Changes

Lots of changes right now. I have taken on a new, and yet not new, role at work and am feeling rather isolated. I like to be around people, know whats going on.....Will I get used to this?

Speaking of being around people, due to multiple reasons we have transferred daycare of the kids up closer to home. They are now in an actual center for 10.5-11 hours a day. A part of me feels sick at this decision we made since that is a really long day! but.....ont he other hand I have two very social boys who thrive being with other kids and learning from them and their teachers. Yesterday was the first day and a teacher commented that it was like they had been there all along. Just stepped right in and picked up the rules and played games with the kids....

So, my boys will be fine. It means:
- earlier mornings for all of us (I need to be waking the boys by 6)
- Routine with packing lunches and prepping for the next day
- Dad and I commute on our own down to work (about 30-40 mins one way)
- We are constrained to returning to our home area every day in order to get the boys - no more stopping at Nana's, etc.
- It is more expensive so we are tightening our belts and are blessed by family helping us with expenses. My parents really wanted James to have the preschool experience and with this new school they have that.
- When James goes into Kindergarten next year (Yikes!) this daycare has before and after care with shuttles to all the local elementary schools so he could shuttle with them....

We're hoping a few things will happen:
1) Nate will start saying more then 'dat' - love him but I am beyond ready for him to talk!
2) James will learn to sit and pay attention. He fidgets when he is not on the go so hopefully he will learn some patience :)
3) Mommy and daddy will start hitting up the gym at work. This new schedule does open up some time for me to go (didn't go today due to sever back spasms).
4) Organization all around. Yes we'll all be tired in the evenings but hopefully we'll get into healthy routines to make our mornings less hectic.

So, it's a lot at once. Feeling isolated at work and at home (we won't be seeing extended family nearly as much and we're just as busy as before so any friends we could see will be just as hard as before -- meaning it didn't happen very often).

Plus side? My kids will make friends with other kids who do live near home so maybe, just maybe, we'll be able to reach out thru them and meet some more people in situations similar to us. Dan and I both have to work to make ends meet -- no, not paying for daycare wouldn't help -- but I do have a plan to pay down debt.....but other things keep coming up like oh, food for our bellies and shoes for our feet.

Sigh. Tough economy eh? And we are all making the best of it, one day at a time.

Baseball

Getting ready

Pick the ball up

Now throw

Prep again

Now throw again

Super fast!

again and again

We went to the local high school to support our favorite player and James needed to test out this practice pitchers mound after watching a couple of the players warm-up at them. He talks thru what he is doing and is very good at it. My experience has been when I put an actual ball in his hands....it goes.
Cannot wait to sign him up for sports in a few years!

Birthday Party Pictures

Pizza and juice after playing hard for an hour in the Jump area. I took very few pictures on the floor but I think everyone had a good time!

Huge yummy cake (did not make)

James and "his boys" discussing the cake

Cute 4 year old :)

Waiting patiently to open presents :)

Happy Birthday James!

Nate and Little A cut a rug :)

More Park shots

Some happy photos to all of you for a happy weekend!

giggling on the swings!

Whoa, 3's a crowd!

James and Little A...what a cutie!

Yes, he climbed up here on his own :)

The boys turn!

James turns 3

A very full day of parties for James. We had some kids over for an earlier party with games and food and fun. Wonderful time! Then later we had family over for dinner and to share with James.

Yes, I made 2 cakes. Bit off a bit more then I can chew but, eh, it all worked out and it sure was yummy :)

Today we are resting and watching way too much tv but , s'll well.

Heres' too wonderful days filled with family and friends!!

Beautiful Baptism

So with the birth of Nathan it was next time to decide how to have him baptized. Well, for James we had his Great-Great Uncle B come to town and coordinated having him baptize the first child in this generation (he is a priest). It was absolutely lovely, small, family only and just nice.

Well, what to do for Nathan? We have been attending Mass as members of the local Catholic Church up in the area we bought our house in. I don't think I've spoken much about it on here but there are tons of kids and families and the church is huge! The music could use some help but I can't help it if I am biased (Thanks Mom).

So, we looked into what it would take to have Nathan baptized there. So, after much planning and coordinating and even going to a class! Nathan was baptized at the 4:45 Mass this past weekend and I could not have asked for a better experience! (though if there ever is a next time we are going to have someone Video instead of just still shots :P )

We had ALL the local family there including James' godparents and a dear co-worker of mine. Dan, Myself, and Aunt J (now godmommy for Nathan) started out in the back of church by the baptismal font with Fr. T. began with opening prayers, blessing of the water, and some traditional questions. We the processed up the aisle with Fr. and took our seats right up front. After the homily we were invited back to the font for the service....we had de-dressed Nathan for a full immersion baptism (not as customary for babes, used more for RCIA candidates in the catholic church).

Litany of saints, prayers, exorcism of the child....all went swimmingly meanwhile Nathan was falling asleep against my chest, whoops. Passed him to Dan with the intent of stirring him a bit...

Then on the signal from Fr. Dan dunked Nathan into the font and held him under his arms with water up to his chest while Fr. poured water over his head, face and all and not once did Nathan cry out!! We then wrapped him in a towel and followed Fr. back up the aisle way, Nathan being held above his daddys head being presented to the congregation (it was a full service, though I am not sure if any mass at our church isn't full) who in turn clapped and welcomed the wee one. It was spine tingling walking down the aisle following Nathan.....shivers i tell ya, good shivers.

We then took Nathan back to get him dressed in his white gown (same one his brother wore) and came back to our seats. After communion we went up to the altar and at this point Nathan received the Oil of Chrism and Aunt J got to light his candle from the Paschaal Candle. Then we all received blessings starting with Nathan who watched Fr. avidly and smiled the entire time. Even James got a sibling blessing which he remarked afterward "How kool"

We the processed out with Fr. and took a myriad of pictures by the font before heading back to our house for food and social. Yum yum! We had a full house but there was plenty of food!!

We just felt so blessed and Nathan just did fantastic! Even James was very proud of his brother and thoroughly enjoyed having all the people around :)

pictures forthcoming

There be Pirates about...

Renaissance Festival 2009

Love the Ergo!

I never knew, I swear :)

Sharpshooters!

James loved the 'hay' that was on the ground...second only to his Pony Ride!
Though he also enjoyed the Joust!

oh, can't forget honey sticks!

Nathan giggling away with daddy tickling him

Result of too much honey..hyper kid, and trust me, he is not a light-weight child to pick up, hence the look on god-mommys face :)

Pony Ride!
"I like it" - says James
It was a fun filled day with sun, rain, good food, and good friends

Dancing 2

Just adorable and a pretty girl to dance with to boot!

Some of me

I sit here, back at work, amazed at how impossibly slow a computer and a printer can be. Wow. Work is implementing all kinds of new security patches and software and it is just clogging things down. It wouldn't be so bad 'cept my group lives off print outs (yes, I wish it were different) and when it takes over 5 minutes to print a single page and even then you don't get the full page...

Well, things began to pick up a bit ago and then critical software we need to do our job just went down...why am I here?

So, 30 minutes to go and I am done for the week. It has been a mostly pleasant return to work. Nathan and James are doing great at Nana's....Nana seems to be alright with the situation so far too :)

Nathan is a healthy eater...I have to pump every chance I get to keep up with his appetite. We are going to make it work and it's a good thing I don't mind pumping..its actually rather relaxing. I have a manual (yes, I can be a control freak) and am proud to see the life juice flow out knowing my child will be able to continue nursing while I go back to work because I am able to pump :)

Don't have much planned for this weekend but the next 2 will be busy. We are going on a mini vacation with James' god parents and then off to see another set of my college buddies get hitched. It has been a year of weddings and they just keep cropping up. I think I figured out I had 3 college friends, 2 high school friends, and 2 friends from church who got or are getting married this year. So far we have been invited to 3 of these, what with the pregnancy and baby that's all we would probably be able to get to anyhow

last but not least...me. I am having some vertigo, light headedness. Went to the doctore, they think it might be a stone in my ear, or viral. Eh? Asked my chiro about it and she wasn't able to help. Now, do I see an ENT, call my doctor back, or wait a bit longer and see if it goes away. There are a numbers of things which could be attributing...working out again (been over 3 years since I've seriously worked out), new glasses (same prescription for over 10 years but new frames), trying contact lenses, nursing, food and water intake not to mention vitamins and the #1 reason,

I just had a baby, duh

I have the rest of my life to get fit and be healthy and I am on the right track. Need to give my body more time to adjust to just being me.

Update on Baby and House

Got the crib set up and the padding in place.
Have ALL the toys in the boys room now.
Set up office with a desk and everything
Still managing to keep the rest of the house tidy...sweet

Oh, made yummy friendship bread today and got to play with an adorable (almost) 2 year old. Some pics for highlights coming soon...promise!

Right now I have a very tired boy sound asleep in his bed (no nap but fell asleep on his own around 5:30). Did the same thing yesterday (no nap) and fell asleep around 6'ish and slept ALL night...mostly.

Me, just ate yummy wings with D and the J's and now happily awaiting an Dairy Queen fix (please let me get Reeses Pieces this time!) :)

All is good.

New Bed!!

This is James' new bed. His big boy bed. We feel he is ready for it, has been for a while actually, and so with the help of some good friends and my parents...got it up here and set him up. It is a captains style bed...I believe close to, if not more then, 30 years old. It was my brothers and my dad held on to it. There are 4 drawers under the mattress part and a cubby hole perfect for storing whatever you want.

It will take a little practice for James' to get used to climbing in and out but he climbs in and out of our bed without help...and thats much taller. We decided to set-up the bed-rail thing to help keep him secure for a bit but I don't want it to become a security blanket so we will probably lose that within the month, hopefully.

Next step is to get the room decorated and ready to be set-up. I hope to have James moved into the new space by March to give him plenty of time to get used to it before we bring the new babe home. Wow...4 months to go, Aie.

A quick note on Trains

So this past sunday while I was off see-ing TSO (more on that later) D took James and god parents J&J to the B&O Railroad station in Baltimore (choo-choo as James would say). I hear they had a grand time and there will be more pictures but for now....

When I got home the above picture was colored and signed "To Mommy".

How precious is that!

More Dazzle!

Cookies!

James on cookie #2 which helped him run through most of the walk.

Family
Unfortunately it was really cold out and our camera can't work in super cold so these are the only shots we got. Well...plus the fun smeared light ones :)

Putting in a Fence Post

Step 1 -

Digging the Hole

(this is a lot harder then they make it look. The bit alone weighs in at 30 lbs...then you add the machinery and the dirt and gravity...)

(hole had to be 28 inches or so deep)
Step 2 -
Put gravel/small rocks in hole


Step 3 -
Place post in hole and determine placement in regards to post before and post after

Step 4 -

Pour already wet cement into hole all around base of post. We used 80lb bags per post, those suckers aren't going to come out very easily.

Step 5-

Insure Post is level. When cement has been all poured in then fill in with dirt. pack down and again, be sure the post is level.

Step 6 -
Put in rails

Ta da...they make it look so easy don't they.

FENCE!!! (a sampling)

Day #1

I didn't get a whole lot of shots because we were real busy but we had alot of help! My co-worker and her son, our best friends J and J (also James godparents), and my parents. We got a whole run done as you see below and then some....in one day!

approx 16 posts in just over 4 hours

(4 posts per hour, give or take)

We worked well into the evening hours (see no light)

Lots of ground pounding fun :)


******

DAY #2

James helping out

J putting some rails in.

With the one half done we began to tackle the other side. We will be at this again next weekend (we welcome anyone who would like to come by and help out!) and hope to have this project finished by Thanksgiving.

J and D determining if the auger or hand digging would be better at this spot

J and Gramps mixing up Cement
Thank you all for the hard work this weekend!! We would not have gotten nearly this far without your help.

Thank you also for the wishes and prayers for good weather. A bit windy but nice overall! The ground was especially soft from the rain late last week!

Here's hoping for more of the same this weekend!!