Awkward

A little odd to hear my daughter walking around the house singing...

And we were trying different things
We were smoking funny things
Making love out by the lake to our favorite song
Sipping whiskey out the bottle, not thinking 'bout tomorrow
Singing Sweet home Alabama all summer long

Also awkward....

I kissed a girl and I liked it

The taste of her cherry chap stick
I kissed a girl just to try it
I hope my boyfriend don't mind it
It felt so wrong
It felt so right
Don't mean I'm in love tonight
I kissed a girl and I liked it
I liked it

What happened to Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star????

Give Me A Break

Well, in my humble opinion, there was no real winner in last nights debate. I am a huge proponent of getting all the facts before I vote, which is why I watch debates. Unfortunately, last night, neither man would earn my vote. I just hate politics altogether. I can't understand how two people who want to run our democracy can have such polar opposite views on most every topic. Don't most Americans want similar things out of life?

It is so crazy how these two can just sit there & put words in each others mouths. Obama would state his opinion on a subject and then McCain would tell him he didn't really feel that way. How can you tell another person how they think? They spent a majority of the debate telling us how the other person thought & felt. It left me more confused than when it started.

I do have to say that Obama won by a landslide on personality. He engaged the moderator, the audience & even McCain. McCain was just a socially inept, creepy, smirking old man. He didn't even look towards Obama when he was taking to him. And when Obama was addressing him and looking directly at him, McCain would look down with this eerie sneer on his face. I would definitely want Obama to be the person we put out there to negotiate & interact with people.

Can't wait for the Vice Presidential debate, hopefully there will be less finger pointing and more revelations of where they actually stand on the issues.

Apple Pickin', Pumpkins & Tractor Rides

These girls have a third generation friendship. Their grandparents were friends, their fathers grew up as great friends and now they continue the tradition. They don't live right near each other, which makes the friendship all the better (absence makes the heart grow fonder!) But each weekend they are begging to see each other, and they get along wonderfully. They can have fun whether they are on vacation with their dull parents or simply singing Hannah Montana in the basement. One is a dancer while the other is an accomplished swimmer; one loves to read, the other, not so much; one is overbearing, the other sensitive; they are different in so many ways, yet they love each other for it.

Last weekend we all went to a farm in Lee for apple picking, pumpkin picking & tractor rides. We spent a good portion of the day there, playing on the playground, having a picnic and enjoying the last day of summer. It was a beautiful day, which makes the end of the season that much sadder. I just hope our winter is not quite as long this year.

More on Politics

I read an interesting article today that reported that 40% of white Americans hold at least one negative notion about black people. This will make a considerable difference in the upcoming election.

I can only hope my daughters' world is kinder than mine.

The Eyes Have It

This is Acadia's eye with the 3/4 brown & 1/4 grey. It is so odd, I don't remember this happening with the other 2....

Blog over Coffee

Ok, I have a quick minute while I drink my morning java to give an update of the week.

• Acadia started to eat solid foods in the form of a goldfish fed to her by Annika. (Wait, let me clarify for those of you without a pantry full of toddler snacks... that is a goldfish cracker, not one from a fish bowl!)

• Ariana lost another tooth, on the top next to her front teeth. She now has the classic buck-tooth smile and we can see she is destined for braces.

• Found out my father is quite ill yet still going to work 6 days a week. It's that stereotypical downeast work ethic of a shipyard union worker. It is a really sad life... never going on a vacation, never stopping to smell the roses, never enjoying life for what it really is. I do need to make the trek to Maine to see him and introduce him to 2 granddaughters he has never met.

•Colby & I went to a wedding yesterday. It was the first time I was away from Acadia for more than a couple of hours & the first time she had a sitter. We had a good time, lots of laughs, some at the expense of the wedding guest who clearly had too much to drink from the flask he brought into the wedding. Also lots of laughs with Colb's coworker who is 60ish years old and has lived through the tribulations of 3 daughters of his own.

• This was our first full week of soccer, dance classes and me going back to both jobs full swing. We quickly decided I would need to change my schedule around as I was up until midnight or later working on TripAdvisor and Colby was up until 2am writing a paper for school. We also only got to sit down to 2 meals all week as a whole family... not acceptable. I rearranged my schedule at work and we will try it out in 2 weeks, hopefully a better arrangement for all of us to spend time together and get to bed at a reasonable hour!

Ok, I need to get myself & the girls ready for a trip to the farm for apple picking & hayrides. Hopefully I can survive 3 against 1. Although I am going with Leslie & Lori and I know they will step in and help if I need it.

Hornestock Slideshow

My Life as a Work-at-Home Mom

Appalling

I caught a segment on a new talk show today called The Doctor's. The segment was about the pain of childbirth. The show has 4 doctors from different specialties who help people with their issues. A woman stated that her issue was a fear of the pain of childbirth. The one doctor touted the importance of drugs during deliver while the other told her she could have an elective C-section. Nobody even mentioned the old fashioned breathing technique or tub birth or any other natural way of easing pain while delivering a baby. I was in awe that on a national television show with millions of viewers, they were completely acting as though having a baby naturally weren't even an option! Now, as all of my friends know, I am pro-drugs all the way and I had 2 of my children via an epidural. However, I think women who have not had children need to know all their options and when doctors make it out like natural child birth needs to be avoided, you scare them. And if a woman is scared right from the beginning, they won't even consider having a baby naturally.

When Acadia was just born, I had an intern at the delivery. He was very excited that I was delivery naturally because the majority of the births he had attended to that point were C-section. It so amazing to me that someone would elect to have a surgery rather than go through a process that your body is completely capable of doing. I think a lot of these women do elect to have it because lazy doctors have made it seem antiquated to just have a baby. It really is too bad and I am so glad I had my girls the way I did since it was the most amazing thing I have ever accomplished.

Milestones

This has been a week of milestones. Acadia started smiling. She smiled for Colby first, a little crooked half-smile. And then for Ariana... and then it was my turn. She hasn't gone into the full blown, eyes-lit-up smile, but her crooked little grin is so endearing. Now it's the game of "Make Silly Faces Until She Smirks". That is always a fun game, especially for people looking on as you make a fool of yourself. As Ariana says, "Mom, you are soo embarrassing!

Also, just today, Annika started to pump her legs while swinging. For those of you without children, you might wonder, "That's a milestone?" Why, yes, it is. After pushing a child on a swing set daily for 2 or 3 years, it is a joy when they can power themselves. Although, it is also a sad moment, a moment when your little one grasps a small bit of independence. Actually, Annika didn't just grasp, she embraced. Ariana & I sat on the deck peering at her as she played on the swings for a good half hour, enthralled with her new ability. Her little legs must be so exhausted now after that workout!

Update: Today I caught a picture of Acadia as she flashed the 'full blown, eyes-lit-up smile' and posted it here.

Operation Hornestock Success

Let's play catch up for a moment...

Friday was a blur. Danielle came & helped me prepare for the party. I grocery shopped, we prepared salads, cut vegetables... etc. After she left, I continued the planning which included more food prep, cleaning, organizing of games, cleaning & arranging of the deck, charging camera batteries.... there is SO much involved in party planning, I can see why people do it as a full time job.

Colby came home and chipped in with some tasks before we were both off to bed to end a week of pure exhaustion.

Saturday started early with Colby & Ariana off to a soccer game. I was pretty mellow as I pulled the final preparations together, I had organized fairly well and just needed to put everything in it's place. Colby's parents arrived first & then my folks soon after (Thank you, Mom for the much needed latte!) They helped me finish everything up and people started arriving fast & furious.

The final count was 50 people. It was so exciting to see friends we haven't seen in years and other friends who live just miles away. People were kind enough to venture from Providence; Gardiner, Maine; Boston; Keene; Berlin and beyond.

I believe a great time was had by all. They was laughter & overall giddiness heard from the hoards of children all day long. They enjoyed our new zip line (only 1 minor injury), the face painter (butterflies are very popular with the little girls), the caricature artist (more popular with the adults!), the bounce house, the baby roller coaster, and most of all... the water balloons and squirt guns! Uncle Shawn was kind enough to run out for a second round of balloons and came back with a armful of squirt guns and other water play. That man should have his own kids for the way all children flock to him.

I didn't get to socialize with everyone as much as I wanted to, but that is the issue when you are the event coordinator... just not enough time. I also didn't take nearly enough pictures (still not enough time). My dear husband was also running around keeping things coordinated, so it ran fairly smooth.

I thing we have decided to keep this an annual tradition. It is nice to have one big party and makes it easier for all of the friends and family from far away to be able to come for one birthday party instead of three. Now to come up with fun & unique ideas for these parties....

Cockadoodledo

Ok, so I don't live in the city, but I certainly don't live in a rural area either. We live in the suburbs of the capital of the state. So who the hell owns a rooster in the suburbs??? My neighbors, that's who! 3 days ago we awoke to the sounds of a rooster, and each day since. Although my kids find it fun, I want to know which neighbor got a rooster... why... and where are they keeping it????

Take a Moment to Remember

7 years ago today....

I was home watching the Today Show in Littleton with Ariana.  Colby was staying in Manchester. He was still sleeping when the planes struck the WTC. I was watching it happen live and was a little confused and shocked at what was happening. I called Colby to tell him, but since he hadn't seen any of the coverage, he really didn't understand the full scope of what I was describing.  It was a long, scary day watching the news coverage.  

September 11 is Dominic's birthday.  That is who Colby was staying with and they decided to go out that night and celebrate.  Like I said, they didn't really realize the gravity of it all.  Needless to say, it was a pretty solemn night at the bars with the televisions reporting the horrific scenes of the day.  I am sure it was one of Dominic's least favorite birthday celebrations. Unfortunately, I will never forget his birthday.

Politics From Mommy's View

And now, a break from cutesy baby talk....

I have been trying to keep up with politics more than I normally would since I am so appalled at the state of our nation right now. I always vote, but rarely spend much time really following what is going on with the candidates. I actually watched portions of the conventions last week (Ok, so it might have something to do with having no cable too!) When we watched the DNC, I commented to Colby that it was too bad that Obama is black since, no matter how amazing he could be, he will lose a percentage of the vote simply for that reason. We would love to believe that we are beyond that point in our history, but in all honesty, we are not.

Fast forward to the Republican convention and McCain names a female running mate! I immediately called Colby, "Well, it looks like McCain evened the playing field a little." Because as much as we still suffer with racism in this country, we also have our share of misogynists who just will not stand for a woman being in such a role of power in our country.

But, not only would I question McCain naming Palin since she is female, there are other things about her I find curious. Palin is a candidate who endorses a abstinence- only sex education program. She then has a daughter who received this education and is pregnant at 17! Yet, Palin still won't budge on the fact that maybe other forms of sex education should be coupled with the abstinence. Will she be faced with programs as a VP that she won't be willing to change even if they are proven NOT to work???

I also cannot get past the fact that she has 5 children, one of whom is an infant with Down's Syndrome. As a mother of three, I know that when you are working full time, either your job or the children suffer. When I was 20 years old with no children, I worked like a horse... 60 hours week, whenever I needed to so that I could do a great job and advance. But, after children, clearly I couldn't do that. I needed to get home to see them for some portion of the day. And sometimes I needed to miss work for sick kids, doctors appointment, soccer games, dance recitals, etc... How will someone who has a job 1000 times more demanding then mine ever reconcile those things? Her 7 year old is just starting her days of sports and extra-curricular activities. Where will her mommy be? I would pose these same questions if the candidate were a male with 5 children. We all make choices in life and when you choose to have 5 children, you need to realize that they will take a considerable amount of time to raise them adequately!

Anyhow, I just think she is a poor choice for McCain and he shot himself in the foot, even if he was trying to get the 'Hilary' vote...

Little Girl Growing

Annika is at an age where everything she says is cute. She learns new phrases every day and it is so funny to hear her say somethings. This morning I heard her fighting with Ariana and she yelled "It's not fair!" You have to hear the intonation & pronunciation to understand why it sounds so hilarious. She has also taken to saying "Oh my God," when something bothers her. She is also telling these grand stories now, which indicates her great imagination. She has princesses, dragons, roosters... every creature under the sun appears in her stories. I love two year-olds!

Bath Time!

Yikes, mom, that's some cold water!

One Month

I can't believe my little Acadia is a month old already! The time just flies. It seemed like it took years for her to grow in my belly- and now each day passes so quickly turning into weeks and now months.

She still has one grey eye and one (3/4) brown eye. She is definitely putting on the pounds too... finally fitting into some 0-3 months outfits. She is still sleeping a good portion of the day. She sleeps pretty well at night... She gets up at 2am to eat and then she's up at around 4:30- if I get up with her for an hour, she will go back to sleep until 7.

I hold her a lot during the day, trying to savor every moment of her in my arms that I can. I know it will be all too soon that she will outgrow my arms and I will feel that emptyness.

"If one feels the need of something grand, something infinite, something that makes one feel aware of peace, one need not go far to find it. I think that I see something deeper, more infinite, more eternal than the ocean in the expression of the eyes of a little baby when It wakes in the morning and coos or laughs because it sees the sun shining on its cradle." - Vincent van Gogh

A Day in My life

So, to start where I left off in my last post... I was up until around midnight after working all night. I climbed into bed & slept until about 2 when Acadia awoke for a feeding. After her feeding she didn't seem to fall into a deep sleep, she was restless for a couple of hours and finally around 4am she was really awake. I got up with her & worked on TripAdvisor for awhile as she hung out. At 6ish, she was tired agiain so I snuck back to bed for another 1.5 hours of sleep. Annika then woke me up to tell me it was "sunnytime", which means it's daylight & time to get up. Colby was off to work so I started to get Ariana ready for school: dressed, hair braided, teeth brushed, back pack packed, snack packed, shoes on... unfortunately because I had gotten up late, she was running late so there goes the bus. Ok, now I need to dress the other 2 so I can load them into the truck to drop Ariana at school. Dressing a 2 year old is a whole other ordeal, but we made it. Jump in the truck and (surprise) it is on empty! Ahhh, ok, run to the gas station first... promptly hit construction! Wait 5 minutes in traffic, get gas, wait 5 more minutes on the way back to the school. I get her there with 30 seconds to spare. She bolts for the doors...

Ok, back home, feed Acadia, get Annika a snack... crap I haven't eaten... oh well. Start on my first of 3 loads of laundry for the day. (For those of you who don't know, I refrain from using my dryer, so doing laundry is a bit more of a chore.)

Go online to plan my grocery shopping. Get out my coupons, make a list, gather it all in an envelope. Run & dress quickly as possible and put on a little make-up (still try not to look like a frumpy mom of 3). Pump some milk for the trip, pack the diaper bag, get kids & everything else packed in the truck, head to the grocery store. Damn construction again!

I won't even go into details about the grocery store, but let's just say it started with Annika having a tantrum on the floor because Acadia was in the top of the cart where she wanted to be. You can imagine the next hour from there.

Home. More laundry. General picking up around the house. I try to get Annika to nap, but she seems to be growing out of that. If she doesn't nap, though, no shower for me. Crap, still haven't eaten. Oh, well. We move outside to get some outdoor time. The deck is trashed as I have about 4 projects going on. No time to pick up now, Annika needs to be pushed on the swing. I realize after awhile that it is getting late & Ariana will be home soon. We go inside & I feed Acadia, she keeps falling asleep & not eating!

I gather up Ariana's dance clothes & get her dance bag together, she starts dance today & we only have a few minutes after she gets off the bus to get ready. She runs in, gets dressed and I try again to feed Acadia. We pack the truck up and head out to the dance studio. As we get there, it seems pretty empty, Ariana runs in and comes back to tell me she isn't starting for 2 more weeks! Lack of communication somewhere. Ok, we head for home.

I rush in and get dinner cooked so the family will have something to eat while I am at work. Crap, time to head to work... no shower for me today. Still haven't eaten either, grab 2 granola bars for dinner. We pack all in the truck one more time to go meet Colby and do the kid swap. As I open a granola bar, Annika spies it, "Mommy, I want a granola bar." Umm, ok. There goes half of my dinner. We meet Colby, switch vehicles & I run in to work. It is 6 and I work until 11 again. I get home just after 11, grab Acadia off Colby, head to bed to feed her, read a few pages to unwind before falling asleep, and then pass out.

So, Jen asked how I was doing... I am pretty damn tired right now. But, I am healthy, the kids are healthy and happy, so it is all worth it and I wouldn't change a thing... well possible a more appreciative & caring husband, but I guess all women want that!

Labor Day

Well, this will be quick, since it is 11pm and I am just getting home from work. I decided to go back today, which is ironic since it is labor day. I have a lot to catch up on from being off the past month, so I worked 8 hours, which is a lot for me. It is also a lot for Colby to be home alone with all 3 girls. I was glad to get home tonight to find all of the lights off. I had been afraid to come home and see him sitting up still trying to get Acadia to sleep. I was also glad to sneak upstairs & find him asleep with her on his chest. He has not had a chance to bond with her yet since he works so much, and I hope this gives him the chance. Although when I woke him up as I took Acadia off him, he was pretty grumpy. We'll see how the next 4 nights go. I am going to work until 11pm every night, so he will have some quality time with the girls all week and live in my shoes a little. He did well so far, the house is in pretty good order and there is leftover mac 'n cheese in the fridge, so they did eat dinner. I am sure Ariana was a big help as she loves to hold Acadia, feed her and change diapers. She is such a little mommy!