a good mother

"Everybody know that a good mother gives her children a feeling of trust and stability.  She is their earth.  She is the one they can count on for the things that matter most of all.  She is their food and their bed and the extra blanket when it grows cold in the night; she is their warmth and their health and their shelter, she is the one they want to be near when they cry.  She is the only person n the whole world or in a whole lifetime who can be these things to her children.  There is no substitute for her.  Somehow even her clothes feel different to her children's hands from anybody else's clothes.  Only to touch her skirt or her collar or her sleeve makes a troubled child feel better.  And often when a child wants her this is all a mother has time to give.  She is always moving.  She has so many things to do.  She can't sit down in a chair and talk nonsense right in the middle of a busy day.  Sometimes a child has a great urge to talk what its mother calls nonsense.  Sometimes even a child's worry about death and about the beginning and the end of the universe seems like nonsense to the busy mother when she knows by taking one quick animal sniff of him that there is nothing wrong with him."

The above is a quote from The Little Locksmith by Katharine Butler Hathaway.    If you ever get the chance I would suggest picking up this book.  It's an autobiography of a very insightful woman.   

the benefits of blog surfing

(you can click on the article to make it bigger)

I was following random links from my friend's blog the other day and found a really cool post that I wanted to share.   I thought it was really cool and wanted to share it.  Sometimes I can't figure out why I'm so tired at the end of the day,  when I can look around and not see anything tangible accomplished.   This is why.

happenings

We received our tax refund last week and were really excited to not only pay all of our bills at once, but to look for a new couch.   Unfortunately all of the couches that would be worth it to get are $500, which is just too much to spend on one thing right now.  So instead we got a new computer chair from Target.   I didn't take any pictures of the old chair for comparison, but believe me when I say that it was dead.   Dade has found a new favorite place to play, and a new game involving being disobedient.   He will stand on the arms of the chair and when you walk towards him to get him off, he will laugh hilariously.  

In other news last Wednesday we had Dade evaluated for speech delay, and then today I took him to the Children's Hospital for a hearing test.   He can hear just fine, but he does qualify for help with his speech.   A therapist will come here once a week and "play" with Dade.  They'll also help Michael and I learn how to help Dade more.   I'm sure that he is just fine, but I really would like to be able to communicate with him better.  And by better I mean Dade having more words than "Uh-oh", and "this".

Two weeks till Spring and this is what we had to deal with Sunday morning ~10:30

The snow flakes were huge and really wet.  I found out the next day that there was a Saint Patty's day run - in the snow.
This next picture is the same day at around 4:30.Who knows what the weather will do next.

I got a job!  yea!   I am working in an off site medical billing office.   I like my work for the most part.   With any job there are always a couple of things that are necessary, but not fun.   I also really like my boss, and most of my coworkers.   And the last plus and the biggest is that as of March 20th I will only have to walk 1/2 mile to work.   Michael is still working two jobs, and is staying up late every night to work on his side projects.  Right now Michael and his business partner are trying to impress a band by mixing one of their songs so that they can get paid to mix the whole album.    The good news is that Michael is being considered for a management position at Guitar Center -then he could quit Aaron Brothers.    Life would be less stressful, and we would see him more.  plus plus.   

All in all life is going well right now.   Busy, but I have been happier these past few weeks.   

My next plan is to start working out 3 mornings a week.  Nothing big, just 30 min on the elliptical before work.   We'll see how I do.

I'll leave you with a video of Dade rocking his way.   He loves to do things his own way.

SNOW!

As I was walking out to my car to go to work this morning it started snowing.   Apparently it is supposed to be Spring in just two weeks, but I don't buy it.   It wasn't snowing at work, but around 10 AM it really started coming down.   Up North in Lake Stevens (North of where we live) they actually had to close some roads down.   By the time I left work at 4:30 it was sunny with no snow anywhere.    It was really funny driving home to see cars coming from the North covered in snow, and all the cars from the South free and clear.    There was about an inch on the ground in Lynnwood, but I'm sure it will be gone tomorrow.    I don't think I could want a warm day anymore than I do now.

More on my job and other recent happenings later on this week.

growing up is hard to do...

I'm looking ahead to when Dade will be able to understand reasoning.  Like, "if you throw your food on the floor, than you are done eating", or "when you pull up the drain on the tub, the water drains, then bath time is over."   I know that Dade is growing by leaps and bounds.   All I have to do is visit my Sister and her brand new baby boy to see how far a year and a half can take you.    I just feel like if he could only understand me, and could communicate with me what he wants, life would be less stressful.  My not so great attitude may have something to do with the fact that Dade woke up 3 times last night.   Once Michael sat with him, then I rocked him for an hour before laying him back down.   He's been sick this week, or we would have let him put himself back to sleep.   Saturdays are also the longest day of the week, since Michael works all day, and its hard to go out because everyone else in Lynnwood is out.    The bright side of today was the walk that I took with Dade (even though it was cold), we went down a side street and all I could hear was the wind and the birds.  The moment made me really miss the quiet out by Clinton Lake in Lawrence. 

Now for family updates, the biggest is that Michael now has two jobs.   Most of the week he is at Guitar Center, and the rest he is at Aaron Bros Framing.    He is also starting a recording/mixing business with a former classmate from the Art Institute.   If your interested you can check out their my space page at www.myspace.com/penguinaudioservices.com  

I've been job hunting the past couple of weeks, and finally have an interview on Tuesday.   It's for an offsite medical billing office.   I'll probably be doing to same kinds of things that I did at my job in Texas, I just won't be in a Dr's office.    I think that will take the stress down a few notches not having patients and front office people.   I really hope that I do well in my interview since I've gotten really lucky getting my last couple of jobs.    

The biggest news of all is that Michael shaved his mustache.   He just felt like it was time, and I wasn't about to argue.  

Last Friday Michael was off and so we went to the Bellevue children's museum.   It is free after 5 pm on Fridays so we felt it would be worth it.  It is smaller, but full of fun areas.   Dade really loved the music room, and patiently waited his turn on this drum set.   Then we took him over to the water area where the aprons were all one size, huge.   He had fun painting rocks with water, but couldn't bend down to pick up anything because the apron was so stiff.   It was a funny sight.

Can you see the curly hairs on the back of his head? I can actually play with his hair now, its very exciting.

This next picture I took a few weeks ago and is Michael's current favorite.    Dade really loves his books, and also loves to climb. 

Lastly here is a video of Dade's new hideout.   Just an FYI after this video I cleared out everything metal, so now Dade has a fun Safe place to play.

The Life of a Day

In December I went to my sister's book club, where everyone brought a poem to share.  One of the books that my sister chose from was; Good Poems -selected by Garrison Keillor.

I used to listen to Garrison Keillor read poetry on NPR as I drove to work in Houston.    I've never been much of a fan reading poems, but it's always good to expand your horizons.   I borrowed the book from my sister and have found a favorite that I wanted to share. 

Its called The Life of a Day by Tom Hennen.

Like people or dogs, each day is unique and has its own personality quirks which  can easily be seen if you look closely.  But there are so few days as compared to people, not to mention dogs, that it would be surprising if a day were not a hundred times more interesting than most people.  But usually they just pass, mostly unnoticed, unless they are wildly nice, like autumn ones full of red maple trees and hazy sunlight, or if they are grimly awful ones in a winter blizzard that kills the lost traveler and bunches of cattle.  For some reason we like to see days pass, even though most of us claim we don't want to reach our last one for a long time.  We examine each day before us with barely a glance and say, no, this isn't one I've been looking for, and wait in a bored sort of way for the next , when, we are convinced, our lives will start for real.  Meanwhile, this day is going by perfectly well-adjusted, as some days are, with the right amount of sunlight and shade, and a light breeze scented with a perfume made from the mixture of fallen apples, corn stubble, dry oak leaves, and the faint odor of last night's meandering skunk.

I still prefer poetry that isn't too complicated.   Here is one that Sarah read at the meeting that I also like.   It's called I Stop Writing the Poem -by Tess Gallagher

to fold the clothes.  No matter who lives

or who dies, I'm still a woman.

I'll always have plenty to do.

I bring the arms of his shirt 

together.  Nothing can stop

our tenderness.  I'll get back

to the poem.  I'll get back to being

a woman.  But for now

there's a shirt, a giant shirt

in my hands, and somewhere a small girl

standing next to her mother

watching to see how it's done.

I copied this poem as printed because I'm sure that the author had her reasons how she organized the lines.

With most books that I read it's pretty straightforward what everything is intended to mean.   With some poetry there are many different levels, and it's interesting to have Michael read the same poem that I've just read and talk about it.

The good parts of vacation....

Here is the happier post that I promised.   Now that Dade is feeling better(apart from still taking his medicine) I've had time to download the trip pictures.   Unfortunately most of the pictures didn't turn out since our camera isn't really the greatest.     Also I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I wanted since Dade got so sick.

Here is Dade and Brielle playing in the airport play area since everyone's flight was delayed.

Here is Grandpa Thurman, Poppa Bob, and Uncle John fryin' a turkey.  When in Texas...
The turkey looked a little scary after, but it was really yummy.

Here are some pictures of the family. I really wanted to take some with everyone gathered, but I ended up upstairs with a screaming Dade Here is Michael and Dade meeting new cousin Xander held by Cousin Katie.

We went to Dallas to see my brother's family and my parents.

Here is Michael reading to Joel's daughter Maeve.

Here is my brother Joel and his wife Cynthia with my newest nephew Jude.

And here is my mom working her magic with baby Jude.

For some reason I didn't get any pictures of my Dad, Michael's mom, and most of Michael's sisters. If anyone has any good pictures of family from Christmas week I would be very grateful if you could email them to me.  someday I'll have a camera that takes decent pictures all the time, and not have a sick child.   We loved spending time with our families this Christmas and look forward to our next reunion. love to all.