Its been a rough week around here- RJ and I have been sick with strep throat and a relentless cough since last Sunday, and if I wasn’t suffering enough with strep, I lost my voice for the first time in life as well.  Then, RJ acquired a nasty case of ring worm, and then the next day, we found out Graeson has pink eye.   On top of all of these issues, Grae had his 6 month check up today, which meant more vaccinations. So, I’m pretty sure that will translate into a super crabby, sore little dude.

On a positive note, tomorrow is the last day of school.  I’m definitely looking forward to summer vacation.

Also, at Grae’s checkup, we learned that he is now in the 94th percentile for weight, 86th for height and 52nd for head circumference.  He weighs 21 pounds, 6 ounces, is 27 inches long, and his little head is 44 cm around. The doctor said he looked great and the nurse couldn’t get over how “smart and alert” he was already.  Grae recognized the person that gave him shots last time and he started crying as soon as he walked into the room.  The nurse explained that babies don’t usually do that until they are 12 months old or older.  That’s our little Baby Einstein. 😉

We hope your week is going a bit better than ours.

Have you ever been scared to share a lifelong dream- to actually say the words out loud?  To make it public?  As if validating that dream may somehow cause the dream to no longer come true? If so, where does this fear come from? Is this some remnant from childhood when you were reminded each year as you were blowing out your birthday candles not to ever tell anyone your wish or it wouldn’t come true? Or does it originate from a much deeper place? A place where the fear of failure overcomes all?

Thoughts?

I have been trying to organize all of the documents on my computer and save them onto an external hard drive, as I’m not sure how much longer my computer is going to hang on.  While doing so, I found an electronic journal that I was keeping from when I was eighteen. The first page was a bucket list- a list of things I wanted to do before I “kicked the bucket.”  How morbid!  I have decided that I hate the term “Bucket List,” and that a list goals, wishes dreams that I hope to accomplish in my lifetime would be more suitably called a Conquer List. 🙂  So I’ve renamed it.  Aside from that, I love looking back- I can remember how I felt as I wrote each entry.  It is fun to see what I have accomplished on my list, what I no longer want anything to do with (that’s what growing up will do to you, I suppose), and what I would like to add to it now, 9 years later.

My CONQUER List
~2003~

Graduate from college (2007)

Marry my best friend (2010)

Jump out of a plane on my wedding day (I’M SO OVER THIS! We had planes fly over our wedding ceremony, I’m going to count it- haha)

Have lots of babies (One down, lots to go ;))

Save someone’s life

Anonymously help a family in need 

Become a foster parent

Become a Doctor by age 30 (Ph.D. is in progress, and I still have three years ;))

Learn to speak Italian (Well I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Italian Studies, but never really became fluent… I’ll have to keep working on it, maybe a few more trips to Italy are in order ;))

Adopt a child (Also still in the plans :))

Fill my home with life and love- children, pets, friends, and family (This is a lifelong goal, but I definitely keep this in mind as we build our life together.  My decorating style- EVERY room in our house must contain something living in at all times-is just one example ;))

Obtain a job that I am passionate about, one that challenges me  (I love my job!)

Get a pet monkey (Someday!)

Now these are all great dreams, however…

My Dad said something when Grae was born that stood out in my mind.  He said, “Grae could very easily live into the 22nd century.”  It got me thinking about what he would see in his lifetime, and what I’d see in mine.  Sometimes it feels like its a race against time to experience these “once in a lifetime” adventures before they are gone, overcrowded or depleted.  Now that I have a child of my own, I hope to expose him to as many of these escapades as I can (as soon as he’s old enough to remember them, of course).

 So, here are some additions  to my list:

See the whales in Hawaii

Live like a local in a foreign village for a month

Grow big, beautiful peonies in my garden just like my Great Grandma Mary

SCUBA dive the Great Barrier Reef

Hold a koala bear in Australia

Teach/volunteer in a foreign country 

Fly a plane

Travel the world, making sure to see all 7 of the world wonders

Homeschool my children

Get my children their English Passports- how cool would it be for them to have dual citizenship like their Daddy?

Learn the art of photography

Cook delicious, healthy meals and eat together as a family as many nights as possible

Start a college fund for my children Thanks so much, Mom and Dad- the significance of this gift cannot be put into words.

and,

Dance with my son at his wedding

What is on your “Conquer List”?  

I woke up

this morning

with my

usual SMILE, 

But I have

something

NEW, 

and it took a

WHILE. 

For no one noticed this

CHANGE

right away, 

But there

was a TOOTH

in my GRIN

today!

Lately, I  haven’t been posting as often as I’d like, but I’m just having too much fun with my boys to take time out to write.  I still desperately need your votes though. Please?? 😉

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Grae Baby,

6 months old!  That’s quite a milestone, Mister Man.  Actually, there have been quite a few milestones already!  You are eating solid foods- not willingly yet- but we are trying, nonetheless.  So far, you have just tried rice cereal and bananas.  You do, however, LOVE water.  And, not only are you drinking water, you are drinking it out of a sippee cup- ALL BY YOURSELF! Its pretty cool, I’m not going to lie. I’m getting excited to start making some homemade baby food for you using our new Baby Bullet. 🙂

You have really mastered sitting up all by yourself now, and you can even hold yourself up on all fours, like you are going to crawl off into the sunset.  You love to jump up and down while Daddy or I hold you in a standing position.

You grab anything and everything you can get your little paws on- including Daddy’s spaghetti covered in red marinara sauce- which resulted in red marinara sauce all over Mommy’s white carpet.  😉 Its okay though- I’ll cherish that stain forever. (Let’s just try not to make a habit of it, eh?!)

The best part of this age SO FAR- You have started giving open-mouth kisses and when I’m kissing you on the cheek, you lean into it and wont let me stop. 🙂  Promise me you’ll always love Mommy kisses, okay? 😉

I LOVE YOU TO THE MOON AND BACK, Grae!

Happy 6 months!

Love,

Mommy

Oh, where oh where does time go?

And, DON’T YOU DARE SAY INTO G’s CHUNKY THIGHS 😉

Today is the perfect day to say that I am eternally grateful and blessed for my amazing Mother, aunts and grandmothers that have helped me become who I am. I’m proud to know the amazing women who raised Ian to be the caring, generous man he is. And, I am so thankful that my son will get to experience the love and wisdom of all of these women combined.

Aren’t Mamas the perfect gift?

Happy Mother’s Day to all Grandmas, Great Grandmothers, Mommas, Mothers-to-be, future mommies… I hope you all have a wonderful day.

I LOVE YOU, Mom!

When Ian and I got married, we chose our first dance song off an old Train album- never having heard the song played on the radio before.  When we told people what song were going to dance to, no one knew it.  A week after we got married, rights for the song had been released and it was being played every couple of minutes on the radio.  We were so disappointed that our special song became so mainstream, not to mention, one of the most popular wedding songs of the year.

When we finally settled on a name for our baby boy, we didn’t know a single ‘Graeson’.   Not from celebrities, not in real life, not from friends of friends. Our ambition was to choose a simple, yet artful and unique name for our son-not completely “made up”, but, at the same time, we wanted him to be the only Grae in his school. A few weeks ago, however, it was brought to my attention that I should check out the “Most Popular Baby Names of 2012 List”.

Sure enough…

Not that I’m surprised. It is a real fine name. 😉

Ian graduated today!! We are so proud of him (and quite excited to be closing the door to that chapter of his life).  Working hard and being a full time student at the same time cannot be fun.  Not too many people could handle it… I know I couldn’t.  Looking on the positive side- now, no matter how long I make his “Honey-Do List,” he’ll think its a piece of cake compare to what he’s been living for the last few years.  🙂 We love you!!

Tizzle Time 🙂

Ian’s FAVORITE professor 🙂

Click below to vote… Do it in honor of Dizzle 😉