.5 years old.  Maybe it's that for the entire time I was waiting for this appointment, I was in a bit of denial because I had absolutely NO symptoms.  Or at least nothing I wouldn't chalk up to an overactive imagination.  Maybe it's because it was an almost total surprise and that the timing, while not horrible, may not have been the best.  Maybe it's that my cousin Rae just got blood work back and it came back "normal" so she and Kami can move forward with trying to have a baby themselves, and I really don't want to overshadow that.  They've been wanting one and trying for so long.  Maybe it's because I know in my heart of hearts that I didn't do anything wrong.  I'm healthier and eating much better than ever I was when I got pregnant with Boo.  There isn't much more that I could be doing to be taking better care with myself.  So, it wasn't me.  It just wasn't meant to be right now.
But, for whatever reason, I'm really OK with this.  I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little sad.  There will always be those "what if" moments and fantasies.  But, in a small way there is some relief too.  The mere thought of everything that would have to change or be done seems a little overwhelming.  I know we would have made it through, and with flying colors, but it would have been a very bumpy ride at this point, and quite frankly, after the year we've had, I'd like a little bit of "easy" for a few months.
Anyhow, here's my initial thoughts.  As you can see, I was pretty scared out of my gourd and not sure how to handle it all.
Peace.

******* Original 10/13 post*********

I’ve been keeping this post a secret from you. I actually wrote this post back on October 13, but I didn’t want it to be posted until today. I didn’t want to jinx myself or put this all out there if this isn’t true. If you’re reading it, than my thoughts back on 10/13 are still valid, I would have deleted it if not.







You see, I just found out I’m pregnant again.






Normally this would be met with great rejoicing. I know I would have thought that 3 or so months ago when my prescription ran out and we decided not to renew it.


Now, I’m not so sure. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t expecting this to happen so quickly, it did take an entire year to get pregnant with Boo after all. Perhaps it’s because of all the other things going on in my life right now. Maybe I’m wondering if I really did make the right decision. Maybe I’m just scared and wondering how we’re going to go from a family of 3 to a family of 4. I mean, we’re happy as a family of 3. Why did I want to go and possibly bugger that up by adding a second child?






I hate to admit it, but a big part of what’s keeping me from being ecstatic is my weight. Yes, I’m over 40 lb lighter than when I got pregnant with Boo. That in and of itself should thrill just about anyone and it does thrill me. But, having said that, I was only about 13 or 14 lb away from my next goal of being what I was when I graduated college. I was actually hoping to make it there before becoming pregnant again. I may not have been making huge progress the last month or two, but it was steady progress and I was probably going to get there by the end of the year, or pretty darn close. I think it’s the fact that I’m going to have to put that goal off for another 12 months or more that irks me.


There’s also the fact that I finally thought we were going to get ahead with money. Despite my apparently low-key attitude, it really does stress me out a good bit more than I let on. We’re on schedule to actually pay the truck off a few months early, and I was really looking forward to putting that money towards other debts we’ve been stupid enough to incur over the years. I was also hoping to save up for 6 months or so and put something down on a nice little used car for me to take back and forth to work so we could be a 2 car family. I doubt that’s going to happen now. Gak was also looking to start taking some online classes at Bucks County CC. But, with number two on the way, that’s doubtful. I’m determined to let him take some classes, but juggling 2 day care bills and at even just $200/class, it’ll be tough. (Although, not that tough if he only takes 1 or 2 classes a semester and uses most of his “fun” money for that… It’ll be doable, but painful.)


It just seems like we just can’t quite get ahead.






Another fear of sorts is what if this baby is a girl? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’d love a daughter, but in some ways it would complicate our lives even more so than it already is. I really just want a healthy baby, but part of me, a small, selfish (but loud) part, wants to have another boy. That’s because we have a two-bedroom apartment. And we just moved in. And I really, really don’t want to move again any time soon. I’m also freaking out about where to put a changing table of any kind or a crib and thinking that we really do want a bassinet to put in our bedroom for at least the first 3-6 months to get Boo used to the idea that there’s another kid in the house and that he’ll have to share his room with this intruder. That and without the door between rooms that was so convenient in the old apartment, it really will be easier. And then there’s the desire to actually have Boo totally potty trained by the time this new one arrives. I really don’t want two in diapers, but I’ll live with it if needs be. Then there’s the fear of getting him all trained (something he really has shown less than zero interest in in recent memory) and than have him regress as soon as the baby is born.






Don’t get me wrong. I’m actually really excited about the prospect of having a second baby. Both because I miss what Boo was like when he was itty-bitty and because I’ve always thought I’d have two kids. I am looking forward to the challenges this will bring, even if it terrifies me in the meantime. I know Boo will adjust to being a big brother. I’m pretty sure he’ll even be a great big brother, with the usually laid back, happy attitude towards life he has. I just hope he has a relationship more like mine and my brother’s than Gak and his brother’s was growing up. Jon and I grew up pretty close and got along more days than not. Gak and Raeferd, well, not so much. I’m not sure how much they really fought as kids, but there was competition and they’re such different people that they just didn’t get along well. But, they’re 7 years apart; our two will be almost exactly 3 years apart, about 6 months further apart than Jon and I.






One of the things that galls me a bit in a silly kind of way is that this baby is due just 9 days after Boo’s third birthday. I mean, that’s really cool in one way, but not fair in another. I mean, more than likely these two will end up sharing birthday parties at least until Boo is 10 or so, and even then I’ll probably try and coordinate them. At any rate, it’ll be right around Memorial Day, which more than likely means the default of a family picnic. At least it’s in the summer kids!






Anyhow that’s my rambling and worrying on this subject for now. I’m sure between the time I wrote this and the time that this actually gets posted my thoughts on this subject will change about 100 times. (Thank you, Blogger for the ability to post-date posts.) Anyhow, I leave you with my first ramblings and worryings as they were. If I remember, I’ll try and post an updated thoughts around the same time as this one goes live.






Peace to all and may your surprises be good to you and your lives full.

Halloween

Just a quick post before I head out the door this morning.
This weekend was a fun weekend.  Friday night we went over to Aunt Kat's house and hung out and watched Iron Man II.  Well, the adults watched the movie, Zoe and Boo kept coming and going, playing in the other room or coming in to get something.  It was a pretty good movie, but we got Boo to bed waaaay too late.  And he didn't really sleep in much Saturday morning.  This meant we had a slightly cranky boy Saturday, but nothing too bad.
Saturday was a pretty normal Saturday for the most part.  We did laundry.  We met up with Kat and Zoe after bowling for lunch.  We ran some errands.  Boo napped (and so did I).  The evening was spent hanging out and me running to the grocery store by myself.  Pretty low key and  nice.  I did, however, find Boo a Flyer's orange hockey stick at Five Below while running errands.  He really likes it.  I need to get a picture of him with it.  Now all he needs is a jersey, but I haven't been able to find any Flyer's gear his size.  Oh well, maybe one of the uncles will be more successful.
Sunday we were in for a real treat.  We got up at our normal time, had a little breakfast and then headed down to see Amma and PopPop.  Little did Boo realize that we were going to pick them up, head out to Gap to have brunch at the Gap Diner (it's not as good as it used to be...) and then head somewhere really special!  You see, just about every time you ask my son what he wants to do these days, his answer is "ride trains".  I have no idea where that came from.  We've only watched Thomas a few times, I don't think he could identify any of the trains by name.  We don't have trains nearby that he hears or sees all the time.  He likes the train tables at the book stores, toy stores and the library.  I'm not sure where it came from, but he's into trains.  I can go with that.  There's something about trains, especially steam trains that just grabs the imagination.  So, after brunch we headed over to Strausburg Railroad, which is right down the street from Gap, and only about an hour and a half or two hours total from home.
Boo had quite a good time and enjoyed his train ride.  Maybe next time we go we'll actually take some time to go through the museum.  I've been through there, but it's been a while.  We didn't take the time today because we wanted to make sure we got home well before trick-or-treating time.
We went out with Steph and Andy and Rachel, Billy and Zoe.  We had a lot of fun.  Boo walked a LOT and did very well, remembering both "trick-or-treat!" and "thank you", usually getting them in the right order.  I'm not sure everyone heard him, but he was saying them.  I was a little disappointed, in the fact that there seemed to be only one house on average per block that we walked.  That's OK though, we got in a nice long walk and we don't need that many treats around the house. He also got two boxes of animal crackers from Grace next door and a whole bag of goodies from Michelle across the hall.

Anyhow, I'm now running late for work.  Peace to all and enjoy the picture of my little apprentice wizard (This was taken Thursday at school, after they did their Halloween party).
May your weekends be good, and your Halloweens fun.