Wordless Wendesday...Winter

Critical thinking

Problem: carrying four stuffed animals around the house can be difficult when your arms barely reach over your head.

Solution: put all of the stuffed animals into your footie pajamas to create one big toy with two convenient tethers.

I love that it was his own idea.  And that it entertained him for a good 30 minutes.  Problem solved!

Buddies

We've gotten to see a lot of my folks over the last few months, and we've found that J and his Bompa are kindred spirits.  

They both love lounging and eating popsicles...

Mowing the grass...

Working on Bompa's new barn (nevermind that J's work was filling the irrigation box with rocks that had to be removed later. Oh J, your grandpa must really love you!)...

Camping in the rain...

Practicing their lasso skills...

And just being together.  

Looking forward to getting these buddies together again in a few weeks!

Perks

Just one of the bonuses of chronic back pain is that you get to see your growing little baby via MRI as well as the boring old ultrasound.  What a darling skeleton!

That's right, baby boy #2 will make his debut in April.  Or, really, the end of March would also be fine with me.  Just saying.

I've been trying to prep J, as best as a 21 month old can ever be prepared for such things.  He helped test out the baby swing (he is still under the weight limit. Ha.).

A few days ago I asked J where the baby was, and he pointed to his ear.  Yep, he doesn't know what's coming in approximately 19 weeks.  Enjoy the perks of being first-born while they last, little one!

Halloweenie

Okay, okay, I know yesterday was Thanksgiving, but I'm back-tracking...

I was excited about Halloween this year.  Our Star Wars family costume didn't pan out last year, since Chris, aka Obi Wan, had residency interviews and was gone on Oct. 31.  J went as an Ewok, and I was Princess Leia.

I figured we could just repeat the theme since we're in a new place.  We'd only have to get one new costume.  So smart, right?!

Since J has not been big on hats/hoods lately, I ordered him an Annekin Skywalker costume.  I even got him a light saber.  I tailored his costume by hand.  We practiced with the costume a week ahead, and he hated it.  No big deal, I thought.  He just needs to get used to it.

The trunk or treat rolled around.  No, he did not get used to it.  Something about that costume was anathema to him, and I still don't know what.  It was basically just like regular clothes.  But he was not fooled.

Genuine, voluminous tears.  The costume stayed on approximately 2 minutes before Chris said, "Why are we doing this?"  I conceded.  The family costume will have to wait one more year.

Given that performance, we bagged any attempt at trick-or-treating and just had a fun night at home.  We carved the jack-o-lantern (ahem. I documented.  J supervised.  Chris did all the work.  As Chris learned too late, I have very limited skills when it comes to carving pumpkins, making sandcastles, and building snowmen.  Alas, he's stuck with me!).

For as much as he hated wearing a costume, J LOVED handing out candy to the kids in costume who came by our house!  We started out inside the house waiting for the doorbell, but then we all ended up outside because J wanted to watch for the kids from the porch.  And he even wore his hat, go figure.

I didn't want to be a creeper and photograph other people's kids, so you'll just have to imagine a very serious toddler putting handfuls of candy into each bucket and bag.  Our first Halloween as a family, hooray!

It's always fun when Grandma comes

Last month, Grandma Bailey came to visit!  What a treat.  We partied at the Mall of America Amusement park... 

We took J on the truck and balloon rides, but in classic kid fashion, J he had the most fun on the coin-operated bus, into which we deposited zero coins.

We went to the American Girl Doll Bistro, every little girl's dream.  They had a discount for Toddler Tuesday, it was close by when we got hungry, they had a male doll to accompany J during his lunch...how could we say no?  In truth, the doll kind of freaked him out, but he loved the little tiny teacup.

We drove out to the Lark Toy Company, this amazing place with a toy museum, coolest-toy-store-ever, and a hand-carved carousel that's truly world famous (they said).  This photo does not convey J's genuine enthusiasm!

We toured the Mayo campus and took a trolley tour of Rochester.  We learned some essential facts, including that Will Mayo was an avid conservationist and used old x-ray plates as the panes in his green house.  That's the kind of town we live in :)  We also saw just one of the things that makes Mayo a little different than most other hospitals.  

How many clinics have a donor with "His Highness" and "Sultan" in the same name?

 Mom was very excited to take us on a "Mayo" photo shoot.  Chris and J posed with the Mayo Brothers, who are as famous in Rochester as Thomas Jefferson is in Charlottesville.  They are even quoted along with Ghandi on the walls of the city library.

And mostly, we just loved having Mom here.  

 I am blessed to have this wonderful lady as my mother in law!  Thanks for coming to visit us in the chilly north!

Cooler

A blustery autumn, with some rather wintry mornings, has descended on our new hometown.  When Chris and I decided to pin our hopes on Mayo Clinic, we came to the resolution that we were going to face the cold climate with a sense of adventure and cheerfulness.  Now that cooler weather is upon us, we're battening down the hatches (ahem, turning up the thermostat) and looking for things to enjoy about more time indoors.

I must say, this little sweater is one of those things that strengthens my cheery resolve.  I plan to dress him in it regularly.  Thanks, Dad B, for outfitting our little winter gnome.

So long sweet summers

At this time of year, a chorus from a favorite song often weaves through my thoughts.

So long, sweet summer

I stumbled upon you and gratefully basked in your rays

Reflecting on this past summer, I realized that the last few summers that have been, for my parents, bittersweet.

In the summer of 2009, Mom developed a rash that turned out to be lymphoma.

She spent summer 2010 recovering from the stem cell transplant.  

In 2011, Dad cracked his knee cap in half when he slipped on the driveway, requiring surgery and months of rehab, right before our family vacation.

This year, their home narrowly escaped a wildfire in July.  Last month, Mom was thrown from a horse and landed back in the ICU.  She's making a miraculous recovery, thankfully.

It has been inspiring and heart-breaking to watch them surmount these and other difficulties over the last several summers.  I always knew my parents were strong people, but lately that strength seems to have been tested to a degree I would not have anticipated and would never hope for.  But I am grateful for their resilience and for the way that they've supported each other through each challenge.

I hope next year, my folks will get a chance to bask in summer's relaxing rays a bit more.  Love you, J Dog and Pecos Ev.