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| Alexander |
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| Jack (I had pinkeye) |
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| Kai |
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| Noah |
Showing posts with label memories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label memories. Show all posts
Thursday, August 8, 2013
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Memory Lane
It's been a record long time since I've posted, but I have excuses. Right now we're living in a hotel in PA. I want to catch up with the little things, but first: The Big Thing. We're living in a hotel in Pennsylvania because Justin accepted a job here and we're relocating! Justin spent his entire life, minus a few months, living in Maryland. I lived there since I was seven years old.
So, to say goodbye to Maryland and all the places I lived there, a little trip down memory lane... It started with the house on Templar Court, where I have my last memories of my mother. I remember that when we moved to Maryland from New York, I thought Maryland smelled funny. I think it was actually just the weird tree in our front yard. Maybe my dad remembers what kind it was. There was Saint Mary's school, plaid jumpers and knee socks. I met my friend Missy on the bus the first day, and we were the same age that my son is now. There was "The Worst Birthday Party Ever" and tons of fun exploring around the neighborhood and nearby woods with my brother. My dad let me watch scary movies, which I was not afraid of, but my aunt would cover my eyes and my friends would run from the room. But in the middle of the night, I have to admit that I was often nervous that my red-headed Cabbage Patch doll looked a little too much like Chucky.
Next came the house on Dean Drive when I was 12. There was Timm next door, runaways in the playhouse, sneaking out and wandering the neighborhood, and switching to public school where I met good friends Tara and Autumn, among others. There was middle school and high school, when your friends are your world and your priorities are all over the place and you really don't know who you're going to be even though you're mostly already you.
I took a short break from Maryland when I spent a semester in college in Virginia, but I boomeranged back to Dean, to my dad, and to the flower shop where I worked. I remember telling coworker Don that I had started dating my long-time friend, 17-year-old Justin. 17 seems so young now, and so long ago. We quickly moved into our first apartment, Bayberry. Justin almost proposed to me in a tree, but the people playing tennis nearby were too loud and distracting. Instead, he proposed on "Monkey's Cliff," and I told him how a corpse had recently been discovered in the creek below. We drove straight from the park to Hallmark, where I bought engagement announcements.
We were married in Frederick in October 2000. Justin wasn't even old enough to drink. We moved to our second apartment in Bayberry, The Loft, where our cat Ashe found surprising ways to get around our makeshift gate and into the loft, where she would seek and find the Beanie Baby Seahorse every time. Sweet Ashe, who hated everyone but us.
To save money, we moved in with coworker Don and stayed there for about three years. I still can't believe we lived in that dump. The carpet was so worn you could see the floor below. The walls were yellow with cigarette smoke. The dishwasher didn't work and was used as a drying rack. The kitchen floor was buckled. During Hurricane Isabel, a tree fell on the house and we could only use one of the doors to go in and out. Power was out for 10 days. We had a BBQ to grill up all the meat before it went bad. The backyard was a beast and we took out our frustrations on old porch chairs. We let 'em know who was boss. Don had a string of interesting characters as friends. You never quite knew what you were in for on Mitscher St.
But living in a dump didn't suit us forever. Our next stop was a little apartment in Gaithersburg: Spring Ridge. It was big for a one-bedroom, 780 square feet. Justin had started working at HMS and I had finished college, worked for a year as a nanny, and was working at Borders, where I met good friend Betsy. When we talked about having kids, Betsy told me not to wait until "all our ducks were in a row," because then we might never get around to having kids. So, Justin and I decided we were ready and along came Alexander. I stopped working outside the home to care for him, and there, truly, began the life that I am living now. I joined the old Yahoo playgroup and met my first "mom friends." Then I joined the Tot Lot MC2 and met so many more mom friends, who are all very, very dear to me. I think we all shared an amazing, special time in our lives with most of us starting out with our first children and all adjusting together to that new life.
When Alexander had just turned two, we moved again, not far, to a rental townhouse on Pontiac Dr. Jack was born and we were really becoming a family. Pontiac became the catalyst for our move to Frederick when the owner got foreclosed on and we had to get out, fast. We didn't know how long we had before someone would come put locks on our doors. No one could give us any answers and as much as we tried, no one would take our rent money.
We bought a house in Frederick and spent four amazing years there. Kai and Noah were born, Alexander went to preschool and two years of elementary school. Jack went to preschool. There was the FC Tot Lot and then the MOMS Club, where I met so many more dear friends. I had come to feel so at home there, so much a part of the community. I honestly did not think we would ever leave. Leave that house, maybe, but Frederick had become home to me in a way that none of the other homes were home. It was a home that we had chosen to buy, a home that all of our children had lived in, a home where I could go outside and immediately see friends. But life doesn't stand still. So, here we are in Pennsylvania, where we hope to find that kind of home again. I want to be a part of things again, make connections, contribute to the community, explore, learn, create, and wonder along with our children.
And for now, we're in a hotel, and it's hard not to feel like our lives are on hold until we get into a real home. But there are adventures to be had, and I'm trying very hard not to wait for my "new life" to start, but to live every day as an important day in my life. Every day spent with the four best little boys in the world and the most awesome husband is indeed an important day.
So, to say goodbye to Maryland and all the places I lived there, a little trip down memory lane... It started with the house on Templar Court, where I have my last memories of my mother. I remember that when we moved to Maryland from New York, I thought Maryland smelled funny. I think it was actually just the weird tree in our front yard. Maybe my dad remembers what kind it was. There was Saint Mary's school, plaid jumpers and knee socks. I met my friend Missy on the bus the first day, and we were the same age that my son is now. There was "The Worst Birthday Party Ever" and tons of fun exploring around the neighborhood and nearby woods with my brother. My dad let me watch scary movies, which I was not afraid of, but my aunt would cover my eyes and my friends would run from the room. But in the middle of the night, I have to admit that I was often nervous that my red-headed Cabbage Patch doll looked a little too much like Chucky.
Next came the house on Dean Drive when I was 12. There was Timm next door, runaways in the playhouse, sneaking out and wandering the neighborhood, and switching to public school where I met good friends Tara and Autumn, among others. There was middle school and high school, when your friends are your world and your priorities are all over the place and you really don't know who you're going to be even though you're mostly already you.
I took a short break from Maryland when I spent a semester in college in Virginia, but I boomeranged back to Dean, to my dad, and to the flower shop where I worked. I remember telling coworker Don that I had started dating my long-time friend, 17-year-old Justin. 17 seems so young now, and so long ago. We quickly moved into our first apartment, Bayberry. Justin almost proposed to me in a tree, but the people playing tennis nearby were too loud and distracting. Instead, he proposed on "Monkey's Cliff," and I told him how a corpse had recently been discovered in the creek below. We drove straight from the park to Hallmark, where I bought engagement announcements.
We were married in Frederick in October 2000. Justin wasn't even old enough to drink. We moved to our second apartment in Bayberry, The Loft, where our cat Ashe found surprising ways to get around our makeshift gate and into the loft, where she would seek and find the Beanie Baby Seahorse every time. Sweet Ashe, who hated everyone but us.
To save money, we moved in with coworker Don and stayed there for about three years. I still can't believe we lived in that dump. The carpet was so worn you could see the floor below. The walls were yellow with cigarette smoke. The dishwasher didn't work and was used as a drying rack. The kitchen floor was buckled. During Hurricane Isabel, a tree fell on the house and we could only use one of the doors to go in and out. Power was out for 10 days. We had a BBQ to grill up all the meat before it went bad. The backyard was a beast and we took out our frustrations on old porch chairs. We let 'em know who was boss. Don had a string of interesting characters as friends. You never quite knew what you were in for on Mitscher St.
But living in a dump didn't suit us forever. Our next stop was a little apartment in Gaithersburg: Spring Ridge. It was big for a one-bedroom, 780 square feet. Justin had started working at HMS and I had finished college, worked for a year as a nanny, and was working at Borders, where I met good friend Betsy. When we talked about having kids, Betsy told me not to wait until "all our ducks were in a row," because then we might never get around to having kids. So, Justin and I decided we were ready and along came Alexander. I stopped working outside the home to care for him, and there, truly, began the life that I am living now. I joined the old Yahoo playgroup and met my first "mom friends." Then I joined the Tot Lot MC2 and met so many more mom friends, who are all very, very dear to me. I think we all shared an amazing, special time in our lives with most of us starting out with our first children and all adjusting together to that new life.
When Alexander had just turned two, we moved again, not far, to a rental townhouse on Pontiac Dr. Jack was born and we were really becoming a family. Pontiac became the catalyst for our move to Frederick when the owner got foreclosed on and we had to get out, fast. We didn't know how long we had before someone would come put locks on our doors. No one could give us any answers and as much as we tried, no one would take our rent money.
We bought a house in Frederick and spent four amazing years there. Kai and Noah were born, Alexander went to preschool and two years of elementary school. Jack went to preschool. There was the FC Tot Lot and then the MOMS Club, where I met so many more dear friends. I had come to feel so at home there, so much a part of the community. I honestly did not think we would ever leave. Leave that house, maybe, but Frederick had become home to me in a way that none of the other homes were home. It was a home that we had chosen to buy, a home that all of our children had lived in, a home where I could go outside and immediately see friends. But life doesn't stand still. So, here we are in Pennsylvania, where we hope to find that kind of home again. I want to be a part of things again, make connections, contribute to the community, explore, learn, create, and wonder along with our children.
And for now, we're in a hotel, and it's hard not to feel like our lives are on hold until we get into a real home. But there are adventures to be had, and I'm trying very hard not to wait for my "new life" to start, but to live every day as an important day in my life. Every day spent with the four best little boys in the world and the most awesome husband is indeed an important day.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Mom!
For Mother's Day, I asked my dad to scan some photos of me with my mom. He's sent me some great ones. Here are a few of my favorites. Thanks, Dad!
Monday, December 20, 2010
My face!
I LOVE this. HILARIOUS. I was just looking at old photos that my dad had posted on Facebook when Alexander entered the room. He saw this (not too flattering) picture of me at around 10 or 11 years old and said, "Hey, that girl has my face!" 
When I explained that this was a photo of me and that this was why people always said he looked like me, he finally understood (he would always say typical kid stuff like, "But Mommy is a girl and has long hair.") and said, "Oh yeah! We have the same face!"
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
10 Years
Justin and I celebrated 10 years of marriage today! I am truly, humbly grateful for the wonderful 10 years that we have had and I hope and plan for MANY more to come. "I wanna grow old with you."
Some trivia: In our ten years of marriage, between the two of us, we've lived in 6 different homes, had 5 different cars, 6 different jobs, 3 children, and 3 microwaves. (We got ourselves a new one today.) Exciting stuff, eh? ;)
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Who's Yer Mommy?
This isn't the greatest quality photo of me (it's a photo of a photo), but I think it best illustrates that Alexander looks more like me, while Jack looks more like Justin. 
And now I will stop playing this game.
And to flash forward to the future, here's Alexander trying on my glasses and a quick shot of me as I look right now, at this VERY moment!
And now I will stop playing this game.
Who's yer Daddy?
I'm using the same picture of Jack because the expression is perfect. Justin's probably a bit older here, but seriously... are they the same kid or what?
18 month comparison
I cut Jack's hair recently and caused him to look like an exact replica of his Daddy. I'll post that comparison later, but here's each of my boys at 18 months old. I tend to think my sons look nothing alike, but the only real differences are that Alexander was a much chubbier baby/toddler, Alexander has darker hair, and that they have different eyes. The nose, mouth, and face shape (minus chub) are basically the same!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Happy Halloween!
Because I like to compare and reminisce....
Halloween 2005 (Devil Baby):
Halloween 2006 (Lion):
Halloween 2007 (First Halloween Pumpkin Outfit and Dragon):
Halloween 2008 (Sheriff and Eeyore):
Alexander was so thrilled to be trick-or-treating this year that I was a little concerned that he would literally burst. He kept saying, "Let's get more!" "I have to fill it to the top!" and "Look what I got!" Jack got his first taste of a classic Hershey bar and rather enjoyed it. The whole night was awesome. At the past few places we have lived, trick-or-treating has been minimal or non-existent. Here in our new neighborhood, it was great!! Maybe only a third of the households were participating, but it seems like the guidelines in this community are easily followed. Trick-or-treating was allowed from 6:00-8:00 and people just turn on their porch light if they are participating. Most people were actually sitting right on their front steps! It was a nice way to at least see and say hi to many of our neighbors and to feel like we are part of the community. We're already excited for next year!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Picture Post
Just thought I would share some random photos from the past week. My boys continue to love to hide in and peek out of things,
wear hats, gloves, and boots,
and vary from torturing each other to adoring each other.
Every so often I take a picture of Jack that reminds me of a picture I have of Alexander from around the same age, and I feel compelled to compare them. Here they are sporting hats at ages 12 and 11 months old.
wear hats, gloves, and boots,
and vary from torturing each other to adoring each other.
Every so often I take a picture of Jack that reminds me of a picture I have of Alexander from around the same age, and I feel compelled to compare them. Here they are sporting hats at ages 12 and 11 months old.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Ye Olde Yahoo Playgroup
Yesterday Alexander was reunited with some friends from our first playgroup (and I was reunited with their Mommies!). He had not seen Jaeda in almost 2 years, and he had not seen George in about 6 months. The three of them had not been all together since this photo was taken, in July of 2006.
George, Jaeda, and Alexander:
It was truly amazing how well the three of them fell into step and played together like they had never stopped.
Oh, and kudos to us for creating the second set of friends within nine months of each other (and all same sex siblings, and in the same age order)!
Frank, Jack, and Maia:
Welcome back to the States, Deborah, Jaeda, and Maia! We are so thrilled to have you closer again!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Now to plan Jack's costume...
Here is what Jack thinks of the idea of having to wear Alexander's old Halloween costume this Halloween instead of being a Jack-o-Lantern:
I think Alexander at least accepted the realism of his costume that year and didn't fight it at all. He's pictured here with his devil twin, Jasper .
I think Alexander at least accepted the realism of his costume that year and didn't fight it at all. He's pictured here with his devil twin, Jasper .
Friday, June 27, 2008
Digital photos/ One year ago today
While uploading the pictures for the two blogs below, I realized that I have not gotten pictures printed for over a year! Whoa! Do you get your digital photos printed or just let them languish in cyberspace like me?
One year ago today, Justin's company hosted a huge carnival. It was really, really cool. Alexander got his face painted like a clown, rode the horses, the train, and every kiddie ride they had. However, it was THE hottest day of the summer and I was 6 months pregnant and (can you tell from the picture?) a little uncomfortable.
One year ago today, Justin's company hosted a huge carnival. It was really, really cool. Alexander got his face painted like a clown, rode the horses, the train, and every kiddie ride they had. However, it was THE hottest day of the summer and I was 6 months pregnant and (can you tell from the picture?) a little uncomfortable.
Friday, June 6, 2008
More Blondies
My dad said I should post a picture of myself when I was young, to show that I too was a blondie. So was Justin, so it's no surprise that our kids are/were. Here's me (little drummer girl) with my brother and Justin with his sister. Blondies! :)
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Blondies
We've been getting a lot of comments lately about how blond Jack's hair is. It really is quite blond! Here's a picture of Alexander, 5 months old, with blond hair as well! My boys are like little chameleons, both born with blue eyes and black hair, and if Alexander is the example, then they will both end up brown hair and eyes, first progressing through blond hair and hazel eyes!
Below I've put Alexander and Jack next to each other, making similar facial expressions to see how much they look alike. Is there anyone that can't tell who is who? ;) They're pretty different!
Below I've put Alexander and Jack next to each other, making similar facial expressions to see how much they look alike. Is there anyone that can't tell who is who? ;) They're pretty different!
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