Books make great gifts!

We're headed out to spend Turkey Day with Patrick's family, but before we go, I wanted to let you know about an amazing sale that's going on this weekend.

For three days only, Usborne is having a sale that's so good, we consultants shop at it ourselves!

Click on the picture below to check out the hundreds of titles Usborne has. You're sure to find something for all the children on your list!

Sale begins Friday, Nov. 28th at 12 A.M.

and ends Monday, Dec. 1 at 10 P.M.

A very happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

More randomness

It's amazing to me how quickly technology becomes obsolete.

I've had more than one hard drive put into my computer in the last year. I bought it new in 2004, and sometimes this laptop seems ancient - maybe there's really a baby pterodactyl in there pecking the words onto a stone tablet like the Flintstones might have.

Because of these hardware updates, I'm never sure which photos are on here and which are on the external drive. A quick peek at the ones on here this morning yielded some favorites that I thought I'd share.

On my first trip to Paris, I used film and my Canon Rebel. I'm so glad I did!

Here are a few favorites from that trip:

Then, I saw that my engagement pictures are on here.

The story of us ended rather abruptly, I know, and what I didn't tell you is that Patrick proposed to me while we were in Ireland. I love that he had the forethought to have me hand my camera to someone standing nearby at the Cliffs of Moher for what I thought would just be a posed picture of the two of us.

He got down on one knee and she started snapping. Not many people have photos of their engagement. These are priceless.

The question of the day today is: where is the furthest you've traveled from your home?

For me, it was Amsterdam.

Tuesday Two

Just two random things for today.

One

I saw your profile and I think you deserve a chance to get to know me. I think we could get along well so be sure to check out my profile. If you are interested (which I know you will be), drop me a line, and if you sound as interesting as your profile says .... I might write back ;)

Yes, that was another message I received on Match.com. (Click here for more of those beauties.) I'm sure he was trying to be funny, but you can be sure that on principle alone, I did not even reply.

Two

I’m borrowing this from Mommy Knows and copying the next sentence and 4 points below word for word. It’s not really a game…but the results can be interesting!

• Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
• Turn to page 11.
• Find the eleventh sentence.
• Post that sentence in a comment here; include the title of the book and author.
  

Here is the quote, title and author that I used over at Mommy Knows:

“Most moms feel it is not cool to ask friends or relatives to watch their children while they do something like read a book at the coffee shop.”
Smart Mom’s Baby-sitting Co-op Gary Myers

I'm curious to see what you come up with. The book doesn't have to be one you're in the process of reading...just whatever happens to be right there.

My Jack

I very well may be the worst blogger there is.

I'm also a perfectionist, so I'm slightly disappointed in my blogging skills of late, but (deep breath) I'm okay with it.

Serenity now.

I'm a mommy first, and when we're not teething and miserable, we have been going a mile a minute chez nous. As much as I'd like to, I can't do it all.

Blogging has to take a back seat sometimes.

One week ago today, Jack celebrated his second birthday.

Where does the time go?

Since I started this blog not long after Jack turned one, you're all up to date on photos of him from the past year. So I thought I'd use this post to reminisce a little about his first year.

I went into labor at midnight on the morning of my birthday. Jack was born at 1:14 p.m. The following day. He was the best gift, but the 37-hour labor was another story. My epidural didn't work, I had a hematoma in an extra-special place, and couldn't really sit for over a week.

There are some things they just don't tell you about having a baby.

My sister was in the delivery room with us for his birth, so she and Jack have an extra-special bond. He just spent this past weekend with Aunt Devon while Patrick and I traveled to Maine for a friend's wedding. He loves his Aunt Devon!

She took this photo just after he was born.

I remember being astounded, while looking at it, that this big body fit inside my belly.

Back in our hospital room, Jack had his first visit with Aunt Devon.

I love this one of him in the bassinette, his skin slightly yellowed from his jaundice.

From day one, he's been Patrick's Mini Me. I think this photo from his first week home shows that pretty well.

Here are a few other favorites from that year.

And finally, this one is from his first birthday party.

And now, my sweet boy is two. He talks in complete - and complex - sentences. This morning, he just said "Oh wow! Mrs. H got that big green choo choo for you birthday! That choo choo called Percy!"

He knows his colors and his letters, and can count to ten. If you ask him where he lives, he can tell you his address. He says something that amazes me every single day.

But more importantly, he is one of the kindest, gentlest children I've ever met. He in not mean-spirited (yet). He loves his baby brother. He gives spontaneous kisses and hugs to everyone in our family. He is a joy and a blessing to us all.

He loves Thomas the Tank Engine, so that was the theme for his party. He couldn't have been more excited.

Happy birthday, my sweet baby Jack! We love you so much!

Or maybe call me a "WINNER!!"

Oh yeah - I forgot to mention...

Remember that giveaway? I won! The coffee card AND the book!

It hasn't arrived yet, because I know Mommy of MommyKnows was on vacation until just recently.

But it will...I just know it!

I'll let you know how the book is.

Thanks, MK!

Just call me "Slacker"

It's been a while since I've posted.

I'm a little distracted these days. Both boys are teething - Jack's getting his two-year molars while PJ is working on cutting the top front teeth, numbers 3 and 4 for him.

In the past week, we've had birthdays (Jack and I), 80 degree weather with a thunderstorm that left a beautiful rainbow, and snow.

Once things settle down some, I promise to bring this up to date.

But until then, it's survival mode, people.

Not to rush or anything, but when does this get easier? College?

You gotta love a giveaway!

Coffee AND a good book? Does it get any better??

Go check out Mommy Knows for a good book recommendation (historical fiction - my favorite!) and the chance to win a $10 Starbucks card!

Down time

It happens so infrequently, I almost didn't know what to do with my down time.

Nana and Pop Pop have had the boys since Wednesday morning. That's TWO NIGHTS of uninterrupted sleep for Yours Truly, and I'm feeling like a new woman. Yesterday, I had the whole day to myself and had so many things I wanted to do that I wasn't sure where to start.

Now, I'm so thankful for having had the time to relax and enjoy the Thomaslessness. For time alone with Patrick on our anniversary to remember why I married such an amazing man. For time to get a few things done around the house that have been hanging over my head.

But I'm also dying to kiss my boys again.

I needed that.

Sometimes, I get so wrapped up in the naps and the diaper changes and putting the Thomas track back together for the millionth time in a day that I forget to be grateful for them and the amazing little people that they are. They are precious gifts that God has blessed me with and entrusted to my care, and not burdens meant to force me into a life of monotony and exhaustion.

I think my take-home point from these past few days is that I need to take some more time for myself - even just a short walk in the morning - to refresh myself and renew the way I view my role as a mother.

This morning, I'm taking a bath (!), making my bed (!!), and hurrying to my parents' house to snuggle my sweet babies.

Go vote!

It's so important! I'm trading babysitting duties with a neighbor so that we can each get to the polls sans toddlers.

Jack had his first public temper tantrum yesterday, and I have to say, it caught me a little off guard.

I thought it might be nice to take the boys to Barnes and Noble to play with the Thomas train table that they have set up in their children's area. A good time was had by all until we got close to PJ's nap time and he started getting fussy.

"Come on Jack, it's time to go now," said I.

Four times.

The last time, I took him by the hand and said, "It's okay we can come back another day. Say bye-bye, choo-choos."

Well, you'd think I'd just said, "Come on, kid, I'm marching you home where I'm going to strap you down and stick bamboo shoots under your nails." The screaming that ensued was literally that dramatic.

Then there was the throwing himself down on the floor so that I couldn't hold his hand and carry PJ's carseat at the same time.

Unfortunately, the child play area is in the back of the store, so we went all through the store with him screaming bloody murder and me struggling to keep him on his feet and walking so we could get out.

To anyone who was in the Barnes and Noble near our house yesterday morning hoping for a quiet time browsing self-help materials or travel guides, I apologize.

We proceeded to get as far as the little vestibule between the two sets of doors in the front of the store, where I put PJ's carseat down, picked up Jack and, pointing my finger at his mouth, said "You stop that!"

He promptly grabbed my finger and bit it. Hard.

I seriously almost laughed, it was so out of character for him. I wasn't sure how to discipline him, knowing that he's working on some painful molars, having a hard time adjusting to the time change, and is usually a really easy-going kid who's very obedient. I figured a time out when we got home would be too far removed from the situation for him to associate it with what he'd done in the store. We just got to the car and he got an earful from Mommy.

I thought I had two more weeks until the Terrible Twos reared its ugly head, but I guess this may be a sign of things to come. I need to work on a strategy so that I'm better prepared next time.

Finally, I recognize that my Story of Us dragged on, potentially ad nauseum, and it was a little anticlimactic at the end there, since Patrick is out of town and I was a little rushed in writing. Thanks for hanging in there with me. You guys are the best! I think part three was my favorite. I saved a whole bunch of those email gems as fodder in case I decide to write a book about it. I'll throw a few others out there when you least expect it for a good chuckle.

Now, please be sure to get out to your local polling place today, and if you happen to pass a Starbuck's on your ride home, stop in, tell them you voted, and get yourself a free cup of joe!

Happy Election Day!

The Story of Us - Part SIX!

The day before we were supposed to meet, I emailed Patrick to ask him if he might send me a photo. You see, he didn't have one posted on his profile and I wanted to know who to look for, though at 6'6" tall, he would have been hard to miss.

The photo he sent me was from his sister's wedding a few months earlier.

He was wearing a kilt, but he was cute and had a friendly face.

Anxious to meet the guy who was so confident that he'd send me a picture of himself in a kilt as my first image of him, I left a little early to get to our meeting.

(I'm an early person. I don't like to rush. I like to have time to find where I'm going, park, and get there without feeling stressed.)

Fifteen minutes before we were supposed to meet, Patrick called to tell me he was running about 30 minutes late.

(I'd come to learn that he's a late person.)

I killed time by driving around Concord and checking out all of the Christmas decorations. Concord is a beautiful little town - the epitome of New England charm - but I'd looped around twice and still had 15 minutes to waste. I ended up calling my friend and was talking to her on my cell when I saw Patrick walking up.

I can remember exactly what he was wearing, and he was much more handsome in person than in his photograph.

We went inside to the quaint little pub, sat by the fire, listened to the jazz band playing, and got to know each other.

I wouldn't say it was love at first sight, but he was charming, intelligent, funny, handsome. It wasn't like pulling teeth trying to maintain a conversation with him. I found myself wanting to put my arms around his waist and hug him because he was so tall. I definitely wanted to get to know him more.

When he walked me to my car at the end of the evening, we parted with a hug and a "Let's do this again sometime," and I hoped to myself that we really would.

The next morning, he sent me an email thanking me for a lovely evening.

We went out again the following weekend. He was late, but he brought me a huge bouquet of beautiful flowers.

It was the little things that told me this guy was different from the guys I usually spent time with. He held my coat for me while we waited for a table in a restaurant in the North End. He opened doors, pulled out chairs. I was used to being treated like "one of the guys," but he was making me feel like a princess.

There was just one little thing: he smoked. As he lit up on our second date, I was shocked. I wondered how on earth I had missed that fact on his profile. Smoking, for me, was definitely a deal-breaker. I had lost two grandfathers to smoking-related illnesses. I think God somehow kept me from seeing it because he didn't want me to write him off. I'm so glad I missed it. (He's since quit.)

We went out a few times before I went home to Pennsylvania for Christmas, and he picked me up at the airport when I went back to New England for a New Year's Eve party at his house. It would be my first chance to see him among his family and friends, and they could not have spoken more highly of him.

It was evident that he was a diamond in the rough. A genuinely good guy.

It was just a few weeks later that we brought up the "L" word and started talking about marriage. I couldn't believe that I'd finally found the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with!

Trick or Treat

Just a few pictures of the boys on Halloween.



Jack loved trick-or-treating!



I was so excited to get to use the Yoda costume again!



I love PJ's face in this picture of Jack kissing him.

It's hard to believe it's November already.

Our love story needs to get wrapped up quick!

I'll try to finish it up on Monday.

Have a great week!