Any Ideas?

We need to name the kittens. One is shy and reserved and the other is frisky and playful. They are brothers. Anyone have any ideas?

Grateful Friday

horray for new kittens! So fun.



My sister just flew home today with her littles. I wish we lived closer. Even though they all got so sick and our two-year-olds fought constantly, I had such a great time with them. My little nephew goo’ed at me and gave me big open mouth drooly smiles, and my little niece said my name in a way that made me smile every time she said it.





Last night it took us three and a half hours to watch Memoirs of a Geisha between kids waking up and phone calls and laundry, but we ate lots of chocolate and had lots of laughs while the pause button was working.

Instead of picking apples, we blew noses. Instead of making lotion, we doled out Motrin to break fevers. Instead of making yummy meals, we laid on the couch trying to sleep it off. Somehow I still loved it. I miss you already, Kara.



I love being creative, and this blog inspires me. I get to take words and pictures and post them here and share them with my family and friends and then I get to go into my barn and be creative with it. How great is that?



I love this picture. I found it not too long ago, and because we have cool stuff like scanners and email, I get to share it with everyone!

SPC: with someone

What can you say about the love of your life in a self portrait challenge? He’s a rock. He’s a man in every good way that a man can be. The percentage of time he spends thinking about himself is miniscule compared to the amount of time he spends thinking about other people and how he can help them and make their lives better, and that is more than I can say for most people (myself included). He’s a good father. He is a good husband. He makes me laugh. When I’m with him I feel peace. He loves me. (See? I’m thinking about myself.) He’s beautiful. I never thought he’d let me take a self portrait with him and post it on here, but here it is, on the way out the door to work.



here he is as a dad:



More spc's here

Name That Song

The Rules:
1. Please DO NOT guess in the comment section. E-mail me (see my profile page for my e-mail address).
2. I really send a prize, so be honest and fair. (If you can sing it when you read the lyrics, you know it.)
3. Previous winners may still play.
4. Be the FIRST to e-mail me with the correct song title & artist and win.

Good Luck!This month's lyric is:

and I am flawed,
but I am cleaning up so well
I am seeing in me now
the things you swore you saw yourself



Happy Birthday, Dad-o. Love you.

SPC: with someone

Baptism by fire. That’s what it feels like to be the mother of this beautiful child. I carried her in my body and each new change and unexpected trial was new and exciting. I bore her naturally as women have done since the first woman bore her first child. I thought it would come naturally to know how to care for her and teach her. I was wrong. Every stage that she goes through, I struggle. I used to weep and ask, “Why would you send me someone with a stronger will than my own?” But now I know. Because I am her mother, I am stronger than I ever could have been on my own. Because she pushes and struggles, I have to push and struggle. The moments of peace are sweeter. I am constantly learning and asking and growing and stretching. When I see that I have made a difference in her life, I am more thankful. After the moments of exacerbation and exhaustion come the moments of love and tenderness and understanding; the moments of mutual forgiveness.



This morning was an awful morning. A morning of screaming and stomping and broken pencils. I took her to school an hour late, but her homework was done and she was dressed and she had a lunch that seemed to be satisfactory. Did I like her outfit? Not really, but I wasn’t about to tell her that, because she was finally dressed and not crying. I wonder what she’ll think in 15 years from now when she looks at her class picture and sees herself standing there in that weird little outfit that she chose on this awful morning. But you could have tasted her love for me and mine for her when it was all over and she said goodbye.



more self portraits here.

Sunday Scribblings

Well, we have colds again. Usually #1 gets it first and then spreads it around to the rest of us. Her immune system seems pretty fragile. So, I googled it, and here is what I found:

There is no evidence that you can get a cold from exposure to cold weather or from getting chilled or overheated. Research does suggest, however, that psychological stress and allergies that affect your nose or throat may have an impact on your chances of catching a cold. (I found this interesting, since #1 feels stressed a lot, and I’ve been wondering if she has allergies like me.)

The germs are spread through the droplets that come from sneezing and coughing and ending up on desks, doorknobs, light switches, keyboards and your mouse—pretty much anything that has a surface that we touch regularly. The germs can live on these surfaces for up to 2 to 3 hours. If you come into contact with these germs and then touch your eyes, nose or mouth before we wash your hands, then whamo! You’ve been infected.

So, the suggested practice is to cover your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing, and wash your hands regularly. Those alcohol-based products made for washing your hand without water work too.

more google magic here.

The Many Uses of a Stick

As the mother of a son
I have seen
the life that comes
from something that has given
life to leaves
and covered one
from the scorching heat of the sun
and has now
given up on life
and falls to the ground
spent
only to be plucked
from the grass
to be used in a way
that brings new life

An oar
rowing to safety
through the green slime

A microphone
helping a song
flow through to the air for all to hear

A weapon
used in defense
of one’s kingdom and treasure

A walking stick
to help one through the desert
in search of life giving water

A prop
for the pictures
On one’s first day of school





Isaac's first day of school

SPC: with someone

This is my boy. I have a weakness for him. A literal weakness that comes with an ache in my chest and makes me feel soft all over.

He was such a good baby. I remember thinking over and over, “you mean THIS is how easy babies can be?” as I tried not to feel resentment for my previous experience at motherhood. He was friendly and free with his love and smiles and approvals.

He loves people. He’s a social creature, much more so than either of his parents. He is interested in life and the earth. He performs experiments daily. Some of them include mixing things in bowls, and others include trapping flies in Tupperware to observe them. He remembers a great deal about animals and plants and the earth in all its mysteries. He’ll have conversations about the tomatoes he planted in the garden and tell you why lava flows from a volcano. One of the only times he sits still for long stretches of time is when there is a nature show playing.

He’s easy for me to understand, although other people don’t seem to have as easy a time with that acceptance. He has so much energy that sometimes it’s like a tornado is coming your way and everyone ducks and watches and then assesses the damage. He has been a visitor in the emergency room several times in his short life and his father always takes him gently and lovingly as they wait out their hours in the hospital to return home calm and taken care of. Accidents do happen. But I know that it’s just that he has energy and it’s as simple as that. He wants to please people and feels crushed if he has caused anger inadvertently. I can see weaknesses that I have passed on to him that I got in trouble for and understand that it is not something one can expect him to control. So when I hear someone mention something like his attention span is not very big as though it is something he should know better about, I feel an ache for my child and a sadness that I can’t explain.

He is so gentle with his affection for me. He makes me giggle all the time with his little sense of humor. His eyes are bright and eager. His name means “He Who Laughs” and fits him perfectly.

Self Portait Challenge

How Can I Help?

Introducing my sister, Brooke and her daughter, Tomasyn. Tommy, as we affectionately call her, is autistic. She is friendly and funny and happy and smart, too. She is caring and considerate. She just lost a tooth.



I remember when my sister was trying to figure out what was going on with Tommy's health. Tommy couldn't communicate and wasn't sleeping and had boundless, endless energy. I was worried about my sweet optimistic sister. She was exausted and depressed. It was like I was loosing her.



When Tomasyn was diagnosed, the doctor had literally nothing to tell my sister that was helpful--they didn't know what caused autism, they don't know how or if it can be cured, they didn't have helpful hints on how to parent a child with autism, or teach the parents how to help the child learn to communicate. It was like watching my sister go through a death of a child in a way. She had to change her expectations for her daughter's life, and what her goals for her should be. Even the doctors couldn't help her to know what to expect.



Six out of every 1000 children born are autistic. That number is increasing every year--has increased over 300% in one decade. There are more kids being diagnosed with autism than kids being diagnosed with the top five childhood diseases (childhood cancer, diabetes, etc) combined. Unfortunately, there is not as much money going toward the research of autism as any of these diseases. What will happen when the number of autistic children overwhelms the school systems and there are not enough trained aids and teachers to help them? Is it a combination of genetics and vaccinations? Why are the numbers of autism so much higher in California? Why does autism seem to have so many seperate issues, like ADD and asthma? What should we expect in 50 years when all the caregivers of the autistic children are elderly--will they be able to care for themselves? Why do they say it is not genetic when it seems that so many families have more than one autistic child and others have none?



I recently recieved this email from my sister: Hello everyone! I am sending this to announce my involvment in the 2nd annual run for autism. It is a fundraiser for research of treatments for autism spectrum disorders. The run will be on October 21 (Tommy's birthday - how appropriate!) so if you would like to donate money, I would need it before then. Your donation is tax deductible. ARI's 501 (c) (3) number is 92 254 8452. (Translation - use this number if you get audited to prove you donated the money.) ANY AMOUNT helps. If you would like to contribute, please send your check to me before Oct. 21. Make the check out to Autism Research Institute.



I love you My Tommy. Happy, sweet one who always makes me laugh.

Sunday Scribblings: I would never write...

…something that intentionally offended someone. One thing that I’ve learned in my year of blogging is that you’re never quite sure who is reading. It can be easy to feel like it’s a private outlet; a journal of sorts, but the truth is that it’s more of an open forum. Most of the time people don’t comment and if you check the stat counter, it is very vague. So if I’m annoyed, my blog is not the place to let it out. If I’ve been offended and write about it leaving names out, you’d be surprised how many people come up to me and tell me they hope that it wasn’t something they did.

The reason I blog is because it is a creative outlet and a way to connect with people. I have revived old relationships, gained new friendships and strengthened bonds—all of which have fed me personally throughout the past year. It has helped me look at my days in a new way and see the beauty and the humor that is life. It has lightened my load and given me new insights in to others’ journeys. So although sometimes I really need to vent, most likely you won’t read about it here.

sunday scribblings

SPC: with someone

September Self Portrait Challenge is to take a self portrait with someone and include why they are meaningful to you or the moment. Why don't some of my blogging buddies start participating with me this month who aren't yet? C'mon, it'll be fun.

This is me and my littlest daughter. Yesterday we went up to my awesome brother-in-law's awesome house and had a little family day. It was quite enjoyable. He lives in this little perfect spot where you feel like you're on a peaceful holiday every time you're there, no matter what time of year. It overlooks some gorgeous scenery, and we took advantage of it and took the canoes out. She was a little wiggly at times, but she snuggled right into my lap.

Love.



How can I express the importance of this little soul in my life. Look at that face--those little lips and those kissable cheeks. Those eyes take in everything and see the world in a feisty and independent light. She came into this world strong--had to fight for life in the very first moments, and I wasn't even concious to greet her--that strength will serve her well. She loves me. I love her.

Sunday Scribblings: Fortune Cookie

I’ve had enough fortune cookies in my life to know not to put any stock in them. In fact, I’d much rather settle for another cookie. Any other cookie. Chocolate chip? Mmmmm. I’ve got a great recipe—I’ve got it memorized, in fact. Chocolate cookie? Mmmm. I’ve got the bomb diggity recipe. Everything cookies—my son’s favorite, contain everything yummy in your pantry. As for fortune, I’ll find it somewhere else. Whenever I find it, it is because I am listening for it. In nature, talking to friends or strangers, reading, praying, cleaning, running, behind the lens, writing, painting, bathing the kids…well, maybe not then.

Plus, Chinese food always makes me sick.

How about Logic Cookies with messages like: Don’t curl your hair when it is raining outside; it will just go flat anyway when you run to the car and it gets all wet.

more Sunday Scribblings here

Grateful Friday

~This is a picture of #1 waiting for the bus. Can you see that she is doing better? For this I am grateful. She still needs encouragement, and I’m sure she always will—that’s what moms are for.

~Jake bought plants for my garden.

~#2 is asleep. I love it when he falls asleep and takes a random nap. He needs that, the little ball of energy.

~The weather is beautiful.

~I have some new shoes. (thanks, mamacita!) (They’re so cute!!!)

~Even though I am not always ready to be completely open with blogging, there are some people who are, and I am always learning from them.