A Little Timeline

So here is a little timeline of the last year here at the Bowheads household (ya'll do know that our actual last name is not Bowheads - right? One day I need to tell the Baylor Bowhead story - any hoo - that is another post for another day - and the only "I digress" in this whole blog post which I believe is a new Bowheads blog record but anyway......)

Week before Thanksgiving 2010: Husband to wife:

"so Babe, what do you think about Massachusetts?"

Company flies husband to Georgia to interview. Company offers husband job. Husband says,

"Well - can I go look at Massachusetts?"

First week of December: Husband gone in Massachusetts. Husband accepts job. Birthday party weekend, Christmas festivities, Husband and wife farm kids out and fly to MA for a 24 hour whirlwind shopping trip. We find the little yellow house which is it's own little story and place a contingency offer on it on the way to the airport after having only been in it for 10 minutes.

Week after Christmas: Install beautiful new granite counters in Texas house and get ready to sell. (One day I will actually have granite counter tops in a house that I am going to live in - until then - at least I know how nice they are for short periods of time;)

January 5: Husband begins work in Massachusetts. Wife remains in Texas with three children and house on the market.

February: 28 days - 4 of them with Daddy.

Mommy is starting to appreciate Daddy more.

March: Still on the market. Husband still flying back and forth between states. Kids are not in any sports or activities because we have no idea when we are moving.

Mommy is starting to get a little bit closer to the edge.

April: A decision is made that no matter what we are moving April 15th and then basically right after we make that decision we get a very low offer on the house. Very low.

We take the offer

April 15th: Move entire family to Massachusetts

May 21st: First houseguests arrive

Memorial Day Weekend: Head to Cape Cod for soccer tournament. Pretty much loved being able to say - "so what are you doing for the holiday weekend? Oh we are headed to the Cape."

June: Discover importance of window air conditioning units. More house guests arrive.

July: Fourth of July camping, trip to New Hampshire, birthday party weekend

August: Oldest gets pneumonia, more house guests arrive, 2 weeks in Disney with Grandma, Hurricane Irene, school starts

September: Trip to Texas for Sister in Laws wedding, birthday party weekend, all team sports start up, soccer tournament in New Hampshire, Applefest

October: House guest, sports all in full swing, Houseguest, massive freak snowstorm that shuts down the town for days, Halloween is rescheduled

November: Recover from massive freak snow storm and losing power for 4 days, Halloween and Thanksgiving

December: Birthday party weekend, husband traveling, stomach virus, husband traveling, heading back to Texas - flying on Christmas Day and New Years Day.

I am grateful for this wild and crazy year and all that we have learned and experienced but my secret wish for 2012.......

To Be Bored

We will just have to wait and see.....................

We Believe.......

First off before I even get going on Santa and the elf on the shelf and what not I have got to say that first and foremost here is what I believe:

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;

he descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into heaven,

he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting.

AMEN.

I also believe in

Magic

I believe in the spirit of this season. I believe in the imaginations of children and you know what else?

I Heart Santa

I really do. I think he is kind and giving and jolly and I 100 percent believe in the magic of Santa.

Now I am going to talk about something that I hope no young eyes will read because this blog is not intended for young eyes. It is really intended for the eyes of people who have been tasked with the care of the young and I believe that this is a really timely topic.

This house believes first and foremost in the reason for this Season. We talk a lot about Jesus and the manger and all of the true meanings of Christmas. We talk about how lucky we are and all that God has given us.

We also believe in Santa.

We just don't really oversell Santa.

You won't find an elf on the shelf in this house. I just can't pull it off. You also won't hear my husband or I say to the children,

"Now you better be good or Santa won't come."

Just not going to happen. Once again - I just can't pull it off.

Last year - my then 9 year old - came to me and said,

"I need the truth Mommy - does Santa really come down the chimney and leave presents?"

Here is what I said:

Baby girl,

How are you getting so big so fast? I am your Mom and it is my job to lay it all out straight for you so here goes.

I love Christmas. I love this magical season. I believe that Mary and Joseph went and put a little baby in a manger that was sent to save us all. The bible tells me the story and I have Faith that allows me to believe.

Santa is the same way. Tomorrow we can go to the library and check out books on the legend of Saint Nick. I believe that magical things happen this time of year and I never ever want you to forget it. I always, always, always want you to believe in magic.

"Yes Mommy but how does he fit down the Chimney? I don't understand how that is possible?"

Do you really think that a big guy comes down our chimney and puts all the presents there or do you think that Mommy and Daddy help with that?

"I think you help"

Yes - we help

"Where do you hide everything?" How do you get it all wrapped?"

You know what Ladybug? That is the most amazing secret and one day you will find out about it also. The most amazing thing about being a Mommy is that you get to create magic all the time. Now I get to have a secret Mommy workshop and make magical things happen. I get to work hard to see smiles on your faces on Christmas morning and it is the most precious gift that I have ever been given.

I love being a magic maker. One of the best parts of being a Mom - hands down.

She smiled and kissed me and went to bed happy. She asked me a couple of questions (in my ear of course we talked about the importance of keeping the secret to ourselves) about my Mommy magic and then

much like magic

The discussion was gone. There were no tears. There was no "why did you lie to me drama" just finished.

What is even funnier - it is "that which we will never speak of again."

She is all about magic and Santa and believing and says that the friends in her class that are "bah humbug" as she calls it are missing it. It is like we answered her logistical questions but allowed her the space to imagine and dream.

So yes my friends - we believe and I am loving every minute of it!

The Birth Story - 10 years later - that has never been told on the Bowheads blog

So - my only excuse (that I can think of at the moment) is she is a December baby and December is a crazy month? Anyway - I went back to find the birth story for my oldest daughter (as I know I have published the younger two's birth stories a couple of times) and realized that I have never posted it here!

*******Post Warning - you know I usually digress - a lot? Well this whole post is basically one big digression so hang on to your hat and try to keep up because I am all over the place with this one!**************

(How is that strategy to keep you reading working? There is probably some blog guru somewhere having a terrible flutter at their typewriter as I continue to break lots of blog rules and suggestions)

Anyhoo

We must start with a little back story. Husband and I were married in March of 2000. Our Pastor provided us with some wondeful marriage counseling. One of the things that he advised us was to wait one year before we started having kids.

(There is no real way to tell this story without including birth control details so - with apologies.....)

I was on the pill and stopped taking it in March of 2001.

I promptly contracted the Chicken Pox - yes the Chicken Pox.

What is worse is that we did not know right away that I had the Chicken Pox because we thought that maybe my body (this is why you should go to the dr and not self diagnose) was freaking out with hormones or something from stopping the pill

(I look back on this and I really can't believe it but anyway) so long story short - I had a raging fever and was very sick before I went to the doctor and we figured it out.

Now - where does this fit in with her birth story you ask? Well - all of this happened in March. We were going to San Antonio to celebrate our first wedding anniversary and it was on that vacation that we were going to "start trying". I do remember asking the doctor about the Chicken Pox and trying to have a baby - I was told once the pox were gone - I was good to go AND that it was a real blessing that I got the pox when I did and not after I was pregnant. Off we go to San Antonio and had a wonderful time.

We come back and I decide that I need to find a good OB/Gyn. I pretty much went in and talked to the girl at the front desk and told her that I needed someone who would be very calm with me and answer all of my questions and put up with my idiosyncrasies and would never ever in any way be mean to me. The girl was like "ok - I have the perfect doctor for you."

Turns out he totally was because he wound up delivering all three of my babies!

Anyway - off I go to the doctor and at the time I was a shy pee-er - you know - had a hard time going on command (now 10 years and 3 babies later - let me assure you - no longer a problem)

but once again I digress.....because I could not go in the cup - I talked to Dr Greve about what to do in order to help me get pregnant, we talked about starting folic acid then - you know - the pre pregnancy stuff.

FINALLY I go in the cup and I have my little "so you want to get pregnant bag of goodies" and was ready to walk out the door.

Denise (Dr. Greve's nurse whom I still love and see to this day) came out of the bathroom and said,

"Holly - you are never going to believe this!"

Yes - I was pregnant - I had been off the pill for about 2 seconds, and had the chicken pox and bam - pregnant. I just kept saying, "no way no WAY!" Then I turned to Dr. Greve and said,

"wow that was some pill!"

Of course I could not wait to tell husband so I called him at work. He knew I was at the appointment to find the OB and I just said,

"Guess what - I was going to think of some clever cute way to tell you this but I really can't think at all right now - I am pregnant!"

He said,

"Man Babe - when you decide to do something - you really don't mess around, do you?"

It was cute - while I was on the phone with him in the doctor's office the nurse just quietly came up and took the "so you want to get pregnant" bag out of my hand and put the "congratulations you are pregnant" bag in it, grinned, gave me a thumbs up, and walked out.

We were of course thrilled - my Mom guessed the second I called her and I think that Husband called his parents that night.


Now in order to break up this incredibly long story - I am inserting a few pics of her as a baby.

Hit the milk a little too hard this time

She loved our dogs! Sniff Logan and Lewis - miss them.

Bring in the Fire Chief!

Food - Good! (You can see the Ladybug Curl Mohawk starting here)

Baby girl driving the car - she was pretty little in this one

That was her sticker from Gymboree class on her head - she was being silly.

Now moving on to her actual birthday. I am convinced that her due date was December 8th. For whatever reason - we had her due date as December 2nd. I really did not know any better and I just thought that on December 2nd - she would just come. I was patient and never even dreamed of having her until December 2nd but when December 2nd came and she was still not here - I was VERY ready to have that baby!

I fell twice while pregnant with my ladybug - once hooking up a horse trailer and once on the bleachers at Scott's indoor soccer game - both times - I was basically perfectly fine. Couldn't knock that baby out of me with a baseball bat.

I pretty much kept trucking with her without even thinking about it - I did gain quite a bit of weight (45 pounds) so I was good and chubby.

Anyway - I remember - I was working at the auto auction and I was mad at one of my car dealers and I went stomping out on the lot to find a car and bring it in. One of the guys that worked on the lot hopped on a golf cart and tried to get me to get in - I refused - so he followed me slowly creeping behind the little round angry pregnant woman who could have gone into labor at any moment - all the way out to the back lot.

I stopped working on December 2nd - it was my due date (although I still say not the right one but anyway) and I felt I should stop working that day. I kept getting calls - "hey where are you? I need some numbers..." (auto auction talk). I kept saying I am about to have a baby!!!!!!!

We induced her on December 7th - which - in retrospect - I actually wished that we had waited. I think that we made her come earlier than she was ready but hindsight is of course - 20/20.

We went to the hospital at 6:00 in the morning and they started the inducing process.

Here is how the next part goes:

Nurse: Are you allergic to any medications?

Me: Nope

Nurse: ok I am going to give you penicillin in your iv

Me: Great

Fastforward 5 minutes

"Honey - my tongue feelth kinda funny...."

as my whole face was swelling up.

Nurse: "ok you are allergic to penicillin - don't ever take that again

Me: "otay" (ok in really fat tongue speak)

The day went on and on and on and on and finally at 9:15 that night - I was able to start pushing - an hour and a half later - she finally came into this world. At one point in the middle of the pushing - I actually fell asleep - yep - asleep - just for a second mind you. Husband thought that was hysterical.

Now I have to admit for the sake of telling the story accurately - she was so wonderful and I was so happy to see her but the whole experience was so different than with my younger two children. I was so traumatized and so tired and so unsure - it was so new and I look back on that time and wish that I had enjoyed it more which I know sounds crazy. I cried and cried after they took her to the nursery and I just remember feeling so so so tired. I tell this because I want to try and remember what the experience was like and that was a part of it.

The positives - she was so perfect - so beautiful - so tiny! She was 7 pounds 3 ounces when she was born and we brought her home to our warm Christmasy house. I remember just looking at her and thinking that I could not believe what we had created. I remember holding her so tight and feeling like she and I were on a journey together - partners - lost and found together. With her brother and sister - the journey was different - I was already the Mommy - I knew more and I was much more solid in that role.

With her

it was just

all firsts

I wouldn't change a thing

(except for maybe the penicillin thing - it does not feel good to have your face swell up like that)

but anyway

I digress.........

Channeling my inner Michelle Duggar

So this is a post about me -

Not The Duggars

I realize that the Duggars can be a topic of conversation and that people have many opinions on them. For the purposes of this post I am not going to hop up on my soapbox. Because you see - I could really hop up on my

To each his own

Live and let live

They have a story to tell let them tell it

Soapbox

But I won't.

Love them or hate them - you gotta admit that Michelle Duggar has a certain parenting style. She has this sweet little voice and she never raises it.

Now I am also a BIG believer in the fact that the children (and really your husband) should know not only that you have an edge but also that you can be driven pretty close to it at any given time. They should really all fear that - just a little bit - in the back of their heads.

I do think that shouting is like crying - the more you do it - the more you want to do it. I think that stands for both children and adults.

As my children have reached the ripe old ages of 9,7, and 5 - I have found myself using more of a grown up voice with them. You know - an irritated, cross, slightly raised, grown up kind of voice.

Guess what - they started getting cross right back and before I knew it - the children and I were shouting at each other.

So I knew that I was the one to fix it and I started to channel my inner Michelle Duggar. Now I already have a couple of voices in my bag of tricks.

I have my stern Kindergarten teacher voice.

"Oh MY friends - are you making good choices?"

I have my slightly high, a little hysterical, get young children to do things voice.

"Okgoodjoblet'sgohurrayhurraywowyouaredoingsogreatlet'sgoyoucandoit!"

I also have my Grandma from the bronx voice.

"Oh I am very disappointed." (Picture a coffee talk kind of accent)

Well - I decided I needed to add another voice. I told myself:

"Self - you gotta reach down inside of you and find that sweet voice even when you feel like shouting

ICANNOTBELIEVETHATYOUWOULDDOTHATHOWCANYOUPOSSIBLYBETHATINSIPID?"

So I added a voice and it is called my inner Michelle Duggar. It is a very sweet and calm voice and I actually have to tell myself (inside my head of course - don't want to get committed or anything with all the "hey selfs")

"Self - you can do this - no matter what - you use a calm and sweet voice."

Well GUESS WHAT?

It totally works - totally. I have actually seen my 9 year old stop herself before she gets upset and channel her inner Michelle Duggar even though she doesn't realize that is what she is doing. It almost always takes the heat out of a room when I drench it with a nice cool Michelle Duggar voice and you want to know the best part? The very best part?

If you are trying to channel your inner Michelle Duggar but you are having trouble hanging onto it so it is Michelle Duggar that is a little bit close to the edge. You know Michelle Duggar a little bit strained?

The children will feel just a tiny bit afraid that this time they might have pushed it a little too far and maybe this time they broke the Mommy.

And really - nobody wants that.

;)

If you are gonna play flag football it is always smart to....

Be devastatingly handsome

(oh wait - did I type that - oh yeah - I am his mother -totally leaving it)

Not take yourself too seriously

Have a safe place to rest

Stop and enjoy the flowers

Make sure your mouthguard is in place

Be able to yell:

BLUE 22 BLUE22 HIKE HIKE

Always listen to coach

Always enjoy your teammates

Run hard and most of all.....

Have FUN!

November Days of Thankfulness

I am thankful for:

Faith

Family

Friends

Crockpots

Mini-vans

Yoga class

A husband who likes to hold my hand

Children who play with my hair and still call me Momma

Sour cream and onion potato chips

An online library catalog

Coffee

Electricity

The Little Yellow House

A church that forgives the church giggles

Activities that make my children happy and healthy and provide me with good friends.

The ability to stay home with my children

The education that will allow me to go back to work when the time is right.

Baking

Warm Boots

Belly laughs

Being able to call a friend and say, "I have to go first"

Date night

Stinky toes and bath towels with hoods

Keeping up with friends on Facebook and blogs

The ability to wind up a post when the moment of quiet has passed................

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!!!!

The Best Part of Me

The best part of me is my eyes

because I can see with them

and I can see surprises

I can see colors

All the girls in my family have brown eyes

As written by my first grader........

Out of the mouths of babes comes the most beautiful of music.

When you lose electricity you learn.....

The value of cuddling

The power of fire

That necessity really is the mother of all invention

and a little light reading really helps pass the time.

Power is back on and the recovery effort (AKA about a million loads of laundry and a lot of work in the backyard) has begun.

Portrait of a big Snowstorm in October

So - I know that those of you who do not live in New England are probably going - "snowstorm shnowstorm - quit your whining - you live in Massachusetts!"

The problem with this particular snow storm is it messes with the natural order of the universe. You see - the leaves change color, then they fall off the trees, then the snows come. Pretty much how it normally works I have been told.

What happened here is a whole big fat stinking bunch of very wet snow came very fast and landed on all of the trees that were still full of leaves.

Then those trees broke.

A lot of them.

It seriously sounded like bombs going off last night.

All night.

I should really be napping.

Anyhow - here are some pics. We are all safe. No power and we are literally trapped in our neighborhood by downed trees and power lines. We lost a lot of branches but nothing hit the main structure of the house.

Halloween should be interesting.

:)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone on the fly!!!! ;)

Sorry - I can't blog long.....

I have to get the snow off the pumpkins........




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone on the fly!!!! ;)

So tonight I was sitting.....

On a big comfy couch

in front of a fire

with two little children on either side of me in soft pajamas

They smelled like Nutella

We really love Nutella around here

Anyway

They were so soft and sweet and smelly good.

I had a third child at my feet reading a novel with her head against my leg.

I thought to myself

I want to freeze this moment.

I want to never ever forget the way that this feels and smells.

This is

Magic.......

Then someone elbowed me in the eye and the child at my feet asked me for the 900th time TODAY if I remembered to buy jello from the grocery store and I thought to myself

What on earth is the matter with the people that write these ridiculous Strawberry Shortcake books? Don't they realize that these are CHILDREN's books? How long is this thing? I think I got through War and Peace faster than this! Good grief I need someone to come and take me out of my misery here. Surely this is almost over......

oh but I do still want to remember that moment - the one right before all of that happened

Parenthood is such a contradictory thing isn't it? Happens too fast - drags on like torture all in the exact same moment.

Lucky I have a blog to think about that kind of stuff on

Right?

Pumpkin Dump Cake

So - I am not going to lie - I am addicted to pinterest.

Pinterest is the Bomb Diggity and you know I don't throw that word around much

(or ever really now that I think of it)

Anyway - I digress.....

I was sitting here looking through pinterest and all of the creative, amazing, fabulous pins and I was thinking to myself

"Self" (Cuz' that's how I think)

"Self - I have got to think of something really really good to put on pinterest so people will repin an I Heart Bowheads pin."

Because - hey not gonna lie - how cool would that be?

So I was thinking and thinking as I was scarfing down a bowl of leftover Pumpkin Dump Cake

(see licked bowl below)

Hmmm - what is really delicious or creative or awesome that works well for this time of year and that people would really like to repin?

crickets

then some more crickets

then me to self

"Self - I really do love this pumpkin dump cake. I wonder if the children would notice if I went back for another bowl?"

crickets

what could I possibly write about that would make people repin me?

LIGHTNING STRIKING

"Holy Cow Self!!!!! You should totally post the recipe for Pumpkin Dump Cake and people will repin it!!!!!! (If they are still reading after you have stretched this post out like a girdle on a beauty queen. Oh great now if they are still reading this post after you have poked at the beauty queens. Oh great this is getting even longer. Stop typing Holly stop it you can do it!!!!!)

Anyhoo

Here is the awesome recipe from my friend Allison that she gave me at a scrapbooking night and I have loved like one of my own children ever since.

Pumpkin Dump Cake

1 29 oz can of pumpkin

1 12 oz can evaporated milk

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

3 tsp cinnamon

1 yellow cake mix

1 cup chopped nuts (I use pecans that I pound in the little package with whatever is handy so they are pretty fine - the children think that this part of the process is the most entertaining)

3/4 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a 9 x 13 inch pan (although I often use 8x8 - works out just fine - basically - use whatever pan you have handy). Mix first 6 ingredients and pour into the pan. Sprinkle the dry cake mix over the goopy pumpkin goop in the bottom of your pan. I generally use a fork to sort of unclump the mix and spread it out. Do NOT mix it in. It needs to sit on top of your pumpkin goop. (I should totally have a cooking blog. Forget this bowheads family stuff. I am going to take my fancy cooking terms and hit the road.)

Totally just kidding

and once again I digress.

Anyway - sprinkle the pecans on top of the dry cake mix

Then pour the melted butter (melt the butter - did I say that? Maybe I should rethink the cooking show thing - it is a lot of work to type these things out.)

Anyway - pour the melted butter over the top of everything and cover completely but once again - do not mix. Think in layers, my friends, layers.

Bake for 50 minutes (ish)

Serve warm

The leftovers are so good with your morning coffee (and then for your mid-afternoon snack and then for your after dinner dessert) that you will be thanking (and repinning me) all the way into at least next week. It will also make you super super popular at parties but here is how the conversation will go.

You will be all: "Looky here I brought pumpkin dump cake"

and they will be all skeptical: pumpkin dump cake? Looks brownish"

and you will be all: "You should smell my house - it smells like Martha Stewart is camped out in the basement - trust me try the pumpkin dump cake."

And then they will be all: "Well ok - take a bite - HEY THIS IS THE BEST THING I EVER ATE! HOW DO YOU MAKE PUMPKIN DUMP CAKE??????"

And you will be all: "Told ya"

Some Massachusetts Definitions

Batch Garbage Disposal

Definition: a type of garbage disposal where there is NO SWITCH. Even if you and your husband and your friends and family search for several months to find the blasted switch for the garbage disposal (because living without a garbage disposal is actually much harder than you ever realized) - you will never ever find it. This is because there is NO SWITCH. A batch garbage disposal is where you turn the little stopper thing and that somehow activates the garbage disposal AND does not chop off your hand.

Both very neccessary things in this house.

Rotary or Turn-about

Definition: circle of death with multiple exits and entrances and little explanation or signage

Bubbler

Pronunciation by my younger children: bubbalew

Definition: Water cooler or water fountain

Bulkhead

Definition: The way that you can carry things in and out of your basement unless your husband "locks" it because hurricane is coming and then the definition changes to: door that will never be opened again.

Grinder

Defintion: Sub Sandwiches. Subway is still called Subway here and is exactly the same - anywhere else you go - don't be afraid - you are ordering a sandwich.

Hoodsie Cup

Definition: Little individual cups of ice cream that you can buy in the grocery store. (You know the kind that has the little wooden spoon?) Note to this definition - Hoodsie cup does not necessarily refer to the brand of ice cream here called Hood so it is not necessary to go to three different grocery stores looking for specifically "Hood" hoodsie cups to bring to the preschool class. Any small cup of ice cream will do.

Wicked

Definition: A word that can be used in practically any situation. Husband and I have been saying "wicked cool" ever since we watched Good Will Hunting a hundred years ago because we are just pretty awesome and funny like that but the word wicked has further reaching ramifications than just cool. Things are wicked big, cold, hot, ugly, you name it - it is wicked.

Whoopie Pie

Definition: A wicked good dessert that is everywhere and not necessarily good for any ideas of weight loss.

Wedding Day - A Child's Perspective

Weddings are big days. Very big days.

Especially for the very small.

Sometime during that day you will feel:

Serious or maybe a little unsure.....

Content to be still or bored out of your mind.....

Sometimes you will feel like finding the perfect petal......

and there are moments that you know your best course of action is to simply fold your hands in your lap and wait

quiet and still like a mouse.

Some moments are big and very important....

and other moments are sweet and silly.

There are generally really good sweets and very few restrictions.....

and you get to dance with the people that you love.

and there is always that moment.....

That one moment..........

when everything is....

Perfect.