i am not sure what is funnier: the camel's expression or ollie.

little willem continues to simply exude joy. i love so much about him and this particular phase of his life. he is snuggly, chubby, wears his smile often and well, and brings joy to all around him.

feeling grateful:

for my mother coming to care for the boys while we were away

for a safe trip to and from boston

for the comfort of good conversation with good friends

for time spent watching, holding, and talking with the pierce girls

for new sights and sounds

for the joyful baby accompanying me on the trip

for the sight of my children's faces upon returning

so, this weekend has been much anticipated, is way full, and happens to be passing too quickly...but, of course, the boys are thrilled with the festivities, and willem is still smiling.

we started off our morning at the crabtree farms plant sale. the weather was amazing, there were friends to see and talk with, and our neighbor, rick, could be heard playing his hammered dulcimer. i really wanted to just pick a spot and stay right there. however, there were many other plans in the works for this beautiful spring day.

mark participated in a dragon boat race with his co-workers.

the boys were invited to celebrate a friend's seventh birthday...yea! for cake and ice cream!

i really wanted to make it to the 4 bridges art festival and ended up spending a couple of hours there with only willem in arms and quite a lot of time to talk with friends and neighbors and dream about which pieces of art i would chose if given the chance.

...is that it? well, i guess i forgot to mention that i was in bed all day yesterday sick with mastitis. i probably should have continued to rest today, but there was just so much going on that i could not miss. i love chattanooga!

i would love to say that our trip to california was restful and full of just enjoying family. there were those moments in the mix, but there was also a very present sadness. it is difficult seeing those that you love grow older, especially when your mind is flooded with all of those childhood memories of time spent together and not being able to imagine a time without them.

aidan has become much more vocal these days about his plans for the future. he presents his ideas with such confidence and determination. he is fine with leaving our home but cannot imagine ever being apart from his best friends, asa and willem. he plans for them all to find an apartment at some point. he is also talking about his desire to learn to surf, move to hawaii, and grow his hair "out like vines." hope that his buddies are up for that lifestyle. aidan is also planning for his future family. he wants to get married and have about five children. at this point their names are asa and willem (no surprise there), cannon and speed (who are all boys). he intends for his fifth child to be a girl named either sally or electric-c (not electricity)...

each day he is usually eager to wake up, eat his breakfast, and head off to school to meet up with his good friends. it is so comforting to know that he spends his days learning with a kind teacher surrounded by people his age who are loving and encourage him to always try his best. last month, his class each chose a different historical figure to study for black history month. aidan and i decided that he should research pele, the amazing brazilian soccer player. each night he came home eager to look on the computer for new information on pele and watch videos of this soccer star in action. he also shared bits of information on his classmates' projects throughout the week. i was amazed at the amount of information that he retained and his eagerness to learn. at the end of the month, aidan stood before his class, and his teacher said that he gave a great presentation.

as i am sure i have said in previous posts, coupled with aidan's determination and confidence comes some stubbornness and aggression (particularly toward me). these aspects of his personality are often made worse by fatigue and/or too much sugar. bedtime can often bring out the worst in my little guy. a couple of weeks ago i was putting my guys to bed and was tucking in a very frustrated aidan. honestly, i do not have a lot of patience at the end of the day and was hoping to just turn off the light and have some down time myself. aidan wanted to rehash an incident that he had with abel earlier that day in which he felt that i did not discipline abel enough for his offense. after telling aidan that it was just time for bed and that i loved him, he looked up at me with eyebrows furrowed and said, "mom, it's just like i'm black history, and you're the white man!" now that was not something i could have expected! i then laughed and complimented him on a great analogy for a first grader...a bit dramatic, but so funny!

last night aidan had a difficult time going to sleep because he was thrilled reading through a book on the solar system checked out from the library earlier that day. mark was holding willem, and we both commented on how amazing it seems that aidan is no longer this infant but a growing boy learning and reading on his own and so excited about all there is for him to learn. a few nights ago, a star wars book captured his interest. in an attempt to convey his love for all things related to star wars, he said "dad, it's like star wars controls my whole body. you know, i am just sooo into star wars."

so, there it is: bits about my boy that i want to remember. i know i will be laughing at my worries once we have passed through this stage and are entering into a different and possibly more complex one....

i know that i must be at least a bit biased, but this kid has to be one of the cutest that i have seen...and he is just so smiley. you really cannot help but smile, especially when he reaches down, grabs a foot, and proceeds to suck on his toes. so cute!

toward the end of this busy week, i headed to california with willem in tow to spend time with family. after playing with friends on friday, the boys had a couple of fun days alone with dad. they got dirty, painted, played at the ymca, ate pizza and probably stayed up later and consumed more sugar than their mom would allow. what a great dad they have!

...and then they were off to nana's for a week where they played board games, read countless books, learned to love their uncle's wii, camped outside with their papa, made cookies and crafts, snuggled with their nana, and went on a few outings. mark gave abel the camera to take pictures during their two hour drive to nashville. i really love the self portrait...

willem and i made it safely back to chattanooga in time for the boys' return and to celebrate easter with mark's family. mark and his brother hid eggs in the park near our home for our guys and their cousin, remie. it was truly a beautiful day. the boys are pictured quickly consuming their bounty before mom decided to confiscate the sugar.

...and here are all of my guys with their bunnies. willem was a little bummed that he was not partaking of the chocolate.

could it really be possible for ollie to be FOUR? i remember so clearly sitting in my hospital bed the day after he was born holding this sweet boy and crying knowing that these moments would surely pass too quickly. i also remember his buddy, charlie, who was only a few weeks old at the time, visiting us with his mom. who knew that they would turn out to be such great buddies!

...and abel is now SIX! this boy draws others to him with a great smile, eagerness, and a tender heart. he is a great brother, artist, and friend. happy birthday, abe! always remember how much you are loved!

delirious
-wandering in the mind and talking complete nonsense usually as a result of fever (or maybe a lack of sleep)

-of, suffering from, or characteristic of delirium. marked by uncontrolled excitement or emotion; ecstatic

i am also trying to stay on track with an elimination diet that i have been on for two weeks. not being able to turn to food as a reward or for comfort has been rough. i was hoping that taking so many possible allergens out of my diet would boost my energy, eliminate some of the body pain, clear the brain fog, ease the depression, help with sleep, and force me to deal with some of the issues that cause me to run to food. this really feels like a lot, and i often think that i am not up to the challenge. i have done really well over the last couple of weeks and am hoping that some of the changes that i am making now will be lasting.

we just may have found a new hobby.

and more pictures of that smiley baby...

As the kids grow we get to see them change and gather interest in new things. Abel has impressed us lately with his creative spirit through his drawings and photography. My camera phone has long been filled with random shots taken around the house while I'm away or sleeping. Out of all the boys, Abel loves posing for the camera.

Last week I took Abel on a little excursion to the old Wheland Foundry grounds to capture the textures and colors of the industrial plant. It was exciting to see him so engaged, looking through the viewfinder, shooting away and loving it. At one point, noticing a large drainage area beside the railroad tracks, he commented that the foundry "is a castle and here is the moat."

Being the middle child is hard, especially when the older seems to be great at everything he tries, but I'm glad Abel is finding his own voice and confidence through his creative ideas and passions.