Monday, March 30, 2009

Living a Little


As a freelancer, one of my big challenges is staying focused. Piled-up dishes? Scattered toys? Ignore those. Focus instead on deadlines, e-mails, phone calls.
Not always easy. 
But what, I ask you, is a freelance schedule for if you can't make time for balance? 
I used to knuckle down as soon as the kids and husband were out the door - and I still do for the most part. I send off a few pressing e-mails, but then I hit the trail for a quick run. I've decided that I need to embrace the fantastic part of being a freelancer: It's my own time! I can take a jog through the neighborhood in the morning if I want to. Truth is, I'm happier and a lot more productive when I get back to the keyboard. 
So, my sort-of goal is to run a half-marathon next year. (Not this year. Sawyer just started sleeping through the night, you know, and I'm no superwoman.) But my real, for-now goal is just to be active and release stress and live a little. 
Here's a shot from an afternoon run last week. A warm spring rain was falling, and I listened to a podcast of This American Life. Just me and fresh air and Ira Glass. 
Awesome.


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Sunday, March 29, 2009

Sawyer Update

Little Mr. Sawyer has grown so much ... it's hard to believe he's 14.5 months old! His personality is growing with him. He is a laid-back little dude most of the time, but he knows what he wants - and he's not shy about voicing his opinion.

More than anything, Sawyer loves to be outside. I mean LOVES IT. When he is not playing outside, he is pointing to the door and making noises that we take to mean, "Get me outside, right now! People, I am telling you - I want to go OUT-SIDE! NOW!" No matter that it is freezing or raining or dark. He wants out. All. The. Time.






He also is obsessed with bubbles. He loves them, loves them. Whenever the bubbles are in sight, he is pointing at them and saying "Buh-buh! Bub-buh!" Which means, "Somebody please blow bubbles for me! Blow bubbles! Now!"


He loves Parker, but he also lets Parker know when he wants his space.Which is most of the time.

Sawyer is not walking yet, although he is a-l-m-o-s-t there. (See photo of him standing in tub.) He can stand up on his own, and he can walk holding your finger the tiniest bit, but he hasn't decided that he really wants to take off on his own. But he gets the proudest big smile when he stands up on his own. It just melts your heart.










Sawyer is teething at the moment, which means he is pretty grumpy these days. Not that you can blame him. The molars are pushing through on both sore, red lower gums, and he is not happy about it. Tylenol and popsicles help. (See photo.) This teething thing happened around the time I decided to wean him off the bottle - and that hasn't helped. He still gets a bottle in the morning and at night, because it comforts him. (I breastfed for just over a year, and he gave that up on his own. He is clinging to the bottle, though...)










In other Sawyer news... He loves dogs, and yesterday he did sign language for "dog" for the first time. He gets so excited when he sees our neighbor's dog, Bailey. He also loves to point at the birds outside, and he says "bird" (or close enough) while he points to them. He also does sign language for milk.


He loves cheese with a passion, although we can't give him too much. He also loves the little ice chips Jerod gives him, which also helps with the teething.


Maybe his favorite thing of all is bathtime. Some days, when we can't go outside and he's clearly bored and restless, I just plop him into a nice, warm bubble bath in the middle of the day, and he is in heaven.


Another huge milestone: Sawyer is sleeping through the night, almost every night!! Hooray!













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Caterpillars Have Arrived!




Our caterpillars came in the mail last week, and we're watching them grow each day. They'll eventually hang upside down, build chrysalids and turn into painted lady butterflies! Then we'll release the butterflies outside. The whole process should take a few weeks and will be pretty cool to watch. Here's what they look like now (blech!), and we'll update you as these amazing critters start to do their thing.










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Saturday, March 28, 2009

Begin Again

After a long hiatus, I'm ready to start up my blog again.... I didn't mean to be such a slacker... I skipped over Christmas, Sawyer's first birthday, Sawyer's first haircut, Parker's silly antics and amazing drawings ... so many moments - big and small. I'll post a few highlights (I captured them all with photos, of course!), but my goal is to start posting at least once a week. 


I can do that, right? Once a week? I miss posting my thoughts about these munchkins, and seeing their sweet images on the screen. I always take the photos, but I like reflecting on our days. It comes out like a story, which I suppose it is. So here goes. Blog No. 1 of 2009. To be followed by many more. 

Really. :)

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Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Thanksgiving at Nonnie's House

I'm so glad we made it to Nonnie's house for Thanksgiving. This was Sawyer's first time here - and only Parker's second time at her new house! Jerod pretty much cooked the whole meal while the rest of us played with the kids. Drew and Damian came over, and they have grown so much. The night before Thanksgiving, we hung out by the fire pit and roasted marshmallows and hot dogs. We also went for walks and played at the park, and the boys got lots of Nonnie love.























































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It Had to Happen Some Time

Funny how each relative's house is a completely different experience. ... In the big town of Des Arc, we headed to the outdoors and spent the day at deer camp. Parker learned to shoot a gun (with a silencer), which was great fun for him and ... well, you can imagine how I felt! Actually, I shot it myself a couple times and hit the target. Apparently, I'm a natural. :)
We did not shoot any deer. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
We rode four-wheelers, roasted marshmallows and hot dogs over the fire, and shot guns. I actually took a nap at one point inside the cabin... until a fly buzzed right into my ear and woke me up.

Oh, and our minivan was the first ever at deer camp.



































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Monday, December 1, 2008

Thanksgiving at Grandma and Grandpa's House

We spent two days with my Mom and Dad for an early Thanksgiving, which was so much fun! The kids had a great time. Mom worked too hard in the kitchen to feed us, but I can't complain. :)
Jerod and Parker watched Star Wars together, Parker tried the mandolin, Sawyer practiced pulling up and made every attempt to eat dirt out of the house plants - and both kids got lots of love and cuddles from the grandparents. It was a great visit, just too short. (Oh, and I had pink eye the whole time. But no one else caught it.)













































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