He brings home the bacon then fries it up in a pan.

So many mama bloggers post (brag) about their husbands and I thought it was high time I did so here. Here is why I am entering Val into the best husband and father of all time competition.

If I am in bed, he will bring me a glass of water or tea without hesitation.

He is so trusting of people. He is always so transparent and non -judgemental and although that can get him into trouble with manipulative people, it is still a beautiful way to be.

He can let things go, and helps me to let things go all the time.

He does the laundry, all of it.

He pays the bills.

He plays baseball with Drew all of the time and tenderly tucks his hair under his cap when needed.

He monitors the kids "ouchies" with a doctors eye and a nurse's touch.

He encourages me to make new friends, spend time away and pursue my own interests.

He cuddles up with Nora and takes long naps with her on the weekends.

He tells Nora she is beautiful, just like her mama.

He fixes Nora's hair and gets her dressed even in the face of doing it all wrong.

He makes very good pancakes on Saturday mornings.

He has amazing friends and shares them all with me.

He helps me see the humor in our chaotic life.

He moved across the country for me.

He reads endless amounts of chapters with Drew even if he is completely exhausted.

He is passionate about sports, he makes them fun for even non-sports people.

My favorite thing is to hear DADDY! at the end of a long day because I know it his favorite thing to hear too.

He is loyal.

He loves music and starts dance parties at our house all the time.

He is coming home during his lunch break so I can get some work done.

I could go on and on but I just wanted to let you know val/daddy, we love you and are completely blessed to have you in our lives.

June 2009

Strawberry picking with our friends Natalie and Beatrice

Summer is in full swing. Val and I were lucky enough to get away to see Phish for a weekend with lots of old friends, such a great time and great way to recharge the batteries from the daily grind. Now we are gearing up to drive to Telluride. Drew will be turning six in the car and hotel (with pool we hope!). I will be teaching science at Emily's camp (Telluride Acadamy) and Val will be the stay at home parent for two weeks! I look forward to the car trip even though I think we may be crazy, even with the kids this young, we don't get as much family time as I would like. Here are some pics from June...

The Good Life

Well, these pictures are not the best but I wanted to get something up on the blog. It has been a really hectic time of late but now that it is summer I am hoping things will slow down. (After I plan Science Camp for Telluride Acadamy and packing us all up for a two week trip!)

I have taken on a lot latley, Mad Science, Forest Boys, a Master Naturalist Class, a summer camp and a garden. And while I do enjoy all of these things (and the paycheck that comes with a few), it is a good reminder for me of what is really important here. Which of course is Drew and Nora. It is really easy to loose sight of this as the kids get older and I start thinking I can do more, but I miss the rythem we used to have, and the time I used to spend with them (not just planning, running, cooking, cleaning, but playing, crafting, reading, baking, ect.).

As I look at our busy summer (my busy summer), I am trying to remember that everyday counts, every moment counts. Tommorow we plan to make chef masks and pretzels. Ah, the good life.

Easter 2009

Drew and Nora after finding their baskets.


Jen and the kids post easter egg hunt.

Nora, Mona and Drew


Mmmm. Candy, Nora was stealing it from Willow's basket. So proud:).

American Idol's Blake Lewis version of Bon Jovi

Nora in the kitchen

Nora has really become quite handy in the kitchen and likes to experiment with new food combinations like mashed sweet potatoes mixed with popcorn and green beans on pizza. She has talent I tell you. The hot pink sprinkles on this very chocolate Valentine's Day cake were all her idea and I thought it looked great.

She actually dredged all the eggplant for Eggplant Parmesan, and then enjoyed a huge piece of it. I am so glad she has this love, I really enjoy her company while preparing relaxed, weekend meals.

The Kids

This outfit has become very familiar this year.

Fun in the 10 inches!

Dragon Masks


Sue at the Chicago Science and Industry Museum

Val and Nora have the beat.

Spiderpig, spiderpig, does whatever a spider pig does.