a moment...

the look on her face when she saw them in kilts, much less the "proud to be GORDON" shirts, was priceless...they drew attention everywhere...the best part was when she was trying to get the boyz out of the way of someone taking a picture of a band but laughed hysterically when she found out the random people were trying to take pictures of the boyz...what a great day...after the third year at the scotoberfest the  boyz came into their own...they got it...they owned it...i loved it...see, scottish pride is so strong...i know the boyz will have it, just like andrew... but i love they get to experience it with her...and she gets to see it...and we will have these memories together...luckily, most of my life i have been forced to realize life is precious, whether through personal experience or through loss...you never know...we LOVE grammy...she is a foundation of our life and we are so fortunate to have this experience with her...we are so fortunate to have these wonderful boyz who want to be a part of their heritage...they LOVE the kilts...they stop in their tracks with the bagpipes...they WANT to be a scotsman...

tradition...

for those of you who do not know, andrew's mother was born and raised in scotland....paisley, to be exact, just outside of glascow...this is why the boyz are named ewan and cameron...ewan was the 80th most popular name in scotland...and this was a compromise from andrew's seriously original suggestion of hammish and fergus (hammy and fergie for short)...see america has a hard enough time with ewan, i can not imagine fergus...this weekend is our tradition of the ohio scottish games...just a few miles from aunt heather's and this will be the third year we are going with the boyz...can not wait...and tonight we made sure their kilt's still fit...the video of the weekend will follow but we can not wait!!!!

clogged...

well it has been a few interesting days...it all started with the clogged sink...after getting the sink cleared by rotorooter, we decided to be proactive and clean out the main drain pipe which gets clogged by roots from our silver maple every couple of years...this removed all of the soot clogging our huge hole in our cast iron (1920's plumbing) main drain pipe, which the best part is the hole in below the concrete in the basement...good times...a couple of plumbing estimates and lots of inconvenience...and the jackhammer will start in the morning...the interesting part in in the midst of the clog, my poison ivy, which i though was healing, became very angry...so after my urgent care visit on monday, i started my steroids...i popped my three pills as soon as i got my prescription and looked down at the dosage and realized i just popped 60mg of steriods...i kinda freaked...that is a keena dose...i have never been on that high of a dosage, that i know of...let's just say, things work out for a reason...because i had LOTS of energy today to clean out the basement and get things accomplished...i could not have done it without anthony (i know hard to believe), keena and the roids...i wish i had time to take pictures of today...especially when the boyz were outside in their old high chairs (about to go to the salvation army), eating cheese crackers...anthony in the hammock throwing cheese crackers at the boyz in their highchairs...luckily the birds, chipmunks and squirrels had a great dinner...the good news is the basement is getting cleaned out : )

the BEST father's day ever!!!

so the morning was sketchy...ewie woke up early and cam woke up grouchy...we had a great day though...andrew started the process of smoking a brisket at 730am...my dad and joy, andrew's dad and dottie, keena and the kids all came over for the brisket...the pool was set up in the very back yard and was center stage for the boyz...anthony was so helpful...he went back and forth between me and andrew...sopping the brisket, checking the fire, taking supplies in and out, moving the table into the very back yard...so helpful...after eating the BEST brisket ever...ewie went back into the pool, even though we had put him in a regular diaper and a dry t-shirt...i only wish i had my camera for his completely surprised expression when his daddy jumped into the pool, clothes and all, and landed on his bottom...ewie's eyes were bigger than normal and he put both hands over his mouth laughing hysterically...when anthony was taken by the moment, clothes and all, ewie was just as excited...cam "sensed" a good time and followed...syl was sad she had her dress on...when we gave her permission to "go for it"...she was so much happier...let's just say, the explosive diaper's, led to ewie removing his...cam finally whined enough we removed his big explosive diaper...ewie took his wet shirt off and cam followed...everyone had a great laugh...i felt like ewie was the naked tauntaun...dad felt like he was me, stripping down at any moment at that age...all good times...after everyone had left and the boyz were in bed, we found the card from antman (and syl)...it was so overwhelming to both myself and andrew...we love keena, antman and syl and were so happy to have them as a part of our father's day celebration...we are so proud of the man anthony is becoming and we can only hope our boyz will take the same path...

remnants...

remnants of sylvie's visit remain...we had a great day...keena brought her just before ten...the boyz were so excited to see her...we headed outside with the help of keena around 1030...syl played with the boyz and helped get them inside...they follow her around like the princess she is...at the dinner table, she minded her manner's because four eyes were on her...i took her to target while the boyz were napping...she was very good and very cost conscious...we headed home and got out the pool...she dressed cam after he woke up for a nap to go outside...then played with the boyz all afternoon...i am not sure who was more excited i put the climber slide in the pool, but syl followed all of the rules and tried so hard to be a good example for the boyz...after dinner, cam pushed around the walker ewie had always pushed him in a year ago...it was filled with rescue heroes and little people in the back, syl had organized...we realized these remnants of syl would be with us for a little while and were happy we had them...sweet syl cat : )

garden day...

well the garden is finally planted...we have had some weather and "life" delays...since the boyz were born, grandpa is in charge of the garden...in the beginning he did it all, with the "help" of sylvie and eating mulberries...last year, his health kept him from putting in the garden but he still picked out all the plants and told me the plan...my nephew corey came over to help me with grandpa'a plan...this year grandpa picked out all the plants and made the stakes for the new fence...we are trying beans this year...he is still all of the brains behind the operation...i know it was hard for him to watch me do all of the hard labor this year but i hopefully i was slightly entertaining : )

see, i feel it is important to put in the garden...to have the home grown tomatoes...to have grandpa around to tell me what to do...i worked in the garden under the direction of my mother for years, but i was not paying enough attention...i love that the boyz would lean over the fence last summer and just pluck off tomatoes to eat...i love eating the first red tomato, warm from the sun, sliced and with a little salt, like i did with my mother...i love eating grandpa's canned green tomato mix in the wintertime, making all of our summer garden memories flood back into my mind...

while grandpa and i were occupied with the garden, grandma was chasing the boyz...luckily we have her on our team or the garden would STILL not be in...when we decided we were done for the day, we found the boyz in the sandbox, with grandma overseeing their digging and dumping...

so the garden is in...six tomato plants and two rows of beans...another year of memories...the boyz and i finished the day by washing our feet!

mental note...

Mother's Day 2009

If I had my child to raise all over again,

I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later.

I'd finger-paint more, and point the finger less.

I would do less correcting and more connecting.

I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.

I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.

I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.

I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.

I'd do more hugging and less tugging.

~Diane Loomans, from "If I Had My Child To Raise Over Again"

consumed...

our hearts and our lives are consumed by these boyz...we love them so very much...last night i had to read a book to remind me, "one toddler is hard enough, much less two at the same time"...then i think about one of those toddlers having a health issue, like asthma, which is not yet controlled...then the other toddler who seems to be taking about two months to still cut a molar and he has three more to go...all of this can consume me and keeps me from completing any task i even try to set my mind to...but i have a WONDERFUL husband, AMAZING sisters and a mother-in-law and father-in-law who can not get enough of the boyz and shoo me out of the house, as well as run to my rescue with one phone call...sometimes it is perspective...when we are in the midst of ewie's illness and i am so short in patience, i sometimes just need to stop overanalyzing and wait for our pulmonologist appointment...i just accept this is our current reality...it will get better...as cam reminded me at bedtime, saying "dora?" when he saw the wedding picture of great grandma dora and great grandpa zarnoch... then we talked about everyone including grandma linda, who is in heaven, with the moon and the stars, as i told cameron...i realize i need to turn it over to GOD and the ANGELS watching over us...

life is good...

mystery game...

such a great relaxing day...it is an opportunity to sit back and take it all in...

we got cam's hair cut...cam sat on my lap and screamed the whole time, even with a sucker and a "cars" book in his hands...the sucker was hairy by the end of the haircut and i had spilled jelly beans all over the floor...andrew got his hair cut too...since i was occupied with cam, he had ewie...ewie sat on his lap perfectly the entire time during andrew's haircut, only turning to check on his brother...

the boyz are definitely different...even in my belly...as i watched them today, i realized, life is so different for each of them...

for ewie, it is a mystery...action-reaction...he will do it over and over again to make sure he gets the same reaction...his concentration is intense...mostly serious...but he has his moments where he just cracks up...

for cam-a-lam, it is a game...action-win (get what he wants)...cam does not give up till he gets what he wants...he is so smart about it too...with ewie, he will get another toy to distract him, so he can have what ewie has...with me, he with start with "bite, bite'" then "drink, drink," then "please, please" just to get some of my iced tea...he is so dramatic and reactive...laughing at all the places he should...in general, just sitting back, enjoying life...

i have no idea where this combo will take them in life...together or separately...all i know is that we love them so much...everyday is a new adventure...the mystery game : )

pool fun...

the pool is wonderful...ewie does not want to get out...cam has a limit...but i just take a bucket of water out every so often to water the flowers and eventually we can flip the pool over to empty out the water...cam is a team player...ewie has to be distracted with puddles and such...the best part is ewie is EXHAUSTED and so is cam...LOVE the pool!!

the return of arrow...

well, finally got enough nerve to get ewie's hair cut...not enough time to get cam's cut at the same time but that will need to come soon enough...ewie kept pushing his hair out of his eyes and unlike cam, his hair is not curly all over...everyone says he looks all grown up...but he looks like a baby again to me...i can see his big beautiful blue eyes and long lashes more clearly and as cousin nate used to call him, "arrow," you can see why...again : )