Neil, Beth, Iain and Liam Pitman

So long. Farewell. Auf Wiedersehen...Good Night.

2012-02-09T08:37:00.013-06:00

If the kind of celebration you have to herald its exit is any indication of the quality of the year, 2011 must have been a good one. Because we had a great time on New Year's Eve 2011! Or perhaps we were just trying to make up for the last few. Our last "normal" New Year's Eve was in 2007...so we were probably due! (Normal indicates any combination of: family, friends, champagne, music, food, fun.) Also note that it would NOT include such events as the following:
1. Counting down to midnight in the car on a highway somewhere in rural Michigan, on a belated trip to Canada, after a stressful trip to the neonatal doctors in Iowa City (New Year's Eve 2008).
2. Spending the evening in bed with the flu and an equally sick spouse, while alternating care of a barfing baby (New Year's Eve 2009).
3. Going into labor! (New Year's Eve 2010)

This year we did "normal", and I have to say we did it well! We started the evening with a family dinner, made by the kids, while Mom and Dad took babysitting duty. We started with bruschetta and a gourmet salad (think: pecans, cranberries, blue cheese, roasted red peppers!). The main course included steak and lobster, stuffed potatoes, and roasted veggies. We finished with a pavlova. It was all divine! We all got into our fancy clothes (although us cooks donned aprons!). And of course we broke out the party hats and the nice wine, although we did forget the champagne.

We attempted a family photo...but this was the best we could muster up.

From there, we left the babes and old folks (all those who can't make it until midnight!) and headed out with friends to a black and white themed masquerade ball! It was just as fun as it sounds! Here we all are, in our fabulous masks, all one of a kind creations by Ms. Breha Patterson, with help from her Pitman apprentices!

We did a lot of dancing.

We took a group shot in front of the "green screen" that promised an exotic background or exciting New Year's wish...but alas, since we forgot to pick up our photo at midnight...the acutal green-screen is all we have.

We took monumental "Last Photo Together in 2011"!

We counted down to midnight!

We took a "First Photo of 2012!"
(...which looks a lot like the last photo of 2011...!)

Before the night was through, we'd also (unwittingly) crashed a Legion party (no photos of that though), shared some good laughs, reminisced about New Years Eves past, and looked ahead to the future. And we all got to bed by 3am! Welcome 2012. You've been good to us so far! Can't wait to see what else you have in store!

Boxing Day...it's not just for Boxing!

2012-02-08T13:53:00.004-06:00

What exactly is Boxing Day? It seems that no one really knows the origins of this holiday. But truly, whoever made the day after Christmas into an official day off was some kind of genius. Or more to the point, any country without a Boxing Day on their calendar (Ahem.) should think about adopting it! "It's a holiday with presents that have already been opened and a dinner that has been eaten. It's a holiday best spent lounging around in brightly colored sweaters, wondering, lazily and lethargically, what to do next." Sounds fairly perfect to me!

It's also a great day for: trying out new snowsuits!

Golfing!

And taking (sub-par) family photos.

Viva la Boxing Day!

Christmas in Canada

2012-02-07T21:16:00.011-06:00

Is there any moment in the entire year more special than Christmas Eve? The carols and the candlelight; the excitement and anticipation; the joy and the peace. Nothing will ever match the magic of that night for me. We kept ours simple: A Christmas Eve service with friends and family, a few "night before Christmas" gifts for the boys, some hors d'ourves and an ill fated attempt at A Christmas Carol.

We slept in Christmas morning (I guess we're lucky to have boys who are not yet hip to the notion of waking up early on Christmas morning!) and then started in on the avalanche of gifts that had landed themselves under the tree. We're lucky (on both sides of the family) that everyone has a similar mindset about Christmas. No one spends a ton. No one buys a ton. Everyone chooses thoughtful (often homemade) gifts that are perfect for the recipient. But even when the majority of things are homemade and from the heart, even when the budget is kept low and everyone is careful not to go "overboard", there are still a LOT of presents to go around!

We brought the boys up and let hem start with their gift from Santa. Iain got right down to business playing with his new trains, and Liam loved his IKEA crane too.

Next we all opened our stockings, figuring that this would be the best plan for keeping the boys occupied. Highlights for Liam included some delicious snacks, a new pacifier to match his favorite green standby, letters spelling his name, a delicious sippy cup, and a toothbrush of his own.

For Iain, although he was excited about the Ovaltine, the underwear, the toothbrush, the new cups, and especially the slippers he'd been talking about since October and requesting from every Santa we visited, nothing could really compare with his new James train.

After the stockings, which also included all the "husbands to wives" and "wives to husbands", there was still a plethora of gifts to give.
Gifts from Mom and Dad to "the kids":

Gifts from "the kids" to the parents.

Gifts to and from Brett and Breha.

Gifts from Grammie and Grampy and Unky Brett and Auntie Beyoo to the boys. And gifts for them both from the boys!

...and a gifts for the Patterson cousins we hope to meet soon!

A gift for Daddy from the boys...

...and for Mommy too!

Gifts from brother to brother.

And gifts from Neil and I to the boys as well. (Seriously, check out the Baby's face! All gifted out!)

There were also gifts to Pattersons from Pitmans, gifts to Pattersons from DeLoaches, and gifts from great-aunts and uncles for the boys. We took a break in the middle somewhere for a delicious Christmas brunch of egg casserole and coffee cake, and then got right back into the presents. It really did feel slightly ridiculous, especially since we all thought we were showing restraint in the gifts we chose! We ended the gjfting extravaganza with the piece de resistance, for Iain at least. His own pair of skates, from Grammie and Grampy! You've never seen such a happy boy!

We ended with hugs and thanks all around, and everyone agreed it had been a great morning.

We had only just finished tiding up the paper and boxes when visitors arrived at the door bearing gifts (of course!) and coming to claim the remainder of packages under our tree. Sadly, my camera battery had died, so I have NO photos of the amazing gifts Deborah and her Mom and sister brought for us and the boys. They will be making an appearance soon (in a post titled "My sisters and friends are so talented it makes me dizzy! But I'm glad to be the recipient of their talent!" or something thereabouts.) Liam pooped out soon after, but I was glad he at least got to see the fabulous "Cirque de Liam" made for him!

Then, it was onto Christmas dinner. Brett and Neil fried the turkey, while the rest of us took care of the inside work. Contrary to how it may appear in the photos, fried turkey is not as redneck as it sounds (looks?) and is actually very delicious: Crispy, tender, moist and not greasy at all!

And...in case they weren't looking hick enough...they thought that the camouflaged hunter orange beer cans might do the job if the boots and other getup didn't.

Dad carved the turkey, in his new apron!

We feasted.

And just like *that*. Christmas was over for another year.

Fetching a Christmas Tree

2012-02-06T09:41:00.005-06:00

One of the (many) advantages to living in the country is the opportunity afforded to hike out into your own yard and select a Christmas tree. The day after we arrived in Canada, that's just what we did! At dusk, we bundled up and trooped out in the yard to look for the most beautiful tree that was also growing in an amenable spot to being cut. Breha found the winner, and we "sacrificed it in the name of Christmas". It was the perfect start to our Christmas holiday!

Travelers' Best Friends

2012-02-06T09:31:00.004-06:00

1. A bottle and a brand new barcalounger for the little one.

2. Snacks and Charlie Brown Christmas on the portable DVD player for the big one. (Thanks Mom and Dad!)
3. Starbucks for the grownups.

4. A hotel at a midway point to swim in the pool, make soup in the bath, and lay our weary heads for the night.

5. Christmas in Canada waiting at the end!

Pitman Christmas 2011

2012-02-06T08:36:00.005-06:00

Food and family and fun...oh my! And even a visit from a naked little native in a hulu skirt and rubber boots! With five cousins, (instead of last year's two!) It was a wonderful (and crazy) Christmas!

12 Days of Christmas

2012-01-31T07:09:00.009-06:00

We coin this phrase for just about anything. Right after Neil and I got married, we made a Christmas CD (which is still floating around certain friends' cars I think!) titled "The Pitman's 12 Days of Christmas". Or possibly "The 12 Songs of Christmas". Sadly, we actually lost our own copy years ago. This year, for my parents' gift, we gave made and assembled (and even sung the tune as we delivered) "The Cabin Gifts of Christmas". And, as already mentioned, our "Christmas holiday" tends to last well into January! So although it has little to do with swans-a-swimming or pipers-piping, the sentiment of Christmas being more than one day gets a lot of air time in our house. And never did the "12 Days of Christmas" ring more true than this year, when it truly felt that (even with twelve!) we would run out of days before we ran out of things to do. Here's just a little smattering of the fun we had, and although I could do a post for each of these, unless I want it to be "The 12 Days of Christmas Blogging", I'll keep it short.

#1. We went to Neil's Medline Holiday Party. Even though it was mostly work for him, it was still fun to get dolled up and have fun with friends. When I came downstairs all dressed, bejeweled, and made-up, Iain (who obviously wasn't used to all this finery!) said open-mouthed and in awe..."Oh Mommy! You look very handsome!!" This was about the only photo we took, although we did capture some fine moments in the photo booth.

#2. We (of course!) decorated the Christmas tree. This is always a big event in our house, complete with snackies, a favorite movie, and (when we can arrange it!) snow! Although we couldn't justify sending to death a real tree, since we were leaving town the week before Christmas, our generous brother and sister let us borrow their cutie little artificial one. And it was perfect. Although it was Liam's first time decorating a tree (more photos of all "Baby's Firsts" to come!) it was Iain's first year actually knowing what to do. And for him, "what to do" was to put as many ornaments as possible front and center!

#3. We headed to Galena for the Tri-State Christian School Christmas concert. This is another "annual" for us. No Christmas season is complete without hearing little voices competing with their sleigh bells for volume, and seeing all the kiddos dressed in their Christmas best. We also met a dear friend for dinner at a fantastic new Galena restaurant (Embe. Go! Their website stinks, but the food is great and it's the cutest ever!) Iain tried his first (believe it or not!) peanut butter and jelly sandwich! It was a great night, and both boys enjoyed it. Iain was totally enthralled. He loved hearing the barbershop quartet sing Jingle Bells, but is favorite part was the living nativity scene, though he was alarmed when Mary left the stage and came back in regular dress. Seriously though...the TSCS Christmas concert is always fantastic. You should go next year!

#4. We saw Santa. This has become somewhat of an annual too, unfortunately. Now, I have nothing against Santa, but I do have something against fraudulent mall Santas who don't look the part, or say anything you've rehearsed with your two year old. Farfetched examples of what we were expecting include things such as: "Hello! What's your name? Have you been a good boy this year? What do you want for Christmas?" What we got instead was a repetition of this phrase: "Oh, you're doing fine. Look at the camera." Kinda kills the magic. However, we visit the bookstore and the play place enough that Iain knows that the mall is where Santa lives. So we go. Luckily, this year we also go to visit Santa at Medline, who was much more jolly, and much less creepy.

#5. We went to Iain's very first Sunday School Christmas program! Sure, he only sang "Christmas Bells" (complete with bells!) and "Away in a Manger" (with the actions!), so it wasn't his break into Broadway or anything. But it was a big deal, because it's the first of many things like this that we will do in our life. We practiced for weeks beforehand, and he knew all the words and all the actions perfectly. We were a little nervous that he'd freak out and refuse to get onstage, but he tromped right up, brave as a trouper! And (aside from falling off the stage once and making a break to check out the guitars between songs) he did a fantastic job!

#6. We spent an inordinate amount of time in Santa's Workshop (also known as our basement!) gluing, brewing, stitching, stenciling, wrapping and tagging. For the last several years, we've been working hard to incorporate more homemade gifts into our repertoire, and although we're not yet at the point where everything is made by us, between Homemade Christmas and amazon.com, we barely have to set foot in a store! This year, some of our favorite creations included etched pint glasses, aprons, personalized wine charms, be-flowered hairbands and homemade beer, salsa and truffles. I also sewed snowmen for all the cousins, with matching scarves for each child. Here Iain shows his (prototype and thus the worst of the bunch) snowman and scarf proudly. As I lamented over the poor stitchery, uneven lines, misplaced eyes and lumpy body, Iain spied him and said "Mommy!!! What IS that snowman!?" I asked if he'd like to have it, and he said "YES! I ABSOLUTELY WOULD!!!" I am thankful that kids aren't harsh critics, and I told Iain so. Of course, he asked what it meant, and Daddy said "Mommy's just really happy you like her snowman." He's slept with him every night since.

#7. Although we spent so much time working on Christmas crafts, we did manage to have a lot of fun with it this year! We spaced it out well enough that it didn't feel overwhelming, and we had a great time down in our little workshop, creating together. Whenever we'd hit a slump, we'd grab out the faithful "White Christmas" movie and bring it down to get us over the wall. We must have watched it 43 times. And on about the fifteenth go around, we decided that it only made sense for us to try "Hot buttered rum...light on the butter"! Let me just say that line will never be the same for me. It was DIS.GUS.TING. If anyone has made this recipe with success...please do share. We're willing to try it again. But really, hot rum, water and butter? How could it be good?

#8. One of the projects that Iain enjoyed helping with was Christmas cookies. We had a lot of parties requiring treats, and we always take a bag of goodies to our neighbors. Thus, I found myself doing a lot of baking. This little helper was very concentrated on his craft, and although his final products were masterpieces of sugar and glitter, we decided to save those for home consumption. He's a bit heavy handed with the sprinkles. We had a lot of fun baking together this year. He's getting to be quite a little chef.

#9. And, speaking of neighbors, we celebrated Eubachman (That's Eudaley/Loebach/Pitman!) Christmas with our favorite neighbors! We always love hanging out with Candace and Michael, and the boys love them too. We were all excited about our "Christmas". We had dinner (Indian!) and exchanged gifts (homemade!). We did a seasonal beer tasting ("Does this taste like bile?"). We ate (our version of) Decadent Fudge Crackle Candycane ice-cream (Yum!). We put noses and antlers on the boys! What's not to love?

#10. GAC White Elephant. Arguably the best night of the year. Or perhaps we should say UN-arguably! We ate. We laughed. We wore (homemade, matching) ugly sweaters. We got rid of our crap and took home someone else's. We watched KT knock over the Christmas tree! We laughed some more. We had a ton of fun. Iain even got to help Anna with the announcing, which made his night. But just so you know..if you give a kid a microphone...he'll want to shout in it.

#11. We calebrated Pitman Christmas! What can I say? Well, as it turns out...a lot! I will have to save this one for another post, because there's just too much fun that was had to be captured by one photo. Brunch, gifts, family, dinner. It was a great day. We even got a White (Pitman) Christmas!

#12. We hit the road! With coffee in hand, White Christmas on the big-screen, pillows and blankets all-around, we were off to Canada! Is there any other way to travel? And is there anything more fun than the anticipation felt at the start of a trip? Somewhere around Chicago or so, our joy usually wanes, but every time, we're excited to be going. We were in Canada for more than two glorious weeks, and we enjoyed every minute. (Much) more on that later.

So there you have it. Our "twelve days of Christmas". What were you doing in December?

The Tortoise and the Hair...

2012-01-30T16:52:00.005-06:00

Clearly, second children do not always follow in their elder siblings' footsteps. We know this to be true in just about every manner with our eldest and youngest, and none more so than in regard to their manes. Iain was a year if he was a day before he had any hair worth combing. He was almost two by the time he got his hair cut for the first time and it was over six months before he needed another one. However. Liam was born with more hair than Iain had when he turned one, and it's been growing like a weed ever since. Clearly it was time for a haircut.

Clearly.

So off to Mikaela we trekked, soother in hand for comfort as needed.

In just a few snips of the scissors...
...our hairy beast...

(...or shall I say our wee lass...)

was transformed

into this handsome fella!

What a BIG BOY!

And of course, we can't forget his ragamuffin brother.

He underwent his own transformation...

...though he can't seem to make a normal face in photos to save his life!

Still handsome though!

If you've seen our kids lately, you're probably thinking 'They got haircuts recently?' Because they sure don't look like it. This is no fault of Mikaela! Since I'm so belated with this post (say...approximately two months late?) it's just about time for another one.

Cleaning Out the Closets

2012-01-30T14:31:00.011-06:00

'Tis a new year. Beginnings. Resolutions and goals. New schedules, new hobbies and cleaning out the closets, both literally and figuratively. A fresh page on the calendar. Out with the old! In with new! I'm not much of a resolution-maker, but there is something about January that makes me want to start fresh. However, this year I'm finding it hard to get into a January frame of mind. Perhaps it's because the first (noteworthy) snow of the season didn't fall until well after the holiday came and went, so truly, it's only now beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Maybe it's because the weeks leading up to Christmas are "the most wonderful time of the year". It could be because we had so. much. fun. this Christmas, with celebrations all over the place, both home and away, and we're not ready for the fun to end! Or...more likely it's just that I have approximately 972 Christmas photos staring me in the face, needing to need to be dealt with. And about 863 others from the weeks preceding. I took a bit of a blog-break this month, because I just didn't know where to start. I mean...no one wants to read about festivities now! It's January. Closet cleaning time! But, on the other hand, if I leave it out, I'll forever be confused about what we did for Christmas 2011, because my memory really is becoming that faulty! And predictably, just because you stop documenting it, life doesn't stop happening. So now I have about 467 photos from January's adventures needing to be taken care of too.

So before I am buried any deeper under this digital pile of memories, I think I'll be doing a little retroactive blogging this week: Our 12-days of Christmas, Dubuque style. Liam's first haircut, Liam's first Christmas and Liam's first birthday! Canadian Christmas 2011. A New Year's masquerade ball. Pitman Pie Weekend 2012. And of course, lots of everyday life in between. If you are a blog reader who likes up-to-the minute reporting, these posts might not be for you! But, if you're someone we are lucky enough to enjoy life with...stay tuned! There's a good chance you'll see yourself in the archives, because you've been part of our fun over the last few months!

One last thing. Since I'm here anyway, I will get one 'post topic' off my to-do list! January is not only good for closet cleaning! It's also good for snowman making. And that is just what we did today! Meet the Pitman family. Our at least our snow-doppelgangers! Snoppelgangers?

L-R: Kitty, Iain, Daddy, Mommy and Liam!

Iain James Pitman: Snowman builder extraordinaire!
Stick fetcher, stone finder, ball roller and general man of all work.

Liam Charles Pitman: Spectator of the Year!
Sitter, smiler, soother-sucker and snow-player.

The boys and their snoppelgangers.

Hello Snow-family!

Happy January!

Birthday Boy

2012-01-01T19:54:00.006-06:00

It's the first day of a new year, and Mr. Liam Charles Pitman is one year old! The photos from his first year of life have been reminisced over. (Were you ever that tiny?) The party's been had. (Hope you had fun little snowman; we sure did!) The cake has been (thoroughly!) enjoyed. The family and friends have gone home. (Thanks for coming guys! Love you!) The kids (and the parents!) are tuckered out, in their jammies, and ready for bed. Here are just a few photos of the birthday boy's winter celebration (nevermind that it's a balmy 50 degrees outside!) for the friends and family that we wish weren't too far away to be here with us!

It sure was a Happy Birthday for our little boy, but then again...almost every day is a happy one for Liam! On this first day of January, 2012, there's only one thing left to say to you, Little Liam: "Sweet baby boy, I love you. Sweet baby boy, I've told you this a thousand times. I'm so glad you are mine"

It's Beginning to FEEL a lot Like Christmas!

2011-12-21T08:39:00.006-06:00

Christmastime is here! Even if it doesn't look like a winter wonderland, it sure feels like Christmas. We've Christmas partied, Christmas programed, Christmas dinnered, White Elephanted and Ugly Sweatered to our hearts' content. The doors on the advent calendar are almost all opened. The last gift has been bought, and the work in Santa's workshop is complete. Pitman Christmas has come and gone, and was enjoyed by all! Every person from the nativity set is standing in his or her place, just waiting for Christmas Eve. The "must-watch" movies have been watched, and the Christmas music has been played. The boys couldn't be any more excited if they tried! The last minute errands have been run. The car is packed (to the brim!) and ready to go. Christmastime is here!

Yesterday afternoon we took an impromptu trip to see this jolly old elf, who was visiting the lovely folks at Medline!

But the final thing on my "to-do" list is another visit. To a manger in Bethleham, over two thousand years ago. To remember the reason for all the festivities. To be thankful. To be silent and still. To truly get into "the Christmas spirit".

"Lo, in the silent night A child to God is born

And all is brought again That ere was lost or lorn.

Could but thy soul, O man, Become a silent night!

God would be born in thee And set all things aright."

Merry Christmas everyone!

Skating with Grandma!

2011-12-13T06:53:00.007-06:00

One of the many highlights of Thanksgiving weekend was a trip to the rink for the kids! We took Iain once last year, and he loved it, and Mom has been talking about getting Iain and Courtney out there together for a while. So on Friday, we made it happen! It was Iain's dream come true, and he's been talking about it ever since! Courtney (as you will see!) tired out a little soon, but both of them had a lot of fun...and they took great naps afterward! It was so neat to see the Daddies skating with their kiddos, and Grandma teaching them the basics. It was a great memory made!

Thanksgiving Thugs

2011-12-09T08:26:00.005-06:00

When the babies got messy after their Thanksgiving feast, the shirts came off. When Grandma saw their roly-poly little naked torsos and tough guy jeans, she felt the biker bandanas were the next logical step! I might be biased, but I think they're the cutest little Thanksgiving thugs that ever drew a living breath!

"Yanksgiving"

2011-12-09T07:08:00.005-06:00

As a Canadian, I've never really been a fan of Thanksgiving falling at the end of November. Canadian Thanksgiving is at the beginning of October, which (in my opinion!) is a much more fitting time of year. The the harvest is being harvested, the colors are beautiful...the Christmas decorations are not up in the stores yet! Usually we look at the four days off as a great time to travel to Canada and have "pre-Christmas", but I will admit that after spending the weekend here this year, although I still think we Canucks have the right idea...I "get it" a little more. It was a wonderful weekend from start to finish, full of family, food and fun. We began with brunch, proceeded to relaxing, and then enjoyed a bountiful turkey dinner with family and friends. (Thank you Anna and Kevin, for being part of Pitman Thanksgiving. It was so. much. fun!) We sampled yummy desserts and good wine. We snuggled babies and played with toddlers, and read lots and lots of books. We watched movies (Thanksgiving and Christmas!), and had a pizza night. We had a "pasta bar" complete with a basement concert with a far away Uncle and Aunt. We went shopping and skating, and took naps. We made crafts, we baked, we cooked, and we cleaned up together! What could be better!?

Conundrum

2011-12-08T14:55:00.005-06:00

I guess a blog (well, this one at least!) will suffer a bit of neglect in the stretch between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I took a break today from Christmas sewing, crafting and baking, from going to concerts, plays and parties, from calming excited children and decorating the house to upload my photos. (I had no choice; my (2 GB) CF card was full!) As I looked through the pictures from the last three weeks or so (all 900 of them) I realized that with the (extraordinarily limited) amount of leisure time I have available right now, I'd never be able to do justice to all the fun that we've had over the last little while. We celebrated "Yanksgiving" with the Pitmans (real and honorary!) and (some) Pattersons. We got dolled up for the (biggest and best ever) Medline Holiday party. We decorated a tree (Liam's first!). The boys got (much needed) haircuts. And on, and on, and on. Every day this month it seems like we are doing something photo worthy. Unfortunately, there's NO time at all to do anything with the photos.

SoI figured that I have a few options:
1. Give up. Let this be "the lost month". Wonder forever, looking back, what we did in November and December of 2011.
2. Wait until things slow down and do the longest post imaginable, encompassing all holidays, family events, parties, decorating, gifts and fun from the middle of November to the middle of January into one long, rambling, run-on narrative, much like this sentence.
3. Put something up now, in an attempt to catch up, even if it's not good.

I think I am going with option three, although it goes against my nature "blog halfway". I know that a picture is supposed to be worth a thousand words, but I never like to to post photos without telling the story behind them. And I never like to tell the story without including all the details! It just doesn't seem fair to the fun we've had to condense it into one or two measly sentences! And, this blog basically is my memory now! (As the built in one is getting a little faultier with each child we have!) So I like to be thorough. But, I guess it's better than nothing,. At least the photos will be there, even if they're not documented. And at least our story will be complete, even if it's not in words. Maybe I will end up liking it better this way! And I reserve the right to come back in January (when I have time to breathe, not to speak of folding laundry or any of the other things that are being neglected lately!) and add in the details!

So in the next week or so, look for (some short and sweet) posts about all the fun we've been having celebrating, decorating, partying and living life. But don't expect too much!

And for now, (since you've got the thousand words and you probably want the picture!) here are a few photos of our handsome little Christmas elves.

Okay, so I know I am (already) breaking my "in the interest of time, leave out photo captions" rule. But I've got to point out these two expressions. Classic Iain and Liam, captured in one shot!!

I'm Dreaming...

2011-11-22T08:22:00.005-06:00

...of a White Christmas! This week I suppose I'll have to settle for a green and brown Thanksgiving. But last Saturday, it was all about Christmas; You know...days merry and bright, Christmases of white. Christmas music. Christmas desserts, and Christmas cocktails. And an Ethiopian feast. But let me backtrack a little.

We're lucky to have some GREAT neighbors. When we moved into our neighborhood in 2005, we were certainly the only people under 50, and probably two of very few under 70 or 80. I loved my "old people" and often visited, took cookies, soup and rolls and enjoyed some nice conversations. But I never would have said that we had a "fun" neighborhood! Over the past six years that we've lived here, the demographics have changed, slowly but surely. As older people have moved away, died, or entered assisted living homes, their houses have sold to people more in our age bracket. And among those, luckily enough for us, are some great friends who live right across the street!

We've gotten to know Candace and Michael over the past year, and have a lot in common with them. Candace and I share a love for Ikea, thrifting, early morning "running" (which is usually more of early morning walking...), cheap wine and Target. Michael and Neil talk homebrewing, cooking and (unexpectedly!) golf. We like (and hate!) the same TV shows, the same music, the same books. We all love good ethnic food, and trying new things from other cultures. We share things back and forth like books, ladders, plants, music, gardening tips, and food. We plan lots of impromptu get-togethers for shared meals, bonfires, or drinks. And we all go to bed much earlier than your average young person. (Except on nights when we all hang out together!)

On one of our early morning walks, when Candace and I spotted the signs for White Christmas playing at The Grand Opera House, we decided it was a "must-do" for the four of us. We made a plan that got bigger and bigger, and soon came to be known as "Eubachman Christmas!" (That's Eudaley/Loebach/Pitman!) We looked forward to it for weeks, and finally got the enjoyment of a great night on Saturday!

Our wonderful babysitter arrived at 5:30, and we walked across the street to Candace and Michael's house. We began the night with an Ethiopian feast! We've never tried it before, and it was a totally new experience: eating with your hands, using tortillas, on a communal plate! Candace made delicious appetizers, five different "stews", and the tortillas from scratch. And it was delicious!!

From there, we boarded the pilot and headed downtown. We went and watched the play, which was great, although the pictures are quite shoddy. It totally got us in the Christmas spirit, and was one more reason to lament the awkward timing of American Thanksgiving, and laud the wonderful placement of Canadian Thanksgiving during October.

After the play, we headed home to find our two cherubs soundly sleeping and ended the night with some grasshopper pie (made by me, a la Pioneer Woman!), Christmas cocktails (made by Neil!), and our first monthly installment of winter beer tasting and rating!

It was a great time, from start to finish. The only disappointment was that we didn't walk out of the theater into a winter wonderland of snow! But more than just a fun night, it was just great to be reminded of what a difference great neighbors can make to a neighborhood, and how much fun it is when your friends live across the street! Candace and Michael, we're thankful for you, and we're so glad you live in the little yellow house that could!

Perfection...!

2011-11-21T15:40:00.008-06:00

Perhaps it takes having multiple children to realize the perfection in going away and just doing nothing. In the past, Neil and I have looked forward to anniversary trips as a chance to travel, explore different cities, find new restaurants, do lots of cool things, and come home exhausted. This year, we stuck close to home. We truly relaxed and spent quiet, quality time with each other. We tried very hard to have no schedule, no interruptions, no rush. We hardly went anywhere or did anything. And I think we'd both agree, number six was our best anniversary yet.

It helps that we found the most idyllic place on earth to stay, a mere 20 miles from home. We rented a cabin for the weekend, just outside Platteville. It's in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by fields and forest, complete with fireplace, whirlpool tub and all the whimsical touches you could desire. We truly never wanted to leave, and it truly was perfect. If you're looking for somewhere like this, I highly, highly recommend Walnut Ridge. It really seemed like the owners have stayed there themselves; everything was right where you wanted it, just where you needed it, perfectly comfortable, perfectly convenient...perfectly perfect!

We started out the weekend with a shopping trip to Hy Vee. We sipped coffee and chatted as browsed the aisles for our weekend wares. We took our time choosing cheese, wine, snacks, specialty beer and steaks for Saturday's dinner. And let me say, unless you have kids, you won't realize what a treat this is! But it was. We spent almost an hour in the grocery store! And it was fabulous!

From there, we headed to 111 Main in Galena for dinner. (Once again...highest recommendations!) We decided to try their four course seasonal tasting menu, and it was fantastic! We took our time chatting over our appetizer of apple cider pork sliders. We tried to guess the herbs in delicious course number two; sweet potato-chipotle soup. (We were way off! Basil and chives was our guess...turned out to be rosemary and parsley...what!? And we call ourselves good cooks!) We both had fun sampling the other's main course, chili-sugar cured duck breast over sour cabbage and potatoes for Neil and butternut squash ravioli with leeks, carrots and sage cream for me. And then (obviously) when we got to the dessert course, (pumpkin maple cheesecake with maple raspberry drizzle), we were so full that we couldn't do much justice in the eating. So we mostly admired, and then got it to go.

From there, we headed to the wilds of Platteville, accompanied by our (non-kid) music and good conversation. We'd been the the cabin a couple times before, but walking in was just...magical. We lit a fire in the fireplace. Then we exchanged gifts. We like to follow the traditional yearly gifts, putting our own spin on things to make it personal. Number six was our "iron" anniversary, and ironically, Neil got me a new cast-iron dutch oven, and I got him a cast-iron cookbook! What can I say, we're M.F.E.O. (That's Made For Each Other, if you've never seen Sleepless in Seattle!) From there, we enjoyed staying up late drinking wine, enjoying the fire and tub, without a care of being woken up in the night, or early morning...and it was wonderful! I'll spare you the details and the photos of us lounging about in robes, so really, there's not much more to tell!

In the morning, we slept until we felt like getting up, stayed in bed as long as we wanted, and when we got hungry, went to the porch to discover what the "breakfast fairy" had left for us. This is yet another fun Walnut Ridge touch, and it's always exciting to see what the battered yellow basket holds! We enjoyed muffins, pastries, juice and coffee by the fire, and just took our time...heavenly!

We headed into Platteville to get some coffee and poke around for an hour or so, which was the only diversion we needed for the day. I found a fun thrift store and scored some cozy new sweaters, while Neil was just happy to take some model shots under the sign for (the sadly no-longer existent) O'Neill's pub!

We headed back to the cabin for some lunch (pumpkin soup, bread and cheese, and white wine), a leisurely stint reading books in the tub, and an evening nap! We started cooking dinner at about 9pm. (See what I mean about no schedule? Wine for lunch? Sure! Afternoon bath? Why not? Evening nap? Yes please! Late night dinner? Of course.) We cooked steak with whisky-cream sauce, shrimp, baked poatoes, stuffed peppers, and mushrooms. We ate by the fire and it was wonderful. We finished up the evening by enjoying our traditional chocolate ganache cake and cracking open our "anniversary wine", the famous Rockway Glen Baco Noir, Vintage 2005, just like us! And it was just as good as we remembered!

Sunday morning, after we'd eaten our "last" breakfast (mini-egg bakes with ham and cheese), taken a "last" bath, had a "last" fire, and packed up (with much sadness), we headed back to Galena for a bit of shopping and some lunch. We found great gifts for the kiddos and our wonderful babysitters. We had a fun time exploring all the shops and looking for interesting and out of the ordinary trinkets, foodstuff and books. We enjoyed fish and chips and a pint at the Irish pub. Then we headed back to Dubuque, and after a quick coffee and browse at the book store, it was time to go home. We lamented the ending of a great weekend, but actually were excited to get home and see the boys. I think that means it was just about perfect!

I really can't begin to say how wonderful this trip was. It was so nice to be able to slow down, reconnect, enjoy our time and just have fun together. We reminisced about the last six years, and thought about the future. We realized anew how much we have to be thankful for. And I think it's safe to say that we came home ready to get back to real life with some renewed vigor and enthusiasm. Stu and Becky, thank-you from the bottom of our hearts! We know the boys had so much fun with you (and the rest of the Pitman crew!) and it was so nice to be away and not have to give their well-being a single thought. You are dearly loved as siblings, and much appreciated as babysitters! I think we'll do it again, exactly the same, for anniversary seven!

Christmas!

2011-11-11T07:40:00.003-06:00

Remember when I said that Iain was starting to understand the different holidays? Apparently we still have a bit of work to do. Here's a conversation that took place in our house not long ago.

Neil: I’m excited about Christmas!

Iain: I AM TOO!!!!!

Neil: You should be!

Beth: What do you remember about Christmas, Iain?

Iain: Steak au poivre!

Beth: What?!

Neil: Well…kind of…

Beth: What do we put up in the living room at Christmas?

Iain: The birthday banner!

Beth: Nooo…we put lots of decorations and lights on it…It’s a big…

Iain: ELEPHANT!!!!

Beth: Um. No. It’s actually a Christmas…

Iain: Tree.

Beth: That’s right! Do you remember it?

Iain: Yes.

Beth: What color is it?

Iain: Blue.

Beth: Blue?

Iain: Yes. Bluey-dooey.

Beth: No, look out the window. What color are trees?

Iain: Green

Beth: Right. And we hang up stockings, and wrap up all kinds of fun presents for each other. But, do you know what Christmas is REALLY about? Why we celebrate it?

Iain: Yeah.

Beth: Why?

Iain: Ummm…

Beth: Whose birthday do we celebrate then?

Iain: Ummm...

Beth: What baby was born at Christmas?

Iain: LIAM!!!!

Guess we'd better get that birthday banner up, break out the steak au poivre and put lights on the elephant to celebrate Liam's birth!

Frosty!

2011-11-10T07:05:00.002-06:00

We made our first snowman of the year yesterday! It required almost all the snow in our yard and he does have some unsightly sticks and leaves sticking out of him, but he's pretty cute nonetheless. It does make me slightly sad that we built our last snowman of the year on March 9th, a mere eight months ago, and we're already building another one. This means that we apparently get to enjoy five months of "winter" in Iowa instead of three, which is hugely out of proportion with the other seasons! This also means that long before the snow is gone, we will be very tired of building snowmen! But yesterday, at our house anyway, the snow was welcome, and it was too beautiful and fun to pass up. Here he is. "Our HUUUUGE snowman, just as big as Iain!".

Halloweekend!

2011-11-02T11:30:00.008-05:00

Halloween was over a week ago, but I wanted to write a bit about our weekend, so I don't forget! And since it is apparently winter come early here in Iowa (Hello Winter Wonderland!) I thought I'd better get to it, before I'm blogging pictures of the boys making snowmen!

We had a lot of fun this year making the days leading up to Halloween exciting, as Iain is now old enough to anticipate, participate and appreciate every holiday! We read books from the library about Jack-o-lanterns, trick-or-treating, costume parties and pumpkins. We asked him what he wanted to dress up as (and weren't surprised at his choice to be Curious George!). We watched "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown"! We checked out pumpkins in the stores, at the farmer's market and at the pumpkin patch. Of course we carved a pumpkin, and Iain even got to help use the knife, which he loved! He was super excited to wear his costume, and was especially excited that Liam was a Little Curious George.

The night of Halloween, we made pumpkin pancakes for dinner, and ate by the Jack-o-lantern light. We dressed the boys up and trick-or-treated around our (very awesome to live in but very lame for trick-0r-treating) neighborhood. We also took cookies to some of the new neighbors so we could meet them. On our entire street, we only went to four houses, because no one really participates. But the neighbors we did see were a lot of fun! Our friends Candace and Michael even had pumpkin bread for Liam, and hot chocolate for Iain, which he promptly told us was "Better than Ovaltine"! Iain was very excited going house to house, and even remembered what to say and do, although he was very shy. Liam fell asleep for most of it, but I think he liked his pumpkin bread!

After we trick-or-treated, we headed over to Neil's parents' house with Graeme and Ashlee and Baby Rowan (cutest little angry bird you ever did see!) and hung out there for a bit, and trick-or-treated at a few more houses. Then we finished the night at the GAC where all the adorable kiddos from church congregated to show off their costumes.

When we came home, Iain had to check out our (still burning) Jack-o-Lantern one more time, and then sort his candy. (Standard Halloween procedures!) Everyone was pretty exhausted after a fun-filled night, but Iain was super sad to take off his costume and have the fun end. So the next morning, I let the boys wear their monkey costumes to the library! Because if you can't wear your monkey costume to the library on the day after Halloween, where can you wear it!?

On a walk at the Farmer's Market to look at Pumpkins

Pumpkin carving with Daddy!

Our Happy Jack!

Making Candy Corn Cookies

Halloween Supper

Baby's First Halloween!

Two Little Monkeys (for real...)

At Grandma and Grandpa's House

Time to go home Monkey!

Curious George goes to the library!

Bonus!

2011-11-02T06:54:00.007-05:00

An unexpected holiday is always extra fun! Last week, Neil had to head to Medline corporate in Chicago for some training. The boys and I tagged along, and we were able to turn it into a midweek getaway. Bonus! We hit up Ikea on Tuesday afternoon, which was (unexpectedly) one of the highlights of the trip for Iain. (And for me too, although that was to be expected!) I have no pictures of that part, but if I did, they'd be of him riding the escalators to his heart's content, running up and down the wide aisles, and generally being overwhelmed by the oversize goodness of Ikea in general. We bought some Christmas gifts, some storage apparatuses and some cheap handy stuff (inevitable at Ikea). Then we got some yummy Indian food for dinner, went back to the hotel, played in the pool and had a good time! Most fun Tuesday evening we've had in a while!

We attempted our first "we're a family of four sleeping in one room" overnight, and it went very smoothly! Neil left early, did his training class, and was back in tine for lunch. We packed up, and headed to Noodles and Company to eat. I'm so thankful that Iain's favorite food is currently pasta! It makes it all that much more "sensible" to find a Noodles whenever we can!

Our plan was to find an apple orchard or pumpkin patch to visit on our way home. We almost reconsidered when we saw the frigid temperatures, cold drizzle, and blustery wind, but decided that since we were there anyway, we might as well give it a shot. After a quick stop at Old Navy for some emergency hats for the boys (call me unprepared, but the day we left was 75 degrees!) we were on our way to All Seasons Apple Orchard and Pumpkin Patch. We found it online, and thought it looked fun and less commercialized, less crowded, and less over the top than some others in the area. We also figured it would be less busy since it was a weekday. I'm not sure if it's because it was a Wednesday, or more the fact that it was freezing, but I'm telling you! The place was deserted! Even the workers stayed indoors, so that ruled out some things (like the wagon ride) and made others (like the cow-train ride) considerably less fun! But since a nice office worker let me borrow her coat, I wasn't one to complain! And really, we were just there to get a pumpkin, so we figured anything else was a bonus! We had our run of the place...and we really did run!! We saw the animals, rode the pedal cars and the train, did the giant slide and picked out a pumpkin in about fifteen minutes flat.

I think this is where Iain was saying "Mama, I need my mittens!"

And here's where his vastly unprepared mother answered "I don't have any Buddy! I'm sorry!"

Riding the pedal cars...still fun in the cold! We could barely get him off, cold hands and all!!
Face in hole!

Still having fun on the (non-functioning) cow train, despite looking painfully cold!

Checking out the goats, llamas, and sheep!

Giant slide! We were shocked (SHOCKED.) that Iain climbed right up and slid right down with no fuss at all!

"This apple is happy!"

Choosing our own "great pumpkin"!

"Where was Liam this entire time?" you might ask. He was enjoying watching from a distance, as he kept warm in the shelter of the stroller.

He wasn't so sure about his new stroller-mate, but otherwise he had a good time too. He even got to sample an apple cider doughnut in the "Country Kitchen" afterward.

We'd really like to go back to All-Seasons when we have more time. They have a wagon ride out to the orchard, and you can pick apples. You can go to the pumpkin patch and choose a pumpkin and see how they grow. There's often live music, food and drinks (I can vouch for the cider and doughnuts!) and even a corn maze. All the (short-sleeved, warm looking) people in their online photos appear to be having a great time, and the things we did do were a lot of fun! Maybe we'd be better off going earlier in the season, or bundling up more thoroughly! All I know is that after our 15 minutes, we sure were ready to warm up at the GAC chili cook-off that night! I don't think we're ready for winter at all!

Two Little Monkeys

2011-11-01T10:30:00.006-05:00

Iain Monkey

(Big Monkey, Curious George, Big Curious George, Silly Monkey...)

Liam Monkey

(Little Monkey, Little Curious George, Chunky Monkey, Tired Little Monkey...)

More photos and details about our Halloween extravaganza to come! I figured I would get their cute little monkey mugs posted as soon as possible though!

A Cookin' Pottin' Celebration!

2011-10-30T19:51:00.005-05:00

This weekend marked the end of another successful volleyball season. It's always bittersweet to see another season come to a close; sweet because it sure will be nice to have Neil home earlier. The boys are excited to play with Daddy in the evenings. And I'm looking forward to getting our feet back under us, doing some things that we've been putting off for the last few months, and finally having time to breathe! And Neil can finally get caught up on some sleep! But bitter too, because after three months, we love these girls! Weekends filled with volleyball are a part of our weekly routine. Iain has a whole volleyball team of new best friends, and I don't know what Liam will do without his fan club! We've gotten to know them and appreciate them, and we never know who will be back for next season, so in a way, it's always very sad to see the season end.

Friday night was the last game, and to finish the season in style, we hosted a cookin' pottin' party Saturday night! If you know us well, you've probably heard us talk about the magical cookin' pottin' experience! Maybe you've even done it, or been promised a turn! Basically, we chop up a ton of meat and veggies, put out every sauce and spice we have in our fridge and cupboard, and let everyone go to town! You have a mini frying pan, and each person cooks their own stir-fry at the table. It's awesome! The girls were good sports and really got into it, trying new things and cooking up a storm! It's always fun to cookin' pot with new people, and with a big group, and with 16 people, I think we set a record!

Neil's parents were kind enough to let us use their house to host so we'd have enough room for everyone, and with the fireplace and the candles, it was a perfect, cozy autumn evening! We finished off with lots of yummy fall desserts (peach crisp, pumpkin cheesecake, and apple-raisin "last resort" bread pudding) and games. It was a great way to end the season!

We documented the night by taking pictures of each girl's "record"; the number of pans cooked and eaten! I think the girls had a great time, and I'll let their photos speak for themselves.

Thanks for a great party, and a great season girls! We'll miss our "extended family" of Eagles! Come visit, and keep in touch! And in Iain's words..."Go EAGULLLLLS!!!"

He Bakes Like His Mama!

2011-10-27T16:07:00.002-05:00

Roll out the dough...

Cut out the cookie...

Give it a little taste...

(For quality assurance!)

And back to work!

Weekend "Away"

2011-10-24T10:37:00.011-05:00

The past weekend was phase one of our most recent (quarterly?) babysitting swap with Stu and Becky. We watched their kiddos while they went away for the weekend, and it was a jam-packed, exhausting, chaotic, hilarious good time! In some ways, it was easier than the last time. We were at their house this time around, and it was nice to feel like there were no projects hanging over our heads, and we could just play with the kids. Also, since it was the weekend, Neil was there the whole time, which was wonderful! Because in all other ways, it was much more difficult, so we truly needed all hands on deck!!

Last time we had four children to watch, both babies were barely sitting up alone. They were content to be in the swing, the bouncy chair, the crib. As long as they got a bottle at the appointed time, you barely knew they were there! This time, they are both on the verge of crawling and are not content to sit still! This resulted in lots of babies stuck in lots of places! Also, they are both eating solids now, so that meant four mouths to feed (not counting our own!) instead of two at mealtimes!

The toddlers are much more comfortable with each other now. In July, Becky and Stu had just moved back, so Iain and Courtney were on their "best behavior" around one another. This isn't saying much for toddlers, but suffice to say there were a lot more "interventions" this time around! Also, they are both potty training now, so that added one more (quite essential!) thing to think about!

For the above reasons, when I went through the photos, I was not surprised to see that all four of them look like neglected little ragamuffins. So please excuse the children in various stages of pajamas, soiled garments, and mismatched clothing; nothing that could be construed as a proper "outfit"! Please excuse Courtney's hair, which did not get "done" after her Mom did it Friday! (Still not sure if I could ever be a Mom to a girl!) Please excuse the babies (and toddlers!) with food remnants on their faces constantly! We really did try to keep them clean! Despite all the work, it was a great experience! I think all of them had a ton of fun! It was even a nice little "holiday" for Neil and me, to be away from home, in a different house, staying up late, watching the Food Network! Above all, we were reminded (again!) how lucky we are to have such a great family, with kids that we love as our own! And we're sure looking forward to our turn to be the ones that go away, coming up soon in November! Here are some photos of what we did this weekend!

We napped. And we sometimes didn't. Here's Cal, the little imp, making the most of his "alone time" with his Uncle and Auntie while his cousins and sister sleep!

We played. And played, and played, and played! We shared toys and took them. We had lots of fun both inside....

...and outside! Balls, sidewalk chalk, dolls, dishes and rings. Everything is better if you have a cousin to share it with. Or steal it from.

We had lots of "picnics". The weather was perfect, and we figured the easiest way to get four kids fed with a minimum of mess and fuss was outside! (And please realize that "minimum" is a very relative term!)

We took a walk and enjoyed a "second breakfast" of delicious offerings from the Mexican bakery. Mmm! Fresh sugar doughnuts! Liam and Cal appear slightly miffed at not getting their fair share!

We hit up the park and played on the wooden train, the slide, and the swings. The big kiddos generously patronized the big swings to leave the baby swings for the babies, but soon realized that in the end, you can go higher on the baby swings! It was okay. The babes were happy to sit on the grass and eat leaves!

We baked (and ate!) chocolate chip cookies! Do you know that if you split 1 cup of chocolate chips into four 1/4 cup measures, both kids get two turns?! Good thinking Neil!

We helped rake leaves! And jumped in them! True to form, Iain was more keen on the helping rake, while Courtney was very excited about the jumping! But they both had lots of fun, and that is what counts!

We took (very crowded!) baths! We played tea party, swimming, fishies, and splash. And at least twice during the weekend, all four kids were clean at once!

We listened in on the big kids' bedtime stories! We wore matching jammies, chewed our Sophies, and flapped our wings as we waited (oh-so-patiently!) for our bottles!

We wore matching jammies too. We snuggled up together and heard bedtime stories. We used the potty one last time, brushed our teeth, had one last laugh, one last good-night, and one last kiss. We got tucked in with bunny and kitty, with George and Big Brown Burzah and went to bed!

We slept (just barely) enough, ate (more than) enough, played enough and laughed enough. We came home exhausted, but we sure had a great time!

Outside In

2011-10-21T06:36:00.003-05:00

A few months ago I pondered the arrival of winter. Today, the reality of it strikes. We had our first freeze warning last night, and the crisp morning air is a definite reminder of the months (and months and months) of cold ahead. After living with fresh herbs for months, I don't know how we'll go without. So we decided to attempt some indoor herbology and yesterday morning I took it upon myself to bring these little beauties inside.

Left to right are: rosemary, oregano, chives, parsley and mint. We're going to rig up some sort of grow light, and (if it works!) this should get us through the winter! Sadly, our indoor herb garden is missing my two absolute favorite characters; cilantro and basil. But I doubt very much I could keep finicky cilantro growing indoors, as I've never had luck with it, even outside. And as for the lovely basil, I hastily yanked every single one of my plants up by the roots to make pesto about a month ago, a decision I am now regretting! (Not the pesto! It's amazing! Just the yanking by the roots...!)

After I re-potted my herbs into their winter homes, I plucked the last of the tomatoes and peppers off the vines. Then I went to work at pulling up the vegetable markers, yanking some weeds, and cleaning things out. I guess garden season really is over. Thankfully I had my handy little helper out there with me, assisting in the winterizing! We had a lot of fun digging, cutting, pulling, and playing. And does anyone else think fall flowers are the most beautiful!?!

Recipe Shout Out!

2011-10-20T13:14:00.005-05:00

Neil and I love to cook. We make a lot of yummy dinners. We try a lot of new recipes. In fact, one of our goals for this year was to try (at least) two new recipes every month, focusing on techniques, cooking styles or foods we don't usually cook. We even take a lot of pictures of our food! But we never do anything with any of it! So I decided, that every now and then, when I come across a real winner, I'll give it a "shout-out" on my blog. If you, like me, try recipes based on reviews, know that any I tell you about here...have made the cut for us! We had one such recipe for our Pitman Thanksgiving. Now, you should know, that when it comes to Pitman parties, we all have certain special "must bring" items, which makes divvying up the menu quite easy! Mom usually takes care of the turkey and dressing, and if it's Christmas, contributes her famous Christmas pudding. Becky has an amazing cranberry citrus salad that is always on the menu. I make my Grandma Shedden's homemade rolls, and Ashlee (almost without fail) handles desert. We divide up the other things, like potatoes, and specific holiday-centric vegetables accordingly too.

This year I ended up assigned to the green bean casserole. Call it sacrilege, but neither Neil nor I are huge fans of the standard mushroom soup/canned bean/French's onion version. It tastes alright, but it doesn't "wow" us. This is probably because it's totally not a Canadian dish...! We never had it until we moved here, so it's lacking the nostalgia factor for us. So we went out on a limb and tried The Pioneer Woman's version. She's never failed us yet, and she came through with this recipe in a big way! It uses fresh beans instead of frozen, a homemade bechemal in place of the canned soup, and adds bacon, caramelized onion, pimentos and (our addition, thanks to Alton Brown, our other food guru) fried mushrooms. We decided to stick with tradition in at least one area, and replaced her Panko topping with the French's onions, but I think next time I would go with the Panko. It did take a lot longer to prepare than the original, what with the blanching of the beans, the frying of the accessory items and the roux-turned-bechemal, but I think it was worth every minute! It was fantastic! (As was everything else at our feast!)

If you, like me, are not in love with the standard green bean casserole, I urge you to try this one this Thanksgiving! If you love the old favorite and can't bear to have anything else on your Thanksgiving table, try it for something else! You'll be glad you did! I'd love to include a photo, but we were already late. Besides, my photos don't hold a candle to P-Dub's, so when you check out the recipe, you can drool over hers!

Fun for the WHOLE Family!

2011-10-20T10:07:00.007-05:00

Last Sunday the Pitman clan celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving. Better late than never, right? And really, who would ever turn down a chance to eat a turkey dinner! It was so much fun to have the whole crew together; it was the first time since Baby Rowan was born! I'll tell ya though, these kids are starting to catch up to us! Family affairs are certainly not the relaxed gatherings they once were! But it was a delicious feast, a fun time with the whole family, and we even carved a pumpkin together afterward! Here are some pictures from the day!

Baby Rowan attended his first official Pitman holiday!

Courtney, Stu and Iain enjoyed a little pre-dinner iPad time!

Liam, devoured his Thanksgiving feast heartily!

Calvin's favorite part was the Grandma rolls!

We all participated in some after-dinner pumpkin carving!

Iain was slightly concerned about his messy hands...!

Rowan got in on the pumpkin carving too!
...but he wasn't so sure!

Cal worked on his model faces...

...and expressed displeasure at being outdoors without proper cold-weather attire.

Liam thought the pumpkin held promise as "second dinner".

Courtney gave up quickly and returned to her basketball game!

And the fun for Iain really began when Grandma got into the pumpkin guts!

This left Becky to carve the pumpkin...

As you can see, she did a great job!

...and a good time was had by all!

Friday Night Lights

2011-10-19T09:19:00.009-05:00

We're not the world's biggest football fans, and that's putting it pretty mildly. Our Canadian upbringing lends itself more to hockey, which we watch whenever we can. And of course Neil's passion for volleyball has spread to the whole family. We love a live baseball game, (mostly for the hot dogs!), and I'm sure someday we'll be watching our little mites scuttle around the soccer field. But as far as sports go, that's really about it. However, last Friday we had a free evening. The high school on our street had a homecoming football game. So we decided to go. It seemed the all-American thing to do!

We all got dressed in our red and blue to go and support the hometown Rams and donned scarfs and hats for the cold. We figured parking would be at a premium, and we'd end up somewhere not much closer than our own driveway, so we decided to walk. I strapped Liam-the-Huge-Lunker to my chest, and off we went. It's under a mile, but it felt like about ten; and uphill the whole way! Neil didn't have it much better though, alternately carrying and attempting to match stride with Iain.

As we ascended the hill to Senior High we noticed that we might have slightly under-dressed for the now-blustery weather. This was only confirmed by the other (smarter) approaching fans in winter coats and blankets. We ended up sitting on the rival Tigers' side, simply because it was on the near side of the stadium; we just couldn't bear the thought of walking all the way to the other side! (Turns out we were glad we did...when we left at half-time, the Rams were losing 38-0!) Iain was thrilled by the lights, the noise, and the sheer size of the field, bleachers and crowd. What he really wanted to do was run around, and was quite disappointed that he wasn't allowed. He also loved the music in between each play, and whenever it stopped, he'd give a huge smile and say "Again!".

Liam alternated between snuggling in the baby carrier (mostly to stay warm!), and keeping his eye on what was going on around him. Maybe he was dreaming of his future as a linebacker! He even managed to get in on the action by dropping his pacifier over the fence onto the track, from where it was returned by a kind security guard.

By this point, the cold was getting ridiculous. We'd pretty much resigned ourselves to the fact that the Rams weren't making a comeback any time soon and Iain the turncoat was already cheering for the Tigers like the fans around him. We figured it was almost time to go, but before we left, we (of course) attempted to snap a decent family photo with limited success. Between the two kids, the need for a flash, the cold and the hats, our chances were pretty slim!

We were all freezing, but we stuck out the last few minutes until half-time to let Iain see the band in the show, and then headed for home. (Yay, downhill!) On our way home we asked Iain what his favorite part was. Of course he answered "The drums!". Forget sports! Somebody take this kid to a concert! Liam didn't have much to say on the trip home, as he'd somehow managed to fall asleep in spite of the cold, the dangling, and the brisk pace!

I'm not saying it's going to become a Friday night ritual, but I'm glad we went! We had a fun time together, and it made some great memories, even with the cold and the walk. Maybe next season the Rams will be better, and we'll actually go and see them win a game! Go Rams!

What Else We Did There...

2011-10-18T13:54:00.007-05:00

Our trip to Canada wasn't all just lounging around home, working on potty training and crawling with Grammie and Grampy, although we did do our fair share of that! Here are some of the other things we did during our Wonderful Week in the North.

Along with Harvest Day, something I always want to get to, but always miss, is the annual Niagara Food Festival. Because my dear friend (and event planner extraordinaire) Deborah was on the board this year, it was a "must attend" for me! The boys and I hit up "The Peninsula's Tastiest Party" Saturday night, and while I would prefer to make a return visit sans children, it was a good time! We listened to music, sampled risotto and fried cheesecake, and observed countless other culinary delights! I got to chat with my friend as we strolled around, while the boys were able to partake in the lights, sounds, and "tacky fair crap" (think...light up monkeys...) that is standard with any good festival!

As always, we enjoyed lots of family dinners with Unkey Brett and Auntie Bey-oo. Although, come to think of it, I'm not sure that enjoyed is the right word. We were there, we had fun together, and the meals were delicious, but as per Iain's usual, it took him a few days to get...ahem...acclimated, so his manners left a little bit to be desired. After one particular episode, he straightened himself up and proclaimed with pride "Mommy is impressed!", which was certainly not the case. All of us could do nothing but burst out laughing. You'd never know how much he loves his Aunt and Unkey by the way he acts around them. Sigh. The trials of the Mother of a Toddler. At least Liam knows how to show his affection!

Because Grammie and Grampy were such willing, built-in babysitters, I was able to enjoy lots of time and good conversation with friends who I don't get to see so often. Every day found me sneaking off to somewhere for some quiet, kid-free fun! Monday was "girl-talk" (or perhaps more accurately boy talk!) with a wonderful cousin. Tuesday was a Thai dinner adventure and a "favorite book" discussion over drinks. Wednesday was coffee and catch-up, a time to reminisce, laugh, encourage and sympathize with dear friends. Thursday, a trip to Ikea and relaxing with "peach'n-hoffen" at the Reeds. The entire week was wonderful, and a much needed break from the reality of life with small children!

Friday, with abundant thanks to some wonderful Grandparents, I left the boys behind and ventured out on a six hour road trip to meet Neil and his volleyball team in Lansing, Michigan. It was wonderful; listening to the Glee soundtrack for three hours straight, stopping at Target, just for the sake of browsing, Starbucks for the road! I was so excited, I even snapped an "on the way" photo! Apparently, however, that is where my excellent photo-journalism skills stopped. I can tell you that the weekend was wonderful; watching three volleyball matches without interruption, celebrating my birthday, a night away at a nice hotel, staying up late and knowing that we were going to be able to sleep in, lots of fun hanging out with the girls, and a six-hour road trip back to Canada with just Neil! It was great from start to finish...but I don't have a single photo to prove it! We got home to find that Mom and Dad had not only watched our two boys for the whole weekend, but also found time to pick up pizza and wings for a late supper, make a chocolate ganache cake, and even hang the birthday banner! And, of course, there were two little boys waiting for us, who the days away had made it even sweeter to see! (But of course, I don't have photos of that either!)

The last thing that we did was celebrate Thanksgiving. It was a little out of the ordinary, in many ways. First of all, Breha wasn't there, so the family didn't feel "complete". Luckily, we had some other "faux family" to join us, and we sill had a blast! Secondly, it was about 80 degrees, which is extraordinarily hot, even by "Canadian Thanksgiving" standards! Finally, we opted out of the traditional turkey meal, and enjoyed prime rib and all the fixin's, followed by ganache cake. We did, however, have pumpkin ice cream! And it was all delicious!

Then, before Neil even had a chance to get his feet back under him, we were packing the car, and on our way home. Luckily, the return journey went as smoothly as the way there. Between lots of reading, lots of car toys, and (thankfully) lots of naps, we made it home without much trouble, and hit the ground running!

This week away was just what I needed. It helped me to find the motivation to come back to real-life with a good attitude, ready to work hard! It was a nice time of relaxation, in the midst of our busiest time of year. It was enough "Canada" to make me believe I'll make it until we go again at Christmas! Blame it on "Thanksgiving" if you want, but my time there really did help me to see and appreciate all the things I have to be thankful for!

...and Grampy's Boy

2011-10-18T12:23:00.009-05:00

Whether it's because they look so much alike, because both of them like to hit the hay early, or because Liam actually remembers all of the snuggles and cuddles Grampy gave him in his first few weeks of life, Liam is truly Grampy's boy. I must admit, Grammie didn't stand a chance at gaining his affections, with her little barnacle monopolizing all her time, and Liam is not exactly what you'd call stingy with his smiles. But whatever the reason, it's a fact that Liam's face lights up any time his Grampy comes in the room, and if Grampy is there, Liam has eyes for no one else!

This trip, Grampy and Liam held daily "Crawling Practice" sessions, resulting in our little lounge lizard actually pushing himself backwards on the floor to get where he was going.

Grampy even helped feed Liam, learning (at his peril) not to let go of the bowl for a second! (His bib may say "I love Grandma", but it's Grampy he was beaming at!)

But above all, any given day, you could find the two of them watching golf or hockey, reading mushroom books, or snuggled up in a chair, bed, or couch, dozing heartily.

They are truly kindred spirits!

Grammie's Boy

2011-10-18T11:21:00.007-05:00

Grammie is Iain's hero. There's no other way to say it! From the first moment we lay eyes on her, until the time to leave, he's by her side 24-7. For Iain, no one else will do.

Grammie gets his breakfast, his lunch, his dinner, his "snackables". And often some very messy, delicious dessert! She helps him eat it, coaxes him to finish, and appeals to his decidedly finicky tastes.

Grammie gives him his bath and tolerates much more splashing and swimming that Mommy and Daddy allow! Grammie does nap duty and bedtime, and sings many more songs and reads many more stories than Mommy and Daddy ever do!

Grammie plays with him (golf, hockey, pirate ship...you name it!) and colors with him, lets him help with laundry and cooking...all the things Mommy does, but it's so much better with Grammie! In fact, Iain often says "Don't come here Mommy", when he's playing with Grammie, fully expecting that my only intention in joining them is to ruin his fun!

But I will admit, he might be right. Grammie does lots of things that Mommy doesn't do, like reading his favorite book over and over, literally dozens of times in a row, or letting him "skype" on the computer.

But, I guess that's okay, because Iain will do things for Grammie that he won't do for anyone else too. Last winter, Grammie broke his bottle habit, when we'd tried everything. And this time around, Grammie attempted (with great success!) POTTY TRAINING! Yep, it's true! Iain is (mostly) potty trained, and it's all due to Grammie's patience, sweet-talking and effort! She convinced him early in the trip that Big Boys wear UNDIES, and from there, it really wasn't too difficult! Every half hour or so (for the first day) they'd go for a "little walk" to the potty, and Iain would gladly tinkle for Grammie, even though he's resisted for months for Mommy. After that first day, he was basically "trained", and we didn't even really have to keep an eye on him. He even quickly lost interest in the candy and stickers we had as rewards, in favor of praise from Grammie as motivation. He's continued to do well since we came back. We're still using pull-ups for naps and outings, but he wakes up and comes home dry every single time! And since we got back home, we've conquered two more big obstacles of fear: using the big potty, and doing stinky-doo-doos! This is big news, and it's all thanks to Grammie!

Yep. There's no doubt about it. He's Grammie's boy, through and through!

Harvest Day

2011-10-17T16:45:00.008-05:00

My friends and I practically grew up at Agape Valley. Work parties, maple syrup days, camp-outs, tubing, hayrides and bonfires...there was rarely a weekend that we weren't there for some reason. Even though I don't live nearby anymore, it's still a place that is dear to my heart, and a place that I'd love for my kids to grow up knowing about. Every year they host Harvest Day a fun-filled autumn adventure with carnival games, food, pumpkins, pie, cider and lots of picturesque scenery. It's basically my fall-dream-come-true. And every year we miss it. Sometimes by a week, sometimes by a day...we just never get it together to be there! But this year it landed the day after we arrived in Niagara, so the boys and I went. It was blustery and damp, but we still had a blast. Especially Iain! Here's what he did.

First: Lunch in the pavilion. This will always improve a grouchy boy's disposition! Hot dog sans bun was his lunch of choice, followed by cookies with his BFF Gavin.

Next: Game after game, all of which involved Iain throwing something (ping-pong balls, golf balls, hacky-sacks) into something else (muffin tins, lion's mouths, assorted shapes) at a much closer range than was technically allowed, and thereby winning a lot of prize tickets, which he was very excited about.

Then: An ill fated decision ask him if he wanted to take a four-wheeler ride with Gavin, which led to Iain getting as far as the helmet on his head and then freaking out, and then watching as Gavin bravely took the ride all by himself.

Finally: A trip to the prize table to cash in his tickets for a slinky, a fire truck bracelet and a special pencil, all of which he excitedly showed to Sugar Shack Sammy the Super Squirrel, who he (surprisingly) loved!

As for Mr. Liam? He dozed off about 15 minutes in, and napped for the entire time bundled up in the stroller. I think he had fun, but I wouldn't say he really got to experience the wonder that is Agape Valley! Maybe next year!

Travelin' Fool

2011-10-17T16:10:00.004-05:00

I never know the way to best catch up on blogging after a busy month. Do I write one ridiculously long, all-encompassing post titled "October"? But who wants to read that? And it would probably take another week to finish, by the time all the photos uploaded, stealing time here and there from naps. Is it best to do lots of short, retroactive posts, about each event that I've missed? But then it's things that happened so long ago, that they just seem irrelevant. Or do I just skip the whole month, and start fresh tomorrow, vowing never to get behind in blogging again? But we've had so much fun, and there are so many good pictures this month, it'd be a shame for them to disappear into a virtual Never-never land! Not being much of a decision maker, I guess, I'll do a little of each. And the first thing to tackle is our Great Canadian Road Trip.

As I mentioned before, this was my first time taking both boys on a long trip by myself. We take lots of road trips as a family of four, but I'm usually splitting my time equally between the passenger seat and the back, handing out snacks, drinks, soothers and toys. And although the boys and I go plenty of places alone, none of them come even close to the twelve hour mark. I wasn't really sure how the trip would go, and was preparing myself for twelve hours of sheer torture in the car, goodness knows how many stops, and approximately 15 hour travel time.

Turns out, I needn't have worried! We left at 2:30 am, and made it to Mom and Dad's house just 13 hours later, which is a near record. We only stopped twice, for breakfast at a Panera in Michigan, and for snacks in Ontario. The boys were wonderful; alternately dozing, playing, sleeping, looking out the window and listening to music. I barely heard a peep out of either of them. I only had to break out the "kids' cd" once. I got to drink a lot of coffee and enjoy the beautiful fall scenery. I think it was one of the best drives to Canada on record! I credit three things: books for Iain, pacifiers for Liam, and coffee (well...chai) for Mama! Not saying I'd want to make the trip every day, but it really was a pleasant surprise, and certainly gave me confidence that I could do it again!

Doin' the Numbers

2011-10-01T09:01:00.004-05:00

Seven hundred miles.
Six discs in the changer (because we rock it old school in the Pilot!) making the soundtrack for the trip: Coldplay (to get excited for Mylo Xyloto, due out in ONE MONTH!), She & Him (because they're making a Christmas album this year, and while it's too early for Christmas music, She & Him are never out of season!), Great Lake Swimmers (because every Great Canadian Roadtrip deserves a little great Canadian music!), the Glee Soundtrack (for pumpin' us all up), Mumford & Sons (because they never come out of our player!) and Slugs & Bugs & Lullabies (for Iain).
Five pacifiers in the console to pass to Liam as required. Five bags of goodies on the front seat for easy access: big toys, little toys, snacks, drinks, books. What else do you really need?
Four different states. Four wheels spinning, taking us North.
Three Pitman passengers. Three hour increments to make it mentally manageable. (Dubuque to Chicago. Chicago to Kalamazoo. K-Zoo to the border. The border to Grammie and Grampy's house!)
Two a.m. wakeup-call. Two different countries. Two pit stops only! Two little boys who were champion travelers!
One tired Mama. One relieved Daddy. One successful road trip!

We're here. First solo roadtrip with two boys...check. It really couldn't have gone better! But I'm glad it's over, and we're looking forward to a fun week in the homeland.

Ragamuffin

2011-09-28T10:47:00.004-05:00

Our little ragamuffin is a bit more respectable today! At least when it comes to his hair. It was finally time for another haircut; although we loved his long, shaggy, surfer locks, the combination of mullet and rat tail was getting a bit much. It went very smoothly...Mikaela is a hair-cutting magician, wielding suckers and robot capes, and Iain climbed right up onto the booster seat and was let her work her magic without protest.

Here's the ragamuffin pre-haircut , ready for the adventure.

Happy Haircut!! Don't you want to get your hair cut by Mik too? She's awesome! I don't know if she gives out suckers to adults...but maybe if you asked very nicely!

...And after! Not the most flattering shots! The little imp wouldn't make a normal face or sit still long enough to let me snap a good one...but trust me. He does look more presentable!

I've always thought hair cuts make kids look older, but this time around, I actually think Iain looks younger! I'm not complaining though...he was getting big a bit too fast for me, so I'm not sad to be reminded he's still my little boy!

We're Still Here...

2011-09-21T10:55:00.005-05:00

The past few weeks have been slightly hectic, to say the least. Although it's my favorite season, autumn has always been our busiest time of year as well. Coaching volleyball takes up most of Neil's free time and I spend the majority of months that end in "er" running around like a madwoman; doing double-duty with the boys, trying to get to as many of Neil's games as we can between naps, meals and bedtime, and inventing things to keep the boys occupied when Daddy is away. This year, we had the added bonus of our nasty bout of sickness, so it's been an insane month.

The boys did test positive for whooping cough, so we were sequestered at home until their antibiotics were completed. Even when they were no longer contagious, we still didn't stray to far, as we could never tell when a coughing fit would hit someone. I think everyone is finally on the mend, although I hear that the coughing can still last a few months. It was no picnic, that's for sure, but we're very thankful it wasn't worse than it was!

As a result, the boys and I just got to our first volleyball games of the season last weekend. We headed to Chicago with the team, and the boys had a blast! Iain actually watched some volleyball this year, and he was a great cheer-er! But what he really liked really liked all the girls (especially because they let him play with their computers, phones and cameras, shoot video and play with the volleyballs!). Liam just loved having so maybe people too hold him, talk to him and love him! I was excited to finally get to see a the girls play, and to visit with a certain wonderful Loyola University student! The weekend wasn't without its pitfalls (two coughing boys in one small hotel room, a late night, and an early morning, a towed van, lots of traffic, and a cell phone with no signal) but overall it was a good time! The girls did a great job, and Iain and Liam loved their new fan club!

In other news, we got to meet our new nephew, Rowan Eliot Pitman, at the beginning of the month, and he's awesome! We've loved holding him, and seeing him change even in just a few weeks. I truly can't believe that our boys were that small not even that long ago! He looks a lot like Iain did as a baby, so it's very nostalgic! He's the cutest little snuggle-bug! (As an aside, Neil and I had our first "date" in months at the Mercy hospital cafeteria, while we waited to meet Baby Rowan. Those folks are not out to make a buck! We both ate pie and had coffee and tea for under $4! So if you're looking for a cheap date, check out your local hospital cafeteria!)

Although we've been having fun making soups, stews, bread and all the best fall goodies, we've also been enjoying the last of the summer bounty. In typical Iain fashion, he discovered an undying love for corn-on-the-cob right about the time it went out of season.

We've had lots of fun with the Pitman crew; it's so nice to have Becky and Stu back in Iowa! The boys and I are getting excited about our trip to Canada next week to see the Patterson crew! Other than this, we've just been sticking around home, trying to get everyone back to good health...trying to get caught up on sleep...trying to get caught up on...laundry.

That about sums it up!

New Arrival!

2011-09-07T11:25:00.004-05:00

Rowan Eliot, a baby so dear
Has made his grand entrance...he's finally here!
A nice big boy for the Pitman clan,
And for Graeme and Ashlee, a new little man!
Black of hair and blue of eyes,
He's bound to be creative and wise!
September the 7th, exciting day,
For bringing a new little nephew our way!

Rowan Eliot Pitman
September 7, 2011
9:27 a.m.
8lbs, 14oz
18.5 inches

My Two Little Patients

2011-09-03T16:32:00.000-05:00

I've really fallen off the "blog about each boy's monthly milestones" train! With all the travel, fun and craziness of summer, (not to mention the sickness!) I've barely had time to keep up with the things we've been doing, let alone who the boys are becoming! Since the boys have been sick, they've been taking lots of baths, lots of naps and playing lots of inside games like puzzles, blocks, coloring and the like. So what better time than when we're all laying low, sticking around home, and I've had a good chance to slow down and see each boy for who they really are!

My two little patients (wow, what a difference spelling can make! Change a few letters, and you've got "my too little patience", which could be another post unto itself!) have responded to being sick in characteristic manner. Liam has been all smiles and sunshine between coughing fits; you'd never know anything was wrong with him, he's just so happy and mellow. Iain is his usual funny, silly, exuberant, temperamental self in between times, and responds with grave concern to his coughing. He has already figured out how to use being sick to his advantage; "Iain, please pick up your blocks." "Cough, cough...Not feeling good...!" What a guy!

It amazes me all the time how different these two boys are, but we already see glimpses of what good friends they are going to become. So in typical Pitman-catch-up-style, here are Liam's six, seven and eight month milestones, and Iain's last four months of life, all rolled into one! (Don't worry. I will do my best to make it the abridged version!)

First up, Mr. Liam Charles. Last time I wrote, a-way back in June, he'd just mastered rolling from tummy to back, and was working on sitting unassisted. Although I'm proud to say that he's now got both the rolling (in both directions) and the sitting down pat, it did take a fair bit longer than we thought it would. We've come to the conclusion that the other side of Liam's mellow, chill disposition is that he's slightly...unmotivated. Lazy. He's just as happy laying or sitting, on his back or his tummy, falling over or sliding down...it's all the same to him. Iain was sitting at five months and trying to go, go, go at about four, but Liam really doesn't care. Now that he can sit, he does like it, but until he got it down, he really didn't seem to mind falling over. He'd just coo and smile and go on playing with whatever toy was in his reach at the time. I don't know why I'm surprised; he showed every indication of this from the very beginning, while Iain was bee-bopping around like a little bobble head from day one. He doesn't show much interest at all in crawling at this point, although he almost always will turn over from his back onto his tummy, and he's very adept at cranking his head around and reaching all the way behind him to get things that he wants.

While he may less motivated than his brother when it comes to physical exertion, he's leaps and bounds ahead when it comes to cooperation. He's been eating solid food for two months now, and it's been smooth sailing from the first. Cereals, fruits, veggies...he opens his mouth like a little bird and swallows it down without an ounce of fuss. He sometimes makes strange faces when it comes to new tastes and textures, but honestly, so far, we haven't found a food that boy doesn't like! He loves picking things up too, like puffs and Cheerios. I'm surprised at his dexterity! Since he's been sick, we've cut back on his formula and have been occasionally giving him Pedialyete, which he gobbles up like candy. In Iain's first year of life we tried him with this several times, and he wouldn't take a sip. Not. One. Most surprisingly, we decided to try Liam with a sippy-cup because he wasn't too fond of drinking cold liquid from the bottle. He drank from it without any trouble at all. Iain was at least a year before he'd even take an occasional from a cup, and it was much longer than that before he'd part with his beloved bottles. So far, Liam seems to be a very easy "transition baby". This is such a relief!

He's still a great sleeper, although being sick has disrupted his usual uninterrupted nights. He always goes down for naps and bed without a peep, and except for waking up to cough, sleeps around the clock. He's not a stickler for a strict bedtime routine, like Iain was (and is!)...he just goes to sleep. Anywhere. For anyone. He's awesome! He's still getting his arms swaddled, because he likes to be snug, but we're working on the sleepsack transition. Or at least we were, until he got sick. At this point, anything that keeps him sleeping is good by me! Speaking of sleeping, from about five months he rediscovered his love for the pacifier, and he often uses it to fall asleep. Based on his personality, I don't think it will be a big battle to get rid of, but I don't know how to figure out when is the best time to do it.

He's a good little talker, and is always expressing himself with coos, laughs and sounds of all sort. He's entered into the pterodactyl phase, which is always amusing! The things that make him laugh most? Tickles, kisses, Ella (who he just discovered recently) and Iain. Things that make him cry most? Loud sneezes, being hungry, and...Iain.

Liam is still huge. He weighs almost 22lbs, a mere six pounds less than his two-year old brother! They technically could share clothes (and sometimes do!), they wear the same size diapers, and people often ask if they are twins. (!?) He's got four teeth: two bottom in the middle, and one on each side on the top, like fangs. The two top middle ones are on their way through too, so it's been a rough week for this little guy.

Three words to describe Liam? The. Best. Baby. He's just great. He's so much fun, and so easygoing, it sometimes feels like we barely have two kids! Not to count my chickens before they hatch, but I imagine his "Terrible Toddler" phase is going to be somewhat of a breeze. He warms my heart every day, and he's the best snuggler in the family. I can't wait to see his little personality continue to develop.

As for Mr. Iain, he's a paradox! The funniest, brightest, most charming, loveable, affectionate little sweetheart. The most stubborn, difficult, frustrating, mischief maker imaginable! What can I say? He's two!

He's a really bright little guy; even objectively I can say he knows a lot for his age. I am constantly surprised by his memory; it's like an elephant. He remembers things we did months ago, or phrases he's heard us say once (sometime to our peril). He uses ridiculously big words, correctly and in context. He can carry on an actual conversation, with complete sentences, questions and answers, even using abstract concepts. He's learning his letters now, and he knew them all in just a few days by using his own little quirky mnemonics. Now that he knows them, he can't see a page without pointing out every letter he knows and what it stands for and wanting to read every piece of print he sees. He has a good sense of humor, and knows instinctively when someone is making a joke or when he's said something funny. He loves to read; when we give him the occasional special treat of a movie, all he wants to do is "Go to the library and get books about....(insert said movie here)!".

Unfortunately, this also means he's bright enough to be able to see how to get what he wants, smart enough to try to talk his way out of (or into) things, and stubborn enough to know his own mind! These qualities will serve him well as he gets older, I'm sure, but for his Mom, they can be somewhat frustrating! He loves to boss Liam and Ella around; "Don't chew on that Liam!" or "Ella, get down from there!", and tries his best to tell Mom and Dad what to do as well. He's not big on new or scary situations, doesn't much like being left by Mom and Dad, and is perpetually concerned about everything going on around him. And he's always got something to say. He's really is a "first born", and as such is a worrywart, a boss, a leader and follower all rolled into one. It's a lot of fun trying to figure out how his brain works, and it's always hilarious to hear him explain things. He really is a great little guy.

He's been eating and sleeping really well lately (until he got sick that is, the exception for everything...) and it's so funny to hear him say "Mommy, Iain loves pasta!" or some other food that he's resisted trying for the past year and finally jumped on board with. Just generally, he's kind of a bandwagon guy. No matter what it is, a food, an experience, a new person or place...he won't try it, doesn't want to do it, doesn't like it, won't go...until finally something clicks and he tries it, then he loves it, and then can talk about nothing else. His current obsessions are Curious George (still), and Thomas the Train, who he only knew from a pair of his pajamas. Last week Daddy brought him home a wooden Tomas, and it made Iain's whole week. He's now been added to the plethora of friends (Burzah, Little Lion, White Burzah, Dandelion, George, Baby, Owl Pillow, "Beaver" and Canada Burzah) who share his crib on a nightly basis.

Although these are all the things Iain's been doing lately, words can't capture who he is right now. And that's what I want to remember. I wish I'd taken the time to write down all his little quirks, his funny phrases, and his cute little "Iain-isms", because they disappear so fast. Already I find myself saying "When you were little, you used to call this a 'stoona'!" And it makes me sad to think how easy it is to let the moments slip by without appreciating them. He's a good little buddy, and we have a lot of fun together, every day.

Now that Liam can sit up and play, the boys have a lot of fun together. Iain loves to "read" to his little brother, to teach him things and show him things. They have a blast in the bath together, dumping water and splashing up a storm. They love to play in the pool, to take walks side by side in the stroller, and to do just about anything together. I love to hear them laughing, and to enjoy them growing up together.

Two little boys; One sassy, one sweet. One skinny, one chubby. One crazy, one mellow. Two babies. Two buddies. Two brothers. What more could a Mom ask for? Now, if we just can get through this season of sickness and back to normal, this Mama will be thankful indeed!

Decisions...

2011-08-31T16:52:00.006-05:00

Back to the doctor we went today, with my coughing, choking boys. As usual, the minute we entered the office, all symptoms subsided, and not a cough was to be found. The doctor checked them over thoroughly, listened to lungs, checked temperatures, looked in ears and throats and was about to send us on our way again. Then Iain was struck with a coughing spasm. Liam followed in suit shortly, and as soon as he heard them, things changed. We left the office shortly, after a nose swab test for pertussis (read: whooping cough), with prescriptions for antibiotics in hand. Although they can't be sure this is what the boys have, it seems likely from their symptoms, and it makes sense based on the fact that Neil has had his cough for so long, and doesn't seem to be getting better, even after antibiotics. The boys started their antibiotics today, and are to be "quarantined" for the next five days while they take the course of it, at which time they will not be contagious anymore. It is highly contagious, but my one consolation is that we have laid very low the last several weeks. If you are one of the unfortunate people who we've crossed paths with lately, please do see a doctor right away if you develop a cough! Unfortunately, while the antibiotics will remove the contagion factor, it will do little to help the symptoms, which will progressively get worse before they get better, and can last for weeks, or even up to months. It looks like we're in for a rough time. Of course it makes me worried for the boys, especially little Liam. Although nothing has changed in their condition since this morning, knowing what it is makes every cough seem worse, every spasm seem longer. I've read all the doctor's handouts, scoured the internet, and looked over my parenting books, and from all I can see, there are lots of "worst case scenarios".

We have chosen to delay vaccinations for the boys, which I know is a hotbed for discussion, a big can of worms, and a debate all unto itself. Our biggest reason for delaying stems from Iain's medical history; after he was born, as we were doing some research about this type of thing, we felt strongly that we didn't want to expose him to possible vaccine side-effects (such as seizures) that he are already stands a greater chance of being susceptible to because of his brain anomaly. Then, when Liam was born, we decided to follow the same course with him. Although there are some vaccinations that we probably won't be getting, the boys will eventually get most, although we are choosing to do it on a delayed and spread-out schedule. But currently, both boys are unvaccinated against pertussis. Which is certainly enough to make any mom second-guess that particular decision, and feel like a terrible parent. Although there are overwhelming cases of vaccinated kids catching pertussis now, seeing my boys gasping for breath is enough to make me worry that something we tried to do "for the good of the boys", was not in their best interests. We didn't make our decision lightly, and after much agonizing and debating, we did what we thought was best. There are, of course, "what-ifs" on the other side of the coin as well; if we'd vaccinated our seizure-prone infant and he'd ended up with seizures as a result, I'm sure we'd have been second guessing that decision as well. But I absolutely hate knowing that something I chose not to do could have prevented this.

Basically, this whole situation has hit me in the face with a reminder that this parenting gig is never an easy one. Every decision we make as parents has consequences, and the wisdom we need is unimaginable. I really don't know how people do it. We are very worried right now. These two little boys mean more to us than anything in the world, and everything we do is for them. If you're a praying person, we'd appreciate your prayers that our boys would heal quickly and thoroughly. That no complications would develop, and that both boys (and little Liam in particular, as whooping cough is more serious in young children) would be able to breathe properly and not end up in the hospital. That Neil and I would have the strength and wisdom to get through this ordeal.

Bronchitis

2011-08-31T11:25:00.005-05:00

B usy Daddy, sick and stressed,
R ed faced babies, gasping for breath.
O n the chest will go the Vicks,
N ighttime wake-ups naps can't fix.
C oughing, choking, cough some more...
H elp me Rhonda! What's in store?!
I llness makes Mom a nurse so deft,
T hree sick boys, who else is left?
I t's lasted over two weeks long!
S ickness, sickness...please begone!

Inside Out

2011-08-23T12:46:00.007-05:00

We've pretty much lived outside this summer. Dinner on the patio, lunch on a picnic blanket, popsicles, pools and sunshine. There weren't many days that we missed taking a long walk, even with the rain and the heat.

We've had tons of fun in the sun, and while I loved every minute, I think I took it for granted. For the last couple of days, with one thing and another (sick boys, busy schedules, morning rainstorms) we've been mostly hunkered down inside. It was sort of nice at first, like a harbinger of fall. It's been fun to see Iain rediscovering all his old friends that have been packed away since spring, and teaching Liam the intricacies of shape sorting and ring stacking, but in the end, it's made for a long couple of days.

When we spend the morning inside, the house is somewhat disastrous, the boys are somewhat antsy, and Mama is somewhat stir-crazy. Naptime feels like it will never arrive, and I am begin to get nervous about the long Iowa winter. So today, after naps, outside we go! Time to start enjoying what's left of the nice weather, busy or not, muddy or dry. I think this fall we will adopt a "rain or shine" policy! And come winter...if it's not fifty below...outside we go!

So Long Sweet Summer...

2011-08-20T10:29:00.001-05:00

Although we travel a lot, and our kids have grown up sleeping in hotels and taking lots of road trips, most of them are either to visit family or quick "on the way somewhere" stops for other purposes. We rarely take a real "family vacation", so we decided that it would be a great idea to spend a fun and relaxing final weekend of summer together, one "last hurrah" before the craziness that is autumn begins. We chose Madison as our destination because it's close-by, it's got lots of fun, free (or cheap) things to do, it's a beautiful destination with the lakes and scenery, and (as I'm sure I've mentioned before) it's our very favorite city to visit!

We decided from the outset that in order to make it a fun trip for everyone, we really needed to think of the kids first. We booked a hotel suite with a separate room so that bed time could be easily observed, we made sure not to schedule things back to back to back, we planned around nap time, we allowed more time for everything than we expected it to take, and we made all of our activities and restaurants of the boisterous and fun variety. (In the past, this has sometimes our downfall in planning, as we cart the kids across the country for hours in the car, only to schlep them from used book store to record shop to quiet dimly lit restaurant to ethnic grocery to Target and etc. through nap time and past bed time, and wonder why they're not cooperating.) They say "there's no such thing as fun for the whole family", but I think that last weekend we proved 'em wrong! Here's a look at our picto-trip.

We loaded up the car and took off after work Friday. Two pack-n-plays, one double jogger, two fans, assorted blankets and stuffed animals, a beach bag, a suitcase, a cooler, a diaper bag a bag of car toys, two cameras and a laptop later, and we were off. There was a time that a backpack in the hatch of the Hyundai would do us...! Sigh. This is our new life.

We stopped at Noodles and Co. for dinner, because no trip to a city housing this chain can be made without stopping there. Neil went Asian, with the Indonesian peanut saute, I chose my Mediterranean go-to, penne rosa, and Iain stuck with good ol' American mac and cheese.
Afterward, it was off to Trader Joe's for all the essentials: good chocolate, cheap wine and beer, and exotic coffee. Each of the boys got a "special treat", Liam's was pureed pears, and Iain got "Yoreos". Iain loved pushing around his little cart...Joe, you're a genius. Why don't all grocery stores do that? Fun. For the whole family! (And yes, we are the parents who let their child wear a Hawkeye shirt in Badger country...! Idiots.)

From there, it was off to our hotel. As you can see, we were not the only guests. Although we never did run into Oscar Meyer, Iain was a big fan of his wienermobile.

After we checked in and got settled, we took our first of many trips to the pool. The water was nice and warm and the hot tub was nice and hot, so it was pleasant all-round. Does it mean your kids like their baths too hot when they don't even bat an eyelash at stepping into a hot tub? Iain was a "big brave boy" and jumped of the edge, was tossed in the air and swam with Daddy to his heart's content. Liam relaxed in the hot tub and floated in the pool with Mommy, keeping an eye on Big Brother the entire time. A friendly fellow traveler volunteered to take a family photo for us after seeing our many unsuccessful attempts at a self-portrait. Shoulda warned her that trying to get two kids looking at the camera at once is a lost cause. After their aqua calisthenics, the boys went peacefully to sleep and it was time for Mommy and Daddy to relax with the Food Network and our Trader Joe's wares. All in all, a great first night!

In the morning, we woke up to pouring rain, so we nixed our plans for the farmer's market and went back to sleep. By about 10am it had cleared up, so we headed downstairs to breakfast and then it was off to the Henry Vilas Zoo for our (seemingly) quarterly visit. It's so much fun to see the new things Iain does, likes and notices every time we go, and this time Liam also enjoyed looking and pointing at everything (at least until he fell asleep!). Iain wanted to walk instead of riding in the stroller, so he got pretty tuckered out by the end. He had a blast showing George the monkeys, posing in all of the face-in-hole animals and enjoying all of the crazy creatures. We found out later that there is a new baby lion cub, but all the lions were hiding out when we were there, so we didn't get to see it. Iain said that this time his favorite animal to see was the giraffe. After a quick lunch stop for some pizza it was back to the hotel for a loooong afternoon nap for everybody.

Unbeknownst to us, it poured again as we napped, and we awakened to a world washed clean! We headed out for dinner to Ella's Deli, a new place for us, but a landmark for Madison. It's a kosher deli and ice-cream parlor, complete with mechanical toys and collections galore, a carousel and more stuff packed into one little restaurant than you can shake a stick at.

If you've never experienced the mechanized wonder and dizzying delight that is Ella's, you need to! It's kind of creepy, (think...clowns...) but also pretty amazing...! Iain literally could not keep his eyes off everything. They have quite an (overwhelmingly) extensive menu, but in the end, we decided to stick with deli standards, as that's what they're famous for. I went for the pastrami Reuben on rye, and it was amazing. Neil had a Philly cheese-steak hoagie, and Iain went for his new favorite...a hotdog. (Hey...at least it was kosher!) Liam stuck with the menus.After dinner, it was time for a carousel ride. Iain was quite hesitant, (as evidenced from the grimaces in the first few photos) until he saw his little brother enjoying himself, (he particularly liked chewing on the (kosher?) reins!) and then he relaxed and had a blast. The boys whooped it up and laughed back and forth from horse to horse, and had the time of their lives together. It was a nice glimpse of the fun they are going to have as Liam continues to grow up. The guy workin' the booth was getting bored, I suspect, so he let us go around several times.

Our evening followed much the same format as the one previous, with fun in the pool, baths and bed, although instead of the Food Network (because we'd had more than our fill of Guy Fieri!) Neil and I tortured ourselves by watching Hoarders. Yikes...if there's anything that makes me want to get rid of all my stuff...it's a show like that! Everyone slept in again, and after breakfast we packed up, took one last swim in the pool and checked out. After a (more difficult than expected) search for some pool and sand toys, our destination for the day was the Goodman pool. With a big sand play area, lots of kiddie features, nice deck chairs and a huge shallow section, it seemed the perfect destination for two little boys, and it really was. We were shocked at how few people were there, and the weather was perfect. We played for hours, and the boys would have stayed even longer I think!

We emerged from our time at the pool sun-kissed and tired, and decided it might be in our best interests for two little boys to take naps before we did anything else. We took a long walk along Lake Monona, ending at the Monona Terrace, Frank Loyd Wright's huge edifice. The boys both napped for about an hour, and then we tried to decide what to do for dinner. In the end...it was back to Ella's. We even had the same waitress...! How embarrassing. Neil branched out and got the Midwestern roast-beef, and Iain had pasta, but after much debate, I had to go with the pastrami Reuben again. While we waited for our food, we took a final ride on the carousel, and the boys loved it just as much as the first time. We decided we'd better not leave without samping the ice cream and Neil even tried the famous pound-cake sundae. We let Iain get his own dish of ice cream, and he was pretty proud of himself.

We drove home in a beautiful sunset, and everyone agreed it was the perfect end to summer. By their nature, photos and blogging really only show the highlights of a trip, and never the nitty-gritty low-points. The photos don't show the meltdown from a cranky, over-tired toddler at the pizza place, resulting in a trip to the car and a conversation about rudeness and an apology to the pizza girl. They don't show (thankfully!) the fact that our newly-introduced-to-fruit baby had no fewer than fifteen poopy diapers in one weekend! They don't show the fact the the very Type B wife was frustrated with her very Type A husband for not sticking to the itinerary (what?!), resulting in a small tiff on the way to the pool. (The walk was supposed to go before the pool trip, dangit!) But this time at least, there are hardly any of those not-so-stellar, unrecorded moments to remember! I'm so grateful for the time we got to spend, and I'm hoping that the fun we had together will give us the boost we need for the busy months to come. And a good time was had by all!

Party Palooza...

2011-08-10T14:10:00.015-05:00

For Breha, the birthday girl and all her special guests and for Brett, the mastermind of the plan. For Deborah, event planner extraordinaire, who (so it seems!) can pull an awesome party out of a hat. And for Top Chef Mary Patterson, also known as my impatient Mum, who has been daily making casual mention that she is anxious to see photos. (Come on Shane...Now it's your turn!) Here they are...60 photos of the people, the food, the lights, the details and the decorations. They are arranged chronologically, because I had way too little time on my hands to arrange them topically, as intended. To all other blog-readers...feel free to ignore this post! If you weren't there...it's nothing more than photo-overload!