Making Music

She waited her "whole life" to have her very own guitar. 

Happy Christmas!!

Colton's Room Laws

The Dead End sign has been there for a while, but the rules are new.  (Someday I know I won't get such preferential treatment!)

Girls Day Out

  Yesterday was Lennon's field trip to Bankers Apple Orchard in Plattsburgh.  (Lucky for me the original date was rescheduled due to the million inches of rain that fell, and I got to attend the festivities yesterday.)  It was a beautiful fall day, bright sunshine and cool.  I thought I was being a bit over cautious with the "winter" coat I sent her in, but by the end of the day I was happy with the choice.

First on the agenda was a wagon ride around the fields.  As opposed to last year when she didn't really care where I was, she sat on my lap for the whole trip.  Then it was off to the pumpkin patch to choose our pumpkin (this is a major decision and needs much thought, many squeezes of your Moms hand, and the occasional quick thumb-suck when you are sure no one is looking).  Once the perfect pumpkin was selected, we were instructed on the correct way to pick our apples and sent into the neat rows of trees to select 5 perfect apples (another major decision that takes careful thought and some worried hope that the "one" you were unsure of and bypassed a few minutes ago is still there).

(Much of these tasks were performed hand-in-hand and without much interaction with our fellow Orchard Adventurers.) 

Apples selected, we dropped our booty off in the car and found the perfect picnic table for lunch, right next to the smelly goat pen.  Lennon nibbled half-heartedly on her sandwich and then declined a cider donut...this really made me wonder.  After feeding the goats and llamas, we said goodbye to her teacher and headed for the car. 

"Mom?" 

"Yes Babe, what's up?"

"Never mind."

I stopped and bent down to hear her better.  "Do you need something Hun?"  She then rolled her eyes at me and groaned, "Not here...we're in public!" 

Only when we were safely in the car and on our way to the mall did she feel ready to share with me.  A little voice whimpered from behind my right ear, "Mom, I really don't feel that great.  My throat hurts and my head hurts and I'm sleepy..."  I glanced over my shoulder to see her pale little face and my heart melted. 

Our original plan was a little shopping and then dinner somewhere that would consist of only appetizers.  In the end I made the exchange I needed to make and she picked out a cute bathrobe, then we grabbed take-out soup for dinner.  She slept the whole way home and today, even though she's sick, she's happy to be getting day number two of just the girls.

Momsters in the night

In the middle of the afternoon I might catch one of the kids looking at me with a curious glint in their eye and I have to wonder, have they found me out? Do they know what a horrid mother I really am? Can they see through my daytime Mommy costume and remember the sleep crazed monster that lumbers around the house in the middle of the night, roughly “tucking in” and impatiently “listening” to the absurd bad dream about French toast that woke them up.

I am not good in the middle of the night.

Everyone has a little glitch, something they can’t do well, like poaching eggs or drawing stick figures. I know this and I could handle my lack of control for eight hours while I recharge, if it didn’t affect my family. My glitch hovers over my children in the middle of the night, this dark ominous cloud of tired grouchiness attempting to sooth and comfort. How are they not terrified by this? How does Josh manage to fall back to sleep after my moody toss of the covers, grunts of impatience and the blackness of my soul seeping out onto the sheets?

For nine and a half years I have attempted to contain my inner nightmare, only sharing my treacherous deeds with my poor family. For a little while I secreted away this little hope that I would get better, find the time to listen attentively and gently coddle my poor babies in their time of need. Unfortunately, the dreadful fact remains that I am a real life Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I guess it’s time to accept the fact that I would cut off my arm for my child, but I cannot contain the "momster" lurking about in the middle of the night.

Pictures!!

It took a little time but the pictures from our trip have been sorted, sized and organized (Thanks Josh!).  They are now in Picassa and hope you enjoy.  This time I'm going to let the pictures tell the story.  Clement Photo Album NC 2010  (I did have fun adding all the captions)

Just a little taste...

While Lennon takes a much needed (and deserved) nap and Colton sits in the blistering heat with his book I thought I would post a little teaser of our vacation.  Enjoy!! (we have!!!)

Good Morning!

Perspective...

Sitting in a plastic Adirondack chair I look through the deck spindles and spy my beautiful family diligently digging in the sand.  Jack Johnson lingers in the air from a neighbors boom box reminding me of two nights ago in Virginia Beach. I was walking around the village of vendors with Colton as we waited for Jack to begin his set.  It was still hot, 90+ degrees and humid, we were sticky and praying for a breeze.  The crowd was easy going, everyone making way for each other, nods of hello to strangers sharing in the atmosphere of harmony and simplicity.  Suddenly, a smallish hand found my hand and stuck there, giving me an unforeseen thrill.  This little event, this sticky, not so little hand grasping mine on a hot summer night will forever linger in my memory as one of the few glimpses at his unabashed love for me; for I know he loves me dearly, but "tween-hood" is upon us and it isn't cool to let anyone know you love your parents. 

A Wednesday Paddle

Life just doesn't get any more peaceful...

Oh, the stories they tell...

Lots and lots of laughter at our house Saturday night.  :)

Josh's Birthday Hike

The last time Josh and I took a hike of any size Colton was in a backpack getting the ride of his life.  This spring with both kids in school full day and Josh on a little hiatus before his summer class, we found a little grown up time.  We have been talking about a nice hike for what seems to be years...now that I think of it it probably has been years.  So in celebration of Josh's upcoming birthday and because the weather was gorgeous and because we could, we hiked St. Regis Mountain last Wednesday.  It is not a huge mountain by any means, but the 6.8 mile round trip is a bit to long for little legs (although I do believe Colton could do it now).  We saw one person all day, just a quick how-do-you-do on the way in.  It was a beautiful day and with a little deet bath not even the bugs could be worth the worry. 

My sweet little man

I just love his dimples in this picture so I thought I would share it.  He's showing off the new paper airplane design he invented.

Lennon rides again!

My baby had quite the weekend.  Friday she spent the day with Dad (no school...unused snow day) and took a little spin on Grampa Pete's "Hog"! 

Then on Sunday while the boys were working on the dock, the girls took a little spin in the tractor! 

And before I know it, she'll be begging for the car keys!!

Spring Soccer

I sat at the top of the hill last night and marveled at the swarms of kids chasing soccer balls around the field.  When I first mentioned spring soccer Lennon was very wishy-washy, "I do, I don't, I do, I don't" over and over.  I had to take matters into my own hands and sign her up anyway.  On Sunday we purchased new pink soccer shorts and socks; everything was okay now.  "When is soccer starting?"  It's amazing what at little shopping will do to a girl. 

 

The decade no one remembers!

Flashing back to the 60's!

Come out, come out, where ever you are!

The three amigos

Our buddy Kyle came over to play and spend the night.  Thankfully the weather cooperated and it didn't rain so I could send the craziness outside.  I was trying to get some housework done when I was pulled out the door to supervise the ladder placement and the precarious efforts to conquer the tree. 

Adding to the collection...

Spring break is just too much to take!! (And guess who got a new camera...)

Out of the mouths of heathens

I sat at the computer, staring at a scrabble game when I was rocked out of my stupor by the pounding of feet coming down the stairs. "MOM!" I begrudgingly turned my head from the screen. "Yes?" It comes out in a sigh I cannot hide, I wanted one minute to play a word...this scrabble thing is starting to get in the way of normal life.

Lennon stands defiantly in front of me and whines, in her best whiny voice, "Colton says God is a man, but I say God is a woman...and it's not fair he won't listen to me!!" Josh walks by as the words tumble out of her mouth and gives me a look that says, All you Hun!. I try to gently calm her down and then proceed to spew forth something like, "God isn't a thing you can touch, not a human being like me and you. God is an idea, a belief that people turn to to help them do good things and make good decisions. God can be anything you want it to be. If you believe that God is a woman, that's fine. And Colton can believe God is a man. Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs, and we have to respect that."

She looks triumphantly at Colton, very proud that she was indeed right. Colton then decides to defend his side by saying, "Then why in my Bible do they call God "him"? He must be a man." His arms are crossed and he does not want to be wrong, how can the Bible be wrong? I start sputtering about the he/she thing and how much longer the Bible would be if they wrote it that way when Josh finally comes to my rescue.

"For all we know guys, Bailey thinks God is a dog...maybe he's right."

That just sent us all in to a fit of giggles and the tension floated away. Fwewh...all I wanted was to play a word on scrabble, but now I'm to tired to think.

Romantic Rendezvous

For those of you following facebook and for those of you who are not...Josh and I found our date night away. We will be heading across the pond (Lake Champlain) for a night at The Essex in Burlington. After much thought, and some helpful ideas from my facebook friends we decided that this trip should be about a bit of pampering. Our future is such a list of "what-ifs" right now and the days just keep rolling by. We thought it would be nice to take a little down time and just enjoy each other. (Knowing full well that no matter which way the road bends, we will all be together. And that's all that matters!!)

No picture

Our camera died. I feel very lost and guilty. Shouldn't I be documenting everything my kids are doing? They change so fast. Josh's father has given us his old camera and I am very grateful, but it's a pain in the ass to get the pictures from the camera to the computer. So I don't use it. I think I need to research a new camera.

Excuses

I should be hiding my head in the sand...it's already February and this is my first post of 2010!! How awful! I have no excuses, well maybe one. I have been greedy with my alone time. I have to admit that I do not focus well when the kids are home (and awake). There are too many demands for action that must take place right now, not one second later, the fate of the whole world depends on my ability to get up and walk (very quickly) upstairs and look at the lady bug on Lennon's bed post. NOW!!! No Mom, you can't finish that sentence! It might have moved! Please! Hurry! Stop typing, are you done yet?

Okay, I have one more excuse. Facebook. Need I say more? That damn thing gets in the way of almost everything. And I love it. Well, I think I love the scrabble part the best, but the "social-networking" part is pretty fun too. And quick. But, I miss my lovely little blog. I am hoping to get back here much more often. It isn't fair of me to be disappointed when I check in on another blog and nothings new. I haven't been too entertaining either. I'll try to sit down a bit more and share a little of our lives with you. The bathroom doesn't need to be that clean and that book next to my table will still be there and I think my husband still remembers my name (more on his school adventures later).