Why I Love Him So

There are many things I love about Mark.   This man that I love can read books at speeds that make me dizzy.   The craziest part of it all is the recall that he has after reading.   If you ask him about a book that he read five years ago, chances are pretty good that he can remember the book and tell you quite a bit about it.   His love for music, all genres, boarders on obscene.  (In a good way.)   If you mention an artist or group that you like, he can usually mention two or three others that you might like that are similar.   Always perusing newspapers, news sites, and blogs, he can have a conversation on almost any topic brought up. 

As a great problem solver, he is successful in his career and makes life easier at home when I have something that I just can't get resolved.  He is a great father and husband.   He is great with the kids, always encouraging their interests.   He is always patient with the many questions that come when E is learning about new technology or talking about sports.   He is ready to listen to a new song that Addy has written or look at the new masterpieces she has created with her art supplies.   Mark is a very helpful and supportive husband.   Whenever I get a whim to try or do something new, he is right along side me.  

Another thing I love about my husband is his willingness to keep after a project.   Upon moving into our house four years ago, we found out that our master bath was in desperate need of a re-do.  There was no option, it had to be fixed.   Since then we have repaired and replaced most of the plumbing in this house.   My dear husband who is not at all a fan of plumbing has been constantly working on replacing leaky pipes, toilets, and faucets.   You name it, he has either fixed it or given it a good attempt.  Last night our toilet started to leak, this being the third toilet in our three bathroom house that has needed to be repaired.   As I attempt to help by handing tools, keeping dry towels on hand, and keeping the kids busy and out of the way, I am so thankful for this man who goes into these projects with a sense of dread, but usually comes through them successful. 

Memories

The kids have spent the better part of today with their friends.   After a summer of very little contact with their friends from school, they were more than ready for today.

E was invited to go swimming and time at the gym with his friend.   Up and ready first thing this morning, a better afternoon could not be planned for the two boys.

Addy had a friend come over to our house today.   After playing Barbie and Littlest Petshop, next on the agenda was make-up.   The girls got out my old make-up and had a blast.

And the final result, two beautiful and excited girls ready to continue their afternoon of fun. 

It reminded me of the summers growing up with my sister and the days on end that we would dress up and enter our world of make believe.

A Day That Changed My Life

Nine years ago today, my life changed for the better.   It was 4:00 in the afternoon, the weather was hot and muggy much like it has been.   This was the day that I became a mom.  This was the day that I looked into into my son's eyes for the first time.   I vividly remember after 24 hours of labor, six hours of pushing, and an almost c-section, I held a precious baby boy in my arms.   I had no idea the impact he would bring to my life.   I had no idea how much I would love this little guy until he was in my arms. 

Today my dear son as you turn one year older, know how much I love you.   You bring so much joy and laughter to our lives.   Always helpful and considerate, I could not get as much done with out you in a day.   I appreciate they way you care about the people around you, and love so deeply.   Your never ceasing curiosity, eagerness to learn, and determination to finish what ever you put your mind to will get you far in life.  I thank God E, for your presence in our family.   I pray that God will keep his hand on you each and everyday as you are a great kid!  

Recipes

Always needing something to do to occupy my free minutes, I am usually either working on a project or finding out what the next one will be.  Just because I am in the middle of a project, it doesn't mean that I have a lot of free time on my hands.  Actually a it will often happen when I am balancing many things and have very little free time.   Possibly it is because at these times I need something else to think about rather than the busyness going on around me, or possibly it is my way of accomplishing something when there is not much that can be "completed."   Whatever the reason, I am now in the middle of a project.   I knew it would be a lot of work, but I think today I realized how much work this project really is going to be. 

If you haven't guessed from this blog, or as a friend on Facebook, I love to bake.   Cooking brings a great deal of pleasure as well, but not like baking.   However due to the fact that I cannot eat everything I bake and maintain some semblance of a diet, cooking is a close second.   Cooking is also something I can do with Mark.   He and I love to be in the kitchen together creating a meal.   The satisfaction that comes when the meal is on the table is something we both enjoy.   Being that we both love to create things, we are always on the look out for new recipes.   Mark is always bringing home new cookbooks to peruse from the library and also watches the newspaper and magazines.   I get my resources from blogs and the internet.  In addition, there are always the family favorite recipes from when we were growing up that get mixed in as well.  

What has occurred as a result of these means of acquiring recipes is that we now have what feels like a multitude of cookbooks and a stack of papers that we never go through. Once we find a recipe we like, we will often say, "We need to make that again."   But, because of our current method of keeping recipes, it tends to fall to the bottom of the stack and never to be made again.  Another problem is sharing recipes.   If a friend or relative asks for a recipe, I have to search for the recipe and type it up, and often I never get around to this.   It is not intentional to forget, it just happens. 

My project is that I am going to create an online database of recipes that are all filed and organized so that I can access them more conveniently, and when someone wants a copy of the recipe, I can e-mail it right from the database.   (I love it!) 

With a couple of days already invested in the project, I now have these

and these

to go through which will be the most time intensive part of the project.  

A Birthday Party

This weekend we celebrated E's birthday with his friends.   He wanted to have a party at the Rec Center so he could go swimming.   He had a couple of friends come and they spent a couple of hours in the pool and then had cake and present time.  

E was so excited to go off the diving boards after learning to swim and be in the deep end of the pool during swimming camp this summer.   He hit the diving boards right away and did great!   E kept looking at the high dive and really wanted to try it.   So, he climbed the ladder to the top, and took his first jump off the high dive.   He was ecstatic!   

His friends that were at his party have been friends since kindergarten.   It has been fun to see the boys grow up together and remain friends through each year, sometimes being in the same class, other times not.   I wonder how long the friendships will last, hoping that they survive middle school and high school.   These kids are great, and I am so glad that E has them as friends.