Girl on the GO...

I just had to grab the camera when I saw Aubrey. She's always trying on our big shoes and it's so funny. I thought it was classic when she grabbed the keys. This girl is so ready to go!

My humble attempt...

This is my first official quilt that I've done entirely on my own. I say official because I've done small little basic quilting projects. I made a little placement for my mom one christmas. I tried a few hotpads. Thanks Mary! And my first little quilting project was my chicken pin cushion. This is a little baby quilt for a friend who is having a boy this month. I didn't follow a pattern. I just sort of made it up and that is totally me. Just making it how I want. I pieced it all together and actually got it on the frames all by myself. I think Lynda would be proud. I'm hoping to get the quilting done today and then get the binding on. I'm not sure what to do for the binding. Any suggestions Mary and Marciea? The backing is navy flannel.

The British are coming!

Aaron just did a book report on a Paul Revere biography. He had to design a cover for his book and we thought it would be fun to dress up as Paul Revere and take some snapshots. We pulled together a mix of church attire and a pirate costume. Surprisingly colonial, eh? And what do you think of his mode of transportation? Aaron really got into calling out "The British are coming!!!" He had fun despite the bitter cold!

Princess Ponytails...

I just had to document this because I don't think I'll get another ponytail in Aubrey's hair. She hates me playing with her hair. She has gotten used to the tiny clips so I think if I keep trying she might get used to ponytails. I definitely need to find some better rubberbands than the small goodie kind. I need some that I can get in her hair quick. Any advice?

So long, farewell...

I finally put most of the Christmas decorations away this weekend. I really did not want to say goodbye to Christmas. Mike took down the Christmas lights on the house after New Year's even though begged him not too. I tried to talk him into keeping them up until the end of January but he won. I still have my Willow Tree nativity out. I just can't seem to put it all away. I guess I'm just trying to hang on to the visual reminders of the only thing that brings peace in this life.

Right now, as I'm sure many of you are, I am very busy with keeping up with my family's demands. We have a lot going on right now and our to-do list seems to be getting longer and longer. We're once again at that time when we have to consider what our next move will be. As many of you know, Mike works for PricewaterhouseCoopers. Mike's job has provided so many great opportunities for our family for which we are thankful. It has also required us to move every few years which hasn't really been a problem for me in the past. Mike's two year "tour" at PwC's national office ends this July and we are trying to decide where we should go. Due to the financial world being what it is, there are not many options for us. You would think that it would be easier to make a decision with less options. Don't they say only give your child two choices and let them choose? In the past, we've always had several choices to choose from and we have always felt a pull towards one of the choices and then the decision would be made. However, this time, I just feel confused and incapable of making a decision. We're still waiting on some more information that may influence the whole decision making process. Maybe this is all a result of our kids being a little older and we're more concerned about how the move would affect them especially Aaron.

For those of you that don't know, in January of 2007, Aaron was diagnosed with receptive and expressive language disorder with auditory processing disorder. While we feel this diagnosis is correct, we don't feel that we've nailed the complete diagnosis. Due to his delay with developing and processing language, his social and emotional skills are also delayed. Last Saturday, we had Aaron evaluated at two different clinics. I went with Aaron to his first appointment at Pediatric Theraputics. They mostly do occupational therapy there and they help all sorts of children with all kinds of developmental needs. I meet with the specialist tomorrow to discuss her findings but from what she told me Saturday, Aaron's left ear is very week at processing sound. Then that afternoon, Mike took Aaron to a screening at the Brain Balance Center in Long Island, NY. Mike and I went to a lecture last Thursday about the Brain Balance Program and we decided to look into it. So we had Aaron screened to see if he would be a candidate for their program. Well, there they said that Aaron is right brain deficient and that he would be a candidate for their program. So now we're trying to decide what therapies to pursue to help him. More decisions...

It's times like these when everything is hazy and unsure and confusing that I feel my grip on personal peace start to loosen. And I need those visual reminders to keep me hanging on! I just may end up keeping my nativity scene out until July!

Anyone have any advice on life, school, etc..., in San Diego????

Happy New Year!

Wow! 2009! Happy New Year!

We took a drive downtown today to check out the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Plaza before it gets taken down. Man was it cold! We enjoyed checking out the people ice skating for a few minutes and then headed over to 5th Avenue. We took a peek at the Saks windows and learned about a little snowflake named Mike. I thought it was funny and took a few pictures. Then we snuck inside Saks to warm up and take a restroom break. Boy, we sure felt out of place among all the high fashion counters. While the boys and I were in the restroom, Mike checked out a sale rack in the ladies department. He told me I could get a blouse on the sale for $1000. What a deal, huh? I'll just stick with my $15 sweater from H&M. :) It was a great day to go in and out of the city. The crowds weren't bad at all and the parking was free.