Merry Christmas!!!

I admit it, I had a hard time getting into the swing of things for Christmas this year. Seems like I say that every year when I'm scrambling at the last minute and swearing that next year will be different...

next year will be different! Right????

I was even out on Christmas eve shopping. Thats how bad it was. No matter. It all got done one way or another and whatever didn't get done... oh well. It was a success and when I hear one of my children say, as they head to bed that night, "That was the best Christmas ever", it makes my heart warm all over.

As I prepared dinner on Christmas eve, Angus and Declan asked if they could string popcorn to put on the

tree. Not something I had to think about for long. I was a little worried Isaiah would choke on the popcorn but he handled it quite well.

You can see him in this picture, behind Angus, eating 'Floor Pie' of popcorn.

Of course it wouldn't be Christmas without the traditional tea ring. The last couple of years, Angus has been happy to help make it and, quite frankly, I'm happy to have his help. This year was no different.

Don't you love that smile?

Christmas morning came and all went well. Even though the presents were a little sparse this year, the boys seem to really enjoy their time. Isaiah loved his new toys, Declan got a lot of games and IPod/Tune stuff, and Angus has enough to read for a couple of months. well... at least for a couple of weeks. Life is good.

The morning after Christmas, as Isaiah descended the stairs next to the tree, he started applauding. He has already started to associate the tree with all good-things-holiday. Good food, family and friends, new things to play with and look at. :D

Not a Baby Anymore

At nearly 16 months, Isaiah just doesn't look like a baby anymore. He is definitely his own little man, charging about the house and exploring his surroundings. Yesterday when we took him for a walk down the snowy road, I had to marvel at him ... wearing real shoes, fleece jacket and pants, his sheep hat and discarding his mittens at every opportunity. He marches with a purpose, swinging his arms and always always looking for something cool to pick up.

His favorite game these days is hide-and-seek where he hides and we seek. I have to say he is a really good hider. He can stay sooooo quiet for such a long time while we search high and low. And the sneaky little Hauser actually will move positions while you seek, making it even more difficult! He also loves to be chased around the kitchen. He zooms around the island and kitchen table, making figure 8s and then dashes into a corner to hide from the chaser.

And he just loves his books. We read to him dozens of times throughout a day, although I think that Steve does the bulk of the reading. He'll bring books, one by one, to be read as he either sits patiently in our lap or dashes about, just listening to the story. But sometimes he just reads by himself. Sets open a book and 'oooh oooh', 'weida-weida-weida', 'wowow', 'fo-fo-fo'.

He discovered he can clasp his hands behind his back. He thinks its funny. Yesterday, while showering with Steve, he elected to dip his face in the water stream. over and over again. He didn't laugh or seem all that amused, but kept going back for more, so he musta liked it.

We cut his hair this morning. Didn't want to, but the rats nests in the back were just getting out of control and it was losing its appeal. He looked more like a balding old man who was trying to hang on to the hair he had left ~ all wispy and sparse. Didn't even get a good curl to keep. Yep. He definitely isn't a baby any more. I'll post a picture as soon as I get one. I think he looks kinda cute!

Not Ready for Christmas

Danggit. Every year I vow to be more prepared and ready for the holiday season so that I can slow down and enjoy the last couple of weeks. Wouldn't it be nice to have all the shopping and wrapping done by December 10th so that you can just relax and bake? Someday.... someday I will do this.

Our tree is up. It was much bigger than I thought it would be. Not a whole lot taller than last year, but much more solid and heavy. The bucket of rocks just l

ooks insufficient and we have it anchored in three different directions to the wall. Both the cat AND Isaiah could climb it and it isn't going anywhere. I hope.

I love the fact that Baby Duncan is still on our tree. I need to tell friend Anna that he is a favored ornament.

I have been working on some knitting projects but every now and then feel like I need to do something short and easy. Gnomes were the perfect solution. Of course I couldn't resist adding a Santa Gnome to the collection...

I hope to finish the rest of measly shopping in the beginning of the week. For now, I'll leave you with this sweet picture of Isaiah.

a trip to the aquarium

I'm starting to really love professional days at school. With Steve home, it is a perfect way to do something together as a family that brings us closer. I keep thinking that one of the these days Angus or Declan will decide that they don't want to do these things together, but they keep surprising me. Last professional day we went into Boston and enjoyed the Museum of Science that was nearly empty. This time we headed back into Boston to play at the Aquarium.

Isaiah enjoyed the penguins, sea turtles, and jelly fish the most. I presume it is because they were so easy to see and didn't move all that quickly. Spent most of his time pointing out the wonders of the sea to us.

I have to give my thumbs up on making these visits to very popular activities. By going in the middle of the week we miss the usual vacationing or weekend crowds that keep us far from the exhibits.

And I have finally decided to become more organized and start utilizing the free or discounted passes at the library for these types of things. We have a yearly membership at the Museum of Science, but our recent outing to the deCordova was free and the Aquarium was a greatly reduced price, which makes the $35 parking more palatable. Thank you Friends of the Gleason Public Library!

After the aquarium, we walked over to Quincy Market for lunch. Not my favorite place to eat or hang out, but I thought it would be a nice treat for Angus and Declan. Poor Angus still struggles with public shyness and had a very difficult time deciding on something to eat and actually ordering it for himself. But he did it. :)

awwww ... that just stinks!

Declan, who has never been able to save more than $5, managed to work and save since April enough money to buy an IPod Touch for himself. We are so very proud of him and purchased a case to help protect it as a reward.

He is just tickled and has eagerly been awaiting the arrival of his device since we ordered it on Black Friday. He has been so hyped up about it all week, insisting that I check the tracking every single day. Sometimes more than once. We followed it from China to Alaska to New Jersey, where it stayed longer than planned, and then Framingham, MA. Finally, today, it arrives here. Well let me correct that statement ... the box arrives. Empty.

He was crushed.

Somewhere someone is walking around with a brand new IPod Touch that has "Declan Godbout" inscribed on the back. They have no idea how hard he worked and for how long. It just stinks. Steve did an amazing job squawking at FedEx and pleading Declan's case to Apple for a speedy replacement. Declan, feeling very loved and protected, was extraordinarily grateful.

Yes Apple is sending a replacement. Maybe they will toss in a little ITunes gift-card for his troubles.

The Chickens

Our walks to the chicken pen down the street are becoming more and more frequent. I finally deciphered Isaiah's sign for 'chicken' which is different from the ASL one I had been teaching him. I still use the ASL sign but now understand what he is talking about when he makes a bouncing T with two hands.

"Isaiah. Do you want to go play (sign) or go visit the chickens (sign)?"

"Pay. Pay." he says while he signs for chicken.

I guess we go and play with the chickens.

The walk today was a tad chilly but no complaints from me considering it is third week into November. The robins have gathered in the trees on our route, eating berries and fattening up for their journey south. We stopped to watch them and listen to their gentle sweet chirps. Isaiah is quite pleased with himself that he is allowed to carry the bag of treats for our chicken friends. A downy woodpecker raps out a song, looking for grubs in a dead branch.

I love the chicken greeting we get as we round the corner of the barn. "Bwaaark Baaarrkk, Bwaarrrrk ark ark" and excitedly they rush the fence. We enter the pen with our bag of goodies while they dart in between and under my legs. Today I gave Isaiah some potato bread to hand off to the birds but he started eating it instead. Crouching down I feed happy chickens from my hand, cocked back so that they are only inches from Isaiah. He is quiet. Inside he might be squealing with delight or crying in terror but he says nothing. Even the rooster eats from my hand.

As we are leaving the chicken owners Peg and Philip show up with water and their own hearty supply of chicken dinner. We chat about what foods the chickens seem to like best and Peg invites us (actually she invited Isaiah but he was attached to me with the backpack) in to look for eggs. One hen is in the nesting boxes and plenty of eggs are laying around. I can tell already that Isaiah will be excitedly doing this task on his own when he is a little older. Peg gathers the eggs, offering Isaiah one to touch and hold. As we are getting ready to leave, the sitting hen shifts and reveals another egg. Isaiah's egg. Peg offers, and we accept, to take that special egg home for Isaiah to eat for dinner.

Isaiah and Art

Took Isaiah to Decordova one gorgeous afternoon. Thought I share some photos...

Sharks circling overhead. He was a little scared of this.

He loved the giant stone face...

two hearts

sniffing giant metal 'walnuts'?

Wow

What a crazy week at school. Superintendent gave her notice that she will be done June 30th of this year (her contract was up anyway and I'm quite sure the school committee was not interested in renewing it). And that was the good news for the week ...

Two kids in 8th grade were busted for smoking pot in the boys bathroom ... in the bathroom directly across the hall from the main office. Duh.

The next day another boy was sent home for writing threatening messages and leaving them in the boys bathroom. He too was caught.

And then today, someone calls in a bomb scare. WTH? Kids were corralled down in the playing fields while bomb sniffing dogs and police checked the school.

Hopefully this will end our week of bad luck and ill feelings.

Halloween 2009

I'll post some pictures later but here is a quick video of Isaiah after going trick-or-treating (translation = walking to neighbors to say 'hello') this evening. He is a tad tired and a bit punchy, ready to fall apart.

Finally, a film clip

Isaiah hasn't been very cooperative when it comes time to capture him on video. Not that he isn't doing a thousand incredibly cute things each day... its just that he either does them so quickly and moves on to the next cute and adorable thing within 9 seconds or he sees the camera and comes charging at me to rip the cord out of my hands.

Maybe Leno should follow my police blotter findings

Mosquito Classified Ad appears on Jay Leno’s show

Recently the Carlisle Classifieds made the big-time when an item was included in The Jay Leno Show in the “Headlines” segment on October 12. Leno read from the Lost and found section, “Lost – four chickens, last seen on Sunset Road July 14, seen being chased by a fox.” Leno’s comment was, “I wouldn’t put out a lot of hope.”

Monkey See Monkey Do

Isaiah has turned into the great imitator. He watches EveryThing that we do and tries to copy. Pointing the remote at the TV, pointing up into the trees, mopping up pretend olive oil with his bread at dinner. He 'dances' anytime he hears music, stomping his feet and smiling grandly. He studies my mouth when I sound out words, trying to figure out where to put his tongue, teeth, lips. It is wickedly cool.

I'm trying to turn his new-found interest to work for the powers of good. I'll encourage him to imitate me while I pick up toys and put them back into the toy box. Which he does. And then he immediately empties it out again. Or he finds a treasure that he forgot about because he hasn't seen it is ohhhhh so long (10 minutes).

Isaiah helps me empty the dishwasher every morning. As soon as I open the door, he is like a dog to the food bowl, rushing to get his hands onto anything he can. He grabs plates, one by one, and hands them carefully to me to put away. It is a race for me to minimize the number of breakables on that bottom shelf before he gets there. He wants to help me load it too, but that process is a lot messier and I'm not interested in playing that game yet.

He is signing more and more words these days. Apple, chicken, drink, berry, dog, and bike are frequently visited signs.

We visit the chickens that live about 1/2 mile down the road from us several times a week. There are about 2 dozen assorted ornamental hens and one very loud rooster which greets us. Scraps from our kitchen are greedily pecked over. We are hopeful that as they lay more and more eggs we will be able to purchase ours from them.

The Weird Headed Show

Declan has been enjoying the PhotoBooth feature of my Mac. Here is something to tickle your funny bone:

Apple Harvest

Early Release October is always a good time to go apple picking. The weather often cooperates, the apples are ready, and there are no crowds to compete with. We had the good fortune of being able to take Steve along this year, which has now become a family tradition that everyone looks forward to.

Honeypot Farm in Stow, MA is delightful. There are a few animals for the kids to view and feed: 3 young pigs, multitude of goats that climb ramps and beg for food, chickens, rabbits to poke through their cage...

There are

hayrides that traverse the orchards, although we have never taken a

ride. It has always been my opinion that part of my purpose of going to the orchard is to get little boys to exhaust themselves, running through the rows of trees

and climbing the larger ones. They don't seem to mind. :)

We picked apples, chose our pumpkins, boys gobbled their carmel/nut encrusted apples made there, and we managed to pick up a half gallon on unpasteurized cider which I am now afraid to drink because I worry about how safe it is.

Lamson Farm Day 2009

What a lovely day we had, roaming the fields of Lamson Farm in Mont Vernon late September. It was precisely how the boys remembered it. A few animals, a few displays, Mac the Knife, hot cider and donuts, hayrides in the wagon pulled by the Pomeroy's tractor, and the obligatory barbequed chicken dinner complete with homemade pies and baked beans. yummmmm! Although I have to say the pies weren't nearly as good this year as they have been in the past.

The farm looked lovely. Seems that they have done some work on the barn in recent years and it was nice to poke my head in to see where I used to play as a child. It is, of course, much smaller than it used to be ... or I suppose I have gotten bigger. I don't know but it is a cool thing to open a door to old fond memories: old Mr. Lamson shuffling from one cow to the next, Blackie the milker who didn't have much white on her, chasing calves through the fields... all good stuff.

Angus had the good fortune to run into bunches of his old classmates. It was delicious to see him smile from ear to ear as old friends came up to him and asked, "Do you know who I am?". I could see Angus rack his brain for a minute but never lose the smile. He would pause momentarily as he searched for the name and when it surfaced to his brain, his eyes would smile too. I think that was the high-light of my day.

Boys are back in school. I'm really hoping that this is a good year for both of them. Steve is ... well Steve is home a lot more these days, which is a blessing and a curse. Dang Economy!  Good news is that he is starting to make some real headway on that extremely long To-Do list. :)

Declan is in seventh grade this year and will be participating in Band, Boy Scouts, running on the cross country team, and taking music lessons on top of regular studies and a very busy social life.

Angus will also be in the Boy Scouts and running on the cross country team. he just got new running shoes and somehow moved up to size 11.5. I don't understand how that happened. He barely wears through sneakers anymore because his feet are growing at a freakish rate. 

Isaiah is making changes by leaps and bounds. Just recently he learned how to walk backwards, clap his hands with purpose and give high-fives, and put a ball into a container instead of just dumping everything OUT onto the floor. Amazing. He really is a delightful little buggar.

I'm lining up my limited volunteer activities for the year at the school and library. I'm still not interested in overextending myself too much. Nonetheless, there will be fundraising events to help plan, book sale to organize, the 7th grade play, etc. etc. etc. 

One Year Already!

On Saturday, Isaiah celebrated his first year in our world. My-oh-my how time flies.

A couple of weeks ago we took a (nearly) week-long trip to upstate New York, stopping in Ithaca overnight. While in Ithaca I managed to meet up with two dear friends who also have babies under the age of two and we saw some beautiful countryside.

Hiked to Taughannock waterfall which was quite impressive (g'head, google it!).

and hiked Watkins Glen where Declan had the misfortune to re-fracture his collarbone.

Fingerlakes region brings rolling hills and farm after farm after farm. I have never seen so much

corn growing in my life! Cornfields were replaced by vineyards as we

travelled north towards Rochester to spend some time with Steve's family. Absolutely stunning country out that way.

Funniest thing I saw (and didn't get a picture of) was a large sprawling lawn in front of a house. Dead center was a toilet with seat lifted and a handful of plastic flowers "

planted" in the bowl. Who thinks this stuff up?

While in Rochester, we had several days to spend with Steve's Mom, sister Gemma, Rick, Kaleigh & Damon, as well as brothers Greg and Mark who made the trek as well. We did the requisite trips to Seabreeze amusement and water park, Whispering Pines putt-putt- golf (the oldest miniature golf park in continuous use), Bill Greys for burgers, and too many visits to Abbotts frozen custard. Older kids swam in Lake Ontario one afternoon while Isaiah chased seagulls in the park and we rounded out our trip with reconnecting with great Aunts Sylvia and Joan and friends Mike and Sandy.

We also managed to squeeze in a visit to the zoo where Isaiah was stunned to see all these animals from his books come to life.

Updates

Isaiah is 11 months old today. Walking, practically running, everywhere. Constant babbling. Eating more and more table foods.

Declan broke his collarbone. Again. Poor kid is missing out on boy scout camp this week and was just informed by the orthopedic surgeon that he is pretty much done with normal activities for the next month.

Angus is off at camp and probably having a super time after having spent a week in NH wth Gramma and Papa. I bet he doesn't even miss us!

Arizona in the Summertime

... is HOT. 

Steve had to travel there for work (the week of his birthday), so Isaiah and I came along for the trip. Stayed near Old Town part of Scottsdale and had a great time discovering all that it had to offer. Did you know they have an amazing collection of public art? 

We would get up early, eat breakfast and head out for a nice long walk over to the park. Isaiah played in the grass and

 admired the water fountains, flowers, and birds and just generally exhausted himself before it got too hot. 

He napped in the Ergo as we

 headed back to hotel for some downtime and lunch. 

In the afternoons we needed indoor 

respite from the heat so we headed to either the library (super children's section), the mall, or ducked from one store to the next. Scottsdale has a free trolley system that pretty much took us anywhere we wanted to go. 

Late afternoons found us cooling off in the pool.

Summertime

Sorry for the lack of new posts, but boys are out of school and we are just plain busy these days. Angus and Declan are proving to be terrific helpers around the house, taking on new chores and jobs .. some for money and others just because they need to be done. 

The used booksale at the library was another huge success. --->

It has rained for 1.5 months so I'm afraid that the landscaping project is continuing to drag out forever.

Isaiah is walking quite well...

and has lots of smiles...

Happy Anniversary

Five years. How does time go by so quickly?

Lessons Leaned Along the Way

1. Chip wood, especially pine trees and anything wet/rotting, the same year you harvest it.  Do not hang on to it from one year to the next.

2. Chipping wood that is rotten on a warm sunny day creates a heck-of-a-lot of dust, dirt, mess that coats EVERYTHING within a 1/2 mile radius. It only adds to your list of "to-do's" ... like re-washing all windows and screens and power washing the sides of the house.

3. Much easier to separate day lily bulbs when they are dry. 

4. A reward of driving tractor can be great motivation to get teenagers to weed and pick up sticks.

5. Somewhere there is poison ivy on this property. 

6. One week with a backhoe is not enough time. Now I understand why people buy them... there is always more to be done that would be easier with a big piece of machinery under ya!

7.  Our builder made some really poor choices. I am silently cursing him now.

8.  Yes, Virginia, you can blow out a tire on a lawn cart with a bicycle pump.

9. If you plan to edge your landscaping, do not wait 6 years between edgings. 

10. Shop around for soft-scaping. Prices vary greatly from one nursery to the next.

11. Sometimes, no matter how much you envision it, you still end up with an "Oh Sh*t!" moment.

New Project

Tomorrow we start a landscaping project here at the house. We have rented a wood chipper and backhoe for the week and expect delivery of 15 yards of mulch along with 22 yards of dirt. If we don't knock the foundation out from under the house, we plan to (carefully) remove the landscaping around the house, dig out some of the hard packed clay that is refusing to allow the plants to grow, replace it with soil/sand mixture and put most of the plants right back where they were. Some plants, such as yews which is really deer caviar, will be completely removed and replaced with deer resistant plants. 

While this is NOT the ideal time to be taking on this project (most of the plants are in their prime growing season), it is the time we have available to do it. So OnWard We Go! I'll post before, during, and after pictures but I don't think we'll see the real results of this work until three years down the road after the plants have had a chance to re-establish themselves.

More Mobile Everyday

Yesterday Isaiah stood up on his own while we were outside. No leaning or pulling on anything ... not even the ground! Just went from a squatting position to upright in a blink of an eye. I expect that one day very soon he is just going to stand up and walk across the room towards me.

This evening he did take a step. It was small ... more of a hesitation then shuffling of his left foot forward .. but he did it!

He also got two more teeth in the past week, for a total of 4 sharpies right in front. At least they are opposing so he'll be all set for gnawing on corn on the cob before too long. haha

Steve refuses to dress the baby in 'big boy' clothes, preferring the look of onesies and little pants. I dressed Isaiah in shorts and a polo shirt one afternoon and was accused of robbing him of his baby-hood. I agree that the time is too fleeting and wish we could just slow things down a teensy bit. But Isaiah will have nothing of it. OnWard He Goes!!!

Sleeping in the Dark can be Scary

The 'big  boys' made their first attempt at sleeping in the treehouse last night. We set up sleeping pads and bags surrounded by mosquito netting. At around 9:30 they headed out armed with pillows, books, and flashlights. The glow from the flashlights made the treehouse look welcoming in the darkness. Eventually the lights were extinguished and we hoped that the boys would sleep well.

Less than 90 minutes later, I saw the lights come back on as one boy made his way down the ladder ... followed by the other. Oh well. They gave it a shot and I'm sure the next time out they will last longer.

yummmm

First time with frozen treat (sorbet). He loooooved it!

We are lucky to live within biking distance of two fabulous ice cream huts.

the I man

in case you need an update on the little buggar...

from Declan...

On Monday we had a tour of the Capitol Building. It was cool. Our guide, Andrew, was very informative. The big dome in the middle weighed like 9 million pounds. African American slaves built it a long time ago:

We went to a room called the "Crypt" where George Washington was supposed to be buried. George wasn't in the coffin because his family didn't want him to be buried there. The pillars were made of brick covered in plaster and they supported the rotunda above it. Here is a picture of it.

from Angus...

We went to the Spy Museum in DC. It was a BLAST! They had everything in cloak, dagger, and shadow from the 1880's to modern times. I learned how to pick a lock, plant a bug, photograph documents, and use disguises. Before we went through the museum, we participated in this interactive part where we (a group of around 15) had to find this nuclear bomb in a bad guy's basement office. I really had a great time.

DC Trip

DC was a terrific hit with the boys. Turns out you can ride in a car for that long with an 8-month old! Who knew!

We tried to cram wayyyyy too many things into our short stay and the boys are already working on the itinerary for our next trip. We did a TON of walking while we were there ~ so much that the boys say that next time we are going on vacation they are going to start 'training' for it 2 months in advance.   

Saw these things....

Memorials/Monuments: Vietnam, Korean, Lincoln, WWII, US Navy, Washington

Museums: Natural History, American History, Air & Space, International Spy, American Art (National Portrait Gallery), Holocaust (also on list for trip #2)

Other:  Zoo, Arlington Cemetery, tour of Capitol, picnic lunch at outdoor sculpture park

.

Also had time to spend with Gemma and Greg and a too-short visit with great Aunt Bet up in Maryland before heading home.

oh boy... this can't be good

While Steve was in China, I got into the practice of paying Declan $2 per day so I could take a shower. By Myself. Without a Baby. It is probably worth eight times that much, but $2 seemed reasonable for 20 minutes work. Since his return, I often still employ Declan for two reasons ... first it is more convenient to shower during daylight hours. The evenings just get too crammed between dinner and lacrosse practice and general life. Secondly, Declan is trying to make a little extra dough. This arrangement works out well for both of us.

However.... yesterday, I came down from my shower to Declan excitedly relating a new skill Isaiah took on while I was busy sudsing my hair.

Take a look for yourself:

We are busy preparing for our trip to Washington DC. So I'll leave you with a few pictures...

Head Injury

Angus suffered a concussion yesterday at recess  during school. He slipped on some sand on the Plaza (painted concrete) and his feet went right out from underneath him! Poor guy has a goose-egg on the back of his head but all neurological testing showed nothing out of the ordinary. We watched him pretty closely through the night, waking him up to make sure he was responsive and rousable, and he looks much much better this morning! WHEW!

But I'm afraid he is out of lacrosse for a while. 

First Cold

dang. I knew this would happen eventually.

Poor little guy is terribly congested and was running a fever last night. Sleeping and nursing are particularly challenging, which is oh, about 85% of our existence these days.  The other 15% is spent trying to get into/onto stuff he shouldn't (like climbing the stairs). Favorite objects of his desire are: dvd cases, electrical outlets and wires, cat brush & bowl, cat, stone fireplace hearth, magazines.

On a positive note, yesterday while at story time, Isaiah demonstrated more independence and ease with strangers. He seems to really look forward to our weekly excursions. This week he was anticipating the adventure as we climbed the stairs to the third floor. As soon as I put him down on the floor, he was off exploring, crawling into other mom's laps (!) and investigating other children. He really can be quite social!

short video of the lil guy and some quiet time with mom...

Biking with Baby

We got our new bike trailer last week. Isaiah and I have been going out for a bike ride every day ever since. :)  My butt is a little sore but I can't help myself but to go. It was especially nice because Steve was gone all week in China but I still got to work out every day. I have been running with the jog stroller but I didn't really get to ride much last year so this is a welcomed relief for me ~ to get out on the bike and just move.

We go late morning, after he has eaten and is quite tired from playing, so he just naps most of the time. He seems quite comfy and content in there with his blankie and stuffed animals. Yesterday he woke up about 5 miles from home and started singing. What a delight!

peacefulness

lazy mornings

Angus and Declan are so helpful with Isaiah, especially this week while Steve is gone. I am never without an extra set of hands around here, offering to hold him for me while I get a task or two done...