They weren’t supposed to grow up this fast.
Whatever happened to these funny little boys just getting to know each other?
Whatever happened to every moment of every day being filled with little-boy needs and wants?
And whatever happened to all those sleepless nights anyway? I sleep all night now, most nights, and I feel quite spoiled.
This is my boy, Sebastian.
When he first came along, we were very hopeful that our wishes for a more laid-back baby (after our very wild little Alec) were coming true. Alas, it was not to be. He is every bit as wild and loud and rambunctious as Alec. Of course, we don’t actually mind. It’s so fun to watch the two of them, especially when they’re not actively fighting. Two charming, adventuresome, grab-life-by-the-horns little boys. ...continue reading
This is my boy, Alec.
If you, as a stranger, were to meet him, he would probably be holding onto my skirts, half-whispering, half-whining, “Hold me, hold me,” and as much as he would be shy in your presence, he also wouldn’t be able to look away.
Fifteen minutes later (or less if you were an Alec-whisperer), he would be full of giggles and words and all the ideas that seem to randomly pop into a three-year-old’s mind. He would be charming and a bit too silly, and then you would see my Alec. ...continue reading
Our part of Oregon was “treated” to a massive ice storm this past weekend. We lost power Friday night, and I could hardly sleep for all the creaking of trees and thudding of falling branches. When Eric went out the next morning, he texted me to say it looked like a war zone. Broken trees, downed power lines, brush and branches strewn everywhere, and everything coated with ice.
I stepped out on the deck, and even though the trees were still creaking, it was eerily still. Usually when trees creak it’s because the wind is blowing them, but there was no wind, only ice. A third of our beautiful willow tree was gone, broken in a jagged pile on the ground. The top of one of our pine trees had completely snapped off. The camellia bush by the deck was flattened in about four different ways, each branch sprawled out wherever the ice took it. I watched a massive limb crash into the creek, and again, it was so surreal. No wind, no warning, just a sudden crack, and falling wood. ...continue reading
I used to read. A lot. I’d have stacks of books on my headboard, and I’d be in the middle of reading all of them. Have a hankering for sci-fi? I’d pull out David Weber (definitely rated R for language, so don't take this as a recommendation). Need a bit of fantasy? Lord of the Rings to the rescue. A seat-gripping, far-out novel? James Byron Huggins. A romance? Kristen Heitzmann. Not to mention classics galore in my post-teenage years.
I read less after I got married, and still less after I had the boys. The last few years I’ve hardly read at all.
2021 seemed like a good year to change that. I’m in the middle of my fourth book for the year already. ...continue reading
