Challenge 2013

2012 was a good year for us, but also challenging in many ways.  The year brought a LOT  of changes to us accompanied by a great deal of uncertainty.  We are much more settled now, but I don't expect that we will have fewer challenges in 2013 - maybe just different ones.

 

One of the things that was so difficult about last year was that there were so many things that were completely out of my control. We all like to feel like we have control over our lives, but that just isn't the case, nor should it be. There are, however, plenty of things that we do have control of, and I think mastering those things makes us better equipped to handle the things that we cannot control.

In that vein, I have decided to create for myself a set of challenges in 2013 that I believe will make me a better, healthier, wiser person. So I present to you Challenge 2013. A challenge for every month in areas ranging from health, finances, domesticity to motherhood and general well being.  Blogging about the challenges will (hopefully) make me more responsible for following through. Maybe you will even want to join in one or two! 

The Challenge

January: Go sugar free
February: Account for every penny
March: Use the internet for email only
April: No white flour
May: Be a fun mom
June: Be a happy traveler
July: Break a bad habit
August: Turn off the TV
September: Feed the family on $40 a week
October: Sew something
November: Potty train Andrew
December: Lose two pounds


I will check in at the beginning of every month to explain each challenge more fully and at the end of the month to report. This has the added advantage of forcing me to blog at least twice a month!  Wish me luck!

My Boy

Andrew hasn't gotten much attention on this blog. Life got kind of crazy after he was born and has yet to really settle down, but I don't want him to have second-child syndrome (and some people have been asking for more photos) so I finally organized some pictures from the last few months and now Andrew gets a blog post of his very own.

 Andrew is getting his first tooth, so it's nice to see some pictures of him smiling and remember that he is usually happy.

 He likes to sleep with one eye open a crack. I think he must be constantly watching out for big sister.

This is possibly my favorite picture of Andrew, just chillin on the floor being his happy little self.

Obligatory Halloween Pics 2012

 This year we had a butterfly girl and a monster boy.

 

 Lauren had a ball trick-or-treating. She even told us "stay here, I want to go by myself" at a few houses.

  She also scored a few full sized candy bars (those ones looked like they had been infected by drugs, so I had to confiscate them ;) ).

 Andrew mostly just went along with it, looking cute as usual.

 

That's one tired monster.

Siblings

Is it just me, or do you notice a trend in these photos?

Police Beat

To give you an idea of the kind of town we live in, here are a few choice excerpts from the Police Log in this week's edition of the Hull Times. Which is your favorite?

3:36 pm - N Street caller reports that her neighbor left a pile of leaves on her property.

8:39 pm - Caller says that five minutes ago a gray coyote walked from the carousel to George Washington Blvd.

3:53 pm - George Washington Blvd caller reports a cooler lid in the road going toward Hull just past Java Jungle.

9:50 pm - Atlantic House Ct caller reports that a bat just flew behind her bed. O/Connelly reports problem resolved.

11:28 am - Coburn St & Manomet Ave caller reports that two small white "poodle-like" dogs are wandering in the area.

5:08 am - Q St caller states that there is a raccoon in her living room. O/Glavin detailed and reports that there is a baby raccoon in the living room.

7:55 am - Belmont St & Kingsley Rd caller would like to get home, but cannot because the dogs are loose.

11:30 pm - L St. caller reports that someone has Super-glued the lock to her apartment. C3 reports that access was gained.

4:46 pm - Main St. Abandoned E911 call. Student dialed accidentally while trying to order cheerleading uniforms.

9:02 pm. Manomet Ave caller hears a strange noise outside her home. She doesn't know what it is. It could be wood. It could be an animal. It could be something else. She would like someone to check it out. The noise is on the left side of the house. S/Forzese reports that it was the neighbor's gate, which was blowing in the wind.


We better lock our doors - don't want the "poodle-like" dogs to get us!

Hullo.

 

Well, after paying nearly $100 in tolls and a lot more than that in gas, we made it to Hull. We all survived the trip and the kids actually did pretty well (thank you Disney and Baby Einstein), but we were all happy to be here. And now that the computer is up and running and we have found the camera, here are a few pictures of our new stomping grounds. 

Our house. We only live in the top part, but it is still much more spacious than anywhere else we have lived.

 

One of three water views from our house.

 

 

 

 

The stairs leading down to the beach at the end of our street.

 

 

Waiting for the bus to take us to Endless Summer - the kids' first ride in a school bus.

 

 We all enjoyed a ride on the carousel.

And I wowed everyone with my mad hula hooping skills. If I hadn't already put in my birthday present requests, I would seriously ask for a weighted hula hoop. It's a good core workout.

 

Lauren is loving the beach and we are all settling in nicely.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



The Almost Three Year Old

Lauren went to the doctor the other day for her 3-year checkup.  The doctor was really impressed when she asked Lauren what she wanted for her birthday and Lauren replied, "Salad."  She was thinking we were the best parents ever until Lauren said she liked eating french fries. She was also amused when Lauren said her teacher's name was "Alligator" and her best friend's name was "Crocodile" (Lauren really likes reptiles, in case you haven't figured that out yet).

In case you're interested, the almost three year old is in the 92% for weight and the 92% for height.  She probably doesn't have a future in gymnastics - maybe basketball or shot put.  Or maybe her destiny is to be the next crocodile hunter. Only time will tell.

Lauren-isms

It's fun when your children start talking. Having always been interested in language, I've really enjoyed watching Lauren's language develop. For example, last summer, she couldn't say the "k" sound - it came out "t."  She would have a drink from her tup, eat a tuptate, and play with her friend Tai or her cousin Zete. Then a few months passed and one day I realized she was saying "k" just fine. In fact, she talks about cupcakes all the time now.

Now that Lauren has the talking thing down, some pretty funny (and surprising) things come out of her mouth. Some examples:

• A few months ago, we were getting in the car after church and Lauren said, "Dad, you need to turn on the air conditioner."
• When something is out of her reach, Lauren says it is "too reachy."
• One of her favorite things to say at dinnertime is "that's too yucky for me." Yesterday, we were at the store and Lauren was wandering around the produce section touching all the vegetables. When she got to the cauliflower, she touched every one and said "yucky, yucky, yucky, yucky, yucky."
• Lauren says some interesting prayers. Mostly she just mumbles them, but occasionally we'll hear something about princesses, or bandaids, or tigers.
• Sometimes out of the blue, she'll say something like "ice cream is soooo good."
• Lauren eats a banana every single day (sometimes more than one if they're not too reachy), but she has never quite figured out how to say banana. First it was "mana," then it evolved to "BUH-nuh-nuh," now it's "biana."  She also enjoys campaloupe.

Although it's fun to hear her talk, there are times (lots of them, actually) when I wish she would just be quiet for a while. Especially, when we're driving and she thinks it's hilarious to yell random words like "CROCODILE," "OSTRICH" "TACO."  For some reason, it's especially funny if it makes Andrew cry. I can't wait until he can talk back!

Kid Pics

There is a wild woman in the house.

On her table, in Mom's heels, in a dress with no diaper underneath, talking on the phone to Annie.

Ahh, I can exhale.

Then there's this guy. Sweet.

Calm.

Relaxed.

Did I say calm?

Likes oranges, according to Lauren.

We had a baby - did you hear?
After much indecision, we named him Andrew.

He's a pretty sweet little guy.And Lauren? I think you could safely say she loves her baby brother.

Maybe a little too much.They're pretty much inseparable.Being a big sister is exhausting.

Phone messages

One of the perks of having Vonage is that all of the voicemail Emily and I receive at our home phone number is transposed and sent to me via email. This is very helpful while we are travelling and someone leaves a message (usually its a wrong number). Anyways, sometimes it doesn't make much sense. Below is an example of a message I received today.

"Hi Sam it's Lynn we were just wondering if you could turn the oven on at 237850. So that we can just take the food and Raymond and get there because have been for a little bit and that's about it. We will see you in 20 min. Bye"

FYI - I'm pretty certain Lynn is Ben Joslin.

Goggles and Green Smoothies

When Jimmer Came to Town

Jimmer came to town back in January and since tickets were $5 we decided to make it a family event. Lauren found out both of her feet can fit in Kevin Love's footprint with room to spare. He wears size 19. She wears toddler size 6.
We were witnesses. Of Jimmer's warm-up. And of his 5 points.

Lauren really liked saying "Be-fense...be-fense...." She still says it when a basketball game comes on TV.

Community, Part 2

Remember when I couldn't decide which community education course to take? Well, we just received the Winter/Spring catalog and it offers some new, compelling choices. I already signed Lauren up for her early childhood class, but I could also take any of the following:

Mediterranean Favorites: Baba Ghanoug & Baklava
Czech Kolaches
The Art of Sushi
How to Draw Like the Renaissance Masters - Beginning
How to Draw Like the Renaissance Masters - Advanced (I'm pretty sure I could skip right into this class)
"All the Single Ladies" Dance Workshop
"Thriller" Dance Workshop
Bonsai - The Art of Miniature Trees (still available!)
Discover the World of Tarot
The Ups & Downs of Juggling
NEW! How to Make Your Website Googlicious
Why You Can't Lose Weight (subtitle: Put Down the Donut)
It's a Toxic World! 30 Ways to Poison Yourself Before Breakfast
Understanding Psoriasis (aw shucks, that's only for older adults...)

Please weigh in with your thoughts as to which class will most enrich my life.

Lauren's Haircut

It became pretty clear to us recently that it was time for Lauren to have a haircut. It had become a long, scraggly mess, like this:
or this.

We debated taking her to a kids' salon, but I figured I might as well see what I could do myself. So Lauren got to sit in a chair in the kitchen, wear the black cape, put her thumb in her mouth and her finger in her nose, and sing songs with Dad while I cut her hair.

It turned out cute.