Owen: Mom, Grandma Lois is so old, she was born before the world had color.
How many of YOU can say you know someone who is NINETY-FIVE years old?
Friday, October 22, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
A Nature Walk
I love this time of year.
Cool, crisp mornings. Clear, blue skies. Crunchy leaves in every shade of red, orange and yellow. Friday night football. Scarecrows, pumpkins and squash. Warm apple cider by a crackling fire. Fresh baked donuts, straight from the orchard.
There is a moment, just after dropping the last kid at school, and just before I start MY day, when there is silence. I find myself saying, I love this time of year.
THIS time of year doesn't mean fall. Or winter. Or spring. Or summer. I love ALL of the seasons. Just when I think I've decided, Yep. THIS is the season I love the most, I remember all of the things I love about every other season and then I'm reminded there is NO WAY I could choose a favorite. That's the beauty of Michigan. We get a little bit of everything here. Sure, the winters can be long, but they just make spring THAT much more appealing. And yes, summers are unpredictable, often changing from scorchingly hot and humid to blustery and rainy in a matter of hours, but there is always the promise of a FABULOUS fall to make everything better.
There is a place near here when you can get back to nature, no matter the season, and drink it all in. It's a nature preserve where you're sure to forget all of your worries, if only for a little while. The kids run free, exploring and discovering.
There is always something new to see-from frogs in the pond, to hollow trees, to deer, who almost seem to enjoy playing hide and seek.
No one is ever bored, no one ever argues, and no one ever asks, Is it time to go home yet?
And you always leave with a peaceful feeling, knowing that THIS, this time spent together as a family, is what it's really all about.
Cool, crisp mornings. Clear, blue skies. Crunchy leaves in every shade of red, orange and yellow. Friday night football. Scarecrows, pumpkins and squash. Warm apple cider by a crackling fire. Fresh baked donuts, straight from the orchard.
There is a moment, just after dropping the last kid at school, and just before I start MY day, when there is silence. I find myself saying, I love this time of year.
THIS time of year doesn't mean fall. Or winter. Or spring. Or summer. I love ALL of the seasons. Just when I think I've decided, Yep. THIS is the season I love the most, I remember all of the things I love about every other season and then I'm reminded there is NO WAY I could choose a favorite. That's the beauty of Michigan. We get a little bit of everything here. Sure, the winters can be long, but they just make spring THAT much more appealing. And yes, summers are unpredictable, often changing from scorchingly hot and humid to blustery and rainy in a matter of hours, but there is always the promise of a FABULOUS fall to make everything better.
There is a place near here when you can get back to nature, no matter the season, and drink it all in. It's a nature preserve where you're sure to forget all of your worries, if only for a little while. The kids run free, exploring and discovering.
There is always something new to see-from frogs in the pond, to hollow trees, to deer, who almost seem to enjoy playing hide and seek.
No one is ever bored, no one ever argues, and no one ever asks, Is it time to go home yet?
And you always leave with a peaceful feeling, knowing that THIS, this time spent together as a family, is what it's really all about.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
10-10-10
Have you ever heard the term "Compound Presentation"? If you have, you're cringing right now. If you haven't, let me explain where I first heard that term.
On October 10, 2007, I was scheduled for an induction to deliver my third child. The induction started much like my previous two inductions and I was pretty calm, knowing that in a few short hours I'd be holding my little one. We had decided not to find out the sex of this baby, and we were very excited to know who this baby was. After gettting my epidural, my labor progressed very rapidly, and soon I was at 9.5 centimeters-almost there! My doc came running in, expecting to pretty much just catch the baby as it came flying out. After all, that's exactly what happened with the first two. Like clockwork: Epidural. Rapid dilation. Hold the baby in until the doc arrives. Doc arrives. Three pushes. Brand-new baby.
But not this time.
It seemed this little baby had other plans. THIS baby decided that it would be quite interesting to try to enter this world facing UP, rather than down, which is MUCH more comfortable for mom. I spent the next two hours pushing and screaming and cursing in every position KNOWN TO MAN. Finally, it was time. I was told to push with everything I had.
And that's when it happened.
I heard THOSE words: Compound Presentation. If you've never heard those words, let me tell you, YOU DON'T WANT TO. You don't want to hear your nurse, who you FULLY trust, COMPLETELY PANIC and yell, "COMPOUND PRESENTATION" repeatedly while you are pushing a watermelon out of your hoo-ha.
All I can say is, I survived.
Greyson Stephen Martin made his appearance on October 10, 2007, arriving in STYLE. He came out SIDEWAYS. Can you picture that?!
Wait.
There's more.
The "Compound" part? That means TWO body parts come out at the same time. Greyson came out SIDEWAYS WITH HIS HAND NEXT TO HIS HEAD.
I'd just like to take a moment to THANK THE GOOD LORD that Greyson was not my first child, and that I had already pushed two other watermelons from my hoo-ha. Otherwise, things might not have been so PLEASANT.
Three years later, here we are. Today is Greyson's third birthday. He's shy and reserved and hilarious and down-right CRAZY, but I think I knew that was coming, given the unique way he entered this world. That was HIS way of sending me a small heads-up on what the future would hold.
I wouldn't change his birth, or his shyness or his craziness for anything in the world. If you ever need a laugh, head on over, because Greyson is ONE. FUNNY. DUDE.
BIRTHDAY 2007
BIRTHDAY 2008
BIRTHDAY 2009
BIRTHDAY 2010
Happy Birthday, Grey! I love you!
On October 10, 2007, I was scheduled for an induction to deliver my third child. The induction started much like my previous two inductions and I was pretty calm, knowing that in a few short hours I'd be holding my little one. We had decided not to find out the sex of this baby, and we were very excited to know who this baby was. After gettting my epidural, my labor progressed very rapidly, and soon I was at 9.5 centimeters-almost there! My doc came running in, expecting to pretty much just catch the baby as it came flying out. After all, that's exactly what happened with the first two. Like clockwork: Epidural. Rapid dilation. Hold the baby in until the doc arrives. Doc arrives. Three pushes. Brand-new baby.
But not this time.
It seemed this little baby had other plans. THIS baby decided that it would be quite interesting to try to enter this world facing UP, rather than down, which is MUCH more comfortable for mom. I spent the next two hours pushing and screaming and cursing in every position KNOWN TO MAN. Finally, it was time. I was told to push with everything I had.
And that's when it happened.
I heard THOSE words: Compound Presentation. If you've never heard those words, let me tell you, YOU DON'T WANT TO. You don't want to hear your nurse, who you FULLY trust, COMPLETELY PANIC and yell, "COMPOUND PRESENTATION" repeatedly while you are pushing a watermelon out of your hoo-ha.
All I can say is, I survived.
Greyson Stephen Martin made his appearance on October 10, 2007, arriving in STYLE. He came out SIDEWAYS. Can you picture that?!
Wait.
There's more.
The "Compound" part? That means TWO body parts come out at the same time. Greyson came out SIDEWAYS WITH HIS HAND NEXT TO HIS HEAD.
I'd just like to take a moment to THANK THE GOOD LORD that Greyson was not my first child, and that I had already pushed two other watermelons from my hoo-ha. Otherwise, things might not have been so PLEASANT.
Three years later, here we are. Today is Greyson's third birthday. He's shy and reserved and hilarious and down-right CRAZY, but I think I knew that was coming, given the unique way he entered this world. That was HIS way of sending me a small heads-up on what the future would hold.
I wouldn't change his birth, or his shyness or his craziness for anything in the world. If you ever need a laugh, head on over, because Greyson is ONE. FUNNY. DUDE.
BIRTHDAY 2007
BIRTHDAY 2008
BIRTHDAY 2009
BIRTHDAY 2010
Happy Birthday, Grey! I love you!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
An Annual Event
This is a busy time of year. September brings not only the beginning of a new school year, but also a change in seasons. For me, that means getting used to three separate school schedules, enjoying some mommy and baby time with Alayna, digging harvest decorations out of their bins, and switching the dressers and closets from tank tops, shorts and sun dresses to sweaters, long pants, and jackets.
If you're not from Michigan, you might be able to get by with just one coat. But here? You need several. You need the "warm-by-day, chilly-by-night" jacket, the "all-day-wind-and-frost-at-night" jacket, the "it's-cold-but-I-don't-want-to-look-like-a-complete-idiot-in-my-winter-coat" jacket, and the "dude-I-am-FREEZING" coat. For this reason, closet space is in HIGH demand. So, we rotate clothes in and out as needed.
Sunday was a cool day, with the temperature hovering right around fifty degrees. That might sound cold to you, but that's how we Michiganders do fall. We also do fall at eighty degrees. YOU JUST NEVER KNOW. See? Isn't Michigan EXCITING?!
Anyway.
Between Jason's work schedule, birthday parties, and Halloween in the mix, our October is JAM-packed. So, we made concrete plans to head to the orchard, and Sunday was that day. The kids were very excited, and had been counting the days all week. We have a few orchards near here, but we headed back to my hometown of Flushing and visited Al-Mar Orchard. I like this place because it's small and never too busy, but they've got lots to do for the whole family. Aside from the orchard part of it, they also offer hayrides, playground toys, and a farm with everything from goats to chickens to turkeys to reindeer. Santa's reindeer, if you ask my kids. Are there any other kind?!
See Owen's hat? My grandma, Nanu, made me that hat back in college and I pull it out every year for Halloween. Owen swiped it for the day, and I was proud to share it with him.
And see Alayna with that goat? I cannot begin to tell you how much she loves animals. It is crazy. Dogs, cate, birds, squirrels, cows. She loves them all and when she sees or even just hears them, she makes the cutest high-pitched squeak noises, attempting to converse with them, I'm sure.
After visiting the animals, and then WASHING FURIOUSLY, we snagged some fresh cider and donuts and ate them right there on the spot. Cider and donuts fresh from the orchard? Totally on my BEST THINGS EVER list. I think Alayna agrees...
Then we headed over to pick out some pumpkins. We had been scoping out a few places around town, and finally settled on a little place out in the country. It is just a small family farm, but the pumpkins were BEAUTIFUL. And the best part? There was just a box, attached to the cart, where you drop your money when you've picked out your pumpkins. Total honor system. Just one of many reasons why we love our town.
The only rule we make when picking out pumpkins? YOU MUST BE ABLE TO LIFT AND CARRY YOUR OWN PUMPKIN. Simple enough. We're not lugging out pumpkins for our kids. They have to carry them. It makes the whole process pretty easy. No fighting over who gets which pumpkin. What made today EXTRA-special? Emerson got bored between the orchard and the pumpkin patch and made some artwork.
On. Her. Face. WITH MARKERS.
Good thing they were washable markers.
In the end, everyone left with the absolute best pumpkin they could choose. And they were happy.
If you're not from Michigan, you might be able to get by with just one coat. But here? You need several. You need the "warm-by-day, chilly-by-night" jacket, the "all-day-wind-and-frost-at-night" jacket, the "it's-cold-but-I-don't-want-to-look-like-a-complete-idiot-in-my-winter-coat" jacket, and the "dude-I-am-FREEZING" coat. For this reason, closet space is in HIGH demand. So, we rotate clothes in and out as needed.
Sunday was a cool day, with the temperature hovering right around fifty degrees. That might sound cold to you, but that's how we Michiganders do fall. We also do fall at eighty degrees. YOU JUST NEVER KNOW. See? Isn't Michigan EXCITING?!
Anyway.
Between Jason's work schedule, birthday parties, and Halloween in the mix, our October is JAM-packed. So, we made concrete plans to head to the orchard, and Sunday was that day. The kids were very excited, and had been counting the days all week. We have a few orchards near here, but we headed back to my hometown of Flushing and visited Al-Mar Orchard. I like this place because it's small and never too busy, but they've got lots to do for the whole family. Aside from the orchard part of it, they also offer hayrides, playground toys, and a farm with everything from goats to chickens to turkeys to reindeer. Santa's reindeer, if you ask my kids. Are there any other kind?!
See Owen's hat? My grandma, Nanu, made me that hat back in college and I pull it out every year for Halloween. Owen swiped it for the day, and I was proud to share it with him.
And see Alayna with that goat? I cannot begin to tell you how much she loves animals. It is crazy. Dogs, cate, birds, squirrels, cows. She loves them all and when she sees or even just hears them, she makes the cutest high-pitched squeak noises, attempting to converse with them, I'm sure.
After visiting the animals, and then WASHING FURIOUSLY, we snagged some fresh cider and donuts and ate them right there on the spot. Cider and donuts fresh from the orchard? Totally on my BEST THINGS EVER list. I think Alayna agrees...
Then we headed over to pick out some pumpkins. We had been scoping out a few places around town, and finally settled on a little place out in the country. It is just a small family farm, but the pumpkins were BEAUTIFUL. And the best part? There was just a box, attached to the cart, where you drop your money when you've picked out your pumpkins. Total honor system. Just one of many reasons why we love our town.
The only rule we make when picking out pumpkins? YOU MUST BE ABLE TO LIFT AND CARRY YOUR OWN PUMPKIN. Simple enough. We're not lugging out pumpkins for our kids. They have to carry them. It makes the whole process pretty easy. No fighting over who gets which pumpkin. What made today EXTRA-special? Emerson got bored between the orchard and the pumpkin patch and made some artwork.
On. Her. Face. WITH MARKERS.
Good thing they were washable markers.
In the end, everyone left with the absolute best pumpkin they could choose. And they were happy.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
1-2-3 Draw!
Yes, we have a television in our car, but I only use it on long trips or as a reward for good behavior. Most of the time, the kids fill the time spent in the car writing and drawing in notebooks. It takes a couple of months to fill the books, but I always look forward to the times when they tell me their books are full. This is when I get to see what they have written and drawn. I encourage them to not tear out the pages, so I can save the books as keepsakes.
You never know WHAT you're going to see in these notebooks...
Here is a progression of self-potraits from Emerson over the summer. Quite a bit of progress!
And here's a few from Owen...
A bird and his house:
A common alien:
A dinosaur and his volcano:
A snowball fight:
And then things get a little more interesting.
Obviously upset with his sister:
And the one that really makes his sister mad:
"Ho, ho, ho, ho. Emerson is a daisy."
Gets to her EVERY time. LOL.
Like I said, you never know WHAT you're going to get. But I always look forward to reading them!
With that, I'll leave you with some Spongebob, Gary, Patrick, Mr. Crabs and the gang.
You never know WHAT you're going to see in these notebooks...
Here is a progression of self-potraits from Emerson over the summer. Quite a bit of progress!
And here's a few from Owen...
A bird and his house:
A common alien:
A dinosaur and his volcano:
A snowball fight:
And then things get a little more interesting.
Obviously upset with his sister:
And the one that really makes his sister mad:
"Ho, ho, ho, ho. Emerson is a daisy."
Gets to her EVERY time. LOL.
Like I said, you never know WHAT you're going to get. But I always look forward to reading them!
With that, I'll leave you with some Spongebob, Gary, Patrick, Mr. Crabs and the gang.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Daily Scene
On the way to school this morning, this was the conversation...
Me: Hey, guys. I'm going to the store this morning. Any requests?
Owen: (without skipping a beat) A squirt gun that you don't have to "cock".
Me: No toys! I'm going to the grocery store!
Owen: OK, then how about LOADS of candy-enough to make it until Halloween?
Me: Right. So, nothing then?
Owen and Emerson: (in unison) No.
Me: Hey, guys. I'm going to the store this morning. Any requests?
Owen: (without skipping a beat) A squirt gun that you don't have to "cock".
Me: No toys! I'm going to the grocery store!
Owen: OK, then how about LOADS of candy-enough to make it until Halloween?
Me: Right. So, nothing then?
Owen and Emerson: (in unison) No.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
The Birds and The Bees...Sort Of
With all of the babies coming out of this house, there is inevitably a lot of talk about everything from birth, to breastfeeding, to developmental milestones.
When I was pregnant with Alayna, Owen asked THE question. The "where do babies come from" question. So, I made it as simple as possible: God gives daddy a special seed and he puts that seed into mommy and a baby grows.
What did Owen hear me say? "God gives daddy a special MACHINE." Now, that in itself has brought about many humorous conversations. I can't wait for the day that he tells his friends where babies come from.
When I said that there is talk about birth in our house? Maybe you misunderstood me. Emerson knows just about everything about birth. She knows about vaginal birth, cesarian birth, pushing, bleeding and placentas. And she is five.
Here is our conversation this morning on the way to school:
Em: Mom, how old do you have to be to have babies?
Me: Well, you have to be at least in your twenties, and you have to be married.
Em: I only want one baby.
Me: No brothers or sisters?
Em: OK, I'll have two babies-a boy and a girl. But I don't want them to come out of my belly. I want to push them out.
Me: That sounds like a good plan. That's what I did.
Em: I don't want my belly cut open like Aunt Melissa.
Me: They had to cut Melissa open because Adyson was turned the wrong way and she couldn't push her out.
Em: And I don't want twins.
Me: Well, you probably won't have twins, but you never know...God decides how many babies you'll have.
Em: What about the special machine dads have?!
Me: Well, dads help, too.
Em: Who will be the dad?
Me: Whoever you have as your husband will be the dad.
Em: If I have a boyfriend do I have to keep him?
Me: No, that's the good thing about boyfriends. You get to go out to dinner and to the movies and meet their families and decide whether you really like them or not. If you don't like them you can find a new boyfriend and if you do like them you can marry them.
Em: Do I get to wear a white dress?
Me: Of course!
Em: Well, I don't want to just wear it when I get married. I want to wear it to other weddings and out to dinner, too.
When I was pregnant with Alayna, Owen asked THE question. The "where do babies come from" question. So, I made it as simple as possible: God gives daddy a special seed and he puts that seed into mommy and a baby grows.
What did Owen hear me say? "God gives daddy a special MACHINE." Now, that in itself has brought about many humorous conversations. I can't wait for the day that he tells his friends where babies come from.
When I said that there is talk about birth in our house? Maybe you misunderstood me. Emerson knows just about everything about birth. She knows about vaginal birth, cesarian birth, pushing, bleeding and placentas. And she is five.
Here is our conversation this morning on the way to school:
Em: Mom, how old do you have to be to have babies?
Me: Well, you have to be at least in your twenties, and you have to be married.
Em: I only want one baby.
Me: No brothers or sisters?
Em: OK, I'll have two babies-a boy and a girl. But I don't want them to come out of my belly. I want to push them out.
Me: That sounds like a good plan. That's what I did.
Em: I don't want my belly cut open like Aunt Melissa.
Me: They had to cut Melissa open because Adyson was turned the wrong way and she couldn't push her out.
Em: And I don't want twins.
Me: Well, you probably won't have twins, but you never know...God decides how many babies you'll have.
Em: What about the special machine dads have?!
Me: Well, dads help, too.
Em: Who will be the dad?
Me: Whoever you have as your husband will be the dad.
Em: If I have a boyfriend do I have to keep him?
Me: No, that's the good thing about boyfriends. You get to go out to dinner and to the movies and meet their families and decide whether you really like them or not. If you don't like them you can find a new boyfriend and if you do like them you can marry them.
Em: Do I get to wear a white dress?
Me: Of course!
Em: Well, I don't want to just wear it when I get married. I want to wear it to other weddings and out to dinner, too.
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