Memorial Day Weekend, 2011

Our holiday weekend in pictures (of mostly Anna) and a few words:

A cold trip to the park on Friday afternoon with Mo D and Aunt Kaitlyn.

Climbing through the train to get to Mo D.

Posing, finally.

Mo D, waiting at the end of the train for Anna.

Saturday morning Mo D and I met with Carol, our decorator (separately). Anna played with each of us while the other one worked. There was no shortage of things to do with Riley around and new coloring books and crayons to play with, babies from Meg and Kaity's childhood to hold, and magnetic shape 'blocks' to build with.

In the afternoon, we took a trip to see our cousins Krysha, Dave, and Grace. We also saw some wildlife, which made the trip for Anna.

Swinging. They're looking at Mo D, who was encouraging their smiles.

I just couldn't decide which one I liked best.

Grace generously offered a lollipop, which Anna was more than happy to have.

We saw this snake, another little baby one, and at least 4 frogs (or toads?) Krysha's blog has better photos of the creatures...check them out.

Sunday morning I went for a long run while Anna did water play on Mo's back deck. She watered the plants, cleaned the deck, and she made sure Riley had plenty to drink.

Mo D took too many cute photos of Anna and Riley. They really warmed up to each other by the end of the weekend.

Aunt Carolyn drove up for a visit in the afternoon, which Anna loved. The weather didn't cooperate, but it didn't stop Anna when we went to the cottage. The rain kept us from a boat ride that evening, so we had to return Monday morning for Anna's first time on a motor boat before our visit with Great Mo.

This water was cold (and so was the air)! Although Mo had a warm little pool filled up for her on the grass, she preferred the freezing lake.

Happy girl. She did not want to leave the cottage on Sunday or Monday, and she made it clear she didn't want to come home today either. Guess looking for carpet and meeting painters at the new house aren't quite as fun as playing all weekend at Mo D's. I agree.

On the boat this morning. She could've gone forever.

Waking Kaitlyn up.

Just so happy.

Girls' Night

Anna is asleep and Pap D is at the cottage. The big girls at Mo D's house are snuggled on the couch with popcorn and a movie - a perfect Saturday night.

I've had much to say and record, but we've been going non-stop since Wednesday when Blake took a day off work to enjoy some family time. He took this day because he was headed out of town again this weekend, this time to Vegas. Just in time for release of The Hangover Part II, he and nine other guys convened on the city for Blair's bachelor party. I don't want to think about what a group of thirty something guys will do to that city. Hopefully nobody gets arrested or injured!

On Wednesday, the rain kept us from our zoo plans, but we still enjoyed the day. Blake came to music class, we stopped at the contractor's AGAIN, then treated ourselves to a pasta lunch. In the afternoon we played together, and Blake and I took turns on house-related phone calls and work.

The good new: the house is sold. Yes, we've been on a roller coaster ride. The bad (obvious) news: we had to drop the price even further. But, it's done, and that's a relief.

Off to watch a movie. More on the weekend later...

Ella, Ella Everywhere

Anna's baby, Ella, has been a favorite doll for quite some time. Recently, though, she's taken on a big roll in our daily lives. She's not only a baby needing food, diaper changes, and burping, but she's also best friend, snuggle buddy, and ever-present lovey. The only time she doesn't want her is when she wants me at night, of course.

Somehow Anna got it in her head that Ella needs a car seat to sit in and sleep in, even around the house. This may be because we have a baby named Ella in music class who used to come and leave in her car seat. She would cry when she had to get in, and Anna always worried about her and wanted to stay until she was OK. Anyway, Anna asked me to bring up her old car seat, which she'd seen in the basement, so that Ella could use it.

SO, this is where Ella has been most of the time this week. And, because the car seat is too heavy for Anna, I've been carrying it everywhere. She comes to the bathroom with us (in the car seat), she goes to bed with Anna (in the car seat), she comes in the car with us (in the car seat). It's very precious!

A brief moment yesterday out of the car seat (because she needed to see better what was going on).

Outside finger painting with Ella watching.

All buckled up and ready to go to the store.

Denial

I am in denial today. It's the best coping strategy I have for the moment.

Blake just called to tell me that our house is, apparently, back on the market.

AND

Katie, our irreplaceable, unbelievable babysitter and friend, is moving to Chicago. While I'm so so happy for her, I am very, very sad.

Fortunately, we have many fun things planned over the next few days. A little wine might be good, too. And, I'm trying to focus on this: the view.

I snapped a couple of photos of our property yesterday. A partial view of the back.

Another view of the back with the farm in the background.

The side yard. I didn't get a chance to capture the other side yard, which has the patio and the future sledding hill (or golfing green).

Saturday Outside

Early Morning:

Egg and sausage breakfast outside in the sunshine on the patio.

Touch-a-Truck, where swarms of young children have the opportunity to climb inside buses, fire trucks, ambulances, dump trucks, or any large, loud vehicles of all shapes and sizes.

Anna's first time on a school bus!

The school bus was probably the favorite vehicle.

Harper was there, too!

Driving the ambulance.

And, the recycle truck.

And, she's done. The fire truck didn't go over so well!

Late Morning/Early Afternoon:

A stop at the furniture store to buy Anna's new bedroom furniture.

Lunch outside in the sunshine on the patio.

Coloring...outside again. We had a birthday card to make for an afternoon party.

Anna has been obsessed with coloring. I think it deserves it's own post.

Such cute little hands!

Late Afternoon/Early Evening:

Jackson's birthday party! Our friends Julie, Jeff, and Jackson live on a beautiful farm with lots of cats, a dog, a huge jungle gym, gardens, barns, and plenty of room to play and explore. Pizza and cake, outside of course.

Next to Boo, the cat, this may have been her favorite part of the party.

Oh, and there were automatic bubbles, too. That's hard to beat!

I loved these little baby grapes.

The Money Pit?

Today I had visions of the old Tom Hanks and Shelley Long movie, The Money Pit. As I walked through our new home for the fourth time today, the house almost empty, I started noticing all the little things that need repairs, require touch-ups, or warrant replacement. Some things, like trim and doors that are extremely beat up by two large dogs and four kids, are not entirely surprising. Then there are things like the gaping space between the cabinet and the wall in the kitchen (how did I not notice this before?), where the builder obviously took a short cut or failed to measure accurately. These are just a couple of items that, on top of a long list of things we were already aware of, brought on a vision of Shelley Long in her new claw-foot bathtub, falling through the bathroom floor of her dream home followed by images of the spiral staircase collapsing under Tom Hanks. I don't expect this to happen, but I wonder how much stuff we'll discover when we actually live in our new house? Blake and I aren't the most handy folks either. With a house this size and a yard this expansive, the fix-ups add up in time and money quickly, whether we do them ourselves or not.

I was thinking today how strange it is that people buy houses after seeing them only once or twice. It seems, for large purchases like a home, it would make sense to try before you buy, no? Wouldn't it be sensible to sleep over in the home you want to buy, live in it for a day or two before taking the leap, so that you could hear the noise coming from the refrigerator that sounds like an airplane flying overhead?

I do love our new house. The framework is ideal. The yard, the bathroom, the kitchen design are all spectacular. While I might be having just a tiny bit of buyer's remorse, I know it's only temporary. I know the house is going to be amazing once we put our personal touches on it and it really feels like ours. It's just been a week of mild to moderate unfortunate news, and I think it's gotten to me: the appraisal for the house we just sold came in too low, so the bank may not approve the buyer's loan, which means the sale might not go through; at the final walk through of our new house, we discovered that the tenants left behind a decent amount of their stuff, which has to be taken care of now; the builder/previous owner did not follow-through and fix any of the the things he said he would take care of before closing; and the work to be done on the house may not be completed by our desired move-in date. It does seem like I have a new career in project management as I attempt to coordinate and time the work of the contractors, painters, carpet-layers, duct-cleaners...this and the search for carpet, rugs, and furniture is one (of a couple) of the reasons that I've been absent from the blog all week.

We have a little over a month left before we move in. Soon I'll be able to post the exciting "before and after" photos. That, I am looking forward to!

Reunion, 2011

Kellie, Rachael, Amy, Mandy, Betsy, and Jess

Thirteen years after graduating from college, the six of us 1998 graduates are still getting together every year for a reunion that never fails to be fun, enlightening, and bittersweet. I'm missing these girls already, just like I do every time we part ways. We laughed and cried, ate and drank, and mostly just talked about everything. Every year we reminisce about our college days and past reunions, fondly flipping through Amy's and Mandy's beautifully kept scrapbooks. A couple of years ago, we started a tradition of sharing three words that describe each of our lives, our selves, right now. And, we talk about the future - our plans and our hopes and our future get-togethers. Littered amongst the serious talk about our lives and the world are the silly, laughter-inducing conversations, the ones that leaves my cheeks and stomach aching and wanting more.

I'm energized from the time with my girlfriends, and at the same time, I'm exhausted. I just couldn't force myself to go to sleep and risk missing this precious time with five women who I admire and love so much. I wish I had the mental capacity to capture our weekend in words. I know I can't do it justice. This little post doesn't even hint at the amazing time we had together, but I have some sleep to catch up on (and some dishes to do before the appraiser comes tomorrow...while I'm off signing papers for the closing on the new house)!

Oh, and as for Blake and Anna...they were going non-stop while I was gone. I think they both fared well, and as is often the case with toddlers, she unleashed her fury on Mommy today. Her displays of anger, fortunately, also alternated with displays of love and affection. I missed her a ton.

Just a couple of favorite photos...

We consumed a lot of champagne and white wine this year!

Rachael's essential contribution - puppy chow. Even if she's been absent from the reunion, she sends the puppy chow!

Admiring our toes after our pedicures.

Hookie

Anna and I couldn't have picked a better day to skip school. We're technically not skipping - I started coming down with Anna's sore throat yesterday, so I'm calling it a sick day. Along with Anna's coughing through the night and my throat, I wasn't feeling very good this morning, and I need to get better by tomorrow.

I have a big weekend ahead - the annual reunion with my college girlfriends. I am so excited, especially because I missed last year's event due to another commitment. The butterflies in my stomach also might be (ok, definitely are) a bit of nervousness. This will be my first full weekend away on my own without Anna. Even though I've been gone over night a couple of times, I haven't been away for even a full twenty-four hours before. While I have no doubt everyone will survive and that this will be good for me in so many ways, I miss her so much already.

So, today we've just been enjoying our sudden summer weather. It didn't take us long to agree on staying home to color (something Anna's been doing non-stop), make muffins, eat outside for every snack and meal, paint toenails, play in the sandbox, and run through the sprinkler. Blake is gone golfing tonight, so it's just us girls all day long.

I'll be sure to post about Daddy and Anna's weekend as well as my time with the girls after I return. Happy Weekend!

Not Nice

Evidence. Blake must be tired too - this morning I found the frozen blueberries that he gave to Anna for a bedtime snack last night here, in the cupboard, when I went to make breakfast.

As it turns out, I did not sleep well last night. Anna is still sick, almost two weeks later, and it's turned into a persistent cough that keeps her awake. Of course, cough medicine is no longer an option for kids this age, and the honey remedies, saline, vaporizer, and eucalyptus oil just aren't doing a thing for her. If anyone has any other suggestions, I'll take them. I'm desperate.

Needless to say, we're all pretty tired after a few weeks of this. Anna is waking between 5:30 and 6:00 most mornings, and she couldn't nap yesterday through the coughing, so Blake put her to bed before I got home from Spinning last night. When I arrived, though, she was still awake. She yelled down to Blake, "I have to go pooooopy," so he went up to help her, and I went up to tell her I was home.

After her bathroom break, I took Anna back to bed and told her that I'd rub her head for a bit before I went downstairs. After a couple of minutes, I said good night, hopeful that it would be an easier night for her, but she promptly stood up to yell at me. "Don't go, Mommy!" she screamed. I kind of expected it, given her chatty mood, lack of nap, and coughing fits. I don't haver perfect recall of the conversation that ensued, but I know it was meant to end with me saying in a firm, matter-of-fact tone, "Anna, you need to lay down and close your eyes right now."

With an almost-smile on her face and with a motherly tone, Anna replied, "You're not being very nice, Mommy." I think she thought she was pretty clever.

I have the feeling that I'm going to hear that a lot over the next 20 years. Next time, I'll try to remember to say please.

SOLD

We'll have a "SOLD" sign out front soon. The people who were, supposedly, unwilling to budge did budge after all. We went back and forth multiple times to get to a comfortable place, but in the end, we're content with the deal that was made, especially when we think of all the showings we won't be having and all the money that we won't be spending on the mortgage if it didn't sell right away.

I think I'm going to sleep well tonight.

Mother's Day, 2011

Happy Mother's Day! I had a lovely day, thanks to my husband and darling daughter. Here are a few photos from our day, unedited (but not for much longer - I get to buy Lightroom for myself for Mother's Day).

The "craft project" that Blake and Ann have been working on - photos containing favorite memories from the last year. Anna spent much time and effort on coloring in all those letters.

Blake, once again, planned and cooked a wonderful meal for me. We've been talking about making Pici, a delicious handmade pasta that we fell in love with on our 2007 Italy trip, since we came home from that vacation. Today was the day to try it.

Rolling the thick, long noodles by hand.

Anna helped out as soon as she woke up from her nap.

The hand-rolled pasta noodles waiting to be cooked.

After a bike ride, Anna and I enjoyed some drinks outside while Blake started dinner. That is NOT a beer in Anna's hand, it's "fizzy" water.

A LOT of pans on the stove. Blake made a delicious veal scallopini, pici with a homemade tomato sauce, his own version of creamed spinach, and corn.

Pici.

The longest noodle ever.

Houses

I can't imagine building a house. We're making just a few changes to our new home, and I'm still elbow deep in decisions about carpet, paint, bedding, furniture, and kitchen island and fireplace renovation. I spent the entire day Friday with an interior designer who helped me devise a design plan for each room in our house. I felt both relief and overwhelm as I learned about color, contrast, continuity...it's fascinating, and I'm so glad I have her guidance. If we weren't feeling a time crunch, I might LOVE this process and feel not quite so stressed about it all. But, we really want to have the disruptive work done before we move in, including island and fireplace renovation, carpet and paint. I also really want Anna's room to be close to complete, including new bedroom furniture with a regular bed and blue everywhere, with the hope that she will embrace this change to a new venue.

We're adding to the challenge of decorating and refurbishing by trying to be as eco-friendly and health-conscious as possible. "As possible" means we have to balance the environmental and health benefits with cost, whether or not we like it, and accessibility of a product. We're most concerned with paint (easy to address), flooring (not as easy, but doable), and Anna's bedroom furniture (also doable). I'm learning all about the benefits and drawbacks of wool carpeting (wonderful on so many levels, BUT it can be difficult to find it without the nasty pesticides used to keep the bugs at bay), cork flooring, and recycled carpet. I'm disappointed to find that Greenguard certified children's furniture is not widespread, especially when searching for something relatively contemporary. Although, I was thrilled to discover that the company we purchased Anna's crib from over 3 years ago, Natart, is one of two companies that carries certified furniture, and the crib mattress we use (Naturepedic) is certified as well. I'm going to have more knowledge about green products than I'd ever imagined, so if you have any questions, send them my way.

Also worth mentioning is that we received an offer on the house! I wish I could say we're elated, but frankly, the offer stinks. So we countered, but our realtor isn't confident they will budge, even though we are willing to. Another couple came to see our house for the second time today, and, sadly, they're not making an offer. The feedback we've heard from two other interested buyers is that ours is the most well-maintained and updated house in the neighborhood, but they are happier to spend less money upfront on a house that needs work and then fix it up themselves. We'll see where this all leads. I am DONE with showings, keeping the house white glove clean, and disrupting sleep schedules.

It's Mother's Day tomorrow. I might need a day off from our houses and anything requiring thinking. Although, I may feel compelled to blog. Blake and Anna have been up to something today - some kind of "craft project," as Anna calls it. I can't wait to see what it is!

Pretend Play

Last night I started a five-week acting class. After my film-making experience at Christmas, I couldn't wait to do it again. With much deliberation and research on classes, and with a little help from synchronicity, I discovered that I know a film-maker in Ann Arbor - the daughter of the owners of the Spinning studio where I teach. And, she just happened to be offering an Acting for Camera class in May.

While the first class involved some overview and getting to know people, it also involved a little improvisation and a little acting. I learned a lot about character development, too. It was fascinating and absolutely fun to play, to pretend, and to laugh. And I took a huge risk. I loved being in theater when I was young, but really, I think I was too self-conscious to be any good. I'm not sure I'm any good, now - it's still challenging to let go of my internal chatter and insecurities -but, I'm learning, and it's enjoyable, and that's what matters.

Despite having only four hours of sleep the night before, I left my class energized and anxious for next week. Kids pretend all the time. It's fun, it's healthy, it's necessary for them. I'm beginning to think it's a very good thing for adults, too.

Kite Flying