Cute

Just a few things I wanted to remember...

Today my sister took Harrison to the park...he came home with little flowers for me.

He said, "Mom, I picked some beautiful flowers for you because you're so beautiful."

Melt my heart!

And, Story # 2...

 Yesterday I took Blythe to the doctor to check on a lingering cold...

The doctor I saw was someone new to me...

He picked her up and smiled at her and she smiled right back, and he said:

"Phew, her Daddy needs to worry!"

It's true...he already does...

Looks like I'll need to keep BOTH my kids under lock and key until they are 25!

Oh, and it's just a head cold for the little pumpkin!

Today

Harrison said,

"Mommy, you're the best cooker."

And I just wanted to remember it.  So I'm writing it here.

Because I'm not a very good cooker.

But he thinks so.

So, I'll take it!

She's one!

Interview with a 4-year-old

 On May 19, this little guy turned four years old.  Four.  Four.  Four.  I really just cannot get my mind around it.  I spent 4 years in high school.  4 years in college.  4 years total in China.  There is so much in my almost 32 years of life that has lasted 4 years.  It seems so long at the beginning, but goes by in a flash, and here I am, with a son who is as old as my favorite days of life in Athens and Chengdu, China.  Wow!!  Brett and I have exclaimed over the past year that we LOVED age 3.  It was the most challenging age so far, but SO MUCH FUN!  And in the past few months, we have realized that our baby turned into a toddler, and our toddler is now a little boy (but if he heard me say that he would say, 'Actually, mom, I'm a BIG boy').  

 Well, this big boy is exactly that...SO BIG!  He is tall and skinny with not an ounce of baby fat on him anymore...these pictures are not actually from his birthday but from a few different occasions in April, and they all represent something that I want my memory to cling to forever...his first (and many to follow) ice cream cone at Ikea in China, him walking countless stairs in downtown Chengdu...when we moved there, I had to carry him, but he morphed into a stair climber...his favorite face to make at almost age 4...his train conductor hat as he plays with one of his loves...trains (cars top the trains by only a 1/2 %!), and his darling smile.  He is a treasure!

 We had a party at a nearby playground a few days before his birthday, because we flew to Shanghai on the big day in preparation to fly back to the States on the 20th.  I'll hopefully post about the party later...So, at the Shanghai airport, we celebrated at Burger King (I know, you're thinking, that is so gross, and you haven't eaten at the BK since you were 9, but, overseas, these fast food chains are like a dream come true!)

 We had a little dance party and got some stares from a few locals and Harrison managed to poop on the floor in the bathroom, which is another story for another day, but amidst all the fun, we managed to ask him some birthday questions, which is a new favorite tradition of mine, learned from my precious friend Anne Coleman.  We have continued the interview throughout the week and here are some of the answers....

Me: Harrison, what was your FAVORITE thing about being 3?
H:  Ummmm, turning 4!
Brett:  Well, buddy, you're growing SO fast...let's slow down a little so we can do lots of fun things, okay?
H: Yeah dad, like eat ice cream!
Me: Harrison, who is your best friend?
H: Cameron and Gunner
Me: What is your favorite color?
H: Dark blue, blue, and light blue (He likes to cover his bases, huh?)
Me: Harrison, what's your favorite food?
H: Watermelon (while he was eating watermelon)
Me:  What do you want to be when you grow up?
H: A King or a tiger.
Me: Who is your hero?
H: Daddy.  (No prompt here...probably one of Brett's favorite moments ever!)

My favorite is the very first question...He loves being 4!  He always says to me, "Mom, I can do it, because it's easy for a big boy."  He also says "Actually" ALL the time, which is really funny to me!  He has flown at least 40 times in the air and has landed his feet in 5 different countries, he is a tender, shy, loyal and cautious little guy, and I love him, I love him, I love him.  I'm so glad God chose me to be his mom...the hardest, but most rewarding job I have ever had.  Happy Birthday, Hare Bear.  I am so glad you're my boy!

jet lagging

Well, we are here...back in the good ole' US of A!  I have neglected to write much about it or anything lately as, of course, there was much to do to leave China and arrive here, but I also think I was just avoiding processing the inevitable...leaving.  Did 2 years really just pass by?  Was it all just a dream?  So much of it was impossibly hard, but in a strange way, I loved it.  I miss it already and will miss it forever.  And here I sit in the fog of jet lag, with one kid playing couch potato, loving watching American TV again, and one baby screaming her lungs out since the time won't let her know when to stay awake or go to sleep.  We are trying to unpack and settle in to my dad's house for the summer before we move back to Orlando in August.  I'm not sure how I feel about any of it.  Sad, excited, overwhelmed, but mostly grateful.  Grateful for our time overseas, and grateful to call America my home for a time until we possibly go elsewhere.  I hope to come back and share a little bit about our time there as I have a few more minutes to hang out here on the blog.  I most definitely will be reporting on a brand new 4-year-old boy very soon!! Until then, I will just try to stay awake and enjoy the sunshine and green grass, while missing my friends halfway across the world, and hoping to make new ones here.  I'll be back soon!

8 & 9 months

Blythe is swiftly approaching 10 months!  I knew that I would fall behind on these monthly updates soon enough!  I don't have much to report since my details have fallen by the wayside!

 During Month 8 Blythe started baby food!  She started right after her 7 month birthday on Feb 13 with sweet potatoes (same food H started with).  She did great!  I know 7 months is a little later, but I didn't start her on rice cereal til 6.5 months.  With #2, I was not in a hurry and we were traveling SO much during Jan and Feb that it was easier to wait.  Also, I have to make most of my baby food here ( a practice that I am not too fond of), hence the later start!  That is all I have for month 8 other than Blythe being complete preciousness!

Month 9 took Blythe from rolling to scooting.  She had kind of a limp crawl, dragging one leg behind the other.  Motion was in full effect!  (She is now completely army crawling!)  During month 9 she was trying to get up on all fours, rocking back and forth, scooting ALL over the place, and by the end, army crawling!  She started waving this month and WAVES ALL THE TIME!  She waves when she cries, when you hold her, when she's playing...she looks at a person, makes eye contact, then looks away and waves.  HA!  She laughs so much, and is SO smiley.  We just love her.

On her 8 month birthday i went away for a few days and although I pumped, my milk dropped a lot.  But, with some work it went back up, so she is still nursing 4 times a day (sometimes 5) with a little bit of formula at bedtime or if I'm away from her,  takes 2 good naps and sleeps great at night, but does like to wake up early sometimes.  Ugh.  She eats great, but gets so distracted, and is so active that she is starting to thin out, but still just the most precious girl ever!  She loves her lovey, and is still a thumb sucker, but only when she's tired!

Gege (pronounced guh guh, means 'big brother') got in the picture shots this month....

 Every day he asks, "mom, I just want to squoosh her cheeks, may I please???"

 His favorite face to make!  Did I forget to mention she's teething like crazy?  No teeth yet, but  she puts everything in her mouth!!  Harrison still to this day has never put anything in his mouth, so this is very new to me!!

And finally, a good shot of little miss 9 month old!  I'll be back soon with some 10 month snapshots!!

4 years

4 years ago today we lost my stepbrother, Kevin. 4 years. 4 years. It feels like yesterday.

Today I took Harrison to school, got a baby-sitter for Blythe and went off to be by myself to remember him. And I cried and cried and cried.

Every day I think of Kevin. Every day I miss him. Some days it hits more than others. But, when I look at this face, his smile, I grieve for myself that these are just pictures and not him. I wish so badly that he was still here.

I fear that I will start forgetting the times we had together...the sound of his voice, the way his eyes danced when he laughed, his larger than life heart, his desperation to be freed from his addictions. The memories fade, but the mark he left on my heart never will. I have written more about him in past years here and here.

Kevin's death was SO sad and tragic and unexpected. And there were parts of his life that were so sad as well, but he was such a tremendous person. As I ran into 2 friends today, Lori and Sonya, all I could say to them was "I wish you had known him". And I wish they had...I wish everyone could have known him. He was so special to me.

Knowing Kev changed my life. He taught me so much about being spontaneous, enjoying each day, and loving people as well as receiving love from people. His life was such a gift to me. So today I celebrate his life, and I grieve his death, and I am so thankful for all the moments in between. I long for the day when I can see him fully alive, healed and whole.

Kevin, I love you, buddy. I still feel like every time I go home, you should be there. I hate that you're not. I miss you every single day, and I wait anxiously for the day when I see you again.