Birthday With Buzz And Bob

Nolan turned 4 on the 25th but our little lucky duck had nearly an entire week's full of celebration.  He was very excited for his birthday this year, and especially the cake!  My parents were here visiting us for a few days so we had a small family party with them.  And of course Nolan wanted to take cupcakes to school for his friends.  Lastly we took him to the San Jose Children's Discovery Museum to see the special Bob the Builder exhibit.  What fun he had!  It was difficult to leave and he has already told us he wants to come back again "tomorrow."  (Everything is "tomorrow" with Nolan!)  Here are a few snapshots of his birthday fun!

Nolan is very into Toy Story right now so he was thrilled to receive a few Toy Story toys!

Bob the Builder is a second "love" so meeting him at the Children's Museum was a huge hit!

There's so much fun to be had!

Brave Boy!

Nolan had surgery earlier this week to remove a growth on his lower left jawline.  It appeared right around age 2 and I have had a dermatologist watch it since it emerged.  At our last derm visit we were referred to a special pediatric dermatologist because the growth's looks had changed and it had enlarged since our last exam.  This new doctor decided it would be best to remove it so we went forward with plans to do so.  If this growth were on an adult it could be easily removed under local anesthetic in the doctor's office.  However, with children, a trip to the outpatient hospital and general anesthesia are required.

Nolan was so VERY brave!  I stressed over how he would do because he doesn't like doctors all that much and is quite obstinate when asked to do something he doesn't want to do.  We prayed a lot, as did so many friends and family members, and God CLEARLY heard and answered our prayers in such an amazing way!  When we arrived at the hospital Nolan was greeted by the sweetest nurse who had placed a teddy bear on his bed.  The teddy bear (who Nolan named "Beary") had his temperature and pulse ox taken just like Nolan.  Then we played a little game to coax him into the gown and sox.  Then he snuggled down into the bed under the warmed blanket.  He drank down a sedative with very little fight and then was wheeled off to the OR waving "Bye!" to us.  Todd and I couldn't have been more relieved!

The surgery was quick and easy but coming out from the anesthesia was not.  Nolan was irate and thrashed so much that the nurses had to restrain him until Todd and I were able to be with him in the recovery room.  I promptly laid next to him and sang to him while Todd began (the magic that is) "Cars" on the iPad.  He calmed quickly, ate a cracker and drank some water, and then we headed home.  Just as we entered the freeway on-ramp Nolan puked all over himself (and the seat and the car door and the floor) before I could get the barf bag to him.  Oh well!  When we got home Nolan took a three hour nap and then woke up his normal sweet self.

We are so proud of our big boy and are glad this ordeal is over!

Summer? Fall? I'm Confused!

The weather has been so idiosyncratic around here.  This morning when I woke up it was grey and drizzly for the first time in a good long while.  Finally.  I loved it.  Soren and I donned pants, sweaters and closed toe shoes (gasp!) and headed to playgroup.  It was a cool, crisp 55 degrees.  A perfect morning at the park. 

When we returned home I decided to celebrate the impending changing of the seasons by whipping up one of my favorite fall recipes for dinner tonight--Potato Corn Chowder.  So so good.  The aroma filled my kitchen for hours as it simmered in the crock pot.

Then, around 2:30 the sun peeked out through the dreary clouds.  A bit later the clouds parted.  Then the sun came out in full middle-of-summer force and warmed up our little neighborhood to a warmer-than-I-would-have-liked 82 degrees.  The air conditioner kicked on as it reached 77 dergrees upstairs.  Blast!  What a cruel tease!
Despite the fact that our chowder wasn't exactly apropos for the warm day we ended up with, it gave me a glimpse of what is sure to come.  Oh fall,  I love you so.

To bring a little fall warmth into your home try this super easy, delicious recipe.  It will not disappoint.

Potato Corn Chowder

1/2 bag of frozen hash browns (about 4 cups)
1 can whole kernel corn, undrained
1 can cream style corn
1 can evaporated milk
8 slices of cooked and crumbled bacon
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/2 t. worcestershire sauce

Put all the ingredients in your crock pot.  Mix well.  Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours.

Ladle into bowls.  Top with fresh ground pepper and cheese.  Enjoy with crusty bread.

Ten Tidbits On Tuesday

Just a few little thoughts...

1. Nolan has been SO hyper lately.  I'm scratching my head trying to figure out where it's stemming from.  Maybe he realizes that his birthday is next week.  Or maybe...I dunno.  It's driving me bonkers!
2. Soren is into EVERYTHING these days.  Nolan never got into cabinets and such, but Soren...oh my word!  For some reason he really likes my hair do-dad drawer and even tries to put some of the do-dads on his head.  Don't tell Todd!
3. Todd turned the big 3-5 on Sunday.  We didn't do anything big to celebrate except for make an awesome dinner together.  Tri tip, homemade mac and cheese, and Millionaire's Delight for dessert.  If you've never had Millionaire's Delight you haven't lived.  It's my Mom's signature dish, and it's THAT GOOD!
4. I have decided to give running a try.  I haven't run consistently since high school when I was on the track team but I am pretty proud of myself for running the last 8 out of 10 days.  Granted, I haven't run very far but I am hoping to work my way up to about an hour's worth of running by the end of the year.  I am NOT athletic in any sense of the word and my motivation for running track in high school was the cute boy factor.  However, track was my second (but only "real") choice for cute boys.  All the super hot guys were on the water polo team but I can't swim (unless you call doggie paddling swimming) so I couldn't join the swim or water polo teams.  Oh my...the things we do for guys when we're young!
5. I just finished a great book--"Totally Desperate Mom" by Wendy Hagen.  Wendy goes to my church and has spoken to our MOPS group a few times and she's as real and down to earth as it gets when talking about "life in the motherhood."  I'm usually not all that impressed with motherhood books but this one is worth the read.  You can proceed to Amazon.com now and I won't feel neglected.
6. I'm so ready for fall.  I can't wait for the first rain where I can wear my new cheetah print rainboots!
7. I'm also dying to go to Disneyland.  We haven't been since last November and it seems like forever ago.  As soon as Soren's walking we'll be making a trip south to visit the Mouse.  Can't wait!
8. I'm also anxious for fall TV!  Glee, Modern Family, Parenthood, The Big Bang Theory and more!
9. Speaking of TV, I'm currently watching the first season of "The Tudors" on Netflix.  So good!  What a hot mess Henry VIII and his whole group is!
10. The Petty's from San Diego are coming to visit us this weekend and so are my parents!  Yeah for friends and family!

Bloom Where You're Planted

I used to love this saying.  About 15 years ago I even had a very cutesy, happy and whimsical Mary Engelbreit mug emblazoned with this saying that I sipped hot tea out of every night before bed.  A hot cup of tea is essential during a cold Colorado winter, but now I no longer drink tea unless I'm sick and I am no longer the Mary Engelbreit afficionado that I once was.  And come to find out...I no longer love this saying.  To be frank, it gets on my nerves and makes me feel guilty.  I know I should make the most out of every situation, the Bible tells me so, but I'm just a little bit bitter at this point in my life and "I don't wanna!"

Blooming where you're planted requires work and a good attitude and I'm definitely struggling with those things right now.  We've been up in the Bay Area for almost two and a half years now and it still is not home.  I truly hope that it never is home because I don't want to stay here for the long haul.  I miss my family and friends in Southern California and I can easily count my NorCal "more-than-acquaintance-type-friends" on one hand.  It's lonely here.  I haven't found my niche.  My phone doesn't ring like I wish it would.  I don't feel "known" here on a deep level, nor do I have anyone in my everyday life that I can say I know well.

I've tried, to a degree, to forage friendships  However, in all honesty, I can't say I've given it my best shot because my heart isn't wholly here.  I truly enjoy my MOPS group and some of the women I've met there I do count among my closer friends.  As for our church?  It's so big and so impersonal we rarely see the same people on a weekly basis.  We are involved in a small group at church for parents of autistic kids, but both Todd and I haven't made any real connections with other parents beyond supporting one another in prayer.  I'm also semi-involved in my local MOMS Club (ie: I participate when I feel like it) and I get together from time to time with other moms from Nolan's class...but there again, no deep connections are being made other than the bond we have in our kids.  Here in our neighborhood most of the moms work outside the home or speak very little English (our neighborhood has a high Asian and Indian population with quite a few multi-generational families.)  All that to say, the cards feel like they're stacked against me.

I also tend to blame the "nuts and bolts" of living here as well.  In the CHURCH category: Todd travels a lot so we haven't been able to get as involved as we'd like to in our church.  With little ones who pass germs around it seems that we miss service more than we attend.  We travel as a family and are gone on weekends.  Men's and women's Bible studies are at inconvenient times.  Our church is 10 miles away, and most everyone who attends there lives in a completely different town and we're "outsiders."  In the HOME category: We rent (because we can't afford the $800,000 price tag in the surrounding neighborhoods) and therefore most of my "homemaking things" are boxed up in the garage.  We haven't hung window treatments or painted or done anything to make our home reflect our taste because this home is not ours.  And we have no real yard (other than a small courtyard) for the boys to play.  I feel so unsettled despite the fact that this is my home and I am beyond blessed to live where I do.  I have a (lovely) roof over my head and I live in a beautiful town.  It's just not my town.

A few months ago Todd and I gave much thought and prayer to the idea of settling down and choosing to make our home in the Bay Area even though it doesn't feel like home now.  We prayed about the process of carving out a life for our family, even though it wasn't the life we necessarily wanted.  You know, we were going to "bloom where we're planted" and make the most out of the opportunity before us!  We went as far as picking out a lot to have a home built on, but we ended up feeling that it wasn't the right fit for us for many reasons...most notably the school district in that particular city would not have the amazing autism resources we have here in San Ramon.  We refused to make the choice to jeopardize Nolan's progress simply because we could afford a home.  And, for the record, we are fully convinced and at peace that we made the right decision and are now waiting (again? still?) for God's plan to unfold.

Ideally, we would love to move back to Southern California to be near my parents and our dear friends, especially those from our church in San Diego.  There is a possibility of this happening in the not too distant future with Todd's company, but then again I don't want to get too excited for fear that my hopes will be shattered.  Since Todd and I have been married we have always vowed that we'll go anywhere and do anything until our oldest child is ready for school.  At that point we want to be "settled" where we will live for the duration.  Neither of us has any desire to move multiple times.  We are very much the type of people who want to buy a home and live there when our great grandchildren come to visit.  Obviously Nolan is in school now, but we more specifically are referring to being settled before he starts Kindergarten (fall 2012.)  We're also not opposed to moving elsewhere if it's a place we can afford to make a life for our family.  The thought of a 3500 square foot home with actual land in Texas, Colorado, Georgia...you name it...is definitely appealing.  There's absolutely no possibility of that happening in California unless we win the lottery (but we'd first need to play the lottery, so our chances are nil!)

Home is where the heart is.  I know that to be true because my true home is wherever Todd and the boys are.  When I look at the big picture of life I am blessed beyond measure and have no reason for discontent, but I also think it's innate in wives and mothers to want a "home-y home" to create, and to "feather a nest."  I know our day is coming and I know that our God has a plan.  I'll find peace in His plan...but I'll also wait with great expectation for the next part of the journey.  I know it will be great and I pray it will be soon!

Fall Firsts...One Quite Literally

Although fall is not "officially" here until later in the month, as far as I'm concerned fall is in full force once school resumes.  Nolan's summer break came screeching to a halt last Monday when he returned to school...mere hours after we pulled into our garage after vacation.  He's loving his teachers, his therapy and both old and new friends in his class.  This year there are two girls in his class...double the "girl count" from last year.  He seems to be a bit smitten with Natalie, who rides the bus with him to school, and is a new little girl in his class.  Very cute!

First day of the new school year!

Last weekend Todd took Nolan to his first baseball game!  Unfortunately, it wasn't a Padre game, but Nolan had fun wearing his Padres shirt at the Giants / Diamondbacks game anyhow!  He wasn't really "into" the game, but he sure liked the fact that he got to ride in Daddy's car (he's currently obsessed with every Infiniti he sees,) go over the Bay Bridge, eat lots of popcorn and ice cream and spend time with his favorite buddy, Daddy.

Take me out to the ballgame!

Later that night we had another first...for Soren.  Our poor baby fell down our entire flight of stairs so we quickly headed to the ER to make sure there was no unseen damage.  Thankfully he was fine and is no worse for the wear.  (For the record I think I have more gray hair and wrinkles, though.)

We are anticipating more firsts later this fall for our boys.  Soren looks as though he'll be taking off walking any day now, Nolan is scheduled for surgery later this month to remove a (hopefully) benign growth on his face (you can see it in the picture above on his left jawline), and we're planning to take Soren (and Nolan, of course!) to Disneyland for the first time in October.