The Kiss

More pics from Jen and Daniel's visit.

Fun time in the basement.

Drew and Arianna are kindred spirits, they really do love each other. It will be so cool to have Jen and Daniel for in-laws.
Rare sighting of Daniel on a break from working.
Drew and Baby Cole
Jennifer and Shael trying to get a group picture. (we never did get a mom shot, hmmm.)

Friends!!

I met Jennifer, Ellen and Arianna at a toy store a few months after we moved in to our new house. Our friendships quickly solidified over playdates and MNO's (moms night out). Jennifer and Daniel packed up and moved to Columbia SC last August so Daniel could pursue his doctorate of Philosophy degree. We miss them so much as they were such a huge part of our daily lives. Jen is an inspirational mother, and Drew loves the sweet girls so much.

Daniel had to defend his master's thesis last Monday and we were grateful that they made the decision to bring the whole family up for a visit. We spent a wonderful long weekend together, time that will tide us over until we can meet up again...

Sick of it

It is my birthday and I am sick. I can remember many birthdays being ill, when I turned twenty I stayed in bed all night while Val ate my cake downstairs.... in the year 2000 I had a nasty flu and almost didn't make it onto the RV to Florida to see Phish. This year we had no big plans but dinner and a movie sounded so exciting...ah bummer, so it goes for winter birthdays. But the real bummer, the real rant is about my sick kids. And mine seem to always be sick. Some of you know that Drew had a bad cough all last winter...we dragged him from osteopath to doctor to specialist after specialist. After spending about ten minutes with one dr., he was diagnosed with asthma. Asthma is one of those ultra frustrating problems because it is on the rise and they are just starting to acknowledge that , hmm, maybe air pollution has something to do with it. Made me want to pack up and move to the cleanest spot on earth. But because reality rules, we had to make choices. Our choice is to not start him on steroids and the bronchiodialter prescribed. We went back to our osteopath who gave him some wicked cough medicine, some cranial sacral and a bear hug. This seems to keep it under control and he actually did not cough at all in the summer.

Alas, we are all sick right now and I question every decision we make, Tylenol vs. Advil, dairy vs. soy, fresh air vs. heated house, and the list goes on. Nora is coughing too and it just makes me want to cry. But there is no time for that with two sick kids, so we just keep going...filling up the humidifier, calling our friends about canceled plans, making tea and rubbing backs. Then trying to get a little sleep before the whole process starts again.

Yes, perhaps I am feeling sorry for us, for myself, but when I am rubbing Drew's back or rocking Nora to sleep, I can't help think of all the moms in the world with really sick kids or sickening conditions to live in. My heart goes out to them as they help me remember that missing dinner and a movie to stay home with the three people who mean the world to me is really a wonderful present. Now where did we put the vitamin C?

Gramcracker

Nora and Grandpa Dresslar
Nora sharing her cookie with Grandma.

I have many fond memories of my Grandma Dresslar. We used to spend the night in Grandma and Grandpa's southside home almost monthly. We would eat enormous amounts of french toast and fried spam. We would play dominoes and Life and make Christmas cookies. She would take us on hikes in the woods and out for ice cream. The clothes she made for my Cabbage Patch Kids were highly detailed and in good taste... Grandma now has Alzheimer's and lives in a supportive care home. As you can imagine, the disease is heart wrenching, affecting not only the mind but the body and spirit as well. My grandfather and maternal grandmother also live at Summer Trace in the independent apartments. Visits are bittersweet, the time spent there is so special but leaving and going back to our busy lives is tough. Nora has been accompanying me and it makes for such an amazing visit. Grandma Dresslar repeats over and over how sweet she is, asks how old she is and even commented on Nora needing a hair cut which was unexpected. Talk about therapy.

nature

Becoming a mother means entering a new phase of life that is punctuated
by a steep learning curve. Over the last three odd years I have grown
in so many ways and when I come to, out of this sleep deprived state,
I'll be able to recognize that growth. For now, it's survival. How to
pass the day, making sure the kids are clothed, fed nutritiously (an
area I am constantly researching, experimenting with and worrying
about), educated and loved is nothing short of mothering science. When
Nora was born, the challenges somehow tripled. But I can say I have
come a long way; the house is in a general state of order, the kids eat
well, they are learning new things all the time and enlightening me as
well (I am now very knowledgeable on ALL the different types of firetrucks
out there, and their individual parts), AND I even take time for myself
to be me...it would be easy to lose yourself in your kids. One thing I
have learned is when the day starts to waver, once I start to feel the
scales tipping from a peaceful situation to all out anarchy, it is time
to LEAVE! Get the kids in the car and drive like the wind! (a process
that takes at least 30 minutes in itself). Of course, the best place to
go is to nature.


Ft Harrison State Park is one of our
favorite places to go. It used to be a large army base that they have
turned into a small park. We love to hike, play on the playground,
throw sticks for Kizzy in the creek and basically hang out in nature. As
much as I miss the mountains and rivers of Oregon, this outing is
surprisingly refreshing. Drew loves being outside and if he was cranky
or whiny at home, he leaves it behind the minute we hit the woods. Nora
also is a nature lover and is completely content riding in her pack. We
have spotted bears, tigers, mountain lions and even mountains
themselves right here in the heartland...