Memorial Day

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

-John McCrae

For all the men and women who didn't get to come home and hug their loved ones, we honor you.

Max's First Smile, on camera

I've been trying for weeks to capture Max's smile on camera. He's such a serious baby, in fact he rarely smiles. I get lots of frowns and lowered eyebrows. Sometimes I feel like he's judging me =). The other day though, he was smiling and Dave was able to get some photos of it. I can't believe how fast he's growing.

The Best Mothers I Know

I thought in honor of Mother's Day I should write about some of the mother's who have inspired me. I'm pretty new at being a mom. I'm only two and a half years into it and some days when Sophie's hitting me and Max is screaming, I wonder what I've gotten myself into. So I like to think about what someone whom I admire would do. It helps me get through the crazy times to get into the happy part of mothering. When Sophie gives me a big hug and tells me I'm her friend. Or when Max hangs onto my neck when I'm trying to put him down. Or the way they smell after bath when I'm tucking them into bed. Being a mom is a LOT of hard work, but every day my kids remind me how rewarding it is to be their mom. So onto the mom's I admire (in no particular order).

Nicole-a good friend

My friend Nicole found out she was pregnant with her second child around the same time I found out I was pregnant with Max. Except it turns out she was pregnant with twins and it was a high risk situation. I can't explain how much I admired her upbeat attitude throughout her experience. She has such a positive outlook on life and I can tell she's teaching that to her daughters.

Missy-Dave's Mom

Missy has been without question the best mother in law I can imagine. First of all, she raised this wonderful man who I was lucky enough to marry. Then she accepted me into her heart and her family with no reservations (that I could discern =)). She laughs at my stupid jokes, we can talk about books we love, and we could go on endlessly about how great Sophie and Max are. How can I help but love someone who loves my children so completely. She is truly an inspiration. I only hope one day when Max and Sophie get married I can be as wonderful to their spouses.

Melissa- my little sister

I can't believe the little terror who used to bite me like a rabid shark has grown up into this amazing, smart and funny mom. She's the person I call when the kids are screaming and I'm crying because it's all just too much. She can make me laugh at myself and whatever bad behavior Sophie is currently immersed in. She is calm in the face of my crazy and I'm pretty sure if I needed her to she could talk me off a ledge. Not that I would need her to, because she would never let me get that far. She loves without reservation, which is a quality I wish I had in a little more abundance. She is strong and strict (a quality more parents should adopt) and more than anything she loves her kids with every beat of her heart.

Mickey -my Mom

I was by no means an easy child. Actually according to all accounts I was a pretty easy child, it was those nasty teen years that were really hard on me, and my mom. I was mean and ungrateful and she loved me despite of my attempts to push her away. I think the best thing she ever said to me was, " I love you. I don't like you very much right now, but I love you." It made me believe that there was someone out there who would love me no matter what I did, but also made me realize my behavior was pretty sucky. She is kind, generous, unfailingly polite, and can find the best in everyone. She laughs at me and with me. She's a free babysitter and the person who tells me when I'm acting like an idiot. She doesn't referee fights between siblings, but makes us work it out. She taught me how to be a woman and tells me to put on my big girl panties when I'm too whiny. She's my best friend and a darn great mom.

I am so lucky to be surrounded by all these strong and wonderful women. Happy Mother's Day!

Note: This was supposed to be done on Sunday, but let's be honest, I'm consistently running about three days behind right now.

Impromptu Photo Shoot

Since my sister and her family were visiting a couple weeks ago, I held an impromptu photo shoot on my parents lanai. Here's Danny, Jonathan, Jack and Melissa. My mom was jumping around like a crazy person behind me.
Here's my parents with most of their grandkids. Don't ask me why Sophie is looking at me like that. I'm assuming she's already hit the teen years when she doesn't want her photo taken.
My dad and his girls. I can't believe we're both the mothers' of two kids. Melissa sure doesn't look old enough to have two kids, and I don't feel old enough to take care of myself most days.
I think Melissa and I look more and more like our Mom every day.

Max's Surgery

I've been kind of derelict in my blog posting lately. I'm always amazed at how busy it can get around here. Two kids, two dogs, and a husband, sometimes I think it's a miracle I get a shower (and sometimes I don't even worry about the shower).

About a month ago, I was changing Max's diaper and noticed a large lump in his lower abdomen. It was really big and kind of scary, so we took him to the local ER. After four hours and about four different doctors we had a diagnosis, he had a bilateral inguinal hernia. Which we found out is pretty common. Basically his abdominal wall didn't close completely before his birth and his intestines were poking out a bit. Kinda gross, I know. The surgeon didn't want to waste any time, so a week later he was admitted for surgery. It is a common and routine surgery, which didn't make it any less scary. I don't think I'll ever forget the feeling as I handed Max off to the anesthesiologist right before his surgery. I was and am so grateful for Dave's unwavering support. It was a blessing to have Dave at home during this experience. The surgery went really well and after an overnight at the hospital just to be safe we brought Max home. Other than some residual crankiness for a couple days he did great. He's such a little trooper.

We just want to thank everyone who said prayers and sent good wishes his way. Max is a happy little two month old right now. In fact, we went in for his two month well baby check up and he weighs almost fourteen pounds. He's quite the chunker.