Waiting

I am sitting at my computer.  There is a load of laundry in the dryer and another on top that needs to be dried a bit more.  My littlest one is taking a bath and when he is done I will go up to read with him, pray with him and tuck him into bed.  My husband is accompanying the little guy as he bathes.  My oldest child is reading a magazine at the table behind me (and now coming over to show me things because he seems to sense when I am trying to concentrate on something on the computer).  I have a meatloaf cooking in the oven which will be done sometime after I put the babe to sleep.  That is also when I expect to fold laundry.

So I am waiting on many things, but there is also a storm over my head not literally yet, but coming my way.  As is often the case with storms the news and weather folks are going wild about how we need to be prepared and that this could be the big one.  The implication being that it will change and perhaps even destroy lives and properties.  We have tidied up our yard today and tried to make sure things are secure and safe.  Our basement tends towards flooding so we have put things up higher.  (That is also why I am doing laundry on a Sunday which is a day I usually take off from laundry).  Finally we have candle, flashlights, lanterns, batteries and there is propane in the tank of our grill.  We are expected to lose power.  We already know school is canceled for the next 2 days.  Harry's school is a designated shelter in our town and those in low lying areas have been advised to go elsewhere (not mandatory though).

So we are waiting and wondering and hoping for the best.  I remember when I was younger and found storm invigorating and exciting.  I didn't then have the responsibilities that I have now.  I have 2 young boys who need caring for.  However, now I have done what I can and the storm is not yet here.  The chores I can do tonight will soon be done.  I think I will try to find that excitement so I can be ready for the extra time with my boys and also think of some activities we can share together in the absence of our normal luxuries of power.  Maybe that won't happen, but if it does and I will have had the opportunity in this waiting period to be ready.

Sometimes God springs new things on us, but sometimes we know ahead of time that transitions are coming or we suspect that they may be coming.  This is one of those times, I find those are times when I want to try my best to enjoy and grow in the waiting period, because I cannot change the bad things in life and they will come, storm or no storm, but I can change how I respond and how I perceive the storm.  It may bring something that I didn't know I needed, like 2 extra days of vacation with my precious children.

In the meantime, if you are reading this tonight, please say a prayer for those in danger that they may be upheld in God's hand and weather the storm without to much distress.

Pumpkin Patch

We have had a busy October.  Columbus Day weekend came early this year and we went on our traditional trip to Ogunquit.  Nestled into each weekend have been extra duties in the church for both Kevin and I.  Of course mostly for Kevin, but that of course impacts everybody else.  This is what we signed up for, but it has made for a particularly busy October.  Pumpkins have been around since August and Robert has been asking to get pumpkins since then, but we like to wait, because if we get them too early they sometimes rot or more often get attacked by squirrels.  So the second weekend in October we got pumpkins.  

We had errands on Aquidneck Island and then decided to just drive around Portsmouth, until we found a likely farm.  This is the beautiful place we found.  It was a big commercialized place with cider and hay rides and the like, just a farm with a field of pumpkins and it was very reasonable price wise too.  Harry had already done the maze, etc.  and neither boy likes cider anyway.  So here are the boys with our pumpkins and the beautiful view we got to enjoy as we searched for the perfect pumpkin.

And yes, I found little claw marks on a pumpkin this week, so they are residing inside now, instead of on the front porch :-)

Every fall we go to my favorite spot in Maine for a short vacation (long weekend really).  My family started going to this place when I was about 3 and so I have been going there on and off for almost 40 years now.  I love the chance to introduce my children to a place where I remember vividly growing up.  I can see myself at different stages in life.  I also remember that I was allowed (I am sure by Harry's age), to go down to the beach in the mornings to wander and play.  I was an early riser and Harry is one as well.  We spent most of our time on the beach when we were in Maine, but we were there in the summertime.  We still spend a fair amount of time wandering the beach and climbing rocks, but it is a fair amount colder in October so there isn't usually as much swimming and sandcastling.

We are at the stage of childhood with Harry where we need to let go more often and it is easier to do.  He has demonstrated that he won't hurt himself on the the rocks and is a good climber.  He also shows the ability to take care of himself in different situations.  I may be somewhat appalled occasionally by what comes out of his mouth, but I do know he is capable of taking care of himself in public.  I have also learned that he has a strong sense of justice and wants to step in where injustice is being perpetrated.  This is a bit scary, because he is a little guy and sometimes seems to think he can right the wrongs of older stronger children.  Of course I worry that they will simply stomp on him and continue their bullying or whatever, but I am proud that he wants to help.

Harry is in constant motion and his mind is always working.  There aren't too many times that he simply stands and looks out to sea.  I guess that is why I like this picture of him looking at the view in front of him.  I was a child who had a favorite rock and spent a great deal of time, just contemplating the ocean and the world around me and lost in my imagination.  Harry isn't still for his imaginary time, but he definitely spends a great deal of time just lost in his own world.

I think I also like this picture, because more and more, I find myself having to let go.  It is a feeling tinged with excitement and regret.  There is so much the world has to offer all of us, but when we have to watch our children move forward it can be scary and difficult to imagine them moving on in a world that isn't always gentle or fair.  I know he will have to learn some things the hard way and suffer pain and that is a good thing, but if I could take every hit for him, I would do so.

Our Weekend in Maine Part 3 - Hanging around

Cocktail hour

playing on one of the many electronic devices

Mom and her little guy

striking a pose - kinda

Lloyds on the the rocks

Note the hands - stop trying to manage me - I am capable of climbing rocks on my own (parents weren't so sure)

Lloyd boys on the rocks

Mandatory end of weekend family shots

best one of all of us

Dad and I along the Marginal Way with big beach in the background - I am so blessed to have a few years of these shots and to have spent another lovely weekend in one of my favorite places

Our Weekend in Maine Part 2 - at the beach in October!

The flexibility of youth

That wave got him right in the face :-)

pre water yoga - needed to slow the body's response to the cold

because there isn't enough water in the sea, Mom made a little pond for the boys to splash in

contemplating the rock

Yes, I am crazy and wet and enjoying every minute of it 

You aren't going to throw that handful of sand at me are you?

strike a pose

showing dad our pond

close up

after swimming in the ocean in Maine, they deserved a dip in the hot tub

and yes, I was in fact the camerawoman - see my feet prove I was there :-)

Our Weekend in Maine - Part 1 - Along the Marginal Way

Brothers

Walking the Marginal Way

Spouses (taken by our nine year old :-)

Waiting for the lobster boat

Your turn to sit between 2 rowdy boys

Who gave that kid a harmonica?

Not everybody was impressed

How many more of these will I have to pose for?

Around the House

Screen time is a very popular thing in our house.  Recently it has expanded to time on various computer/game devices.  Harry has had a DS since he was about seven, but it is only since the spring that he has used it.  He also inherited an itouch as a birthday present that had belonged to his father and then to me.  We try to limit screen time, but it is a constant battle. However, here  is a picture of the boys together playing a video game.  Recently Harry has found an online game he likes to play once in a while.  Robert's access to video games are those that are on my ipad.  I put on some educational games and he likes those, but he is also quite fond of angry birds a the moment and much as I hate to admit it, it can give me a few moments of invaluable time right now when I can make a phone call or take a shower without interruption.  Both my boys are chatty and when we are together they want my undivided attention.  This doesn't mean that they need me to be talking to them all the time, but if I start to do something for any length that they feel "neglects" them they will demand my attention, depending on the time of day/mood/ etc I can divert them, but not always.  In those cases where I really need a few moments those screens can be invaluable.

Here is Robert helping to take out the trash.  He is in the stage where helping is still fun and he wants to do it all on his own!  There are always some thing that he can help with sometimes - it is a funny balance of having the children help out around the house and understanding that they may not do the job I would really like to be done.  I have to remind myself to just appreciate that they are getting there.  I try not to go behind and improve on their efforts (but who am I fooling, I do that with their Dad too - so maybe it is a lesson I need to learn).

Apple Picking

Mondays seem to be my morning for posting.  I don't have anything profound to say today.  The sun is out after a rainy weekend and here are some pictures from our apple picking adventure the previous weekend.

Who is that child under the Red Sox cap?

so many apples so far above

still plenty within reach

figuring out how to use the nabber thingy

Kevin and apples

Heading back to the car with a full load of apples

We made it a day and ended with ice cream

We were sitting next to a bicycle path facing the bay

Something about this expression makes me want to know what he was thinking

Proving that I was along - although this photo is from dinner which came before the ice cream :-)