The photos explain themselves. Tas and Chance got their first buzz cuts this weekend. Also, included is a photo of Heath when he got his first buzz cut. Our punkins aren't babies anymore.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Buzz Cuts
The photos explain themselves. Tas and Chance got their first buzz cuts this weekend. Also, included is a photo of Heath when he got his first buzz cut. Our punkins aren't babies anymore.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Happy Father's Day!
Happy Father's Day to all the fathers in our lives. Father's play a special role in the family. Sometimes, I think they are overshadowed by the role of the Mother so I think it is especially important to recognize them today. Thank you to Marshall, Ralph (my Dad), Uncle Charles and Uncle Bob for being such wonderful Dad's and for being so kind and loving to our boys! Now, I will turn my blog over to Tas and Chance so they can write Heath a special Father's Day message.
Dear Dada,
We adore you! You are our hero everyday! We really enjoy all the things we do together like camping, horsey rides, building houses with blocks and legos, hiking, eating, playing in the yard, sitting by campfires, swimming, road trips, photos by state signs, going to National Parks, Camp Clayton, play dates, and many other fun activities.
We thank you for teaching us to be strong and independant boys. We even appreciate your discipline so we will grow up to be fine young members of society. We know parenting is hard work and can sometimes be difficult, but somehow you always manage to be strong like a Dad should.
We love you!
Happy Dada's Day!
XOXO
Tas and Chance
Dear Dada,
We adore you! You are our hero everyday! We really enjoy all the things we do together like camping, horsey rides, building houses with blocks and legos, hiking, eating, playing in the yard, sitting by campfires, swimming, road trips, photos by state signs, going to National Parks, Camp Clayton, play dates, and many other fun activities.
We thank you for teaching us to be strong and independant boys. We even appreciate your discipline so we will grow up to be fine young members of society. We know parenting is hard work and can sometimes be difficult, but somehow you always manage to be strong like a Dad should.
We love you!
Happy Dada's Day!
XOXO
Tas and Chance
Friday, June 18, 2010
No Pacie, More Hot Sauce
Three days later and we're still sleeping - yay!
The other change that occurred while I was away last weekend was that Tas involuntarily gave up his pacie. This was something that I never thought would happen without a big struggle. I envisioned that Tas would be scarred for life so I always gave into the pacie request.
It has been a week now and we all have survived. Tas has asked several times for his pacie, but, each time I tell him that the pacies are all gone. That the pacie fairy came and took them all and gave them to a baby who needed them. This answer seems to suffice. I told Heath I did not want to know where the pacies were so I wouldn't be temped to give in. When I thanked Heath last night for taking care of the pacie issue, he let on that it was really Carita's doing. So Carita - thank you! When Tas gets older and has beautiful, straight teeth, I will let him know that his Mim was looking out for him.
Last night, we went to the Loop with the boys for our sausage, mushroom, onion and cilantro pizza. Heath and I enjoyed it and the boys just picked. We learned that we are probably better off with plain cheese for them so they'll eat more. During dinner, Chance inquired about the tabasco sauce on the table since Heath was putting it on his pizza. He wanted to taste it. Heath let him know it was hot and spicy and put a drop on his plate. What happeded next was hysterical. Chance took his little finger and dipped it in the sauce. Then, he licked it and shuddered at the taste. Heath told him to drink milk and take a bite of pizza so he did. Next thing we know, he is sticking his finger in again saying he wants more followed by the same shudder, same sip of milk, same bite of pizza. This scenario played out several times until we determined that we should cut him off so he doesn't get a stomach ache.
After our pizza dinner, I went to see Sex and the City 2. The entire theater was filled with women. This is a chick flick through and through. Good summer entertainment but they should probably quit while they're ahead and not do a Sex and the City 3.
TGIF!
The other change that occurred while I was away last weekend was that Tas involuntarily gave up his pacie. This was something that I never thought would happen without a big struggle. I envisioned that Tas would be scarred for life so I always gave into the pacie request.
It has been a week now and we all have survived. Tas has asked several times for his pacie, but, each time I tell him that the pacies are all gone. That the pacie fairy came and took them all and gave them to a baby who needed them. This answer seems to suffice. I told Heath I did not want to know where the pacies were so I wouldn't be temped to give in. When I thanked Heath last night for taking care of the pacie issue, he let on that it was really Carita's doing. So Carita - thank you! When Tas gets older and has beautiful, straight teeth, I will let him know that his Mim was looking out for him.
Last night, we went to the Loop with the boys for our sausage, mushroom, onion and cilantro pizza. Heath and I enjoyed it and the boys just picked. We learned that we are probably better off with plain cheese for them so they'll eat more. During dinner, Chance inquired about the tabasco sauce on the table since Heath was putting it on his pizza. He wanted to taste it. Heath let him know it was hot and spicy and put a drop on his plate. What happeded next was hysterical. Chance took his little finger and dipped it in the sauce. Then, he licked it and shuddered at the taste. Heath told him to drink milk and take a bite of pizza so he did. Next thing we know, he is sticking his finger in again saying he wants more followed by the same shudder, same sip of milk, same bite of pizza. This scenario played out several times until we determined that we should cut him off so he doesn't get a stomach ache.
After our pizza dinner, I went to see Sex and the City 2. The entire theater was filled with women. This is a chick flick through and through. Good summer entertainment but they should probably quit while they're ahead and not do a Sex and the City 3.
TGIF!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Don't Separate the Twins
So maybe this is because our boys spent nine months in the womb together, three months sharing a crib and then two years in a very small nursery, but...
Saturday night, while I was away, Heath decided to rearrange the boys bedroom. We had moved them out of their cribs and into a larger room a few weeks ago where I had pushed their mattresses together so they could sleep together. Heath decided that they needed their space. He put their mattresses on opposite sides of the room and put a large rocking chair and foot rest between them so they could not see each other. Chance screamed all night long on Saturday, Sunday (the night I returned from Omega), Monday and till 1 am this morning.
At 1 am, I went into their room and rearranged their furniture so their mattresses were about 1.5 feet apart. I know this sounds crazy rearranging furniture in the middle of the night, but I couldn't take it any longer. Chance immediately curled up and leaned over as far as he could towards Tasman's crib on his mattress and peacefully fell back asleep until 8 am, when Heath went in and woke them up!!!!!!
When I told this story to our friend Stacey she told me her friend had boy/girl 6 year old twins who still sleep together. She said, "dont separate the twins until they ask to be separated." GOOD ADVICE!
On a side note, our good friends are out in the Southwest exploring the desert. They called Heath to him know that they were having a great time at Gobblin Valley, Arches and a few other places. We are so happy for them! We love the US SW.
In terms of my spiritual commitment, I meditated every so far since I have been home and feel great about it! I also did yoga tonight while the boys enjoyed time with their Aunt LaLa. I plan to go back to Omega again in October to see a traveling Buddhist Monk from Sri Lanka.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Omega Weekend
My Mom and I did a New Age weekend at the Omega Institute this weekend. It was a lovely weekend and much needed for me to rest and rejuevinate my self. I landed at LGA and we drove north to Hyde Park for a pitstop at the Culinary Institute. It was a beautiful campus overlooking the Hudson River and there were students all around in their chef outfits. We had the most delicious rubens and potato salad I have ever tasted. After this, we continued North and stopped in Rinebeck for a little ecelctic shopping.
We arrived at Omega around 5pm. We checked onto our "green" room, which was very nice - local slate BR floor, local wood floor, all organic blankets, florescent light bulbs, etc. and I went for a 30 min walk and did a mediation at the sanctuary. Then, we had dinner and headed to the wellness center and got the best facials ever and had reiki done. Reiki is all about your chakras and balancing and clearing your energy. The woman told us both some interesting observations that were spot on with what we both have going on in our lives. After our treatments, we went to catch the end of Marianne Williamson's opening session. We were not impressed and were in fact a little taken back by her. She was preaching the word of Christianity and definitely alienating a lot of the new agey people in the audience who were there for a "non-religious" experience as described in the program.
I got a fabulous night's sleep knowing I had no diabets checks on toddlers to care for. I woke up at 6:30 and did Qi Gong a form of Tai Chi. Then I met my Mom and we had a delicious breakfast and ate the best pumpernickle raisin bread I have ever tasted. Then, off more more preaching and in between some good life advice. One thing I quickly realized is how important it is for me to get back to my daily mediation practice, my yoga and my other new age beliefs. I truly believe this will help me to be more patient and kind to my children, my husband and our friends and family.
In the afternoon, after a yummy, vegetarian lunch, we wemt down to the lake at Omega and took naps on their hammocks. How delightful. After my Mom fell out of hers, we decided to catch the end of Marianne's session. At 5:30, I did a teriffic yoga class in the Yoga pavillion, which was rejeuvibating after a long day. After dinner and a delicious blueberry cobbler dessert, we went to the sactuary to listen to live music - Ceclia St King, a Peace Trubidor. She had a beautiful voice and wonderful stories about how she has used her music to make the world a better place.
After, another awesome night's sleep, my Mom and I went for our last Omega breakfast. We skipped Marianne's sessions today due to complete disinterest. I did yoga at the lake, then a Qi Gong class at the library, then to the sanctary to meditate and then lunch. And, then we departed. This was where my lovely weekend of serenity ended. The real world can be a tough place after a weekend retreat. Nothing else said here.
The lessons leanred this weekend were:
1. it is important for me to get back to my spirituality and daily practice and make it a part of our boys lives like camping and backpacking are.
2. spend more time with my Mom.
We arrived at Omega around 5pm. We checked onto our "green" room, which was very nice - local slate BR floor, local wood floor, all organic blankets, florescent light bulbs, etc. and I went for a 30 min walk and did a mediation at the sanctuary. Then, we had dinner and headed to the wellness center and got the best facials ever and had reiki done. Reiki is all about your chakras and balancing and clearing your energy. The woman told us both some interesting observations that were spot on with what we both have going on in our lives. After our treatments, we went to catch the end of Marianne Williamson's opening session. We were not impressed and were in fact a little taken back by her. She was preaching the word of Christianity and definitely alienating a lot of the new agey people in the audience who were there for a "non-religious" experience as described in the program.
I got a fabulous night's sleep knowing I had no diabets checks on toddlers to care for. I woke up at 6:30 and did Qi Gong a form of Tai Chi. Then I met my Mom and we had a delicious breakfast and ate the best pumpernickle raisin bread I have ever tasted. Then, off more more preaching and in between some good life advice. One thing I quickly realized is how important it is for me to get back to my daily mediation practice, my yoga and my other new age beliefs. I truly believe this will help me to be more patient and kind to my children, my husband and our friends and family.
In the afternoon, after a yummy, vegetarian lunch, we wemt down to the lake at Omega and took naps on their hammocks. How delightful. After my Mom fell out of hers, we decided to catch the end of Marianne's session. At 5:30, I did a teriffic yoga class in the Yoga pavillion, which was rejeuvibating after a long day. After dinner and a delicious blueberry cobbler dessert, we went to the sactuary to listen to live music - Ceclia St King, a Peace Trubidor. She had a beautiful voice and wonderful stories about how she has used her music to make the world a better place.
After, another awesome night's sleep, my Mom and I went for our last Omega breakfast. We skipped Marianne's sessions today due to complete disinterest. I did yoga at the lake, then a Qi Gong class at the library, then to the sanctary to meditate and then lunch. And, then we departed. This was where my lovely weekend of serenity ended. The real world can be a tough place after a weekend retreat. Nothing else said here.
The lessons leanred this weekend were:
1. it is important for me to get back to my spirituality and daily practice and make it a part of our boys lives like camping and backpacking are.
2. spend more time with my Mom.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Mim is here!
After an afternoon in Black Mountain on Sunday, we came home and prepped our house for Carita's arrival yesterday - yay! There is a certain energy in the house when Carita is here, which I can't explain, but it is wonderful.
Last night, we had a family gathering with Carita, PaRan, Charles, LaLa, and Cate Cate. Charles and Ladonna brought over a really awesome inflatable bed for Carita to use since we have not refurnished our guest room. They also brought over a bunch of fresh veggies and fruit from the Farmers Market. They are so good to us and love our boys so much!
Since I don't mention Gibson very much in my blogs, I will mention him in this one. Yesterday morning, Gibson got stung by either a bee or a yellowjacket. We didn't think much of it, but he did seem out of sorts and was flopping his ears all day and night. Then, last night around 10, Heath noticed that Gibson's neck and ears were completely swollen and filled with fluid. He looked terrible.
Heath gave him Benadryl and took him to the emergency vet clinic. Ends up he was having a reaction to the bee sting and his lymph nodes were filling with fluid so they gave him a cortisone shot. Today, our friend Michelle the vet came by to see Gibson and make sure he was OK. This was extremely kind of her. She brought Gibson cortisone pills to take until the fluid is completely gone. She had her RV with her, which was sweet! I could definitely travel around in an RV like that! We sat in there for a while. I think the boys and Gibson would love it if we got one.
Tonight, Carita prepared a really yummy dinner - pork tenderloin, rice pilaf and some of the fresh veggies from Ladonna - fried corn, fresh tomatoes and cucumber. Michelle stayed for dinner and we all enjoyed the feast around the dining room table. Even the punkins ate well. Then, Carita cleaned and put the boys to bed for while I took a walk with Gibson and Heath taught photography. We are so spoiled this week and I will enjoy every minute of it. What a nice break from the normal routine! Thank you Carita for coming to be with us!
Last night, we had a family gathering with Carita, PaRan, Charles, LaLa, and Cate Cate. Charles and Ladonna brought over a really awesome inflatable bed for Carita to use since we have not refurnished our guest room. They also brought over a bunch of fresh veggies and fruit from the Farmers Market. They are so good to us and love our boys so much!
Since I don't mention Gibson very much in my blogs, I will mention him in this one. Yesterday morning, Gibson got stung by either a bee or a yellowjacket. We didn't think much of it, but he did seem out of sorts and was flopping his ears all day and night. Then, last night around 10, Heath noticed that Gibson's neck and ears were completely swollen and filled with fluid. He looked terrible.
Heath gave him Benadryl and took him to the emergency vet clinic. Ends up he was having a reaction to the bee sting and his lymph nodes were filling with fluid so they gave him a cortisone shot. Today, our friend Michelle the vet came by to see Gibson and make sure he was OK. This was extremely kind of her. She brought Gibson cortisone pills to take until the fluid is completely gone. She had her RV with her, which was sweet! I could definitely travel around in an RV like that! We sat in there for a while. I think the boys and Gibson would love it if we got one.
Tonight, Carita prepared a really yummy dinner - pork tenderloin, rice pilaf and some of the fresh veggies from Ladonna - fried corn, fresh tomatoes and cucumber. Michelle stayed for dinner and we all enjoyed the feast around the dining room table. Even the punkins ate well. Then, Carita cleaned and put the boys to bed for while I took a walk with Gibson and Heath taught photography. We are so spoiled this week and I will enjoy every minute of it. What a nice break from the normal routine! Thank you Carita for coming to be with us!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
RATTS, Tas Won a Guitar
We are in Knoxville, TN tonight at the Best Western, which is high end luxury compared to camping for a week. Actually, it is a very nice hotel and our room is a suite so this gives us adequate space so we're all not on top of each other. Tonight, is our last night of vacation then we'll make a b-line on I40 tomorrow for home.
We had a fun week in Kentucky. After Cumberland Gap, we drove to the Red River Gorge area of Kentucky, which was pretty cool. It is a world class climbing area so we met people from all over the US and Canada. Some highlights were: walking over several arches including the Natural Bridge, camping and Tas running around teh campground naked greeting everyone, finding a quiet shallow swimming hole on the river, biking down a winding, gravel mountain road, taking a sky lift with the boys up a cliff, hiking with the punkins (we've determined that 1/2 mile is their limit), sleeping through the night, enjoying good BG numbers from Chance, eating especially at Miguel's Pizza, going to a bluegrass festival and meeting some really good people.
"RATTS" stands for Race Against That Thunder Storm. We did this the day we biked. The storms came in before we got back to our car - oh well. At least it cooled us off. We did enjoy fairly dry weather though - a first for us.
A definite highlight was the Sally Gap Bluegrass festival today. This was no Shakori Hills, but as the mc said, "we have vendors, not a lot of vendors, but they are the best." It was very hot today. The boys made banjos and got free festival T-shirts for doing this. They also got to go on stage to play their instruments. After the mini recital, the festival organizer drew four raffle tickets to give away quality musical instruments amoungst the kids whom had just performed - an accoustic guitar, a mandolin, a fiddle and a banjo. The first three kids who won picked the mandolin, the fiddle and the banjo. Then, she drew the forth ticket, but the winner was not present so she redrew and the winner was Tasman Clayton! Wow - the Clayton's are really on a winning streak. The guitar is beautiful and Tas was so excited. He stood on stage and strummed the guitar while the festival folks took pictures. he will be featured on their website and in the local newspaper.
We had a fun week in Kentucky. After Cumberland Gap, we drove to the Red River Gorge area of Kentucky, which was pretty cool. It is a world class climbing area so we met people from all over the US and Canada. Some highlights were: walking over several arches including the Natural Bridge, camping and Tas running around teh campground naked greeting everyone, finding a quiet shallow swimming hole on the river, biking down a winding, gravel mountain road, taking a sky lift with the boys up a cliff, hiking with the punkins (we've determined that 1/2 mile is their limit), sleeping through the night, enjoying good BG numbers from Chance, eating especially at Miguel's Pizza, going to a bluegrass festival and meeting some really good people.
"RATTS" stands for Race Against That Thunder Storm. We did this the day we biked. The storms came in before we got back to our car - oh well. At least it cooled us off. We did enjoy fairly dry weather though - a first for us.
A definite highlight was the Sally Gap Bluegrass festival today. This was no Shakori Hills, but as the mc said, "we have vendors, not a lot of vendors, but they are the best." It was very hot today. The boys made banjos and got free festival T-shirts for doing this. They also got to go on stage to play their instruments. After the mini recital, the festival organizer drew four raffle tickets to give away quality musical instruments amoungst the kids whom had just performed - an accoustic guitar, a mandolin, a fiddle and a banjo. The first three kids who won picked the mandolin, the fiddle and the banjo. Then, she drew the forth ticket, but the winner was not present so she redrew and the winner was Tasman Clayton! Wow - the Clayton's are really on a winning streak. The guitar is beautiful and Tas was so excited. He stood on stage and strummed the guitar while the festival folks took pictures. he will be featured on their website and in the local newspaper.
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