The Petite Family

Happy Holidays 2011

Look at that! Winter already! In fact, we're smack-dab in the middle of the holiday season, racing towards the New Year! I always marvel at how fast time seems to be going these days, and wonder if it's simply a perceptive byproduct of an overly-busy life. Nonetheless, I'm along for the ride, on which, I try, though somewhat feebly, to slow down once and awhile, so we can enjoy the beautiful views on the way to where we're going.

And this year, those beautiful views have included cherished memories of our homeschooling journey with our kids. We're convinced they're teaching us more than we're imparting to them, but I do think we're rubbing off on them a bit.

Flo is twelve now, and has put to rest the stereotype of the unsocialized homeschooler. Her schedule is full of activities. Her best friend, Megan, just moved away, so she's missing her, but, of course, she's quite the computer savvy gal, fully adept in the whole social networking world, keeping in touch with friends all over the place.

Joe just turned nine, and is still an avid hockey player. His interests this year include utilizing his massive Lego collection to build all sorts of interesting creations. He's also into the whole Star Wars story now, too. We have been fairly prudent with the TV we let the kids watch, trying to minimize exposure to violent images and such while they're young. So, up until this week, Joe had never seen any of the Star Wars movies. We were surprised how much of the story he had already absorbed just as a byproduct of the culture he's in. So, we recently relented to let him watch the original movie, which of course, he thought was the BEST movie he's ever seen!

Zofia, now four, is keep us busy with answering tons of questions, like "Why is the sky blue?" and "Why does Daddy have hair on his face?" Surprisingly, the questions of a four year-old aren't always that easy to answer. Nonetheless, we give it our best shot.

Darren continues working for the Department of Veterans Affairs out of DC, but thankfully is still working at home, only commuting one day per week to update his casework. Working at home for the past few years has been a real gift. Of course, though it does come with some distractions, since his office right off our kitchen, Darren has really enjoyed having this time to spend with the kids while they're young.

And, as for me, I keep busy facilitating the whole family enterprise. Photographer, chef, seamstress, secretary, accountant, chauffer, computer operator, story teller, therapist, philosopher ... those are just some of the roles I fill in this venture, but best of all are the titles of Mother and Friend. I really am blessed.

So, as we celebrate the Winter Solstice this week and look forward to spending time with friends and family over the Christmas holiday, we hope you all are well and eager to greet the New Year with ambitious goals or simply gratitude for that which you've already achieved.

Summer ReCap

Oops! Another whole season has drifted into the realm of memories now, and I've obviously neglected updating our family weblog here. The Summer is winding down, and we're already starting to schedule activities for the upcoming year and organizing ourselves for another adventurous year of homeschooling!

We finished off the Spring season, celebrating our 18th anniversary at the end of April, and going to camp for three days with our homeschooling group in mid-May. Then, we continued the regular pace of things into June, with regular lessons and activities, though we got a little break from the hockey routine. Flo did a number in the Spring Skate Show at our local ice rink in early June, performing a routine to the "Crowning Glory" song from the Princess Diaries 2 Soundtrack. That's on our YouTube channel (PetiteWeb), if anyone would like to check it out. Very cute!

July began with the annual July 4th Mile Long Yard Sale in our community. This is truly an event, with hundreds of yard sales going on all day within the mile or so around our home. This year, we decided not to have a sale of our own, and to just enjoy walking around. Flo and Joe had a lemonade stands with their friends, and enjoyed hanging out for the day. We managed to go the entire day without finding any "great deals," to clutter up our house. But, we did enjoy walking around, checking out some of the interesting bargains!

Early July found us heading to Vegetarian Summerfest in Johnstown, Pennsylvania for our fourth year. Flo went for the full five day conference with our friend, and we joined her for the weekend portion. We decided to leave Zofia home with Grandma for the weekend, and this really was the first time Darren and I got a chance to relax in quite awhile. We got a lot of sleep, rode our bikes all over campus (University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown), chatted with veg-friendly folk from all over the world, attended a few lectures, and enjoyed a few meals. All in all, I think that few days was the highlight of our summer. We had hoped to go to the first Woodstock Fruit Festival in New York in August, but with an expensive and long trip to Canada for a family reunion, we ended up crossing that off the agenda, but definitely hope to attend that next year!

At the end of July, our niece Samantha, flew down from Ontario to join me in a few day drive up to Eastern Canada for Darren's parent's 50th wedding anniversary celebration and family reunion. I left two weeks prior to the actual event, to take Joe up to a hockey camp in the area, hoping to enjoy some time in the area and visiting with my in-laws. Darren would be flying up a few days before the reunion, and driving home with me and the kids.

The trip up to New Brunswick was nice. We took our time, staying with friends a couple nights, dining at Whole Foods Market along the way, and staying in a couple hotels, where the kids got a chance to swim. We arrived a couple days before Joe's hockey camp started, and went to the registration meeting and got him all ready to start that Monday.

Well, Sunday night, I was startled awake by Joe, who said he fell out of bed and his chin hurt. I told him to "rub it up," and go back to sleep. He did for a few minutes, but then came back, saying it really hurt. So, in the dark, I reach up to rub it for him and it was wet and I felt a big hole in his chin. "Oh no!" So, I jumped out of bed and turned on the lights, only to confirm that he, indeed, had a huge gash in his chin. We still don't know what in the heck he did. Nonetheless, at 3am, I woke up my in-laws, who confirmed the definite need for stitches, and off Joe and I went to the emergency room. Thankfully, the waiting area was sparsely populated at 3am that day, and we got right in. Joe was stitched up by a pleasant doctor, who also homeschools his kids, and put Joe at ease. He was very brave. The worst part was the needle for the numbing stuff.

By the time we finished at the emergency room, it was close to 5am, and camp started at 7am just around the corner. With less than three hours sleep, and a big bandage on his chin that was likely to interfere with his goalie helmet, I let Joe know that it was okay if he decided he didn't want to attend the camp, as I'm sure they would have refunded us due to injury. But, ever the trooper, Joe insisted on going. Thankfully, his dad had packed a spare helmet, which just happen to fit without disturbing his bandage. But, I still don't know how he made it through the day. When I picked him up that afternoon, he was so tired, he barely made it to the car before he fell asleep. Nonetheless, his week-long goalie camp experience was worth the trip alone, as Joe had a great time, got some excellent instruction, and got a chance to hang out in his dad's hometown.

Flo, on the other hand, wasn't able to get signed up for any camps during the time we were there, and by the end, was really craving some peer interaction. But, she did get a chance to spend some quality time with her grandparents, and got to celebrate her twelfth birthday in scenic Saint John, walking around uptown, going to the city market and visiting with my mom, who had driven up for a week visit. Towards the tail end of the trip, Darren's siblings arrived, too, so Flo got to spend a couple days visiting with her cousins, which was nice. Her favorite thing about the visit was Nanny and Poppy's yard, which was right on a river, and full of trees and wildlife. She got a chance to feed the local deer residents, collect rocks and shells, and hang out in the hammock, enjoying the mild summer temperatures and pleasant breezes.

Zofia enjoyed the visit with Nanny and Poppy, too, but kept me quite busy. She was most excited about visiting with her cousin, Ella, who is just two months younger and arrived a few days before the reunion. They were so cute to watch together, and I'm glad they got to connect.

Darren arrived mid-week, just in time for all the pre-reunion prep work before the event on Saturday. I think, by then, we had exhausted my in-laws with the general chaos that is our routine, and I was becoming a weary traveler. But, Darren was happy to reconnect with his family, and though brief, the reunion was a nice opportunity to see some old familiar faces and meet some new ones. I'm sure many good memories were made, and I'm happy we make the trek up for the event.

On Sunday, we bid farewell to all the relatives, and commenced our trip home, detouring through Quebec to extend the vacation a bit, and do a little sightseeing. We stopped in Quebec City and Montreal, before heading back to the States, staying one night in upstate New York in a rather shady hotel, and then our final night at our friend's house in New Jersey, before making our way home on August 18th, just in time to celebrate Zofia's fourth birthday the next day.

A couple days after getting home, I hurt my back, and have not been feeling too great since. I think the lack of sleep, and emotional ups and downs, during the almost month-long trip finally caught up with me. So, I've been spending the past week just trying to get on track with housework, scheduling the kids activities for the Fall, and resting up as much as possible Today, I spent the day in my pajamas, sorting the kids old clothes and toys for Goodwill. Of course, while I was doing this, Zofia was dismantling other areas of the house. But, at least I feel like I'm making progress! And, we're looking forward to the new "school" year and some fun activities with friends.

So, that's where we find ourselves at the end of August; reflecting on a summer already gone by. It seems like we planned for the Canada trip for so long, it's hard to believe it has come and gone already. It reminds me how quickly life goes by, and brings to mind an inspiration card we read during our family meeting yesterday, which said, "I will love where I am right now!"

Spring is Here!

My last entry here had us heading into the holiday season. You'll be happy to know we survived the onslaught of commercialism, tempered by community activities and general holiday cheer.

Then began the New Year. 2011! We started off on the fiscally ambitious note of getting our taxes compiled and ready to send in as soon as possible. Darren is always motivated to get this task done early in the New Year. I think it's the suspense of whether or not we'll see any sizeable return that keeps him inspired. Thankfully, we didn't have to pay any taxes this year, so that was a good way to start things off!

Into February we went, attending meetings, co-op classes, basketball and hockey practices, swimming and music lessons, and various appointments. All this interspersed amongst social engagements errands, housework, Darren's job, parenting, and the general routines of life made for a tiring start to the year, and was underscored by gloomy cold weather. Nonetheless, Valentine's Day is in February, and, after all, "All You Need is Love!" So, we kept our spirits high and energy up (well, the kids anyway), and forged on into the Winter.

Fortunately, as we headed into March, the winter weather didn't interfere with too many plans, nor did it dampen anyone's spirits too greatly. After all, we all had a lot to be looking forward to. My birthday came first, which I suppose is not something everyone looks forward to, but I don't mind. It's just a marker of time, celebrating my arrival on the planet. I had a nice day, hanging out with the family and going to see a movie with Darren, while Grandma babysat.

Next on the list of highly anticipated events came Darren's trip to Italy, which he had been planning and saving for all year. He had the luxury of spending ten days with his good friend, Alex, just relaxing, doing some hiking and visiting old friends.

That same week, Joe was excited to be going (along with his support crew of me, his siblings and Grandma) to a hockey tournament in Richmond, Virginia. This was an adventure! Having a toddler in tow made for some challenging and stress-filled moments, but we made it through, supporting Joe during his four games over the weekend, and enjoying watching the kids have such a good time staying at a hotel with a pool with all their friend. The change of scenery was welcomed, and spending a little time with Grandma was nice. So, overall, it was a good experience.

Now we're into April, and Spring is in the air! Darren's birthday started the month. Our April Fool was still in Italy, enjoying a couple last days of solitude. That weekend, the kids and I attended our church fundraising auction, and enjoyed seeing all the interesting donations. We donated a "Greens N Goodness" basket of healthy inspirations. It was a fun evening with friends, though by the time we got home, I barely had the energy to get the kids to bed and crawl in myself! Thankfully, I had one more day to rest up before Darren's return that Monday. He arrived back from his European retreat refreshed and ready to continue the tasks at hand with renewed energy and enthusiasm. That lasted about four days, and then the kids wore him out and he needed a nap! Ha!

Our eighteenth wedding (or should I say, elopement) anniversary is next week, so maybe we'll get a brief respite, to reflect on this life we've created together, and blow some air on the smoldering flame of our love! Ha ha... no gagging please! All corniness aside, we are really thankful for where we are, despite occasional bumps and turns in the road. We've collected volumes of wisdom, of which I'm sure we'll continue to reference as we continue on our path. But, we are excited about the possibilities for what is to come!

Today was one of the first few really warm days of the season, and to celebrate, Flo, Zofia and I dusted off the jogging stroller and headed out for a good long walk, stopping to say hi to a friend, and doing some errands along the way. I signed Zofia up for a kid's yoga class at the YMCA while we were out. It will be her first real class. By this age, we had Flo and Joe in all sorts of dance, gymnastics, Little Gym, etc. I guess the plight of the third child is to tag along with her siblings more and learn by association! She's three and a half now, and keeping us alert! We always felt the threes was harder than the "terrible" twos, and she's proving no exception. But, I'll try to keep myself in good shape mentally and physically, so I am up to the challenge of keeping up with her, because I know that in the blink of an eye, she'll be more self-sufficient and less interested in her boring mom!

So, I'll try to be back before the change of seasons, but I make no promises. Scheduling time for such luxuries as writing or fiddling around on the computer with photographs and such, is more of a challenge these days. But, that's okay, too... That wisdom I mentioned before has taught me to prioritize... and I'm slowly heading to that intuitive advice. I hope everyone enjoys the coming of the warmer weather, and is looking forward to some fun Spring and Summer activities. Drop us a note, and let us know what you're up to!

Happy Holiday Season 2010

Here in the United States, Thanksgiving has already come and gone. We bid it farewell on Thursday, after a quiet day at home and a simple meal together. We were just thankful to have a day off! But, I guess that means we've officially launched into the 2010 holiday season. Brace yourselves! Well, unless you're one of those people that just thrive on the busyness, and often daunting, holiday preparations. I'm generally not cynical, but the strongest current of this time of year often seems to be one of consumerism, which can threaten to wash away all the pleasantries and joys. Nonetheless, I can't say that the holiday decorations, festive gatherings, and chilly weather, don't spark nostalgic sentiments for me. So, I do my best to create happy memories and new traditions for my kids and our family, while trying to minimize over consumption and the incurrence of holiday debt. Fa la la la la!

That said, I'm looking forward to upcoming holiday get-togethers. And, the kids are already well-prepared with their lists for Santa and eagerness to set up the Christmas tree this weekend. Flo started months ago with a very detailed and organized list for "Santa." She is now privy to Santa's identity, but still enjoys the fun, and may be a little reluctant to let go of the illusion. The fact that she has two siblings looking forward to Santa's return, makes it easy for her to savor the fantasy a bit longer.

Since my last post at the end of the summer, we've all been busy with the activities of this new homeschool year. Flo has a full schedule with guitar, skating, art, and tutoring and a learning co-op. And, Joe is still busy several days a week with hockey practices and games, as well as, various other homeschool activities. His eighth birthday is coming up in a couple weeks, and he is excited about that. And finally, Zofia is now three and giving us a run for our money. She's so much fun, but the kids have lovingly nicknamed her "Destructo Baby." Joe had just gotten through that "dump everything on the floor" stage, and now Zofia is next in line. We spend a lot of time picking up stuff off the floor, but I love her creativity and watching her entertain herself with my pots and pans, or all of the books from the lower shelves of our bookcase. Someday, I'll stand in my tidy, organized home, missing the chaos and dishevelment. I remind myself of that daily.

Darren is still happily working at home. In January, he has to reapply for the work at home program, so hopefully, it will continue. There's always that fear that he'll have to return to the miserable daily commute, but we'll remain optimistic, and enjoy having so much time together right now.

As for me, I'm feeling busy as ever, and trying to balance all the parts of my life. Between parenting, homeschooling, being on the board at our church, helping organize a produce co-op, and trying to keep myself in good health, there doesn't often seem to be much time left to breathe. But, I'm working on that... just breathing... it does wonders!

So, I hope this season finds everyone doing well and looking forward to time with friends and family. As corny as it sounds, it is a magical time of year; especially if we focus on the spirit of the season, fostering friendships and family connections, and knowing that the greatest gift we can give is our own energy, focus and love. Happy Holidays!

Summer is Winding Down

Well, the summer season is drawing to an end. We've had an eventful few months, though. The kids have gotten in lots of fun in the sun, and plenty of swimming. We started off July with our mini-vacation to Vegetarian Summerfest in Johnstown, PA. It was five days of fun and community and the kids had a great time. Zofia was a bit of a handful, so I didn't get to attend as many lectures as I'd hoped, but I still had a good time hanging out, chatting with people and enjoying the vegan and raw food cuisine.

We had a couple houseguests this summer, too. Our niece, Samantha, came down from Ontario to join us on our trip to Summerfest. This is her third year in a row visiting. She always makes an easy houseguest, as she pretty much entertains herself and she eats whatever we make or does her own thing. She stayed for two weeks, during which time our community had its huge "mile-long" yard sale. We didn't sell much this year, but it was fun just hanging out and watching all the people.

Shortly after Samantha's departure, Darren's sister's family came down from Canada for about five days. It was great to everyone and catch up. Zofia and her cousin, Ella, are only two months apart, so it was cute to see them interact. And Joe had a great time playing indoor hockey and kicking around a soccer ball with his older cousins.

Right after the Canadian Cousins departed, we took a little trip to the Saugerties, New York area, to visit an old friend of mine. We went the day before Flo's birthday, so we celebrated her day by walking around Woodstock and taking her to a few fun shops and out to lunch. It was great to reconnect with my friend, Laura, and do something special with Flo.

Most recently, we headed up near Philadelphia on August 21st for the Vibrant Living Festival, which was a eco-conscious, raw food, health type festival. We stayed at a nearby hotel for two nights, and we enjoyed swimming in the pool and checking out the local area.

This weekend, we're wrapping up the summer with a potluck with our vegetarian group, and Darren is taking a coaching clinic for hockey on Sunday. So, one more official week of summer before Labor Day, but we're already thinking of the upcoming homeschooling year, and trying to schedule all the kids activities without being too busy. We're looking forward more fun and adventures as we head into the Fall!

Brief Update... Ready for Summer!

I'm astounded by the fact that it has been four months since I've updated our family blog. It's always on my to-do list, but tends to get pushed to the bottom by other, more pressing, tasks. Keeping up with three kids and a house is way more time-consuming than I ever anticipated. I think my mother ill-prepared me for the likelihood that when I had children, I could literally go days without getting a quiet moment to myself or feeling like I've accomplished more than just keeping my head above water. But, I can't blame her, really. I was an only child, and by the time I reached adulthood, she'd surely forgotten the demands she and her brother placed on their parents. So, I'm left to forge my way, reliant on the advice and support of my peers, and of course, the Internet!

However, I don't waste much energy lamenting the lack of time for personal endeavors at the moment. I know it is just a season in life, and just like today's beautiful early summer evening, with its mild temperature and gentle breezes, I will savor it, knowing that there will always be a few storms to weather, but plenty of pleasant sunny days.

In the past few months, there have been, both, birthdays and anniversaries. I celebrated my 37th birthday in March, and Darren followed right behind on April 1st, welcoming in his 40th year! Mid-April was my parent's anniversary, and even though my dad has been gone for years, it always gets me reflecting on my own marriage and parenting experiences. It is a perfect segue into our anniversary in the third week of April. This year, we celebrated 17 years. So, lots of milestones.

We have already launched into summer, with the winding down of some of our homeschooling activities, as well as, Joe's Spring hockey season. We have a busy summer ahead with lots of social outings, a huge neighborhood yard sale, visits from Darren's niece and sister, our much awaited vacation to Vegetarian Summerfest in Johnston, Pennsylvania, several day trips for various events, and a long weekend up to Philadelphia and New York to celebrate Flo's 11th birthday.

The kids are all doing great. Flo is turning the corner to those pre-teen years, along with all the wonderment and drama that entails. Joe is becoming more of himself each day, still really enjoying hockey and, pretty much, any sporty activity. He's also working on a collection of matchbox cars and tiny Legos that is soon to overtake our home. Finally, there's Zofia, who will be three at the end of this summer. Everyone always talks about the "terrible-twos," but for me, three has been more of a challenge, and it seems as though Zofia is going to solidify my opinion on that. She loves her big brother and sister, and wants to be included in all their activities with their friends. She takes every opportunity, when her parents are distracted, to dig through the junk drawer, write on walls or herself, cut things up with scissors, dump all the toys we've just spent hours sorting and putting away, pester the dog, pull things out of the fridge and pantry, empty the ice machine onto the kitchen floor, and numerous other mischievous endeavors. Nonetheless, watching her learn and discover new things is an experience we're savoring, knowing it will be our last round of toddlerhood.

So, we're looking forward to a fun summer, and will try to enjoy the intended leisurely pace of the season, rather than getting caught up in our usual busy schedule. We hope everyone is well and excited about their own summer adventures! I'm sure we'll hear about them on Facebook!

Snowed In

It's been an interesting week of contrasts. First, a sizeable tax return was tempered by several unexpected big expenses. Then, large amounts of snow have slowed the pace of our normal schedule, causing us to reflect on projects needing attention around the house. But, three young kids keep us feeling very busy, regardless of whether we're out and about or snowbound at home. We've made smoothies, drawn up vision boards, built Lego cities, had tea parties, read stories, watched TV and played in the snow.

Of course, the kids have loved the snow and all the fun that comes with it. Their friends in the neighborhood have all been out of school for a few days due to the weather, so there's been no shortage of social opportunities. Darren and I, on the other hand, are getting a bit of cabin fever. The federal government has closed its offices in DC for the past couple days, so Darren's had a little more free time at home. We did get out for a few errands in between storms, but not much else has transpired.

We had a lofty to-do list of projects to check off around the house, but both of us are feeling the lull of the winter weather and not initiating much with regards to housework. Thankfully, the Sears repair guy ventured out at the beginning of the storm yesterday afternoon, and replaced the perforated seal on our washing machine, so today I can resume my normal laundry routine. We were starting to get quite a "laundry mountain" going there for a few days. I'll be sure to scale that today.

Right now, Flo is at the neighbor's house, having gone over for a sleepover last night. She's most certainly is going to require some effort to return home with all her stuff through the mounting snow drifts, despite it being just around the corner. Darren is doing a reading lesson with Joe downstairs, and Zofia and I are sitting her, having yet another "tea party."

Darren is rejoicing in his victory this past summer, during which I wanted to sell our snow blower, that hadn't been used in three years and was taking up a large portion of our garage space. We agreed that if it didn't get used this year, we'd sell it in the next year's summer yard sale. Needless to say, I'm glad Darren prevailed in that dispute. He's dug us out multiple times so far this winter, and will be doing so again later this afternoon or tomorrow; whenever it stops snowing.

So, off to put together something for dinner and admire the winter wonderland outside from the warmth of our house. Stay warm!

2010 Here We Come!

The kids fell asleep in the last hour of 2009, so we enjoyed the quiet to watch a movie in bed while welcoming the New Year. It was a peaceful transition to the 2010, and I hope that trend continues throughout the year.

Today we were all feeling kind of stuffy and sniffly, so we lounged around most of the morning, eating breakfast sometime between 1 and 2pm... Around 3, we decided maybe we should make use of the last couple hours of daylight to get out in the world a bit and breath in some fresh(er) air. So, we took a brief ride, stopping at our friends, Eric and Jessica's, house for a couple hours. We then momentarily pondered a quick trip to the mall to get a belt for Darren, but it was closing in ten minutes when we got there, and neither of us really felt like getting out of the car again, anyway.

So, we meandered home the long way... I made the kids rice noodles and broccoli, only to discover I was out of any type of oil or sauce. We usually have a nice bottle of organic EVOO on the counter, but Darren used the last drizzle on his salad. Left with no other options, besides running to the store, I put coconut oil on the kids noodles. Let's just say, Bruno will be having a nice breakfast in the morning. (Note to self: no coconut oil on kid's noodles)

Once I rectified the kid's dinner blooper, Darren and I sat around and enjoyed sharing a big salad, some chocolate/banana pudding and tea before diverging to our own preferred activity; me writing this and him watching hockey. We have a plan to meet in bed at 10:30 to watch a movie again. Let's hope our plan for relaxation isn't thwarted by those pesky kids (I've been watching too much Scooby Doo).

So, as we start out this next year, we're looking forward to continued homeschooling adventures, furthering health and fitness goals, spending time with friends and family and just generally enjoying this time in our lives. We hope everyone is in good spirits and good health and excited about the prospects of the year to come!

Happy Holidays 2009!

Happy Holidays! This is a great time of year. The one time where our individual faiths culminate into a collective spirit of celebration. Although it's often a commercial spirit, the undertow of kindness and holiday cheer tug us along through the season, and (hopefully) overshadow the stress of gift-giving, food preparations and traveling.

We enjoyed a nice couple day prelude to Christmas by taking a short ride up to Grandma's on Wednesday afternoon for a little holiday celebration and gifts for the kids. Then yesterday, Darren went to work in DC in the morning, and we went to the evening service at church before coming home and opening the gifts from Darren's parents and sister, with whom we have a tradition of exchanging every year.

Thankfully, the kids got to bed by 11, so Santa could make an early rounds, and they slept in until 9am! Bonus! So, we started off the day with opening Santa's gift and a few gifts from Mom and Dad, then a simple breakfast of fruit, tea, and cereal for the kids. We listened to some holiday music, I took a quick stroll on the treadmill while watching Oprah's holiday music special and Darren took to the task of helping Joe assemble his new Lego toy.

Later, we dug out the five pounds of organic broccoli we had left from our produce co-op, and made a steamed broccoli with garlic sauce and a raw broccoli salad with a creamy hemp dressing. We purposely didn't plan a holiday dinner, just to give ourselves a reprieve from meal planning. I made a huge batch of gluten-free vegan chocolate chip oatmeal raisin cookies yesterday for the kids, so they're covered for holiday sweets, along with all their stocking goodies, too!

We rounded out the day by watching The Polar Express and I'm now hoping Zofia will soon feel the weighty pull of fatigue. She's a handful these days! I'm looking forward to checking my email, catching up on some writing and hopefully relaxing a little with Darren before we're both too tired to communicate any further today. At least we have a full weekend with nothing on the calendar. That's a great holiday treat!

Seven Years with Joe

Seven years ago today, Joe was born in the tiny bathroom of our home in Connecticut. He had a rough start in his first year with some major health issues, but he rebounded beautifully and continues to thrive. We are so happy to have him in our lives and look forward to watching and participating as his life unfolds.

Joe is very excited to be turning seven. We're celebrating simply this year with a homemade allergy-safe lemon ginger cake, a couple nice gifts from us and Grandma, lunch out at his favorite eating spot (Chipotle) and hockey practice in the evening. He'll continue his birthday weekend fun by going to Reston, Virginia on Saturday for a hockey game, and hanging out with friends on Sunday at a vegan potluck we're hosting.

Happy Birthday Joe! We love you!