Sucker Love

Just popping in to quickly share the kids' valentines for this year. I decided to make them, and a few weeks ago was able to get the kids to stand still long enough to snap a few photos. I ordered 4x6 copies, and using an exacto knife, I cut slits just above and below their hands and then we slid in suckers. Voila - personalized valentines! 

Happy 3th Birthday

Baby Shiny had her 3rd (or 3th, as Casey said) birthday yesterday. We had a little party for her over the weekend, and her very girly behavior was on full display. I don't know why I keep expecting her to act like the boys, but for some reason I am continually surprised and tickled by the very feminine things she does. Like wearing clip on dangly earrings and a princess ball skirt for the entirety of her party.

Cracks me up. She wanted a Dora the Explorer party, so I made Dora cupcakes, which only really resembled Dora if you were standing 10 feet away and squinting. At least the kids recognized her, and Riley was happy.

Last night it was pizza and more cake, and today I took cake pops into her class for a birthday treat. 

Mmm...cake pops!

What is she like at 3? Well, she's very funny - when asked how old she was turning this birthday her standard response was, "I'm the birthday girl!" and she even treated us last night to a special song & dance she made up about being the birthday girl. She's very sweet - when someone would wish her a happy birthday, she would respond, "Happy Birthday to you." She's at that strange crossroad of early childhood - no longer a baby but not really a big kid either. She wants to do so many things herself, but will still crawl up into my arms and say, "I'm your baby, Mama!" She loves her brothers and thinks (most) everything they do is great, and they (mostly) feel the same about her. And her parents? We continue to be smitten by her. At least once a day I look at her and feel a rush of gratitude that I got to be her Mom, and that I somehow was lucky enough to parent both boys and a girl. I wish I could freeze time right now and keep her at this age, but then again that seems to be how I have felt about all her ages, so I guess I'll have to let her keep growing. Who knows what she will surprise and delight us with before her 4rd birthday. 

Ice Ice Baby

Last week we were trapped in the house for almost the entire week due to an ice & snow storm. It was BIZARRE. Ice built up almost a foot in front of my garage door so that Friday I had to take a pick ax and chip away at it so I could get the van out of the garage. BIZARRE. Neighborhood kids were ice skating not just in the streets, but in front yards as well. BIZARRE. But in a strange kind of way, it was also nice. School was cancelled, obviously, and in a first, Rob was stuck at home with us. I pulled out the craft box and we proceeded to make messes to stay occupied.

Connor working on his Dinosaur Dig kit

Riley cutting paper into a thousand microscopic pieces

We stayed in our PJs all day. We snuggled and watched movies and braced ourselves for the potential that we would lose power, which thankfully we never did. But a week was enough. The temperature is supposed to dip down to -5 tonight, and hover somewhere around -2 or -3 degrees in the morning when Casey gets on the bus. I am now in full-blown spring fever and if warmer weather doesn't blow in sometime soon, there is a strong possibility that I will lose my mind. I bought a bottle of wine simply because it has a pair of flip-flops on the label. It's bad folks. 

Random Resolutions

Whew. I'm pooped. How 'bout you? I dearly love Christmas and the holiday season, but it is exhausting.  I'm always a little sad to say goodbye to the magic and sparkle of Christmas, but also a little relieved that it is all over and I don't have to do it again for another year. We had a strange weather pattern blow in last week bringing 60 degree temperatures with it, and now that we're back in the 30s I'm seriously jonesing for warmer weather. I'm done with you now, Winter. We've made a giant snowman and gone sledding and used the fireplace and all that good stuff. I'd like to put my shorts and flip flops back on now, thankyouverymuch.

We really had a great Christmas, and I truly did enjoy my kids. On Christmas morning they were hilarious and sweet at the same time. This year I started a new tradition by taking them to the dollar store and allowing them to pick out one gift for each of their siblings. I had to help Riley a bit, but the boys managed it on their own. The best was Connor's choice of a package of glow stick bracelets for Casey, and Casey's attempt to disguise his disappointment when he opened them ("Um, thank you?"). I probably enjoyed the whole exercise more than they did, but that's OK. 

So it's back to reality here - back to work and school and schedules. I don't really do New Year's resolutions, but I did make a pact of sorts with Rob to get back to exercising regularly, but after getting up with him at 6am this morning I'm seriously reconsidering my part of the agreement. And I did resolve to try and get back to posting more regularly, so I'll try my best to stick with it. I don't mind saying that I was happy to have 2010 in my rearview mirror, and I'm hoping that 2011 contains more posts about the random events in our daily lives, and fewer posts about my health. I guess that's more of a wish than a resolution, but one I'm excited about nonetheless. 

Getting in the Spirit

The tree is up and decorated, there are presents wrapped and waiting underneath, and Christmas cards went out this week. So we're definitely getting in the spirit around here. Including making a little holiday music:

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

I'm also mildly obsessed with the music Target is using in their holiday commercials this year, and if you are too you can go to Target's website and download them for free. I'm pretty sure "Toy Jackpot" by Blackalicious is destined to become a holiday classic ("Is it time yet? Is it time yet?")

And on the agenda for this weekend are photos with Santa, so I've been checking out Creepy Santa to know what to watch out for. Yikes!

I've had the chance to photograph some really beautiful families this year, which is why it gives me particular pleasure to look at really bad family photos. I would definitely steer a family away from this tropical disaster, unless they were intentionally trying to be tacky. If that was the case, I'd say "Bring it ON!"I may have just found inspiration for next year's card:

Wow. The seventies truly were a cruel decade. Anyway, go ahead and pour a tall glass of eggnog, fire up "Toy Jackpot" on the iPod, and laugh at other's Christmas misery. It's the most wonderful time of the year, right? Unless your mom forced you to wear a Hawaiian shirt for your Olan Mills Christmas photo. 

Just a Couple of Ho-Hos

Things are slowing down just a bit around here, and most of my work for fall clients has been completed. I'm so thankful for all the work, but I'm also thankful to be able to shift my focus just a bit to Christmas. The kids are "ate-up" with Christmas fever, and I know this year is going to be a blast. They are all old enough to be aware of the true meaning of Christmas, and still young enough to get completely caught up in the magic of Santa, presents, glittering trees, and all the rest. Riley refers to Santa as "The Ho-Ho Man", and as we were putting the tree up she plopped a Santa hat on my head to match the one she was already wearing and announced, "Look Mom! We're a couple of Ho-Ho's!". I thought Rob was going to wet himself from laughter. 

Temperatures have been frigid here, and we even got our first snowfall over the weekend. Just a few inches, but enough for the kids to get out and play in, and even take a few reps down the neighborhood sledding hill. I love the stand at the back door and watch them in the backyard while I stay dry and warm inside, and I'm reminded again of the mysteries of childhood when I have the beg them to come inside before they get frostbitten. "Aren't you freezing?" I'll ask the boys, and they typically respond that they're having too much fun to notice the cold. I've decided to adopt that attitude towards the holidays - I'm going to be too busy having fun to notice the stress.

On a unrelated note, it's hard to believe, but today is the one year anniversary of my big surgery. When I thought of it this morning, I was reminded of how much can happen and change in a year, and how quickly our minds and souls allow us to move beyond pain and sadness to a new place. A place of happiness and joy, where the pain and sadness is a distant, foggy memory. A place where you're too busy having fun to notice the still fresh scars, the random ache, the painful memory. A place I'm very happy to occupy right now.

Life is Good

I've received several threatening messages from my Dad about my lapse in updating the blog lately, so out of obligation (and a little fear), here I am. I've been busy. Not a little busy, but alot busy. Rob's schedule has been nuts, the kids have all had different events going on, and my photography business has been amazingly jam-packed this fall. This is my view on most afternoons when I can steal a moment of silence:

Two computers, one cup of coffee, pen tablet, and hundreds of images to edit. Add to all this Halloween,

and another small reconstruction surgery, and my October calendar looked like a pen exploded on it. But aside from being busy, we've also been very good. The kids have all settled into a routine with school, and we even managed to sneak in a quick weekend trip with friends to Lake Michigan where we were treated to beautiful weather and lots of spontaneous fun.

Life seems to be moving rapidly forward again, at such a pace that the one year anniversary of my cancer diagnosis came and went and we barely acknowledged it (which is a good thing, I think. I mean, it's not exactly the kind of anniversary you celebrate, although I wouldn't have been opposed to having a cake. But that's just because I am fundamentally never opposed to having cake.). Life is busy. Life is hectic and a little messy (if you come to my house PLEASE don't examine my kitchen floors too closely). But mainly, most importantly, life is good.

Enlightened

Bottles Of Hope By Peter Sid from peter sid on Vimeo.

As most of you know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. You probably know this because you are attacked by pink ribbon items every time you walk into a store. Sometimes I crack up at the creativity of the manufacturers to capitalize on the popularity of breast cancer month to try and market their products. For instance, what the hell does a Port-a-Potty have to do with breast cancer?

But there are some really cool, creative, genuine charities out there with the sincere intent on helping breast cancer patients, and the video above is a great example. Bottles of Hope is a neat group that takes used chemo bottles and turns them into gifts for cancer patients, and I love the chandelier that the guy in the video made. I really find it amazing when someone takes an item that can have such a negative connotation and turn it into a beautiful piece of artwork. It is something I'd like to pursue with my photography, and I'm beginning to research ways to do so. Certainly I could come up with something more inspirational than the "Porta-Jane".

Alright With 35

Last year on my birthday, I set my camera up on the tripod and took a self portrait, and so I decided to make it a yearly tradition. So much has happened in the past year, it's hard for me to believe that it has only been a year since I took that photo with Riley. I keep referring to the past year as my "dog year", meaning that I feel like I have lived 7 years in the past one. There were terrible, awful moments in the past year, but there were also amazing, triumphant, inspirational moments. I learned so many things. I learned you never know what's around the corner. I learned how to wear a wig and which hats cover a bald head best. I learned to not leave Riley unattended near my makeup drawer. I learned that there was a life apart from cancer before it happened, and there will be a life apart from cancer now that it is gone. I learned there are no guarantees. There are women I met a year ago who are no longer here, and there are some still kicking it who according to their medical charts should not be. I learned how to really fight. I learned there is more love in this world than cynicism and hate. I learned to feel lucky simply because I'm here, and I'm a mother, and a daughter - because I'm a wife and a sister, and a good friend. I learned that instead of cursing because I'm only 35 and I've had cancer, to feel blessed to have been given these lessons at so young an age. I learned that there's alot of life out there, and I intend to live it all.

So I'm mildly panicked that I am now in my "mid-thirties", but that will pass. I look at that picture above of me, and I see someone I really like. She knows some stuff she didn't a year ago, but still has some learning to do. She makes mistakes and says "sorry" and keeps going. She loves and is loved. She needs to take better care of her skin and lay off the chocolate a bit, but she can still wear a mini skirt and high heels. She kinda' likes her hair short (and if she changes her mind she now knows how to rock a long wig). She's alright with 35.

Four

Things have been so busy here I haven't had a chance to post about #2 turning #4. We rented a giant bounce castle for the back yard, were blessed with beautiful weather, and much fun was had by all. And this boy turned 4. All my efforts to keep them from growing seem to be thwarted, as the years continue to pass. I find myself soaking up the moments in the morning when he crawls into bed and snuggles, when he says, "You are my most favorite Momma", when he tells me I look "bootiful". I tell myself, "He's already four!".

I also try to breathe through the moments when he tells me, "You are the worst Mommy in the world!", when he hits his little sister, when he flings himself on the ground after being told "no". I tell myself, "He's only four!".

Back Again

Connor & Riley started preschool last week. Connor is a big man on campus this year in the pre-k class, and Riley continues the family tradition of attending the 2's class with Ms. Sylvia. Even though these two are the closest in age out of the three kids, they aren't terribly close (perhaps Riley still remembers how he welcomed her home from the hospital) so this photo just kills me. And when I dropped them off, Riley practically jumped out of the van without a single tear (also an Alderman child tradition) and Connor cried out, "Wait, I'm supposed to hold her hand!" They had a terrific first day, even though Riley insisted on calling Ms. Sylvia "Grandma" and even though Connor gave me a minor heart attack when he grabbed my keys and went out to the garage and started the van while I was getting Riley ready to go. I loved his enthusiasm, but I'm now storing my keys in a higher location.

Last Gasp

I feel like Labor Day weekend is the last gasp of summer around here. The neighborhood pool closes, preschoolers head back to school, and days get noticeably shorter. There will be fewer ice cream faces on the back patio.

We gathered with neighbors in the back yard for maybe the last fire pit of the summer, and the kids ate s'mores and danced around the fire. Even the mosquitoes seem to know summer is ending, as even with a heavy armor of bug spray we were all devoured by the devils. They fed on us like it was their last meal . Casey said, "I'm ready for winter because there are no moquitoes!"

On one hand, I look forward to fall. I love fall. I love the colors, the crisp weather, new boots, chili on Sunday afternoons -all of it. But on the other hand, I know that winter is right on our heels, and that means the inevitable 4 month hibernation that occurs up here. Maybe this year, in the absence of surgeries and low white cell counts, maybe we'll venture out a little more during the cold. Perhaps replace the fire pit with a fireplace? I'll have to work on that. In the meantime, I am also reminded that the change of seasons isn't all bad. At least football is back.

For the Fellas

Lest you think I'm completely biased, here's a little shout out for the dads.

Amen Sisters

I laughed out loud at this special version of Bohemian Rhapsody just for us moms.


My favorite line "Lucy get your butt in the Durango!"

Girlfriends

I just returned from a weekend in Chicago with 7 of my closest girlfriends, and it was simply wonderful.

It was three nights and almost three full days of laughing, eating, teasing, and drinking. It was three nights and almost three full days of no temper tantrums, no poopy diapers, no cooking, and no cleaning. For a group of women with 21 young children between them, this is as close to heaven on earth as we can get right now.

Thursday night kicked off with a champagne toast, and we toasted to the small miracle it took to coordinate 8 different schedules in order to get us in the same city on the same weekend. More drinks followed, as well as conversations about gardening and composting and finding snakes in your dining room.

Friday found us in the most amazing seats at Wrigley for a Cubs game courtesy of Kathy's sweet brother (single ladies of Chicago - hello! He's gorgeous, smart, employed, and really tall.). Third row behind home plate. There were husbands and fathers all over the country green with envy. Then more talking, laughing, eating, and drinking.

Saturday was spent meandering around the Miracle Mile and enjoying the opportunity to shop and try on clothes without a stroller full of kids screaming in the background. Giordano's pizza for dinner, and then back to Wrigleyville to watch an old friend perform in a hilarious improv group. Then more talking, laughing, eating, and drinking.

The cups they're holding? Oh, yes. That was lunch. That's right people, some of us had chocolate milkshakes for lunch. Just because we could.

I felt lucky the whole weekend. Lucky to have friends like this, who love me exactly as I am, good and bad. Friends who were there to listen if I wanted to talk about cancer, but didn't expect me to. Lucky just to be here, and be healthy enough to have fun with my friends. And I felt especially lucky to have a supportive family to take care of my kids so I could go have this experience.

Sunday we slowly extracted ourselves from the Heavenly Beds at the Weston and tearfully went our separate ways. The only thing we had left to talk about at the end of the weekend was, "When can we do this again?"

First of First

Hard to believe this guy started his first day of first grade yesterday. He said everything was fine, but that "There are no toys in first grade," "They don't give you as long to eat lunch in first grade," and "The day is longer in first grade". You could try to convince him otherwise, and you could also convince a rock to get on the bus and go to school in his place.

So Ferb, What Should We Do Today?

Maybe we should throw a birthday party for a special 6 year old boy? Last Thursday Casey turned 6, and his requested party theme was "Phineas and Ferb", which is his favorite show. The only problem with that request is that the P&F party supplies have not been released yet, so I had to create my own (although a friend told me that she thought she saw some last week at Wal-Mart, so maybe I was just a week too early in shopping).  I found another use for the ubiquitous chalk board in the kitchen by drawing a banner, and it is still up because Casey will not let us erase it. Thankfully, the characters are easy to draw. If he ever requests a Monet themed party, I'm SOL. 

Perry! There you are boy! What, doesn't everyone request strawberry flavored cupcakes with miniature platypuses on top (is that right, or is it platyputi?) for their birthday?

The birthday boy got a new bike, so no more fighting between he & Connor over the old one. So really, it was a gift to me too!

His only other major request was a pinata, but the party store was out of the number 6. So we turned a 9 upside down, which is why it looks like it was tied to the tree by rednecks. In keeping with the Phineas & Ferb theme, the goody bags contained secret agent sunglasses in honor of Agent P (Perry's secret identity).

The glasses also made them look like rejects from a Blues Brothers convention, which only made them more adorable.

Phineas and Ferb like to invent and build things, so we had a few activities of that nature. We made our own ice cream in ziploc bags (word of advice: don't use the cheap generic bags for this project, or you might end up with salty ice cream. Small children do not enjoy salty ice cream). And we made diet soda bottle rockets. If you want to see how fast I can move, watch this:



So, all in all, much fun was had by all. I really love putting together parties for the kids, even though I bitch every year about how much work it takes. Casey declared this the "Best birthday EVER!", which is the best compliment a mom can get.

Spontaneous

Routine definitely rules around here. As a means of survival, I have always kept to some sort of schedule - lunch at 12, naps at 2, dinner by 6, bed by 8:30. During the summer, we certainly loosen up a bit, but I know if I get too far out of the routine, there will be consequences. As a result, I'm not nearly as spontaneous as I'd like to be. For all my talk of having some big adventures with the kids this summer, we've mostly played it safe. Rob was home this week helping me recover from surgery, and on Wednesday morning I opened my eyes to find him standing over me. "Want to go to the beach today?" he asked. Without hesitation, I said yes and we loaded up the kids and headed to Lake Michigan.

We had a late start, but were in the sand at our special spot by 2. The kids built a sand castle, and the boys swam in the lake like fish. Connor even figured out how to bodysurf on the little waves and ride them to shore. Riley, on the other hand, refused to get near the water and made one of several versions of this face when asked if she'd like to get in the lake:

I managed to read a few chapters in a chic-lit beach book, and we just relaxed while the kids played in the sand, ate grapes, and enjoyed the day. After a few hours of heat & sun, we packed back up. After a quick stop at the Round Barn tasting room so I could stock up on wine and dinner at Redamaks, we were back on the road to Carmel.

Later that night, after we put sunscreen scented kids to bed and were sitting on the couch, enjoying a glass of wine, I asked Rob if we were crazy for spending 5 hours in the car just to spend 3 hours on the beach. Because nobody got a nap, and every meal was an hour later than usual, and I don't think any of us consumed a single vegetable (unless you count french fries at lunch AND dinner a vegetable). "Of course not!" he instantly replied, and I had to agree. The kids will never remember the schedule, but they might just remember the day we threw it out the window and went to the beach.

P.S. As the photo above proves, I do not look like Pam Anderson after surgery. I just look like me. Which was the exact outcome I was hoping for. I'm recovering very well, and happy to have another step in this cancer journey in my rearview window.

Alderman Rehabilitation Program

Current stats: Three theft suspects apprehended in program. Suspects given meal of raisins, and then released due to good behavior into the wilds of Carmel courtesy of Dan Casey. Criminal activity in the rectangle of tranquility has subsided.

Guess What I'm Getting Tomorrow?

Hee, hee. Of course, mine will not be so... voluptuous, but they will be brand new and all mine. Tomorrow is "Ta-Ta Thursday", where the expanders that were placed in my first surgery will be removed and replaced with the permanent implants. I am very excited. I have been assured that compared to the first surgery this will be a cakewalk, and I will even be sent home tomorrow afternoon.

Hef, I'll be waiting for your call for that "Miss October" gig. Hee, hee...