Marriage Equality

YES
Today the U.S. Supreme Court began hearings on marriage equality.   I can only say two things...
Of course.


To The Moon

As I've said before,  Anders really loves his best friend Hazel. 

Liquid Gold

 

Maple Syrup Facts:
 

It takes 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup.

Maple syrup is a completely natural product.

Maple syrup is nutritionally important and contains minerals, B-vitamins, and amino acids.

There are over 24 antioxidants in maple syrup. 

Maple syrup has the same calcium content as whole milk.

Maple syrup has only 40 calories per tablespoon.

Our Own Maple Syrup Facts: 



Our house easily goes through 3 gallons of syrup per year, but it's closer to 4.

It's cheaper if you buy them all at once - you can usually make a deal with the farmer. 

My children can never get enough, neither can Anna.   

We do not see this as a problem. 

Coffee is a great place for maple syrup.  So is warm milk. 

We've been on more than one maple syrup excursion this Spring. 

There's something magical about a sugar shack.

Everyone should befriend someone who has a sugar shack and lots of maple trees. 

And if they have a tractor, that's even better. 

Drilling taps, checking buckets, and emptying sap are jobs everyone should do in the Spring.

Today alone the boys have eaten carmelized maple syrup, maple candy, maple syrup on pancakes, and dripping maple sap straight from the tree.

Maple cotton candy is as close to heaven as you are ever going to get.

You can get that and the best maple creamy around at the Champlain Valley Fair each year in August - so you can extend the thrill of maple syrup from Spring straight through to late summer.

If you don't have a waffle iron, you should get one.  There's no better place to cradle warm maple syrup right before it goes into your mouth. 

We think the use of maple syrup is limited only by your imagination. 

Brain Growth, Wellness Visits, and Vaccinations

I took Anders and Kuba to their pediatrician last thursday for their annual well visit.  They are healthy growing boys.   Both are at the top of the growth curve and all is well.   We found out that 8 is a significant year in the life of a brain.  Actually it's the years 8,  9, 10, and 11, with 8 being phenomenal.  More neurological connections are made in the 8th year of life than at any other time.  Anders loved this piece of information.  The doctor made Kuba feel good about being 5 as well, as this is the year that you can put up all of your fingers on one hand.   Both boys left feeling pretty darn proud, oh, except for one thing.  They got shots.  Yup.  Both boys got two vaccines.  We are still catching up with their peers who were fully vaccinated by the age of 3.  I've eliminated some and dragged out all the others.  And still, every time I leave there after a vaccination I leave worried.   My internal self HATES vaccines.  Did I say that loudly enough?  I  H A T E  vaccines.  So this is where the anxiety kicks in.  The next morning Anders woke up complaining that his arm hurt where he got the vaccinations.  By the end of the school day he was really complaining and had a welt on his arm the size of a softball - red, hot, and so swollen.  I called the doctor and was told to give him Benadryl.  (Another issue here for me, but I'll leave that for another post)  I drew a mark around the perimeter to mark it's growth or disappearance.  The next day it was bigger yet, and my anxiety increased.  By Sunday it was finally shrinking, but then Anders developed a fever.   He had a fever each night until Tuesday, when he had a full on fever in the daytime.  I called the doctor again, my anxiety reaching a new height.  I was reassured it was most likely not connected to the vaccine, but I am not a believer.  It seemed awfully coincidental that he should catch a virus at exactly the same time.  I hate to admit this but I was having to fight off visions of Anders waking up the next day, unable to walk or talk, or any number of horrors associated with a vaccination reaction.  Thankfully after a full day of rest he was better by Wednesday.  It is now Thursday, his fever is gone, his arm is normal, and all seems fine again.   I do not know how parents  who have real problems ever survive.  I am so thankful that he is okay...and for his growing healthy brain.

Morning Chore

Kuba has particularly taken to chores...certain ones he loves.  Washing the kitchen floor and cleaning the toilets are his top favorites.  Who knew?!

M Y B O Y S I N B U F F A L O

We are in buffalo on our winter break.  The roadtrip here was absoulutely great.  (I am not kidding.) The boys were fun, the 9 hour ride felt short, we all enjoyed each other's company and then we were here.  (There is something about vacations and our family...they just seem to bring out the best in us.) We have been to the buffalo zoo and on a whirlwind, wicked fun, walking tour of buffalo.  Anna and I took the boys to some of our favorite places; City Hall, the Albright Knox, the public library, assorted monuments, and Chef's for lunch.   We happened to be driving through a somewhat desolate place and found a beautiful brick wall to pose in front of.  We decided this would be our hobby for this vacation....photo shoots in just the coolest places we could find in and around the city.   This city is so full of gems and  yet simultaneously depressed and so abandoned that we had to find some way to make it exciting.  I think we'll enjoy finding oh just the right places to pose in front of.   My boys are not at all shy when it comes to hamming it up in front of the camera.  I know it's because I have been snapping them for eight years now.  This could make a great series.     

Anders

I like to write about my boys on their birthdays.   It gives me a chance to reflect on the past year, think about the growth and evolution one year makes in the life of a child, and provides an opportunity for me to sharpen my appreciation.   I also get to reset my internal parenting compass so that it is lined up with their soulful little selves.   They lead, I follow, so to say.

Eight.   Amazing really to think that Anders is now eight years old.  I was looking at baby photographs of him and was overwhelmed by the joy and absolute crazy love we all had when he was born. 
WHAT a baby, what a boy!

He remains absolutely as beautiful as he was as a baby.  He also remains a real observer.  As a baby he would stare at people - never offering a smile freely.  He was curious, interested, yet thoughtful.   He made people earn his attention and his affection.  In some ways I guess he is still a little like that.   He doesn't give it up easily.  His temperament remains reserved and discriminating.

He is unflappable at school, a doer, a happy soul, an even keel kind of boy who seems to like the structure and predictability of a classroom.  He is a great student.  He is diligent about getting homework done even if it's not always so very enjoyable.  I admire his commitment to his work.  This year his reading, writing, and math abilities have skyrocketed.  His teacher is working on helping him to articulate his voice, hold his own, and take a stand for what he believes.  He's a mutable sign and following, versus leading, is what is so natural for him.  His teacher also let us know that when it comes to kinesthetic moving and drama, Anders is unabashed, not afraid to let it loose, and can be quite the ham.  Yes.  quite a multi-faceted character he is. 

He is a loyal, very loyal friend.   If you make his cut list, you have hit the jackpot.   Friends are very special, very meaningful to him.   At age eight his "best" friend is still Hazel.   But he also loves a new friend at school, Ben, and always considers Finley, Junie, Walker, and Julian his other favorite friends - even if they are not in his class this year.  He is also a very loyal big brother.   His affection and his love for his brother is something that I feel grateful for every single day.  Not a day goes by without this love between them BRIMMING over the top. 

If he's had a learning curve this year it really has been about independence and social behavior.  He is less shy; more capable socially, more willing to speak out, talk to strangers - hell, even more willing to talk to folks he knows well.   Great.  This is good learning for him.  If I've had a learning curve this year it's been to have great faith in him-to believe that the skills he needs he will gain in time.  I have been learning how not to "push the river." 

Athletically he is very strong, but likes the kind of sports that involve the strength of his own body - climbing, swimming, hiking.   Not necessarily team sports or ball sports.  This summer his swimming skills and his comfort in the water took off.   He also took a climbing class and is doing an outdoor adventure class.  All up his alley. 

He is a good boy this boy of mine.   A very sensitive very smart, very sweet soul. 

It is my greatest hope that this year, his eighth year is full of joy, humor, love, growth, and confidence.  Anders you are one of the most awesome boys in the whole wide world.  I could not love you more.