My Little Black Sweats

Why you should consider eating Kefir

2012-02-07T14:35:00.000-05:00

I am not by any means, a health-food fanatic. I do strive to feed my family nutritiously and put great effort into purchasing vitamin rich whole foods over highly-processed convenience ones, but I also have a slight addiction to ice-cream. Our grocery budget does not afford me the luxury of shopping at Whole Foods, but I've found that if I am diligent in planning and avoiding impulse buys, I can stretch our budget to include organic produce, milk, and meat, which are the most important items to me. I make a green smoothie for the family 4-5 times a week that is packed with spinach, kale, romaine, or a variety of other greens, fruits, wheat germ, flax, chia seeds, and occasionally yogurt. Knowing that we've all started our day loading up on fruits and veggies makes me not worry when I occasionally make the kids Kraft Mac n' Cheese (because there is no substitute) for lunch or give them a pack of fruit snacks after their nap. I think kids should be allowed to be kids, and kids enjoy pizza, and chicken nuggets, and special treats every now and again. I want to teach my kids to enjoy eating healthy and to be aware of making food choices that fuel their bodies, but I've never wanted to be obsessive about it.

So when I learn about a new "superfood" that has so many great benefits for our bodies, I do my best to start incorporating it into our diets and take another baby step closer to improving the health of my family. A month ago, I started researching the wonders of kefir grains and how power-packed with health these little nuggets are. They are anti-allergenic, naturally antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, cholesterol lowering, digestion aiding, skin clearing, hair thickening, immune-boosting, sleep enhancing, toxin reducing, .....and the list goes on and on. When placed in milk and left for 24 hours at room temperature, kefir grains start to reproduce and create a creamy, tart, yogurt-like substance that is loaded with probiotic cultures 10X more potent than traditional or even greek yogurts. And the best part is, once you strain the grains from the cream, you can place them right back in new milk and they will continue to produce fresh and creamy milk kefir for you every single day, for as long as you keep them. So once you buy the grains, which are not at all expensive, you are set because they are self-sustaining.

I have been mixing our fresh kefir into smoothies for 3 weeks now and have experimented with substituting it for plain yogurt in salad dressings, pancakes, milkshakes, and sauces. I admit it is a little on the tart side and I don't prefer to eat it plain, but once you mix in with other things, it is delicious. This morning I made the kids a "monkey" smoothie with 2 bananas, ice, almond milk, 2 cups of kefir, raw peanut butter, and a bit of chocolate syrup and they were singing my praises for making them a "milkshake" for breakfast.

And although its only been 3 weeks, we have avoided any kind of illness in our home, despite some nasty bugs going around and plenty of exposure with Eli in school this year. I am attributing this to the boost in our immune systems thanks to the kefir, and am hopeful that we will remain healthy throughout the rest of the winter.

Now I dare you to go and research it for yourself and consider whether this superfood might be a good addition to your families diet!

To The Birthday Boy...

2012-02-02T09:16:00.000-05:00

Today is John's 28th birthday. The day started the same as every birthday has for the 5 years we've been married. I got up and prepared his favorite breakfast of biscuits and gravy and served it to him with a hot cup of coffee in bed. It is a birthday meal tradition long ago started by his mom and the one day a year that I will happily serve him this heart-attack on a plate and not even worry that he's eating an entire roll of sausage.

John never likes to make much fuss about his birthday and doesn't understand my need to hype it up and try to get him really excited in the days leading up to it. He never asks for any special gifts or a favorite dessert and trying to get him to request his favorite foods for dinner is like pulling teeth. And I guess I should be thankful that he's not a birthday Diva (like I totally am), but I just want him to feel extra special on his big day, even if it requires some cheer-leading and motivational speeches from his wife.

So in honor of his 28 years of life, here are 28 things that I love about John, and in no particular order.
1. he loves Jesus
2. he is a hands-on daddy and a true partner in helping to care for our kids
3. he is affectionate even when I forget to be
4. he can get a roomful of people laughing with ease
5. he doesn't complain about changing poop diapers...even cloth ones that require spraying
6. he works hard at his job and takes pride in providing for his family
7. he supports my desire to stay home and sacrifices things he wants so we can live on one income
8. he still drives the car he got when he turned 16, although it has well over 200k miles, the driver's door doesn't open from the outside, the windows remain continuously fogged and it feels as though it will crumble into pieces when you drive it on the highway. The fact is that it starts every morning, it is paid for, and he is content with that.
9. although I know he comes home tired from work, he plays on the floor with the kids, wrestling, tickling, giving horsey rides, and making them erupt in fits of laughter just when I have completely run out of steam.
10. he spends every morning up bright and early with Norah reading her the same books over and over while they drink coffee and milk respectively and snuggle in our bed so I can have my devotional time downstairs.
11. he has such a compassionate heart and loves to give his time and resources to others
12. he remembers to compliment me and makes me feel beautiful and noticed even when I feel much less than
13. he drinks the green smoothies I concoct for him every morning more because he knows how much it means to me and less because he cares that its so good for him
14. he has a bizarre love of shoes and has way too many pairs of Pumas in the closet
15. he finds the same thrill in Saturday morning garage sale hunting as I do
14. he gets along great with my parents
15. he supports me in getting out of the house to do things I enjoy while he stays home with the kids
16. he lets me pick out most of the movies we watch
17. he has beautiful green eyes and the greatest thick hair
18. he knows how to do handy-man things around the house and I am confident that he can fix most anything that breaks
19. he cooks waffles for breakfast for us on the weekends
20. he is financially wise, a good steward of our money, and always planning and saving for the future.
21. he goes on late-night ice-cream runs for me way too often and knows that its a sure bet way to fix a bad mommy day
22. he brings me flowers for no reason and leaves the occasional love note on my mirror before heading off to work
23. he is way better at being silly and carefree with the kids than I am
24. he is super low-maintenance, gets his hair-cut at Great Clips, shops for himself at thrift stores, and rarely asks for anything
25. he gives the best warm bear-hugs when I am falling apart
26. he's not great in the kitchen, but he's more than happy to go and pick up take-out when I need a night off from cooking
27. he gets up with the crying kids at night because I am an extremely deep sleeper and he always hears them before I do. Most mornings I am surprised to hear that someone was awake because he leaves me to sleep while he cuddles and comforts.
28. he still loves me and pursues me. Though I am crazy and high-maintenance and emotional, he keeps coming home to me and taking care of me and showing me a selfless love.

Happy Birthday John. I love you and am so thankful for you. Here's to 28 years!

Snow!!

2012-01-14T19:51:00.000-05:00

Is there anything better as a kid?

Eli has been anticipating this moment for weeks. Norah, not so much. But she also found the snow delightful-although we discovered that she is absolutely terrified of riding on the sled, or sitting on the sled, or walking next to the sled, or even having the sled within her line of vision...

*I assure you that I was also out here freezing my fingers off for this winter family bonding experience. However, I looked more miserable than delighted in my Kodak moment so you'll have to just take my word for it.*

Little Moments

2012-01-05T22:57:00.000-05:00

It seems that most of the significant conversations I have with Eli happen the in car. Probably because he's strapped in his seat with a captive audience (me), and he doesn't like to let a second of silence go to waste. So he chatters continuously and asks a million questions.

Yesterday we were driving home from playgroup and listening to the song "Oh you can't get to heaven" from a kid's praise CD that Eli knows every word to and he was singing his little heart out. He started telling me how silly it was to think that you could get to heaven in a rocking chair when the only way to really get there was to drive your car right in. The comment made me laugh and then I started reminding him of our prior conversations about our sinful hearts and how God sent Jesus to die for our sins so that we could someday live forever in Heaven with Him. And I reminded him that we have to believe in Jesus and ask Him to come live in our hearts to help change us to be more like Him.

After a few minutes of conversation Eli told me he wanted Jesus to come live in his heart and asked me to help Him "get in there." I hesitated for a moment, because I wasn't sure how much he understood of what I was saying and thought maybe he was too young for all of this. But then I looked back at his innocent face staring at me in the rear-view mirror and when he said "please mommy" I knew that now was just as good a time as ever. So I lead him through a very simplified version of the sinner's prayer and he repeated everything I said in almost a whisper with his eyes closed and hands folded. When we finished, he immediately looked down at his coat and said, "Well, I don't see Jesus's head sticking out of my chest yet, so I hope he's in there." And he went right on back to singing along with the music and laughing with his sister.

So although I'm still not sure what his mind understands about salvation at 3 1/2 years old, I got a true glimpse of what Jesus was talking about when he tells us to have faith like a child. It was one of those moments where I thought my heart might absolutely burst. You always wonder as a parent if the lessons and values you are constantly teaching (and sometimes forcing) on your children are getting through at all to them. I am so thankful that God showed me in an ordinary car ride that there is fruit coming from my struggles, and prayers, and heart to raise kids that grow up loving Jesus.

Love

2012-01-03T22:54:00.002-05:00

We got to peak in on our little peanut this morning at my 19 week ultrasound appointment and he or she is absolutely beautiful. It is unfathomable to me how one could not believe in a loving Creator after seeing the images of this perfectly formed, complete human being that is so tiny and yet so unbelievably intricate at only 19 weeks along. The wonder of it never gets old for me and I lay there awestruck that I get to be a part of God's miraculous creation and that He is entrusting us with another baby for our family.

We remained faithful to our decision not to find out the gender (although we were VERY tempted), but we do know that this baby is healthy, and growing, and already very much loved. God is so good.

I mean how could you not love this sweet little face and these impossibly tiny arms?

Organized with a side of crazy

2012-01-02T00:14:00.000-05:00

This post is mainly for my sisters, Kim and Sarah. They love to tease me about my mad love of all things neat and tidy. I blame my Grandpa Harry. He and I both see the world through color coordinated-clearly labeled in the correct drawer- lenses. Its just in my blood. Either you get it or you don't. So laugh away girls, this one's for you...

Over Christmas John had some time off work to relax, sleep-in, and cross a small project off the ole' honey-do list. I have been longing for a sink in the laundry room for some time now because I do quite a bit of stain management around here and have grown weary of lugging heavy buckets full of sloshing water between the bath and laundry room. There is always something soaking in Oxy-clean here. So John and my Grandpa Harry worked on the plumbing, drywalling, and counter-top installation together- enjoying 2 days of close quarters and jamming to the oldies station on Pandora.

And it turned out beautiful and is now oh so convenient to soak, rinse, wash, or even just get a quick drink should I become suddenly parched while folding. I wish I would have taken a before picture to give you a better idea of the changes, but I didn't. So just imagine this room looking not nearly as pretty...and without a sink.

Is it really so weird that I sometimes like to shut myself in my laundry room to enjoy a few moments of peace and quiet? I think not.

So here are my tips for optimal organization of this very frequented, too often neglected space for you aspiring OCD'ers out there.

Bright, cheerful colors just make washing dirty socks and crusty peanut-butter way more fun. And don't forget to use color-coded hangers for each member of the family. This makes putting clothes away in the right rooms a snap, even for your husband.

Who says you can't have a decorative plant and and fancy hand-soap in there? I say Yes You Can! Because if it makes you smile on sheets day, then you're worth it.

Oh how I love wicker baskets. It doesn't matter what kind of crap you put in them, that crap is guaranteed to look fabulous. And for Heaven's sake, label them! You don't have to use these fancy tags, but I say its craft store money well-spent if you do.

Do I look like a millionaire? Please. Inexpensive cafe curtain rods double as excellent drying racks and only cost about $5 apiece. So don't shrink your favorite pair of jeans just because you don't have anywhere to hang them. That's just silly.

Is that wall-art you ask, in your laundry room? Why yes, if you consider an old spray-painted

frame turned stain-removal 101 chart art, then it is. Free and educational is always a good idea.

And last but not least, don't settle for that unsightly cardboard box cluttering up your beautiful space. Are they paying you to advertise for them? Instead, put your detergent in a simple glass canister for a much more elegant look. And it couldn't be any more convenient when you're in a hurry. Which is probably always.

Are you inspired yet? I think I can already hear you powering up your label maker.

Christmas Highlights 2011

2011-12-28T21:52:00.000-05:00

Christmas this year was wonderful and busy and full of family activities as usual. It would be impossible (and frankly, boring) if I were to share all the many happenings of the past month, so I will spare you the details and skip right to my favorite parts...

Annual Costello Sibling's Christmas dinner, hosted to perfection by Sam and Jen this year

Getting the surprise of a lifetime when my parents flew my sister's family home from France for Christmas and they all showed up at my front door late at night and nearly gave me a heart-attack.

Getting to spend lots of time with these giggly girls who couldn't be closer if they were sisters...

and these wild boys who melt your heart as they pelt you with Nerf bullets

Watching the magic of Santa come alive for Eli this year and remembering him asking if we needed to leave cookies out for him or if Santa would just "help himself in our fridge"

Having our own special time on Christmas eve morning to watch the kids open their gifts and exchanging stockings with John

Spending Christmas eve day with the Costello crew where we enjoyed a delicious brunch and relaxing afternoon with our wonderful family

My parent's annual Christmas eve party and the beautiful dresses Grandma bought the girls

Boy's pull-up contest Christmas morning where my husband was crowned the champion and scored us a Cheesecake Factory gift card and night of babysitting courtesy of my parents

The chaos of 8 children opening gifts at the same time and not being sure where to look or focus

Spending time with the world's greatest, great-grandma who asked for a rocking chair for Christmas so she could rock all of her babies. Do you not just love her?

Papa Bob and part of his future baseball team who have no idea how lucky they are to have such an amazing Grandpa

A childhood story published into an actual children's book written by my mom (and worked on for months and months) as a special gift for my Grandpa

Watching this blue-eyed firecracker trying her best to keep up with all her cousins

The annual matching pajamas picture with all the Johnson kiddos and our newest addition this year, baby Harry!

"Fishing for dollars" competition in the hot-tub where each fish was worth a different dollar amount

Passing around baby Harry for some much needed newborn snuggle time

And though quiet moments have been few in the past week, when I take a second to reflect on my Savior, my family, and my blessings, I am nothing but overwhelmed with gratefulness. This Christmas was truly a special one filled with everyone that I love in one place and lots of memories that will leave me smiling long after the tree comes down.

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore."

Isaiah 9:6-7

Big changes are coming

2011-11-10T21:15:00.001-05:00

The pantry is stocked with Lucky Charms, there is a tupperware of oyster crackers in my nightstand, and the middle console of my Jeep contains a half-empty bag of cheddar Chex-Mix. And that can only mean one thing my friends.....that baby #3 is on the way!

Parenting our two young cherubs has just gotten a little too easy lately (ha!) so we decided to shake things up a bit and add on to the family. We are excited and thankful to be welcoming another baby in early June next year. This will officially change our playbook from man-on-man defense to zone, a change which is slightly terrifying to us, but who doesn't love a good challenge?

The past several weeks I have been in survival mode, trying to get through my days in a nauseated, exhausted fog with the sole goal of keeping everyone alive and unharmed. My love of green smoothie drinking and junk-food avoiding has taken a back-burner lately to mashed potatoes, mac n' cheese, and just about any comfort food you can think of because its the only thing that sounds remotely palatable. And that energetic, goal-setting, project accomplishing, I'll sleep when its done girl -- man, I really miss her. I hope she comes back in the second trimester because this house is a mess!

We've decided not to find out the gender of this baby because girl or boy, we have all the things we need, and we really loved being surprised with Eli. So bring on the elastic waste pants, VIP maternity parking at the mall, and the minivan that I'm sure is in my near future. Cheers to pregnancy!

Trick-Or-Treat 2011

2011-10-31T21:31:00.000-04:00

Another successful year of trick-or-treating is behind us and we should have collected enough candy to get us through until next October. This year we had two mobile children running down the sidewalks, one of them being an overly-excitable 3 year-old who definitely had the hang of this whole- getting candy from strangers holiday- down pat. And I'm pretty sure our son could have a bright future in sales should he decide to go that route. He was persistent, banging on doors while repeatedly ringing the doorbell, bringing even those folks trying to hide in their dark houses sheepishly to the door to offer him some morsel of goodwill. He scored an unopened roll of Ritz crackers from an Indian woman who offered them to him as "cookies" because she felt bad that he had caught her empty-handed. He fearlessly negotiated, boldly asking for 2 pieces of candy when 1 was offered and 3 when 2 were offered. He asked to trade candy he didn't care for and requested detailed descriptions from strangers of candy he had never seen before. He let himself in to someones house to pet a dog and then charmed the owner into a bonus pack of bubbles in addition to his candy. He made it his mission to "care" for his sister by always stating that he needed some extra candy for "Norah over there" and people chuckled as they threw a few extra pieces in. He pointed out a fake spider stuck to our neighbor's front door, asked if he could have it, and then shrieked with delight when she told him to go ahead and take it. Yes, he will do well in sales someday, I have no doubt about it. John and I were just laughing watching him race from house to house like his pants were on fire. It was just too much. And yes, we did have many little chats with him along the way about being polite and grateful and not asking for more candy or to trade candy, but his head was spinning way too fast to hear any of that boring parental advice. And he did bring home quite a loot for us to pilfer through tonight while he's sleeping so I guess we'll work on those little behavior glitches tomorrow...

Reason #116 why I love my husband...

2011-10-28T21:31:00.000-04:00

He's willing to sleep in a tent with a 3 year old.

Yesterday evening I went to a party at my SIL's house and John stayed home with the kids. Instead of rushing the kids off to bed and ordering his favorite take-out to eat on the couch in his pajamas (which is what I usually do when he's away), he made it a special night for Eli by having a guys sleep-over in the family room. The tent was set up and they snuggled and watched guy stuff like hockey and baseball until late into the night. Eli is quite the night-owl and he can outlast us all when it comes to PM energy. I was snickering to myself from my cozy bed at 10:30 when I could still hear John telling a bouncing-off-the-walls Eli "no more talking" and "time to settle down buddy."

And that's about all it takes to be a little guy's hero and to create the event of his month...and maybe even his year.

You're a good daddy John, our kiddos are definitely blessed.

The 1 hour book-rack

2011-10-08T13:48:00.001-04:00

For several months I have been oogling this hanging book-rack from the Land of Nod....

as well as this one from Pottery Barn Kids....

I wanted something that was a mix of these two pieces to hang in Eli's room in order to ~~keep me from losing my mind picking up 50 books off the floor every single morning~~ have an organized area where he could display his favorite children's books.

So I recruited my handy hubby (multiple times) until he agreed to head to Home Depot (by himself please!) to gather the supplies needed to create the masterpiece I was imagining. Not to mention, we would be saving a fortune making this project a DIY.

John pre-cut all the 2 X 4's and dowel rods at Home Depot to save time and I think even he was surprised by how quickly he was able to whip up the shelf once he got home. A few nails, a little wood glue and it was ready for me to start painting.

I'm so happy with the way it turned out and that John has the skills to turn my visions into reality. And Eli is pretty excited to have a library of books at his disposal at nap and bedtime. As are we, because a quietly reading toddler, is much nicer than a jumping on his bed, kicking the walls instead of sleeping toddler.
Here is the finished product:

Song of the Week

2011-10-04T12:35:00.000-04:00

Every once in a while I hear a song that hits me right in the gut; one that God uses to change my perspective on a hard situation I'm walking through or a bad attitude I'm stuck on. I have been wearing out the repeat button in my car, on my ipod, and on my computer with this one. It is just that good.
Thought I would share it so you can all go and download it and then have a good cry with me over how generously, how fiercely, and how unconditionally God truly does love us.

Apple Orchard....in the rain

2011-09-30T21:05:00.000-04:00

Wow, it has been quite a rainy fall so far. I can count on one hand the number of beautiful, sunny days we've had that are conducive for outdoor fun. And I do love those rainy days when I can stay in my pajamas, avoid mirrors, and drink 13 cups of coffee; but I love them a lot less when the kids use their pent-up energy to tear apart the house and compete in 'who can cry the most times in 5 minutes' competitions. Can you say stir-crazy??

Our weekly playgroup has been trying to organize a field-trip to Lynd's Fruit Farm for several weeks to pick apples with the kids and if we waited for that perfect sunny day, then it probably wasn't going to happen. So we headed out this morning despite it being a cold and gloomy, rainy day. I had the kids dressed in cute coordinating, fall-ish outfits and had visions of photographing them skipping together through the orchards, laughing for the perfect candid shots. But instead they were bundled in warm coats with their noses running and soaked up to their knees from the constant tripping over fallen apples. Eli had a blast filling up his bag and running around with his friends while Norah just kind of stood there looking at me with a "what did I ever do to you to be standing here in the rain?" kind of face.

We crammed our bag full with all the apples it would hold and then hurried back to our cars so we could blast the heat and get to the lunch part of our day. My sister Rebecca and I spent the rest of the afternoon channeling our inner Martha Stewarts and cranking out monstrous batches of delicious home-made applesauce. It was a fun day and one of my favorite fall traditions to look forward to each year.

See that look I'm talking about?

Eli was very into it. He was ducking under branches and always 10 steps ahead of me

Our Friends Izzy, Monica, and Caleb

A partial representation of the kids, none being in the mood to smile

This is a really foul picture of me, but I love Eli's fake smile too much not to post it

All hands on deck to help out with the applesauce making. And one very patient daddy.

The fruits of our labor. These 11 jars will likely only last a few months in our house with the way our kids eat applesauce, but it feels nice to have a fully stocked supply to kick off the fall.

Hip Hip Hooray!!

2011-09-18T22:34:00.001-04:00

Last night we went out to celebrate my dad's graduation from grad-school. If you know my dad, you know how hard he works and how many hats he wears in his life. He is a teacher, PC-repair company owner, head-technical support guy for Re/Max Impact, concession business owner, landlord, property rehabber, husband, father, and grandfather to 8. This man is BUSY. So making time to go back to school, study, and pass classes amidst all his other responsibilities over the past two years was no small feat. We are so proud of you dad for obtaining your Master's degree and teaching your family a lesson in perseverance and tenacity.

Finally, the diploma that my mom was hiding from him until the big reveal at his mini "surprise" party

One of my favorite quirks about my dad. He ordered an extra side of french fries to go with his meal...that already came with french fries, despite the waitress trying to convince him that the amount that was included would be plenty. Love it!

A few beer samplers, appetizers, salads, and huge dinners later, we were all quite full and happy.

My sisters and I wanted to do something fun to give to our dad from his grandkids, so we had the oldest 3 (Lily 5, Callie 4, and Eli 3 and a couple answers by Zack 2) answer 10 questions about their Papa Bob. Here is the compilation of what they came up with. We enjoyed some laughs reading these aloud around the table.

10 Questions About Papa Bob

And answers by your grandchildren

1. What is Papa’s full name?

Lily-“Bob Johnsons”

Callie-“Papa Bob I don’t Know”

Eli- “Papa Bob John”

2. How old is Papa?

Lily-“40”

Zach- “Big”

Callie-”15”

Eli-”5 years old”

3. What is Papa’s job?

Lily-”fixes computers”’

Callie-”Teaches people about “computiers”

Eli-”he sells windows”

4. What was Papa studying in school?

Lily-”Computer work”

Callie-”I don’t know”

Eli-”All the Children of the World”

5. What does Papa like to do for fun?

Lily-”Get icecream”

Zach-”Play baseball”

Callie-”I don’t know”

Eli-”He likes to play with everybody”

6. What does Papa always say to you?

Lily-”I love you and WE-WANT-BATHTIME!!”

Callie-”Silly Stuff and funny stuff”

Eli-”Go to bed”

7. My favorite thing to do with Papa is…

Lily-”Go to baseball games”

Callie-”Play with play dough

Eli-”Build a tent”

8. Papa’s favorite food is…

Lily-”French fries” *obviously Lily was the winner on this one*

Callie-”Veggies”

Eli-”maybe hotdogs”

9. Papa loves me because…

Lily-”Because he’s my grandpa”

Callie-”Because I color all the time. Because I like playing in the snow”

Eli-”Because he just does”

10. I love Papa because…

Lily-”He’s funny”

Callie-”He plays with me a lot”

Eli-”He hides under the blankets and does flashlights with me”

Happy Birthday Harry

2011-09-12T21:13:00.000-04:00

Meet my brand-new nephew, Harrison "Harry" *James* Mitchell. Weighing in at 7lbs 1 oz with a headful of fuzzy brown hair, this little guy is a keeper. I am already absolutely in love with him. Congratulations on baby #4 Kim and Kevin. Well done on your grand finale, he couldn't be any cuter.

*This post has been edited to reflect the correct middle name. I mistakenly jumped the gun in posting what I thought was the final choice when the jury was still deciding. Oopsy!

Pickin' Potatoes

2011-09-10T13:37:00.000-04:00

This morning while I was outside pulling weeds and checking on my garden, I decided on a whim that it was time to harvest the potatoes. I follow a strict gardening science when it comes to growing potatoes and it goes something like this: plant seed potatoes in early spring, water regularly, and then pull up mature potatoes in late summer when you cannot stand one more day of looking at the massive, drooping, yellow vines that sprout above the ground and signify growth below. The potatoes are my favorite vegetable to harvest because, since they grow deep under the soil, its impossible to know how big of a crop you have until you start digging down into the dirt to uncover all the goods. It's sort of like searching for buried treasure, especially for the kids, who became happily covered in mud while they "helped" me dig up potatoes with their shovels. And we ended up with a good size crop this year, much more than I was expecting. I'm telling you, if you're new to gardening and are looking for an easy thing to grow, plant some potatoes. They require nothing but high-quality, deep soil, a little patience, and the ability to overlook those ugly vines as they grow.
So I guess its potato soup for dinner then???

Our biggest and smallest pick this year, with a lemon for size reference.

Mr. Big Stuff

2011-09-06T15:25:00.000-04:00

Today was Eli's first real day of preschool, without his mommy by his side in the class. And as it probably is for every single parent, it was bittersweet for me to get him ready this morning. I mean, I know its just preschool, but its still my first taste of sending one of my babies out of the nest and into the world for 3 hours a day, two days a week. And selfishly, I love having him at home with me during the day and I don't like to give him up to anybody. He is my buddy and although he's a handful of mischievousness, I wouldn't trade him for the best behaved 3 year-old in the world. That would just be boring.

He really didn't want to go today and was so anxious and upset about it that I almost caved and let him crawl back into bed with me so we could cry about it together. But thankfully, the mom sensibilities in me kicked in and I knew that we had to face this day sooner or later, so we might as well just rip off that band-aid quickly.

My mom came to our house so that she could drive Eli to school in her big white van-which he thinks is the greatest treat ever-and I followed behind her with Norah. Whatever she said to him in the car during that 5 minute trip must have been really good because he hopped out of the car and marched down the hallway to his class without a single tear or complaint. And I didn't even cry when he forgot to hug me good-bye and walked right over to meet his new friends without so much as glancing over his shoulder.

And when we came back to pick him up he was all smiles and excitement and all the nerves of the morning were long forgotten. We took him out for his promised ice-cream cone and enjoyed listening to him tell us all about his first day as a big kid. When we asked which little classmate was his favorite he said "Grandfather was really very nice." John and I looked at each other completely lost and although we asked him to repeat the name several times, he stuck with grandfather and seemed very pleased about it. So, there you have it I guess.

A few pictures from the morning:

I am amazed that he is smiling in these because it was all tears and

pouting leading up to this moment

Norah also wanted her turn in the chair with the backpack.

Such a supportive little sister

My big 3 year old boy

Thanks for dropping me off at school Grandma!

Last minute nerves= a b-line straight to the restrooms on the way to class.

Norah checking to make sure he's okay in there

The Outer Banks 2011

2011-09-04T21:50:00.000-04:00

We just returned home from our annual Costello family vacation to the Outer Banks in NC. The trip was nearly spoiled by its collision with hurricane Irene, but thankfully, she only set us back a few days rather than ruining things altogether. And I mean really, in this massive family of 27, we are probably a pretty close match of sheer determination and brute strength to that hurricane. And one way or another, I was pretty sure we'd find a way to spend our vacation all together.

Our high hopes of enjoying a leisurely flight down were traded for cancelled flights and rushing to pack the car last minute to make the 12 hour trek down and arrive in time to get into our house as soon as the evacuation orders were lifted. The kids were troopers and we pumped them full of snacks and DVD movies along the way until they cried for mercy.

Despite it being a shortened vacation, we couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather or a more perfect house to fit our large family comfortably. The kids played so great together and watching them dig and shovel sand on the beach while I lounged on a chair and read my book felt like paradise. It was actually relaxing this year because we didn't have an infant and both kids were pretty independent and happy to sit in the sand for hours on end and entertain themselves. And it helped that they had their choice of 11 other cousins to play with.

It is quite remarkable to me that in a family of this size, everyone really does like each other, and it really is possible to spend a week together without any arguing or power-struggles, back-biting or bad-mouthing. I know its probably not normal and that our family is so blessed by God to be able to get along so well. It still amazes me every year though when I think about it.

I took over 300 pictures this year, although about 25 of those were taken by Eli of random objects in our room when he would play with the camera at night instead of sleep. John said that people might wonder if we have two children instead of one since I took so many shots of Norah, but I couldn't help myself because of her cuteness. So here are some of my favorites and in no particular order. I also realized that I didn't do a very good job of capturing all of our extended family members, or really most of our extended family members. Sorry about that. It was a much larger group than these pictures would imply.

Thank you so much mom and dad Costello for financing this amazing trip and bringing us all together under one roof for such a great vacation. You guys are so generous and we do not take it for granted! You have raised some pretty spectacular kids and I am a lucky girl to have been welcomed into your big, loving family.

Papa learned how to make a fast friend by sharing his ice-cream sandwich

Building and digging in progress

The future star of Blue Crush 3. All we need is the surfboard

The seagulls got wind of the kid's snack-time pretty quickly

A day at the beach and the view of our house from the back

"Seas and Quackers"

Family photo night on the beach-

All the Costello cousins

Naptime snuggles with daddy

Taking Shayden and Eli crabbing on the beach at night

Got one!

Because they're supposed to be the best in the Outer Banks

Kristen and Lincoln enjoying the sunshine

Out for ice-cream on our last night

All the Costello cousins, minus baby Hunter

Am I making myself clear?

2011-08-18T14:28:00.002-04:00

In honor of my birthday today, a video staring 2 of my favorite people that I'm lucky to be celebrating the day with.

We're going camping now we're on our way...

2011-08-10T14:37:00.000-04:00

If you were born into a Christian home in the 80's, and grew up watching Psalty The Singing Songbook VHS tapes in the early 90's as I did, then you are probably singing along with me to the above tune that is playing in my head as I write this. Who didn't love the camping episode, it was a classic!

Anyway, last weekend we went on a short camping adventure with all of John's siblings, spouses, and children to Delaware State park for a night of "roughing it" in the Ohio wilderness. We brought Eli along and left Norah with her great-grandparents because we weren't at all curious how fun it would be to sleep in a tent with a 1 year old. We enjoyed a beautiful day Saturday boating, hanging out at the beach, and only being responsible for a single child. Eli soaked up the time with his cousins and was a sweaty, dirt-covered maniac the entire length of our trip.

Saturday night we enjoyed torrential rainstorms while we slept-some of which leaked under my corner of the tent-and took turns peeling Eli's sweaty body off us as he insisted on sleeping on top of us despite the stifling heat of a muggy August night. We learned that our two-man tent really is only for 2 men and that its time to upgrade to something bigger. I can't say I got much sleep, but it was fun family memory and I'm really glad we went.

We were up at the crack of dawn Sunday morning and had the car packed with our wet-muddy gear by 7:30am heading straight to the nearest Bob Evans for some delicious greasy food.

Can't wait till next year and for Norah Dee to join in on the fun.

The boys: Max, Gabe, Eli, and Shayden....all shoveling handfuls of Cheetos into their mouths

Our tiny tent that is really cozy for two, and really crowded for 3

Enjoying the hillbilly street festival put on by the park Saturday night

Notice Eli's feet off the ground? These boys danced till they dropped

Abby, Sam, Gabe, Jen, and Max

Nothing better than a gooey s'more by the fire

Gabe and Ron roasting marshmallows

Breakfast at Bob Evans early Sunday morning

Never the cheap date, I upgraded from regular ole' coffee to this delicious 400 calorie latte'

Of course we made sure Eli ordered something healthy to eat

Summertime Fun

2011-08-02T14:48:00.000-04:00

The month of July in the Costello household has been busy with a side of crazy. For 5 weeks we hosted a French teen named Agathe in our home, and I served as her tour guide of Columbus, surrogate (way too young to have a teenager) mom, and gateway to the all-American lifestyle. Although I (thankfully) don't live the life of a Desperate Housewife on Wisteria lane, which is what Agathe told me she was expecting to experience when I picked her up from the airport, I can be a bit desperate at times and I too have been known to romance the good-looking landscaper, who just happens to be my husband.

We enjoyed having Agathe here with us and I think life in the States really suited her as well. She took quickly to drive-thrus, ice-cream, and fresh smoothies for breakfast. And even though my life really isn't a 24-hour a day fun factory as she might think, we tried to give her as many cool experiences as we could and spoil her with the best American hospitality we could offer.

During the last two weeks of Agathe's stay, my sister Sarah and her family came for a visit from France. The time went much too quickly, but we packed in as many activities as we could and had so much fun with them here. We did lots of swimming, shopping, talking, eating, and laughing. We went boating, ziplining, wine tasting, zoo visiting, fountain playing, movie watching, and concert hopping. I didn't always have my camera with me but I managed to catch a few memories of their time here. Saying good-bye to the Hoblet family on Saturday morning was really hard because there isn't a "next time" planned yet for when we will see them again. But I am thankful that we got to have two weeks with them and the kids. We miss them already.

So these pictures are random and out of order but I wanted to post them before I forget.

Boating on Alum Creek

Annual Girl's Slumber Party with Callie and Lily

Westerville's Summer Concert Series: British Invasion concert

Riding bikes and eating dessert at Grams and Gramp's house

Fun in the pool at Grandma Jan and Papa Bob's house

Kid's day at the Columbus Commons

Cheering on the kids at Genoa Township's first annual 1K kid's race

Taking all the cousins to see the Cars 2 movie at Easton

Playing and picnicking at the Bicentennial Park fountains

Columbus Clipper's Baseball game

And just for fun, my whole-lot-of-sassy, makes me laugh all day long, sweet baby Norah.

Not to be outdone by last year's ponies...

2011-07-18T22:11:00.000-04:00

In case you were wondering, Grandma and Papa's house is still the coolest place to visit in the summertime. Remember last year's pony parade in the backyard? Well once again, my sister Sarah and her family are visiting from France for 2 weeks, and once again, my mom is putting on quite a party for the kids. Today, her and my Grams hired the famed Columbus "Turtle Lady" who puts on shows for libraries, schools, and groups of kids all over town, to come over and give a private show for the kids. I don't even know her name because she introduced herself as 'The Turtle Lady', but she was amazing. She brought tons of turtles, snakes, geckos, and frogs for the kids to pet, poke at, and feed. She was animated, funny, and astoundingly kept 7 toddlers, and a slew of older kids captivated in their seats while she taught them about her reptiles. It was so precious to watch the kid's faces as they watched her with the animals. What a special treat today was. Can't wait to see what Grandma plans for next summer :)

I hope you like zucchini bread...

2011-07-17T21:41:00.000-04:00

As per the usual this time of year, our garden is producing a plethora of larger than life zucchini faster than we can eat them. And I only planted one seedling this season, because I learned last year that planting 4 only makes sense if you are trying to supply the local grocery store. Eli is my little gardening buddy and his favorite part is picking the veggies when they're ready... and sometimes when they aren't but he just can't help himself. I love to watch him pop the warm cherry tomatoes straight into his mouth and see the juices dripping off his chin.

And now I have to scour the Internet for 100 recipes involving zucchini. Zucchini pancakes anyone?

Do you want fries with that?

2011-07-05T08:33:00.000-04:00

Is what my parents always said we'd be saying for a living if we didn't study hard and go to college. Its kind of ironic now that they're the ones who've purchased a food concession business and are traveling the state serving fried food to America's finest. Friday was Red, White & Boom, Columbus' annual fireworks spectacular downtown. So John and I as well as Chris and Rebecca and some friends of ours from our Bible study all signed up to work the event with my parents. My parents own two trailers. One serves ice-cream, frozen chocolate bananas, and root-beer floats. The other serves fried delights and lemon shake-ups. Its a big operation. Rebecca and I lucked out getting assigned to the cold trailer with my mom while the boys were sweating it out with the hot grease of the fried one. It was a perfect day for the event and the crowds were were out in full force. Nothing says God Bless America quite like 2 year-olds walking around swigging 20oz of Mountain Dew, large teethless women hanging out of teeny-tiny bikini tops, and more kids on leashes than you'd typically see at the animal shelter. We enjoyed a lot of laughs in our trailer and met a lot of great people who will be burned in my memory for a long time. We served food from 11am until 11:30pm and people were still trying to buy things from us as we were cleaning up. And I have to give proper kudos to my parents for the massive amount of work that goes into preparing for and cleaning up from for these events. I don't think my dad went to bed that night until close to 4am. It is not for the faint of heart. Enjoy a few pictures from the day.

Rebecca and I early morning getting things ready

My dad and John, on the job since 6:15am

Frozen chocolate banana? Hand-dipped before your eyes, might I add.

The ice-cream trailer, just killing time

My cute mom. Doesn't she fit the part perfectly?

John and Chris peeling onions pre-event. Someone's gotta do the dirty work

The fried-trailer crew. These guys were slammed for hours and did an awesome job

Happy Independence Day!!

Happy Birthday Agathe!

2011-06-23T21:08:00.001-04:00

When I think of a perfect summer night it involves 3 things: breezy warm weather, a leisurely evening walk, and Graeter's Ice Cream. Tonight was one of those nights.

For the next several weeks we have the privelage of hosting a French student in our home named Agathe who arrived from Toulon, France last night. She is a dear friend of my sister Sarah's and is so excited to be in America for the very first time. Today is Agathe's 15th birthday and we wanted her to feel extra special, especially since she is thousands of miles away from her family and friends. We took her out for some American pizza at one of our favorite places, got her a few gifts, and finished off the night with the best ice-cream (I think) in the world. Agathe was wide-eyed and delighted as she experienced American hospitality at its finest with unlimited drink refills, attentive and friendly waiters, and even a free dessert just because she was from France and our waitress thought that was really cool. She couldn't believe that we were allowed to take home the left-over pizza in a box as this is unheard of in France. She was also amazed by the jar of free mints for the taking on the way out the door. I guess sometimes its the small things that make our country the best in the world.

I think Agathe really enjoyed her birthday. She told me on the way home that she felt special and loved her first day in America.

Does Norah like ice cream?

I'm gonna go with yes

Can you tell that Eli is just a bit enamored by the cute blonde living in our home?

Such a good big brother

And Norah's post ice cream face one more time

This boy loves his ice cream as much as his mama

Happy 15th Agathe! Thanks for sharing it with us

5 Years Baby!

2011-06-13T23:24:00.001-04:00

This Friday will be our 5 year anniversary. We celebrated a little early and planned a fun "stay-cation" around town without the kiddos. Thanks to my parents and grandparents, we got to have two whole nights to ourselves. We dropped the kids off Saturday night and, after meeting up with friends for a quick celebratory happy graduation drink for John's cousin Brit, headed home to pack our bags. Sunday we left early, grabbing breakfast and coffee on the way, and drove to King's Island. Now, don't snicker, I know an amusement park is not your typical romantic destination. But for all of our 4 prior anniversaries, I have either been pregnant, or recovering from childbirth and we had to take it easy. So we wanted to do something different and carefree this year. And on a nostalgic note, the first time I can remember falling for John was on a chaperoned friend's trip to Cedar Point the summer between our 7th and 8th grade year. I asked him then what he wanted to be when he grew up and he told me, "maybe a trucker," and yet somehow I still found him irresistible.

I surprised John by hacking a pair of old jeans into cut-off shorts for our special occasion and we were off to hit the coasters. Let me tell you, we had such a great time. Nothing makes you feel like a kid faster then flying through the air at 60 miles an hour screaming at the top of your lungs. We enjoyed a half empty park and quick lines and complete freedom from schedules. We did not remember experiencing such severe whiplash on the rides when we were 14, but that was the only thing that made us feel old.

We had originally planned to stay at the park through dinner and then drive back to our hotel downtown. But by 4pm we had ridden all the big rides, thanks to the short lines, and were ready to head back to Columbus. We upgraded our dinner plans from chicken on a stick, to Hyde Park in the city. Only problem was, we didn't pack any nice clothes, and we thought the restaurant might frown upon my cut-offs and John's bathing suit. So we stopped at the outlet malls on our way back into town and split up for 30 minutes so we could each purchase a presentable outfit to wear to dinner. I felt slightly like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, except instead of Rodeo Drive, I was at the Banana Republic... factory store....scouring the clearance rack. Same difference really.

With outfits in tow, we drove to the Westin hotel downtown and checked in. The concierge found a note in our reservation that we were celebrating our anniversary and she quickly upgraded our room to a Junior King Suite. Giddy, we headed up to shower and get ready for our late dinner out. Just as we were getting ready to leave the room, there was a knock on our door and another concierge delivered us a complimentary plate of chocolate-covered strawberries, champagne on ice, and a card signed by all the hotel staff. Now how's that for customer service?

Dinner at Hyde Park was delicious and fancy, and we tried not to scream when the bill came. I had our waiter box up all the leftovers just on principle, and then realizing we had no place to keep them cold, threw them away on our walk back to the car. It was a fun splurge on a place we'd always wanted to eat at someday.

Monday we slept in as late as you can sleep in once you have kids, which is 8am, and then finished off our stay-cation with breakfast on the patio at the Northstar Cafe. I finally got to try their famed praline scone, which lived up to every bit of it's best-scone-ever reputation. Just sitting at that restaurant is an ego boost because you are surrounded by trendy, artsy, cool people who assume you must be one of them.

We both agreed that this was our favorite anniversary celebration so far. It was the perfect mix of fun and romance and brought those old 7th grade heart-throb feelings right on back.

Costello Pool Rules:

2011-06-06T15:47:00.000-04:00

1. No throwing
2. If you must carry water out of the pool, be a dear and use it to water mommy's flowers
3. Splash others with caution, they will have the right to reciprocate
4. Clothing is optional, but use of the slide in your altogether is at your own risk
5. No potty in the pool.
6. Kindly keep it to yourself if you forget #5.
7. Drinks are on the house, snacks may incur an extra fee.

Amish Country

2011-06-02T22:16:00.000-04:00

Yesterday the kids and I headed to Millersburg, OH to visit Amish Country with our Wednesday morning playgroup. It was our first official playgroup field-trip and we loaded up the cars with 4 mommies (gripping tightly to our saving-grace Starbucks coffees) and our 8 children ages 4 and under. The drive was a little over 2 hours, and since the air-conditioning in my Jeep is on the fritz, I had to drive the whole way with the windows down and the highway noise blaring in. On the upside, the scenery all the way there was beautiful rolling farms, rich greenery, and tons of uber-stinky farm animals that delighted the kids. On the downside, I didn't listen to any music because I couldn't hear it over the wind, Eli was sure he could be heard over the noise if he just kept raising the volume of his voice, and I arrived at our first stop with a sweaty back and sunburned left arm. But I was feeling more Amish already as they certainly can't crank up the AC in their buggies.

We went to a working Amish Farm and were able to take a tour of the houses, the barns, the school, and the grounds. The parts of the tour I heard were quite fascinating and being that our guide was born and raised Amish herself, she really knew her stuff. However, I spent most of the tour stepping outside or rushing off with my screaming Norah who was flailing against me in the Ergo and desperately overdue for a nap. Not until we were lead into the irresistibly smelling kitchen filled with cookies and sweets for sale at the end of the tour did she perk up and decide to settle down for a few bites of cinnamon roll.

The boys loved visiting all the animals in the barn and got to pet goats, sheep, pigs, puppies, kittens, horses, and baby bunnies. Eli especially loved all the liters of puppies that seemed to be coming out of every corner, and he snatched up a few of the slower ones for a little bit of toddler lovin.'

We took a buggy ride with a nice man with very long beard and I was thankful that Eli didn't make any comments about his facial hair. He did stare at him a little too long and told him that his horse was stinky, but that's not so bad. You'd be surprised at how nice of a breeze you pick up going at a good pace in the those buggies. It was not nearly as hot as it looks when you pass them on the road and feel sorry for them.

After our time at the farm we drove to a big Amish store and enjoyed cheese sampling and perusing of delicious down-on-the-farm treats, trying to remain calm as our children tried to pull down dozens of rows of spices into the isles. At this point we were starting to feel majorly out-numbered, or at least I did. The children were growing more devious by the nano-second and the tears and tantrums were kicking into high gear. We made the wise decision to call it a day and save the last part of our Amish tour for another time.

Eli and Norah were asleep within the first 10 minutes of getting in the car and I drove the rest of the way in a hot, relative silence, as the wind whipped through the car and I hummed along to the tunes of road.

It was a fun day with great friends. I always tell myself that even though these activities take so much effort and planning and stress, I will not let myself regret going on a fun adventure with my children. These are the memories that turn life into living. And I know when I remember them, it wont be the stressful parts.

*please excuse the poor quality of these photos. Along with my car, my camera is also on the fritz since my France trip. Apparently its not a great idea to stick an open bottle of water and a camera in the same bag at the same time. Who knew?

A Week in France

2011-05-15T22:28:00.004-04:00

I think I have finally gotten hold of my jet-lag enough to write this post .....

Last week my sister Kim and I traveled to France for a once-in-a-lifetime sister's trip abroad. Our other sister Sarah is stationed in the city of Toulon for 3 years while her husband works with the French Navy in an exchange program. We left our 5 children at home with their Grandparents and Great-Grandparents and boarded the plane footloose and fancy-free. Now an 8 hour plane ride might seem like a drag to most people, but to us, it was a luxurious 8 hours of peace & quiet, snoozing, and getting to eat several ~~delicious~~ palatable in-flight meals without anyone whining or stealing the dessert. They even give you free wine on international flights, which just made me feel extra special.

We spent 5 days touring around the coastal area where Sarah lives and enjoyed the fabulous markets, the bakeries, and the beautiful Mediterranean sea. We took a challenging bike ride on an island that I will never remember the name of and had a picnic on the beach. I tried as many kinds of pastries as was socially acceptable and we enjoyed a pace of life that was slow and easy. I loved getting to spend time with my niece and nephew and hear Lily speak in her perfectly fluent French. Did I mention how beautiful it is there? There are breathtaking views of the mountains and an ocean so blue it looks fake.

For our last 3 days we hopped on a train and headed to Paris which is a 4 hour ride from Toulon. I always pictured Paris being the size of New York City so I was overwhelmed at how enormous the city is. We tried walking it and then decided halfway through day 1 that we'd be a lot smarter by purchasing hop-on hop-off tour bus tickets. It was a good decision. We went all over and saw lots of cool things. My favorites were the Notre Dame, The Eiffel Tower at night, Champs Elysses, and the Louvre (although we didn't actually go inside any of the museums, but it was massive and impressive from the outside). I was shocked by how expensive everything was and had to make multiple trips to the ATM as my money kept running out. I loved eating meals at little sidewalk cafes and people watching all the trendy Parisians who made my regret all of my clothing choices. The architecture is amazing and the old history of the city fascinating, but the best part of Paris was just having uninterrupted quality time with my sisters. We didn't have much of an agenda and we didn't have kids, and we just got to enjoy being together. There were lots of laughs and great memories made and that's what made the trip so fun. You should definitely go to Paris sometime if you get the chance. Its just an 8 hour plane ride away :)

Here are some memories of our time...

Gourmet olives for sale at the local market in Toulon

Dessert? Yes please! A selection of treats from the bakery

Shopping at a market in the cute town of Hyeres

Phil came home! Enjoying some French ice-cream

Look how beautiful this place is? This is that island we biked on

Our picnic on the beach

Getting ready to board the train for Paris

The Notre Dame

This chocolate mouse was the BEST, creamiest most delicious I've ever tasted

Our double-decker tour bus that saved our feet and gave us a great view of the city

The Hotel De Invalides and Napoleons tomb

Delicious dinner at a cafe by the Eiffel Tower

Sunset at the Eiffel tower just before we headed up to the top

The Arc De Triomphe

"The Thinker" statue by artist Rodin

Touring the beautiful gardens at the Rodin Museum

I loved these adorable flower shops that lined the streets in Paris

Yes, even Starbucks is big in Paris. We were thankful for their kind customer service and lovely bathrooms

The Louvre Museum, its just massive

We searched over an hour for this little Fallafel restaurant that supposedly had the best Fallafels around. It was worth it, they were so yummy.

On our last night we went to the base of the Eiffle tower to get a fresh crepe and watch the tower "sparkle" with thousands of glittering lights, which it does for the first 5 minutes of every hour.

Mmmm good!

This picture does not even almost capture the sparkling, but its the best I could get.

And a big thank you to my wonderful husband for managing work and the getting the kids where they needed to be every day while I was gone. You are the best! And thanks mom and dad and my sister-in-laws for watching and loving on my babies during the day. I owe you all big time!

Happy Birthday Norah!

2011-05-01T13:53:00.003-04:00

Today Norah is officially one year old. Can you tell that this child has just a bit of a personality?

Norah's Birth Story

We knew we were having a girl with our second baby. John honored my wish to be surprised the first time around and in return, I agreed to find out the gender for #2. I couldn't wait to wrap my arms around our baby girl. My due date was April 24th and I had a feeling she wouldn't be arriving anytime early so I didn't get my hopes up for an early reprieve from my pregnancy.
Having an unmedicated water birth was a huge goal for me with this delivery. Although I absolutely believe it is healthier for a baby to be born without drugs, I can't honestly say this was the only driving force behind my decision. The truth is, I wanted the challenge; to face the pain of birth and see if I could survive it like the amazon woman I always wish I could be. And as a bonus, not paying an anesthesiologist would save our bank account $2500 as well (a fact that I warned John not to even hint at in the delivery room should I change my mind and beg for that epidural). John and I briefly talked about doing a home-birth, and then quickly dismissed the idea as a little too frightening for us. We talked about hiring a doula (birthing coach) to come to the house and talk me through the pain, and then quickly dismissed that idea once we learned how much those cost. In the end, our entire birth plan hinged on the information in a 1984 book I borrowed from the library called Husband Coached Childbirth, written by the famed Dr. Robert Bradley, inventor of the Bradley Method of Birth. I read it like it was the Gospel and John skimmed a few chapters and was satisfied that he got the main idea. And that's a guy for you.
April 24th came and went as did the 25th, 26th, 27th, 28th, and 29th with nothing to report. On Friday the 30th we got up in the morning and went to check out some garage sales in neighboring developments and did lots of walking. I was getting a little desperate and a lot discouraged at this point but nothing cheers me up quite like scoring a sweet toy for a quarter so we pressed on. The day passed and again, nothing. Friday night my sister Rebecca invited me to join her for dinner at Brio's so I could get out of the house for a while. During dinner I started feeling some pretty strong tightening that was painless, but lengthy, and I had to stop and catch my breath a few times. I brushed it off even though it persisted as we walked through the mall and enjoyed some ice cream before we left to go home. I didn't want to get my hopes up yet or say anything to Rebecca about it.
At 10pm I was still feeling funny and I told John I was going to take a little walk around the neighborhood to see if I could figure out what was going on. It was pitch black but Buckeye trotted along faithfully beside me and I remember that walk being so perfectly peaceful as I prayed and paused for a contraction and then prayed some more. God really spoke courage into my heart during during that 30 minutes that I didn't have before and I knew that I had the strength to do this.
At 11pm I was positive that I was in labor. I told John to crawl in bed and get some rest, thinking it would be a long night, only to yell "how could you be sleeping when I'm dying over here!!" 10 minutes later (sorry babe) when I realized things were getting intense way too quickly and I needed him to start recording the contractions. John got the watch and started writing and timing while I tried unsuccessfully to get comfortable. I went from the birthing ball to the bath to the bed to the bath to the floor to wandering around aimlessly to the bath. We had worship music playing quietly and I kind of kept to myself as I tried to deal with the pain that was overwhelming me. I talked several times on the phone to my midwife who was very reassuring and kept telling me that she didn't think I needed to come in yet, but that I would know when it was time. At 2am, when the contractions were coming every 2-3 minutes I started to panic and we called John's mom and told her it was time to come over and stay with Eli. She arrived in what seemed like a minute and we left for the hospital somewhere around 2:30. The drive to the hospital was crazy hard. I seriously thought I was going to deliver our daughter on Cleveland Ave as we managed to hit every red light.

By the time we got back to triage the nurse checked me and I was 8-9cm. I was quickly rushed into delivery where I promptly began begging to get into the water. There was some mandatory monitoring for 15 minutes which seemed an eternity and then they filled the tub for me. It was an amazing relief, but momentary because I knew I had to start pushing, which is what terrified me the most.
At 3:28am, less than 35 minutes after arriving at the hospital, Norah Dee was born. My midwife, Emily, who kindly mentioned after-the-fact that this was her first ever water delivery was wonderful, and she laid Norah right on my chest and let me hold her as long as I wanted. It was incredible and I am so thankful for the whole experience and that John was by my side throughout it. Although I'm not sure I'm cut out to be an amazon woman because without the help of modern medicine (3 Pitocin injections and finally an IV) I may have hemorrhaged to death following the birth. Thank the Lord we opted out of that home-birth.
I called my mom at 3:45 and she was there within 20 minutes along with my sister Rebecca who was so sweet to come in the middle of the night to meet miss Norah. And we enjoyed the rest of our hospital stay as if we were on vacation in the Hamptons. 1 baby, around the clock nurses, fresh ice-water delivered with the push of a button, a remote control bed... these are the things that you cherish with your second delivery.

Dear Norah,

I have always dreamed about having a daughter of my own and I still pinch myself sometimes when I see your sweet face when you wake up in the morning. You are so silly and have such a huge personality at 1 year old. This keeps us laughing and also secretly terrifies us for what is to come as you grow. I love all the funny faces you make to ensure that we're clear on how you feel about certain things and the way that you growl, grunt, and scream to express your opinion. I love how you look up to your brother already, following him around like he is greatest thing in the world. You are a beautiful baby girl and we can't wait to see how you grow and change during this next year. We love you so much!
Happy 1st birthday,
Mommy

Party Time!

2011-04-25T20:19:00.001-04:00

This weekend we had a co-birthday party for Eli and Norah since their birthdays fall only 10 days apart from each other. We had planned to have the whole thing outside so the kids could run around and burn off energy and the adults could christen the new deck with the first party, but unfortunately incessant rain kept us all cooped up indoors. We had 20 adults and 14 children here and that is only counting immediate family members, my friends. We are more than blessed to have such a large, loving family to dote on our children and make them feel special always, and extra special on their big days. I wanted to share a few of my favorite pictures from the party. Thank you Chris and Rebecca for snapping these photos while I ran around in a blur of hosting activity.

Happy Birthday Eli!

2011-04-21T08:22:00.001-04:00

Today Eli is 3 years old. Its the weirdest thing because last night when I kissed him goodnight he was only 2, and today he woke-up a whole year older. He asked me this morning, "mom are you sad that I'm not your baby anymore? Cause' Jesus can make you happy." Am I that transparent?

I keep a baby book for each of the kids. Eli's is a scrapbook that I lovingly and painstakingly spent hours creating; cutting up dozens of cutesy papers with fancy scissors and working hard to coordinate each page with a theme. As you can probably guess, I got a little smarter when Norah came along and purchased a ready made baby book that just has fill-in-the-blank questions and "place photo here" spots. I'm really not a big fan of either option because I forgot to write down most of Eli's baby milestones in his book and Norah's skips around and has a way-too-unorganized layout for this organizationally obsessive mind. And neither of them have a place for me to write down the Birth Day story. So, I thought I would take a few minutes on each of their birthdays this year to write down those moments that I don't want to forget, just in case in 10 years when one of them asks me "what time was I born mom?" I wont have to say something like "uh, mid morning honey."
So please feel free to stop reading here.... heck I probably would if I weren't the star of this story.
Just kidding, I was only the co-star.

Eli's Birth Story

I was induced at 39 weeks due to low amniotic fluid. We had to be at the hospital at 5am on April 21st , 2008 to get the induction process going. I was so nervous but more than excited to find out if we were having a girl or a boy because we were going to be surprised. If we had a girl her name was going to be Faith and our boy name was Elijah. We had a really peaceful day in our hospital room reading and napping and visiting with the occasional visitor who stopped in. Things just went really smoothly. I got my epidural early and felt nothing except for the rare pressure of a hard contraction, which was painless. My L&D nurse was actually a friend I graduated from nursing school with and she was 8 months pregnant also and just amazing to us. I was sneaking bites of Cheez-its throughout the day because I was starving and forbidden from eating anything except popsicles until after the birth. Please people, is that really necessary?John was paranoid about me breaking the rules and was getting on me that we were going to get caught, but after I shot him a look with the evil eye he backed right off and let me to enjoy my crackers. At 4:45pm I was ready to start pushing and things went quickly from there. At 5:06pm I was holding my son in my arms. I'll never forget the moment when John looked at the baby and announced to me "Its a boy!" You just couldn't beat the sound of pride in his voice and I cherish that moment so. I'll never forget that the song When We All Get To Heaven by Carmen happened to be playing on our ipod as I was pushing, and our doctor walked in the room and said "Hey, what a great tune" as he began to hum along. I'll never forget that the first thing I begged for and promptly scarfed down not an hour after birth was a #1 combo from Wendys with a large Diet Coke, and then immediately regretted it. I'll never forget that moment at 3am in the hospital trying to figure out how to feed my baby, when the reality of exhaustion, overwhelming responsibility, and fear crashed into me like a 10 ton truck and I began to weep. The sweet night nurse sat with me for a while and reassured me that yes, these feelings were normal, and yes, I was going to be a great mom. She was such a Godsend that woman. And the rest is history...

Dear Eli,

Happy 3rd birthday my little man! Although its so hard to choose just one, I think my favorite quality about you is your tender heart. Even at 3, you are compassionate and care so much for others and I am very proud of that in you. I know that God has something really special planned for a gentle heart like yours, and I pray that we can continue to foster and grow this within you. Your laugh is infectious and your joy brings smiles to all those who know you. More than anything, I pray that you will grow to love Jesus and live your life unashamed for Him. Our God is a big God, so keep on dreaming big. Anything is possible for your life.
Kisses,
Mommy

Hop Hop Hop

2011-04-17T22:05:00.000-04:00

This weekend, while John and I enjoyed a lovely adult get-away to Indianapolis for a friend's wedding, my sister and brother-in-law graciously kept our children for us. Thank you Kim and Kevin! While there, Eli apparently became fascinated by the fact that his cousin Callie, who is 4, knows how to hop on one foot. And he's been trying to hop around the house ever since we got home. His heart is definitely in it, but unfortunately those major muscle motor skills just haven't fully developed yet. We have just been laughing our heads off around here watching his attempts.

Is it possible?

2011-04-14T17:55:00.000-04:00

Dare we get our hopes up? Could spring finally here?

I hear birds chirping at my window every morning...

I smell fresh cut grass as lawn mowers fire up all over the neighborhood...

I see kids playing outside with flip-flops on and no winter coats...

I feel dirt on my fingers as I plant (and re-plant) my vegetable seeds in their tiny pots....

And I pray that I have tucked my bulky winter boots to the far corner of the closet for the Very. Last. Time.

Mix Master

2011-04-04T14:04:00.002-04:00

If I ever come across a genie in a bottle I already know that one of my wishes will be for a soundtrack to accompany my life. That there will always be music playing in perfect tune with the highs and lows of my day. I'd wish for that, and a personal hair and make-up stylist to be waiting for me in my bathroom every morning so I can drink coffee and catch up on the latest ~~US Weekly~~ current events. Ahh, it would be grand.

A few weeks ago when I was knee-deep in repainting the office, I found my collection of CD's stashed away underneath our desk. When I put the room back together, instead of replacing them there, I stuck them in my car so I could listen to all of my old favorites. And ever since, every drive I take has become a trip down memory lane. Before Ipods and MP3 players were all the rage, I used to pride myself on making a mean mixed CD. I made them for myself, for my friends, and for my sisters. Music is totally therapy for me so I have mixes made to cover every emotion and for every occasion. For example, the short list of CD titles includes...

The Feel Better Mix (aka the break-up mix)

Songs to Cry With

Ride to Work Mix

The Long Drive Home Mix

Party Mix

Morning Mix

Morning Mix Vol 2

Pure Country Lovin' Mix

Alum Creek Mix

Praise and Worship Vol 1, 2, 3, and 4 mix

Songs that Make me Happy Mix

Cool-down Mix

Date Night Mix

I love Celine Mix

God Bless America Mix

Random Mix

Love Songs

Love Songs Vol 2

Love Songs Vol 3

Ultimate Love Songs mix

Angry Mix

Running Mix

Rachel Mix

Rachel's Awesome Pop Mix

Oldies But Goodies Mix

And the list goes on and on and on. I love how you can not hear a favorite song for 10 years and yet when you hear it again you remember every single word to perfection, even the extra
"yeah's" and "uh-huhs". And it takes you right back to the time when that song really meant something to you and you can remember all those emotions again like it was yesterday. I cannot listen to the Dixie Chicks Wide Open Spaces CD without remembering how much I loved driving to high school with my sisters, blasting our music and stopping at McDonald's to get Cappuccinos and breakfast burritos on the way. Or when Aerosmith croons I don't Want To Miss A Thing I am 18 again watching Armageddon with John and he's telling me he loves me for the first time so unexpectedly. And even with those first few beats of Lose Yourself, (the one and only Eminem song that I have ever liked) I can see myself pounding the pavement, running the mile loop around the UC campus again and again while I trained for my first marathon and played this song on repeat so I wouldn't quit. I don't think I would have completed it without that song. And I still get goosebumps when I play the mix of our wedding music and I remember how it felt to stand there with my dad and see John so overcome with emotion waiting for me at the end of the isle and the beginning of our new life. Music is powerful, at least it is to me. I used to tell John when we were dating,"If you want to know what kind of mood I'm in, just pay attention to the mix I'm listening to." And I think that still holds true today.

Happy 11 Months Norah!

2011-04-01T07:24:00.000-04:00

I cannot believe we are only one month away from Norah's birthday.Wasn't I just praying that I would go into labor like 5 minutes ago?

As we suspected, Norah is starting to walk now and venture out on her feet. She's really been gaining confidence in the past few days and is just as pleased as punch with herself when she manages to maneuver a short distance. She spends her days cruising around the walls of the house saying "mama mama mama" and cracks herself up with every new noise she figures out how to make. She is a great sleeper, a fantastic eater, and is looking more like John every day. She cries every time I run upstairs to get something, so even though she may look nothing like me, I certainly know she loves her mama. What a joyful baby girl, we are so blessed!

A few walking tidbits...

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie

2011-03-21T13:26:00.004-04:00

Have you ever read this book? It used to be one of my favorites. I have vivid memories of sitting cross-legged on the floor at our Carousel Ct. house in front of the built-in oak bookshelves reading this book over and over to myself. Now there are lots of other versions about giving a pig a pancake, a moose a muffin, ect, but, like all things original... this one is the best.

Whenever I start a home project, I usually end up thinking about this book because I find myself being the mouse, who starts with one objective (getting a cookie), which leads to another and another and another and another until that poor little boy is exhausted by this mouse. Not to imply that John is the little boy, because this mouse is perfectly happy to tackle those projects all by herself (with the exception of a little heavy lifting here and there).

My latest project started with one objective, to purchase curtains for our office. This part was easy. I found these curtains at World Market, loved them, and proudly brought them home to hang them up.

Problem: the curtains were too short by 9 inches. Easy fix, I will just return them for the longer length. Negative. These curtains only come in one size. Which leads me to project #2: To lengthen the drapes. I went in search of an exact match of the color and lucked out with a $10 tablecloth from Target that matched perfectly. On to the sewing.

In less than an hour I had drapes that I loved that were also now the right length.

Now I am finished right? Not so much. As I stepped back to admire my lovely new drapes, I couldn't help but notice how they sort of clashed with the paint color in the office. I didn't realize it until the sun was in full-force shining in through the windows, but it was definitely not a very good match. But oh how I loved these drapes. There was really only one solution: To repaint the office. Onto project #3: Paint

I loaded up the kids and headed to Home Depot to pick out some paint samples. I knew I wanted to keep within the green family, but needed something that was less blue-green and more green-green. When we got home I started holding up colors on the walls, on the curtains, and in the hallway just to make sure that everything looked well together. While standing in the hallway, I couldn't help but notice our make-shift coat rack that was overflowing with too many coats on 4 tiny hooks. And I had been wanting to tackle that project sooner or later. I quickly abandoned my painting for the moment and skipped to project #4: To make a larger coat rack for the entryway. I went in search of something in our house already that I could just add hooks to and thus save money with "freecycling". I found the perfect decorative piece hanging in the kitchen and it was just the right size that I needed. I again loaded up the kids and headed to Hobby Lobby to find some cheap hooks that were *Bonus* 50% off that day. Sold! I chose a few different kinds because I like things that look a bit eclectic. I hurried home to complete project #4, which turned out like this.

The only problem with using an existing piece of kitchen art for this project was that I now had 2 holes and a big empty space above our sliding glass door. It just looked way too bare like that. And you guessed it...on to project #5. While at Hobby Lobby I also happened to pick up a replacement decorative item that was also on clearance and just super cheap. I got out my ladder and went about hanging it up. (Not my strong suit, and there may be a few extra holes hiding behind that new picture, maybe.) Now that once bare spot looks like this.

The problem with switching up wall decor is that you're usually left with a few holes that aren't covered up anymore from that old item. Onto project # 6: Patching and repainting those spots.

Once that tediousness was taken care of I went back to tackle project #3 and start painting. I decided on a lovely, fresh shade of green from the Martha Stewart line of paint and got to work. *side note: I would not recommend using this brand of paint, it may be low in VOCs, but it is high in extra hours of labor and took me 3 coats for even coverage.* And that Martha, is NOT "a good thing"

It took me 3 days of painting during naps to finish up this spontaneous little project but I am really happy with the way it turned out. No longer will those clashing colors keep me awake at night. Here is the new office color.

And that is what always happens when you give this mouse a cookie. And the moral of the story is: You can take the girl out of the Johnson family but you can never take the Johnson out of the girl.

Just another day in the life of a rock star...

2011-03-14T08:50:00.000-04:00

A few thoughts on Lent

2011-03-09T08:52:00.000-05:00

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, which is the 40 day period leading up until the celebration of Easter. I love the rich, Biblical tradition of Lent. Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days alone and overcame the temptations of Satan. He was busy preparing his disciples and followers (though they couldn't wrap their minds around it) for what was to come. And how could they understand it? All while He was wrestling in His own heart to accept what He knew was only days away-- the shame of being mocked, the feelings of being completely abandoned, the brutality of dying on a cross, the glory of being resurrected. Its all so overwhelming to me and reminds me how very small my life is.

I'm giving up television and sweets for the next 40 days. I don't write this with hopes of impressing you, but rather as a way to give myself some accountability. The truth is, I love watching TV, but it is so very distracting from the things that I should be doing with my time. I want more of Jesus. I want to walk in the figurative desert with Him for 40 days. While I'm fasting from being mindlessly entertained and indulging my sugar-addiction, I want to feast on the Holy Spirit and climb up in the lap of my Jesus and rest for a while. I need this, I have become so thirsty.

I would love for you to join me in really searching out more of God over these next 40 days, whether you choose to fast from something or not. I am so very thankful that I already know how this story ends, that JESUS IS RISEN! He has already overcome death. What else could we hope for?

Happy 10 Months Norah!

2011-03-03T19:57:00.000-05:00

Miss sassy pants is a girl on the move. She is officially getting into everything from toilets, to trash cans, to bags of sugar in the pantry. I cannot take my eyes off her for more than 2 seconds without wondering what sort of disaster she is on her way to create. Easy going? Get serious! She does love to snuggle and lean in for kisses though when you ask her so we don't mind that shes a tad demanding and loves to wake up at the crack of dawn. I have never met anyone who hates getting PJ's on after a bath like this one. It is all piercing screams and growling as we sweat to dress her as quickly as possible before going deaf. But then she's happy and blowing bubbles again just like that as she jets off to unravel another roll of toilet paper. I'm predicting she will be fully walking by 11 months. Guess we'll have to wait and see...

This ain't Harvard folks

2011-02-18T08:22:00.003-05:00

I always wonder what possesses people to line up in the dark, sometimes in the freezing cold, and spend hours waiting in line for that store to open so they can get their hands on that new phone, or video game, or gadget, that they have to have the second it is released to the public. I just don't get that. I mean, I love me some technology, but not that much. Things I'm willing to stand in line for include amazing bargains (i.e. buy one get TWO free candles from Walgreens the day after Thanksgiving), amusement park rides (love them!), and Graeter's Ice cream. Everything else I prefer to get a much better deal on used from Craigslist. I digress...

This morning began open registration at the preschool we are hoping to enroll Eli in this fall. And we were warned at the open house, that spots for the 3-year-olds go really quickly and we needed to be there right when the doors opened at 7:30am today. John kindly volunteered to take in the paperwork and registration fee so long as I had hot coffee ready for him when he stumbled out the door. Done! I thought it best we play it safe and asked him to get there at 6:30am in order to be first in line and ensure out spot. WRONG! When John arrived he called to let me know that he was 18th in line and there were couples--yes couples who had arranged childcare priorly--who had been camped out since 3am. Did I mention that this is a church preschool? Not even a very big church preschool. Seriously? Apparently the competition is a little more intense than we were aware of.

We wont find out for a couple weeks if he got into the program or not. But if those 3am'ers kids beat him out, well then I think they deserve that. Their parents are way more dedicated to them learning their colors than we will ever be.

Will you be mine?

2011-02-14T09:14:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours. Whether you regard this day as a huge Hallmark scam or the greatest holiday since your birthday, it is a day to tell those around you that you love them, give a few extra hugs and kisses, and just be a bit sweeter than you might normally be. And in my opinion, we should never miss an opportunity to celebrate love, or eat chocolate-covered cherries for breakfast, or buy silly balloons that make the kids feel special. Even if you are cursing in the check-out line at the price of that greeting card.

Happy 9 months Norah Dee!

2011-02-09T22:51:00.004-05:00

I'm late again on this one, but only by a week, which isn't too bad. Norah is continuing to speed through her first year and is now 9 months old already. This is my favorite infant age (rivaled only by the teeny tiny snuggling newborn stage; although the sleep deprivation knocks that to a close second).

Norah is such a sweet and joyful baby. She is mobile and pulling up to stand on everything she can reach. She growls like a jungle cat just to hear her own voice and she can be quite the sassy pants when she isn't getting her way. She giggles at everything Eli says and follows him around the house like a puppy despite the fact that he knocks her over, steals all her toys from her, and barges into her room with a war cry to wake her up from her naps. She has rolls on every part of her body covered in skin and we no longer have to worry that she might not be getting enough to eat. Yesterday I found a Cheerio burried in one of her chins 5 hours after she had actually eaten Cheerios. She is happy and healthy and we think we'll keep her around for a while.

Notice how Norah sucks her first two fingers on her left hand. She's done this since she was 3 months old.

These are the same two fingers Eli has also sucked since he was born, just opposite hand. Crazy huh?

A Sleep-Over Visit

2011-02-07T22:38:00.001-05:00

Eli has this super cheesy book called A Sleep-Over Visit which is a Little Golden Book that was actually John's from his childhood. It is the story of a little boy named Michael who spends his first night away from home at his friend's house down the street. It is the kind of book that feminists would want to burn with its outdated concepts of high-heeled, hoop-skirt, button down blouse wearing, bacon frying housewives; however, Eli loves it and we read it often. The book was purchased for a whopping 89 cents back in 1986 and it is selling today on Amazon for $25. Hmm, looks like we'd better hold onto it for another 20 years.

All of that information really doesn't have anything to do with this post. But if you were in any way curious as to the current value of a vintage Little Golden Book, then there you have it . 2700% value increase.

Anyhoo, last weekend we had our own sleep-over visit with my nieces Lily and Callie. I was so looking forward to having the girls here and getting some one-on-one time with them. Eli was also pumped and very easily slipped into the role of being "just one of the gals." We played with babies, baked and decorated a giant cookie, took a jacuzzi bubble bath (them, not me), made popcorn, and snuggled in for a fun movie which we started way after their bedtime. It was such a special time to spend with these adorable, giggling girls and I cherished it. Watching the three of them together with their tender hearts and unblemished innocence is such a reminder of God's abundant delight in His children. Thanks Kim and Sarah for letting us steal the girls away for a night. We hope its a tradition we can continue in the future.

For your enjoyment, a reading by Eli

2011-01-25T21:56:00.000-05:00

"I Can Do It Myself"

Home Sweet Home??

2011-01-13T23:19:00.000-05:00

Yes, of course we are so delighted to be back home to our adorable children. And yes, I wanted to cry this morning when I realized no one would be delivering breakfast to my room on a silver platter with the morning paper. Its a shock to the system going from "What can you I bring you to drink Mrs. Costello?" and "Please let me roll out your towel for you Mrs. Costello" to "Noooooooo, I wanted to bluuueeee cuuupppp" and "mommy, I peed in my pants, but just a little bit."

You see what I mean?

It only took me about 5 seconds to realize that back here in the real world, I'm the butler. If I want a plate of cheesy hot nachos, I'd better start digging in the fridge for Velveeta.

Oh, but those days in paradise were so worth the vacation hangover I've been fighting all day. 6 uninterrupted days of doing whatever we wanted, at whatever time we felt like it, was bliss. We were lazy, we napped in the sun, we read books, we frolicked in the ocean (seriously, I made it a point to actually frolic), and we were waited on hand and foot. I busied myself ordering every tropical drink I'd ever heard of or seen someone else drinking, and John busied himself napping and eating so much shrimp cocktail he actually made himself ill. Turns out I really enjoy Mudslides, and anything that someone else is delivering saying "Its a pleasure Mrs. Costello." We ordered a room service breakfast every day because it was free, and because breakfast in bed is one of my favorite indulgences. We were lulled to sleep by the crashing ocean waves outside our room and awoke to the sun rising over the water.

Vacation John even agreed to participate in an early morning yoga class by the lagoon and a couples massage, both of which I am sure will be his last. We were treated to a private lobster and steak dinner on the beach, which was again free, and got to drink fancy champagne and eat under the stars. We didn't have to push elevator buttons, hang up towels, get refills, or even carry our plates to the table.

Can you understand why we felt quite torn in coming home?

We appreciate vacation immensely more now that we have kids. Even a flight delayed for 2 hours is no big deal when you are not responsible for any of the crying babies, and you can quietly read in the corner.

And now the clock starts ticking again until our next romantic vacation comes around....hopefully in 2 years :)

Happy 8 months Norah Dee!

2011-01-13T22:06:00.000-05:00

I'm a little late on this one, but at least I didn't forget to document altogether right? Please take careful notice of her beautiful pink hair bow. I have been patiently waiting for her hair to grow long enough so she can wear them. And now you'd better believe I have purchased them in every color.

40 Days.....

2011-01-04T23:37:00.001-05:00

Personal fact: I did not grow up in a charismatic church. I grew up in a church where people might start to get uncomfortable if you raise your hands during praise and worship. It was a good church, just not a dancing in the isles kind of church. I have really had to work hard to stretch my understanding and acceptance of what worship is and can be to different people as I've gotten older. I feel like I have come a long way. That being said, John grew up in a very charismatic church, by my standards. I used to feel very uncomfortable when I went there with him while we were dating and I'm sure I asked him more than once if he was part of a cult. Everything, except the gospel message, was different from all that I had known my entire life. It evoked a lot of conversations and some disagreements between my future husband and me. I was very narrow-minded and I can admit that now. We had to visit many churches once we got married to find one that was a good mix of both of our desires in a church.

Last Sunday we went back to John's family church to listen to his dad give a sermon on the Grace of Giving (which you totally knocked out of the park dad, if you were wondering). I stood in the back rocking, hushing, and pacing with an overly tired, sickly Norah who refused to go to sleep in my arms until the last 5 minutes of the service. The head pastor mentioned at the end that he was leading and challenging the church to begin a 40 Day Negativity Fast. Basically 40 days of not complaining, not whining, not nagging, not fighting, not pouting, not overreacting, not nit-picking, not gossipping, and not saying nasty things or thinking nasty thoughts. It is not 40 days of ignoring problems or becoming a doormat to everybody else, but 40 days of recognizing when a negative thought surfaces, and giving it directly over to Jesus and focusing on His love, His grace, His forgiveness, and His contentment in our lives. My ears perked right up and I was anxious to join in on this church's challenge. Lord knows I tend to dwell on the things that aren't going right in my life much longer than I work on seeking out the positive and amazing things that God is doing for me. To me, this will truly be a tough challenge. I've noticed already in the past few days that I've had to bite my tongue often and that I'm a lot quieter than usual. John may feel like he has won the marriage jackpot. No nagging? Cha-ching!

The book called "Igniting Faith in 40 Days" is supposed to be used in conjunction with the fast. It is a short 40 day devotional book that focuses on claiming God's power over your life. And I have to admit, even this book feels like a stretch for my innermost beliefs on the Holy Spirit. But as John regularly reminds me, it is OK to be uncomfortable. God desires to stretch us and grow our faith, not by keeping us in the safety of our own net, but by asking us to step out on a limb. We have committed to reading it every morning during breakfast for 40 days. 2 days down so far, 38 to go. Eli awoke early today and I read the devotion as the 3 of us sat at the counter eating cereal while he repeatedly asked "why are you reading that?" and finished with an "amen" at the conclusion. Hopefully something will somehow sink in for him as well.

So, if you hear me being a Debbie Downer over the next few weeks, please kindly remind me to zip it. And I encourage you to join me in this quest to conquer to constant negativity in our lives.

Christmas Wrap

2010-12-28T23:02:00.001-05:00

With the exception that my sister Sarah and her family weren't able to make it home from France this year, I thought Christmas was just perfect. We were able to spread the holiday cheer and gift-giving over 3 relaxing days, which was so much nicer than rushing around and trying to get everywhere and appease everyone in the same day.

Christmas eve we spent the day with John's family and enjoyed a yummy brunch, opened lots of gifts, and then lounged and chatted all afternoon until church. We headed to church with my parents and then went back to their house for their annual Christmas eve party. Eli ran like a maniac and was up way too late until almost 11 pm. Norah opted to miss the festivities in favor of sticking with her usual bedtime of 7pm. She's a lover of schedules, just like her momma.

My Christmas day started at 2am with the kneading and rolling of my mom's famous granola cinnamon rolls, which I woke up every 2 hours during the night to tend to so that they would be piping hot and oh so delicious to devour for our Christmas breakfast. John and I continued our tradition of exchanging stockings and he totally blew our $20 budget and got me super cool gifts, making me feel like a bit of a schlep. My parents came over to eat with us and watch the kids open their gifts. It was really special to have them come and one of those moments where I truly felt like an official grown-up.

The day after Christmas my Grandparents arrived from Arizona and we indulged in another fabulous brunch and spent the day celebrating Christmas with them, along with my parents, and my sister Kim and her family. The kids were showered with gifts from Grandma and Grandpa and they spent the rest of the day playing, tackling, and fighting over all the new goods. Us girls were even able to get out and shop for a little while and enjoy the long lines at the mall before returning home to a prime rib feast for dinner.

I love my family so much. Our kids are beyond blessed to have 2 loving, spoiling sets of grandparents, 3 sets of active, healthy great-grandparents, lots of sweet and caring aunts and uncles, and an army of nieces and nephews to play with. As we were unpacking bags and making room for new toys and putting sleepy kids kept up way too late to bed these past few days, John and I talked about how very thankful we are. We are so undeserving of all of God's grace in our lives and in our family.

And now, the tree is gone, the decorations are all tucked away in their boxes, and I am ready to take on the new year ahead. And I'm even more ready to be sitting on a beach in Mexico drinking a pina colada in less than 10 days on my anniversary vacation with John!

Here are a few moments from our Christmas this year....

Costello Christmas-Papa reading the Christmas story to the kids

A sleeping bag for Eli

Norah-7 months and cousin Quinton-5 months

Norah's first baby doll

Christmas Eve night at Grandma Jan and Papa Bob's house

All the Johnson cousins minus Lily and Zack

Christmas morning reading of the Christmas story with daddy

Eli's new chainsaw, which is turning out to be a hazard to poor Norah

Day after Christmas Johnson family Christmas (yes, our kids were in their pj's for 2 straight days)

Annual kids pajama picture=annual bribing with fruit snacks

A Radio Flyer scooter from Grandma and Grandpa

I asked for all cooking related items this year and got several awesome gifts including this cast-iron dutch oven, a sweet salad spinner, a food processor, and a grinder attachment for my kitchen-aid mixer.
Looks like I'd better get cooking!

Oh yeah baby. Mommas gonna buy herself some guilt-free lattes, and I wont even have to pay in dimes!

And breathe....

2010-12-13T14:31:00.000-05:00

If you know me at all, you know that I am a teensy-weensy bit of an organizational freak. I take great pleasure in making things look neat and tidy. When my house looks like a tornado hit and we are tripping over piles of messes here and disasters there, you will find me in the pantry lining up the cereal boxes or alphabatizing my spices. I would rather organize my extra stash of toilet paper into a grand paper pyramid than mindlessly pick up stuff laying on the floor. My label maker and I are pretty tight if you know what I mean.

Our house has a lot of great features that I love, but big closets isn't one of them. We have to utilize every last inch of space to make things fit and to achieve that neat and tidy look that helps me sleep easy at night. Our downstairs coat closet is a prime example. Let me just tell you how much I do not love digging through piles of hats and gloves and scarves to bundle up myself and the kids every time we leave the house. Although my baskets are pretty and are appropriately labled "adult gear" and "kid gear," it still has been driving me nuts. Last week during a play-date at my friend Brittan's house, she showed me her newly and fabulously organized coat closes thanks to an idea she had read in a magazine. It was a total "Ah-Ha!" moment for me. So brilliant, and yet so simple. Just purchase a basic over-the-door shoe organizer and you will never have to dig for those gloves, that clutch, that umbrella, or that anything again. Isn't organization just beautiful? Come on, you know you want one...

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care

2010-12-08T15:04:00.000-05:00

Getting into the Christmas spirit this year has been so easy for me. In years past, those years that were pre-having kids, yet post feeling like a kid myself, I had begun to view Christmas as just an unnecessary amount of stress and over-indulgence. I stressed about dragging out all the decorations only to shove them back in their bins a month later. I stressed about fighting the crowds at the mall and trying to find the perfect gifts for the people that are always impossible to shop for. I stressed about how consumerism and greed clouded the story of Jesus' birth and how the quiet wonderment of the manger was drowned out in the hustle-bustle of rushing from one activity to the next unendingly. I guess I had become somewhat of a scrooge in many ways. I was going through the motions with a smile on my face but deep down it all seemed really quite pointless.

And then I had kids. And like so many things tend to do when you're a parent, my whole view of Christmas has changed. And I'm sure a lot of it is the age that Eli is this year being 2, almost 3 years old, and having Norah as well now. Suddenly, the magic of the holiday is back. Suddenly I can't wait to get the tree put up and hang the garland and fire up the Christmas music. Watching Eli as he runs downstairs to turn on the tree lights and shrieks with joy when he realizes that a stocking has his name on it and sitting on Santa's lap for the first time, and shouting as he points out all the "Christmas" houses lit up at night in the neighborhood, and belting out Go Tell It On The Mountain from the backseat is so refreshing. Listening to him tell us about Mary and Joseph and Jesus' birth on the way home from church each Sunday is precious. Knowing that he is at the beginning ages of being able to implement special family traditions that he will begin to look forward to and depend on each coming year is exciting to me. Hearing his answers to Santa and others who have asked him "What do you want for Christmas" makes me want to cling to his innocence and bottle him up when he replies with things like "snow" and "snowmen" and "snow globes" He is too young to be caught up in the "gimmies" of Christmas, and yet perfectly old enough to take in all the wonder of the season. I know this is a short phase and I'm sure in a couple quick years my children will be handing me long lists of the "I wants" for Christmas. So this year, I am trying not to miss a single moment. I have come to realize that it is completely possible and perfectly OK to be taken in by the magic and beauty of Christmas, while still keeping our focus on the real reason that we celebrate this season. It is about the baby that was born into poverty, that grew up to die a death He did not deserve, to save us from a debt we could not afford to pay. That is the gift that I am most thankful for this year.

Boys will be boys

2010-12-05T20:28:00.002-05:00

So it turns out that the stereotypical concept that little boys naturally engage in bizarre behavior such as sticking random objects up their nose is absolutely true and not just something people say....at least not in this house. I can only guess that the dinner conversation went something like this inside Eli's mind:

Eli to self: Hey look at these peas. They are green like my boogers.
Self to Eli: Yes! Green and very round, just like the shape of the holes in your nose
Eli to self: Maybe I should stick one up there and see how far it will fit.
Self to Eli: Brilliant! Why didn't I think of that.

It turns out he can get it pretty far up there, as in almost to the point of no return.

And with the help of a flashlight, a nasal aspirator, tweezers, and a watermellon lollipop were were able to dislodge that sucker in a mere 15 minutes. To which Eli delightfully exclaimed,"there it is!" and popped that slimy pea right back into his mouth. Mmmm, yummy.

Happy 7 months Norah!

2010-12-01T21:57:00.000-05:00

And yes, she is every bit the stinker that this picture implies.

You know you're a mom when...

2010-11-26T20:26:00.001-05:00

you go out shopping at 4am on Black Friday and your first purchase is a buy 2 get one free case of Earth's Best organic baby food. And you know you're an uber dork when you actually say "Wahoo!" to the cashier as she rings it up and confirms that, yes indeed, that third case is actually free. And you know she thinks you're crazy when you act like you're lucky you got there just in time before it was all sold out because of course most parents would be heading to Babies R Us at this pre-dawn hour to buy toys and trampolines and dancing Mickey dolls, and are not bolting straight back to the diapers and food isle. And you know there's little hope for ever improving knowing that you spent the past 3 Black Friday extravaganzas being the ~~first~~ only person in line at Walgreens at 4am to snatch up those buy one get 2 free candles that are never going to run out. So cheers to shopping for whatever deals make you happy!!

Too funny

2010-11-21T20:56:00.004-05:00

A couple of my recent conversations with Eli...

Yesterday as we were preparing to leave for Costello Thanksgiving at John's parents

Me: Come on Eli we're going to Grandma Anne's for dinner. And there's going to be mashed potatoes and stuffing and rolls and turkey. Doesn't that sound so yummy?

Eli: I want to pet it

Me: Huh?

Eli: I want to pet the turkey

Me: Oh, no buddy we can't pet it. We're going to eat the turkey, for our Thanksgiving

Eli: Oooohhh, that sounds like fun

And tonight around the dinner table

Me: What did you learn in Sunday school class today buddy?

Eli: Jesus!

Me: What about Jesus?

Eli: God!

Me: Oh, wow Jesus and God, thats really cool. Do you know where Jesus lives Eli?

Eli: Right there, (pointing) in the pantry

Not quite sure where that one came from, but we definitely enjoyed a good laugh. And a good reminder to work on our theology

Where did Norah go....?

2010-11-13T08:38:00.002-05:00

is a question I find myself asking Eli a lot lately when I come back into the room after dashing upstairs to switch the wash or running some letters out to the mailbox. "Right there" he usually responds pointing under the coffee table or wedged between the couch and the wall. Norah is on the move and she is quick. She loves to follow Buckeye around in an attempt to grab onto her tail and this usually lands her stuck in all sorts of places as Buckeye attempts to hide from her.

Norah is twice distracted in this video by Buckeye noisily drinking from her water, and no, that is not me breathing heavily in the background. I would surely hyperventilate at that pace. Enjoy!

Happy 1/2 birthday Norah Dee

2010-11-04T13:17:00.002-04:00

You are so beautiful, and so very busy. And you still have those big blue eyes that I love. Slow down a little, you are changing at warp speeds.

The 4 day Deck

2010-10-31T21:32:00.006-04:00

Back in April we had a professional deck company come out to draw up a plan and give us an estimate. The price was higher than we were anticipating by about $10,000 or so. On the upside, the deck was guaranteed to be completed in 4 days start to finish. The project was way out of our budget and we decided it would have to wait until next year. But then my wonderful dad and grandpa stepped in and convinced us that the 2 of them and John could build the deck of our dreams themselves and do it for less than half the cost. That was back in May. Well ladies and gentlemen, the deck is FINALLY completed!! These 3 men have been working tirelessly to build and re-build posts, railings, flooring, and stairs to the specificity of the unbelievably uptight City of Westerville building department. They've worked in temperature extremes ranging from 102 to 42 and followed building plans that were, at best, totally unclear and at worst, missing major information altogether. And although we are still pending our final city inspection, I have a good feeling we are going to pass this time. The deck looks fabulous and I am so thankful for my dedicated family that helped us make it happen. We will be spending lots and lots of time out there in the years to come.

Trick-or-Treat

2010-10-28T20:34:00.005-04:00

We enjoyed another fun year of trick-or-treating tonight with our wonderful friends and family. It seems crazy that one year ago we were moving into our house on beggar's night and I was trying to hand out candy while unloading boxes.

Eli was out of control hyped up to "go get some candy" and we have been talking about it for days in our house. And despite a windy cold evening, he was firing at all cylinders as he ran down the street, barreled up driveways, and boldly asked total strangers for "2 more treats please" after they had already deposited candy in his pumpkin. The boy has never met a stranger, which is slightly concerning for his parents, but he's sure to be the hit of all the parties in college (which is very concerning for his mother).

We trick-or-treated with a lion (cousin Claire), Mickey Mouse (cousin Max), a pea pod (Norah), a fellow Elmo (buddy Grason), and Joe Dirt (my husband). It was such a great night and so fun to watch all their little faces.

From the Archives...

2010-10-26T08:25:00.005-04:00

Last night I wanted to show John a video I had taken of Eli dancing earlier that day. We watched it laughing several times and then started looking back at all of Eli's funny video moments over the years. It's amazing how fast he has changed. We had some good laughs watching our silly boy grow. Here is a gem we found from last year when he was 11 months old. Its one of John's famous home videos he loves to take whenever he's on kid duty. Enjoy. (Make sure volume is turned up)

Hired Hand

2010-10-22T11:43:00.003-04:00

I finally found myself a nanny! He's easily distracted, prone to break things, can only put away dishes in the bottom cupboards, occasionally wets his pants, and tends to fight the baby for bites of her cereal--but he's affordable and always available--Oh, unless Elmos on TV.

Stocking the Freezer

2010-10-20T21:59:00.002-04:00

My mom came over a few nights ago to help me make a whole bunch of home-made applesauce to stock the freezer with. I was introduced to my new favorite kitchen gadget, the Victorio Strainer. Its fantastic. It strains and grinds to the perfect creamy smooth texture and automatically separates the waste. It would be perfect for making baby food and I absolutely want to get one. Early Christmas present maybe?
Eli quickly learned how to turn the apple crank and loved getting to help with all the preparation. It was a fun night with my mom and now I have plenty of applesauce to get us through the winter. Well, that is if I can hold Eli back from eating it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Daddy would be so proud

2010-10-12T17:25:00.003-04:00

In his popular book Bringing Up Boys, James Dobson writes, "Young boys bask in their mother's femininity and womanliness during infancy and toddlerhood. Fathers are important then, but mother's are primary."

Ok good, so this is totally normal then. Just checking...

Happy Birthday Papa Gramps

2010-10-09T22:04:00.004-04:00

Tonight we celebrated my Gramp's 76 birthday. My grandparents are incredible, truly amazing. They are full of energy, vibrant and so loving. I have always enjoyed a close relationship with them growing up and now its so much fun seeing my children able to enjoy them just as much as their great-grandparents. They babysit, build decks, paint rooms, host tea parties, take swimming, and spoil all the kids. We are beyond blessed. Eli calls them "Papa Gramps" and "Mama Dee" and he just adores them. Norah's middle name is in honor of her wonderful Grams and it was the only name we ever considered for her.

Tonight we enjoyed a delicious dinner at my parents followed by an enormous chocolate cake. It was perfect. Happy birthday Gramps! You are so funny, and sweet, and helpful and we all just think the world of you (and you too Grams).

Norah Dee-5 months old

2010-10-09T21:53:00.004-04:00

Our sweet, blue-eyed girl is already 5 months old and she is full of smiles and laughs. She is healthy and drooley and beautiful. We just can't get enough of her.

Pumpkins!

2010-10-06T21:17:00.005-04:00

Last weekend John had to work both Saturday and Sunday and Eli was not happy about it. To help eliminate the constant line of questioning that goes something like this: "Where daddy go? Daddy working? Why? Daddy makin money? Why? Buy me some toys? Daddy home yet? Why? Daddy daddy daddy..." I wanted to give him something to look forward to. So I promised him that when daddy got home from work we would take him to pick out a pumpkin. He is all about pumpkins this year and talks about every pumpkin on every front porch that we see when we're out driving. Needless to say, he was super excited and was anticipating this trip all weekend. Unfortunately a Saturday that started out sunny and warm turned cold and rainy during nap time. But Eli bounded out of bed shrieking about his pumpkin and I couldn't bear to break his heart. So we bundled up and headed to the pumpkin patch where we trudged through the mud to find the perfect one. Luckily we were the only ones there so there wasn't any competition. It takes Eli a LONG time to make any sort of a decision so we finally had to give him a 2 minute countdown to chose or be chosen for. He picked out two tiny pumpkins, one for him and one for Norah. Not exactly the fall decor statement piece I was looking for on the front porch, but you can see them if you park in the driveway and crane your neck.

And just for fun, a look at picking pumpkins in years past.. .

2009And just 5 months old in 2008

Happy Fall!

Picking Apples...sort of

2010-09-26T21:16:00.006-04:00

Saturday we enjoyed the beautiful and wonderfully crisp fall weather with a trip to Lynd's Apple orchard. John was out of town for his annual brother's golf outing so the kids and I were on our own. Except not really, because my sister-in-law Rebecca and her kids spent the weekend with us, and my mom, my Grams, and Kimmy's 3 kids also joined in the orchard fun. We explored the market, parading our 7 kids through the free samples line (several times), went on a hay ride where we got to pick apples to sample along the way, and browsed the displays of pumpkins, gourds, and mums. By the time we had done all of this as well as trying to pose the kids in various "festive" fall photos, we were whipped and the tots were starting to melt down. So we never ended up picking any apples besides the ones we already ate. So much for all that homemade applesauce I was going to make. At least I did bring home a jar of apple butter and some delicious blueberry jam. Yummy!

Thomas the Train

2010-09-19T21:19:00.009-04:00

Today we headed to Lebanon, OH to see Thomas the Train with Grandma Jan and Papa Bob. This is a traveling exhibit that allows kids to ride a real working train dressed up like Thomas. Eli was really excited and loved it all. It was a warm day and a sweaty train ride on a train only able to travel at 10 mph...but watching his face was worth every penny (that Grandma and Grandpa spent)I mean seriously, look at this face. This is just priceless! Eli and one of the conductors

Norah had fun too. Eli wanted her to hold his train for this picture

Growing and growing

2010-09-18T22:07:00.005-04:00

Hard to believe Norah is already past the 4 month mark and halfway to 5. She is at an age that I just love where she is cooing and interactive but will still fall asleep easily in my arms when she's tired. And this baby gets lots of cuddle time because she does not enjoy being put down for very long. It's so hard to get things done during the day but I keep reminding myself how quickly this stage will pass. I just strap her in the Ergo and let her snuggle up for a nice long nap while I do laundry and try to keep Eli from doing things like locking himself in the pantry in attempts to eat an entire Costco bag of Craisins or peeing on the refrigerator (both true stories). There is nothing better than feeling her warm baby breath sound asleep against my chest. Here are her latest developments and discoveries...

Starting to reach for toys with hands and feet and shoving everything in her mouth

Learning to eat rice cereal from a spoon

laughing and cooing and loving to be tickled

Finally sleeping through the night peacefully in her crib! This I am 95% thrilled about and 5% saddened and already picturing her heading off to college.

And even some early signs of crawling.

Day 3....

2010-09-08T12:48:00.003-04:00

I am beginning to feel like a janitor. I've even contemplated purchasing some blue coveralls with an embroidered name badge.

This is hard work. I feel like we are making progress at times, and at other times I feel like jumping ship. The low point of my day yesterday occurred when I found that Eli had peed a river under the kitchen table, had donned his rain boots, and was happily splashing and stomping around in his "rain puddle." Awesome, thank you buddy.

Today has been better. We even managed to make it to Norah's doctor's appointment and back without any accidents. I can see the wheels starting to turn in his head and I know that he will get the hang of it soon.

Now back to my bucket and mop...

Do cloth diapered kids potty train sooner?

2010-09-06T21:38:00.004-04:00

Absolutely. Especially when that cloth diapered kid happens to poop 5-6 times PER DAY. I mean seriously people, I did not sign up for all that bowel goodness.

So... with all our vacations and big events done and over with for the summer, I decided it was time to tackle this major milestone. Armed with a dozen adorable tiny toddler underpants, stickers, silly bands, a bribe basket, progress chart, potty seat, flushable wipes, etc. etc., I was as ready as they come. When you're potty training it's recommended that you plan on locking yourself in the house for a good week until you can go out without diapering. This is the part I'm dreading the most. We leave the house every single day, even if its just to wander aimlessly through the grocery store. So I might have to ask John to hide my keys before he leaves for work.

Anyway, today was day 1. Eli woke up to find this in the bathroom:

He did pretty well. Just 2 accidents in 13 hours, one occurring during dinner when he was consumed with devouring his mac n' cheese. You know you're a mom when you spend 4 hours in one day parked on the bathroom floor making up songs about poop and pee to the tune of every kids song you've ever heard. I felt like I was talking a pregnant woman through birth.

The most surprising thing to me was that despite temptations like chocolate chips, gummie bears, cookies & cheese puffs in the rewards basket, what did Eli chose every single time? A silly band. He had accrued a whole sleeve of them by the end of the day. Boy doesn't know what he's missing out on.

Gearing up for another house-bound day tomorrow.

OBX Vacation

2010-09-06T21:06:00.003-04:00

A few of my favorite snapshots from our trip to the Outer Banks last week. I did a terrible job taking pictures this year because every free moment I had was spent at the beach sitting in my favorite chair, toes in the water, reading a book. I do not regret it, it was bliss. Thank you again mom and dad for providing this wonderful family vacation. 27 people under one roof is no easy feat, and it takes a lot of work to put it all together.

Eli had to be majorly coaxed to even touch the ocean water. He thought the sand on his feet was "gross mommy" and he ran screaming from the shore when the waves rolled in. That's my boy!

The cousin picture keeps on growing. 11 grandkids now and counting. Notice the 4 boys matching "faux hawks"

Eli showing Max his special sleeping quarters, which was basically a blanket bed stuffed into a teeny tiny closet with a door that we shut once he fell asleep. Each morning Eli would stumble through the door when the pidder-padder of cousin feet upstairs awoke him and go racing up to play.

Throwing shells in the ocean

My favorite little people

Eli's New Do

2010-08-23T14:46:00.008-04:00

Coaxed with a continuous supply of dum-dums (like a chain-smoker) in any color he fancied, Eli joined his cousins Max and Gabe in getting a new hairdo yesterday evening. We agreed to give the boys faux-hawks in honor of David Beckham and our upcoming family vacation to the Outer Banks. Despite the fact that Eli now thinks he is way too cool for school, he looks adorable. Will I have the time to pull out gel and lovingly style my not even 3 year old's hair every morning? Ha! If I remember to wipe the oatmeal crust off of Eli's cheeks before we walk out the door it's a major accomplishment so....probably not. But for special occasions and while combing the beaches of NC this kid will have style.

Boys Before

Are You Talking To Me?

2010-08-09T22:18:00.003-04:00

I was at Kroger getting groceries today and was trying to hurry because I had already been there almost an hour and wanted to be done and go home. I was walking down the bulk food isle when I heard a woman proclaim loudly, in almost a shout behind me "So I read in a magazine that eating walnuts is really good for your health." I glanced back quickly only to realize that there was no one else around and she was making direct eye contact with me. "Oh really?" I said politely, awkwardly backing my cart toward this stranger as she continued to approach me. "Yes," she said. "They are supposed to help with weight loss." I nodded and smiled and said something in agreement before starting forward again on my way. And then she chimed in again even louder (because I was on the opposite end of the aisle by now) "And I'm also going to make bean soup. Isn't that just the craziest thing, a soup made entirely of beans without any meat?! Have you ever heard of such a thing?" Again, and even more awkwardly, I backed my cart down the long isle to be within a reasonable conversation range. "I actually love bean soup and you wont even miss the meat, and its full of protein" I replied. She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I'm off to look for the walnuts then." And she was gone. Alllllrighty then. So Very Random.