Tuesday, December 30, 2008

ah, Vermont...

Is there a more winter-picture-perfect-wonderland than Vermont, USA?

We have had the good fortune to stay 2 nights in an old farmhouse in Strafford where Justin lives. He and Kat exchange work for lodging in the attached apartment (think gardening in the summer and snow shoveling/plowing, etc. in the winter among many other things).
The rustic kitchen with it's woodburning stove is our Grand Central, and we've eaten, watched movies, gone snow-shoeing/cross country skiing,
and done more visiting.

Andrew, Justin & Harv

Nana even managed to bring along materials for Sadie to have her first gingerbread house experience, and gave her her first exposure to a piano as well.

It's gorgeous here:

We're headed back to MA tomorrow to ring in the New Year in Merrimac.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Family

Tonight was a special reminder to me about what "Family" means.
My in-laws hosted a lovely afternoon and evening gathering with some relatives who had not yet met Sadie and it was truly delightlful.
In attendance were my father-in-law's sister Betsey and her husband Kent - who besides Andrew's Aunt Debbie (our officiant) were the only East Coast relatives to attend our wedding and, I am happy to report, are frequent readers of my little blog. (yay!)

Their oldest and youngest children (Andrew's cousins) Heidi and Squire were here today as well. Heidi and her husband Rich have 3 children. Sadie was enamored with their boys, Brad and Jonathan. Brad is 12 and Jonathon is exactly 6 years older than she - they are birthday buddies! I was proud of how well she took to her second cousins and have high hopes that in the future they will have some sort of relationship. Who knows how it may manifest, but tonight, Sadie was happy to follow around young, handsome Brad and sweet little Mr. Jonathon.
This pleased me in a lot of ways, and it allowed me to engage Miss Alex in a bit of conversation. I struggle a little to remember what it was like to be 15 and a sophomore in high school, and perhaps I'm kidding myself to think that she and I had a couple of good exchanges. She plays cello (very cool) with her school orchestra and has an upcoming trip to DisneyWorld where she'll get to record a movie soundtrack. She also is a texting fiend (like yours truly) and has chosen Photography as an elective course in her curriculum, which she likes very much. She has a general sweet smirk about her that reassures me that she is doing just fine. I hope she knows that her "mom's-cousin's-wife-in-California" is forever a friend, confidant and source of whatever she needs. It might be a coincidence, but I have certainly felt a developing sense of connection to this family ever since I announced that I was adding to it 2 years ago. :) I remember distinctly Heidi and her sister-in-law Susie sitting with me in December of 2006 excitedly discussing pregnancy, baby names, and the like. Priceless.

It was great to catch up with Aunt Bestey & Uncle Kent, whom I see once a year if I'm lucky. I had a good chat with Betsey about the 2008 election and what might unfold with the new administration, as well as some exciting tidbits from her recent experience at a National Bridge Tournament in Boston. She is a gem of a lady and I find myself gazing at her with a specific kind of awe that I can't quite place.
Heidi and I exchanged birth stories and some mutual feelings of reverance and gratitude about full-time motherhood. I can't describe how it feels to share that with someone who has 3 children and who is a member of my family by marriage. It's sacred. I absolutley welcome any and all wisdom, advice, input, etc. that can be shared. Why not? I can pick and choose as I see fit, but I find great value in the musings of those who have gone before me, especially Family.

At the same time I am left wondering how my primary family is doing. My sister Joanne had a couple of glorious days snowboarding in Tahoe, but has to be at her desk tomorrow at a job she doesn't love. My sister Jill has likely already been back hard at work for several day as a Speech Therapist at Valley Medical Center. My brother, his wife and their girls had a delayed Christmas trip to Seattle which I hope went well.

As time rambles on, I think about what Family means. I think we are in a constant state of creating it, manifesting it, and trying to help it flourish. It doesn't come as effortlessly as it should. It's time spent, effort put forth, etc. But the rewards are without measure. That my daughter knows who Grandma, Grandpa, Nana, Papa, Jill, JoJo, Uncle John, Aunt Shannon, Lucy, Annie, GG, and Uncle Justin are is wonderful and so very special to me. The fact that I'm up here typing in my in-law's computer room while Sadie is playing happily downstairs is gratifying in a way I can't adequately articulate.
I can't help but drum up lots of memories of my folks and siblings over the years. I was so well cared for. So loved. So cherished. I hope to carry the same sincerity to my new family.
I am so blessed.

Friday, December 26, 2008

planes, a dog named Sadie and first snow

Here we are in cozy Merrimac, MA with the Evans family.

Our travel on Christmas Eve was not the nightmare I was expecting - in fact, it was quite the opposite. Our saint of a flight attendant spotted an empty seat just before take off and asked our row-mate to take it so that we'd have 3 seats together. Bliss.
Sadie is so busy these days, that I had been dreading the whole lap-child thing for our cross country flight. With a seat all to her self, she was able to wriggle, bounce and flop to her heart's delight without driving Andrew and me crazy. I brought along snacks and some new things (mini tubs of play-dough, crayons, stickers and a slinky*) with the hope that I'd catch 10-15 minute chunks of time for her to be occupied quietly. It worked. She played, babbled, ate, and slept. Andrew got to watch motorcycle races on his laptop. We landed in Boston, had our bags in no time and found both Nana and Papa ready and waiting for us. Perfection! Sadie greeted them with smiles, which made their day.
Once we arrived at the house, Sadie marveled at the beautiful Christmas tree (Nana has Christmas tree radar as Aunt Deborah says) with all of its lights, bows and ornaments. We visited, put out our stockings and got to bed.

Uncle Justin, Aunt Kat and Little Sadie (the dog) arrived on Christmas day and we've had a wonderful time together.

Our Sadie is delighting everyone with her joyful self and we've had nothing but great food, wonderful company and warmth.
Oh, wait...except for the snow. We just missed the below freezing weather and fresh snow, but there is still a couple of feet outside, so we gave Sadie a taste of it today. Nana helped her make her first snowman and I did my best to capture some digital memories.

We have more family to see in a couple of days - all of whom have not yet met Sadie. I'm looking forward to that, as well as deciding what to do for New Year's Eve and taking a jaunt up to Justin & Kat's place in Vermont.
I am admittedly a serious California Girl, but I do have a fondness for the East Coast, and am very happy to have met and married a man from here. It feels different in lots of little ways which make it unique and special.



*Leslie, this was simply genius, thank you.

Friday, December 19, 2008

In Memory of Jenny and Graham.

Jenny's Light

Some of you have heard me speak of this tragedy over the last year. Today marks one year since their untimely passing.

It still makes me unbearably sad, and I am not surprised at all to find myself weeping once again for the indescribable loss their family and friends still suffer.

Jenny, Graham,

I did not know you, but I pray that you are together in peace. I will keep you both in my mind and heart and will continue to spread your light.


Here is the email newsletter I recieved today:

Jennifer Gibbs Bankston
December 5, 1974 - December 19, 2007
Graham Gibbs Bankston
November 1, 2007 - December 19, 2007
“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”
- Robert Brault


In remembrance and honor of Jenny & Graham Bankston, we encourage you to light a candle today and do something Jenny would want you to do:
1. Enjoy a cup of coffee with a friend
2. Eat lots of candy!
3. Don’t feel guilty buying something you ‘really’ like and would make you happy (or do the same for someone you care about)
4. Take a moment to pet a dog you see someone walking on the street
5. Call a friend you haven’t talked to in a while
6. Sing along to Christmas carols, no matter how bad you might sound
7. Be extra friendly to a waiter, a store clerk or your neighbor
8. Enjoy a nice glass of wine, or two…
9. Smile, a lot
10. Laugh, out loud

One more quote that encompasses Jenny…

“Creativity, as has been said, consists largely of rearranging what we know in order to find out what we do not know.

Hence, to think creatively, we must be able to look afresh at what we normally take for granted. “

- George Kneller

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Fresh start, please.

In the past week and a half,
  • I burned the bejesus out of my finger and got a blister the size of a nickel
  • the Christmas cards I ordered and the complimentary reorder arrived with Andrew's face and Sadie's legs half cropped off
  • Sadie got some sort of food poisoning and puked her guts out for 5 hours
  • I tried to schedule a check-up for Sadie and learned that her beloved pediatrician has left the practice
  • I found out that our seat assignments for our holiday travel were apparently a figment of my imagination and that we are going to be charged for checking any bags
and last but not least (and probably what's on my mind most at the moment)
  • I have had serious communication problems with three separate friends, resulting in lengthy, emotional emails which made me feel like I am in high school again
I'm not sure what the heck is going on, but I feel like my stars are misaligned or something. I'm very much looking forward to a fresh start of a new week tomorrow.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

First haircut...by Mom and Dad.

Sadie's hair is lovely. It's blonde, soft, and seems to have a little curl coming in at the bottom. But it's getting pretty messy and it's been in her eyes a lot lately.

I have friends whose toddlers' hair goes up in little pigtails, so I tried that.


Kinda cute, but when her hair is this length,
pigtails are a pain for me and for her!

We've been using cute little clips, but she gets obsessed with
taking them off and putting them back on again.

I'm not interested in the whole "surfer baby" or "hippy child" look for her. I'm also not interested in allowing the first haircut to become some sort of traumatic event for her. So, instead of making a huge production out of it, I decided to buy some shears, watch a couple of YouTube videos about toddler haircuts, and just go for it. I figured that it's like most other things we've learned with Sadie's life adventure so far:
the sooner she is exposed to something
and with the least amount of fanfare, the more readily she accepts it.
No fuss, no muss. Right?
Well, almost.

(Before)
Here are the action shots:

She actually did get a little bit weepy, which surprised both of us.

Nothing a good snuggle couldn't fix, though.

(yes, we both agree that she looks like a boy in this shot - bad angle)

I was grateful for Andrew's assistance - I think mostly because
if it turned out horribly, I wouldn't be the only one to blame!
We think it looks okay.
But I think I need to work on my technique before next time.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Christmas card photo rejects

I attempted a photo shoot with Sadie after her nap yesteray. These are just a few of the dozens of shots that won't make the cut for the Christmas card this year...

ooh, new shoes!
Hey, I can't get to my belly button in this outfit.

I'm not sitting around for this!
cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeese.

.


uuuuuuhhh....
Are we done yet?!
Give it up, mom.

(I did.)
We'll try again very soon. Dad promised he'd do a family shoot, so stay tuned.