family

I'm blogging things I love in February. Join me if you like.

Today my baby sister turns 22, which means that in two months and one day, I will turn 32. (Just giving you a heads up for National 'Nette Day.)

She's beautiful, smart, interesting, deep, and a great auntie to two little boys. And a great pie maker. We love Lu!

We're enjoying getting settled into our new house. It's amazing how quickly we can fill an entire house. And, no, I'm not gifted with the gift of organization, so making places for things to go is not fun for me. And it takes a long time for me to figure out the space. And then there's the whole Marlowe undoing everything I do thing. So, the house is going slowly, but it'll happen.

The past couple of days the weather has been just right to tackle the backyard.The weeds were several feet tall and COVERED the entire yard, which granted is only about 10'x10'. But it's a backyard, and you can't take that for granted in city rowhouse.

The first day I tackled it, I got all of us decked out in boots and rakes. The kids wouldn't leave the stairs. It was pretty scary. I finished clearing the weeds today, and they had so much fun running around in circles. And, surprise!, the backyard feels tons bigger. I have great plans of flowers, a few veggies, a sandbox, and grilling/eating outside. There's a big maple tree at the back so it's mostly shaded, but gets a lot of morning sun. So I'm going to have to think what will grow well out there, especially veggie-wise. I'm thinking not tomatoes, but they might grow on the porch roof outside of the bedroom window.....

Well, I can't believe it! I did it all this week.

I made a pumpkin pie from scratch. I really do make the best pumpkin pie in the world. Sorry, mom, I like mine a tad better. And I guess I can say that in public, since you just dissed your mom's pie on Facebook. ha! kidding! (not about liking mine better, though.)

We got M&Ms and candy corn/pumpkins for munching.
And cider for sipping.

Then I made pretty much the awesomest costumes ever for Ellis and Marlowe. I mean, seriously, how can I ever face Halloween again? Our favorite PBS kids offering is Curious George. Pretty much the best kids show ever. In my opinion, waaaay better than the books. If there's a new George on, we're ALL excited. Mom and Dad included. So what better way to celebrate than Halloween costumes. Ellis was the Man with the Yellow Hat and Marlowe was Curious George.

For Ellis's costume, I got some key pieces at the thrift store. The boots were the best find. (they're technically girls boots, but for a costume, who's counting.) I got the pants and belt and hat there, too. I couldn't believe that I couldn't find a boys white shirt at all at the thrift store, so we got a cheap one from Target. I bleached the khaki pants and then I dyed the shirt and pants bright yellow! That was pretty fun.

The hat was actually a sombrero that i grabbed from the costume bin. I trimmed the brim a bit and then I hot glued yellow felt to it. I got a glue gun for the project and now I feel truly crafty. I made the tie out of the same felt and glued the polka dots to it. I was pretty happy with how well the yellows turned out. I also made a coordinating bucket for trick-or-treating out of the same felt sprayed with fabric stiffener. Yea, the awesomeness is killing me.

Marlowe's costume I sewed together. It was actually pretty easy. I used one of his sleeper jammies as a guideline. I got the fleece at my trusty fabric store (which is now within walking distance!) for less than $5/yd. For the front I cut on the fold and for the back I cut on the selvedge so I'd have two pieces. I sewed velcro up the back, so it was really easy to put on and off. I used one of his hats as a guideline for the hat and attached ears. M doesn't like hats at all. But on Friday morning, when he saw Ellis put on that splendid yellow hat, he REALLY wanted a hat, and he wore his monkey hat for hours. I was amazed and thrilled, since it's really key to costume. I also made monkey feet at the bottom of the legs to flap over his shoes, though in retrospect I think it would've been better to attach some elastic to them that could go around the shoes more securely.

On Friday morning, they particpated in the preschool parade at Ellis's school, and Marlowe got to tag along, especially since he's kind of an accessory to Ellis's costume. Ha! Somehow M ended up with a tootsie pop, and was obsessed with it. *MINE!* Thankfully I was able to bribe him away from it with cheese balls.

On Friday afternoon we carved pumpkins.
AND roasted pumpkin seeds.

THEN we went to the Reformation Celebration at our church and the kids had a blast. I took the kids through the original tune to "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" (the "Geneva jig" version). And then the kids played edifying games like "Pin the Theses to the Door." Hey, it's all about preserving our heritage, telling the story, and carrying on the torch.

Then this afternoon they got haircuts. That has nothing to do with Halloween, but they really needed them. Marlowe cried and cried. He got another lollipop. *sigh* But, my, they look handsome now.

And when they got their hair rinsed off, they put on their super cute pumpkin shirts that I made them this morning.

Then after dinner, we went trick-or-treating in the warm, drizzly night. Marlowe had no trouble with the concept. He walked down the sidewalk saying "Thank you! Thank you!" (which sounded more like "day-doo! day-doo!"). And somehow ended up with another lollipop *groan* which ended up lost in the grass somewhere *whew*. I think when Ellis was that age, we managed one house and he didn't really know what candy was yet.

So we had a complete holiday weekend. I can't believe I did it all. And now we're off to the races. Major handmade holiday action engaged. Christmas is just around the corner and there are still WAY too many boxes around here!

Last Saturday we went to the beach. Because we only go to the beach in April or September. It would be too obvious otherwise. We went with Grammy and Poppy. It was Grammy's idea, and it was a good one! It's been so crazy and intense here that it was just what we needed. And, of course, it was not crowded, because Memorial Day switches the shore on, and Labor Day switches it off. I found a state park on one of the barrier islands of New Jersey, and it took us just under two hours to get there. It was such a perfect day. Cool breeze, warm sun. The dunes were beautiful. We took a little bike ride and played in the sand until the shadows were long.

1. If I run out of Hyland's Teething Tablets should I wait several days before getting more or should I run with all haste to the nearest teething tablets distributor to replenish my supply?
You should run with all haste. No, nursing won't "do" in a pinch. Unless, of course, you want to stay up all night long with the baby. Upon taking the teething tablets, you will notice a demonstrable calm settle over baby who, like, all of a sudden is going to sleep of all things!

2. I have a hard time at the end of the day, say from about 4 pm on. It is a very chaotic time and my patience is thin. Any ideas to help me relax?
Well, I have found that well-timed glass of wine, preferably shared with ones spouse over dinner does wonders to relax and rejuvenate the parenting soul to soldier on through bedtime. Yes, relaxing and rejuvenating are kind of opposites. Um. I'm too tired to sort this one out. And then when the kids are in bed, you can either a) have another glass or b) have coffee ice cream with chocolate syrup on it.

3. The DVD player is not hooked up, what should i do with my sick kid?
Let him watch a DVD on your laptop.

4. We're moving in two weeks. I stink at packing. What should I do?
Weep, sort papers, weep, watch hubby mow through boxes like a freaky packing machine. Focus on how you'll have three times the space and can walk to school. Eyes on the prize!

Yesterday my mom and I zipped over to Ikea and got a new bed for the boys. It barely fit in her minivan, so I'm so glad I hopped on the opportunity. We got KURA, the reversible bed. One way it's a bunk bed, with the bottom bunk on the floor and the top bunk no higher than my shoulder with boxed sides. Perfect for the stages my boys are in.

I'm embarking on what I project will be a yearlong venture to get Marlowe sleeping permanently on the bottom bunk. No pressure. For now, I plan to put him there for naps when Ellis is at school. I must say, he had a mighty fine nap there this morning. yay!! I'm a fan of a baby mattress on the floor. I like the freedom to lie down next to them to help them learn how to sleep.

I've been having horror flashbacks of Ellis's second year of life, 12-24months. I used to bring the couch cushions onto the floor of his room every night. What the heck was I thinking!? To be honest, there was so much other dreadful stuff going on in my life, that the couch cushion endeavor just triggers more memories...
Anyway, not to burden you with my angst. Just that getting this bed is affirming and relieving on so many levels. I'm not sure i could explain.

And yes, we got the canopy for the top.

So much to do today, but I just had to say that we had a good time. It was crazy. It was July 4th weekend at a packed out campground in the Poconos. But we had fun. And learned a lot about future family camping. More later....

(And yes, I found matching orange hoodies on clearance.)

We're off to enjoy nature for the weekend!

This is our first official family camping trip. I'm really excited. (And a little stressed out--hopefully the drive will soothe me.)

We are having lots of fun!
Keeping up with my blog is becoming more and more difficult as our days go careening by. I think I'll focus on pictures this summer. Give you glimpses here and there of what we're up to.

Here are the boys splashing happily in the little stream at the arboretum.

to my little boys' daddy. who is very good daddy, indeed.

And to my Dad. who I love very much.