Abandoned but not forgotten!

Hello? Anyone still out there?

I've heard that abandoning your blog for the better part of eight weeks is an excellent way to maintain your readership. Okay maybe not so much. In any case I am happy to report that I am back from my extended vacation from the internet. Life gets crazy sometimes and unfortunately I just didn't make the time to write. I wish I had, believe me, I am repeatedly hitting my head on the keyboard now! All that being said I am going to do something I have never done... I am going to post date a whole bunch of posts over the next few days. I know that in some blogging circles this is frowned upon. Haha is that even true? I have no idea. The only reason I mention it is that for those of you who don't want to miss a post you may have to look backwards in time. I will also link to those posts below.

A lot has happened in our little lives since the last time I sat down to tap out an update. Lily turned 3, I turned 32, Ben turned 1, we welcomed a bestie's baby girl, walked Sesame Street, Kate graduated from college, we passed the two year anniversary of my miscarriage, baptized the kids, and said a sad bon voyage to some dear friends. 

It has been a hectic few weeks full of family, milestones, celebrations, travel, and maybe just a little stress. I am going to do all of those good times justice by writing about each in detail...it just might take me awhile to get caught up.  

Stay tuned, lots to come!

Exercises in Futility

SO MUCH TO BLOG ABOUT!

But for today I bring you futility at its finest.

I washed all of the bed sheets today and then my three year old reminded me that me last night was her last night in diapers.

I gave the kids a bath after nap this afternoon to kill a little time (we are all cooped up inside because of my allergies)...and then I fed them chili for dinner.

Nailed it.

You are O-N-E!

Dear Ben,

You are one! I am afraid I may have given you reason to think that this is a sad milestone for me, but I want to assure you that I am not sad. I just love you so much, that sometimes it is hard for me to keep from thinking about the days when you will no longer want to be snuggled every minute of every day. I just have to remind myself that by then you will have other ways to show me how much you love me...and that no matter how much time goes by you will always be my son. You and I, little man, have a strong bond. I don't always know what you need or want, but I do know that you always look to me when you need something. Over the past year we have logged a lot of late night hours together rocking and dancing in the moonlight. Even though there were days I was so tired I seriously don't know how I took care of you and your sister, I am grateful for all of that time together. That being said, you are one, and it is time for you to start sleeping through the night, okay?!

When you were born we told Lily that no matter what changes might take place, bringing you home meant more love for all of us. At the time we had no idea just how much you would change our lives but we were certainly right about the love. It may be that sleep deprivation has caused me permanent memory loss but I definitely struggle to remember what life was like without you. After a long talk with your sister a few days ago about how much we love you, it became evident to me that she literally doesn't remember a time when you weren't here. I know there are going to be times when you two do not get along but my wish for each of you is that the bond you share now only strengthens as you grow. After all, there is no one else who will understand better what it was like to have me as your crazy mother. A word of advice, your smile gets you a long way with her...use it to your advantage!

Let me tell you some things I know about you.

1. You smile with your whole body
2. You love your blankie
3. You like to be read to and have a long attention span for books
4. You do not like to be alone and always sleep better at night in the same room as Lily
5. You will eat almost anything
6. You love to splash in water, specifically the dog bowl
7. You like to play outside but are suspicious of grass
8. You are very ticklish
9. You seek out balls, trucks, and any toy small enough to be a choking hazard
10.You are a climber

You really are a sweet, laid back guy. You seem content to hang out in the background and take it all in...while Lily twirls in the center spotlight. You are a little unsure about new people and situations but as long as we give you time you usually warm up. Only time will tell if you are going to be shy like Daddy or if this is just a phase. In any case I can't wait to see your little personality develop over the next few months and years.

Being your mom brings me so much joy. A year ago God sent us the perfect addition to our little family and we are all so grateful. You are a giggly, snugly, laid back dude...with a devilish glint in your eyes. So here we are, you are one, and I want you to know that I love you more than anything. Thank you for all of the love that you bring to each of us every day.

We love you so very much tater tot!

Love,
Mommy

Boston Strong

This June marks my ten year anniversary of having moved to Boston. So as not to sound like a poser, we haven't lived in Boston proper for a number of years (we now live 7 miles north) but five of the best years of my life were spent on those same streets where so many people's lives changed forever last Monday. Boston is a small city. Every single person I know was exactly one degree of separation from the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

On Monday afternoon I got a text from my husband asking if I had the marathon on? I had watched it for several hours but had turned it off so that I could catch up on some DVR. When I turned the TV back to the race my heart stopped beating. How could this happen in my city? The very first thing I did was thank God that the kids and I didn't go and that Matt was safe at work. For those of you who are not from around here, the marathon really is an amazing day in the city and for many a tradition not to be missed. Matt's fraternity house sits on Beacon St, less that a 1/2 mile from the finish line. For years we could be found lining the streets and cheering on our many friends who were brave enough to take on heartbreak hill.

The second thing I did was post to facebook that we were not in harm's way and request that other people check in as well. My phone buzzed continuously with messages of love and "we are all safe" for the remainder of the night. Everyone was filled with a complicated mix of gratitude and sorrow. I can't emphasize this enough, we all knew someone running or someone watching and each of us felt that those injured could have just as easily been "one of us".

The four days that followed the bombing are sort of a blur. The news was speculative and everyone was heartbroken as we all learned the devastating details about those who had not been as fortunate. On Thursday night Matt and I actually made it to bed early and missed the breaking news that would blow up our phones all night long. On Friday morning I nursed Ben around 5:30am and when I came back to bed Matt was sitting up scrolling through his phone. He told me I had better turn on the TV, there had been more violence overnight. An MIT police officer, a 26 year old man, had been shot in cold blood in front of the Stata Center. For years, Matt's office was in that building.

Over the next 15 hours I could not turn the television off. I prayed hard that the people in question would be taken into custody before another innocent person was made a victim. When it was announced shortly after dark on Friday night that the suspect was apprehended (alive) the entire Boston community breathed a tremendous sigh of relief. What happened next still brings tears to my eyes, even days later. People of all ages lined the streets to express their gratitude to the first responders, police, FBI, and special forces who had worked so selflessly to keep us all safe. Some people criticized those seen "celebrating" on TV but let me tell you something about the people of this great city. We are proud and tough, loud and abrasive  loving and loyal...and an attack on our friends was terribly humbling. When the whole ordeal was put to rest the people of Boston simply couldn't contain our gratitude and it poured out into our streets. It wrapped our neighbors, our friends, and our children in a genuine embrace of raw human emotion. It was not celebratory, it was relief expressed with a heavy heart. It was pure and it was raw, and in this blogger's humble opinion  a telling snapshot of the genuine spirit that makes this city such a special place to live.

We are Boston proud.

There is a lot of healing left to be done and questions to be answered but that one thing is certain, we will remain "Boston Strong."

Here is a link to to a local news website if you are looking for suggestions on how to help the people affected by this horrible act of violence.