The Visual Mom

OK.  So its been over a year since I posted here.  I've changed up the name and have decided to use this blog space a little more frequently.  Perhaps some of you out in the ethereal internet land will join me.  Perhaps not.  Either way, that's ok.  I like the idea of sharing some of my thoughts with the world whether they're read or not. So lets just get real for a minute.  I've been thinking a lot about stuff.  Stuff as in physical stuff.  As in what I've got.  Ok truth: as in what I want .  Because of my career choice, I find myself constantly challenged by the desire for more stuff.  New stuff.  Better stuff.  Stuff other people have.  Stuff I don't have.  Stuff I want my kids to have.  Stuff I'd just like to have.  Stuff I can't afford. Now...its not like I don't have any stuff.  Compared to most of the world, I have a lot of stuff.  I have a lot of nice stuff.  But somehow...

Myself and the kids have had about enough of this snow, grey skies and cold weather.  The other day while we were at Lowes picking up some home items, I saw that they already had their patio furniture and gardening department up -- at least inside. I couldn't help myself and I purchased seed packets for various flower varieties that I love to have on the patio each summer.  This included wave petunias, dwarf petunias, giant zinnias, shade and sunny wildflower seed mixes and a couple of others.  I bought a seed starter container and some specialty soil for starting seeds indoors.  Since I wanted Eva to be involved (Jacob is still a bit young for this) I spread out newspaper on the table and Eva helped me spread the soil in the holes and put seeds into the containers.  I designated 1-2 rows for each type of flower and we labeled them so that we'll know what they are.  There are 24 starts of petunias.  They're my favorite. :)  And then there are 12...

Its hard to believe that it is already February 13.  That means that in just two days, my baby boy will be a year old.  Already.  How did that happen?  Where did the time go?  How is it possible that he wasn't even here a year ago and now he's almost walking?  Almost talking?  It is crazy.  And even though it seems like the time has flown by, I wouldn't change it -- not a second of it.  Birthday cake with the cousins. At the water park with Grandma Judy. We celebrated Jacob's first birthday last weekend during a trip to Wisconsin.  All the relatives were there and so it seemed appropriate.  Our trip home was to go to an indoor water park in Wisconsin Dells, which was a very nice respite from the bitter cold temperatures we've had this winter.  I admit to having some reservations about making a 6.5 hour drive (one way) to the Dells with a (nearly) one year old and a two year old.  Somehow, a water park weekend se...

Today is the 12th anniversary of 9-11.  I will always remember the details of that day.  They are burned on my mind.  What I was doing.  Where I was.  Who I was with.  Who I wasn't with. Lucky for me, my schedule worked so that I had today off and home with my kids.  I stood in my kitchen this afternoon cleaning the sink, prepping for a meal and listening to BBC Newshour on NPR.  They had an interview with Jake Heggie, a composer who wrote a suite of music based on the lives of some of the people lost on 9-11.  One of the songs was words from a book that was being written by a woman who died on the plane in Shanksville, PA.  At the time of her death, she was pregnant with her first child.  For whatever reason, learning that she was pregnant made me completely break down and sob -- right there, as I was cleaning the sink.  Even as I write this, tears are streaming down my face.  I thought of my two beautiful children and...

Even before I was pregnant, people were telling me a number of things:  how fun kids are, how much I will love them, how much work they are, how expensive they are, etc.  And if you're like me, you just nodded and smiled and figured it would be kind of like loving a dog, who I couldn't possibly love any more than I already did. And then I had my first baby, a little girl named Eva. Suddenly, all the love I ever felt during my entire life wasn't enough to compare to the amount of love I felt for this tiny little person.  I didn't know it was going to be possible to love something as much as I loved my dog, let alone be in an entirely different realm of love.  It sounds ridiculous to say that now, but its true.  I don't think I love my dog any less, this is just a whole different and more complete kind of love.  Maybe its the kind of love my dog feels for me?  Who knows.  Its a really good thing though.  That I know, for sure. And then...

Well, it has been a while since I posted in this blog -- about a year and a half.  What have I done during that time?  Well...we've welcomed not one but TWO children.  Eva Rose is 16 months old and Jacob Henry is 17 days old. Today is my first day on my own with both kids.  So far, its going pretty well.  Although very active, Eva is a really good toddler.  And Jacob i s turning out to be a great baby too.  I'd forgotten how much newborns sleep.  Thankfully, there are still a couple times a day when every one is napping.  This provides some peace in the household. Those are the updates for now.  I will do my best to keep this blog updated a little better , although w ith 2 kids under two, that may be a challenge.