Sincerely Abi

Savoring the Season

2011-12-12T14:09:00.001-05:00

Dear Reader,

This time of year seems to move at an incredibly fast pace. I always hope to capture more moments in writing to look back and remember this season well. Some of the highlights of my last week included evening drives to look at Christmas lights with my husband and son while listening to fun music of the season, making Christmas cookies with my son (and watching him make some with his grandma), listening to the elementary school kids at our church lead us in carols, receiving Christmas cards from friends and family (LOVE going to the mailbox this time of year!) and helping my son wrap the gift he picked out for his daddy for Christmas. Great week.

And now I look ahead to another week filled with enjoyable activities, and I consider with gratitude the festive moments that meet us at this time of year. I hope this week is a great one for you as well.

Sincerely,
Abi

Occupations

2011-07-24T19:55:00.000-04:00

Dear Reader,

I worked in a HR before beginning motherhood, and perhaps for that reason I can't resist asking my four year old boy about what jobs he thinks he would enjoy when he grows up. I don't ask this question daily, but maybe monthly.

Early in the summer his response was a skateboarder. I didn't react much as I wondered if the conversation was actually just to ask for a skateboard, and I'm not ready for him to try that out quite yet.

This last week I asked the question once again. Quickly my son responded by saying that he would like to be a firefighter and a baseball player. He will be busy if that is the case! I asked why he's interested in each of these jobs. He said that a firefighter helps people, and he would love to use the big hoses to put out the fire. And then he suggested that he would like to be a baseball player because he's "a really good pitcher." (No confidence issues here.) He quickly qualified this statement though and said that he's better at pitching on the Wii than outside.

I'll keep you posted on this evolution of ideas as I hope to make certain to document his thoughts along the way.

Sincerely,

Abi

Sidewalk Chalk

2011-06-26T20:14:00.002-04:00

Dear Reader,

I am woefully behind on writing and promise to catch up soon! This evening my husband witnessed a priceless exchange between our almost four year old son and his friend from next door who is four.

Our son has a set of very thick, large pieces of chalk that his aunt and uncle gave to him as a birthday gift last year. Our son and his friend were playing with the chalk on our driveway and sidewalk this evening. Our boy all of sudden decided to throw one of the pieces of chalk on the sidewalk and smashed it in half. My husband came over and questioned him on why he broke the chalk. Our son's response, "I wanted to break that chalk in two so my friend and I could both have one. I wanted to share my piece of chalk with him." My husband then suggested that he go ahead and share the chalk.

Our son walked over to his friend who immediately says, "Cool! How did you do that?" To which our dear boy began giving instructions for smashing them in two.

Trying to be a good buddy + breaking things = perfect activity (from our soon-to-be four year old's perspective.)

Sincerely,
Abi

Coins Revisited

2011-05-22T19:46:00.001-04:00

Dear Reader,

My son has so enjoyed the activity of sorting coins that he has become quite accustomed to using our coin jar for his purposes.

This past week, he came to me with a handful of coins and asked for a bag. I responded by providing a bag and wondered what he hoped to purchase. He suggested that we bring the bag to church in order to pay for all of the bagel bites he eats there on Sunday mornings. Not quite an offering, but very nice that he wants to cover his costs.

We had one of our dear friends over for pizza, and my son left the table first while my husband and I lingered to have conversation with our friend. Our son returned with a few coins for our friend. He then said to our friend, "Here's a little money for you if you would like it."

My son has also pulled out coins for our family. He brought some coins to me one morning and said, "Maybe you want these for all of the things you buy for me." His words melted my heart.

I'm not sure that he understands that the coin jar is not an unlimited resource, but I'm so glad to see him use it generously.

Sincerely,
Abi

Butterfly Exhibit

2011-05-03T19:14:00.000-04:00

Dear Reader,

As with each spring, we enjoyed the annual arrival of butterflies at our local garden and sculpture park. The butterflies are such a hit with our son. He's entirely interested by the chrysalis stage, and the amazing volunteers at the gardens are so helpful in encouraging that curiosity.

The butterflies are housed in a lovely conservatory full of light and warmth. During springtime, what a treat it is to feel the warmth and humidity of this space during the yet chilly days outside. I try to treat my time there as a little vacationing (except, of course, I am trying to keep pace with a busy little boy.)

Each year the gardens provide a guidebook which lists the various species of butterflies found in the conservatory. We save ours each year, and my son likes to pretend that they are his "field journal" from his adventures.

This year the highlight for me (and perhaps my son as well) has been the introduction of some lovely birds to the space. In prior years, the quails in the conservatory are always such a sweet bunch to watch. This year, along with these lovely quails, the canaries and other birds were exceptional to watch. This exhibit just keeps getting better.

We made work of taking both of my son's grandmothers to this exhibit (as I think we have annually since his arrival), and this year we even squeezed in a trip with his aunt and cousin. I so enjoy that this has become such a wonderful tradition for spring.

Sincerely,
Abi

Sorting Coins

2011-04-28T19:13:00.004-04:00

Dear Reader,

On the rainy days at the end of April, we were fast losing interest in the books, games, and toys that helped us stay in often through the winter. One morning my son asked if he could pull out our coin jar and sort out the coins. I had no objections, and this ended up being quite a lengthy endeavor for him.

He stuck with this sorting and first separated the copper coins from the silver ones, and then he started separating out the dimes, nickles, and quarters. (Had I planned this activity a bit more, we could have then rolled the coins. Maybe another day.)

I am constantly reminded that the everyday items around our home are many times the best toys and learning tools. And this coin sorting does make me wonder if some accounting could be in our boy's future. We'll see.

Sincerely,
Abi

Lambs and Tractors

2011-04-25T18:53:00.000-04:00

Dear Reader,

My husband's roommate from his freshman year of college was a great match for my husband during his transition to college, and these guys ended up as roommates throughout their college experience. He was an usher in our wedding, and we've seen each other from time to time over the years since we graduated. This friend of ours and his wife share a hobby farm with his folks and kindly asked if we would like to bring our son over to visit the lambs and calves that arrived this spring.

The day turned out to be quite chilly and rainy, but we all put on coats and boots and headed out to see the babies. First, we went to the barn where the sheep and lambs were plentiful. My son's first reaction was to pinch his nose from the "farm smell" in the air. Classic. And then he very quickly enjoyed petting the soft lambs.

We then headed out to see the calves. One was only two hours old at the time, and I was amazed at how well it stood for being so brand new. We were advised to stay back a bit as the cows tend to be quite protective of their young, and so my husband and I had a good grip on our boy's hand (as he does not yet possess much fear of animals.)

Before heading in for a wonderful dinner, we made one last stop back through the barn, this time with the opportunity for my son to sit on the tractor. This was by far his favorite part of the tour. We did not find it easy to get him back down after sitting in such a special seat.

We are so thankful for the friendships that my husband and I have developed over the years and are so glad to still see these people with whom have shared some great experiences.

Sincerely,
Abi

Bunch of Bananas

2011-04-20T08:20:00.002-04:00

Dear Reader,

We have been watching a remarkable development over the past few weeks. My son, like many young children, has his food favorites, and, while he is willing to try other things, he usually sticks to the basics. Even though he is a fruit lover, bananas have never been popular in our house (especially since his dad shares in a dislike of this fruit.)

A few Fridays ago my son said to me, "Mom, I think we should get some bananas from the store this weekend. I want to try them again." On our routine Monday trip to the store, we picked up a bunch. Interestingly, from Monday to Friday of that week, my little boy consumed 15 bananas. Really.

This trend has repeated itself over the weeks since then. Is he making up for the three and a half years of shunning this fruit? Was he that potassium starved that he needed a significant boost? Will he get sick of bananas at this feverish pace of consumption? Not sure. I'll keep you posted.

Sincerely,
Abi

Priceless Conversation

2011-03-29T21:16:00.003-04:00

Dear Reader,

The following has been my favorite conversation of the day:

My son: "Mommy, are we married?"
Abi: "No, I'm married to daddy, remember? You won't be married for a while yet."
My son: "Why?"
Abi: "Because marrying someone means that you are making the decision to spend the rest of your life together."
My son: "But I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
Abi: "You may change your mind about that when you get older. You will meet a girl someday that you want to marry."
My son: [nose scrunched up] "I don't think so. I just want to stay with you forever."

I am savoring these days of being one of his favorites (and also wondering how he is going to handle his first day of preschool in the fall.)

Sincerely,
Abi

Going Up North

2011-03-15T18:46:00.004-04:00

Dear Reader,

My husband, son, and I recently went on a getaway to the northern part of our fair state. We really enjoyed the change of pace, especially at the end of winter.

The town that we stayed in is a frequent destination for us, and each time we go there we manage to take a different route. I'm not sure why we struggle to just stick with one set of directions, but we do. My husband and I have the same conversation on the trip each time. Much of the drive is deep in the country, and so I always start by saying, "I wonder what these people do for a living and how far they need to drive for groceries."

On this trip we happened to spot some particularly interesting signs. We headed up mid-morning and had hoped to eat lunch when we arrived, but decided our boy was ready for lunch along the way. We picked up sandwiches in a town that has about 500 residents, but the barbershop next door to the luncheon spot had reserved parking. I took a photo of the barbershop signage:

Then we continued on our trip, passing Nimrod Road close to our hotel. I couldn't imagine having to give directions to my home and saying, "We live at 123 Nimrod Road." We passed by a church where the church's name and denomination were followed by the words "upper room prayer furnace." True story. And finally, we came upon two other barbershops in the town where we vacationed - Bo Tangles and The Hair Shack.

We had a few really good laughs from the peculiar signage discovered along the way. Definitely worth a mention.

Sincerely,
Abi

Miss Laurie

2011-03-07T09:23:00.003-05:00

Dear Reader,

My husband, son, and I just returned from a nice getaway up north. I so enjoyed the change of pace, and I think the timing could not have been more ideal as construction season begins tomorrow (which will make my husband's work a bit more fast paced.)

As a fun surprise, we gave my son a set of Lego-like blocks which came packaged in a plastic wagon. This gift has been a hit. The initial love came from building with the blocks - a moving castle, swords, skyscrapers, etc. Then the small plastic wagon became even more special.

In keeping with my son's very active imagination, the wagon is his pretend dog. He named her Miss Laurie, in honor of his current favorite musical artist - Laurie Berkner. My son has done a nice job caring for his pretend pet and has even included her in games of hide and seek. The pretend dog has acted as both the one hiding and the one seeking (not easily done!)

What I find so fascinating is watching this delicate dance between imagination and reality that my three year old seems to manage well. When I tried to bark on behalf of Miss Laurie during hide and seek, my son turned to my husband and said, "That's just Mommy."

I'm curious how long this wagon dog will last. I'm anticipating that the question about getting a real puppy will come with time.

Sincerely,
Abi

Pulley System

2011-02-21T17:58:00.002-05:00

Dear Reader,

My husband is an engineer, and he and I both suspect that my son may follow in his footsteps someday. This past Saturday morning we were all up by 6:30 a.m. While I stood by the coffee making waiting for it to finish dripping (I hope I'm not the only person who does this!), my son was chatting away and asking me to turn on the facet to the kitchen sink to inspect how the pipes were functioning below.

The latest "fun" that has come to our three and a half year old is a pulley system designed by his dad. My husband rigged up a structure that attached to our staircase railing, allowing a pulley system to go from our main floor to the basement. One end of the rope has a green plastic sand bucket attached, and the other end has a lightweight plastic ball.

My son loved checking out how a pulley works. And then came the request to send down snacks via the pulley system. What all ended up in the bucket? Crackers. Fruit snacks. Grapes. Raisins. And the list went on.

I am grateful for my husband who so gets what our boy would enjoy, and I'm entirely up for them to have "boys time" to do their engineering.

Sincerely,
Abi

An Introduction (and nothing more)

2011-02-09T16:15:00.004-05:00

Dear Reader,

I have been debating about preparing this post for a bit of time now. You may have noticed that my posts about decorating, crafting, and the like have been fewer in the past months. I haven't stopped posting about these subjects, but I decided to start an additional blog for them - Sincerely Abi... Inspired.

This blog spin-off began with my need for order and organization (not a big surprise to those of you who know me!) I have always wanted this blog - Sincerely Abi - to center on my own thoughts and experiences (often with much emphasis on the development of my son.) I also wanted to write about crafts, decorating, cooking, etc. When I started an Etsy shop early last summer, I quickly decided that a blog to complement the shop would provide that space for talking about inspiring Etsy shops, posting weekly recipes, discussing my latest craft endeavors, and sharing occasional decorating ideas. It's been a little over half a year, and I just hit my 100th post milestone, so I think this other blog is here to stay.

I promise that this will be my only reference to Sincerely Abi... Inspired though. I hope that this post about it provides a bit of explanation to you (and a helpful point of reference for me in remembering how this all worked out.)

The first time I met my then-boyfriend's father (now my father-in-law), he asked me if I had any hobbies. My response was to mention how much I liked going out for coffee with friends and wondered if that counted. By now I would say that I've found an outlet in crafting - and blogging - which is indeed a great hobby.

Sincerely,
Abi

Winter Games

2011-02-02T09:51:00.003-05:00

Dear Reader,

Over the last weeks we have spent many an hour at home. Given the pneumonia factor, I haven't been overly interested in my son spending lots of time out in the snow, so we've had to get creative about energy utilization (i.e. getting the energy out of an active three year old!) Two games have been developed.

One. My son uses his yellow plastic dump truck to pick up loads (socks from the laundry, goldfish cracker snacks, books, etc.) and delivers the load to another room of the house. He zooms the truck at a good pace and rather enjoys this task.

Two. We each take a duster and roll a foam ball back and forth to one another. My son's imagination is in high gear, as this swatting of the ball is actually deflecting a meteor bound for earth (thank you Backyardigans for this imagery!) I couldn't begin to count how much time has been spent on this game in the past four weeks.

Needless to say, I can't wait to pull out my son's bike and helmet and take him around the block. Given the snowstorm that just came through, I'm wondering how long we will need to wait for warmer weather, though the groundhogs would suggest spring is on it's way! Yes!

Sincerely,
Abi

Odd Jobs

2011-02-01T13:11:00.002-05:00

Dear Reader,

This weekend I enjoyed sitting back and listening to a conversation between my dad and my husband about the odd jobs that each of them had tried out during their young adulthood. (My teenage jobs seemed so normal in comparison to some of the work these two did at one time.) Both of them started working at a young age, and here is a sampling of the jobs they discussed with one another:

delivering holiday circulars to all of the residents of his hometown (for $2)

picking blueberries ($0.25 per pound picked)

fork lift driving (both of them exchanged stories about this)

rearranging trash in a dumpster

washing semi-trucks

bar-tending (while in Seminary!)

mowing a homeowner's personal driving range

My favorite of all the jobs mentioned: updating the daily prayer line at the college library. Yes, my dad would read a prayer to create a recorded message for any callers. I'm curious how often people called in to listen to these prayers!

I found it so interesting to hear the stories of these two men. I hope to ask this question more often in conversation as I find it so fun to hear about work experiences! So, readers, any interesting jobs to share?

Sincerely,
Abi

Thirty

2011-01-31T16:13:00.003-05:00

Dear Reader,

Yesterday my husband entered a new decade in his life. He's now thirty, and I think he actually looked forward to this milestone. I still have a few more months to enjoy my twenties (and may say I'm 29 for even longer!), and I think both of us look back on our twenties with a lot of fondness. Some major highlights include:

a wedding proposal and engagement

our wedding day and the weddings of so many of our friends

buying our first home and completely renovating it
(with family and friends very willing to help!)

establishing ourselves professionally and meeting some wonderful colleagues

the arrival of our son and his ongoing delightful presence in our lives

moving to another nice home with great neighbors

a few fun parties to mark engagements, new babies, birthdays, and moves

travel to see family, to attend weddings, to refresh

And there are the moments in between the listed items which often involved lovely times with you, our family and friends, which make the everyday life equally as exceptional as the big banner days. We are indeed so blessed.

Sincerely,
Abi

A Word for 2011

2011-01-27T09:31:00.003-05:00

Dear Reader,

I shared the tale of my husband's flu at Christmas. Since then, my son and I had two weeks of cold symptoms which progressed to pneumonia. Then, this past Monday I picked up my dear 3 1/2 year old (yep, he's already halfway through 3!) and pulled a muscle in my neck. (He's not my baby any longer. Confirmed.) This is a long introduction, but I'm not leading into a pity party. Honest.

Actually, the past few weeks have solidified my word to focus on this year (and beyond): gratitude. Each day that is normal and healthy is exceptional. Each opportunity to watch my son share his latest clever idea or precious reaction to life: fabulous. Relationships, purposeful work, inspiring writing, restful pauses - all gifts.

So begins my late January resolution (better late than never?) to fill my days with feeling and thinking and acting with appreciation and thankfulness.

Sincerely,
Abi

It's my pleasure

2011-01-05T20:02:00.001-05:00

Dear Reader,

One of my high school English teachers had a pet peeve about people responding to words of gratitude by saying, "No problem." He did not consider it a gracious way of accepting thanks and encouraged his students to respond to someone by saying, "It is my pleasure." (By the way, I think this teacher holds the record for the number of times the word "colloquialism" could be used in a single class period.)

I latched on to this phrase and most often respond to a person's thanks by indeed saying, "It is my pleasure." A faculty member at the college I attended took note the first time I responded to him by saying this phrase because he too shared the dislike of the "no problem" reply. Anytime that I would see him after that, he would make a point of saying, "It is my pleasure," even if it had no place in conversation.

Over the past few months, my husband and I have experienced occasions with both sets of grandparents where my dear boy responds to them by saying, "It is my pleasure." Way to go!

Sincerely,
Abi

About Christmas (Part 2)

2011-01-03T20:35:00.001-05:00

Dear Reader,

Happy New Year!

We resumed Christmas celebration on January 2 and enjoyed the holiday festivities with my husband's family. I thought it was an especially fun year with having my son (almost three and a half!), our nephew (almost a year and a half) and our niece (3 months) at such fun ages to just take in the fun (OK, my niece slept through most of it, but she's just so cute!) And my husband, whose glass is always half full, likes that we now will have celebrated Christmas twice in 2011.

During Christmas halftime my husband recovered quickly from the flu and embraced a living room project that we had been talking about for the last few months. He added a horizontal trim piece about 5 feet up from the baseboards and vertical trim along the wall, all in white. It has really brightened the room. Also, I provided a bit of help with a bridal shower that my mother-in-law hosted for the future bride of my husband's cousin. I love helping with parties!

Even though we had some unexpected turns in our holiday plans, enjoying so much time with my husband and son and our families made for a great time. And I hope the year ahead is a great one for you, dear reader!

Sincerely,
Abi

About Christmas (Part 1)

2010-12-26T20:03:00.002-05:00

Dear Reader,

I hope you had a wonderful celebration of Christmas! Christmas Eve was lovely. Christmas Eve night and Christmas Day, not so much.

Our annual plan is to spend Christmas Eve with my parents and Christmas Day with my husband's family. This routine works out well, and we enjoy both parts quite a bit. We started out Christmas Eve morning with my parents having a mid-morning breakfast and then present opening (completed by noon.) My dad remarked that this year was the earliest opening of presents in his 62 years, probably aided by the enthusiasm of our favorite three year old. We had a yummy early afternoon lunch and then a quiet afternoon of playing and relaxing together. Fun!

My husband, son, and I headed home early evening, and my husband wasn't feeling tops. He thought it may just have been overeating a bit. As the night progressed, so did his bout with the stomach flu. As you may recall, my dear husband had a serious virus over Thanksgiving 2009. This year, the flu caught him on Christmas Day 2010. (Look out Easter 2011!) We're still in Christmas halftime until next weekend when we can be reasonably assured that we will not pass germs to my husband's family members.

Although this year brought some unexpected changes in plans, we rolled with it. My husband, as usual, was such a trooper about feeling less than exceptional. And my son handled the changes like a trooper. On the 26th, the three of us opened our gifts together. The highlight: a little boy who has discovered the wonder of walkie talkies. More about Christmas to come. Over and out.

Sincerely,
Abi

Bake-a-thon

2010-12-14T18:31:00.004-05:00

Dear Reader,

As you know, I am woefully behind on updates to this blog. I have a number of half completed posts, waiting for a good moment for me to finish them up. I am still here. The holidays are upon us, and life seems to be moving rather speedily.

In 2009 I took the month of December to post daily descriptions of our Christmas preparations. I loved documenting everything, but decided that a less intense approach would be good this year (maybe a bit more honoring of Advent and making space to prepare for Christmas?) We've followed some similar patterns of activities this year though, and my son is more engaged in the season than ever.

Yesterday I decided to begin a holiday bake-a-thon. We are all aware of my deficits in the baking arena (see here for an example), but I am determined to be a diligent direction-follower, so probably some of the cookies will turn out, right? My son and I baked snickerdoodles and a pistachio bread in the afternoon, and my husband joined in the fun last night to prepare peanut butter blossoms. More to come in the next days. I'm freezing all of this in hopes that these sugary treats make their way to a few holiday gatherings.

What prompted this embrace of holiday baking? I have fond memories of cookie plates at my grandma's place and at one of our close family friends' home during the holidays. It seemed so special to have such a variety of choices from which to decide on a favorite. I hope that perhaps this will become a nice memory now for my son as well.

More to catch up on soon, like my son's disappointment that his name doesn't include the letter M. We never know what's coming next.

Sincerely,
Abi

Fancy

2010-11-29T20:02:00.000-05:00

Dear Reader,

Over Thanksgiving weekend we had the pleasure of celebrating a significant milestone with my parents - their 40th wedding anniversary. I consider it such a gift to have both of these people in my life, and even more that they share such a deep commitment and love for one another. Definitely an occasion to celebrate, and as such my husband, son, and I joined my parents for a very nice dinner in our downtown.

We got a bit dressed up and met up for our night out. My incredibly thoughtful mother brought a sticker book for my son to occupy some time during dinner. And we all were impressed by how nicely the three year old at our table sat through dinner and patiently handled much adult conversation. We thought his favorite memory of the night would be the vanilla bean gelatto, as he polished off his entire serving. However, in heading to the restroom before leaving the restaurant, my son ended up barely making it to the bathroom before losing his gelatto. He managed the situation like a champ. And I could barely keep from laughing because of my son's priceless response to the situation, "Mom, this is why I don't like fancy." Good point.

Although the ending was less than ideal, the memory of a special celebration of my folks will stick with me for a while I hope.

Sincerely,
Abi

Driving thru at Starbucks

2010-11-18T08:03:00.006-05:00

Dear Reader,

I don't even know where to begin in describing my most recent Starbucks drive-thru experience. When I choose the Starbucks closest to our home, I know I'm risking getting eccentric drive-thru employee who tries out a few different accents in the course of an order and makes the whole experience, well, interesting. Yesterday, I had the pleasure of that reality once again.

He begins with an Australian accent, complete with a "good day," but then throughout my order switched to a more Irish-like accent (rolling his "r"s toward the end.) And, as it usually happens, when I drove up to the window, he turned on the New York accent and mimics Joey Tribbiani's "How you doin'?" Really, he did. It takes every ounce of kindness not to laugh. I have to wonder if a supervisor has discussed this habit with him and whether other customers are as distracted by this behavior as I am.

I ordered a tall coffee, which using my Starbucks coffee bag is free (love that promotion by the way.) Since it was 3 p.m., I decided a decaf coffee was a wise choice. However, apparently at that Starbucks they stop brewing decaf after 2 p.m. according to drive-thru guy. He offers to brew an Cafe Americano for the same price, and I'm fine with that offer. I do find it odd though that Starbucks would not brew decaf in the afternoon and evening. Hmm.

My mom teases me about my high expectations of service at Starbucks. My argument is always that I think that along with a good cup of coffee I'm paying for good customer service. And, apparently, at this particular Starbucks, a performance by Australian, Irish, New Yorker guy is also included.

Sincerely,
Abi

Wednesday Weekends and Summer in Fall

2010-11-13T07:05:00.004-05:00

Dear Reader,

This is a story about finding the silver lining.

As I've mentioned, my husband experienced a very busy spring, summer, and early fall at work. Toward the end of summer, my husband starting taking Wednesdays as his weekend and then worked Saturday and Sunday (in an effort to accomplish more project work uninterrupted.) In the last month, he has returned to a normal work schedule and more regular, less demanding work hours. Yes! Phew!

While I sincerely hope that we don't return to the ways of the recent months, I think we've come through that time in good shape. We learned to appreciate our Wednesdays and to use that time for family activities (rather than catching up on housework and running errands - which I tried to accomplish on the other days of the week.) We all looked forward to what we were about on that day, and I think we all felt rested and reconnected through those moments.

In the last month we have been filling our evenings and weekends with activities that we had aimed to do together this summer. The amazingly cooperative weather this October and November has been a big help in accomplishing this goal. We've made a few trips to the beach. We fit in a weekend getaway to one of our favorite towns. We took our son to the zoo. We frequented our little boy's favorite park. We've enjoyed many a bike ride around the block. We played baseball in the backyard.

All of this points to savoring the moment. As I look towards a time of year that is abounding with holiday activities, I hope to remain rooted in appreciation for the everyday.

Sincerely,
Abi

Speaking in Clues

2010-10-25T12:27:00.002-04:00

Dear Reader,

Recently, my son has developed a habit of coming up to me and saying, "Here are a few clues..." or "I have a tricky question." I then begin the guessing game of trying to determine what this dear three year old is considering. Here are some examples.

My son: "I am thinking of a fruit that has water in it."
Abi: "Watermelon?"
My son: "Yes, may I have some?"

-----

My son: "I am thinking of a place where there is food and some puzzles on the first floor. Upstairs they have bubbles and mini golf. Where could it be?"
Abi: "Are you thinking of the Children's Museum?"
My son: "Yes, let's go there!"

As you can see, these clues are quite strategic. He's learned that the answer isn't always "yes" when he asks direct questions. Perhaps by being a bit vague I will be tricked into going along with his plan? Maybe. But actually I think he just enjoys asking questions that lead to a bit of a surprise at the end. It's sort of like hide and seek for conversations. Fun!

Sincerely,
Abi

Once Upon a Time...

2010-10-24T06:50:00.004-04:00

Dear Reader,

Reading books with my son is one of my favorite activities to do together. We often have a place in our afternoon when reading a few books sounds great to me and OK by him and certainly story time before bed is a must. But, if you read in between the lines - no pun intended - I will say it's difficult to capture an energetic three year old for long periods of book reading. Time spent on stories has been prompted much more by me than by him. Until now.

In the past few months, my son has become quite taken with sitting and reading books (thank goodness!) Library visits have become frequent, and we're both soaking in the fun of reading good books together. I've hoped this stage would come, and how great that we're here.

A "game" has also developed from our story reading - story telling. My son will usually start. He begins his story with "once upon a time" and either retells a tale that he remembers, or he even makes up one about us or about familiar characters often doing ordinary life activities. Then he points to one of his parents and says, "It's your turn." Our creativity is certainly stretching with each tale, and I'm relishing this new twist of imagination.

Sincerely,
Abi

The Sandbox

2010-10-09T19:57:00.004-04:00

Dear Reader,

My husband and I had a number of goals for our backyard this past summer. We aimed to refinish our deck, find new deck furniture (after selling our old set rather quickly and easily on Craigslist), set up a sandbox and find seat on our patio, buy/build a swingset, and add major landscaping to our flat grassland of a backyard.

The deck refinish turned into a very long path to completion. In the end, the deck was a hired out then diy project. Long story. After MANY shopping trips to check out deck furniture and patio seating, we made choices for both. The swingset didn't happen. Maybe next summer it will. And, thanks to a good landscaping firm, we have some lovely trees (minus the one dead one that needs to be replaced - another long story) and perennials in our backyard now - my favorite addition to the summer.

My son may disagree though. Our first purchase of the season was a sandbox. I can't begin to guess how many hours have been logged in the sandbox this summer. My son followed a progression of just appreciating digging in the sand, to making roads and waterways, and now to building volcanoes that erupt.

A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with my son about our time in the sand. I said to him, "I think we're really good at building volcanoes. Maybe we should call ourselves Team Awesome." Without a moment's hesitation, my three year old replies, "No mom, we're experts." Indeed. Becoming sand volcano experts would be a good summation of our summer.

Sincerely,
Abi

Of Rock Star Shirts and Big Bands

2010-09-30T09:56:00.005-04:00

Dear Reader,

This summer I tried to branch out on purchasing some new items of clothing. One of my finds was a sleeveless shirt with beading on it. I call it my rock star shirt. It's a great piece to layer with a jean jacket or khaki blazer and to feel young and sort of in style. It's a little bit outside my comfort zone with clothing, but I like it.

My son has developed quite opinionated views on clothes - his and others'. I made the mistake of asking him what he thought of my rock star shirt when I first wore it, and he instantly disliked it. Every time I wear, he says, "Mommy, I don't want you to be a rock star. I want you to be my mom." Fair enough. I'm thinking that this shirt will sit in my closet most of the time for now, and, to be honest, it's plenty gratifying being his mom.

My son's big wish for Christmas this year is a guitar. He says that he needs it to start his "big, big band." I'm a little afraid of where this is headed, given he's got dreams of a starting a band at three years old. It gets better though. My little boy has invited my husband and I to be band members. (Ha! If you know my husband and me, I think we are perhaps the least likely candidates of being band people. Ever.) Here's the plan (according to the group's leader): he will play drums and the guitar, his dad will play trumpet (from his brief experience in middle school), and his mom is to play her flute,which will add a nice touch to the group. Quite the big, big band. Tour to follow someday (and maybe I'll even wear the rock star shirt then!)

Sincerely,
Abi

Riding a Bike

2010-09-18T20:57:00.006-04:00

Dear Reader,

My husband's "all-star" status seemed to creep from spring to summer and now a bit into fall this year (even resorting to taking his "weekend" on Wednesday.) We continue to be very grateful for his steady employment, but I will say that I miss the opportunity of spending more time together. I have these ideas in my head of certain milestones that my husband can't miss in my son's childhood experience. Riding a bike is toward the top of the list.

This past Wednesday, we took my son to the store and together the three of us picked out a two wheeler bike (with training wheels, of course.) He tried two different sizes of bikes, and the choice of size became clear quickly as my little guy took them each for a test drive. My son had no idea that this was the plan for the day, and so I think he was quite speechless when we announced that we would buy the bike and bring it home with us.

We spent the rest of our morning outside with my son quickly learning how to ride. He loves the brakes - and I'm sure our neighbors love all of the tire marks from his making abrupt stops in "testing" them out! My husband and I took turns walking along side our boy as he became more confident with his new mode of transportation, but riding seemed to come quite naturally.

My husband and I had both pictured a lot of holding on to the back of the bike and walking/running along to teach our three year old how to ride. Not so. We continue to be amazed by our little boy and how his development progresses. Dear husband, thank you for being there for this step, and know that I'm counting on you to take off the training wheels in a year or two when our boy is ready. (And I promise to take turns running behind him.)

Sincerely,
Abi

After Dinner Routine

2010-09-11T19:41:00.002-04:00

Dear Reader,

I prefer to clean up from dinner as soon as it is over. I make exception to this routine when guests are around, but really I can't wait to get the kitchen under control as soon after preparing a meal as possible. I like my countertops to be empty and the smell of Clorox-wiped counters to take over.

I've had a bit more difficulty accomplishing this goal in the past months as many nights it's just me and my son at dinner time. My husband has been trying to keep a consistent schedule to get in on some evening time with me and our boy, but dinners usually don't happen together. The challenge in the kitchen clean-up is a sweet little boy asking for me to be his after dinner playmate (and he includes the phrase "but I'll be lonely if I play all by myself.") Oh my.

The best solution I've found is involvement. We'll make a plan of fun activities to do after the kitchen is in order, and then we both work on the cleaning. Occasionally, my three year old actually helps rinse the dishes, and then I load the dishwasher. He's amazingly thorough, and every time he volunteers to do this, I couldn't be more pleased. And in the last weeks we've worked out the routine that he wipes the kitchen table down along with his seat at the table (which usually take on its fair share of crumbs and the like.)

I often use a dust buster after dinner to clean up around my son's place at the table, and he has taken to completing this task now as well. Last night while rinsing the dishes I noticed my son had placed the dust buster on the table, and he stood very still just watching the vacuum effect (and, I would imagine, trying to figure out how it worked.)

Sometimes the most ordinary of life experiences brings on some fun moments of discovery and good opportunity for spending time together.

Sincerely,
Abi

Tuesday after Labor Day

2010-09-07T14:39:00.002-04:00

Dear Reader,

My dad always says that the two hardest days of work for people seem to be the day after New Year's (because the holidays are over) and the day after Labor Day (because summer is behind us.) I think this may be a very true observation. Even so, I consider the day after Labor Day as a day full of amazing college memories for me.

The college I attended always begins the fall semester on the Tuesday after Labor Day. There would be opening convocation, a special shortened class time, and at least one picnic (maybe even for lunch and dinner that day.) And to top it off, that day marked a start of opportunities to connect with people - plenty of new people to meet and wonderfully familiar faces that were missed throughout the summer.

During this first week after Labor Day as a first year student, I met a guy in math class when we had to pair up for a computer lab activity. The pairing stuck as he is my husband now. And as a sophomore, this day after Labor Day started my time with my favorite college roommate who also became one of my dearest friends. My junior year at this time began my stretch of acting as a resident assistant alongside some really wonderful people including an amazing friend with whom we have shared the privilege of being maid of honor for each other. My senior year at this time began the final semester of my college experience and a really great term of wrapping up school (and living a lovely cottage on a lake - a story very deserving of its own post.)

This week is full of college time memories. It's also an anniversary, an anniversary of the start of so many relationships that have stuck over time. To those who are included in that experience, know how grateful I am that our paths crossed then and how much I value you in my life now.

Sincerely,
Abi

Hearing The Sound of Music

2010-08-31T19:11:00.002-04:00

Dear Reader,

I have these moments of empowerment where I love to tackle a closet, bookshelf, etc. and eliminate any possessions that someone else would enjoy and that I'm not using. My mother, who is very neat and organized in keeping her home, loves this quality about me.

On the first afternoon that my son and I spent in Chicago last week, I spent a bit of time hanging out in the basement with my little boy. My parents have a very nicely finished basement with one room reserved for storage. I had the urge to purge, so I suggested to my mom that we look through her storage area, and, naturally, she was on board with the plan. Six large bags later, we had made a dent in eliminating some items from the room.

We also came across a few items that will never be donated: a figurine that my dad purchased for my mom early in their life together, a woven piece of artwork made by my aunt, and a music box which belonged to my mom's parents. This wooden music box sat on a table in my grandparents living room, and I can remember it from the time I was very little and visited them in Frankenmuth, MI through to their time in southern Arizona.

When my mom and I showed the box to my dear son, he immediately fell in love with it. My mom instructed me to bring it home with us, and now the box has found its home in our living room. It feels like quite a treasure to include in our place. And since the box was Made in Switzerland, the song "Edelweiss" plays each time my son opens it. We hear The Sound of Music. Literally.

Sincerely,
Abi

Mazes Revisited

2010-08-30T14:15:00.004-04:00

Dear Reader,

As I have posted before, the favorite television program for my son probably continues to be Curious George. One of his favorite episodes takes place in the country where the Man with the Yellow Hat and George together compete in a corn maze race. With my previous post about mazes, you can imagine how much my little boy loves to watch a maze race (especially, if I also note that my son does not walk anywhere, it's usually a brisk jog or a full-out run.)

Last week we spent time with my parents in Chicago and visited the Morton Arboretum. The Arboretum has an outdoor area of hedges that they have trimmed and pruned to create a maze. My son was beside himself with excitement, and, though I strongly encouraged him to slow down, he ran through the entire maze. Three times. I, trying to be the protector of any poor children slowly moseying through the hedges, followed closely behind. No need for a workout that evening.

Some days I feel quite challenged to keep up with the energy that my son exudes, and, yet, I am thrilled to see the wonder and zest for life that he so easily demonstrates with each new day.

Sincerely,
Abi

Mazes

2010-08-26T08:30:00.000-04:00

Dear Reader,

I am a sucker for the dollar bins at Target. I didn't used to check them out. In the last year or so though I've found that if I can find something fun for my son there (these bins are, of course, located at the very front of the store!), a big Target run becomes much more leisurely. We don't pick out something every time, but often we at least look.

Not too long ago the back to school items made their appearance (plenty of folders, flashcards, and activity books.) I came across a book of mazes. About six months ago we purchased a maze book which we worked through with my son from time to time. He liked the book, so I thought that I'd go for it and purchase this $1 find.

We happened to be having my brother-in-law and his family for dinner that evening. My son (with the help of my patient brother-in-law) poured through the whole book in one evening. He loved doing the mazes, and I think he's quite good at visualizing a route before putting pencil to paper. Hmm, maybe we have a future engineer on our hands. Imagine that.

Sincerely,
Abi

Plans

2010-08-19T15:33:00.003-04:00

Dear Reader,

I love plans and routines. I always have. My mother recounts that as a child I would handle situations much better if I knew the plan ahead of time. Apparently, I seem to have passed along this trait to my little boy.

For the last year or more, I generally give a time allotment to everyday events. Five minutes until we brush our teeth. Two minutes until it's time to come to the table for dinner. One more minute and then it's time for stories and bedtime. I'm amazed at how effective this placement of time works out - far less frustration and concern for both of us. Isn't it interesting that assigning an often arbitrary amount of time is more settling than just moving into the next event of the day?

There is now a new twist. In the last month or so, my son has now started sharing a three or four step plan for our events in a morning, afternoon, or evening. He begins by saying, "Here's my plan..." Where did he get that from?! (Now I catch myself saying this and realizing how much he is listening.) He does a nice job including within the plan my ideas as well as his own, and usually the order of activities makes sense. When one of his plans is in effect, we don't even need the time frames for each activity either.

I've noticed a number of the preschool television programs include the subject of sequencing. Maybe these shows have influenced this recent planning habit in my boy. And perhaps some osmosis is also at work.

Sincerely,
Abi

Vignettes

2010-08-11T08:49:00.003-04:00

Dear Reader,

I am a chronic book starter. I currently have five books sitting on my nightstand, all of which I've read the first chapter or two and then failed to continue with reading for one reason or another. I have the best of intentions in reading the rest of each book, and then I get excited about reading another one. And the cycle continues.

I can hardly believe that back to school time is upon us once again. This season in time is full of nostalgia for me. I look back on the experiences and the friendship, but I also remember fondly the courses completed over the years (probably more so now - in hindsight - than at the time, and, I know, nerd alert!) I think that I did best in math and history classes, but literary works read over the years have stuck with me.

I recall reading Sandra Cisneros' The House on Mango Street in early middle school. Her book was so compelling to me at the time maybe because it is a coming of age book about a young woman. Even more though, I think I fell in love with her writing style and the use of vignettes to weave together the story. I really enjoy reading vignettes and the carefully selected details included in them. Because vignettes are so brief, I am so often drawn to just read one more.

I've recently started a sixth book for the nightstand (yes, a book of vignettes) and read the first 70 pages in a sitting. As you would guess, this book will be quickly completed and thoroughly enjoyed along the way. And the other books will hopefully be read sometime soon as maybe this book provides the momentum needed to keep on reading. Or maybe I will finish this book and just continue reading blogs, which are these lovely vignettes about the lives of those dear to me.

Sincerely,
Abi

Morning Theatre

2010-08-05T07:37:00.005-04:00

Dear Reader,

My husband and I love Sunday mornings. We are usually able to sleep a little longer on Sundays as we allow our son to stay up a little later on Saturday night, and the church service we attend starts mid-morning.

A week ago Sunday, my husband and I woke up to our little boy giggling from behind the white linen curtains that hang in our bedroom. Our son then came out from behind the curtains singing his favorite television show theme song (The Wonder Pets) with dance moves, went back behind the curtain for a moment, and then proceeded to take his curtain call bow. What entertainment to begin a Sunday morning!

These curtains have been used in many a game of hide-and-seek and now have become an excellent setting for theatre as well. Being linen, they are in need of a good ironing now and then but have miraculously managed to stay white with many moments of play over the past year.

A three-year-old imagination is a wonder to behold.

Sincerely,
Abi

Graduation Nameplates

2010-07-27T13:47:00.001-04:00

Dear Reader,

Does it bother you when quantities don't match up? The classic example of the 10 hot dogs and 8 hot dog buns comes to mind. Another example: high school graduation announcements. You place an order for 50, maybe 100, announcements, and then order these little nameplate cards to include with the announcement, which come in a box of 500.

So, for over a decade approximately 400 nameplates have sat in a box with all of my high school memorabilia. Not too long ago, my son came across this little box, and, with a bit of help from his grandparents, devised a fun activity with them. He hides in a closet and sends "letters" under the door. The recipient reads the letter and either replies or waits for the next correspondence to arrive. In the past few weeks, my son has even begun reading the letters to us through the closet doors so that we are clear on what his note communicates.

I love this activity. It's creative. And, finally, a purpose for those little nameplates with my maiden name. Fun.

Sincerely,
Abi

Turning Three

2010-07-26T07:08:00.003-04:00

Dear Reader,

I had the pleasure of celebrating my son's birthday a few weeks ago. He's three now. In the weeks approaching his birthday I would catch myself still saying that he was two and a half when someone would ask his age. I think my hesitation in saying three is due to the reality check that he's less of a toddler and more of a young boy now. Meanwhile, during the week of his birthday, my son only once shared that he was turning three. "How old are you now?" people would ask. His response: "I'm ten." Slow down, buddy! (Clearly, I'm not ready for ten.)

We celebrated with birthday parties including both sides of the family. His actual birthday though was spent with his mom and in the evening his dad too. Here's the rundown of the day:

Sleeping in

Eating a pancake breakfast

Walking around our favorite garden and sculpture park

Savoring lunch (which included his favorite blueberry muffin)

Enjoying a trip to the bookstore to pick out a few new favorites

Stopping at Target to purchase a toy snake the birthday boy had been eyeing for months

Running through the sprinkler late in the afternoon

Eating dinner and birthday cake with candles

Opening a few presents

Watching a Curious George birthday episode and falling asleep on the couch

A great day by all accounts. I can only imagine what stories we will share in the year ahead. Each day is an adventure, and the last three years have been the best in my life so far.

Sincerely,
Abi

Why?

2010-07-06T18:44:00.003-04:00

Dear Reader,

Our family just returned from a long weekend away in celebrating the 4th of July. My husband, son, and I spent last evening with my in-laws who hadn't seen their dear grandson in a week and who could not get over the number of times the question "why?" is now inserted into conversation.

My son is very curious about how things work. Why does a hummingbird drink water from a feeder [and not birdseed]? Why do babies cry? Why is it OK that David threw stones at Goliath? These are not easy questions to answer. While I'm not afraid to respond by saying that I don't know, my little boy find little satisfaction with that answer.

I feel that my previous work in HR somewhat prepared me for the ongoing questions, especially in trying to find tactful answers. And yet, I'm often caught off guard by the level of perceptiveness and persistence that this boy of mine possesses. I imagine that these questions will continue for a while, and I hope I have the stamina to keep up.

Sincerely,
Abi

And they're back...

2010-07-05T20:59:00.000-04:00

Dear Reader,

Yes, the dedication continues. Our robin has returned to her nest and hatched four healthy baby birds. This robin is one busy mother, making frequent outings in order to keep up with the four new mouths to feed. The babies are tightly snuggled into the nest, and they stay in their places with some regularity (perhaps due to the lack of extra space?) I would suspect that they will be gone in a matter of days as the little birds seem about ready to try out their wings.

Their nest in is close proximity to our sandbox, and my son has been amazingly patient and respectful. We have often needed to cut our time in the sand short if we notice the mother itching to return to her young.

Our mourning dove has also come back on the scene. She has another egg in her nest and is now awaiting that baby bird's arrival.

And so ends my latest report on birdwatching from our backyard.

Sincerely,
Abi

29

2010-06-21T07:31:00.000-04:00

Dear Reader,

Since last I wrote (a month ago today - sorry!), I've turned an age which I plan to maintain for a while - 29. I like odd years in my life, and so I'm looking forward to seeing what the year has in store.

My son helped plan my birthday celebration this year. He picked out two candles at the party store - a "25" and a "50." With some encouragement from my mom, he returned the "50." Thanks, Mom. (I could stay "25" for a while as well.)

For lunch on my birthday, we enjoyed some Asian cuisine. I loved it. Great food. My favorite people. And my son even tried eating with chopsticks for the first time - what determination this boy possesses! Here is what my fortune cookie revealed about the year ahead:

Sounds good to me.

Sincerely,
Abi

Nests

2010-05-21T09:38:00.002-04:00

Dear Reader,

We have had the privilege of watching two nests in our backyard this spring.

A robin made her annual nest (at least two years and counting) on one of the boards below our deck. My son and I have cautiously watched three beautifully blue eggs appear in the nest and then three incredibly sweet baby robins hatch. One afternoon when my son played in his new sandbox on our patio, I observed the mama robin close at hand but unwilling to sit on her nest with us so close. Finally, my son and I packed it up and went in for a bit as the robin literally waited with a worm in her mouth (to feed the babies) for more than a half hour. Dedication.

We've also watched the development of a nest by the outdoor vent for our fireplace. A mourning dove established this place, and literally took turns sitting there (with the male mourning dove, I'd assume) for a full month. We had no idea when the one baby mourning dove hatched, as the mourning dove parent continued to sit on the nest. Dedication. Finally last week we caught a brief time when the parents were away from the nest and saw the young mourning dove (not so little already by this time.) I captured a few pictures and am thrilled I seized the opportunity as the mourning doves were gone the following day. I am amazed by the extent to which the doves protected their young baby until he/she was ready to fly away.

I have really enjoyed observing the level of dedication that these birds give to their young, a great reminder of how natural it is to provide, protect, and care for young ones.

Sincerely,
Abi

Frog and Toad

2010-05-03T22:05:00.001-04:00

Dear Reader,

Today is one of my favorite days in the year. The day where we put down new mulch around the yard. From one of my dear friend's posting about this same topic, I'm not alone in loving this freshening of landscaping. Honestly, I think it sometimes makes more of an impact on the look of a yard than adding many annuals. My opinion.

This year the "we" of putting down mulch was more of a completed by "me" thing. I wondered how I was going to keep my dear boy occupied in the midst of the project. (While he loves being outside, group participation in his play is usually requested.) Within the first ten minutes of my efforts, I found a toad hopping through the landscaping. Fantastic. My son gently played with the toad during the bulk of the morning - taking it for rides in his car, setting it next to him while doing sidewalk chalk, and just petting it.

After a good handwashing and lunch, we went back outside to continue with the yard work. Again, within the first ten minutes we happened upon a frog. My son then did a repeat of morning activities with his new friend, the frog.

We put both toad and frog back where we found them (hopefully no worse for the wear), and I think both my son and I had a wonderful day outside.

Sincerely,
Abi

P.S. The landscaping seems so much more tidy and crisp. Mulch never disappoints.

A year ago today...

2010-05-01T18:39:00.002-04:00

Dear Reader,

...we closed on our new house. It's not so new to us anymore, but some of our initial impressions remain. The moment we walked in the door, this house felt warm, comfortable, and retreat-like. This house still carries that feel for me. We loved (and still enjoy) having a great room living area, a kitchen with plenty of cabinet-space, a big garage, a finished basement, and generally a home that has enough space without being too big.

I think my husband and I struggled with leaving the house we had invested so much time and effort into fixing up. We still miss aspects of the old house - the character, the marks we made on the place, and the memories too. We often look back though and wonder about how we found time to do all of those house projects.

We have already had some wonderful moments in this new house - time spent with our families, friends that have shared a meal with us (or even news of their engagement!), safari adventures with our son, evening wagon rides, and so many moments spent out in the yard. We've met great neighbors who have become friends for us and for our son.

One major debate remains: do we live in the suburbs or the country. My husband's view: we live in a neighborhood, and therefore we are in the suburbs. True. My view: we have three fresh egg stands and a full farm with many cows two minutes from our home and smell "country air" regularly, and so we have moved to the county. True. We'll see if we come to a conclusion on this question over the next year.

Sincerely,
Abi

Baking

2010-04-20T15:43:00.007-04:00

Dear Reader,

I have decided that some people are not meant to bake. And I suspect that I am one of those people. I really like to cook. I sometimes follow recipes, but I really enjoy experimenting with ingredients and adding my own spices or changing the proportions a bit to see how things turn out. My husband is a trooper because I don't think my meatloaf ever tastes exactly the same. Anyway, I'm a fan of cooking, but baking requires a precision that I must not possess.

Exhibit A:

What are these you ask? Well, my son and I prepared batter to make oatmeal raisin cookies, but they turned out more like pancakes or round, flat granola bars. I'm not quite sure what I did wrong.

And a few weeks back I made a banana bread using a church cookbook recipe. This particular church cookbook was prepared by my home church from my childhood and includes recipes from my mom and many of our close family friends. I consider this cookbook to be the "no fail" recipes for anything from a roast beef dinner to making a roman apple cake. I was actually rather miffed at Katie G. and her recipe for banana bread which was a burned up disaster when it came out of my oven. I blamed Katie.

However, with two failed attempts in a matter of a couple of weeks, I may need to come to grips with the reality that baking is not one of my gifts. Boxed mixes and bakeries will maybe become my new way to "bake." That's OK by me.

Sincerely,
Abi

Checking in (finally)

2010-04-14T07:32:00.006-04:00

Dear Reader,

Well, it's been over a month since I've blogged, and I miss these posts to you. Spring has sprung, and with the changing of the season and the warmer temperatures (which are entirely welcome), my time is spent outside. A lot. My son cannot get his fill of riding his bike, driving his Cozy Coupe, and swinging his bat for some t-ball practice. (He even explains to me, "Mom, I'm a good baseball player." It appears that self confidence is not an issue for our son.)

I still have stories to share. They will come soon in future posts. Here's the basic rundown though of our life right now:

1. My husband is an all-star once again. Never a dull moment for his engineering endeavors during springtime. Seriously. I am thankful that he rather likes the work into which he pours so much time and effort.

2. Our family enjoyed the celebration of Easter and my father-in-law's 60th birthday within the same week. We've also appreciated some very enjoyable moments with my parents.

3. My son and I have taken in many a playdate lately, getting around town quite a bit. Bugs. Butterflies. Oceans and fish. The variety is good for both of us.

And did I mention that we play outside? Life is going nicely. My husband has started referring to our son's age as "almost three" instead of two and a half. Time is on the move.

Sincerely,
Abi

Getaway Day 6: Refreshed

2010-03-07T18:22:00.000-05:00

Dear Reader,

We're home again. So many elements of this past week made the time away quite refreshing. Here are a few more highlights, mostly from this weekend:

~ spending a bit of time with good friends who also visited Chicago this weekend

~ catching up with my parents and enjoying a full Saturday with them

~ eating a Gino's East pizza

~ finding an Easter outfit for my son at one of my favorite children's clothing stores

~ experiencing the children's museum near my hometown with my son

~ talking with my husband on the ride home (while our boy slept)

And now I'm ready to resume my everyday life.

Sincerely,
Abi

Getaway Day 5: First Spring Walk

2010-03-06T21:14:00.000-05:00

Dear Reader,

As if it weren't enough to enjoy a lovely time with family and friends in my hometown, the weather over this short week has been delightful - sunny and warmer. What an incredible gift to have this type of weather in early March! (Dare I say, spring may have sprung?!!)

This afternoon my parents, my husband, my son, and I went on a walk around my parents' neighborhood. There is a small pond near their home, and so we walked over to see the geese. We also happened upon two mallard ducks - a male and female, which my son watched with much interest. My son pointed out that the baby duck was missing; we suggested that maybe they had a secret nest. And then he went on to collecting sticks for his dad to carry for the rest of the walk. Our moments outside seemed to last a while as my son lingered over the joy of time spent outside - just as life should be, I thought.

We were still bundled in winter coats, but the sunshine felt glorious. The snow has been melting, hopefully not to really return until next winter. This walk was, quite literally, a breath of fresh air.

Sincerely,
Abi

Getaway Day 4: A Perfect Salad

2010-03-05T18:13:00.000-05:00

Dear Reader,

A definite highlight of trips to my hometown is the food. There are so many good restaurants that it is always a challenge to make a meal plan for the time, trying to eat as many of the delicious options as possible.

Ironically, one of my favorites is a strawberry salad from Nordstrom. The salad includes spinach, grilled chicken, fresh strawberries, goat cheese, candied walnuts, and a tart cherry vinaigrette. Yum. Really yum.

While I would love to say that I have eaten primarily salads and other healthier items, I haven't. Last night I had my favorite sandwich from Portillos - their famous Italian beef. Wow - it's entirely amazing. And I have had a hot fudge sundae from Oberweis. Best ice cream ever. Period.

So, next week is back to reality and making sure that my pants fit fine again.

Sincerely,
Abi

Getaway Day 3: A Nest

2010-03-04T20:04:00.000-05:00

Dear Reader,

So many of my posts these days center around pretend as my son spends so much time focused on the imaginary. Most days he asks me to make a "nest" out of bath towels, and then he sits (sometimes for long periods of time) in the nest as he takes on the role of a bird.

When we met up with my aunt this morning, I should have suspected how much fun he would have. My aunt and uncle moved to a condo this past year, a condo on the 4th floor of a building overlooking a tree-lined street. They have occasionally even called this home their "treehouse." My aunt quickly pointed out a nest in a tree close to their balcony. My son was intrigued. And my aunt even had photos of the nest to give a better view.

My son relished his time with my mom's sister, and I knew it was going to be a bit hard to end our visit. However, my aunt came through big time. From her spring/Easter decorations, she found a bird's nest and filled it with coins and candy for my son to take home with him. I think this will be the favorite treasure from our time away, and a wonderful reminder of our great morning with my dear aunt.

Sincerely,
Abi

Getaway Day 2: Back Hallway Bowling

2010-03-03T20:16:00.002-05:00

Dear Reader,

My mom does an amazing job of finding fun activities for her grandson. Today was no exception. After a morning of shopping with the ladies, my son was more than ready for something more interesting. He received the surprise of a new bowling set - foam pins and a nerf-like bowling ball.

After a brief tutorial on holding a bowling ball and setting up the pins, my son was ready for his first frame ever. My parent's home has the perfect back hallway for this activity - a long, narrow hall with hardwood floors.

My little boy did a great job with rolling the bowling ball. He made certain that we all received a turn. And, to my surprise, kept noting how many pins remained after the first ball of the frame was rolled. He will continue to need some coaching on staying behind the line as he would occasionally just jump into the pins in place of a second roll in the frame.

Thanks for giving us this set, Mom - what a great option for our spare time (pun inserted just for you, Dad!)

Sincerely,
Abi

Getaway Day 1: Cat in the Piano

2010-03-02T16:53:00.000-05:00

Dear Reader,

We have safely arrived in my hometown. My parents moved to their current residence during my first year of college. Their place does not carry the full memories of my growing up, but some of the furnishings, many of the decorative touches, and the photos on the walls make it feel like home for sure. Since we had not been there since October, my son felt like an explorer, examining every inch of the place.

By far his favorite find (as with previous times in this home) is my parents' piano. The piano came into our home shortly after my grandfather passed away in the late 80's. My dad's father liked to dabble in many things (example: three master's degrees), and he took up piano and woodworking in retirement. My parents and I have all attempted piano lessons, but none of us would consider ourselves the least bit proficient. Enter my two year old son who will likely put more miles on this piano over the next days than the piano will be played the whole rest of the year.

My son spent the first part of our afternoon exploring the keys, finding the high notes and low notes, and trying to use a finger on each hand to make music. Then the world of pretend collided with music time. My son pretended to pull a kitten out of the inside of the piano. He placed the kitten on a real pillow and told me that we needed to play quietly so as not to wake the "kitten." Brilliant! I wish I had come up with this, but he worked out this plan himself.

Quiet piano music from my dear toddler. Amazing! We'll see if it lasts.

Sincerely,
Abi

Change of Scenery

2010-03-01T17:23:00.003-05:00

Dear Reader,

February felt like an eternity. My son took a new music class. I tried to find some great end of winter sales. I took opportunities to get out and shovel rather than use the snowblower. I spent more time on crafts (dabbling in a few, which is no surprise.) And yet this short month seemed so long.

I made a rather easy decision to get out of Dodge for a few days. My son and I are going to visit my parents in my hometown. While it's not any warmer or sunnier there, perhaps the change of scenery is exactly what I need. I think that I struggle from seasonal affect a bit. But I suspect that many folks who live in the Midwest feel the exact same way by this time of the year.

I love winter in December. I tolerate it in January. And then it needs to be over. Enough said. Full report on our travels to follow.

Sincerely,
Abi

Adventures with scissors

2010-02-21T20:33:00.004-05:00

Dear Reader,

Let me start by admitting that I am a safety mom. I worry about my son getting hurt and try to anticipate hazards as much as possible. I use the phrase "be careful" way more than my fair share. (Yet I really try to give enough freedom for my wonderful two year old to explore and experience some fun adventures along the way.)

My husband and I heard some consistent messages at the preschool open houses we attended (yes, preschool may be on the horizon for next fall, and yes, I'm wondering where the time has gone.) One of the messages has been the importance of learning to use scissors. My first reaction: yikes. I've spent the last two years trying to keep scissors as far away from my little boy as possible. Now, he's going to pick them up the first week of school.

This weekend at a community event, my son had his first opportunity to use scissors. He loved cutting up streamers into little strips, and this activity was probably the highlight of the morning. Needless to say, during the rest of the weekend we brought out the kid scissors and began learning how to hold them and use them. My son is doing a great job managing this new fine motor skill, and I'm trying to embrace this new step (and the many craft possibilities which result.)

Sincerely,
Abi

Going on Safari

2010-02-18T20:27:00.003-05:00

Dear Reader,

My son spends more and more time in the world of pretend. Yesterday afternoon I asked him to slow down as he zoomed by me in the living room. He replied by saying, "I can't slow down. I'm saving the day." Much of his time is spent being a superhero, often with a cape attached to his back.

His other favorite way to pretend these days is by going on safari. My son goes from room to room with his kid-friendly binoculars, his camera, and his guide (also know as his mom.) Together we determine what animals are in view for the day: eagles, lions, giraffes, bears, meerkats, hippos, flamingos, and ants. Interestingly, according to my son the lions are friendly enough to pet while the ants are scary and must be avoided ("we need to walk around the ants, Mommy.") Meerkats like to read books on our laps, and the giraffes always need one more leaf to eat. One of my favorite moments on the safari expedition occurs when my son begins telling me "be careful" and "don't get too close," an unexpected role reversal for a two and a half year old and his mother.

I find these pretend experiences refreshing. Watching my son's imagination and creativity develop is delightful, and how fun to spend time in this world of endless possibilities.

Sincerely,
Abi

Belated birthday thoughts

2010-02-15T11:10:00.008-05:00

Dear Reader,

The beautiful wedding that we attended a few weeks ago happened to coincide with my husband's birthday. The couple was kind enough to have all of their guests sing "Happy Birthday" to my husband and the others celebrating birthdays that weekend. Although the day has come and gone, I want to take a minute to reflect on a few things that stood out about my husband this year.

He is brave. His health situation over this past year was a bit frightening, and my husband experienced some very painful moments in the process. Even while working through his health concerns, he has managed to remain positive, hopeful, and even thankful.

He is incredibly patient. We have a two year old. Enough said? He brings such a fun, playful side out in our son and remains so calm with him, even when times of frustration arise. A wonderful example is his work on haircuts for our little boy! Thank you, husband, for partnering in parenting with such energy and commitment.

He is amazingly stable. We sold our house. We bought a new one. We moved. My husband's job has continued to be busy. And yet, I have counted on his support and his even perspective in all of these circumstances and in the everyday ups and downs.

I appreciate you, dear husband. Attending a wedding on your birthday encouraged me to remember our wedding day with a grateful heart for choosing each other and for living each day together. Belated Happy Birthday, and may we share many fun times in the year ahead as we enjoy the conclusion of our twenties.

Sincerely,
Abi

A day full of promise

2010-01-30T08:03:00.003-05:00

Dear Reader,

Today I have the pleasure of being matron of honor in the wedding of my friends Kara and Jeff. I met the bride at the end of my sophomore year of college during the resident assistant application process, and she is the person who stood out as someone I'd like to know better. We ended up in the same dorm as RAs and became friends. And the friendship has continued to grow over the last eight years. Most often we meet up for coffee and have a long conversation about life, relationships, joys, and frustrations. I met the groom on February 6, 2009, and over dinner with the couple my husband and I realized this would probably be a couple we would know for many years to come.

I could not be more excited for the upcoming events of the day as we witness the promises that this couple is making to each other. In his book As for Me & My House, Walter Wangerin, Jr. speaks of the significance of vows in saying,

Here is a marvelous work, performed by those who are made in the image of God - for we create, in this promise, a new thing, a changeless stability in an ever-changing world. We do the thing that God does, establishing a covenant with another human being: we ask faith in our faithfulness to that covenant. We transfigure the relationship thereafter, transfigure ourselves, for we shape our behaviors by the covenant...We have called forth a spiritual house in which each of us may dwell securely. Whether we know it or not, it is a divine thing we do, and it is holy.

Kara and Jeff, may your marriage be overflowing with joy as you "dwell securely" in your promises to one another and, even more, in the grace of our Lord.

Sincerely,
Abi

Many celebrations

2010-01-12T15:37:00.008-05:00

Dear Reader,

Happy New Year! I decided to break for blogging from Christmas to New Year's, and then, well, I started preparations for another celebration.

You received the play-by-play of the before Christmas activities. The actual holiday was delightful. My husband, son, and I spent Christmas Eve with my parents, enjoying a leisurely brunch at their home (including some gift opening for our enthusiastic two year old gift opener) and then traveling to our place for gift opening and a pork tenderloin supper. We concluded the evening by watching The Messiah on our local PBS station, sung by the choir of my husband's and my alma mater. We spent Christmas Day with my husband's family with a wonderfully prepared noon dinner, opening of stocking stuffers and gifts, and finally more eating!

Our families have a tradition of getting together with each other over the holidays, so we had a fabulous dinner at my parents' house on the 26th. Unfortunately, someone carried the flu to the party, and everyone - with the exception of my husband, son, nephew, and me - came down with it. Six adults with the flu in the week between Christmas and New Year's is just wrong, and we felt so helpless to be helpful without getting infected ourselves!

My husband, son, and I had our typical quiet New Year's (in bed by 10 p.m.) and on New Year's Day my husband got to work on making pizzas. He had planned to make homemade pizzas on Thanksgiving in the evening, but his hospitalization did in that plan. My husband has an incredible gift for perfecting the cooking he attempts. The pizza crusts turned out great, and I hope that the New Year's pizza party becomes a tradition.

Since the start of the New Year my focus turned to a party for the bride in whose wedding I will be matron of honor at the end of the month. I held the get together at our home a week ago today, and I would consider the event a great success. As a drinks and dessert party, my favorite treat was a chocolate ganache cake made by one of the bride's friends - yum! (Yes, many of the highlights of the recent celebrations have been food-related!)

And so this week has been a return to the celebration of everyday life. It is these moments of delight that I hope to write about in the year ahead. With our two year old, I have no doubt that the opportunities for joy will continue to be plentiful.

Sincerely,
Abi

December 23: A Full Bulletin Board

2009-12-23T22:25:00.004-05:00

Dear Reader,

I decided to use our nice bulletin board this year for Christmas cards and photos. Well, the board is more than full by now. It's a wonderful experience to have more greetings than space to display them, and so many amazing people who share in this celebration of the Savior's birth.

I set out at the beginning of this month to share about our Christmas festivities, and this has been a time rich with preparation and anticipation of Christmas for our family. I have so enjoyed watching our son's introduction to some Christmas activities, which may even become traditions over time. And I love that we have taken some moments each day to talk about Jesus and about His coming as a baby in a manger.

Since this will likely be my final post before Christmas, I would like to conclude tonight with the final verse of "O Little Town of Bethlehem" (which my dad often uses as a Christmas prayer):

O Holy Child of Bethlehem!
Descend to us we pray!
Cast out our sin and enter in,
Be born in us today.
We hear the Christmas angels
The great glad tidings tell;
O, come to us, abide with us,
Our Lord Emmanuel!

Merry Christmas!

Sincerely,
Abi

December 22: The Final Trimmings

2009-12-22T20:12:00.001-05:00

Dear Reader,

Today has been a day of running errands and making the final preparations for our Christmas holiday. My son and I spent the better part of the morning in the grocery store stocking up for Christmas dinner and for the week between Christmas and New Year's (as I would love for this next week to be a bit of a break from the normal routines - including grocery shopping!)

This afternoon we did the last of our baking and tried out a recipe for toffee (a recipe that honestly took 15 minutes to complete - amazing!) I had thought by now that my son would be rather done with wanting to help out with baking, but his help continues to be offered. Between the rather long morning of errands and baking this afternoon, I am struck by the patience my son is developing. He really has been a trooper today.

I have thought often of the opening lines from the poem "The Night Before Christmas." Yes, Christmas is almost here, and, I think, we're about ready.

Sincerely,
Abi

December 21: Christmas Pizza Slices

2009-12-21T21:38:00.000-05:00

Dear Reader,

My husband and I are trying to make the start of this week very calm as we are so aware that extreme excitement will likely follow on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. So tonight we made another little craft project with our little boy.

This time we cut paper plates into six pieces (like pizza slices), and my son glued the slices onto a piece of red construction paper. He continued to layer the pieces until the slices formed a Christmas tree shape. The directions for this craft then suggest decorating the tree, but my son wanted to just keep on with the gluing. We made enough trees for both grandmas, his aunt, and one for me to keep. A very easy activity to do together, but we had a lot of fun creating the trees as a family.

To continue with the pizza theme, my son asked to play with his new pizza set - an early Christmas present from my parents. We love watching him decide on the toppings and serve up the slices. Pizza is his dad's all time favorite food, and my son certainly follows in his father's footsteps on this one! (We're hoping to do homemade pizzas some night between Christmas and New Year's. My husband is working on perfecting a thin crust.)

We topped off our evening by sharing a few slices of a smores dessert pizza. What a yummy treat - the first of many this week, I would suspect!

Sincerely,
Abi

December 20: Christmas Shopping

2009-12-20T20:13:00.001-05:00

Dear Reader,

I have been almost done with Christmas shopping for a little while now. The "almost" part of that sentence is because I needed a little something more for my mom. She's an all round wonderful mother and lends a hand in my life more than I would have ever anticipated. However, she is not an easy lady for which to find a perfect gift (and she would say the same about me.)

This afternoon we took some time to go Christmas shopping - for each other - with each other. I loved it. We were honest and efficient, and we both found a nice item of clothing which we wouldn't have allowed ourselves to purchase but would easily purchase for the other. (And everything we bought was on sale.) Yes, I think we may have stumbled upon a new way to handle Christmas shopping as mother and daughter.

We all approved of this afternoon. I spent time with my dear mom, and my husband and son were spared from a trip to the mall. Everyone wins.

Sincerely,
Abi

December 19: Appreciating our family

2009-12-19T21:16:00.000-05:00

Dear Reader,

Yesterday I posted about friendship, and this morning I had the joy of sharing time with my dear friend at her lovely condo. I felt quite refreshed after our morning together.

We received an unexpected phone call at around noon from my father-in-law. My mother-in-law was returning from a trip to their church, and on their icy country road she lost control of her car which rolled over into a ditch. My mother-in-law was able to contact my father-in-law and emergency response. She came out of this accident with no injuries besides feeling quite sore. Thanks be to God for His protection of her.

We spent this evening all together as a family at my in-laws. We brought some pizza over and sat around talking and just sitting together. Each of us was very much the same as usual and yet also fully aware of the gift of my mother-in-law's presence, unharmed by the events of the day. My husband and I have been reminded yet again this holiday season of the gift of relationships with friends and family, and we have been encouraged to live each day with delight and celebration. We have much for which to be grateful this Christmas.

Sincerely,
Abi

December 18: In the company of friends

2009-12-18T22:59:00.000-05:00

Dear Reader,

We had the pleasure of decorating cookies with our good friends yesterday. This morning my son had a playdate with the neighbor kids. I had the delight of enjoying a good cup of coffee with their mom while her three kids (together with my son) checked out our toy selection. And this evening we hosted some great old friends (who my husband has known all of his life) and their three kids. Lots of activity. Lots of great moments. The fun continues tomorrow with coffee and cinnamon rolls with a dear friend of mine.

In my estimation, getting together with friends is one of the joys of the holiday season. Because I come from a small family and our extended family never lived close to us, my parents made a point of developing annual Christmas events with a few families from our church. We would celebrate Christmas and Epiphany each year with the Franzens, and Christmas Eve morning was reserved for the Eickemeyers. The traditions stuck with us for many years.

These days seem to suggest that we are developing new traditions with our family friends. Fun!

Sincerely,
Abi

December 17: Decorating Cookies with Friends

2009-12-17T21:10:00.003-05:00

Dear Reader,

The cookie baking last evening prepared us very well for a morning of decorating Christmas cookies. My son had a cookie decorating playdate with his good friend this morning, a very sweet two year old little girl. I will admit that I wondered how the decorating process would work with these two active toddlers, but they did great.

We had a lot of decorating supplies out. The kids each got going on adding icing and then special touches to each cookie. Sampling the decorations was a must. And the word "snack" was used rather often as in "I want to snack on the icing, marshmallows, chocolate chips, etc."

And when the decorating was done, the routine play activities and snacktime commenced. My son had some tears towards the end, and, actually, his tears resulted in one of my favorite moments this morning. We read together the new book that my son received from his good friend. Tears stopped for that moment. His friend helped us along with the pages given how well she knew the story, anticipating the conclusion of it. And I was reminded of the gift of these wonderful friends of ours.

Sincerely,
Abi

December 16: Sugar Cookies and Gingerbread

2009-12-16T20:59:00.001-05:00

Dear Reader,

My son and I have a playdate planned with our good friends tomorrow morning to decorate Christmas cookies. This evening my husband and son prepared sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies. I'm just getting over a cold, so I stayed clear of the kitchen and left the baking to the guys.

My husband doesn't usually get in on baking time at our house. I loved watching the two of them at work on this important task. My son is very clear on his role in the process - naming and then adding the ingredients, stirring the dough, and licking the spoon when everything is in the oven. My husband did such a good job of keeping the process moving, and I kept hearing him say, "OK, now, ..." Baking with a two year old certainly keeps you on your toes!

At the end of the evening, the house smells fabulous. And my husband kindly told me that he appreciates all that I do (as he is quite tired after the baking endeavor with our little boy.) Thanks, dear husband, for your kind words and for going the extra mile tonight.

Sincerely,
Abi

December 15: Christmas Tree Decision Revisited

2009-12-15T22:07:00.003-05:00

Dear Reader,

We took the plunge. There has been so much debate this year on the topic of a Christmas tree. My husband and I love the real deal, and we've always elected this option for our home. However, this year the pro/con list tipped to the other side, the side of buying a fake one.

We have browsed around for an artificial tree for the better part of a month and had come to the conclusion that we would wait for an after-Christmas sale. On a shopping trip this evening, we spotted a 50% off sign by the tree selection. And the store had one tree left in the style we like. Ironically, this is the same tree that I considered picking up about a month ago. I enjoyed the spontaneous purchase of the tree though.

When we arrived home, my son became adamant that the tree be placed in his room (as the other Christmas tree resides there.) Rather than setting up the tree together as a family (which would have resulted in a tearful few minutes for our little boy), we waited until he was sound asleep, and my husband unpacked the tree. Good decision all around. Miss the pine tree smell though.

Sincerely,
Abi

December 14: Christmas Cards

2009-12-14T20:22:00.000-05:00

Dear Reader,

Yes, the Christmas cards are rolling in by our house these days, and I absolutely love getting the mail given the photos and the updates that you find inside these envelopes! Tonight our family activity centered around a ride to a nearby community where many residents display Christmas cards in their yards.

Sounds funny? When my husband first described the concept to me, I first thought of those large cardboard cards you find at greeting card shops (cards meant to be signed by a hundred people or more.) The Christmas cards in the yards are actually wooden signs painted with a Christmas theme and then placed in the center of the yard with a spotlight.

We took a drive to see the town with the Christmas cards tonight, and we all enjoyed. We sipped hot chocolate (and apple juice for the two year old), listened to Christmas music, and slowly drove up and down the streets to take in the holiday experience. My son's favorite part came when we passed the house with at least ten blow-up figures in the yard. I would not envy being a neighbor to this house and the bright glow that it emits on the block (sunglasses required?) However, my son could not take his eyes off this home where decorations abound.

Sincerely,
Abi

December 13: Baby Jesus in a Hammock

2009-12-13T20:38:00.001-05:00

Dear Reader,

One of my son's favorite evening activities these days is a game called hammock. Developed by his grandparents (thanks so much Mom and Dad), the game allows one wonderful two year old boy to swing in a sturdy blanket while two adults hold the sides of the blanket and gently rock him back and forth. Yes, our boy lives a great life! (I think he just needs to bring his juice sippy cup with him, and this little guy would be entirely in paradise.)

I posted last evening about the tp roll nativity that we crafted together with my son. After spending some time playing with the nativity this evening, my son pulled out the Baby Jesus and brought him over to the blanket used for our hammock activity and asked to rock Baby Jesus in the hammock.

My husband, son, and I spend the next few minutes rocking Baby Jesus and singing "Away in a Manger" (a very memorable few minutes.) Then, of course, my son wanted to join Baby Jesus in the hammock. And the game continues.

Sincerely,
Abi

December 12: TP Roll Nativity

2009-12-12T21:32:00.002-05:00

Dear Reader,

Yes, you read the title correctly. We have been working on making a toilet paper roll nativity set with my son this weekend. Where in the world did I get this idea? Well, I myself own a tp roll nativity which I handcrafted in preschool, and actually it's one of my favorite decorations.

All of the figures in the nativity set are made of an empty tp roll which my son painted. We then glued on a circle with a face, added a paper head covering using a rubber band, and gave the Wise Men tin foil gifts to bring. The Baby Jesus is also made of a tp roll along with his cradle. There are sheep made with half tp rolls with cotton balls glued on. And finally the figures are placed in a shoebox which is wrapped on the outside to represent the gift of Christmas.

I so enjoyed creating this set with my son, and he had quite a bit of fun painting, gluing, and now playing with the figures. He right away made the connection to our other nativity set, stating that they are the same. While the look of these two sets is a bit different, indeed, he is right as they both point to the celebration of the Savior's birth.

Sincerely,
Abi

December 11: Family Party

2009-12-11T22:45:00.000-05:00

Dear Reader,

Before I moved to this neck of the woods for college, I was quite unaware of extended families who get together to celebrate Christmas (and need to use a church multipurpose room to fit.) My husband's family is an example of this phenomenon, and because both sides of my extended family live all over the country we never enjoyed the holidays as one big family.

Tonight we celebrated Christmas with my mother-in-law's family - her siblings, their children and grandchildren. We ate together, played a few games, took a family photo, and the grandmothers (my mother-in-law's generation) provided small gifts for the grandkids. My husband has a really great extended family, and we rather enjoyed our time with them.

My favorite part in the evening came with the grandchild gift opening. When my son's turn came, he had just spotted a music stand in the room. Instead of opening the gift, he ran over to the music stand and wanted to conduct (even requesting a baton.) What child actually abstains from gift opening? And we really had to convince him to open the gift later in the evening. I'm preparing myself for the possibility that Christmas Eve and Christmas Day may not exactly follow the flow of past years, specifically as it relates to gift opening. Who knows, maybe we'll still be opening presents (or waiting to open them?) in April.

Sincerely,
Abi

December 10: Gingerbread House

2009-12-10T21:58:00.004-05:00

Dear Reader,

My husband started out our evening tonight with some serious snowblowing action, which our son watched through his bedroom window with complete interest and awe. As soon as my husband had a chance to warm up a bit, we started in our project for tonight: a gingerbread house.

I usually prefer to organize and plan ahead. However, I occasionally have a spot of spontaneity, and, well, tonight was one of those evenings. I hadn't bought a kit or thought ahead about decorations, candy, etc. I pulled out a box of graham crackers (with an expiration in 2008), made some icing using confectioner's sugar, and pulled out any sprinkles that I could find.

The three of us just started building (using the form of the empty graham cracker box), and before long we had a graham cracker sided house. Our son spent rather a lot of time licking icing instead of using the icing to stick the graham crackers to the box, which is exactly as it should be. We then added square pretzels for windows and cracker sticks for a walkway. Next we added more icing, and then my son sprinkled the house with red and green tiny dots. For an added bonus, I found some coconut, which we sprinkled at snow.

Overall, it is a fine looking house. We'll see how it holds up. My husband (the engineer) quickly qualified his work at the beginning of this endeavor by saying, "I'm not worrying about the structural strength of this house." I'm hoping it at least lasts until morning.

Sincerely,
Abi

December 9: Pajamas

2009-12-09T21:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Reader,

I hope this next post does not cross the threshold of being too personal. Here we go: I love to wear Nick and Nora flannel pajamas and own three pairs. They are comfortable and well-made (and Nick and Nora didn't even pay me to say this.) My dear son loves the prints, particularly my pair with penguins on them.

Over the last few weeks he asked for his own pair of flannel pjs with penguins. I located the pair of flannel penguin pajamas my son wore last year (size 18-24 mo.), and he started changing into them immediately. The pants sat just below the knee on him (flannel capris?) The shirt fit equally well. And he has been insisting on sporting this look each night for the better part of a week.

This evening we found a pair of Nick and Nora jammies for my little boy. Yes, they are flannel. No, they do not have penguins. Instead, he opted for dogs with reindeer ears on their heads. He looks entirely adorable in them, and I think these pjs will be perfect for some pajama time over the holidays.

Sincerely,
Abi

December 8: Christmas/Winter Books

2009-12-08T21:30:00.004-05:00

Dear Reader,

This evening the snow is falling, and it's feeling a lot like Christmas. When I pulled out our Christmas decorations a week or so ago, I also pulled out some books about Christmas and wintertime that I had packed away. Our nightly bedtime ritual with our little boy includes stories in bed before being tucked in for the night, and so we have been reading about the arrival of Jesus and about snow and snowmen and mittens.

Interestingly, some of my favorite children's books are about winter. The Mitten and The Snowy Day are certainly toward the top of my list along with the story Brave Irene. I love to read to my son, particularly at bedtime when he is a bit more willing to sit and take in the story. And it's a joy to share these books that I have fond remembrances of reading with my own parents, and now I have the pleasure of turning the pages with my little boy.

While we are reading these books most nights right now, I choose this as our special family activity to highlight today. With the cold winds and blowing snow, reading a few classic tales of wintertime together seems just right.

Sincerely,
Abi

December 7: Christmas crafting

2009-12-07T21:16:00.002-05:00

Dear Reader,

My son worked on a special project for one of his grandparents for Christmas. (I wish I could be a bit more descriptive, but the item is a Christmas gift after all.) He took care of painting the thing to the max. Before this project my son has only done paint-with-water pictures, and he enjoyed this much more. (And we had no significant messes - amazing!)

We started by only using one color at a time, and once we had exhausted those options we started with the color mixing (the fun part for my little guy.) Throughout the painting process, my husband and I would make comments like "great job" or "it's looking so nice" to which my son would reply, "I'm not finished yet." He clearly took this job seriously, and I'm quite pleased with the end result.

I've really tried to focus my gift giving this year on buying what is practical and trying to be creative. I've actually even made a few Christmas gifts this year, which for me has been quite satisfying and an enjoyable outlet.

Sincerely,
Abi

December 6: Beach trip

2009-12-06T17:06:00.000-05:00

Dear Reader,

This afternoon we finished up work on the Oreo truffles with my husband managing the white chocolate dipping process. I am most appreciative of his help as I had forgotten how quickly I need to move when trying to dip white chocolate before it becomes too thick and lumpy.

My son was ready for something more fun (than watching his parents complete a fast-paced assembly line of Oreo filling dunking), and so I suggested that we take a pretend visit to the beach. We pulled out an ivory chenille blanket (our sand), a sand bucket and toys, sun hats, and sunglasses. We built pretend sandcastles and made sure to put on pretend sunblock to avoid a pretend sunburn. Pretend seagulls were even flying around us. Our life has become full of make-believe, and we love the imagination that our little boy expresses.

So for today, instead of having Christmas in July, we experienced some July in Christmas.

Sincerely,
Abi

December 5: Nativity Set

2009-12-05T21:48:00.003-05:00

Dear Reader,

There has been a great deal of debate at our house about Christmas trees. My husband and I would both consider ourselves real tree enthusiasts, but we're wimping out this year with the extra effort and mess that goes into it. Neither of us is excited about purchasing a fake tree though. And while I selected a location in our living room where I had intended for a tree to go, we instead moved our sideboard table to this spot and have placed a nativity set on the table.

My husband and I received this nativity set when we were engaged, and quickly it became my favorite decoration. At our old house, I would place the set on our mantel where it fit perfectly, and I loved how much of a focal point Mary, Joseph, and Jesus became in our home during the holidays. I am happy with the location of the set for this year. I even placed a step stool by the sideboard to allow my son easy access to enjoy the nativity.

My son was first excited about the animals, particularly the sheep and the donkey. Then attention turned to the wise men and the shapes of the gifts that they each brought (as my son would describe it, "a circle, a triangle, and a rectangle.") When asked to point to baby Jesus, my son replied that Mary was just holding a baby and pointed to Joseph and explained that he was Jesus. Later in the day my son took pictures of the nativity (a rare treat to use Mom's camera) and said "My take picture of Jesus. Say cheese!" There is a quote.

I plan to continue talking with my son about this nativity, maybe even convincing him that Mary is holding baby Jesus. This nativity set is a bit breakable, and even so I'm encouraging my little boy to enjoy these figures and the story that they tell. So far only a sheep has lost an ear.

Sincerely,
Abi

December 4: Holiday Baking

2009-12-04T21:07:00.002-05:00

Dear Reader,

This afternoon I decided to begin work on some holiday baking with my son. My son loves to help in the kitchen. He explains which ingredients we are adding as if we are on a cooking show, stirs up dough with the best of 'em, and can't wait for his favorite part - licking the spoon when we're done.

We are making Oreo truffles for the neighbors as a holiday treat. I got this great recipe from a friend, and it's simple (three ingredients: Oreos, cream cheese, and white chocolate!) and a kid-friendly crowd pleaser. This afternoon we assembled the inner portion of the truffle, which we then freeze. Perhaps tomorrow we will tackle dipping them in white chocolate.

I made these truffles with our son last year, and I have been reflecting on the progression in my son's development over this last year. He was mostly an observer of the baking process a year ago, and now he could not be more of an active participant. I think these truffles have the potential for becoming an annual tradition!

Sincerely,
Abi

December 3: Snow

2009-12-03T19:43:00.004-05:00

Dear Reader,

I loved the unseasonably warm and sunny weather this past November. I had to pinch myself that we received the gift of an extra month of fall weather, the weather to which I look forward so much. Even so, I have been anticipating the first snowfall of the season. We had a bit of snow the weekend following Thanksgiving, but tonight we received our first real snow. It's beautiful.

The weather tonight made for an easy decision of how to use our time as a family. We bundled up the boy and headed to our front yard to take in the snowflakes as they gently fell onto our grass. My son is falling in love with the snow, and I'm completely in love with watching him take in the wonder of falling snow. Almost every time I looked his direction I found his tongue sticking out to try to catch snowflakes.

We spent our evening in the yard making tracks in the snow, playing follow the leader, and finally fitting in a brief game of tag. I caught my husband's eyes a number of times, and we just smiled at each other. In my estimation the smiles are both because it's such a delight to watch our son's joy and because we maybe appreciate this great life we lead a bit more these days.

There were many tears when we had to come inside and warm up. I assured my son that this was only the first of probably many wonderful times in the winter wonderland.

Sincerely,
Abi

December 2: Christmas Movie

2009-12-02T22:06:00.004-05:00

Dear Reader,

Curious George is my son's favorite show by far. He loves the books as well, but not as much as the PBS television series. And my little boy is now the proud owner of Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas.

Tonight the three of us got into our pajamas a little early and watched this movie together. We munched on Christmas pretzels (our local grocery store offers pretzels in the shape of trees, stars, and bells which are a hit with our family) and snuggled in on the couch. After an intense week, this evening felt just right - very calm - very bright.

I have a feeling that another Christmas movie may enter into our plan for the weeks ahead.

Sincerely,
Abi

December 1: Decorating the tree

2009-12-01T21:52:00.000-05:00

Dear Reader,

I am looking towards Christmastime this year with an extra shot of anticipation. I started preparations already in November because I would like this season of Advent to be rich with enjoyable family experiences. I read an article about a family who used an Advent calendar to schedule fun activities with their kids for each day of December. My plan is to do likewise.

I hope to make this month memorable as I would imagine this is the first Christmas my son will recall. My goal is to post about the Christmas festivities of each day. I may entirely fail to keep up, and I apologize in advance if that occurs. If, however, I manage to keep up, may our Christmas experiences bring you, dear reader, cheer and joy in this holiday season.

So for today, we had the delight of decorating a small tree, a very small tree. I have used this 12" tree as a tabletop decoration for years, but my son had the delight of decorating it this year with the ornaments from his great-grandmother and the treasured decorations from my childhood which my mother kindly saved. My son put the twenty or so decorations on very carefully and then proceeded to take them off the tree. This sequence of events was repeated three times before the tree was fully prepared for the evening. What a great way to start the month!

Sincerely,
Abi

This last week

2009-11-30T21:45:00.004-05:00

Dear Reader,

A week ago this evening I went to bed thinking that our family life was just getting back to normal after my bout with a stomach flu over the weekend. I considered blogging yet that night about all of the gratitude I felt for my husband who not only cared for my needs but also made sure my son had a fun-filled few days of father/son time. Then, during the night, I awoke to the sound of my husband passing out in the next room.

The six hours which followed this initial fainting spell felt like six days. After an ambulance ride, an ER experience, and two failed attempts at returning home (which both resulted in my husband fainting once again), he was admitted to the hospital. He bravely underwent two days of significant testing, and on Thanksgiving morning we received the news of a diagnosis and a good prognosis for his health. My husband is home from the hospital and starting to return to regularly scheduled programming.

This last week has been a life experience that will stick with us. This last week has reminded me of the precious nature of a normal day. This last week has affirmed the intense love and commitment that my husband and I share for each other in our marriage. This last week has renewed my confidence in the Lord's perfect timing and His provisions for us. And, appropriately, this last week has reminded me to practice Paul's words in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Sincerely,
Abi

A few weeks too late

2009-11-16T20:53:00.003-05:00

Dear Reader,

I have mentioned here how Halloween costumes were a flop in our house this year. I found out tonight that Halloween was just a little too early (or my son's buy-in was a few weeks too late.) We are really entering the world of pretend with him now. He spends quite a bit of time acting like animals (a lizard being my personal favorite) and pretending to make pizzas (which sometimes taste like strawberries, who knew?!)

Tonight my son decided we should be pirates. I pulled out some blankets and pillows to make our ship in the living room. Then (surprise!) my son asks to dress up like a pirate. We find some striped pajama bottoms, a white shirt, and a black dish towel for his hat. I grab a paper towel tube for him to watch for other ships, and then my son asks for a parrot. The best I could do is his owl, which he props up on his shoulder. I describe all of this because my little boy was unwilling to pose for a photo, so I want to somehow remember how this costume came together.

We then searched for hidden treasure in the living room (i.e. a Tupperware container with Cheerios and goldfish crackers inside.) We took turns hiding the treasure, and then my son would take a break and snack for a few minutes. Throughout this costume creation and treasure hunt, my son kept saying "arhhh" Too funny!

I hope this account of the evening captures what a wonderful life I lead. I can only imagine what we will pretend tomorrow.

Sincerely,
Abi

Our Newest Reporter

2009-11-11T15:18:00.003-05:00

Dear Reader,

My son has started a new trend with his verbal skills. He narrates. He tells us the story. He points out what is going on. He is our newest reporter.

My favorite example is the reporting that comes with watching his favorite program, Curious George. My little boy will explain what is happening in the episode, and, occasionally add some commentary such as "silly George" or "George needs to do ..." If I happen to be working on dinner during the episode, I hear a play by play of George's activities as if he's my sports commentator watching each play and analyzing it.

We experience a similar phenomenon while reading, particularly with the books that are quite familiar to my son. Sometimes reading the book is almost unnecessary as my little boy shares the happenings of each page as I attempt to read the text to him. I appreciate his versions of the story, particularly Eric Carle's Does A Kangaroo Have A Mother, Too?

We even receive weather reports, such as "it's rainy out, no playing outside." And as winter approaches and the sunsets get earlier and earlier, we receive news of the moon's arrival, anxiously awaiting the return of the sun.

I find such joy in watching my son's observations of life, and his interest in sharing what he discovers with us. What a privilege to listen to this sort of news.

Sincerely,
Abi

Cabin Fever

2009-11-11T09:08:00.006-05:00

Dear Reader,

I am entirely grateful for the weather lately. Warmer temperatures and sunshine are not typically associated with November in the Midwest. I'll take it though. Somehow wearing sunglasses on my head just makes the day more fun.

My husband resumed his All-Star Status during the month of October and the start of November, which has meant a lot of mom and little boy time. I have a son who could spend all day at home and who is very sad when it's time to run out on errands. While we're out and about, my son often says "go back to my house." I'm so conflicted then. I need (NEED) time to see the outside world, but my little guy would love to camp out in his playroom for the day. We've been home a lot, and October was sort of disappointing - very rainy and somewhat lacking in the fall experience that I love so much.

You can see where this is going. Cabin fever. And, I know, it's way too early to feel stuck indoors. November, so far, is making up for it. We're getting some fresh air, my husband is re-entering normal working hours, my little boy and I are establishing a balance of schedules and time at home, and the holidays are coming soon. Things are looking up.

Sincerely,
Abi

Putting on the miles

2009-11-04T08:33:00.007-05:00

Dear Reader,

My husband and I both have vehicles that just turned over the 100,000 mile mark. Instead of thinking about how our cars are getting older or wondering about the routine maintenance that happens at this point, I had my camera ready to just take a photo of the occasion. (Don't worry, I pulled over first.) I have a funny habit of watching the odometer and looking for interesting numbers. (Interesting numbers?) Yes, the math side of me comes out from time to time, a side of me with which many people are unfamiliar.

I have always enjoyed math. I remember doing addition and subtraction worksheets in first grade and really liking them. In fourth grade, our class would regularly play the game "24" where you have four numbers that somehow compute to 24. I was so excited when we would play it. I was a regular "Square One" watcher, the PBS kids program centering around mathematics concepts. And I was even on the math team in high school and attended a few "meets" as a team member. Nerd alert, I know.

I thought it would be fitting to let you in on this part of my life as this is my 100th post on this blog. But who's counting?

Sincerely,

Abi

Too good to be true

2009-11-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

Dear Reader,

I recently wrote about being a bit of a thrifty person. One area of my life that is not cheap is haircare, specifically highlights. I started getting highlights in high school and have pretty much kept up with them since then. About a month ago, I made a major error in judgment.

It was the Thursday before my nephew's baptism weekend that I realized my hair needed a boost. I knew we'd take family photos and wanted to make sure I felt okay in them. Not thinking that I had time for a two hour appointment during that weekend, I tried to attempt highlighting my hair on my own. 20 minutes process for $7 sounded like a great plan. You can see where this is going. Bad idea. Really bad idea. I ended up with quite bright red roots on a head of hair that is brown with blond highlights.

I ended up spending more time and money at the hair salon that weekend to just neutralize the damage that I had done. And, looking back, I do ask myself why I thought that somehow I could spend much less time and money on a process that most women leave to the professionals. Lesson learned.

Sincerely,
Abi

Coupons

2009-11-01T16:07:00.003-05:00

Dear Reader,

I really enjoy reading blogs about others' experiences, especially with friends and family. I also regularly follow blogs of people whom I have never met but am intrigued by what they have to say. The most unpredictable subscriptions in my feed reader though are coupon blogs. I say unpredictable because I would not have anticipated myself to become a coupon lady.

I am a bit thrifty and have been for as long as I can remember. When clothes shopping, I rarely even look at regularly priced items and just make a beeline for the sale racks. I buy generic brand anything (with a few exceptions), and I make grocery lists and stick to the list. My husband and I make a game each year of how long we can wait to turn on our heat. All of this said, I've never taken the time to clip coupons. Until now.

These coupons blogs make it entirely easy to thumb through the deals, to find the coupons for products that I am planning to purchase anyway, and some even give deal scenarios to maximize the effectiveness of a coupon. I don't plan to become a die-hard coupon collector, but I'm finding it fun to save a little extra.

Sincerely,
Abi

Prayer

2009-10-28T14:00:00.006-04:00

Dear Reader,

I'm in a Bible study group that is currently reading John Ortberg's book The Life You've Always Wanted. The book is about spiritual disciplines, and Ortberg attempts to take out the negative connotations with the term and make spiritual disciplines accessible for everyday life. Our most recent group discussion centered around prayer, and I found that conversation helpful. Here are a few key concepts that Ortberg suggests, which I found refreshing.

First, pray boldly. So often I attempt to pray for things that I think I should pray for, instead of talking with God about my real life. I think that my concerns seem so insignificant when I look at the concerns of the world (or even just the concerns of others that I know), and yet I fully believe that God cares as much about the mundane details of my life as He does about much bigger issues. So, I'm going to try to go for it, and share honestly. (God is omniscient, so why not go ahead and discuss, right?)

Second, stay the course with the prayer that you begin. Ortberg suggests picturing Jesus sitting with you while you pray as a way to keep from becoming distracted. Somehow this visualization is making God seem nearer to me and much more approachable. This idea is reminiscent for me of the opening scene of the film version of Godspell where Jesus just seems to show up at various places around town. I love this scene in the film because people seem so pleasantly surprised by his presence and because the people so naturally drop what they are doing to give their attention to him.

And finally, Ortberg suggests that prayer be a regular routine for five minutes each day at the same time. I want to attempt this as well. I so often realize the limited time that I spend focused on my relationship with the Lord. While I live most days trying to have my faith influence my words and activities, I don't stop to pray about life with much frequency.

I keep coming back to the words of Psalm 19:14 in considering the time that I spend in prayer, "May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer."

Sincerely,
Abi

Send in the clowns

2009-10-26T11:30:00.002-04:00

Dear Reader,

We have experienced a number of rainy days lately. My son gets entirely bummed out when he can't play outside, and, especially during the early evening hours, he needs to find an outlet for some extra energy. Last winter I developed a fun "routine" to get us all moving. We pretend that we are clowns.

I sing circus music and start the parade, and we all take turns doing funny walks and runs around the basement. My husband juggles, and my son follows my lead with the running (with occasional spinning breaks for his "dizzy then fall down" act.) When I reintroduced the circus play this year, I wondered if my son would interested again. Yep. This year he even sings the circus music too.

It's not a very dignified evening, but we have lots of fun. And everyone sleeps better.

Sincerely,
Abi

A parenting book (and thoughts that follow)

2009-10-20T16:57:00.011-04:00

Dear Reader,

I'm reading a new parenting book that has put a number of challenging questions into my mind. While the topic of this book is primarily focused on discipline, the writer begins with a more general framework of one's role as a parent and the goals/hopes/expectations you have for your child as he/she grows into adulthood.

There are many days when I am focused on the next five minutes and working through the present rather than thinking through the future (examples: cleaning off sticky fingers after lunch before the fingers reach our living room chairs, developing new "band" instruments out of old bottles and dry beans, navigating the grocery store with a shopping list, coupons, and a 2 year old holding onto a penny for the pony ride following the shop.) There are so many unknowns in thinking about the future as my son is young yet and his sense of self just seems to unravel more with each day, each week.

Even so, I am trying to be more aware of what I communicate to my son through what I do and say (and what I communicate when I don't do something or don't say something.) I take the role of being a parent very seriously, and I feel entirely privileged to get to walk next to this boy while he grows. Sometimes I'm a bit overwhelmed by the responsibility. However, I do remind myself that as much as I love him, my son is not mine. He belongs to the Lord, and that is altogether reassuring.

Sincerely,
Abi

A Change in Plans for Halloween

2009-10-19T13:31:00.007-04:00

Dear Reader,

I would consider my childhood experiences with Halloween to be entirely the norm. I would dress up and go out trick-or-treating with friends around our neighborhood after having enjoyed a classroom holiday party (in grades 1-5) for the occasion. I remember going to a Halloween party or two at friends' houses when I was a little older as well.

My husband grew up in the country, and so trick-or-treating looked a bit different. If I remember his account of the holiday correctly, he would go over to the neighbor's house for candy, and then his parents would drive him and his brother to their grandparents' house for taffy apples.

When my husband and I prepared for our first Halloween in our first home, my husband was very excited. He though it would be so much fun to dole out candy to all of the kids in the neighborhood. We gave out 6 bags worth of candy to kids, and by the end of the evening my dear husband was miffed. (He's rarely miffed.) He was frustrated by the greedy kids who asked for more than they were given and the kids trick-or-treating that seemed way too old to be doing so. After that first year, we made a point of being away from our house on Halloween. We would often retreat back to my in-laws' home (as they still live in the country and still have no trick-or-treaters.)

We thought this year might be different. It's a new neighborhood that we're living in, and our son is perhaps to the point where he would like the activity. We picked out a lion costume for him. He hates it. He asked me to put it away in his closet. We've offered other costume ideas, and he says "no, scary Mommy." So, maybe we're going to continue with our usual plan of hanging out in the country for the evening and re-evaluate this holiday once again next year.

Sincerely,
Abi

Customer Service

2009-10-15T12:48:00.004-04:00

Dear Reader,

Over this past week I was on a shopping mission, and I had two very different customer service experiences. My mission was to find a potential bridesmaid dress for a wedding that I will be attending (as the matron of honor - which is very cool!) The bride and I had spotted one dress in our town, but we needed SIX for it to be an option. My time in Chicago allowed me the opportunity to look for this dress at department stores we don't have in my town.

I had a very frustrating encounter with a sales person at Store A. I had spotted three of the dresses, but waited to pick them up until the next day. Bad decision. All of the dress were gone. The sales person gave me a lecture on how I should have purchased them on the spot (which, of course, I already knew!) And then she continued by saying that she wouldn't be able to help me locate them at another store because she had other work that she needed to do. Oh my.

In sleuthing on the internet, I found that Store B also carried the dress but had limited sizes available online. I sent an e-mail to their customer service department. Within an hour, I had a personal response from one of their buyers who took up the task of finding all the dresses we needed. She arranged for me to pick up the Chicago available stock at the store closest to my parents home and she shipped the rest (from stores out of state) to my home (with no charge for the shipping.) I asked her if she would send me a customer survey so that I could express my satisfaction with her service. She said that they don't have surveys because this is the expectation for every employee. Amazing.

While I'm all about sales, coupons, and bargains, I came away from this experience with a renewed respect for good customer service. And a note to the bride - please know that there is no pressure to use these dresses. The shopping hunt was a fun challenge all by itself, and, who knows, maybe we'll find something even better!

Sincerely,
Abi

Full Circle Moments

2009-10-13T12:34:00.005-04:00

Dear Reader,

I'm back. Last week I spent part of my week and weekend with my family in Chicago. I had a few days that were wide open and seized the opportunity for a road trip. While visiting my folks I also had the opportunity to catch up with a few friends and some family, eat at some of my favorite places, and talk with my mom a lot, which is so satisfying. (Thanks, Mom!)

Whenever I am back in Chicagoland, I seem to reminisce about my childhood, probably because I'm surrounded by people and places that bring me back to that time in my life. During one of our many shopping excursions last week, we had stopped in at the department store where my dad would purchase his suits for work during my early childhood years. When my son and I hopped into the elevator, I had a full circle moment.

I vividly recall riding this glass elevator as a child and loving that you could watch the transition from one floor to the next. Everything on the elevator was the same, the black vinyl circle flooring, the glassy round buttons, and even the smell. And now my son has experience this as well.

Trips back home seem more important to me now that my son is developing memories. There are a few full circle moments that I hope my son may avoid, but mostly I would welcome him to have some shared experiences from my childhood to his. And, even more, I relish the full circle moments that my son has with my parents where he hears some of the same encouragement and takes in the same kind of delight that I also received. Fun!

Sincerely,
Abi

Pancake Sundays

2009-10-05T07:54:00.005-04:00

Dear Reader,

When I was growing up, many Saturday mornings my dad would make homemade waffles after spending some time with my mom, sitting in the living room, drinking coffee and catching up on their weeks. I consider our waffles on Saturdays as one of my favorite routines during childhood.

Over the past few years my husband has taken up the work of making pancakes on Sunday mornings after church. It's not an every week happening, but most often this is what we do. My husband enjoys experimenting with different batters, still looking for the best recipe. He also loves flipping the pancakes without a spatula almost as much as my son LOVES watching him. This week he decided to make pancakes in the shape of footballs to spice it up.

Pancake Sunday is becoming one of my favorite routines of the week because it is such a relaxing time together. And isn't relaxing with your fam and friends part of the beauty of Sundays? I think so.

Sincerely,
Abi

Weekend Warriors: grass edition

2009-10-01T12:27:00.005-04:00

Dear Reader,

My husband is quite often asked the question of whether he misses our project house. Most Saturdays were consumed with a new job around our house. The work often spilled into Sunday (though my dear husband would always predict that the project would "just take a Saturday"), and without fail resulted in a few extra trips to our little hardware store a few blocks from our place. It is a routine with which I am entirely familiar.

So when my husband came to the conclusion that our yard needed to be de-thatched, I realized that this former status of "weekend warrior" would be resurrected once again. He's been talking about this yard project for the better part of the summer and waited until this past weekend for two reasons: 1. de-thatching is apparently very stressful for the lawn and better completed in spring or fall, and 2. my husband is very thoughtful of others (which I love about him!) and he's been an extra set of hands working at others' homes for the last month.

This past Saturday though, the de-thatching happened. The tool rental place employees said the de-thatcher machine functions similarly to a lawnmower and takes about the same amount of time. While this description is accurate, the employees leave out the amount of time to actually rake up all of the thatch from our lawn. 29 landscape bags later, we were done. And the project didn't even cut into our Sunday. Way to go, husband, on another ambitious project completed. Honestly, I can't imagine a project that you couldn't tackle (though, please leave the electrical work to your good buddy Andy, ok?!!)

Sincerely,
Abi

Sunrise

2009-09-27T16:20:00.011-04:00

Dear Reader,

I experience more and more moments where I'd like to be a photographer and feel more equipped to capture the everyday wonders that I witness. This past week I had the delight of watching an incredibly beautiful sunrise. It was one of those mornings where you want to call all of the people who may be able to see it out their window too. It was that striking.

I took my son out to our deck in our pajamas and stood there looking up. Without any coaching, my son starts pointing to the sky and naming colors. I find myself almost spinning in circles to try to capture all of the sites in the sky as the clouds are lit in warm pink hues.

Without hesitation I grab my camera just to give my husband (who is already tucked into his cubicle at work!) a glimpse of the greatness. Within five minutes of grabbing my camera, the moment has passed. The sky, while still beautiful, is not as bold and breathtaking as it had been just a few minutes earlier. Another reminder for me to savor, a theme that just keeps creeping into my writing here.

Sincerely,
Abi

P.S. Here is one of the snapshots. I can't help but think of the opening sentence in Psalm 19, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."

Fall Friday

2009-09-25T15:59:00.001-04:00

Dear Reader,

This past Friday's weather was stellar - a bit cooler, sunny, and breezy. I am starting to watch leaves fall from the trees and enjoying the site of mums and pumpkins on front porches. My son and I spent the better part of Friday afternoon playing outside. In the midst of this playtime, I recalled a similar Friday in fall two years ago...

Because of the nice weather, I had taken my son to our backyard to sit and bounce in one of our patio chairs, and then I laid him on a blanket in the grass. When I brought him into the house, I decided to take a few photos of him since he seemed pretty content. For those of you who know my little boy, you will recall that he went through a hard few months of colic. These photos would suggest otherwise. He just beamed. He flashed some incredibly warm smiles and made these sweet cooing noises. I remember the afternoon as being this delightful pause from the tears and a wonderful reminder to me that the crying would pass.

On this past Friday I enjoyed another fabulous fall day with my son. We worked on collecting leaves in an orange bucket as every season seems to warrant a new collection. And now, the crying is infrequent, and the smiles are many. And the joy just keeps coming.

Sincerely,
Abi

Self Motivation

2009-09-23T15:35:00.005-04:00

Dear Reader,

I'm back. Sorry for the brief blog post outage that you experienced. To be honest, I've just been lacking motivation lately. The past weeks or so, I've just been going with the flow, but not finding the groove. For those of you that know me, this is not typical.

My day-to-day life is full of self motivation. I love it. I am able to establish a schedule and go at my pace. Of course, I share the vast majority of my time with an energetic two year old whose thoughts on our day count. A lot. I'm surprised by times when my desire to move forward, to plan, and to set goals seems to wane.

Not to worry though. The "to do" list is on the counter. Thoughts and possibilities are once again swirling in my head. And I am reminded of the gift of each day and the gift of purpose. I often refer to Micah 6:8 as a passage to keep me on track, and I like Eugene Peterson's translation in The Message:

"But he's already made it plain how to live, what to do,
what God is looking for in men and women.
It's quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don't take yourself too seriously -
take God seriously."

Sincerely,
Abi