Turning Two-pretty, happy, funny real

I can't believe my ever so cautious husband put two burning candles right on a two year old's high chair tray..  Nick didn't know what to think at first but with his big brother's encouragement (as seen in top picture) he was excited and happy to have a chance to blow out the candles like his older sister and brother have been doing during Advent when blowing out the candles of the Advent wreath after our brief and irregular evening devotions.

The celebration was very low key.  We were expecting my brother and my nephews to come in the morning but we hadn't communicated how early so they missed the birthday cinnamon roll with the candles on top.  They did sing happy birthday to him later in the evening however and got to see him open his Christmas/birthday present from his Godparents.  It is hard to think of a birthday party right after the Holiday festivities and goodies when you are really trying to turn over a new leaf and get rid of the sweets.  I guess such is the fate of a child's birthday near Christmas time.  Or at least my child.  It is also easier to get away with this with a two year old.  What happens in the future remains to be seen.

The pictures above are shots that I took with my with my new camera I got for Christmas. Arent' the candy canes pretty?  It really does take some nice pictures and it is interesting to see the difference between my new camera and the old point and shoot.  I really love it.

It always seems unbelievable that Christmas comes and everything turns out all right as far as getting things together.  I was having a rough time before Christmas this year as toward the beginning of December we decided to increase my depression medication as I wasn't sleeping.  The increased medication had a horrible effect on my and caused panic attacks and just a terrible feeling. It was so bad that I had to turn around and come back home when I was driving to a rehearsal one evening. I decided to start taking walks and I have been sleeping well for the past few weeks for whatever reason.

Outside on a Fall Day; Reflections on Where to Live

It's been so so long since I posted anything.  I wanted to get pics of the kids out in their warm clothes on a somewhat crisp morning after relatively warm days.  This week is kind of a big week for us with symphony rehearsals and birthdays.  We just had our back yard fenced in and I love it.  I don't have to tell the kids to stay in our yard and I don't have to worry about them getting into our large window well. It is nice to be able to send them out and have them be contained.  

We are considering moving from our little house.  We are trying to fix it up so it is nice for us at least and then if we want to we can put it on the market in reasonably good shape.  If we stay here we will have this place paid off in 11 years, my husband can continue to bike to work, we have the option of taking bikes on various errands.  We could move to another house in the city and that would be alright but I think our property taxes would be much higher than they are now.  We often consider moving to the country which would be a big change for us and it would mean a second car and husband driving much farther to work.  

In the country we would have more area for a bigger garden, we have options for things like keeping bees, chickens, quiet, more space to run, implementing homesteading ideas.  Of course keeping animals does come with added responsibilities and less opportunity to roam and come and go as you please.  I haven't traveled much in my life and I wonder if I ever will go over seas.  We also talk about going to Main and French Canada and speak French.  

We do live in a pretty little neighborhood with lots of trees and chipmunks, squirrels, birds, sometimes deer in our back yard and I also like the idea of making do where we are.  It would be less trouble; but going for the option just because it "less trouble" isn't how we want to live life is it?  

Mom with a Bike

I have always admired and envied those who rely on their bike as a primary form of transportation.    Little by little I have been trying to make more use of my bicycle.  First I took short 5 or 10 minute rides with the kids in the trailer I got at a rummage sale for only $10.  My three-year-old adapted well to riding in the bike trailer but my little one-year-old would start crying after five minutes.  He tends to schulump down and his helmet falls over his eyes. 

Although I am still working on ways to make him more comfortable, after a few times going on these short rides he got used to it so we started going on longer 30 minute rides and then finally we rode to the library, the park, city hall (about 30 to forty minutes round trip) for errands and playing.  We have only been doing this a few weeks but I am hoping to keep it up as long as the weather allows.  It's surprising how warm you can stay riding a bicycle in cooler weather with just a few layers and something on your hands and ears.  The kids in the bike trailer also stay very warm with the plastic rain shield over the top. 

I think fall must be the ideal time to ride a bicycle as it is not so hot and the scenery is beautiful.  It seems that everything looks more beautiful when riding a bicycle. 

Seven Quick Takes Vol. 14

1.  I posted about Angelboy and my husband putting together a frame for a raised garden here.  Well here is a picture of the garden with the dirt in it just waiting for the plants to come and live there.  Hmm...I guess it depends on how fond of gardening you are as to whether or not you find this picture very interesting.

2.  There is a woman I know who just had her 9th child at the age of 42 and she had her first child at around the age of 30.  Isn't that amazing!  I love it when older women are able to have large families.  It's unorthodox to have nine chlidren in todays society, but it is even more unorthodox to do so beginning in your thirties and continuing on into your forties.  I can appreciate this as I had my second and third child at the ages of 37 and 39 and am hoping God gives me the strength I need to accept more if it be his will.

3.  I had a really bad attitude last week.  Then I saw the above mentioned woman with all her nine children and her new baby and my attitude changed.  If she can have her 9th baby at the age of forty-two with the oldest child being 12 how can I claim to be stressed out as a housewife with two little ones who gets mostly plenty of time to herself and has plenty of help.  (O.k...I don't have nine, but it is still hard to get it all done sometimes.)

4.  Speaking of older women having children...I had an ultrasound done of my ovaries on Tuesday.  It was kind of depressing as the ultrasound technician told me my ovaries were small.  She then said that this was good in that it is normal for your ovaries to get smaller as you get older, and then added, "unless you want more children."  Ugh. 

5.   We finally got an offer on our condo and the closing is scheduled for May 25.  I pray that it goes off without a hitch... or at least minimal hitches, anyway.  I dream of the day when we will be paying only one mortgage.

6.  We got a Brill reel lawn mower today (Those are the push lawn mowers without motors).  Our power lawnmower died and we had been thinking for a long time about getting a reel lawnmower.  Our grass hadn't been mowed yet this season so our grass was pretty long and we had even longer gone-to-seed Dandelions  sticking out of the grass.  The mower did great with the grass but it didn't mow the dandelions so we have a yard full of dandelion stems sticking up.  Very ugly.  We may have to power mow these some way and then start over again by mowing them with the reel lawnmower before they get very long again.  I guess you have to mow your grass pretty regularly as the manual lawn mower doesn't do as well with tall grass as the power lawnmower.  We'll give it a chance.

7.  Tomorrow is May 1st and the feast of St. Joseph the Worker.  Wow!  Goodbye April.

Thanks for reading!  You can read more qt's at conversiondiary.com.  Have a good weekend!

Names for the Kids

I've decided to give my kids online names. I will give my oldest son the name Angelboy, my two year old daughter I will name Pumpkingirl and baby will get the name of Smileyboy. How's that?