Family Unit

I have been thinking a lot about the dynamics of a family lately. I remember after having Kaylie how I struggled with whether I could love another baby as much as her. I knew deep inside I wanted another child, but I was often hesitant on pinpointing a time. I finally realized I could wait forever and there would never be a "perfect" time. When I found out I was pregnant with Micah I was excited, but still a little worried about how this would effect Kaylie. She is pretty close with Chris and I. I feared it would be difficult for her to share time that had soley been devoted to her. After Micah was born my fears began to melt away. She was so excited and proud of her little brother. Now Kaylie has never been maternal. She doesn't play with baby dolls and she tries to help with Micah, but she's not jumping to change diapers or anything. In spite of this she still has this deep love for her brother. Recently we were loading into the car and Chris was about to put Micah in. Kaylie didn't see the carseat in his hand and asked where Micah was. Chris jokingly told her he was staying home. Kaylie burst into tears. She was so upset. She did not want Micah to be left at home alone. This is what I love about Kaylie. She is intuitive. She can read feelings and she never wants anyone to be left alone. She does have her share of terrible 3 year old moments, but deep inside is an enduring goodness that is so pure.
Micah is still carving his place, but he already has made a deep impact on our lives. Micah makes me stop and realize that I don't always have to be doing something. He loves to be held close and will let me know he does not appreciate my focus being on something else. I like to multi-task, but he has shown me sometimes it is good to just be still and enjoy the moment.
If there is anything I have learned about family it is that everyone has a place. No matter how we evolve over time as we grow we each bring something vital to the table. I am learning to appreciate my husband and each child, for who they are and how they make our home a happier place.

Farewell Crane, Poole, & Schmidt

Last night marked the end of an era for, in my opinion, one of televisions greatest primetime dramas. Boston legal ran five seasons, all of which kept me glued to the television.

I was never an avid fan of The Practice, but started watching the last season when James Spader's character was introduced. I followed over to the spinoff the next season. I appreciated this show not just for the legal drama, but for its ability to dispense heartfelt comedy throughout. The chemistry between James Spader and William Shatner was simply dazzling. While the show was unabashedly liberal in its slant, I loved it because it made me think. It challenged many of my own beliefs and allowed me to sharpen my own thought processes. It was a show that could explore issues from alzheimer's , aspergers syndrome, racism , and even mad cow disease with such effortless seguays. At the end of the day I feel it really brought out the true humanity in all of us. No matter what your political leanings, people can still find a deep mutual affection in the things that are deeper than hot button issues. This was executed beautifully in the friendship between Alan Shore and Denny Crane. I will miss the show very much. The series finale only made me wish that at least one more season could have aired. If you never watched check it out on netflix sometime. I now leave you with a picture from one of my favorite episodes when Denny and Alan dressed as flamingos for Halloween.

Gotta Love Burl Ives

You know it's Christmas when you flip on the t.v. and hear the unmistakable vocals of Burl Ives belting from a snowman. Yes last night was that time when the story of beloved Rudolph is told in glorious claymation. I was a little excited to introduce Kaylie to this yearly tradition. As a child I always eagerly sought out the weekly t.v. guide during the holidays to pinpoint all of the Christmas specials we would be watching. Rudolph was always a favorite. I have to say watching it again has turned many of those rosy, nostalgic memories into a more realistic picture of quirkey animation with a silly storyline. With all of its flaws nothing can put a smile on my face faster than a tune from Burl Ives. Rudolph does the trick with a rousing song of Holly Jolly Christmas. Something about Burl's deep but warm voice. He just seems like a grandpa that would sit around the hearth with his pipe telling Christmas stories to all the grandkids. So here's to you Burl Ives. I may get older, but your Christmas spirit makes me feel like a kid again.

Bless Their Little Hearts

An excerpt from an article on MSNBC on the big three auto executives travel plans to Capitol Hill.

And for this week’s appearances here, all three company chiefs will skip the lavish travel arrangements. Mulally is coming by car from Detroit for this week’s second round of congressional hearings on government help for the Big Three. GM Chief Rick Wagoner will drive a Chevrolet Malibu hybrid sedan for the 520-mile trek from Detroit to Capitol Hill, spokesman Tony Cervone said Tuesday. And Chrysler LLC CEO Robert Nardelli won’t travel by corporate jet, but a spokeswoman declined to elaborate on his travel plans, citing security reasons.

To be even more efficient they could have carpooled in one of those nifty Escalade hybrids. I hear they may get 19mpg on the highway. Now that is efficiency. Can anyone say," Road Trip!"

A Happy Thanksgiving

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone. Thanksgiving 2008 was a success. We celebrated with about 20 people. I generally prefer a more intimate Thanksgiving dinner around the table with the china and some candles in lieu of paper plates and a television, but we still had a good time.

Wednesday we got off early and headed home for the yearly cook-a-thon. Everyone pitched in this year. This may be my favorite part about Thanksgiving. We crank up the Christmas music and go to work making some of the most delectable treats. It is great family time, and gets us all in the mood for the holidays. Our menu this year included: turkey, ham, cheese ball, white chocolate raspberry cheesecake, stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, and of course a pumpkin pie. We were up till about midnight. Chris and I finished the night off with a Thanksgiving episode of Friends.
Thanksgiving day we enjoyed a plentiful amount of food and some good wines. Chris was in good spirits after the Cowboys won their game. Of course I was thrilled as well (can you hear the sarcasm dripping?)


Here are some pictures from the day. Our family always seems to have more desserts than main dishes.


Micah is very excited about his first Thanksgiving, if only he could tear into a turkey leg.

Here we are enjoying a very competitive game of Candy Land.

Awesome dad doing the dishes
I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for!

A Grateful Heart

A few weeks ago Chris and I were at Tom Thumb doing our weekly grocery shopping. We were looking for a particular item, but realized the usual spot had been replaced by frozen turkeys. I looked around only to find two large freezers and a section of the designated poultry area full of more turkeys. As I looked at mountains of turkeys it hit me like a ton of bricks, we are so blessed in this country. Despite the economic woes we still go to our grocery stores which are conveniently located close to home and find them well stocked with everything we need. I do not mean to trvialize the hard times of many in this country. It is not easy to lose a home or a job, but many are very fortunate that this country offers options to those who have fallen upon hard times. We have all grown accustomed to a very high standard of living, and forget that doing without the 50 inch 1080p lcd is not necessarily poverty. I often find myself complaining about wanting new furniture or needing a vacation. Then I read about food riots in third world countries and diseases that threaten the very existence of tribes and people groups, and I am humbled by all that I have been given.

In these times of great uncertainty it is imperative to step back and account for all of the blessings in our lives. All of the stuff we collect is not bad, but without a grateful heart it is just clutter. I have been given a roof above my head, food to feed my children, a job, and family. I am grateful.

Washer Woes

Life may actually be easier with an old fashioned washboard right about now. What's a little manual labor when you don't have to deal with parts and mechanics? What, you may ask, has caused my sudden hatred for the washing machine? Let me start from the beginning.

It started out as a relaxing Saturday evening. Chris and I sat down to watch a movie. The kids were asleep, and I decided to take advantage of the time to do a couple of loads of laundry. I started with the babies clothes which washed without a hitch. Unwittingly I decided to start another load. Our movie ended at about midnight and we were both ready to get some sleep. I stopped at the laundry room to switch my load to the dryer and find that my clothes are sitting in the tub full of water. The spin cycle is frozen. Chris thought maybe the drum was just off balance so he proceeded to remove some clothing to try and redistribute the weight. After removing everything we realize this machine is not going to budge. So at 1am we start to manually scoop out water. We then have a whole load of sopping wet clothes to deal with. We took them to the tub and wrung everything out as much as possible, not wanting to kill our dryer as well. We hang up about half of the clothes and after letting the washer rest we are able to get it to drain the remaining water at the bottom and start the spin cycle. We were so relieved and finally went to bed at 2.

This would be a great way to end the story, but alas there was more fun to be had. Last night I decided to do abother load believing the problem was fixed. I tried to do a smaller load just to test. Well the washer fills up and begins to agitate, but it will no longer drain. We can even move it to the spin cycle, but the water just splashes around without draining. Now we start to wonder if something is clogging the drain. Chris ends up pulling everything out of the wall and inspecting all of the hoses. After a couple more hours of troubleshooting we are left with nothing, but another sopping pile of wet clothes. If I had started out with the washboard I would have been done by now!

As a last resort my dad is coming over to look at it tonight. He is pretty handy with the tools so he can tell us whether or not it is fixable. At this point if it costs too much to fix I could buy another used one for the same price, but we shall see. It is more of an annoyance than anything. Our laundry room is on the second floor, so it is a hassle if the washer has to be moved out. Such is life,but in a world with so many problems, I'm pretty lucky that right now my washer is my biggest woe.