My Birthday

My 32nd birthday was a very special evening. I had a few local friends over for a dinner party...my 1st dinner party. It was pure, beautiful, fun! Livy and Dave went to my in-laws, and gave us the place to ourselves. Girls Nite in! Jenn was the bartender extroadinaire...whipping up all flavors of "tini's!" The menu was perfect, with vegan lasagna as the main course. It was the best lasagna that I've ever eaten, thanks to Jenn again! My mom made chocolate cupcakes with a recipe that I sent her from Mothering Magazine...they were delish. Here are a few photo's!

Mama Mia!

I haven't posted in forever, and here I am posting about a movie instead of something more exciting! But really, Mama Mia is a must see. What a fun, festive, and hilarious movie. Dave and I saw the musical years ago in Toronto, so I was pretty excited to see the movie. Tonite Grandma Z came over for dinner, and afterwards I took to see Mama Mia because she hasn't been to a movie in forever. We had a blast! She knew all of the songs and remembers Abba, despite a stage 2 dementia diagnosis. Go Grandma! Really, it was a very wonderful and fun evening....I am so enthralled with this movie. Afterwards we went to coldstone and she was still singing the songs while eating her ice cream. All in all, the movie is a must see for anyone from 13-103! :) I was happy to have a way to connect with my grandma tonite, and even as I write this I realize that this movie gave us a common ground. We often don't have that anymore because she has detached alot into her own world, which goes along with Dementia. I am her only family in Rochester, and I try to come up with outings that will be meaningful for her, or just sit and enjoy her company but it will still feel like she isn't there. But tonite we celebrated life and joy, together, and had alot to talk about afterwards. It was wonderful! She was still thinking it was a different year, and thought it was 3:00am, but I could see the joy reasonating from her, and we were having fun together. Joy is the point. So besides my ramblings, again I urge you to go and check out this movie! Take your grandma with you. ha.

Happy 30th to Jenn!

This is where the fire started, and yes it was too funny to put out. Don't ask any questions, with Jenn and I on the loose, wine, and fun what more do you expect!

Wine Trail or bust! Opening presents on the Limo bus!

Wine down by the bayou
I'm alittle belated here, but my bff turned the big 3-0 on May 31st, and we had quite a celebration! We rented ourselves a limo bus and made a break for the wine trail! The day was quite memorable, complete with laughter, games, a luncheon on the terrace, free flowing wine, salad dressing that was worth fighting over, wine down by the bayou, a risque tasting, a brewery that had everyone swapping spit, a fire that was too funny to put out, friends, family, and the beloved birthday girl whom we all adore! What more could we ask for! It was a break for everyone to take time and enjoy the view, and celebrate a pretty special birthday person! We love you E!!

Avery and lulu

Carefree and chillin

These two are something else! Enjoying their Saturday nite out on the town! Krony's and Abbotts, what more could 2 year old's ask for?

2 pea's in a pod

The Brewery Tour

Lulu getting windblown before the tour! Papa G yelling at Luc not to snap his pic. :)

Some of the happy shopper! Pom wheat came home with all of us!

Some of the happy fam, gearing up for the tour

The famous Shultz & Dooley!

The family took some time out to visit the Saranac Brewery together, and what a great time we had! We have been trying to make yearly trips to this brewery since I was very young. If you are ever in Utica be sure and check it out, its not to be missed! Olivia had a great time touching the hops, smelling the various stages of the brewing process, touring the holding tanks, and stayed pretty cooperative given that the tour is 60 minutes, most of which is learning about the history and learning how the process works. At the end she had her 1st shirely temple while the rest of us sampled our new favorite beer on earth, Pomegranate Wheat! You must must try this beer...its very good.

The Ducks

Quacking at our front window at half passed 6 tonite, were two little ducks who were trying to get our attention. They wouldn't leave, so we finally caved and gave them something to drink. This same little pair comes around every year, about this time, and walk through our neighborhood. They went to our neighbors door last nite, and yelled until he fed them. I felt bad not to offer something, after all I always talk about being kind to all creatures. I felt like they were our guests. When they finally slipped away we were actually sad. They brought an energy to our house tonite and we loved it! How they ended up at our house we're not sure, but they definetly brightened our evening.

The Big Girl toddler bed!

We changed Olivia's crib into a toddler bed on Sunday, with the help of Dave and papa Gary. Olivia was very excited to have this new freedom, and she ran around the house shouting about her big girl bed, and shes still excited a few days later. Since she has all this freedom she is using it by getting up 2 hours earlier every morning! Ack. Guess I'll have to walk her back to bed just like my mom used to do to me. :)

NKOTB reunites!

I know this may seem cheesy, but the band that used to make my heart go a flutter is reuniting! Can you believe that NKOTB is giving it another shot, 15 years later? They are going on tour this summer, and I almost, sort of, want to go. Looking at this picture of these guys 15 years later still makes me feel like an overexcited tween, who is begging her parents to let her go to the concert. I don't have to ask my parents, but tell me how I"ll explain to Dave that I have to get tickets. lol. I'm sure that he would be less than thrilled, so I'll just have to rely on utube to fill me in on what I'll miss. Joey Mcintyre is still my fave.

www.nkotb.org

Sticky Situation

Livy loves stickers, and loves putting them on the carpet, her clothes, walls, and wherever they will stick. Notice them all around her chair, and on her sweater! I love how "laid back" she is in these pics, just chillin on her chair with her feet up after a long day of running around the neighborhood!

Happy Spring!

A few recent pictures of Olivia, age 2.5 going on 7! I don't know how to put into words all of the ways that she is growing and changing. Today she wanted to know the name of a little girl who was talking to her, and after hearing the name she looked at the girl and said "Thats the most beautiful name I ever heard!" ha! When she loves something she will say "Oh this is my best!" Her current best is a turkey & Cheese sandwhich, and when I serve it to her she'll immediately say "Oh this is my best mama, and you never did make this in awhile!" ha! She goes once a week to a 2 year old class and the teachers have a host of Oliviaisms to tell me about when I pick her up. She is figuring out her world by asking alot of questions now, including "Where do we come from?" I always answer her honestly, but i really had to think about how I wanted to answer that. We have our interesting times too...like the toddler tants where she is none too happy with most anything, which shows up alot after naps and if she doens't like whats for dinner. Olivia loves to see other kids, especially older ones and really wants to be included in what they're doing. She introduces herself right away, and just wants to join in their fun. I babysit for Hannah once a week, and Livy really adores Hannah. She calls her "my best!" Hannah tries to teach Livy new things, and if its going over Livy's head she just screams in delight and starts running around the house. Its quite a sight to watch. Hannah is older and just a delight to be with. She appreciates Livy's personality and watching their friendship blossom has been pretty special as a mom. They have conversations that blow me away, and they actually ask each other questions about things. I have a few recorded on video and they will love to watch it someday. Livy also loves to play with Avery, and will ask for daily updates on Avery's whereabouts. She sometimes plays pretend games and make Avery show up. She likes to hear the play by play on the Thompson clan, including what Shilo is up to! Its quite sweet.

So thats an update on my peanut! She is going to pre-school in the fall, and I just turned in all of her paperwork. Time is moving along, and I'm trying to hang on, an enjoy every moment of her. My job is still allowing me time to do that. I get creative with my scheduling to maximize and balance my home time. I usually have at least 2 full days at home, then I work 2-3 afternoons a week, still leaving my mornings with Olivia. Being home with her is my sanity, and I go insane if I'm away from her too much. I also go insane if I'm with her too much, so working a few hours is good for me, but too many makes me feel out of balance. I have a rythmic dance that I do to balance work and home, and some weeks it feels like I have three left feet, and other weeks it feels perfectly in sync, and I'm guessing that most of us feel that way too.

New Job!

I have been meaning to update about my new job, but its been such a crazy ride that I haven't yet had time to blog about it. The quick version of the story is that I woke up one day in January and decided that I was sick of working weekends in a germ infested hosptal, and I dearly missed my family time with Dave and Livy. Dave is at RIT 1-2 nites a week and combined with me working 16-18 hours a weekend, it left little family time. So I woke up on a cold January morning and said to God, "I'm done working weekends, what else have you got for me?" I jumped out of bed and proclaimed that I was done working weekends. Within a few hours my friend Deb emailed me that her agency was hiring. Coincidence? Maybe, but the timing was something to note. Whatever happened in the universe that day happened for a reason, and I started my whirlwind new job 4 weeks ago. I call it a whirlwind becuase I have felt like a fish out of water for the 1st time since graduating from college. I am working for a private agency that provides Early Intervention Services. I was hired as a family therapist 15 hours a week, working in the homes of families of children with special needs. My office is at home, and I travel house to house. I work on teams of 4-6 other service providers who are also in the home.
Counseling people in their homes is fascinating for me. People are so comfortable there, and so are their kids, which means that behaviors and issues tend to show themselves pretty quickly. I left one home tonite where I was following mom around the house as she was trying to get her developementally delayed tot to brush his teeth. The battle of the wills was on, and this tot was screaming his poor head off and running up the couches and tables to escape. I was along side mom addressing the behaviors, and making suggestions to empower her in her parenting. She was about to break down but the team was there to encourage her in the intervention. Many times I'll see parents when the kids are napping becuase they just need to vent and discuss the difficult issues going on with their child, but I always make a plan to come back when the kiddo is wide awake and ready for action.
The kids have multiple medical, emotional, and behavioral issues. My eyes start to well up during at least one point in every visit, not becuase I'm sad, but because of the love parents have for their kids, and the lengths that they go to. They don't know my eyes are tearing, but I can feel the moment that my heart is tugging as they're telling me what they live with. I see the other therapists have these moments too, and we often have it when we're talking to each other about something that happened in the home. We're dealing with families who are trully on a pilgrimage, and trying to survive and thrive in their lives, yet living with a mountain of pain right now.
Adjusting to this job has been absolutely crazy. I'm out on visits and trying to learn the lingo of the interventions, treatments, team members, and a whole new part of Social Work. Its a new expierience for me, and one that I will need if I want to have my own practice someday. But the adjustment to this agency hasn't been easy. Because none of the staff go to a central office things can be very confusing for a new person like me. I told my boss the other day that I feel "so green." I'll get through it, and I'm pretty thrown off, but thats life sometimes and as Ethel says, this too shall pass!

Pictures

Quick funny story. Olivia and I headed out to shovel today, and I had just finished the back breaking job when Olivia looked at me and said " Looks like you have a ways to go yet!" ha! I thought that I had done an amazing job of shoveling the entire driveway, but she took one look at it and felt differently.

My friends

Along the way I have made many wonderful friends. Some have come and gone, but they all have a special place in my heart. I think of people that I met years ago, preschool even, and the way they touched my life, and I appreciate them for being a part of my life. Friendships are so important to me becuase during my childhood I had to say goodbye to most of my friends before the relationships even blossomed. We relocated constantly, and moved almost every year of my school career, except high school, where I finally stayed in one place for 4 years. Too make up for craziness of moving so much during my youth, I always dreamed about growing up and having lifelong friends, taking trips together, and making awesome memories together. I finally have those friends, and I appreciate them more than they'll ever know. I can't put it into words often because its so dear to me that even the thought of it chokes me up. I have a wonderful group of friends from many walks of my adult life, and I love having them in my life.

The reflection today happened because my dear friend Jen Labella came to town. Seeing her beautiful face today, and her sweet husband Chris, reminded me of how blessed I am. Hearing their beautiful news today, and sharing that joy with them felt so perfect! I truly love my friends, and sitting with them, and Ethel today, made me pause and thank God for my blessings. My friends are true amazing souls, who are kind and living great lives. I'm in awe of each of them for their gifts to this earth, and I am so happy that I got to spend time with my them today. Love you guys!

Time for Tea

I recently wrote this article for the Holistic Moms Newsletter. See below.

The power of tea. Tea has the ability to calm, excite, focus, provide peace, and encourage a personal single moment of bliss. This bliss is what I experienced for the first time during a Holistic Moms Leaders meeting. Deborah welcomed us into her home, and put on a simple pot of Rooibus tea. Prior to this meeting I drank green tea because I knew that it was said to be good for me, but I didn’t enjoy a single cup of tea until I drank it with wise women. We sat around and drank endless cups of tea while planning 2008 meetings, and ended our meeting with story telling from our youth that had us roaring in laughter while we clutched our tea. The tea was offered as a drink to bring us together, and it provided a space between all of us that helped weave together our stories and our lives. With our tea in hand we made intentions for the coming year, circling in the visions of our heart for our local Holistic Moms Network.

Since that meeting I have drank and enjoyed tea with many friends, and on my own. I make tea while I’m in the midst of cooking dinner, with my toddler underfoot and my husband busily telling me stories of his workday. The secret that my husband and toddler don’t know is that even while my kitchen is bustling, the tea in my cup is offering me a quiet calm that sustains my womanhood. I wish I had known about the power of tea to be so enchanting, and deliver me peace starting at the very sound of the water hitting my mug, but until I drank it with women, I might have never known the power it can offer.

What did I drink before tea? Coffee in the form of 2 cups of day for much need pick me ups. I’ve met friends for coffee and enjoyed coffee most of my life since age 18, yet it never offered me the power of peace. Now as I drink my tea, I feel as though my cup contains life energy, sustaining me and offering a possibility that coffee may have lacked. I enter tea rooms and tea aisles in stores as a child might enter a candy shop, full of possibility, hope, and wonderment. Tea has changed me and brought something to my life by its very essence, and the essence came alive through the women that I drank it with. A few days ago I drank tea in a circle at work, with women I had just met, and each sip gave me a moment of calm that brought focus to my mind and sparked ideas that led the way for a project I am working on. Tea is a journey, a mystery, and a new path for me to discover more about who I am. It started with the power of women joining together for a common goal, and has now entered my life forever. My daughter and I share tea together in the afternoon, and I watch her while we drink, and together we share a silent space that is joyous and peaceful for both of us. Tea and womanhood together are a combination extroadinaire! I am currently reading the book “Three cups of tea” and am learning that I am joining into a habit that has been enjoyed for thousands of years, and its power can only be measured by the peace in our heart.

Sick...Sick....Sick

This family has been sick, and I mean sick! Ack. Why do these things hit one family member, and then tear through the rest of them like a tomahawk missle! Geesh. I have some awful, terrible, no good severe cold, and so does my husband. We're not supposed to be sick together! Last nite noone slept. Dave and I had a tissue box in bed with us and I felt pathetic as we were both coughing, sneezing, and blowing our noses all nite. We were a sight! There is no rest for the weary because Livy kept hearing us and getting up and down several times. By some miracle Dave got up feeling better, and he actually forced me to call in sick at work. I had a fever and couldn't move, but somehow I was convinced that I could make it to work. I showered, and then realized that I felt so sick this might be pneumonia ( I exaggerate everything when I'm sick, but I really felt bad.)Staying home and avoiding the Highland Madness was the best thing because I slept from 11-2, which is exactly what I needed. It was hard to fall asleep as I was having stress thoughts pop in my head about not getting paid for today, but sometimes you just have to lose some money in order to get better. Dave kept telling me to rest, but then I would hear Olivia running & jumping around the house, ready to play. I felt so bad that I had a day off and couldn't be downstairs enjoying it with her. Dave finally took her to Walmart for a few hours, and I grabbed some sleep. Please pray that our cold's go away soon. My poor husband has a midterm tomorrow. Luckily I perked up alittle this afternoon, and he got to spend several hours studying. Good luck Hon! Rock the Midterm!

The Vaccine Book

Another reccommendation...I'm full of them this week! ha. If you're a parent of small children, do your kids a favor that may save their life, buy this book! www.thevaccinebook.com or The Vaccine Book by Robert Sears. It isn't a freak you out, scare you, fear based never vaccinate your kid kind of book. Its a clear, accessible, easy to read gem of a book that guides you through the vaccine mystery, giving clear and consise information, even setting up a schedule should you choose to postpone vaccines a bit. I have tried to read many books on this topic, and most of them left me feeling like I was floating alone, in the ocean, without a raft. Not to be cheesy, but my raft has arrived now, and its a cruise ship taking me back to land. I love this book and feel blessed to have purchased it. If we have another child I will vaccinate them differently than Olivia becuase I have found my answers and I don't need to look any further. I never say that about anything, but Robert Sears has done decades of research to write this easy to read book, and it really should be called "The Vaccine Bible." If you have a baby, consider yourself so lucky to have this resource becuase I floundered on my own, researching government data, and poorly written scare tactic books! Thank you Robert Sears! I know some people turn a blind eye and would rather just trust their pediatricians on this issue, but Robert Sears is a Pediatrician, and one who started on a quest for answers. He received those answers and is sharing them with parents in this amazing book!

Juno

Do yourself a favor, go and see this movie. Its wonderful and probably one of the best movies that you'll see this year. Tonite Dave and I went to the Little to see it, and afterwards I called Jenn and insisted that her and Keith go and see it tomorrow! I am so glad that we decided to see it, and yes even my husband loved it. Dave is a tough one to please, and he loved Ellen Page's performance. Its an wonderful movie! Its a comedy, but it had me choked up towards the end. I came to love the characters, and I'm not even a movie buff. Go see it, I insist! Happy New Year Everyone!!
http://www.little-theatre.com/moviePage.php?filmID=692