Christmas 2012

The boys love decorating for Christmas! As soon as Thanksgiving is over, they're asking to get out the decorations. Actually, what they love is tearing through the storage bins, throwing things everywhere, then playing Legos while I place it all. Despite the chaos, it's fun to see their excitement. 

Picking out the tree is always another chaotic adventure. The rows of neatly arranged trees look like a labyrinth that invites exploring. As soon as we enter, they begin chasing each other. To end the commotion before they crash into a person or tree, I quickly grab the closest one. This year I didn't realize until we got home that it had a distinct tilt to the right. 

The Leaning Tree of Christmas

This was a year when the Moehn side of the family got together for Christmas in Arizona. The boys were excited to see their cousins again and everyone got along well. They especially liked playing with the babies.

All the cousins. It was close to impossible to get them all still for this picture! (Cole, Luc, Sophia, Jay, and Noah.)

Cole and Noah snuggling.

Jay and Sophia dressed for dinner.

We went on a beautiful desert hike.

A big tarantula decided to say hello. He blended into the path so well that we almost stepped on him.

Summer Vacation, Part II

In August, we went to Maine for Ken and Nancy's 45th wedding anniversary. You know it's a good time when the state troopers have to come! The kids were playing in the basement with their cousins when we received a call from a 9-1-1 dispatcher. Someone from our number had called them and hung up, and the dispatcher was concerned about "screams and sounds of a struggle."

Cole, Jay, and their two cousins were playing in the basement. We could hear them running around and jumping on the beds. Somehow we figured out that they were involved.

We assured her that there was no emergency, but a few minutes later, two Maine state troopers knocked on the door. The culprits got a lecture from one state trooper while the other tried (rather unsuccessfully) not to laugh at the kids' stricken looks. The troopers were very nice about it
The four cousins (looking innocent):

Sometimes Pop Pop got involved (or instigated) the craziness:

We all had a wonderful trip. Even now, Jay will say, "I want to go back to Maine. I miss Maine." We assure him we'll go back again and he wants to pack his bags immediately.

My Summer Vacation

If I were still in school, I would have flunked the ubiquitous What I Did for My Summer Vacation essay due to its being two months overdue. Here's a quick recap so we can return to the present day.

We had a wonderful summer of traveling. First, to my family's cabin on Lake of the Woods for two weeks. We were all relieved to escape the July heat in South Carolina for the cool summer they had up north. The boys had a blast with the freedom to run around outside. The house is perfectly set up for laps around the deck through the kitchen, out to the porch, and back onto the deck. Grandpa spent most mornings yelling, "Don't slam the door!" (I think at the end of two weeks with energetic little boys, he was rather glad to have had girls who spend the summers quietly playing paper dolls or sunning on the dock.)

The boys weren't quite ready to jump into the cold lake, but they had fun playing in the baby pool Yingy put on the deck and filled with warm water from the tap.

They also spent as much time as possible in the fishing boat playing fishermen with the dock lines. They'd throw the lines over the side of the boat and pretend to catch whales and sharks. We had to stop Jay from climbing over the side of the boat several times.
Jay enjoyed the times he really went fishing and even helped Grandpa cut the fish into fillets and dispose of the guts (something we girls never, ever, under any circumstances, ever did). He and Cole now play fishermen on my bed with belts as the fishing lines. They are very precise about it, down to bonking the fish on the heads to kill them and cutting the fillets with a knife.

First a Brother, Now a Friend

Cole and Jay are becoming great buddies. Each boy now calls the other his best friend and when they are apart, they really miss each other.

Last week, I went with Cole's class to the aquarium, while Rob took Jay to Gymboree. The entire ride home, Cole wondered what Jay was doing and whether he was home already. I asked if he missed Jay, and without hesitation, he replied, "Yes!"

It is the same with Jay. When we pick Cole up from school, Jay pushes his way through the sea of parents and rushes to him. They give each other a big hug that often winds up as a tackle. It's clear they are happy to see each other again. Poor Jay is going to be a bit lost when Cole starts full-day kindergarten in the fall.

Of course, the flip side is that they also annoy, tease, torment, and compete with each other. Their fights can be vicious brawls with punches, bloodshed, and hurt feelings. But we always make them apologize and hug, and before long, they are back to playing again. I found a quote from Dylan Thomas that describes this exact relationship: "I made a snowman and my brother knocked it down and I knocked my brother down and then we had tea."

Rob and I long ago agreed that our first child would be followed by a second. We believe kids need siblings, and we are thrilled with the way it is turning out. Every day, I see them teaching each other fairness, cooperation, graciousness, and the golden rule of do unto others what you would have them do unto you. We couldn't ask for more.

Cole and Jay will always be brothers. I hope they will also always be friends.

Christmas in Arizona (Part II)

We had a wonderful time in Scottsdale for Part Two of our Christmas. Grandma put up three trees--one for each grandkid. The big tree belonged to Cole; the medium tree belonged to Jay; and the little one to baby Sophia. A remote control turned on the lights and the boys loved pushing the button every evening. Unfortunately, they couldn't always remember where they put it, so we had to launch a few full-scale searches.

Of course, the best part of the trip for the boys was the presents! Jay's favorite was the jump castle from Grandma and Grandpa. It came in a nice, big box, which he liked as well. When someone asked him what he received, he answered, "A big box!!" We now have the jump castle in our family room until it warms up outside. Although such funishings have never been featured in Better Homes and Gardens, I think it adds a nice touch.Cole's favorite present was a rocket with detachable boosters and two astronauts. Once he opened it, he ceased to pay attention to anything anyone else did (it made a wonderful accessory to his space shirt).

The pool was another highlight. Last summer both boys were a bit tentative in our neighborhood pool. What a difference six months make! They were like little fish! Jay prefered to stay near the step. Cole hooked his arms over noodles and paddled all around, chasing the Creepy Crawler that cleans the bottom of the pool. I think they would have stayed in the pool all day. They also loved the waterfall that turned on at five o'clock. So did we because that was when the first bottle of wine was uncorked!

Christmas in South Carolina (Part I)

I've been procrastinating with the Christmas entries because so much happened. Posting it all seemed rather daunting. I finally realized that to wait any longer would just be lame.

We celebrated Christmas Eve at our home, then traveled to Arizona on Christmas Day. Santa knew our plans and visited our house a night early. We put reindeer food on the lawn so Rudolf would know the right house.

The boys' excitement was infectious!

It's FINALLY Christmas!!

Making Cookies for Santa

Enjoying Santa's Cookies

Did Santa Come??

YES!!

Almost a Reason for Number Three

I spent a glorious five days in Los Angeles visiting my sister and brother-in-law's newborn baby girl (oh yeah, I visited them too).

Sophia was 16 days old when I arrived. There was so much I had forgotten about the tiniest of babies: the squeaks and gurgles, the unbelievably soft hair and skin, the unfocused gaze, the diapers no bigger than my palm, and the beautiful smell of new life. I wanted to drink her in.

I became quite nostalgic about the newborn stage, when time is measured, not in days or weeks, but hours. A pinprick of regret lodged in my heart (or maybe my uterus) as I realized the babies I will hold in the future will belong to someone else. I'll never again have a tiny being gaze into my eyes with the complete, unconditional, sweet love reserved only for mothers.

There are so many reasons not to have a third: the terrible 9-month morning sickness I seem prone to; the increased chance of birth defects due to my so-called advanced maternal age; the sleep deprivation and stress; the finances involved (more Rob's concern than mine, but a valid one); and the fact that the boys are getting old enough to consider trips to Disney World and other fun things that would be difficult with a baby.

My rational side knows the list of cons outnumber the pros.

But, perhaps, the beauty of another child trumps all else.

A Big Thank You! (And a big sigh of relief!)

I am feeling much, much better—-almost “normal” in fact. I’m finally at the full doses of the medication, which I believe has made a huge difference. I don’t feel drugged; I just feel like myself again, which is very good feeling. I’m trying to be more aware of how I am doing, so I don’t get blindsided again, as well as trying to get on a regular schedule with sleep, meals, and exercise.

I’ve been overwhelmed by people’s responses to my depression. I’m so grateful to my parents (both sets of them) for driving or flying great distances to be here for us. I believe it would have taken much longer to recover without their support. They took over the household business and allowed me to rest and play with the boys when I felt up to it. And now, they have provided a sitter for the summer, which is absolutely the best thing anyone has ever done for me!

My friends also have been amazing in the care they have shown me—bringing suppers over, dropping by to say “hello,” calling often to see how I’m doing, and making plans for me to get out of the house. It’s hard to ask for help when feeling so bad, but they made it easy by just doing it. I can never thank them enough. I’m so grateful to have such wonderful friends.

Family and friends who live in other places have also been very supportive—from writing and calling to sending flowers. Despite great distances and not as much communication as we would like, I know we will always remain close and be there for each other.

I’m sure I’ll write more about this experience, but I’ll also get back to more cheerful things, like the boys who are as cute and wonderful as ever.

Our Woods

The two main selling points for our house were the neighborhood boat ramp (now we just need a boat) and the woods behind our property. We often take walks with the boys on the many trails in the woods, a few of which lead to the creek and are incredibly beautiful. I love the fact that the boys will have such an amazing place to play and learn about nature. We've spotted raccoons, opossums, deer, and otters (plus two house cats that usually follow us). When the boys go walking with dad, they always bring me wonderful treasures--hickery nuts, leaves, sticks, acorns, and pinecones. Recently we began going for "flashlight walks" at night. We usually don't go far, but the boys love it.

A few weeks ago, we learned that the property owners (who, by the way, are OK with the neighborhood's use of the woods) made part of the woods conservation land and will never develop it. That is definitely something our family is thankful for this holiday season!

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving with Mirmans. When talking about what we were thankful for, Cole said he's thankful for being busy. We imagined Jay was thankful that with the 18 pound turkey, there would finally be enough food for him to eat his fill. (He now weighs 31 pounds; Cole weighs 34.5.) The boys loved to play with Pop Pop who had many of the same moves as Daddy. The week went by much too quickly.

New Playroom Furniture

We bought a table and chairs for the playroom. The boys had a great time building them. Cole discovered he could saw through the styrofoam packing material. After he finished, it looked like it had snowed in our family room. Thankfully, it all vacuumed up easily.

At the Real Beach