Fun week

Wow! We had quite the week. It feels like we didn't stop once, which makes relaxing today all the more sweet:)

> We made this adorable "back to school" craft from No Time For Flashcards, one of my favorite pre-school craft sites.

> I got crafty and busted out these DIY Geoboards from No Time for Flashcards and Mom Tried it. They turned out GREAT (I will admit that my amazing husband cut the wood for me and also did most of the hammering, lol) and the kids really love them. Aiden in particular has enjoyed playing with his and making all kinds of cool shapes and objects.

> We went kite-flying at Lake Erie and collected rocks to paint pet rocks like these from The Crafty Crow (ours didn't turn out as cute, but the kids still loved it) and we made beach art like these over at Artful Adventures (I didn't bring my camera to the beach, but we made a giant rock sun and a rainbow--so cool!)

> I made these cool number boards for Aiden from Mom Tried It, and he really enjoyed these. We also practiced color patterns and he really impressed me with his pattern-making abilities.

> Aiden and I made robot collages from paint samples we snagged at Walmart (I forgot to take a picture of his, but he was very creative and really is doing great practicing his scissor cutting skills!)

> We copied my friend Lori by making these adorable marshmallow creatures and sculptures. The kids LOVED sorting the colored marshmallows first and then building (and of course EATING!) all sorts of animals and sculptures.

> We did a really fun and COOL marble painting like this one over at Let The Children Play. This was a neat project--I've heard of it but never tried it before and I loved how it turned out. I could totally see buying some cheap canvas and neat colors and making these to actually hang up as art in your house!

We still have two more weeks until Aiden starts pre-school (the latest start of any school in the area! We're restless here!) and we're all looking forward to the change. He's been out of school for 5 months now, which feels like a really long time, lol. I'm looking forward to staying home a bit more and hopefully convincing Miss Ava to use the potty here VERY soon:)

PS--the pics aren't in any real order, sorry for that!

Squires Castle...again

I took the kids to Squire's Castle again today. They had a fun time exploring and I attempted to take some good photos. Just wanted to share:)

The Art of Solitude

"Language...has created the word "loneliness" to express the pain of being alone. And it has created the word "solitude" to express the glory of being alone." ~ Paul Tillich

I keep having the same dream, over and over again. It isn't profound, it isn't scary or disturbing or even funny. It's just the same, every single time. I take the kids to a playgroup at the park, we meet a group of new moms and kids, and I spend two whole hours having real conversations with other people who, like myself, now have nothing important to talk about except their kids, their homes and their husbands (all good stuff...of course;) That's the dream, that's it.

Don't worry, I find it as sad and pathetic as you do too.

We've lived here for 5 months as of today. Five whole wonderful months in our brand new house with lots of fun new things to do and places to explore. It's been amazing, really, my love and appreciation for the Midwest has been utterly restored. But every once in a while I get this pang of...homesickness, this sudden clenching in my heart, and I really really miss Macon. The kids and I ate lunch today at Chick-Fil-A and at first, I was ok. I ordered our food, we sat down and ate, and then the kids went to the play area and I sat at my table and I felt it. This wave of loneliness washing over me as I looked around and realized that I've never really been this alone before. I've always had my sister, my mom, my friends. In Macon, we likely would have met several friends and the moms would have sat and chatted away while the kids all played together. I sat there, swiping away the tears leaking from the corners of my eyes, and tried to remind myself, like I always do, that if we were still in Macon, things would be different. All the 4 and 5 yr olds would be in all-day school. My best friend went back to work last month, so she wouldn't have been there. Even Ava would have started 2K pre-school three mornings a week. If we were there, I'd be starting over too, in a totally different way.

It helps to keep reminding myself.

This moving business, it's tough on the soul. The older I get, the harder it seems to be to put away my reservations, stick out my hand, put a smile on my face, and try to make a new friend. I watch my children on the playground with envy and awe, as they skip up to a new child, announce their name and age proudly, and then yell to me, "Look, Mom! I made a new friend!" How easy it is for them! When did it stop being so easy for me? When did I start doubting myself and my merits so much?

I will admit though, all in all it's been a great summer. I've been lucky enough to make a few new friends, and for that I truly am thankful. I am looking forward to Aiden starting pre-school here, to maybe meet a few new mom friends in the pick-up line at school. I know that, in time, we'll make a whole new life here. And until then, I am reminding myself that solitude and loneliness are two very different things, and I am grateful that in having one, I can appreciate the other more.

Swingset and misc.

So this weekend Chuck put together the kids' new swingset. I tried to help, aka: stay out of the way as much as possible and hand him tools and things as he needed them. The boxes on those things always give you so much hope, "You and several of your friends can build and play in one day! Approximate building time: 6-8 hours." Well, it took us (meaning, again, mostly Chuck) about 16 hours total, but we did have a few mishaps. For instance, when your drill bit breaks off halfway into a 4x4, it's not a particularly good thing, lol.

Chuck also built the playhouse last week, which matches the swingset. The kids absolutely LOVE the set and the house. Aiden loves climbing the pirate's ladder and the rock wall and Ava loves swinging (no surprise there). Ignore the lack of grass on the ground in the pictures--that's the main reason we put them where we did, no grass is growing under our pear trees because of all the shade.

I did include one picture for you of what happens when you have three pear trees in your backyard. It's sort of like living in your very own real-life Minesweeper game! Except add in about 100 bees and thousands of ants! Awesome...right? Not so much. We're seriously debating taking them out before next spring. I thought having the pears would be so cool, but you have to pick pears before they ripen on the tree--once they've fallen they are already bad. And these trees are TALL--like hundreds of pears 30-40 feet in the air. They are falling all over the yard and it's terrible. I did, however, pick a bunch of them yesterday so we will see if they ripen and end up tasting ok. That might sway me to keep ONE tree...maybe, lol.

I also included a few pics of the kids in their "tent" from yesterday. While Chuck was finishing up the swingset we set up our beach cabana tent in Ava's room and had a pajama party. The kids didn't get changed out of their pj's the entire weekend long. They were so devastated to hear that actual clothes were required this morning:)

I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend and I just want to say thank you, thank you, thank you to my amazing husband. For all that you do, for all that you give us, but most importantly for all that you ARE, I love you.

400 posts!?!?!?!

Can that be right?? Wow. Time really flies. I logged in today to realize that yesterday was my 400th blog post (so technically this is 401, I guess). If you want to go back and remember what things were like in the Bailey household when I started this blog in April of 2008, here you go: http://aabcbailey.blogspot.com/2008_04_01_archive.html

Thank you to everyone who continues to read our story. The Daily Bailey wouldn't exist without people to read it. You all rock!!

XOXO,
B

Purple heart

I'm having one of those sentimental Mommy days, where the tiniest moments seem larger than life and I wish that I could freeze time to make them stay this way forever. I can't even blame it on PMS or hormones or anything like that, it's just me being really emotional, so in other words...myself. Most days I can't even drive somewhere for 20 minutes in the car without hearing a song that reduces me to a blubbering mess (partly the reason I've been avoiding country music lately--I'm far less likely to burst into tears over Ke$ha, lol).

We played play-doh this morning, me and my A's. Aiden and I were trying to teach Ava her letters and shapes (without much success, I might add. Ava is convinced that all letters are either X, N or D. She spelled her name XDND, no joke). She picked up a purple heart from the table, smashed it in her tiny hands, and then looked at me and said, "Oh no! My heart is broken, can you fix it?" I couldn't help it, in an instant the tears that started bubbling up in the corners of my eyes and threatening to slide down my cheeks. I looked at this tiny person, so absolutely innocent and pure and wonderful, and I realized that some day her heart IS going to be broken, and there will be nothing I can do about it.

I know what you're thinking. "Wow, girl, you need to stop watching so many Hallmark commercials!" or you're possibly wondering if I am sure I'm not pregnant (don't worry, I'm sure, lol). I don't know what gets into me sometimes, the things these little people say to me that tear me up inside when I realize that they have this whole life in front of them and they are going to live it and have things happen to them that are completely beyond my control. Some day, hopefully in the VERY distant future, my little girl is going to give away her heart and, like most first loves, it will probably end in heartbreak. It will be something that changes her forever, and it won't have a single thing to do with me. It is a staggering thought for me, because I've been the absolute center of her world for the past nearly 3 years. But kids get older and you send them off to school and soon there are entire chunks of their day that you know nothing about. How surreal and distressing and astonishing to suddenly realize, over a hunk of purple play-doh, that very soon I will not be the center of their universes any more.

Yeah, I totally cried.

I think this must be the point in some mother's lives where they immediately decide to have another baby, to make another person that will need them so ultimately and completely. But I am not going to do that (no worries, Chuck). I have been looking forward to this independence of theirs, these times that are so exciting for them and so terrifying for me. I am going to embrace the changes, the advancement, the growing. And I really, really hope that one day when my little girl actually does get her heart broken, that she'll come to me and cry on my shoulder and remind me of a simpler time when all she really needed was a hug from her Mommy.

Pen to paper...

So recently I was discussing my ultimate goal in life of becoming a writer (like a real, honest-to-goodness, paid writer, lol) with a dear friend of mine, who actually IS a writer (a phenomenal one at that, and if you want to check her out look for entries by Carolyn Robertson on these sites: http://www.celebritybabyscoop.com/, http://blogs.babycenter.com/mom_stories/ and http://blogs.babycenter.com/celebrities/). She gave me wonderful and sound advice about how to put myself out there and try to make the right connections and all that jazz, but she also made me realize one very important thing. If I ever want to actually BE a writer, I sort of have to...well, write. A lot. Here is where my blog comes into play.

Mostly this blog has been a place for me to share pictures of my ridiculously cute kids and stories of their antics, and it will continue to remain as such, with some more fluff:) I am setting a goal for myself to write two posts a week to really get back into the habit of exercising my mind, my vocabulary, and my story-telling ability. I'd love for you all to follow along, but if you come to a post that you just don't care about, please feel free to skip it! I promise I won't hate you...much;) (On the other hand, feel free to leave comments if you have constructive criticism, because lord knows I need it!).

So, I'll probably still post pictures once a week or so, but there might be more words on this blog than you are used to, lol. Thanks for humoring me!

XOXO,
B

Coming soon...

Chuck surprised the kids the other day and bought this for them while Aiden was at camp:
http://www.swing-n-slide.com/123-Cimarron-Play-Set-Wood-Complete-Outlet-Store.aspx
It also comes with this free playhouse, which Ava is really excited about:) http://www.swing-n-slide.com/126-Playhouse.aspx. It will be a lot of work to put the whole thing together, but the kids are sooo happy and excited and I know they are going to absolutely love it. We'll still have a good month or so of nice weather to enjoy it, at least, so that is great too!

It should arrive in a week or two, and then I'll post pics when it's all set up!

A swing and a smile

Any man can be a father. It takes someone special to be a dad. ~Author Unknown

I think that one of the great revelations of parenthood is that it feels almost innate to want to give your children more than you had as a child. Not just material items, like toys or clothes, but more emotionally too, more caring, more laughter, more love. I have certain memories of my own father that feel like tiny grains of sand in my hands, once so strong and easily recalled, now I feel as though they could slip away from me at any given moment. I came across his picture in an album recently and barely remembered that was what he looked like. It's funny what time does to your memories like that. My father passed away the summer before my 9th birthday, and in that many years I have probably the same number of happy memories of him. It's sad, but true, and that's the way life goes sometimes. Not all people who have children were meant to be fathers, and certainly some could never call themselves dads.

I got lucky enough to marry a man who has an amazing father, and I think that is one of the many reasons that he IS an amazing father. An amazing Dad, truly. A man who gives his time, his love, his hugs, his kisses, and his heart to his kids. He loves them unconditionally and shows it in the way that he treats them and the things that he does for them. They might not know how lucky they are, but I sure do.

Here are some pictures of Aiden on the tree swing that his Daddy built today:) Ava needed a nap so no pics of her yet. I have a really cute video of Aiden spinning also that I need to upload. I got a little teary-eyed thinking of all of the happy years to come here, and how lucky we really are to have each other to laugh with:)

More summer fun...

I am not usually one for laying around and putting up my feet, but it feels like we've been going non-stop for the past week or so, and I am looking forward to doing NOTHING tomorrow (well, maybe swimming, but that's in the relaxing category, lol).

Lots of pics to share. Chuck bought me a hummingbird feeder because I am OBSESSED with the hummingbirds at Penitentiary Glen, the local nature center. They have an AMAZING bird observatory area and tons of hummingbirds frequent their feeders. For the first week, we had ours hanging in one of the pear trees in the backyard, and I never saw a single hummer. But then we got a bird feeder post and mounted it in one of the planters on the deck and, voila!, hummingbirds! We have two that are feeding many times a day (and one is VERY territorial about the feeder and chases the other away a lot). It is so neat to watch and the kids absolutely love it! I have the best husband ever:)

This weekend is only halfway over and it has been a BUSY one! Friday at lunch we went to Grandpa's and picked over the garden again, and I think we got our biggest haul ever. 2 cantelopes, 12 ears of corn, 12 tomatoes, 6 green peppers, 5 eggplant and a bag of green beans and a bag of broccoli that didn't make their way into the picture. Lots of chopping and eating to do around here, but I am absolutely loving it:) Friday night we went to the Vintage Ohio Wine Festival at Lake Farmpark. Twenty different vineyards were there and had all of their wines available for sampling. Sadly, we only made it through 9 of the vineyards, the lines were just too long for the kids to really tolerate:( We'll definitely go back next year and get a sitter for the kids so we can enjoy it a little more. But the kids had fun regardless, and we stayed LATE and even got to see fireworks (which we missed on the 4th of July since everyone was sick). The kids LOVED them (Ava was scared at first but then suddenly realized they were beautiful and couldn't stop telling everyone, "I not scared anymore, wook at the purple fireworks! Oooooh!"). Ava was also boogieing the night away to the band; she couldn't stop dancing and everyone was admiring her moves;)

Today we went to the Cleveland Browns Stadium for Family Day. They had bouncy inflatables and some kids' activities, and then we got to go inside the stadium and wander around a bit. We even sat right down in front on the 50 yard line for a while. There was a scrimmage scheduled for 1pm but we needed lunch, so we headed over to the Zoo for lunch and animals. I never get tired of the Cleveland Zoo--it really is a great zoo. So many awesome animals to see. My only complaint is that it is soooo spread out that you do have to walk a LOT, but hey, we all need more exercise in our lives, right? ;)

Next week Aiden has morning daycamp again and I am looking forward to spending some girl time with my bitty bug:) Lots of fun to be had as the summer in Northeast Ohio keeps ticking away. We're loving every minute:)

The perfect summer

The last time I had a summer this fun and carefree was 1997, my counselor-in-training year at Camp Eberhart. Stuck somewhere between a camper and a counselor, it was the perfect summer. A touch of responsibility, a ton of fun, all with the company of people who loved me.

This summer is shaping up to beat 1997. Sure, it's been filled with family drama the likes of which I've never experienced, but it's also been one of the best summers of my life. My two babies have grown into two little people who constantly amuse, amaze and astound me with their antics, and we're having so much fun. My husband has been amazing, my best friend and a shoulder to lean on and laugh with. Few people in this world are as lucky as me. We've gone to Cedar Point twice, we go to the beach a few times a week, we go on picnics and hikes and explore the parks and playgrounds. We've had a visit from GA friends. We go to the zoo and the nature center and learn about the animals. We visit Grandpa and tend to the garden, enjoying the mounds of vegetables it produces. We explore the river, finding clams and climbing rocks. This summer has truly been exquisite in almost every way.

I wish I could explain exactly why I love this place so much, why it calls to me the way it does. Maybe my soul knows that I got married on the banks of this lake, that I started my new "life" here almost 5 years ago, and I've finally returned. I know so many people who have lived in this area their whole lives, and are itching to leave. But I have lived in other places, Indiana, Michigan, Georgia, and now Ohio, so I know what it is like to leave one home for the merits of another. I can honestly say that I've never felt as at home as I do here in Northern Ohio. The lapping waves on the shores of Lake Erie feel like long lost friends to me, beckoning with promises of course sand, colored pebbles and cool refreshing water. I'm loving summer and yet already yearning for fall, to see the leaves turn colors and crunch under my feet. It's something I haven't felt in 5 long years, and I plan on relishing the seasons (yes, even winter!) as they come.

Here are some pictures of more of our summer fun. All of August left to enjoy, and then September to look forward to.