Posts Tagged → Jameson

almost 4.

Jameson’s birthday is in a few short days. The “year of 3 and 1” is almost over, and I’ll miss it. Tons.

Except that I do love the bigger boy my first baby is becoming.

My recent favorite Jameson quote:

A few days ago, the boys each got a red helium balloon at the hardware store. When they got them home, the game was (of course) to let go of the string, and then wait for a grown up to come fetch the out-of-reach balloon. Once, when William let go of the string, Jameson managed to grab the string. When I expressed how impressed I was with his ability to get the balloon, Jameson explained, “Well, it’s just because my arms are very… [paused while he examined his outstretched arms, trying to find just the right word…] they’re very reachy.”

Ah.

end of august?

The green outside my window has faded into the mellow tones of summer’s end, and I realize that August is almost over. So amazing…

:: My mom was a lead in Annie, and I helped to make her fab 1930’s wardrobe. (My sister gets the credit for the amazing hair, though.)

:: My grandparents were here for almost a week. They brought their little dog, who was a huge hit.

:: The boys and I joined the family for a week on Long Island. It was, of course, wonderful.

:: The next week, the boys and I were home alone (while Ryan was on a work trip.) We had work-outside-days, picnics, and lots of William asking “uh-Dah?”, with his little upturned questions hands. (Interpretation: where’s dad?)

:: This week, we’ve been doing what feels like not much, but I read this post, and wow. I needed that. (The visible productivity is over-rated.)

:: My favorite height-of-summer recipe for this year is, hands down, Scalloped Tomatoes. (I used whole wheat batard with the crusts on. And one time, stirred in cubed mozzarella with the basil to make a one-pot meal.) Wow. So, so good, and I know that come February, I’ll be having dreams about the incredible sweetness that is garden-fresh tomatoes.

:: I try to stay a little bit in the loop, and regular emails from them help. Have you signed the petition?

:: A friend’s questions about breastfeeding gave me an excuse to re-visit favorite articles. (And to remember that part of my day’s productivity is still nourishing another human being. Being tired is okay, spending lots of time sitting and nursing is okay. It’s all okay.)

:: Heading out to an Amish farm today to pick up a bushel of peaches. It’s not a quick trip, but it’s a beautiful drive. And I think I’ll take all of those un-busy minutes of driving and turn it into some time with Jesus. Perfect.

highlights that made it to my phone


summer veg


uber cool


snitched from mama’s garden


roadside loveliness


sweet cherries from williamson


he’s for real


will heaven look like this?


what the farmer left in our field


being incredibly eager to go


golf at papa’s (in maine)


jameson’s new passion


balancing ball on tee = hardest part


papa bruce is the MAN.


yes, they really were fantastic on the road to and from maine


“mom, i’m like a big boy. take a picture, mom.”

flying by

Our first summer here is… flying by. Rooms that still need to be settled, first attempts at gardening, guests coming and going, sisters buying houses, friends buying houses, and trying to fit in “summer stuff” in all the cracks (sort of unsuccessfully, it seems) has made for busy weeks. I swear the fields were just being plowed, and then yesterday I looked, and the corn is as high as an elephant’s eye.

I don’t mind, really, because it’s fun and real and life. I only mind when I realize it’s Jameson’s last few months as a three year old and *choke on tears* I want him to stay little forever.

The summer of 1 and 3 — that’s how I keep thinking of this. So incredibly special.

Jameson and Merrick at a parade on the 4th:


William at the parade — a little on the hot side:

Jameson in Carina’s new pool (and yes, I did eventually get him into the water!:

our week

Our week without Ryan was:

a check-up for Jameson (“What a strong, intelligent young boy you have, mom,” said the doctor. Well. That’s rather obvious, isn’t it?)

annuals, perennials, and mulch from the nursery.

weeding, spraying, planting, mulching.

bike-riding, baseball, bike-riding, basketball, bike-riding, little people, and bike-riding.

books and snuggles and a slow morning or two.

playdates with friends. (pb&j is so much more fun when shared, isn’t it?)

a sweet auntie who slept in our yellow guest room and helped keep the boogey man at bay.

only making dinner when I felt so inclined, and especially being glad to have had the inclination for this.

the farmer’s market, and two little boys who love running through the park after that long, arduous ordeal of selecting salad greens. (“Look, Mom, the pay-gus!”, exclaims Jameson. That would asparagus, for all of you who were wondering.)

a special make-memories night of lots of kid games, rolling out pizza dough with a pint-sized rolling pin, and bedtime stories with auntie.

missing Ryan, but deciding to love a week with these two boys I love (which isn’t too hard to do, you know.) Because we may have other weeks to ourselves, but they won’t be this age, doing these things. And right now is pretty much as special as it gets. I am challenged every single day, but the truth is, being a mother to two little guys, my little ducklings who follow me wherever I go, is just amazing.