Kickoff to Christmas

Last Tuesday ... Bob leaves the house at 3AM headed for Guatamala ... Owen gets a freak nosebleed in the shoe department of Kohl's ... I'm holding my breath all day as my dad undergoes a heart procedure ... Cearra tells me on facebook (sometimes the best way to communicate with a busy college student) that she is feeling sick ... the dishwasher malfunctions and leaks water all over the kitchen floor ... and Salt (the fish) seems to be on her last legs (fins?).

Flash forward to Thursday: Cearra has made it home, and dosed up on OJ and Dayquil, we are driving through rain and fog to West Virginia for Bob's family's annual Thanksgiving feast. And despite the fact that Bob isn't with us, I am more than thankful.

I have a wonderful "second" family - Nanny, Pam, Gene, Todd, Maria, Hannah and more aunts, uncles and cousins - who embrace us and cheer us, and my entire family is healthy (my dad did great in surgery) and happy. I have Cearra and Owen, my greatest gifts, and a wonderful - if currently far away - husband. I have a comfortable home and good food to eat and share. I have friends who help prop me up and make me laugh. I have a blessed life.



Owen and I found a ladybug ...


and let her take a walk up O's arm before taking her outside.

That night Bob makes it home, and fixes the dishwasher. And the four of us have the rest of the long weekend together to celebrate our Thanksgiving.

We kick off the countdown to Christmas by setting up our tree. It's in the living room this year (just barely fits heightwise!) as we are soon getting new carpet and paint in the family room and don't want to have to move it mid-December.


Owen helps Daddy with tree set-up!



As is our tradition, we take turns placing a special ornament on the tree first - for Owen, a felt camel from his birthplace; Cearra chooses acorns given to her by Nana and Pop-pop last year to represent Mary Baldwin (you may remember that the mascot is a squirrel); Bob hangs a Ravens ornament, and as I do every year ...


I place my donkey on a prominent branch.

With Christmas music playing we complete the tree and it is beautiful! Owen really enjoys it and hangs many ornaments - all in the same spot - by himself. I later redistribute them a bit (smile).





Later that evening we head to downtown Westminster for the annual Holiday Parade. Perched on Daddy's shoulders, Owen is transfixed by the cars and marching bands and lighted floats and firetrucks. We wave to each of the nine (!) Santas and my heart is full of the joy and promise of the season.




On Sunday we add a little sparkle to the outside of the house and enjoy lunch and football (both on TV and in the yard) together before Cearra has to head back to school.



It's going to be one wonderful Christmas! Stay tuned!

Happy Thanksgiving to You

Last week, Owen's preschool Thanksgiving program. The kids are lined up on one side of the room, moms and dads (and at least one Nana) jockeying for the best camera position across from them.

As we wait in silence for the last parent to arrive, Owen announces, "I have to go ...". I get ready to hand my purse off and make a quick dash to the bathroom; beside me Miss Stephanie similarly springs into action and asks Owen what he needs.

Sensing that he is now the center of attention - from the entire room - Owen smiles and says loudly, "I have to go ... RUN AROUND!". That's our boy!

So as he and his classmates sang, Happy Thanksgiving to You! This holiday Bob, Cearra, Owen and I wish you health, happiness, the company of family and friends, and some really good food!

"Mommy, are you smile?"

Three years ago today Bob and I were led into a small tiled room and there, in the first crib on the right, lay our son. That incredible day was to me the birth of our family of four; the fulfillment of a promise between Bob and I; the joy and hope that God had always planned for us all; and the beginning of the rest of our lives with Owen.


I think this is an appropriate post for today ...

It happens with some frequency now, I look at Owen and see the young man I imagine he will become. A glimpse of the plump of baby cheeks yeilding to swoop and hollow cheekbones ... the curve of shorn hair on the nape of his neck ... a knowing glint in those beautiful brown eyes. In that glance, my heart both soars and runs for cover.

Meeting Cearra at the age Owen is now, and attending her high school graduation mere months later (which is truly at times how fast the ensuing years felt), did somewhat prep me for how quickly the growing years pass.

So I find myself cherishing each small moment. I try not to rush Owen for fear I'll miss some wonderful 3-year old discovery he wants to share. We move through the days primarily at his pace, cuddling in our big bed before rising and enjoying breakfast with a side of giggles.

As much as possible errands are run with fun and discovery in mind. Sears is not just a place for small appliances - it's also a tractor wonderland - and the grocery store is full of color, shapes, and live lobsters to watch. We like the duck pond, and the John Deere dealership, and we often play outside until the sun starts to set.

I remind myself often to stop whatever other noise fills my day and just "be" with Owen. To get down on his level and play cars. To paint, or play guitar, or read a favorite book again.

Oh sure, somedays I'm better at this whole thing than others (and I'm never as good as I wish I were). Some days my patience is short or I'm tired or have a headache. But I try. Because as Owen often asks me "Mommy, are you smile?". And I do every day, for I am so very blessed and I am enjoying every moment.

All Treat, No Tricks

After the Mechem four finished roaming the neighborhood (slightly damp from the rain but in good cheer), Cearra, Owen and I sat comfortably around the kitchen table and partook in that time-honored tradition: sorting though Owen's candy haul looking for the "good" stuff (Reese's - yum!).

I asked Owen if he had fun trick or treating and he replied "I did have fun!", and in his next breath - right before chomping on another Smartie - "Let's do it again!".

Yes, much to this mom's joy, Owen fully embraced Halloween this year. From the day a few weeks ago that we first tried on his chosen pirate costume (and I know I'm biased, but he was the cutest pirate ever!) to him cheerfully ringing doorbells last night, Owen showed black-and-orange spirit. Add in the fact that Cearra came home for the weekend and it was indeed a happy holiday 'round here.


Ahoy mateys!