Homegirl had a lot to say after her nap this afternoon.
I grabbed the camera with stealth-like nonchalance and prayed she would keep blathering away.
She did.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
not even a week into the new year and I've concluded
...that my posts are BORING. I just finally sat down and caught up on the handful of blogs that I follow (honestly, this is one of my all-time favorite things to do; between that and Facebook, my glutes are going to need some serious attention) and I'm officially annoyed at my own.
It's such a snooze-fest!
"Hi, here's what we did today. Here's what we did then. Oh, and Sadie just did this. Tomorrow we're going to ______."
Y*A*W*N
I'm going to try to kick it up a notch this year. Now I just need some inspiration...
Back toother people's blogs the drawing board!
thanks for the HTML help, honey!
It's such a snooze-fest!
"Hi, here's what we did today. Here's what we did then. Oh, and Sadie just did this. Tomorrow we're going to ______."
Y*A*W*N
I'm going to try to kick it up a notch this year. Now I just need some inspiration...
Back to
thanks for the HTML help, honey!
Monday, January 5, 2009
a little bit more about Christmas
I want to get a few things down with regard to the end of 2008 before I jump forward into 2009. This is a very unorganized post - bear with me.
So...we're home and *almost* over our jetlag. (Sadie is crying herself to sleep for her nap right now, which she never does. I guess I misjudged her energy level today and let her go too long before putting her down. Whoops.)
The Christmas season felt odd to me somehow and I'm still not sure why. I guess for the first time I can remember, I felt a little bit of that "Holiday Stress" that everyone talks about.
For starters, our annual Saunders Siblings Christmas Party was our 14th and possibly final one. It was incredibly hectic this year, with more kids running around than adults (at least that's how it felt to me more than once throughout the evening). I look forward to that party so much each year, (when else do I get to see dozens of my and my siblings friends & their growing families all at once?) but it really is a feat to pull off. My mom always ends up having to help way more than she should (this year it was making chili at the last possible second) and we just don't have a generally good system for making it happen smoothly. Anyway, that's that. Ask me in 10 or 11 months if the 15th Annual is in the works. I'm open to suggestions.
I suppose it didn't help that Shutterfly botched my Christmas card order not once but twice, so that I ended up starting over and scrambling to get them mailed. Notice that I still had time to get them out even with 2 printing errors; I really was on the ball with regard to cards this year! Here are the pictures we ended up using:
There wasn't any stress related to gift-buying; my family did a "secret Santa" exchange through Elfster for the first time this year and my in-laws did "stockings only". Piece of cake.
To Andrew's and my delight, Sadie is too young still to have any of the dreaded materialism or greed that is so "normal" in young children with regard to Christmas. I hope to glean some advice from friends with older kids as to how to avoid that madness, which I intend to do at all costs (no pun intended).
She still got a pile of presents, though - we have an extremely generous family which includes 2 former grade-school teachers who always know just the right things to get. (thanks Ellen and Shannon!) Her great Aunt Debbie (the one who married us) has an uncanny ability to zero in on people's needs and wishes, and absolutely hit the mark with her gifts for Sadie. I could go on and on - special books, unique little stuffed animals, etc. Thank you mom, Betsey, Heidi, Justin, Kat, Jill, Joanne, and everyone!
In an effort to enjoy the month or so before Christmas, I did have the radio tuned to stations playing Christmas music almost constantly (whenever Andrew wasn't around - I'm not that crazy). I thought maybe Sadie would learn a few songs, since there is so much repetition. I think she did. She especially seemed to like The Little Drummer Boy and would say either "boy" or "rum-pum-pum" when she wanted to hear it. Cute. We also spent a lot of time admiring our small tree as well as any other trees, lights, wreaths, etc. that we saw anywhere and everywhere. Sadie definitely enjoyed that aspect of the holiday season.
She took equal interest in her Baby Jesus (thank you, Mexican relatives!) and her Maccabee toy which plays Hannukah songs (thank you, Carol!). I suppose I have to admit that that felt like a nice precursor to the omnivorous approach to religion that I have planned for her...(now there's a topic To Be Continued!)
Hmmmm, now that I think about it, I guess it wasn't that bad after all! :)
So...we're home and *almost* over our jetlag. (Sadie is crying herself to sleep for her nap right now, which she never does. I guess I misjudged her energy level today and let her go too long before putting her down. Whoops.)
The Christmas season felt odd to me somehow and I'm still not sure why. I guess for the first time I can remember, I felt a little bit of that "Holiday Stress" that everyone talks about.
For starters, our annual Saunders Siblings Christmas Party was our 14th and possibly final one. It was incredibly hectic this year, with more kids running around than adults (at least that's how it felt to me more than once throughout the evening). I look forward to that party so much each year, (when else do I get to see dozens of my and my siblings friends & their growing families all at once?) but it really is a feat to pull off. My mom always ends up having to help way more than she should (this year it was making chili at the last possible second) and we just don't have a generally good system for making it happen smoothly. Anyway, that's that. Ask me in 10 or 11 months if the 15th Annual is in the works. I'm open to suggestions.
I suppose it didn't help that Shutterfly botched my Christmas card order not once but twice, so that I ended up starting over and scrambling to get them mailed. Notice that I still had time to get them out even with 2 printing errors; I really was on the ball with regard to cards this year! Here are the pictures we ended up using:
There wasn't any stress related to gift-buying; my family did a "secret Santa" exchange through Elfster for the first time this year and my in-laws did "stockings only". Piece of cake.
To Andrew's and my delight, Sadie is too young still to have any of the dreaded materialism or greed that is so "normal" in young children with regard to Christmas. I hope to glean some advice from friends with older kids as to how to avoid that madness, which I intend to do at all costs (no pun intended).
She still got a pile of presents, though - we have an extremely generous family which includes 2 former grade-school teachers who always know just the right things to get. (thanks Ellen and Shannon!) Her great Aunt Debbie (the one who married us) has an uncanny ability to zero in on people's needs and wishes, and absolutely hit the mark with her gifts for Sadie. I could go on and on - special books, unique little stuffed animals, etc. Thank you mom, Betsey, Heidi, Justin, Kat, Jill, Joanne, and everyone!
In an effort to enjoy the month or so before Christmas, I did have the radio tuned to stations playing Christmas music almost constantly (whenever Andrew wasn't around - I'm not that crazy). I thought maybe Sadie would learn a few songs, since there is so much repetition. I think she did. She especially seemed to like The Little Drummer Boy and would say either "boy" or "rum-pum-pum" when she wanted to hear it. Cute. We also spent a lot of time admiring our small tree as well as any other trees, lights, wreaths, etc. that we saw anywhere and everywhere. Sadie definitely enjoyed that aspect of the holiday season.
She took equal interest in her Baby Jesus (thank you, Mexican relatives!) and her Maccabee toy which plays Hannukah songs (thank you, Carol!). I suppose I have to admit that that felt like a nice precursor to the omnivorous approach to religion that I have planned for her...(now there's a topic To Be Continued!)
Hmmmm, now that I think about it, I guess it wasn't that bad after all! :)
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.
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
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.
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:
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
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…
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
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