Happy Birthday Sydney!

Maddie and her cousin were born 11 days apart -- and today is Sydney's 8th birthday. We love her so much we thought we'd sing to her -- Happy Birthday Sydney!

The Big Pig

Jared starts the "Big Pig" tomorrow -- wish us all good luck!

He'll be gone more than he's home for the next few weeks.

Got Game?

There has been no coaching for my amazingly athletic little boy.

Just some serious natural skill.

Now, if we parents would only learn to take pictures that actually include the club!

Bath Time

Recently while giving John a bath, I was reminded how similar he and Maddie look. The picture of Maddie is from when she was about 3-years-old, so about six months older than John is now. I think if you took away Maddie's beautifully distracting curls, the pictures would be even more similar.

I tried to get John to have a similar facial expression so that the comparison would be more realistic, but getting a decent picture of John's face is almost impossible. He gets so worked up in front of the camera! This is a better example of the experience:

Girls Day Out

Maddie has been working for almost ten months to save up her money for the American Girl Doll named Felicity. It's shocking what my daughter can do when she's determined! She finally had enough money about a week ago, so we made reservations and arrangements to head to one of their stores for an adventure.

When she woke up this morning, Maddie said, "Mom, I think this is going to be one of those days I remember for the rest of my life!" (What pressure for a mom!)

We made a special trip -- about 120 miles -- up to the store in Boston with our good friends. It was such a fun day! Maddie had a great time looking at all the clothes, dolls and accessories. She found her new doll and couldn't wait to hand over her money. The clerk was really cute and told her that she'd get the doll out of the box because she's just been waiting for a hug for ages. Maddie wouldn't let go of Felicity for anything! She hugged that doll as tight as could be all day long, and is still hugging her in her sleep right this moment.

We shopped around for about 90 minutes, then had lunch in the Bistro. It was such fun -- the food was fantastic too!

It was definitely a day I'll remember. My daughter is just an amazing person with such a sweet disposition. She makes everything we do more fun just because she's there. Love ya Maddie!

Fireworks at Sailfest

We went to the annual Sailfest fireworks in New London.

A friend invited us to their 'secret' viewing spot. It was perfect for us -- easy to get in and out and without a large crowd. The kids had a place to run and play while waiting and we didn't have to worry about them getting lost. Lovely!

It was especially fun to watch John enjoy his first fireworks. What a cute kid!

It was a great evening out, the only drag was the humidity. It held the smoke in place so that it was hard to see the fireworks in the middle of the show. By the grand finale it started to clear out again. Beautiful!

Lessons learned from 11 days of jury duty

I was fortunate enough to get to participate in our justice system for eleven days over the last few weeks. It was a federal trial held in New Haven -- about 40 miles from my home. The case involved two police officers that were accused of violating an arrestee's civil rights for repeatedly spraying him with pepper spray while he was contained in a cell. You can learn about more about it here.

I learned some things that may help prepare you for jury service, should you be so lucky:

1. If there is an earthquake on your first day, prepare for future disasters. In addition to the earthquake, we had a tornado, the hottest day on record, a juror quit in the middle of deliberations, and a hung jury. All first-time experiences for our very distinguished judge.
2. Think long and hard before volunteering to be the foreperson. It gets more heated than you can possible imagine in that jury room! We were honestly concerned that some people might hit each other for a few minutes there! :) OK, so we worked through the emotional moments and had very interesting debates about the case. But, all my people and mothering skills were put to the test. A timer was the best solution to move things along! Also -- any note you write is preserved for all time as a court document, so I will be immortalized by my first request "May we please have a mouse." Brilliant!
3. A jury consists of all kinds of people. We had some interesting characters on the jury. You just never know what you're going to get, so be nice to everyone, but be prepared for unexpected emotional reactions in return. (Can you tell I'm trying to say something without actually saying it???)
4. Order all you want for lunch. The government encourages you to make sure you'll have enough to eat or drink while you deliberate -- 8-9 hours a day in a locked room. Order extra water -- every day. You won't be sad.
5. Be nice to your caretakers -- the Marshalls and the jury clerk. Our sweet caretakers made sure we had everything we needed. And when we were ready to explode, they'd take us out for a walk to let the tension pass. Thanks guys -- you were wonderful!
6. You won't sleep well during the trial. Every night I would toss and turn, thinking about evidence. I can only describe it like the heffalumps and woozles in Winnie the Pooh -- it just swirls around until it becomes a nightmare. I still hear the words "upon pains and penalties of perjury" in my dreams. Even though we finished two days ago, I'm still dreaming about it, worrying and dwelling on every little detail.
7. It's really hard not to talk about the case. Every night I wanted to talk about what had happened in court that day, but was bound by my oath not to do so. Now that it's over, I don't want to think about it any more -- I'm trying to purge it all from my mind. It's not working. I can still remember all the important time stamps on the video we watched. I'll always remember the steps of force a police officer can use, and on and on.
8. Sometimes, the evidence being presented gets boring. Invent mental exercises to keep yourself alert. I tried figuring out how much the trial had cost. I memorized different police techniques. I kept track of every person's shirt color from day to day to see if they wore the same ones. I tried figuring out who was related to whom in the gallery. And other such nonsense.
9. Be kind to your mother-in-law. She'll save your bacon! My sweet mother-in-law came for six days to take care of the kids. She cooked, cleaned, did laundry and took care of all of us! I never would have made it without her help. Thanks Sarah!
10. Be kind to your friends -- they too are wonderful! My kids have been passed around and around again. Good friends took the kids for 5-6 hours a day so that Jared could go to work while I was at jury duty. We wouldn't have made it without them either! Thanks ladies!

Bloggers Quilt Festival Entry Spring 2010

I totally posted this on the wrong blog! Ugh! Oh well, enjoy the quilt..... It should have been at www.lymericky.blogspot.com.

I love the bloggers quilt festival! It's so much fun to look at every quilt and get ideas for the coming six months.

Here's my entry:

I made this quilt for a friend having a baby boy. It was a really good project to try out new stuff. This was the first time I've quilted shapes using my machine. I was astonished at how easy it was to do--

• First I found clip art online.
• I printed it out and then cut out the shape.
• Using a water-soluble marker, I traced the pattern onto the fabric.
• Then I quilted the pattern using free motion quilting
• The stippling helps to give each design added depth
• Then I sprayed the markings with water to make them disappear

The quilt was pretty easy to put together, but I thoroughly enjoyed the process.

So far behind...

I'm so far behind on this blog! I can't even begin to catch up. But, if you would like to see all the photos from our recent trip to Baltimore, click here to watch the photobook slideshow -- you'll have to scroll down a little bit to see the whole thing.

This trip was definitely one of my most favorites. The kids were so much fun and we packed everything in that we possibly could. We saw great friends, but I didn't take a single picture of them. So dumb! We ate tons of great food. We did everything we could -- Port Discovery, Baltimore Aquarium, National Zoo, church, Ocean City and Assateague. Phew! We're still tired from all the fun!

Here's a couple of photos for those that don't want to watch the photo book slide show:

The aftermath

A picture is worth a thousand words -- enjoy!

The first night of the flood we needed comfort food --

what can beat strawberries dipped in chocolate?

We flooded on Tuesday. Jared rigged up two sump pumps with the help of a friend from church. Little John could not stay away from the water!

Both pumps were going full throttle --Tuesday we had 10 inches, Wednesday we were down to about 4 inches and Thursday we finally got below the one inch mark.

We hauled everything out of the basement thanks to the help of the missionaries and our home teacher. Many things had to go to the dumpster because they had been ruined. Others were sent to the dumpster because we just happy to have the excuse to get rid of them.

Friday, my dear friend Emily and the missionaries helped to rip out the carpet and carry it outside to dry. The carpet pad was so heavy! It was just full of water. I forgot to take a picture of the carpet on the driveway, just imagine.

Saturday, Jared ripped out the drywall, the insulation and started airing out the entire basement. We still have a small puddle seeping in, but it's really starting to dry.

Now we're just waiting for the water table to drop a little more before we start the repairs.

Maddie's awesome!

Maddie started Karate lessons during an after school program, and she's great! The teacher used her as the example several times. She even got to break a board -- whoo hoo Maddie!

Here's a few pictures:

Battle of the Flood

Today I woke up with optimism and joy (little did I know what was coming--I was going to need it!). I had a great nine hours of sleep and my kids were happy and the world was just a great place to be. Part of my joy came from a great talk I heard last night that really boosted my spirits. Then I read some things this morning that added to my positive outlook. I'm so grateful for the perspective that those two things provided.


For at about 10 AM, I went down to our beautifully finished basement to find it flooded with about 2 inches of water. By 2:15 that was up to 8 inches. Now, we've crested at 10 inches and we're starting to fight back. We got the broken sump pump working, and it's stopped the water from coming in. We haven't been able to get rid of the water that's already inside -- it's still raining and the water table is just too high. We're putting up a good fight though and hope to gain on it in the next few hours. If we can get the water down, then we can use the hot water and furnace again. As for right now we have no heat and no hot water.

I tell you, if you ever have to go into battle, take along the team of warriors I've had today. Not only do they work really hard, but they lift your spirits on the battlefront and help you make it a reasonably pleasurable experience. My warriors:

First, my dear friend Emily who helped me to get the most important things

off the floor before the flooding got worse

(and her kids entertained my son by playing in the giant bathtub)

Second, my husband who rushed home

from work to take on this unbelievable task.

Third, my daughter who lugged countless items

up the stairs and out of harm's way.

Fourth, the wonderful Tage Wright who managed to get us a new sump pump when there are none to be had within a hundred miles, and then came and installed it and made sure everything was in working order. His feet were numb and bright pink from being in the freezing water. Thanks Tage!

(Sorry I forgot to take your picture)

Fifth, all the wonderful people from church that have called to check on us.

What an amazing bunch of people.

I'll always be grateful for your encouraging words and offers to help.

We'll probably take you up on it once the flood has receded.

Someday, this March will be a month I remember with a smile and a chuckle for all the struggles we've faced as a family. I have to say, I haven't shed a tear yet today; we've been able to laugh and just deal with the situation. I'm sure the tears will come when we have to start hauling our cherished belongings to the dump, but for now, we're just grateful we're all safe, reasonably healthy and that we've had help to start dealing with this wet wonderland we call a basement.

Hit by a truck

OK. So none of us has been hit by a truck -- it just feels like it.

This post may be more information than you'll ever want to know about our family's medical history, so feel free to skip it if you choose. I just want to document it now so that a few months from now when it's a distant memory, I can look back and laugh about it.

First Maddie had a terrible stomach flu. There was major clean-up and a very sick girl. It lasted for about two days. That was Monday and Tuesday.

On Thursday, I tore the ligament that runs along the bottom of my right foot. I was just walking down the stairs and POP! I heard and felt it just snap. It was awful. I cried for about an hour. During that time, I was so mad, I ripped a towel rack off the wall and made a great big hole in the drywall. Jared has been kind enough to repair the damages.

Friday, I got the same stomach flu. Bad. Very bad. It took about three days for me to recover. I couldn't walk at all -- this led to some perilous moments as I tried to rush through the house hobbling to and fro.

After recovering from the flu, I finally got to see the foot doctor and he says that I should be grateful for the tear -- it probably saved me from having foot surgery. Yahoo! No surgery. But, he has instructed me to stay off it for 30 days. I would have needed a cast, but my orthotics are mini-casts and will do just fine. Yahoo! No cast!

Then, Little John had double ear infections and was put on antibiotics. They have fixed the ears, but caused the digestive track problems previously mentioned in another post.

Now, I have a cold. Because of my asthma I can't breathe. I'm waiting for the doctor to call in a prescription for antibiotics to help me get over it.

In the good news category -- I love that spring is here. We're starting to think about planting the garden, vacations and summer plans.

I can't wait for these diseases to disappear so that we all feel like getting outside and enjoying the sunshine. Basking in the warm sun sounds so good right now!

It's a sign

This morning Little John slept in. Yahoo -- I'm hoping to meet some friends for lunch, and if he slept in, then I could push his nap back an hour or two. Thus, mom gets what she wants and boy gets sleep. Everyone would have been a winner.

But...

This is what I heard when John woke up this morning --

"MOM! Uh, oh! Mess! Mom! I need bath! Mess! Mess!"

I hustled. Any mom with a two-year-old boy that thinks something is a mess would hustle. They don't consider anything a mess.

You can thank me later that this post does not include pictures. Some of you that are not mothers might want to skip the rest of the gory details.

His clothes, the bedding, his favorite blanket, the crib rails, the wall all covered in an undesirable substance. I suddenly saw my wonderful lunch plans fly out the window. This was a sign -- DO NOT TAKE YOUR CHILD FOR A SIT-DOWN MEAL IN A PUBLIC PLACE -- it would be guaranteed to repeat.

My only question is, how did all of that undesirable substance only leave a passing trail in the diaper? How does that work? What freak of nature makes that happen?

Essence of Maddie

Capturing the personality of a seven-year-old girl is a little harder to do in just one picture. Maddie is on the verge of so many things, yet still a young girl in my eyes.

I think this picture does a pretty good job of showing just how beautiful she is and will be as she gets older, but still retains some of her girlish charms.

Essence of John

This is my little boy distilled into one photo. Happy, bright, a little mischievous, cute and just fun to be around. I will cherish this photo forever.

Sometimes I get a little grief over how many photos I take on an outing with the family. This picture is the reason why -- sometimes it takes 50 shots of my little man to get the one that captures his personality. I love it!

Not to be held back

Little John came to me this morning with a handful of letters. "Mama, M-N-P-A, PLEASE!" he said. He sat down, pounded the floor (an indication that I was to sit as well) and said, "PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!"

He held up a letter and did his little hand gesture with his little garbled, "What is it?" and then handed it to me.

I obviously realized that he wanted to learn the letters. He would hand one to me and ask it's name. I'd tell him. We went through his stack several times. He can recognize M, A, O and sometimes T and S. The funny thing is that he can't really say the names of most of the letters. I'll say "C" and he'll say "bupirty" or something that sounds nothing like a "C". But, he thinks he's said the right thing and will ask for the next letter.

In everything in life, he will not allow us to leave him out of things, and he obviously recognizes that we know letters he doesn't yet understand. What a boy. Soon, it'll be demanding to read. I thought it would be a lot longer before I'd be back teaching these things again.

But, almost as interestingly, the boy's style will not be held back as well. He's invented his own wrist warmers, and will not take it off for any reason. Enjoy!

Hiking again!

We went back to Devil's Hopyard to hike again. This time we did about 2.5 miles. It was a little too much for all of us. Little John just isn't quite focused enough to go that far and it wears the rest of us down. Jared and I seem to have a really big problem with destination events. We can't turn around. This weekend it was just a hike that went too far. In the past, it was a 38-mile bike ride. I can't decide if this is a problem or a personality strength. I guess only time will tell.

We do really enjoy these long excursions -- after they are over and we're in the car driving home -- we always talk about what a great time was had by all.

Yet again I've added a bunch of photos. Mostly just because I like looking at them. Hope you enjoy too -- I've put them in rough chronological order. After 3 hours of hiking, it's a little hard to remember.