make way, here come the molars!

i've had a draft post about abel for a while now. the past few months have truly been glorious for this kid. happy all the time. always up for an adventure. sweet, loving and the biggest cuddle bunny on the planet. case in point, i was carrying him into the house one evening and gave him a big kiss and said, "abie, you are my big boy!" and he matter-of-factly replied, "no, mommy, abie your little boy." be still my heart! he is mama's boy through and through.

there was a time when abel was more of a challenge. very sensitive (like his father), small things would upset him. he was clingy. he whined a lot. he required a lot more attention. in contrast to his brother, mr. independent-i'll-do-it-myself-thank-you-very-much-and-blow-you-a-kiss-while-i-walk-out-the-door, abel was just more challenging. and i hestitated to ever say anything about it because i knew that one day the tables would be turned. the boys have, yet again, flipped personalities. of course they still retain some of their fundamental characteristics, but our "difficult" child has become the "easy" one and vice versa. i hate those terms, because oz is anything but difficult. but because i'm comparing, well, you know what i mean.

so it was strange this morning when abel seemed a little off. he felt warm and had a temp of 100. jordan asked, "what's going on?" because of course he had no other symptoms. and then during snack he opened his mouth real wide and i saw the culprit. his first second-year molar had erupted, half of it poking through his gum like a jagged mountain peak. AHA! mystery solved. i wondered when those suckers would come through, and upon further inspection i found oz with some swollen buds. which may explain his recent bout of crankiness, defiance, not wanting to go to sleep EVER, indecision (yah, right, molars - how about just being 2.5).

so here's a little photo homage to abie's recent glory days. livin' it up like a two year old little boy should.

circle time

circles bring out the best in the boys. balls, hoops, frisbees, manhole covers, septic tank covers - you name it. if it's a circle, they're set. they come up with unlimited games and their imaginations run wild. they are also totally into the concept of "racing." as in, on your mark-get set-go! they will race each other for HOURS. it's unbelievably cute, because they clearly don't care who wins or crosses the finish line first. i think it's the anticipation of "go!" and the satisfaction of repeating something over and over and over and over again. oh, to be a toddler!

the first set of pictures are at rudy's, gas station/bbq joint. yah, like you can fill both of your tanks all at once! the boys turned the round septic tank covers (way in the distance) into their starting and finish line. it was a healthy slope up and down, and after 20 minutes of running in the 95 degree temps, they were soaked! the second set of pics is at our brand new library. no kidding, this library opened up last weekend and it's called "laura's library," as in laura bush. we can walk there and the boys just go bananas for it. they have a kickin' kids room that they can pretty much do as they see fit; tents, masks, puppets, of course books, and...you guessed it...a million moveable circles in all different colors. the boys set up some paths and then spent the best hour of their week hoping from circle to circle and counting how many times they could jump. i don't even know what possessed me to ask, "can you guys count in spanish?" in unison they busted out one through ten in espanol. amazing what these kids know that i don't even realize!

we're fast approaching 2.5 and i know i've been pathetic at updating this blog. it's bumming me out. so it's my goal to post some "character profiles" of these silly monkeys in honor of their 1/2 birthday. we're having such a blast and i don't want to forget about these moments!

house makes home

there's the old saying, "home is where the heart is." and i believe it. we create our comfort by the people and love around us, not by the objects or environment. but i must admit that a good place makes the living, the love and the happiness flow a lot easier. we've found our own slice of heaven with this new house and we didn't even see it coming.

i grew up on an acre of wooded land in the northwest suburbs of chicago. my parents still live there, going strong after forty some odd years of calling the same place home. my mom says she'll die in that house. i never really understood where she was coming from. there are so many amazing places you can live in this country, let alone this world! why be so dedicated to one place? and now after i've moved to a new place almost every year over the past fifteen of my life, and now after living in this gem for the past month, i'm beginning to glimpse her perspective. home may be where the heart is, but there's nothing like it when your home captures your heart.

i was worried how we would all transition to this place. we were coming from a lovely neighborhood, where we knew everyone, where we could take carefree walks along the sidewalk and greet pearl the cat, bump in to almost two-year old jordan and her mom karen, knock on the mueller's door and see if kai wanted to come out to play. it was idyllic suburban american life, in a way.

now we wake up in the morning and head for the woods that is our backyard. we climb over big rocks in our pajamas. we hunt for snail shells hiding under the leaves and dirt. we keep our eyes out for the roadrunners that make this place home, too. we chase the bright orange butterflies and stay hushed as we creep toward the turks cap to see the hummingbirds feed on the red flowers. it's a different kind of life, equally idyllic. and we can't get enough of it.

i can't help but notice how happier we all are. the boys have embraced this place completely, from the moment their little toes crossed over the threshold of the front door. our first day here, we kept hearing, "new house! abie/ozzy happy!" they beg to come straight home after school. their content is expressed so clearly. they are in awe at the nature around them. and so are we.

life just flows easily here. we live in less space now, but the layout of this place fits our family to a "t." the kitchen is in the heart of the house, making it easy to prepare food while the boys play and gallivant around. they are always within eyesight or earshot. they have their own "wing" in the house, at the end of a sunlit hallway, separated from the guts of the house by two solid wood doors. it feels so good to kiss them goodnight and know we won't disturb them with a loud action film or a dinner party. and jordan and i have our little treehouse retreat, a master bedroom, bath and balcony on the second floor that is all ours. j and i pinch each other every time we look out one of our many windows. pure, unadulterated nature is all around us. this house has good bones and a great soul.

we thought moving into less space would be a challenge and we would eventually need to add on. maybe remodel a bit, too. but we were determined to downsize as much as possible for the time being. we probably got rid of a quarter of our "stuff." we still have too much, and there's more purging to do, but living already feels lighter. we love managing less things, things we never needed in the first place. and we have no intention of adding on or remodeling anytime soon. this place just feels right, just the way it is.

it's been hard unpacking those last ten boxes. it kind of feels like losing those last 10 pounds. you know you've got to do it, but you just don't have the motivation. we're still organizing and living in a bit of chaos. but it really hasn't mattered that much. we know we'll get to it. right now we just want to enjoy. so i didn't bother to clean up, pick up, or put away when i took these pictures this morning. it is what it is. and we love it.

pretty much sums it up

view from our street - tumbleweed trail

front path

from the backyard looking up deck and walkway between house and garage (left)

back of house and upstairs balcony

through the kitchen

the gang painting with banana stems in the breakfast room

view from breakfast

family room

conversation area

hallway to boys' getaway

our good friend richard built this screen our of white oak to match the floors. we LOVE it and we no longer worry about the boys free falling from the stairs.

unmade bed

view from our balcony

wall of masks

romeo chillin

the boys morning ritual - taking off for the woods in their pj's

ozzy creeping around the rocks

looking for snail shells

boy ozzy

abie shows off his shell