9.30.2008
9.29.2008
come full circle
It's been a year now since we went through the difficult process of deciding whether or not to find Hawkeye a new home. When we decided at this time last year to keep him, we let down the sweet couple that was excited to take him in. I felt guilty, but I felt worse thinking that I'd regret giving up our dog. Now I've finally figured out that while it might be sad to give up a pet, if he'd be happier someplace else, then it's the right thing to do. So in the past year we've come to realize for real this time that Hawkeye gets less and less exercise and affection from us as we are busy with kids, and he deserves better. So again we have landed ourselves in the position of letting him go. Our friend down the street grew up on a farm in northern IA, and her brother is now running that farm (oh, well you all probably feel you know her from reading this blog-- Steph, aka, JAXSON'S MOM.) We took Hawkeye up to Brandon's farm yesterday to check it out and let the meet each other. He had a great time romping around off leash and getting mucked up. He sampled the local cuisine (not fit for description in a G-rated blog), and seemed to be fit for a farm. Brandon wants to train him to herd cattle, and I think that doing what he was bred to do will give him a purpose he's missing with us. So we've decided to let Brandon take him, and I'm trying to let go of all my "no one does a better job at pet ownership than me" hang ups. I am trying to get past my judgement that outdoor dogs can be happy and healthy, too (though I don't know if I'd be as keen on this arrangement if I didn't know Brandon lets the dogs come inside when it gets cold out.) So within the next week we'll probably take Hawkeye up again and this time he'll stay. It will be sad for me, but also a relief. I am hopeful that everyone ends up happier in the end.
Hawkeye gets acquainted with Brandon's red heeler, Butch
Jack and Jaxson enjoy farm livin
Hawkeye gets acquainted with Brandon's red heeler, Butch
Jack and Jaxson enjoy farm livin
9.26.2008
Just when I thought my toddler couldn't get ANY messier...
He nabs my morning smoothie, and thereafter I barely get a few sips in...
then he decides to perfect the art of nose-diving in his applesauce...
and last (but oh-so-not least), he uses his melted popsicle today to bathe himself. the glistening you see in his hair, face, arms, neck, bib.... that's all low-fat organic yogurt mixed with berries. yes, that was a bathtime necessity at 11:30am.
Aren't children fun? Heehee.
On the Benjamin front, he is absolutely obsessed with rolling onto his tummy now, though he hasn't yet perfected getting back onto his back. I put him down at one point in the middle of his baby gym, on his back, and a 180degree position to what you see in this next photo. I came back to check on him a few moments later and he had made it around the gym bars, onto his tummy, and outside the gym entirely. guess those baby gates won't be down as long as we had hoped...
He's much happier on his tummy, though, so I'm guessing he'll crawl much earlier than Jack did.
Last night a friend of our's invited us to accompany her and her son (his name is...wait for it... Jackson) to the Des Moines fire station, since she has a friend who works there. I had to stay home with Benjamin after he had a cosmic melt-down, but Mike and Jack went and took some photos. Looks like it was a good time.
I'm hoping this is as close to then inside of an ambulance Jack ever has to get:
Look out--under age driver!
then he decides to perfect the art of nose-diving in his applesauce...
and last (but oh-so-not least), he uses his melted popsicle today to bathe himself. the glistening you see in his hair, face, arms, neck, bib.... that's all low-fat organic yogurt mixed with berries. yes, that was a bathtime necessity at 11:30am.
Aren't children fun? Heehee.
On the Benjamin front, he is absolutely obsessed with rolling onto his tummy now, though he hasn't yet perfected getting back onto his back. I put him down at one point in the middle of his baby gym, on his back, and a 180degree position to what you see in this next photo. I came back to check on him a few moments later and he had made it around the gym bars, onto his tummy, and outside the gym entirely. guess those baby gates won't be down as long as we had hoped...
He's much happier on his tummy, though, so I'm guessing he'll crawl much earlier than Jack did.
Last night a friend of our's invited us to accompany her and her son (his name is...wait for it... Jackson) to the Des Moines fire station, since she has a friend who works there. I had to stay home with Benjamin after he had a cosmic melt-down, but Mike and Jack went and took some photos. Looks like it was a good time.
I'm hoping this is as close to then inside of an ambulance Jack ever has to get:
Look out--under age driver!
9.25.2008
9.22.2008
rabbit killer...gougères....and CNN addiction
seeing that i haven't posted in some time, this is just a hodge podge update of random things that have been on my mind lately.
this morning hawkeye was nosing around our lilac bushes and found a nest of baby bunnies. every spring or fall, it seems, he kills at least one baby bunny. they used to live under our shed. now we've closed the shed in, but they still favor our yard and find other places to lay babies, it seems. it kills me to see this and i always mourn for half the day when it happens. i know it's the natural order of things, but it just doesn't feel natural to me to see a baby--of any species--die. all the others ran in different directions, one nearly getting hit by a car. i'm afraid they won't find their way back and won't get fed, so perhaps all of them are as good as dead. i'm still a bit traumatized.
jack has been ill lately. we don't know if it's teething, an ear infection, a sore throat, or what. he has hours of normalcy and then times of utter misery. several times he cried so hard that he made himself vomit. it has been a long 4 days. he seems to be on the upswing, though. he wasn't eating much during these bouts, but is starting to do so again. one thing that hasn't changed is his willingness to eat nearly anything when he IS eating. yesterday morning he feasted on gougères at brunch, and last night our dinner was peppered with "more cous cous!" from our 2-year-old's mouth nearly every 5 minutes. something to be said for globalization, i guess.
as someone who has never gotten too involved or invested in previous political elections, it is interesting to feel so incredibly obsessed with this one. the diaper bag boldly displays an obama pin, as does my 4-month-old's onesie, "my mama's for obama." jack can now answer to the question, "who do we vote for?" with "i vote for OBAMA!" i'm addicted to CNN. i even watch larry king's interviews since most of them these days have a lot to do with the upcoming election. i've partaken in nearly every biography, interview, and commentary available about each of the 4 candidates. i like biden more now than i did in the beginning. he's a freaking angel compared to sarah palin. i will not go there. it would be too much. besides, other blogs do so much better than i. i guess having children opened my eyes to the fact that politics actually is more than a frustrating game. our government reflects us as a people, and decisions made affect me and those most important in my life. my children's education, access to healthcare, access to clean air and a sustainable environment, the economy that supports them (and the organic food we already can barely afford), and so on and so on and so on... is all reliant on who we choose to make decisions for our country as a whole. if obama/biden do not win in this election, my cynicism about the ignorance of american voters may reach an all-time high. i used to say "onto canada," but even canada has many vices (not the least of which being the horrifying baby seal hunt that continues on). france was looking pretty good after watching "sicko," but alas, i speak almost none of the romantic language. so i'll just wait and hope and see. and vote.
because no blog entry is complete without a few photos of cute kids, here you go:
little guy trying to learn to sit:
last week i watched jack's friend jaxson for the evening, and the two had a tremendous time going up and down and up and down and up and down the stairs between the play room and jack's bedroom. i gave them ice cream cones after dinner, and the differences between both children sparkled. jack devoured his in record time, and jaxson daintily enjoyed his. jaxson declared himself "all done" before finishing the cone, and jack went in for the kill.
this morning hawkeye was nosing around our lilac bushes and found a nest of baby bunnies. every spring or fall, it seems, he kills at least one baby bunny. they used to live under our shed. now we've closed the shed in, but they still favor our yard and find other places to lay babies, it seems. it kills me to see this and i always mourn for half the day when it happens. i know it's the natural order of things, but it just doesn't feel natural to me to see a baby--of any species--die. all the others ran in different directions, one nearly getting hit by a car. i'm afraid they won't find their way back and won't get fed, so perhaps all of them are as good as dead. i'm still a bit traumatized.
jack has been ill lately. we don't know if it's teething, an ear infection, a sore throat, or what. he has hours of normalcy and then times of utter misery. several times he cried so hard that he made himself vomit. it has been a long 4 days. he seems to be on the upswing, though. he wasn't eating much during these bouts, but is starting to do so again. one thing that hasn't changed is his willingness to eat nearly anything when he IS eating. yesterday morning he feasted on gougères at brunch, and last night our dinner was peppered with "more cous cous!" from our 2-year-old's mouth nearly every 5 minutes. something to be said for globalization, i guess.
as someone who has never gotten too involved or invested in previous political elections, it is interesting to feel so incredibly obsessed with this one. the diaper bag boldly displays an obama pin, as does my 4-month-old's onesie, "my mama's for obama." jack can now answer to the question, "who do we vote for?" with "i vote for OBAMA!" i'm addicted to CNN. i even watch larry king's interviews since most of them these days have a lot to do with the upcoming election. i've partaken in nearly every biography, interview, and commentary available about each of the 4 candidates. i like biden more now than i did in the beginning. he's a freaking angel compared to sarah palin. i will not go there. it would be too much. besides, other blogs do so much better than i. i guess having children opened my eyes to the fact that politics actually is more than a frustrating game. our government reflects us as a people, and decisions made affect me and those most important in my life. my children's education, access to healthcare, access to clean air and a sustainable environment, the economy that supports them (and the organic food we already can barely afford), and so on and so on and so on... is all reliant on who we choose to make decisions for our country as a whole. if obama/biden do not win in this election, my cynicism about the ignorance of american voters may reach an all-time high. i used to say "onto canada," but even canada has many vices (not the least of which being the horrifying baby seal hunt that continues on). france was looking pretty good after watching "sicko," but alas, i speak almost none of the romantic language. so i'll just wait and hope and see. and vote.
because no blog entry is complete without a few photos of cute kids, here you go:
little guy trying to learn to sit:
last week i watched jack's friend jaxson for the evening, and the two had a tremendous time going up and down and up and down and up and down the stairs between the play room and jack's bedroom. i gave them ice cream cones after dinner, and the differences between both children sparkled. jack devoured his in record time, and jaxson daintily enjoyed his. jaxson declared himself "all done" before finishing the cone, and jack went in for the kill.
9.04.2008
4 Months
Where did the time go? I apparently slept through the entire month of September because I'm CONVINCED it's now October: 55 degrees, leaves on the ground, smell of bonfires... did I miss something? It was 90 on Monday and we were in the pool! Huh?!
Yesterday Benjamin turned 4 months, and as I often wonder, how is he growing up so fast? He weighed in at 18 lbs 6 oz (97%) and is 26 3/4 inches (97%). So we have a big guy on our hands (still).
He continues to be an incredible joy in our lives, cute and cuddly and a little love.
His big brother is also making leaps and bounds in the growth department. Not so much in the weight and height area, but in the mental arena. In the past couple weeks his language skills seem to have taken a big leap. I even heard his first sentence a couple days ago: "Mama, I need more blocks." The "I need" came out clearly for the first time, as it usually sounds like "Ernie." He is always counting these days. Anything from m&ms in his cookies, to blocks on the ground. He doesn't count things in order, so he usually ends up with the wrong number (he'll skip around so much that he counts things twice and ends up with 8 blocks instead of the 5 that are actually there), but it's still awesome to see. And his favorite song to sing is the ABC's. He doesn't hit every letter yet, but he knows it well. It's fun to see.
We are all trying to get 100% healthy after passing around a cold this past weekend. Mike and Benj are still on the mend, while Jack and I seem to be feeling better. Mike is busy with preparing his guest lectures for two classes at Drake in a week, and I am constantly battling myself over a dissertation my mind wants to finish but that my heart isn't into.
Yesterday Benjamin turned 4 months, and as I often wonder, how is he growing up so fast? He weighed in at 18 lbs 6 oz (97%) and is 26 3/4 inches (97%). So we have a big guy on our hands (still).
He continues to be an incredible joy in our lives, cute and cuddly and a little love.
His big brother is also making leaps and bounds in the growth department. Not so much in the weight and height area, but in the mental arena. In the past couple weeks his language skills seem to have taken a big leap. I even heard his first sentence a couple days ago: "Mama, I need more blocks." The "I need" came out clearly for the first time, as it usually sounds like "Ernie." He is always counting these days. Anything from m&ms in his cookies, to blocks on the ground. He doesn't count things in order, so he usually ends up with the wrong number (he'll skip around so much that he counts things twice and ends up with 8 blocks instead of the 5 that are actually there), but it's still awesome to see. And his favorite song to sing is the ABC's. He doesn't hit every letter yet, but he knows it well. It's fun to see.
We are all trying to get 100% healthy after passing around a cold this past weekend. Mike and Benj are still on the mend, while Jack and I seem to be feeling better. Mike is busy with preparing his guest lectures for two classes at Drake in a week, and I am constantly battling myself over a dissertation my mind wants to finish but that my heart isn't into.
8.29.2008
just saying hey
here's what jack thinks of the cyclones:
go hawkeyes!
benj tried out the bumbo seat the other day:
his adorably chubby little legs get stuck in the leg holes, so when you pick him up the seat follows.
it's been chilly many mornings, and the house gets down to around 65. so i put ben in his first winter wear the other day. i had to dig out jack's (not so old) clothes, and here is benj in a 9 month sleeper, with his toes all the way to the end and snug (my 3.5 month old!)
our neighborhood did their part to welcome shawn johnson home in style. a family friend made a beautiful sign to hang on their garage, and our next door neighbor practiced her artistic talent through sidewalk chalk on their driveway. i did my part by leaving red, white and blue balloons in everyone's mailboxes with notes asking them to put them on their mailboxes the afternoon she came home. it was cool to drive down our street and see all the balloons, and the signs people added to welcome and congratulate her.
we are looking forward to a long weekend of both relaxation and productivity.
go hawkeyes!
benj tried out the bumbo seat the other day:
his adorably chubby little legs get stuck in the leg holes, so when you pick him up the seat follows.
it's been chilly many mornings, and the house gets down to around 65. so i put ben in his first winter wear the other day. i had to dig out jack's (not so old) clothes, and here is benj in a 9 month sleeper, with his toes all the way to the end and snug (my 3.5 month old!)
our neighborhood did their part to welcome shawn johnson home in style. a family friend made a beautiful sign to hang on their garage, and our next door neighbor practiced her artistic talent through sidewalk chalk on their driveway. i did my part by leaving red, white and blue balloons in everyone's mailboxes with notes asking them to put them on their mailboxes the afternoon she came home. it was cool to drive down our street and see all the balloons, and the signs people added to welcome and congratulate her.
we are looking forward to a long weekend of both relaxation and productivity.
8.21.2008
dining desires
Mike and I don't spend money on much; not Ipod downloads, cds, or movies. We don't buy ourselves clothes unless absolutely necessary, and we have few outside hobbies that require cash (we prefer family walks to golf outings). We don't travel as much these days, or get out to movies or other activities as often as we used to since Jack's in bed by 8pm and we, too, are then in for the evening. But one thing we have always enjoyed is dining out. That's probably as close to a hobby as we might have. And while that, too, has died down a lot since we've had children, we still try to go out and enjoy that when we can. Any time grandparents are willing to watch Jack for a couple hours, we take advantage of that time to have a quiet dinner with Benj. We like trying new restaurants and made it out to one last night: Django. Chef George Formaro has been a big player on the Des Moines restaurant scene for several years now, and this is his newest place. It's supposed to be "all French with no attitude," and they definitely delivered. The macaroni au gratin and cassoulet were both fantastic, as was the bordeaux, the creme brulee and pots du chocolat, and the casual ambience that reminded me a lot of Balthazar in New York. If there's one thing I can rationalize spending money on, it's food. And last night it was soooo worth it. If I had a way of letting you taste that macaroni, I definitely would.
Gold!
Shawn won the gold during the women's balance beam final on Tuesday and we couldn't be happier for her. Watching it was so fun, and I cried when they showed her parents crying out of joy. So sweet! We're ecstatic Shawn will bring home a gold from this Olympics. Go Shawnie!
On my own athletic front, I have started jogging again. By this I mean I've gone every day for the last 3 days. Until I am convinced it's a habit, I'll hold off on referring to myself as a runner ;) The first day was pretty pathetic--my head and shoulders were leagues ahead of the rest of my body, willing it to keep going forward. A highschool kid passed me on the sidewalk. I think it's safe to say I am currently in the worst shape of my life. But in the words of my husband, "I have no where to go but up." Sweet, isn't he?
On my own athletic front, I have started jogging again. By this I mean I've gone every day for the last 3 days. Until I am convinced it's a habit, I'll hold off on referring to myself as a runner ;) The first day was pretty pathetic--my head and shoulders were leagues ahead of the rest of my body, willing it to keep going forward. A highschool kid passed me on the sidewalk. I think it's safe to say I am currently in the worst shape of my life. But in the words of my husband, "I have no where to go but up." Sweet, isn't he?
8.19.2008
TRUCKS birthday party
Jack had his 2nd birthday party on Saturday and it was a truck theme. He wore a tee-shirt with a picture of a dump truck that said "I Dig Being 2," which of course I did not get a photo of. In fact, I got very few photos in total, and will be depending on friends and relatives to get copies. We had about 45 guests, 12 of them under the age of 5, so Mike and I spent most our time rushing around, making sure people had food and cake and things were well organized. It was a good time, and the kids had tons of fun in the kiddie pool, sandbox, and jungle gym. He of course got far more gifts than any child actually needs (many, many trucks of all kinds) so I think next year we may say "no gifts please" to keep the focus off that portion of the party. Here are the photos I was able to get and glean from friends so far:
Most of the balloons got ripped off the tables and sent outside to float about the yard with all the kids, but the other decorations managed to stay up for a bit. Here is the food room in a rare moment of calm. We grilled Haub beef burgers and hot dogs, and had many side salads. Your basic BBQ food.
The half sheet cake from Hy-Vee actually fed everyone at the party, but I made a smaller excavator cake for the kids:
The pool was a hit
Jack and his BFF, Jaxson:
Half the guests left before the gift opening, which turned out to be a good thing considering how crowded the seating was
Two grandmas and one great-grandma...and one little brother. Had someone else taken the photo, you would've seen me sitting next to my mom and it would've been a nice generation photo...
All the kids got to help open the gifts
Sure looks like he actually read the cards, huh?
Good times had by all!
Most of the balloons got ripped off the tables and sent outside to float about the yard with all the kids, but the other decorations managed to stay up for a bit. Here is the food room in a rare moment of calm. We grilled Haub beef burgers and hot dogs, and had many side salads. Your basic BBQ food.
The half sheet cake from Hy-Vee actually fed everyone at the party, but I made a smaller excavator cake for the kids:
The pool was a hit
Jack and his BFF, Jaxson:
Half the guests left before the gift opening, which turned out to be a good thing considering how crowded the seating was
Two grandmas and one great-grandma...and one little brother. Had someone else taken the photo, you would've seen me sitting next to my mom and it would've been a nice generation photo...
All the kids got to help open the gifts
Sure looks like he actually read the cards, huh?
Good times had by all!
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