home

Don't you love your home?  I mean when it looks like this outside, don't you just love being in the warmth of your home?  No I don't mean the look of it, the design of it, the size of it...the fact that we don't have a mud room and I may pull my own hair out if I step on a big sopping wet puddle from boot number 7 left behind...I mean your home.   I mean wherever you are in the world, no bed feels cozier.  No sheets softer.  No pillow better.  I love nothing more than clean, fresh sheets and climbing in after a long day to our featherbed king sized bed and letting every inch of it envelope me.  It's awesome.  It's home.  There is something that lies within these walls a place of peace, contentment and happiness that no vacation, or exotic location can replace.  It's home.  I often think about my home growing up and the memories of my mom playing piano in the living room while I fell asleep.  The newspaper spread all over the table in the morning and afternoon from my dad's never ending need for information.  It's fascinating for me to think what will our kids think about when they look back?  What will they say is like "home" for them?  Right now, it would involve about 348 pieces of legos looking for a home and squinkies, zhu zhu pets and well of course 10,000 baby toys for Nolan...but these times shall pass and the little things that I overlook will most likely be their memory.  Hoping it's not the unmade bed, I just am NOT a bed maker, I try, day in day out to be one, but I am not, my bestie has that on her new years resolution list and is living up to it, me, not so much!

yes, my daughter is wearing hideous Mario PJ's another side effect of the WII around here!

Last night, Jeremy was gone and they both snuck in at different times saying, "I can't sleep".  I said, come on, hop in, snuggle up and DON"T KICK me!  They were thrilled a sleep over with all of us.  I drew the line of sleeping in the middle of them, I need to pee ever 2 hours, yes even at 15 weeks, it's brutal!  There were tears shed over who had to sleep on the outside, but eventually Graham was brave enough to do so,  and soon their breaths slowed and the room filled with calm and peace that only a mother of sleeping children can truly understand.  The peace came around 10 pm, yep for this control freak that is LATE.  And we had one remaining snoozer this morning at 845, when I snapped this pic of Graham, taking Daddy's spot! I hope this is some of what they remember.

I spent some time with a friend and her kids this weekend, her hubby was out celebrating his brother's 21st in Vegas...umm yeah, lucky MAN, I know she's nicer then ME!  Anyway, you may remember her, she wrote an amazing blog about Nolan's birth and took beautiful photos too, here it is, if you haven't checked it or her blog out, you will love it.... http://foresthausphoto.blogspot.com/2010/09/unexpected-blessings.html 

Anyway, I know what it's like having a hubby that travels and is gone a lot and let me tell you, it blows...seriously, it seems fun at first, but when it is for extended times or every week, or in this case over a weekend, that is just painful for a stay at home mom.  So, we made plans, for my man to spend some quality time with our kids and me to go to their home and have a visit.  It was awesome, to sit and play with her kids, I brought Zingo over, our kids favorite game, to which they shouted, "Bring it BACK!!!" when I left.  We must have played a dozen games and trust me the kids don't tire easily of this game, we ran races, colored a little, laughed a lot.  Liz made the most amazing squash, scallops and asparagus dinner drizzled with garlic butter, mmm, my mouth is watering now, she spoiled this preggo!  The night ended with snuggling and cuddling with her Charles who is 3 and telling him a bedtime story, such an honor and treat for me.  It's so great to spend time with others kids on an intimate level like that.  To see them in their home.

They were so proud to show me around, each room, point out their favorite things.  Grace, who is 5 needed to "prepare" her room, before I could come in, which involved setting her 7 foot, ok ok, 4 foot barbie house up, those barbies are living the high life nowadays, let me tell you.  I felt a cool breeze and Liz pointed out their rooms get so hot with the radiators that she cracks them at night to cool them off....I heard classical music as a quiet lull in Gracie's room and sure enough, she informed me that is what she fell asleep to, that and a string of soft pink lights adorned her room, it was little girl perfection.   Jack's room was all boy.  Sports, reds and blues, adorned the walls and shelves, he too showed me his ultra cool "boom box" not sure he referenced that term, but I love it just the same!  A classic old school desk with attached chair finished in navy blue and perfectly restored wood sat in his room, I noticed it immediately.  Liz explained Brian found that and re-finished it for Jack, wow, what a cool treasure, loved it, that is until Jack got excited and slammed Charlies' finger in it, to which Charlie shook it off and proceeded his big boy strut.

Each room, filled with love, energy and captured the essence of this family.  That's what a home does.  And when you get to spend time in someones beyond their perfect living room, you really feel it.  It was so fun to see the pictures literally covering walls and nooks, Liz is a photographer and you can tell it's her passion the moment you step inside.  It was an honor feeling a part of that home for the night.  It ended with a hysterical dance off.  I mean listen these kids can move....they were going for the win and they stood and waited for their judgment and scoring and Jack insisted one winner be crowned...not tonight, that evening we were all winners, it was a perfect night, at home.