While the children sleep

I will never forget driving to my grandmother’s house when I was a child in the wake of a series of very destructive tornadoes that hit southeastern Pennsylvania.  I remember clearly the fresh path of destruction as seen from the backseat car window.  The scenes still haunt me.  Trees that had stood as familiar landmarks on our journey lay torn and twisted on the ground.  Whole landscapes where forever changed.   It was the first time I had seen just how powerful mother nature could be.

Today, I am very grateful our children were asleep in the back of the car are we traveled home from the cabin past the fresh open wounds the recent flooding has left in it’s wake.  The earth and homes have washed away leaving behind huge gorges of destruction.  Trees are wrapped in siding from homes no longer situated up stream.  Many homes are have been torn open and left covered in mud.  A few at first glance look ok, but closer inspection shows a water line half way up the windows and debris caught in the porch posts.  At times the road was not broken, but buckled where underground streams made their presence known.

Driving up on Friday at dusk in the pouring rain the damage was startling.  Coming home today on a clear sunny day, it was devastating.  There will, and should be, questions, discussions and answers but the sights of today need not haunt their minds.

Are you there?

did you find it ok?

comment and let me know you are still there…..

Life in the Burg

Sentences and full paragraphs seem to evade me now, how about some random thoughts?

Some things that are making me happy: (in no particular order)

The dish drain next to one of the kitchen sinks is filled with little crocs and sandals of varying sizes all lined up drying after scrubbing days worth of mud off them earlier this evening.  The look so colorful and cheery.

Rache is home!!!  And she brought her two adorable children with her.  Her husband came as well, but I haven’t seen him yet.  The youngest of her two is fantastically chubby and I want to eat her up.

A few nights ago I made myself the most fantastic pair of jammy pants ever.  It was a spur of the moment project after the kids went to bed and I LOVE them.  Must make more soon.

I finished a new dress for Mette which she wore today.  At the local coffee shop the server told her how much she liked her dress and Mette responded “my mommy sewed it and I was SO happy”.  Pretty much sealed the deal that I will make her a million more.  This one is just ever so slightly short which on her is so cute.  Only at 2 can you get away with that, though the undergrads sure do try.

I bought a box of fudgesicles at the store a few weeks ago and every once and a while I treat myself to one.  They are so good.

Tonight is the last night that I have to be on bat (the animal) duty all night long.  Eric has been out of town for a few days and the first night he was gone there was a bat downstairs when the kids went down for breakfast.  Thankfully the cats had is stunned and on the ground but it was PISSED and I had to get it outside.  Catching the bats is ALL ERIC.   He has a butterfly net and his years of playing badminton have served him well.  He can catch them with amazing grace and ease.   There is nothing graceful or easy about how I deal with bats.  I normally have to “check on the kids” aka, hide in their room with them to keep them safe.  He will be home tomorrow and I am going to sleep so much better.

I painted our back deck, we got new chairs, planted more flowers, got hanging baskets and made a tablecloth and now our deck which has always been lovely seems like a magical garden.  On saturday after the kids went to bed eric and I sat outside and had a few drinks and got to enjoy the glow from our little solar lanterns I always admire from the window.  It was so lovely.  I only got two muzzy bites and only one swelled up so much I had what looked like two knees until yesterday so I count that has a huge success.

Life is good.

Breakthrough

Today we took a giant leap forward in this house. As every post for the past many months now have had some reference to STAR WARS you know how important a topic it is in our house. Otto lives and breathes it. He spends all day playing Lego STAR WARS, reading STAR WARS books or acting out scenes he makes up with his action figures. Up until now he has not actually seen any of the movies. He knows every character and plot twist, but only from books and what we have told him.

That all changed today. Well it started yesterday afternoon. Otto has been on a streak of being so nice and kind it makes you wonder who the other child we had here last year was. Yesterday afternoon we were both a little bored from being stuck in the house so much with yucky weather I asked him if he would be interested in finding some Ewok speeder bike clips on YouTube. He has seen the Ewok song and thought it was very cute so I thought this would be a good transition. From there we slowly felt our way around more clips. A few seemed a bit scary to him so I would turn off the sound. A trick I learned from Papou and Uncle Matt. That eased his fears. 30 minutes after we sat down he was watching the battle scene over Endor followed by the Hoth battle scene. When eric got home he watched the light saber duel between Darth Vador and Obi Wan where Obi Wan dies. Because he knows the stories so well he can ask to see scenes he knows about.

Today eric brought home the first three movies. Once you are on a roll you might as well go for it. Plus, today is one of the first nice days we have had in a while (by nice I mean in the 40’s cloudy and windy, it’s all relative) and poor Otto has almost lost his voice and has a fever of 101.6. He needed to lay low and movies seemed like the perfect way to do it. He watched half of the first movie before wanting to go and play and a lot of Return of the Jedi. I am sure there will be more. The best part, he isn’t scared at all, in fact he loves them! He gets so excited to see all the characters he has read about. He points out all the obscure droids in the background and knows all of their names.

This is a huge breakthrough for Otto. Not just because he loves STAR WARS and now he can say he has seen the movies, but because he can be very fearful of things and the movies were something he was really scared of. Even though he plays with Legos all day long and dreams of going to the Lego store, the first time we took him he went screaming out of the store and refused to go back in, not even to pick out a toy, because they have small tv’s playing bits of Lego STAR WARS movies. He was TERRIFIED. This past time when we went to the store he talked a lot about the tv’s before we got there, but was fine with them once we were there.

I can’t begin to explain how much he has been changing over the past few months, but something is happening. Eric and I were saying that just in the past two weeks he has grown by leaps and bounds. I am sure there will be many more difficult hurdles to leap over further down the road, but right now we are in such an amazing place. For so long everything seemed like a battle with him. He was struggling to go against the grain with everything that everyday felt like a battle. The frustration was mounting between the two of us where I know I felt like I needed a break and I am sure he did to. Right now he is an absolute joy to be around. We are all having so much fun together.

I can see a real sense of pride in himself for finally conquering something he was really scared of. He did it all on his own. We weren’t pushing him to watch the movies, he is the one who asked to see everything he watched. It has been pretty amazing to watch the transformation in him. Almost makes you feel like your hard work is paying off in some small way.

He-Looo is there anybody out there?

Forgive me for being so quiet lately. It is not in my nature.

I blame my mother.

Ok, that isn’t really fair.

I blame her for taking me shopping for my 30th birthday and helping me find my new love.

Seeing as she shamelessly set me up with eric, it makes sense she would have a hand in this too.

This pretty little baby found it’s way into my life thanks to her this past February and we have been courting ever since. It is serious. This is a committed relationship. BIG. She is wonderful to me. She purrs and never even thinks about wobbling. She has yet to jam in any way (knock on wood) She has beautiful little cubbies for all of her wonderful feet and attachments. She is such a pleasure to work with.

I love blogging and telling stories here. I love being able to look back over the past four years and remember things I otherwise would have forgotten. But it is something I do in stolen moments when children are sleeping and chores are done. That time has been taken.

Since February I have made:

New curtains for the kitchen

New curtains for the quest bathroom

Re-did the curtains in the dining room

New curtains for the living room

Made Otto three pairs of pants

Made Mette two pairs of pants

Made myself one pair of jammie pants

Two shirts for myself

pair of shoes for myself (yes, shoes!! they were a bit small but a GREAT first attempt)

Three small coin or make-up purses

I am most of the way through making pants for eric

A Darth Vador cape for Otto

plus a few other small projects and some mending

On my list of things to make is:

More shoes

A new purse for me now that I am post diapers

A dress for me for Ben and Shannon’s wedding

A dress for Mette for the same wedding

A few more jammies for everyone

A few cute shirts and skirts for me

New pillows for the couch

Seat cushion for the rocking chair

Long curtain for the basement stairs

…that is all I can think of off the top of my head, but there is for sure more.

So, I am sorry that is has been so quiet here, but I promise to get back in gear soon.

The kids are growing like weeds. Literally. I measured them yesterday and in the past month they have both grown about an inch, or more. CRAZY.

Otto has turned into the sweetest thing ever. He has manners and is kind. I think he may have been swapped in the night.

Mette, well, growth spurts do not make Mette happy. Let’s just say that. There has been A LOT of screaming from her. She seems to be a bit better these last few days, but it has been a little rough.

I will post pictures and stories soon. This post, if nothing else, is my best attempt at a good excuse.

thanks,

-p

Nawlins’

Well, we did it. We finally got away, just eric and i for a little vacay. We survived, grandma and grandpa are still talking to us and the kids had a great time. I was not worried at all that the kids would have a good time, that was a no brainer, I was more worried that the craziness of two small, “high energy” as my mom so lovingly called them today, children would be more than any sane grandparents would want to deal with. Turns out they all had a great time. Not too surprisingly, as soon as we were gone Mette turned her allegiance to the new givers of snuggles and cookies and didn’t look back. Otto was a bit more affected by us going away and had bursts of crying and sadness over us not being there. He did however recover each time and now when he talks about the weekend it was all fun and games.

One thing that is really nice about having my mom stay with the kids, the house was cleaner when we came home than it was when we left. They even cleaned out the espresso tamper box! I am still finding evidence of their stay in places which is a lot of fun. Today Otto stumbled upon a perfectly drawn STIG in a coloring book. He gave the drawing credit to eric, but, honey, I love you, but there is NO WAY you drew that STIG. My bet is with grandma. Luckily grandpa was kind enough to email the rules to the game “potato ball” because there is no way I was going to figure that out without some help!

We are settling back into our normal routine here. Eric is off to NY for a few days to drool over new cameras and lenses and I am up to my usual “move all the furniture before he gets back” routine. I am also catching up on about a million loads of laundry. Tomorrow it is supposed to be warm and sunny so I am really hoping to get the kids to the park to air them out. Otto is a bit sad eric had to leave again so I am trying to think of good ways to keep him distracted.

So, now, what you really are here for, pictures of the trip.

No, wait, there is more…

First I should say the whole trip was really great. I could have just stayed in Harrisburg and read and taken naps for two days and been happy but spending it in sunny New Orleans with wonderful food and eric all to myself was quite a luxury.

We arrived in New Orleans on Saturday night and after checking into the Ritz Carlton (thank you SCMS for holding your conference there!!!) we headed out to what eric has long told me is the best burger joint EVER.

The walk there took us through the French Quarter at night. Why have I never heard more about the amazing light from all the gas lanterns? There is something magical about the light as it reflects off the bottom of the porch where the lantern is hanging and the side of the building it is illuminating. It creates this tunnel of flickering light that is truly magical. It also sets the stage for believing in voodoo.

There was a two hour wait for a table but bar seats were first come first serve. We decided to split a house specialty Monsoon and lurk for a bar seat. The Monsoon is basically a kick ass hurricane and delicious. The lurking paid off and we scored two seats at the bar. I should add that the mere fact that we were able to say yes to a two hour wait for a table was proof of vacation to me. With the kids, that never would have been possible. I wouldn’t have cared if it took until 11 for us to get a table, I was happy. That could have also had something to do with the enormous drink….

The wait was worth it. They do not mess around with their burgers there and they really are as good as eric says they are. Port of Call was just what you want in a burger joint. Loud, with GOOD music, not really as clean as you might want when you look hard, staffed by fun and quirky people and frequented by local regulars. There is a special place in my heart for a good dive bar.

Sunday morning eric had a breakfast meeting with his editors followed by his presentation. Being the wonderful husband that he is, he went downstairs and brought me a cafe au lait, a croissant and the New York Times to keep me company while he was gone. He also invited my to breakfast and the talk, but I passed on those!!

(btw, I know I could have thought this through but that many academics in a hotel with nothing to do but talk and drink is totally scary! It makes for some interesting elevator rides!!!)

After lounging for a while I went off exploring while eric delivered his presentation. Not having a stroller to push or schedule to keep was very lovely. The sun was shining that warm low southern light and I got some great shots while waiting to meet eric at Court of Two Sisters for an AMAZING brunch.

This is so beautiful and so New Orleans that after being there for half a day you almost forget how NOT PA this house is. I had to remind myself to take a picture of something like this.

The porches, the iron work, the floor to ceiling windows (with original glass) and shutters wowed me at every turn.
Nestled right next to the grandest houses were barred up and peeling homes. A juxtaposition that seems so much the story of this city. Quiet homes with walls lined with books shelves half a block off one of the loudest party streets I have ever seen. How do they make that work??

I can assure you that every member of this band is cooler than you are. Trust me.
I love this sign. I can’t really even say why but there is something wonderful about it.
This street seemed familiar and I had to turn down to see more. Only after walking half a block back did I realize that it was one of the streets I “walked” down on google maps to get a sense of where we would be. Funny to then see it in person…
There are those amazing gas lanterns again.
Sunday was a day of good food. Court of Two Sisters for brunch, an impromptu gin and tonic in the afternoon at a delightful gay bar, drinks with a friend of eric’s from grad school on the gorgeous patio court yard of the Ritz Carlton topped off by dinner at Arnaud’s. I like a restaurant that requires the men to wear jackets. It means that I get to wear a really fancy dress and fit in! Dinner was lovely and eric and I gabbed the whole time about how wonderful our lives are. As an outsider you may have been a little ill.

Nothing a little garlic butter and pastry topped escargot can’t fix!
Before heading to the airport on Monday we had breakfast at a little place I found on Sunday morning while exploring. It seemed like just the place for a coffee before catching a cab.
They did not disappoint.
YUM!
After breakfast we headed home to our little smiling faces. I even napped on the plane and finished a book. A great vacation through and through.

Getting Ready

Tomorrow is the big day. Eric and I are heading out of town for a long weekend without the kids. They will be staying here with grandparents while we head south to warmer weather and bathrooms with doors that close and aren’t immediately opened by children. I am pretty sure I am the only one excited about the bathroom, but I am REALLY excited about that. I am writing important things on post it notes and sticking them everywhere. I have lists of numbers, friends and social security…. I am trying to think of everything that could happen and prepare for it. I am driving myself a bit crazy. There just isn’t that much to do anymore and as a result I am spinning in circles. Eric suggested I have a gimlet and try to chill.

All that is left is to pack my stuff. I can tell the whole situation is a bit overwhelming because this is the first time in forever that I can pick out and use a purse that does not need to be big enough to carry snacks, drinks, a potty seat, change of pants and undies for Mette, a pull-up for Mette, epi-pen and benadryl and goodness what else I take everywhere I go, and I haven’t even started going through my options. For the flight tomorrow I need something small enough to feel cool and big enough to hold the iPad which I am bringing to read on the plane. Hold on, I want to say that again, to READ on the plane. I have been SO JEALOUS of every other person I see reading on flights for the past few years, this is honestly one part of the trip I am most excited about. I get to sit on a plane for a few hours and read what ever the hell I want. No kids books, no kids games, no singing songs to keep them happy, just me and my book. Hell, I could even sleep if I wanted to. That just seems to crazy to even think about.

Eric has every meal planned for the whole time we are going to be there and I am very excited. Someone else will make my bed and I don’t have to do dishes for three days.

Ok, I might be getting excited now.

I have some great pictures from this week that I will post when we get back. Including some awesome shots of extreme joy when a package arrived from Aunt MaryAnn and Cousin John.

Some advice

As I mentioned in my last post, Monday was my birthday. Not just any birthday, but my 30th birthday. Now that I am older and wiser I would like to offer a few suggestions for how NOT to celebrate a major life milestone, like turning 30.

1. on the afternoon of your birthday, do not opt to spend it with a lawyer going over you will. Especially if you wish to have a living will, the questions get pretty morbid and are not at all uplifting. Trust me, I know from experience.

2. On the first morning after turning 30 try REALLY hard not to do anything to totally throw out your back. Not only is it really painful, it also makes you feel like total crap. It doesn’t help when your husband makes lots of jokes about how you are falling apart now that you are getting old.

3. Arrange to have someone come in and cook you dinner and make something with large amounts of sugar that you can put candles in. This should not be made by the birthday person and should be presented on the actual birthday. This is a bit tricky as it requires work from people other than yourself, but perhaps you can drop hints. Like writing a blog post about it… hint, hint, hint.

A large part of the reason there was no mention of my birthday on the actual day is because eric and I are going to New Orleans this weekend to celebrate. It will be my first time away from the kids for more than a few hours unless you count the overnight stay I had at the hospital when Mette was born. Which I don’t. Eric is delivering a talk at a conf. in New Orleans on Sunday and I am tagging along for the ride and a free stay at the Ritz. Grandmom and Grandpa are coming down to spoil the kids rotten. In theory this all sounds wonderful but I will admit to being a bit stressed about it. I am trying not to cover the ENTIRE house in post-its and chill out.

I’ll let you know how it goes when we get back!

Sidetracked

I had plans for today, there was sewing to work on, clothes to be washed and put away, food to cook, and buy for that matter, packages to mail, phone calls to make, in a word, LIFE. Most of that was pushed to the back burner for the day, for a very worthwhile reason.

A few weeks ago we learned that a dear friend and colleague of eric’s was diagnosed with breast cancer. She and her family are currently living abroad but the diagnosis and plan of attack is brining them home sooner than planned. I am sure there will be a line of people who want to give all of them a HUGE hug. I know that is all I have wanted to do since learning the news. While they have been away they have rented out their house, common practice here in university town. Them coming home early makes for a bit of a pickle. The people who are now renting their house have become friends of ours as well, they even have a child in school with Otto. They are happy to move and give the house back, but a family of 5 with two dogs can’t just go anywhere on a few days notice…

Enter our amazing town. They have been looking for a place for a while, and even are about to buy a house, but they need a place starting RIGHT NOW for about the next three months. Today was the day they needed a house. Many phone calls were made, discussions about how allergic people really are to well cleaned, post dog house we had and by lunch time today they had a house. My partner in crime Rachel and family have been generous enough to lend their house while they are away. I took the new family there this afternoon and it looks like it is going to be a great fit. Keys are being copied, logistics are being nailed down. It is done, children will be tucked into clean warm beds each night and life will continue to go on as seamlessly as it possibly could in this situation.

There are many things we give up living here. There are no great museums, or stores, or live music. The diversity is a joke and EVERYONE it seems goes to church, which is fine until you are someone who doesn’t, or *gasp* Jewish or *double gasp* Muslim. The closest airport that functions is over an hour away and “functions” is a stretch. But, it is beautiful, the houses are amazing, the area provides wonderful local food and the community is fairytale-esque. People here will drop everything to help someone else. They are truly kind and thoughtful. This family coming home will not have to cook for months. It will all be taken care of. There have been massive emails all day today discussing airport pickups, who will be stocking the fridge, etc..

I am happy do without all the fancy big city advantages. Family and friends who in a moments notice are willing to go so are far more satisfying than any museum or restaurant.

Now we can all focus on the task at hand, and I quote one of the main rally leaders today

“help us tell cancer to FUCK OFF!”

Wahoo!

LONDON

Today we recieved the great news that this time next year we will be living in London. We will be there for the entire spring semester of 2012. The official reason we are going is for Eric to teach a group of students he takes for a study abroad program but really this is just an amazing opportunity to live in an exciting city on someone else’s tab! I am pretty sure “preschool at the British National Museum” will knock the socks off what the burg has to offer. It will be sad to be far from our wonderful friends here, but we are very much looking forward to the new adventure.

I am totally psyched about London, but I will be honest, the fact that we will be SO close to Denmark is what really has me excited. I see a sumer cottage on the beach near Kobenhagen and a trip to the REAL Legoland with Otto in our future.

Let the google maps “street view London stalking” commence.