Flashback Friday--September 2008

This morning, we joined several friends for a show at the Center for Puppetry Arts (CPA). We are particularly fond of this theater and I find it to be a really unique and very worthwhile addition to our 'children's programming.' In fact, when we discovered CPA for the first time, we liked it so much that we booked Owen's 4th birthday party there. Hence the topic for this week's Flashback Friday...

September 2008

While I have to admit that out of all of the shows we've seen, the show that was running during his birthday was my LEAST favorite yet (it was a trippy day-glo kinda show about a little cockroach). That said, the actual party might have been one of my favorites yet!

Owen and all his friends gathered in the front rows on the theater for the one hour puppet show. Afterward, we made our way to the party room where Owen had his very own throne (he didn't enjoy that much at all) for cake and more entertainment.

We brought in the juggler/balloon guy/magician that always plays the mime for French Day at Owen's school. He was so great to work with...very laid back and very flexible...and was just the right mix of funny and captivating for the kiddos.

While I have enjoyed making both invitations and birthday favors for all the parties, I must say that the ones for this party were, by far, my favorites of all. These invitations were probably the most time intensive but SO worth it!

Making personalized puppets became my goal for the party and I was so very happy with how they turned out! Part of the fun was picking out all the "outfits" for each one. No 2 puppet kids had on the exact same patterened paper outfit. Yes, it's a sickness (but many of YOU suffer from the same disease, so...nah.)

While I was on a massive handmade kick for this event, I went ahead and made the coordinating cupcake picks...SUPER easy...and loved how they turned out too. ( I did NOT make the cake...that's a skill I have yet to tackle...but would like to!)

And while we are reminiscing, take a look at little Bennett. I do miss my guys in that 'baby' phase. :(

All in all, a fantastic party and Owen still talks about it to this day. Good to know Mommy's work wasn't in vain. Really was lots of fun for all of us!

Winter Wonderland

So, when I heard we were getting snow today, I wasn't fully prepared for the amount that ultimately came down. We are talking REAL SNOW. This Florida girl...now Atlanta mommy...is still in awe when the snow accumulates enough for snowballs, snowmen and such.

A family first today will be remembered for a long time to come...our first snowball war! Mommy and Owen paired up against Daddy and Bennett. We built up our arsenals and then went to town. So much fun...we were all laughing and freezing together.

This kind of day makes all the cold weather worth it!

For all the photos, click HERE.

oh yeah...it was one of THOSE days

Before I begin, let me just warn you that this post will be a bit heavy on the text and light on the photos (as in no photos at all). This is what we like to call a little bit of venting. Why? Well, because it was one of THOSE days.

If you can see the short book I have written here and yet you are still with me at this point, please set aside your skepticism when reading, as I assure you this all took place in the course of a single day…just as it is written here. (fellow moms of wee ones will likely find it easy to believe…particularly if they have children like mine).

The day began in the usual fashion with the kids up between 5:30 and 6:00ish. There was the typical mix of couch snuggling with mommy and arguing with each other. The first mishap of the day was pretty minor…a dropped cup of milk (full, of course) which managed to hit the hardwoods, end table, rug and couch. So, nothing to cry over, but certainly not fun to clean. Event #1.

It was a known factor that the remainder of the day would not be typical as Owen was home from school for an extra 24-hour waiting period, following a fever. He was home yesterday as well and stir craziness was beginning to set in. He was none too happy about having to stay home again. Knowing that MOMMY would be the one to lose her mind if we stayed in the house all day, I promised a fun adventure for the boys. (No fever…feeling perfectly fine).

In preparing to leave the house, the boys decided to kick up the ‘adventure’ a little early and got a bit overzealous with the running, jumping, and climbing. It wasn’t long before I heard the smack and the subsequent scream; Bennett had slammed his head against the window frame. Although I was quickly able to determine that this was not going to result in a need for medical care, it certainly amped up my stress level a bit. Again, pretty minor but still…Event #2.

After running a few errands, we decided to see if Daddy could meet us for lunch and we headed to Midtown. Amidst the endless chatter in the car, I miss my turn into the restaurant and end up having to take a detour of many blocks to get back around to my destination…gotta love the one way streets. While doing my little square dance, Bennett announces he has to pee. (oh yeah…did I mention, no more diapers?) I quickly pull over into a loading zone and scan the car for an empty cup, water bottle or other suitable container. No trees nearby…plus it is freezing out AND lots of suits walking by on their lunch breaks. I fish out the ‘car potty’ from under the passenger seat but Bennett makes it clear that I’m not going to have time to get it set up. So, I grab one of the absorbent potty liners and just hold it up for B to use. Well, he REALLY had to go and I was challenged to keep the liquid contained to the center of the liner. It reminded me a little of one of those little cheapy trinket mazes…you know where you try to balance it back and forth and get that tiny little silver ball into the hole. I manage well enough and we get back on the road. Event #3…but I’m still hanging in there.

We finally get to the restaurant and park to wait for Rob to arrive. I let the restless kiddos run around in the back of the car to kill some time (the back seats were laid down). Minutes later, I hear Bennett…”I have poop in my unnerpants.” Oh joy. Let me again reiterate the freezing cold weather so I’m not about to stand outside the car and attempt to clean up this mess. I climb into the way back, armed with a plastic bag and a pack of wipes and set about this fun task. Rob shows up just in time to watch me lumber out of the back of the car and we all head inside for lunch. Event #4…I’m a bit worn out.

After an uneventful lunch, we say good bye to Daddy and head on to the next part of our adventure…the Aquarium. As I am sitting at the light for the interstate on ramp, Bennett announces, yet again, that he has to pee. Luckily, there is a hotel driveway situated directly on the I-75 ramp and we pull over. This time, I feel pretty good about the situation…at least Bennett is telling me AHEAD of time and I still have my water cup from lunch. Perfect. The whole thing goes down without incident…until…Owen goes to “trap” Bennett with his feet and B stumbles backward into my hand. The cup o’ pee (iced, no less) spills all over my hand, down the back of my seat and onto the floorboard. Oh yes, it did. Event #5…I’m officially ready to throw in the towel.

Believe it or not, we head to the Aquarium anyway...me and my faint smell of urine. Perhaps this is where I consider possible masochistic tendencies? Believe it or not, we have a great time. It was a really nice outing with my boys…we laughed, played and explored. Believe it or not, we had Event #6.

I was kneeling down with Owen in front of a small crowd at the piranha exhibit. I was explaining why the fish were gnawing away at the fish head hanging from a hook in the top of the tank. Bennett was standing behind me, holding on to my backpack…or so I thought. As I’m talking to Owen, B sidles up next to me holding an unwrapped feminine product by the string. Yes, he did. And lots of people saw. Yes, they did. I glanced up to see who was watching and the man behind us was having a really nice chuckle…so much so that he apologized to me for being unable to keep it in. “It is what it is”, I say. “What can you do?”

Most definitely, most assuredly, most decidely one of THOSE days.

Oldies but goodies

Long-time blog viewer who misses the "old days" when the blog was always active? Stumbled over here for the first time and curious about what took place before we became FOUR Stones? Just bored and have some more time to kill surfing the net?

Well, whatever the reason, head on over to our first blog for a little while and poke around for a bit. Many of the older photo/video links are broken (back to '05). Maybe I'll get around to fixing those sometime. But, you'll get the gist.

Click the banner below to be transported to Memory Lane.

Flashback Friday--August 2009

Today, Owen's class celebrated Japan Day and the entire event served as yet another reminder of how much I love our little school. The intention to send Owen to a Montessori school was born some time ago...a story for another time. However, during the last 2.5 years, the decision has been confirmed and validated many times over. Owen is thriving, is learning in ways that I appreciate more and more each day and is confident and happy.

This photo, taken on the first day of this school year (his 3rd year in Primary) is one of my favorite shots of all time. At the risk of sounding sappy, I will just say that it completely sums up the beauty of the environment and what he gets from it. So grateful for our experience at Casa.

Flashback Friday--April 2009

This photo was taken in late April of last year...Bennett had just turned 2 years old. Since around 13 months, Bennett has not slept through the night and has been far less than a "good sleeper." He has fought us on naps, bedtimes and all sleep related matters in between.

This particular day, he was insistent that he was not going to nap. He was NOT tired, was NOT getting in bed and was NOT having any part of my efforts to mellow him out.

I finally told him he didn't have to sleep but he did have to stay in the room. Miraculously, he cooperated. After about 10 minutes, when I heard complete silence, I went in to find this...



Sleepytime paci in play, "Froggy" in his lap and his feet folded so adorably together...I couldn't help but smile about how NOT sleepy he really was.

Dang it, Darn it!

Yesterday morning, I spent some time working on school auction stuff while Bennett busied himself running between the office, the playroom and the kitchen. At one point, I heard, "Uh oh. Moooooommmyyy...I pilled my milk."

I ask if it's a big spill, readying myself for a huge puddle on the carpet or something similar.

"Yeah, it a big pill. But I'm going to cween it up." After verifying that it was on the kitchen chair (and not the carpet), I keep on working and allow him the space to take care of it hiimself.

A minute or 2 later, I hear "Dang it, Darn it!" This, of course, merits my further investigation. (and then warranted grabbing the camera to document).

Poor kid was trying hard to take care of the situation on his own and then just created another.















Making the scene even funnier is the fact that I have no idea what happened to his pants or why he would choose to put shoes back on with no bottoms.

And notice that diaper? Yeah well...i know it is poor form to make comparisons between your children, but Owen was out of those things well before this age. Little brother is taking his own sweet time.

And Bennett's take on the matter last week? "I'm going to wear dees diapers for da rest of my wife."

DANG IT, DARN IT!

(PS--This is where I add that of all the expletives the child might have possibly heard in his life, I am SO glad this is the one that stuck)

"A weel big boy!"

Last week, Owen's school hosted an event for the Primary students (pre-K and K). For this event, the students got out of school early and went to an off-campus location for lunch and a magic show.

The shindig took place smack in the middle of Bennett's usual nap time. With some reservation, I had him skip nap and tag along to the show thinking he might just hang with me while the 'big kids' enjoyed their celebration. Instead, he joined Owen and his classmates at the absolute front of the crowd and jumped right in the mix without looking back.

Much to his absolute giddiness, Bennett was even picked from the audience to help with one of the magic tricks. (never mind that he isn't a student and shouldn't have been there in the first place!) He was over the moon about his small part in the show.

When it was over, I asked if he had fun hanging out with Owen and his friends. His response? "Yeah! I'm a weel big boy, mommy!" So true, so true.

Flashback Friday

When you go nearly 500 days without posting, there are a few gaps in the communication. I mean, I could have had another child (almost 2!) in that amount of time! For the record, I did NOT have another child nor are there any immediate plans for another. I'm just sayin...

In any case, in an attempt to catch up on all that has happened in the Stone household since the last round of blogging, I thought I'd try to institute "Flashback Fridays." And by "flashback" I mean anything that has happened in the past and wasn't blogged. Don't expect to see circa 1980s photos of me in jelly shoes and parachute pants. Sadly, such photos do exist however.

Without further ado, enjoy your first Flashback Friday.

August 2009--Owen's first Atlanta Braves Game

One weeknight in August, Rob called from work to say that a partner in the firm had some Braves tickets for that night's game that he wasn't going to use. While I had a meeting at Owen's school on the books, I decided that my son's first professional baseball game was a very valid reason for playing hooky. If you don't already know this about me, you should know that I'm a baseball/softball kind of girl. No twisting of the arm required for me to head to a ball field. While we didn't make through the entire game before Owen began to tire out, we did get through a full 7 innings and had a great mommy/son date. He just recently asked when we could go again. Sign mommy up!

What a difference 498 days can make!

Yes, it has been 498 days since my last blog post. (Am I supposed to be inside a confessional at this point?) Along with most of our previous followers, I had pretty much thrown in the towel on this web address and assumed family blogging was a thing of the past.

Truthfully, I have no business trying to jump back in with the blog at this point. Most days, I still barely manage to accomplish the things ALREADY on my to-do list. But, I miss it. I miss the documenting, sharing and reflecting that comes with the blog. And, I know that the 8 grandparents (while they LONG ago stopped wishing aloud for a return of this blog) won't mind too much if I can get it back up and running.

So...here goes. The blog header is old and you can see that the photos are certainly not current. However, I will not invest in re-designing until I have proven myself worthy of the promise to even post at all!

It's a new year...anything can happen.

Beautiful once again

I wanted to say a public thank you for all of the support...near and far, in person and virtual. Following my last post, which clearly struck a chord with so many of you, I received lots of notes and emails about the topic of parenting "failures", rough times, fears and regrets. I also received lots of feedback on forgiveness, acceptance, changing of expectations, and navigating the path back to centeredness (is that a word?). Thank you. Thank you for all of it. Your feedback confirmed for me my decision to share those thoughts despite any intial doubt I had about doing so.

It was clear from your messages, that my post brought forth different feelings in everyone...vindication, relief, concern, utter confusion, self-reflection...and others which I won't ever know. Regardless of what my words may have conjured up for you, they gave me a peace that I wasn't fully expecting. My decision to enter the blog confessional was far more cathartic than I would have imagined. While that post had been written in my head for weeks before I shared it, actually putting the words on "paper" was freeing. As my dear friend, Amy, would remind me, journaling is valuable for a reason. And as it is with so many other things, once you put it out to the universe, it begins to change.

In the weeks following that post, Mommy has returned. I can see the beauty in the chaos once again. The breathing is easier and the patience reserves are refilling. Don't get me wrong, it's still not all "sunshine and roses" (as mama Julie put it) it's just a better kind of tough. All the triggers and buttons are still there and still being pushed. I have simply been reminded of the me that knows it won't break me. The me that can take it in stride. The me that knows there is room for error (and it's okay) AND room for improvement. And the me that knows the stakes are too high and time is too short to settle for parenting (or anything else) that just doesn't feel good or right. Thanks for the reminders.

In repair

While it is safe to say that our blog readership is scant at this point and the number of people who actually care whether or not there are updates is few, my recent abbreviated post did prompt a few "where have you been???" type inquiries.

Where have I been? Well, I could easily rattle off some tale of how it's been all go-go-go and how my almost comedically hectic life with 2 little boys leaves virtually no time for blogging or updating friends and family. I could explain how our current schedule (a self inflicted fate) doesn't allow for much down time at home and how I have left myself with very little time for anything that doesn't directly and actively involve my children. I could say all of those things. They are 100% true. And most everyone in a similar position of mommyhood would probably relate. However, it would only be half of the story.

Truth is, I'm not sure exactly where I've been lately. I can tell you what it feels like. It feels like I've been stumbling around in a semi-blind state. Almost like I've been living life on auto-pilot, not so much taking control of my own path but just driving it. Somewhere along the way, my course was misrouted. Oh, at some point I knew I was lost but I just kept going anyway. Sometimes it feels like that's all you can do...just keep doing.

So, our blog title belies our current climate a little. Of late, we've been a bit skimpy on the "beautiful" and heavy on the "chaos." I haven't felt like me. We haven't felt like us. Mommy's been in kind of a funk and it's time to do something about it.

What's the funk about? Oh, I'm sure it started with the usual things that creep into the mommy brain. Not enough time. Not enough resources. Not enough balance. Not enough me. Those are age old complaints in this job...nothing new. Through all that, I usually comfort myself with the notion that even when I'm struggling, I'm doing what's right by my children and THAT is the most important thing I can do. So, what's the problem? We all struggle with this stuff, right? Well, the funk really started when I took a long cold look and realized I was not, in fact, doing the best job I could for my boys. Wham! Punch in the gut.

This parenting stuff is hard. The last 5-6 months have been REALLY hard. Owen will be 4 in September and Bennett just turned 1 in April. Owen at age 3 (and particularly from 3.5 to now) has been tough. The kind of tough that took me by the shoulders and shook me until all those neatly filed, deeply rooted ideas about parenting and discipline, philosophies and boundaries, right and wrong just got mangled and mixed up. Any inkling that I had my act together was zapped. Any notion that I was at least on the right path was yanked away. Basically, motherhood chewed me up and spit me out.

I have yelled. I have threatened. I have cried (okay, sobbed). I have said and done things I wish I hadn't. While my 3 year old spun out of control, I tantrumed right along with him. At times, it’s been downright ugly. While it is what it is, this kind of behavior just doesn't jive with my idea of parenting and guiding. Bottom line. Everyone who knows me, knows how verbal I’ve been about the importance of “positive parenting and discipline.” And now I can say that stumbling around in the big ol' shoes of hypocrisy is the ultimate walk of shame. It IS the funk.

So, I've been walking around in a stupor. Knowing that I've gotten it wrong and yet not knowing exactly how to climb back out. I've been less than stellar as a wife, as a friend, as a daughter, a sister and, most importantly, as a parent.

All of this may sound dramatic. I mean, I truly don't have a thing to complain about. I have 2 healthy, awesome children and we live a pretty charmed life in general. I know people who have been in true crisis and real turmoil (and my haze has meant that I've failed to be there for them when needed). Some will say I need to snap out of it. Some will say I need to quit with all this self-indulgent crap and pony up. Some will think I'm making a bigger deal than necessary..."it happens to all of us." Still others may be completely surprised by these confessions. Regardless of what anybody else thinks, here's what I know. This is not where I need to be. I've been a little bit broken and a little bit bruised and a whole lot NOT like myself. That needs to change. And that is where I am now. In the thick of it.

Though I am taking all this very seriously, I don’t want to paint a gloom and doom picture. The boys and I are still whooping it up daily. It’s still smiles and adventures and way, way more laughs than tears. It’s just that the good stuff is so easy to write about. The sweet lovey stuff and super capers I can share in spades. It’s the ugly, messy, stumbling moments that normally get shoved behind closed doors and not publicized (most certainly not on our family blog). However, it’s those same ugly moments that have changed me and affected so many areas of my life that I think that airing them out can only help. Plus, so many people have heard me talk about my “parenting philosophies” and how strongly I feel about them that I think it’s important to tell how often I’ve fallen from those ideals and how often I question my ability to parent effectively (or even decently). It’s just frickin hard. And the lessons for me are even harder.

BUT, my ideals haven’t changed, my “philosophies” hold true. I just have to work harder than ever to get there. At the end of a particularly rough day, I remind myself that the day isn’t bigger than me. The day was just the day, tomorrow is another. I can wrap my boys in my arms and promise to be a better, more patient mommy tomorrow.

A week or so ago, I was alone in the living room, picking up toys. Owen was at camp and Bennett was napping. In a rare moment of aloneness, I decided to put on a cd. A "grown up" cd. I was cleaning up, probably thinking about my next task, and enjoying something other than kids music. I was occasionally throwing in a tone deaf duet with John Mayer but, for the most part, the music was just background distraction. Then, one of the verses resonated...it truly hit home with me. I've heard it tons of times before but never so clearly. "I'm in repair. I'm not together, but I'm getting there."

That so describes me right now. I'm in repair. It’s time to re-focus and re-center and figure out what’s broken. I’m not together, but I’m getting there.

Just because

Too many days since my last post. Not enough time to even rattle off excuses. Just a few pictures to prove we still exist. If you are reading this, thanks for still checking in on us periodically. We still hold out hope that we can revive this site and return to the days of the 'old' blog with frequent and meaningful posts. Miracles happen, right??

Oh, and I'm slowly but surely adding some recent photos over there in our Flikr badge (see the right sidebar). You can see some new shots there.

Happy summer!

It only took 1 year, 2 weeks

Not to be outdone by his brother who took a whole 2 years, 9 months to accomplish his first ER visit, Bennett decided to get the job done at just over a year old. Now, before I move on, it is worth saying that this blog post is sure to incite a small riot from the grandparent following as none of the 4 sets of grands are currently aware of this incident. Sorry folks, really sorry. The infrequency of blog updates alone should speak to our inability to keep everyone posted and in the loop. It's truly not intentional...we simply suck at correspondence of all kinds. Equal opportunity silence. Sorry! So...on to the ER visit.

Last week--Wednesday, 4/23, to be exact--the boys and I were in the front yard for a bit. Owen was just home from school and Bennett and I went out to meet him (a friend and I share carpool duties every week...it was her turn to drive). Owen was headed in the house for lunch and I directed Bennett in after him. I was finishing up a conversation in the driveway as both boys were headed inside. I hear the beginning of a 'someting is wrong' cry. You know, not a full-on scream just yet but not your normal-run-of-the-mill fussing either. I look over to see Bennett stooped on the front door threshold, leaning on his hands and beginning to slip into the dreaded silent-cry mode. I run over, thinking he had fallen and hurt himself somehow. When I got to him, he was trembling a bit but his hands were frozen on the doorstep. I actually had the thought "I wonder if that metal is hot," pick him up, look at his hands and see that the skin had already started to slough away! Fast foward through inconsolable screaming, the running of cold water, the call to the pediatrician and the immediate flying down the interstate to the ER...

2nd degree burns. BIG blisters. All from the threshold of our front door!

Very difficult to photograph and get the whole effect, but here's the gist...

























As if all this wasn't bizarre and difficult enough, the story doesn't end here. We were directed to follow up with a burn clinic the next morning, presumably for them to get a better look at the burns and change the dressing. I proceed calmly to the appointment only to be told to withhold food and drink for the next 4 hours as he would be put under general anesthesia for a temporary skin graft of either pig or cadaver skin. To say that I was shocked is an understatement somewhere along the magnitude of "I don't care for George Bush" or "I might like chocolate a little bit."

So, after 3-way phone calls with husband, pediatrician, and burn surgeon and after much discussion and debate, Bennett was, in fact, put under general anesthesia and given a temporary, bio-synthetic 'skin bandage'. Ultimately, no cadavers or pigs were harmed in the making of this docudrama. So twice now, in his short little life, I've seen Bennett waking up from anesthesia, fighting post-op nurses and wrestling his IV. (for those who don't know, he had a surgery back in December...all is fine...that's another overdue post)












The worst part of it all was dealing with the bandages for the last week. Both hands were wrapped and taped extensively. We initially joked that we had enrolled him in some revolutionary toddler boxing classes. Within the first couple of days, however, we found that it was necessary to cover the already ridiculous amount of bandages with socks. Otherwise, he chewed the dressings completely off. The socks made his boxing gloves look more like flippers and Owen nicknamed him 'Osbert' after a beloved penguin book that has been read time and time again. Keeping the bandages intact, clean and dry was BY FAR the hardest part of the ordeal.












Yesterday, Osbert's bandages were removed and he is now back to full speed ahead. His was giddy...I mean GIDDY...when his hands were freed and he was able to use them again! His palms are not yet normal in appearance but are well on their way to healing.

Bennett is absolutely no worse for the wear...took the whole thing in stride. We parents, on the other hand, could go another decade or so without seeing the inside of another children's ER.

To prove the relative 'normalcy' of the past week, here's some video footage taken during Ben's bandaged phase. In the second clip, please ignore the household detritus and older sibling making fun of his appendange challenged brother. Otherwise, enjoy.

Despite this brief detour, all is well. As a friend reminded me yesterday, "Crazy is your normal." Ah, indeed.

Warm fuzzy of the day

While a bit random and usually incessant, Owen's lunchtime chatter can be very heart-warming...like today. During a rare quiet moment, he was munching his sandwich and staring off into space. Finishing up a bite, he said,

"Even when I'm a grown up, Mommy, I will not stop wuvving you."

And, THAT, my friends, is a good day.

Baby, it's cold outside

While just a couple of weeks ago we were enjoying gorgeous weather in the 70s, we've now had snow TWICE in the past few days. The look on Owen's face was priceless when I told him to go look outside...he immediately wanted to build a snowman!

Owen insisted on wearing his Rudolph nose to play in the snow...

Bennett was underwhelmed with the whole event...

Both boys found the snow to be far too cold and uncomfortable. Um, perhaps it had something to do with how ill-prepared their parents were and how inappropriately they were dressed for the occasion. No coats? No scarves? No gloves or mittens? Not even any shoes on the baby? Somebody please contact the authorities. I mean, really.

See the video evidence here. Bennett quickly announces his frostbitten hands and Owen declares "Oh boy" before aborting a snow angel because of the cold seeping into his bones.

Well, at least we have pictures. Here's to more white winter days so we can try it again...and maybe throw on an extra layer next time.

You gotta start somewhere

So, there comes a time in the midst of your own chaos when you either raise the white flag and admit defeat OR you decide to just start climbing in the hopes of one day emerging from the rubble again. This is me starting to climb.

Bennett is now 9 months old and cruising everywhere. He's now trying to stand on his own (look ma, no hands!) and those chunky little legs are holding up quite well as he tries to find his balance. At the 9 month check-up, he weighed 22 pounds, 5 ounces (at 18 months, Owen was 21.5 pounds...twice Ben's age and STILL not as big!)

Bennett has 5 teeth and is working on more, making him a drool factory. He's like a snail...leaves a slime trail wherever he goes. He is still just as smiley and happy as the last time I posted, though he has recently entered the screaming banshee stage at mealtime. It makes for very interesting dining out experiences. Just like big brother at this age...remember THIS post?

Owen is as active as always and is absolutely thriving at his new school. For some time now, Rob and I have felt strongly about Montesssori education in these primary years and we were just waiting to find the right place. Owen started the new school in August and, at the risk of sounding goofy, has just blossomed there. He loves going everyday and is just soaking up new, exciting experiences like a sponge. Fantastic.

Owen now swims on his own and adores his swim coach, "Coach Matt". Over the summer, we started him in a toddler soccer program and he's still plugging along with that as well...making "Coach George" another often discussed character in the house. Owen also has an imaginary friend who's been with us for awhile now. His name is "Cats in Boots." Occasionally, "Cats in Boots" joins us for a ride in the car, a meal or even a game we might be playing. He seems to be a pretty good cat and I don't have to clean up after him, so I'm not complaining.

Owen is still just as much in love with Bennett as when we brought him home. Though big brother sometimes isn't too keen on Ben's new mobility and the ease with which he can grab the big boy toys, we still have been lucky to have had very few issues at all. In fact, the biggest problem between the two is Owen wanting to hug, kiss and pick up Bennett a little too much.

Though I really don't make resolutions anymore, I always recognize that the New Year brings new opportunities. Opportunities to get it right, to try again, to let go of something that really isn't working out, and to forge new paths. I have situations that fall in each of those categories...relationships, projects, habits, new ideas, etc...and I'm figuring out how to land in a comfortable place with each of them. As for this blog, I see a new opportunity to pick back up again and do my best at sharing our day to day goings-on with family and friends who like to follow along. My intentions are good...we'll see where that takes us.

Hope everyone is happy and well and enjoying a great start to a New Year.