it's the little things...

those of you who have followed me for a while, heard about the evolution of my kitchen. chuck spent nearly two years updating our kitchen, and i love it. even though it was "done" there were still a few finishing touches it lacked - mainly hardware and a curtain. recently, we added those finishing touches and i'm so pleased with the result.

here is the "original" finished kitchen...

and, now, here is my current kitchen... complete with a few changes.

there is no denying it. chuck does some good work. i am so pleased every time i walk into that room. ironically, when he's in the kitchen, all he sees is the ceiling - the only thing left to "do."

tucker's current state of affairs

aside from the last update, i feel as though my blog makes it look like i only have one child. i mean, really, do i even have 2 daughters? i'm very happy to care for any of my children in need of my attention, but lately, my life seems to revolve around a certain 3 year old. he's needed it. for now, though, i think he needs a break. i need a break. anyone who gets undivided attention for over 2 weeks is bound to have issues.

yesterday, i took tucker to his 2 week post-op appointment with the surgeon who performed his tonsillectomy. the good news is that his throat is healing right on schedule and tucker is free to return to his normal activities and menu. the not so good news is that our sleepless nights may not end any time soon. ever since his surgery, tucker has woken up screaming several times a night. yes, we adjusted medication. we've tried everything. the doctor informed me that the nighttime problem should be resolved in about six weeks. SIX weeks. SIX WEEKS? what the heck? i don't really know why he's having such a hard time... but apparently this is normal (?) following this procedure. great. last night i was up with him 4 times before he went more than an hour without screaming. and he's not even awake. how do you reason with a sleeping, screaming three year old? oh well...

as a way to celebrate his clean bill of health, we decided to let tucker decide what we'd eat for dinner last night. not surprisingly, he opted for mcdonalds (and, consequently got his mother out of cooking dinner, bless his heart). he was so excited for that burger and fries... til the first bite hit his throat. his eyes popped open and he grabbed his neck. "it hurts my throat!" he cried. chuck and i just looked at each other thinking, "huh,... maybe he isn't always making it up..." before we could swap his happy meal for soft serve, however, he was back in his seat taking deep breaths and saying, "i can eat this..." and he did. despite whatever discomfort it caused, he sat there and got every last bite down. either way, it was encouraging. it was good to see him eat, because the last few weeks has made our little boy even tinier than usual. it was also encouraging to discover that, although some foods may not feel great going down, he can eat them. so, the next time he comes to my dinner table, takes one look at my dinner, and dramatically whispers (after having gobbled up a bag of goldfish crackers) "i can't eat that. it hurts my throat..." i'll know he's full of bunk.

patrick's journey continues

last sunday, chuck and i had the pleasure of watching our oldest child be baptized. the whole thing was supposed to happen over a month ago, but it was postponed several times. our church performs baptisms every so often... as the need arises, so to speak... and because we don't have a baptismal, they perform them at a local creek. it's a fun kinda authentic way to do it,... except when copious amounts of rain flood both said creek and its bank causing the warm august baptism to actually take place at the chilly end of september... in a swimming pool. ah well, either way, it works, you know?

as children's pastors, chuck and i had talked with the kids at church about what baptism means and whether or not they were "ready." several decided they wanted to be baptized,... but by the time it actually took place, patrick was the only kid standing amidst all the adults. (the numerous schedule changes threw a few off, i think).

being the only child present, he opted to go first, but decided that keeping to the ladder was his best option. man, i love that boy. safety first.

i am really proud of his decision... and glad that he asked lots of questions first and then followed through despite what everyone else did. i look forward to watching him continue on this journey...

tucker and the tonsils...

i document. it's what i do. chuck makes fun of me for recording our family events rather than actually experiencing them. in the case of tucker's tonsillectomy, it was not my intention to document - i just figured i'd get a before and after shot. ironically, chuck took most of the pictures this time.

tucker's journey since last thursday has been challenging for all of us (although, i suppose physically, he is recovering right on schedule).

as he was prepared to go back to the OR, chuck read tucker's favorite book...

once he and daddy were fully changed, he definitely knew something was up. leading up to this point, he kept saying, "i don't want my tonsils out. i want to keep them."

although tucker clung to chuck before the surgery, he only wanted me afterwards. of course, he wasn't exactly coherent...

we were glad when he fell back to sleep on my lap, because every time he woke up he was not happy.

in fact, he was pretty miserable.

i can only imagine what it must feel like to "go to sleep" feeling fine only to wake up feeling like someone drove a truck down your throat. he kept telling us he was choking.

he refused to drink or try any popsicles (mainly because he HATES cold foods). all he really wanted was to go home. the nurse finally told him he could go home as soon as he started eating and drinking. to that, he responded, "give me that popsicle."

the ride home was a somber affair...

once home, however, chuck plopped his mattress right in front of the tv and granted him free access to the wii. this distracted him for the greater portion of the day.

he even got to nap there!

he looks peaceful here.

unfortunately, waking up is much harder than falling asleep,... and for the last several days this entire process has repeated itself every time he wakes up.

a chatty sort of all-encompassing update...

well, at least, that's what i'm hoping to accomplish. lately, i put off blogging in search of uninterrupted time, but i'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that i don't really have any of that. at all. but that's ok.

so,...

i took patrick to his 8 yr check-up today. not that thrilling, i know, but it still reminds me of how old he is getting. and that makes me think of how quickly my children are leaving their current phases and entering new ones. of course, that's all part of the plan,... but i'm always making a conscious effort to really appreciate who and what my kids are now. it seems like just yesterday patrick couldn't get enough of bob the builder and his toy guitar (he used to write his own worship music... but that's another post entirely...). now he's reading Treasure Island and drawing pictures that already surpass my most artistic moments. i love him. and i love watching him and his siblings grow up.

three weeks into the school year, i feel like i'm finally starting to fall into a routine of sorts. this year has brought many changes: lucy entered kindergarten which leaves only tucker at home with me. this is a good thing... but it's taking some getting used to on his part. some days he's not sure what to do with all the attention and other days he turns into a monster if he doesn't get all my attention. in the long run, the good and bad attention he's demanding is helping to work off some of his rough edges. he's at that age where he needs a little "polishing." when people ask what the kids are up to these days, i tell them, "the older three are in school, and tucker is in boot camp." it's true.

another change is that the two kids i watch, K and A, are down to just A now because K is in kindergarten, as well. however, his is half day kindergarten, so some days i get to pick him up and keep him for the afternoons. i'm glad for these days, because tucker enjoys the added company. he's recently started asking if we can keep A forever. not sure her parents would like that...

i finally feel as if we're really moving into fall. the kids clothes are all switched over (with the exception of some shorts and stuff, because, let's face it, this is maryland...). i'm ready to get back into the kitchen after a spending the hot summer avoiding it. my mental baking list is growing... now i just need to work up the nerve to get started. hmm...

winter baking inevitably leads to the dreaded "winter weight" which makes me think about giving exercise another go. ever since last november's broken ankle, my attempts to re-acclimate myself to any exercise has left me a bit sore (that and summer exercise routines are too hot for my liking). i think it's time to get back on the treadmill - but maybe in smaller, more manageable doses. now, i just need to figure out how to work it in to the schedule...

i guess that's enough for now. my uninterrupted time is just about up...

my boy

i don't want to overlook the fact that my oldest turned 8 last week.

i'm not sure which is harder for me... the idea of him being that old OR the idea that i've been a mother for 8 years. it's been a great ride. happy birthday, patrick

happy birthday, patrick

an update from the slacker...

once again, i've been posting in my mind instead of on "paper."

today is lucy's first day of kindergarten... we leave in a half hour for her first gradual entry day. patrick and chloe are 3 days in, now, and seem to have adjusted as if there was no summer separating them from last school year.

yes, i have pictures to share. but between patrick and chloe's first day, lucy's first day, and lucy's first day on the bus (friday), i figure it will be easier to show them all at once.

busy week...