There's no whining in street hockey....

Happy Sunday! First a little housekeeping. I forgot to mention a few things in the last post that added some sunshine to our lives.

1.Auntie Cait (Tom's sister), graduated from her basic military training program on Friday April 6th. We are very, very proud of her. We got the opportunity to have a Skype date with her (the first time since she left in February), Gramma, Poppa and Dan (they all travelled to TX to attend the graduation) on Friday afternoon. She looks great and it was so nice to see her face and hear her voice. I have tried to be good about sending something in the mail-a card, a letter, a picture made by the boys, each week to keep her spirits up.  She has since left Lacklund Airforce Base and is now at Fort Sam in Houston for her medic training.  For this part she is allowed her cell phone and computer so we have been able to send some texts back and forth and I even sent her a video of Will walking! Again, we are so proud of all that she has accomplished so far and look forward to hearing more about her adventures in Texas!

2. Our good friends welcomed their second baby, Kayla Anne on April 7th. She weighed in at 9lbs, 10oz! Congratulations to Camilla, Jason and big brother Tyler. We can't wait to meet her!

3. Lastly, in the days leading up to Easter, we found 4 baby bunnies and a mother bunny in a nest by the side of our house. Jack and Bella (our neighbor), checked on them each morning and brought them carrots to eat. Jack was convinced that this was in fact THE EASTER BUNNY and her babies.  Mother Bunny took her babies into a safer  cozier home in the bushes at the back edge of our yard, leaving the carrots untouched. We have seen Mother Bunny a few times, eating from the numerous patches of clover spread through our yard, but no baby bunny sightings again.


Jack has found a new little passion. Over the past week, the older boys (ages 7-10) that live next door, have been coming out in the afternoon and playing a little street hockey. Jack was immediately drawn to them. He ran to the sandbox and retrieved a Boston Bruins floor hockey stick and joined right in. Although the stick was a little short for him, he wanted to be a part of the game. The older boys welcomed him into their game (none of them have ever played ice hockey), passed the puck to him and cheered for him when he would score. It was very sweet to watch. At Jack's first birthday, he received a floor hockey set from his Uncle Brendan. The net has been hanging in our garage and as I took it down, all the boys excitement grew. They pushed the cones away that had been the previous 'goal' and set up the 'real' net. Tom and I decided that we should find him his own street hockey stick, so that he didn't have to play hunched over at the waist. Although it was hard to find, I finally came across a street hockey set with an adjustable stick and a net. It is the perfect size for Jack. The boys were now even more excited to have 2 nets to play with. They could now set up a 'real' game. Even though they might just be using Jack for his equipment, they do take the time to include him too, so I think it is win-win. My brothers will be so proud!

This past week wasn't all fun. In fact, there were moments that I thought I would lose my mind. I love our boys dearly. I love being home with them all day. But they found my buttons and they pushed and pushed. This is the recap-

There was a fall with a scrapped knee (you would have thought the leg could not be saved) that resulted in a long, drawn out chorus of whining and crying. There was a lot of whining. There was a lot of mischief. Dumping out ALL the toys in the playroom while staring me down, laughing and saying "Look at this big mess I am making." The cabinets were emptied of all their belongings-tupperware, sippy cups and parts, plates, bowls, water bottles, the list goes on an on. The floor got peed on twice. A pair of undies, in a show of excitement, were sent soaring through the air and landed with a plunk into a toilet full of pee. This was brought to my attention as they were plucked from the water and carried dripping through the whole first floor. GROSS. Oh little boys! By Thursday night I had had enough. When Tom came home from work, we ate dinner and I told him-"I need to leave, I need to get out of this house." He chuckled and sent me on my way. I took a few hours to myself at TJ MAXX and recharged my batteries. I listened to music loudly in the car. I enjoyed the silence that comes with shopping alone.  We made it to Friday, to the weekend, to some extra hands to help with the chaos.

I chatted with my neighbor Hope yesterday. She asked me how my week was. I would normally leave it as a friendly, vague chat and say-"oh it was just fine." Something in me told me she might understand what I just went through and I said- "It was rough. I am glad it is over" She shook her head in that knowing way. She wisely told me-"It is just a season and it will pass. Another will be waiting to come in next, but it will pass." She should know. Her house is very full with a 12 year old, 10 year old twins, a 7 year old, a 2 year old and a newborn. Who am I to complain? At first I thought, she is going to think I'm crazy. How can my days be so hard to manage, I ONLY have 2 kids? Again, she gave me some of her wisdom. She told me that at least she has older kids to help her out. I am on my own during the day. She knows that the stage we are in is a tough one. She reminded me that she was there for me if I ever needed to talk. It was a nice feeling.

Onto other things, Will started walking-really walking, EVERYWHERE. This is great and wonderful news for our little boy. Just when I thought he was going to keep on crawling and hold out on us he started walking. One morning as I got breakfast ready, I saw him let go of the couch and move on to the chair. As the day went on, he went further and further alone. Now he is choosing walking as his primary mode of transportation. I am amazed. Where did my little baby go? He toddles around, stops, picks up a toy and moves on. He walked into the playroom the other day, saw a goldfish cracker, stopped, squatted, picked it up, stood and took a few steps to another and another. All the while keeping his balance! Yay to Will. Unfortunately he has acquired my clumsy gene and the bruises on his head and body are increasing day by day. The forehead is a mess. Just as one heals and turns yello, another is born. He fell INTO the tupperware cabinet last night and bruised his leg. He took a digger into the bottom of a wooden chair and secured a nice egg on his forehead. He has a bruise on his cheek from the window sill. Poor little guy. I remember Jack being the same way.

So another week begins. As I said, I am happy to leave last week behind. I hope to hear less whining and have more fun this week. I am starting my job search so fingers crossed that something comes my way that will be great. 

Lastly, here are the pictures of some of my sewing projects that I promised.

Will's Birthday Outfit

Minnie Dress

With matching diaper cover

I actually made 2 because I loved it so much. 

Curious George Pillowcase

Photography lessons

For Christmas, Tom surprised me with a wonderful gift-a gift certificate for 5 digital photography lessons. I was determined to not let the days slip by and have so much time pass before I cashed in on the lesson that I then ran out of 'free' time to do it. So i finally signed up and did it. It was an amazing experience. I went every Tuesday and Thursday for 2 weeks and then an additional Tuesday to make up the five classes. They were each about 2 1/2 hours along. The class was comprised of 5 students of all abilities and ages. I definitely leaned toward one girl with the same camera so that we could answer one and other's questions. Our teacher, was patient and talented. She was a hard critic. She expected a lot of us. Each class had a homework assignment that she picked apart in front of the class. I had a return of slight anxiety at the start of each class as I submitted my pictures for critique. I handled myself well-taking notes,  and spending nap times perfecting the technique for that week (to the best of MY ability). I was rewarded with praise at each class and the satisfaction of feeling like I was actually "getting it".  I learned so much, had a great time getting out of the house to meet some new people and more importantly, I left the lessons feeling so much more comfortable with our camera. We bought a Nikon D3000 a year and a half ago, before Jack's 2nd birthday. We have used it a lot, but never to the full potential that it is capable of. Now I think I can use it at least to 50% of it's potential. :) Below are a bunch of my 'homework' assignments that helped me to understand depth of field, shutter speed differences, changes in perspective and composure. I was able to switch my camera out of AUTO and into the manual mode to create some great shots. 

Working with depth of field.

This was the end of a series of photos that showed a full progression in depth of field.

We had to use eggs as our focus for our next assignment.

This is my favorite.

Showing motion with shutter speed.

Showing stopped motion with shutter speed.

My favorite subjects.

Although it is hard to switch out of AUTO when I am trying to take pictures of Jack and Will,  I have continued to experiment with it. I really have enjoyed the opportunity to change my perspective on the world through the lens of my camera. I hope to keep working on my skills and be able to create images that help me to tell OUR STORY. 

My bucket is full

Back when we were moving, I spent a whole day sitting around our condo while the packers packed up all of our stuff. It was awkward and weird. I couldn't do anything to help and I didn't really want to hover over them all day while they packed our stuff, but at the same time, I didn't think I should just leave them alone. Like I said, awkward and weird. I happened upon a book on Tom's bedside table; "How Full is Your Bucket?" by Tom Rath. It was given to Tom at work. I read it cover to cover (it is very short, sweet and to the point) while I sat with the packers. Tom and I still make reference to it in our day to day conversation. The premise of the book centers around everyone having a 'bucket' and every interaction we have with another person is an opportunity for us to dip or fill that bucket. The book talks about how being more conscious of whether you are "dipping or filling a bucket" helps you to lead a more positive life. I really like the metaphor the book creates and I do try and "fill buckets" and not "dip" from them to fill my own. Where am I going with all this you are probably wondering?.....

My bucket has been filled. The kind of filling that can only be done by the arrival of a new baby, close friends, uninterrupted long chats, pedicures, cupcakes with too much frosting and a pregnant belly. I had the best weekend. It started on almost 2 weeks ago now on Friday afternoon with the welcoming of a new baby girl into the lives of 2 of our close friends. Welcome to the world Braxton Carolina Beatty! We can't wait to meet you in person. I am sure you are stealing hearts everywhere! Saturday brought Jack's best swim lesson and then I headed out, on my own to  Concord, NC to meet up with 2 of my closest friends.

Since moving down to SC, I have made it a mission to try and make more get togethers with my close girl friends. I know we all still live quite a ways from one an other and we all lead very busy lives, but I need them. I need to see them. I need to chat live and in person with them. It is just so much better than on the phone. A few months ago, the girls that live in NC and I decided to just pick a date and set it up. We chose Concord as an equidistant location for each of us (as best as we could). We kissed our babies good bye, gave the dads all the instructions they would need and met up by 4pm on Saturday. It was a quick trip. We were all home by 12 on Sunday.

It was exactly what I needed. 

I didn't realize until the short and very sweet trip was over how much my bucket needed to be filled by them. Our lives have gotten so crazy since we found out we were moving, since we moved and now since we have started trying to put a life together here in SC. I love being home everyday with Jack and Will. I am trying to cherish every day-crazy or mundane because I know they are coming to an end. I will be returning to work eventually. At the same time, I have come to realize how important time for myself is in order to maintain my sanity and be the best mom that I can for both of our boys. I have been trying to be better about taking time for myself. As I have mentioned in other posts, I am trying to get out a few mornings a week to the Y to workout and let my racing mind have a rest and think-but it is only in 45 minute increments. This weekend was about 3 amazing friends and moms taking the time for themselves to  recharge their batteries and fill up one an other's buckets. We laughed and talked and shared parenting tips and tricks. We got pedicures. We uncovered that pregnant belly from the jacket it was hiding under while waiting at the bar for a table for dinner in order to use it to our advantage and score some prime seats and eat.

 (This involved Camilla shedding her jacket as we stood at the bar. A pair of nice gentlemen that were eating at the bar shared this exchange:
First guy: (while hitting the second guy on the leg) "That girl is pregnant, we have to get up."
Second guy: (Nods, Finishes up his dinner quickly, asks for the check, and pays while standing up) "Here, you can have these 2 seats. It will be a start".
Insert our smiles from ear to ear. :)

Lauren and I held a small little party to shower Camilla and Baby G with some little gifts and a large heaping of frosting topped cupcakes! Delicious. Baby G was dancing and doing back flips after that.

Like everything else with good friends, it went all too fast. We enjoyed a quick, complimentary breakfast at the hotel in the morning and headed on our separate ways. Buckets overflowing.

To the dads for taking on all the kids this weekend, Thank you.
To my two wonderful friends, Lauren and Camilla, thank you for taking time from your busy lives to get together. We need to start planning another get together soon-but with ALL the girls.



"Friendship isn't about who you have known the longest... it is about who came, and never left your side."

So this is a REALLY old picture, but the only one I have of the three of us and it is one of my favorites. 

Have a good weekend!