Check out all these cute photos I've taken with my phone over the last year! (No need to comment on my inability - until now - to figure out how my phone syncing works. I'm mother of the year for even taking these pictures, so we can leave all the judgement of my tech skills at the door.)

Here are the boys at the park...

...and piled in our bed reading...

...and dressed up like a doctor...

...and at the Christmas party...

...and acting sweet at another park...

...and on our way to the beach...

...and at the beach!

What a wonderful life it is! Thanks to all who have helped us get here!

Jacksonville Trip

This weekend, we went on what I hope will be the first of many roadtrips. We weren't planning to go - I was sick when I woke up on Saturday morning and the kids have been fighting off something that's had them up all night for days - but Jeff convinced me that since I wouldn't be doing anything strenuous, I'd be fine.

We had a nice drive over to Jacksonville where two of our good friends live. (Thanks for the DVD player, Mom! The children were plugged in and quiet the whole time!) First we went to see Jeff's friend, and Matthew's godfather and namesake. We had a great time hanging out at the park and I was happy to take the children up for bed that night while Jeff went out of the town!

The next morning, we met my good friend at the zoo. What a good time the children had on the slide there! I loved seeing little JB who is crawling now and still has his sparkling personality. His sister is still as spunky and fun as ever, and she and Matthew competed for the three-year-old talking contest!

Thanks for a nice weekend! Hope to see you all again soon!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

Wow. I truly can't believe that I haven't posted anything since Halloween. I should probably just give this blogging thing up. But I've already got that cool header, so I guess I'll just keep chugging along until I get more inspired. These days, I'm inspired by things like the Colbert Report, learning to make my own bread (Thanks for the book, Susan!), and the joy of putting on my new roller skates (that's right, old school, non-inline, 80's style) and pushing the boys in the stroller while I rock out to some tunes that take me back.
Of course, my greatest inspiration are the beautiful boys I get to marvel at and squeeze on a daily basis. I can't get enough of them these days, though I'm looking forward to a little downtime when school starts up again tomorrow. Now that Buzz is able to make a mess (he's particularly fond of the utensil drawer) I can't keep up with the housework. I should have asked for a one-time made service for Christmas instead of skates.

We've had some unseasonably cold weather this year, three stints of overnight freezing temperatures. It's no good for farmers, but it's fine with me because I can still remember the brutally hot summer (read: 6 months of the year) we had this year and I'm in no mood to rush back to it. One of the nice things about the cold is that the maple tree out front actually changed color. For the week of Christmas it was the most magnificent shade of red. The boys played "Merry Christmas" which consisted of throwing red leaves in the air (or at one another) and screaming, you guessed it, Merry Christmas!

My favorite part of this holiday season was the fireplace. We didn't use it at all last year because we weren't sure how the thing worked. Turns out it's just an opening with a tall chimney that we can build fires in. We have made one mistake the day I started a fire when it wasn't very cold out. Good news: I don't have to buy any of those holiday candles in "campfire" scent. I've been scouring the neighborhood for kindling, and I often come home from a walk with an armload. But Jeff chides me for taking peoples wood. I say, if it's in the sidewalk, it's mine.

On Christmas morning, the boys waited patiently while the grown-ups made coffee and situated themselves around the room before tearing into presents. Since Nana and Peter were with us, the boys cleaned up. I think Jeff and I got them one or two things but my mother just showered them with gifts. And that was after I made her put some of the things away to save for Easter baskets. They are very lucky boys, indeed. Buzz's favorite was his little people airplane. I especially like this picture because I have one almost exactly like it of Matthew two years ago.

Matthew had matured quite a lot in the past two months and it showed this Christmas. He's a delight to be around, funny and charming. His eloquence is hard to imagine, and there are days that I find it hard to believe that he's not yet three and a half. This year, he got a cash register which he loves to play "selling" with and two little aquatic frogs who live in a cube in his room. He is so interested in living things, how they think and move and eat. He's a sweet boy and I'm just so thankful that I get to watch him grow up.

Nana gave the boys playdoh tools for Christmas and no two boys have ever been happier. They have a daily playdoh date at the kitchen counter. Matthew especially likes to make different shapes and "take off the scraps like my Peter told me to do". Then he'll hold up a beautiful jewel or triangle. He also likes to mix the colors together to see what new color they'll make. I'll give you a hint: it's always brown. Buzz gets in on the fun, too, by cutting the playdoh into small pieces and then throwing them on the floor. Fun for all.

This was, of course, my first Christmas without my father and I felt his absence. Many people sent cards and small gifts to remind me of him and how much they miss him and care about me. I appreciated those gifts very much. In fact, someone sent us the yummiest popcorn tin, but there wasn't a name on the tag, so I don't know who to thank. (If it's you, thank you! We all loved it!) My Aunt Rose sent me a silver bell with my father's name as part of a ritual bell-ringing she does at the holidays. I especially cherish it because I have collected matching bells for every Christmas Jeff and I have spent together. So our tree this year had 9 gleaming silver bells.
But I had promised myself that I would have my whole family together this year. Last year, I selfishly did not insist that my dad join us and he did not protest. Later I found out that my decision had hurt his feelings and I vowed to make it right this year. I didn't get that chance, and it's one of the only things I truly wish I could redo in our relationship. I would have given up this year's relaxed ease for a chaotic family showdown if it meant my father would know how much I loved him. I know he already knew that, but there's nothing like seeing your grandchildren's faces on Christmas day and hear their joyous voices. And, I guess, he got to do that this year, too, just in a different way.

On New Year's Eve, we went to the zoo with another family. And while we were looking for them I saw through a crowd, a la the movies, one of my roommates from my first year in college. She lives in Louisville, Kentucky and there was absolutely no reason that we should have seen one another in the Tampa zoo. But there we were, hugging and laughing and I-can't-believe-it's-you-ing surrounded by giraffes and camels. Like us, she has two young boys and was in town with her family to visit her husband's alma mater. We only got to spend a couple of hours together, but the very experience made me think that you just never know what life's got in store. And just when you think it's boring and predictable, it turns right around and fills you with wonder.

Happy Halloween!

We had a great time today carving pumpkins, eating a spooky dinner, and trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. It is still so warm that we ended up cutting the arms off of Buzzy's costume, but the weather was perfect, so we can't complain. Matthew got lots of lollipops - his favorite - and was sweeter than candy all night!

Halloween Parade

Today Matthew had a Halloween Parade at school. All of the children dressed up in costumes for a photo op on the steps, then a parade around the block, then some songs in the auditorium. Matthew has been singing these songs for weeks, so it was nice to finally hear the originals (I have wondering what a "baffry bat" is but now I know it's a "belfry bat". I guess I should have been able to figure that one out but I've been stumped.) For a video of him singing along, check the sidebar.

Buzz even got dressed up, but he's not a big fan of his cozy costume, given that it's still in the 80's here. (Who knew it would still be so warm!) So he pretty much hobbled around crying the whole time he had his costume on. I just told everyone it was his dragon impression and went on focusing on how Matthew was doing as Power Man. From the time he got dressed this morning, he chastised me repeatedly for calling him Matthew. "Oh, Mama, but you're confused. You called me Matthew but I'm Power Man."

After all the festivities, the kids went back into their classrooms to change clothes and get on with the day, including a yummy snack of Halloween cookies and fruit. We're gearing up for a fun weekend, if only the parents will be able to keep up. Halloween is big in our neighborhood (read: fire dancers on the roof of our neighbors house) so I'm bracing for a weekend full of commotion. Happy Halloween!

Popsicle Boys

Matthew is all about popsicles. Sugar in any form, really. I'm not surprised because I had such a sweet tooth when I was pregnant with him. His papa likes candy too. I could take it or leave it, but don't leave me alone with some chocolate or it will be gone.

So all through the summer, I was hounded for popsicles. "Mama, guess what it's time for?? Popsicles! Yay!" That would have been correct except that I heard those words first thing in the morning for days on end. And giving him a popsicle didn't solve the problem. It only convinced him that persitence pays off.

One of the many wonderful things about Matthew is that he doesn't mind sharing, as long as he gets to be the one in control of it. And Buzz is very sweet, so Matthew is happy to share pretty much anything with Buzz. So I just couldn't resist capturing the whole scene on camera since this was one of the few days that neither one of them was naked!

Buzz isn't too sure about cold things, or sweet things, or any food that isn't pasta. But he just loves to do what his big brother is doing. It makes him feel so special to have a little lick of the popsicle, even though afterwards he cringes and smacks his lips. But then he leans right in again!

Little Finn

There is a little boy named Finn at Matthew's school. He and Matthew were in the 2 year old class together. Finn is a sweet boy like Matthew, and he was the first friend Matthew made at school. Matthew always talked about Finn's red shoes!

We've just been told that he has a rare and potentially fatal disease called Diamond Blackfan Anemia. I had never heard of it, so I included a snippet from their blog to give you some basic info:

Diamond Blackfan Anemia (DBA) is a bone marrow failure disorder that inhibits red blood cell production. Finn does not have the ability to produce red blood cells on his own so he depends on blood transfusions every 2-3 weeks to survive. After a blood transfusion, Finn's hemoglobin rises to a normal level and immediately begins to slowly drop until his next blood transfusion. The low hemoglobin affects his energy level, pallor and overall health.

Finn continues to do well on transfusions, but is dealing with severe iron overload as a result of receiving over 50 transfusions and counting. Iron overload can be dangerous if not treated because excess iron primarily builds up in the liver and heart and can cause serious liver and cardiac problems. Because the body does not expel excess iron on its own, chelation therapy is required to help Finn rid his body of excess iron. Every night while Finn sleeps, he receives desferal (chelating agent) through a subcutaneous needle connected to an infusion pump. He seems to be responding to the nightly infusions as we just learned that his ferritin (iron indicator) levels significantly dropped for the first time in over a year. To learn more about DBA, please check out the DBA Foundation online. (There is a baby picture of Finn on the "For Families" page.)

I simply can't imagine how difficult it must be for Finn, not to mention the anxiety and elation his parents must experience every day with their sweet little man. It breaks my heart to think that anyone has to go through something like this, but I am so happy to be able to help!

Matthew's school, Westminster Day School, is putting together a cookbook to benefit Finn's family. Please let me know if you would like to order one. You may also check out the Finn Gunderson Journal in the blog list for more information or to order a jellyfish tshirt from the recent benefit concert. To see more pictures of Finn and his red shoes, check out this link!

This year, our family has decided to adopt Finn as our Christmas angel, so we'll be giving away lots of cookbooks and t-shirts. I hope you will consider doing the same!