Friday, April 19, 2013

After All These Years

Today my husband and I celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary. The last 5 years have brought about so many changes in our lives. We have had our share of the good, the bad and the scary. But through it all, we held our faith that we would make it through. Sometimes we barely hold on, but we never let go.

I had originally planned to write a post commemorating our 5 year journey. But ironically, as I was driving to work this morning and shuffling through my iPod, this song from Journey came on and I thought, well that pretty much sums it up.

Happy Anniversary, honey. Thank you for being such a wonderful part of my life and for giving me the most amazing gift ever, our son. You have always been there to support me, to pick me up when I fall and encourage me. I can’t wait to see what the next 5 years has in store for us.


After All These Years – Journey

Faded wedding photograph
You and me in our first dance
Our eyes are closed... we're lost in one sweet embrace
Since those days our world has changed
Our love remains the same
God knows we've had our share of saving grace.

And I'm proud of all the blessings you have given me
The mountains we have climbed to get this far

You've learned to take the laughter with the tears
After all these years...

You make it feel brand new
After the fires that we walked through
Against the odds we never lost our faith
In our house we've made our own
Where our children all have grown
Precious moments time can not erase

Make a livin' up and down the gypsy highways
Seasons that we've learned to share apart

Somehow in my heart I always keep you near
After all these years

After all these years... you stood by me
the days and nights that I was gone
After all these years... you sacrificed...
believed in me and you stood strong
'Cause with our love...there's nothing left to fear
After all these years

Faded wedding photograph
You and me in our first dance
Our eyes are closed... we're lost in one sweet embrace
Since those days our world has changed
Our love remains the same
God knows we've had our share of saving grace.

And I'm proud of all the blessings you have given me
The mountains we have climbed to get this far

You've learned to take the laughter with the tears
After all these years...

You make it feel brand new
After the fires that we walked through
Against the odds we never lost our faith
In our house we've made our own
Where our children all have grown
Precious moments time can not erase

Make a livin' up and down the gypsy highways
Seasons that we've learned to share apart

Somehow in my heart I always keep you near
After all these years

After all these years... you stood by me
the days and nights that I was gone
After all these years... you sacrificed...
believed in me and you stood strong
'Cuase with our love...there's nothing left to fear
After all these yearsFaded wedding photograph
You and me in our first dance
Our eyes are closed... we're lost in one sweet embrace
Since those days our world has changed
Our love remains the same
God knows we've had our share of saving grace.

And I'm proud of all the blessings you have given me
The mountains we have climbed to get this far

You've learned to take the laughter with the tears
After all these years...

You make it feel brand new
After the fires that we walked through
Against the odds we never lost our faith
In our house we've made our own
Where our children all have grown
Precious moments time can not erase

Make a livin' up and down the gypsy highways
Seasons that we've learned to share apart

Somehow in my heart I always keep you near
After all these years

After all these years... you stood by me
the days and nights that I was gone
After all these years... you sacrificed...
believed in me and you stood strong
'Cuase with our love...there's nothing left to fear
After all these yearsFaded wedding photograph
You and me in our first dance
Our eyes are closed... we're lost in one sweet embrace
Since those days our world has changed
Our love remains the same
God knows we've had our share of saving grace.

And I'm proud of all the blessings you have given me
The mountains we have climbed to get this far

You've learned to take the laughter with the tears
After all these years...

You make it feel brand new
After the fires that we walked through
Against the odds we never lost our faith
In our house we've made our own
Where our children all have grown
Precious moments time can not erase

Make a livin' up and down the gypsy highways
Seasons that we've learned to share apart

Somehow in my heart I always keep you near
After all these years

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

The World is a Different Place


Yesterday was a very sad day in America. It is not only sad because of the events that took place in Boston, but also because it seems that more and more frequently America is coming together to console each other in times of darkness and sorrow at the hands of evil. My love and prayers go out to all that were affected in Boston. We stand by you.

While I was on the phone with my mom last night, we were comparing the news stories that we had heard. It had been hours at that point since I watched the news, mostly because those images are not ones that I want my son to see. And honestly, I was perfectly happy sitting and watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with him. It's good and happy and at almost 4 years old, that is all he should know.

We started talking about how different that world is. She said that when she was growing up, you didn't have to worry about sending your kids out to play, or to school or even on a school bus. They could walk to their friend’s house, alone, and not fear being snatched up by some crazed lunatic. People didn't fly planes into buildings, they didn't walk into schools and shoot innocent children, and they didn't bomb marathons. There was a sense of security.

I reminded her that those very things were less of a concern even when I was growing up. We used to walk in packs around town, going from house to house to "hang out". Our parents knew all of our friends, their parents, and where they lived. And as crazy as it sounds, the parents even had each other’s phone numbers, imagine that!!

Today, however, the world is a very different place. Many of the freedoms, mine and my parents’ generations were afforded are gone for our children and it’s sad and extremely disheartening. I will never be able to tell my son, “go outside and play” while I make dinner. I need to be there watching him and watching who drives by and who is lurking around.

It is sad to know that my little boy will never know the joys and freedoms that I did as a child. What kind of place will he raise his children in?

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Adventures in Potty Training

Even as a preemie, Brandon had always done everything early or right on time. I never had to fight to take away the pacifier or bottle. We even made it through teething relatively unscathed.

Then came potty training. Me and potty training are not friends. This is the one and only time I ever wished I had a daughter. For a mom, at least this mom, training my son to go on the potty has got to be the most uncomfortable thing for me as a parent. I mean, how do you train someone else to use what you don't have?!

But it's my job as a mom to forge forward. More appropriately, I fell over, hard, on my face. I though like with everything else, it would require little effort and struggle. I imagined that one day my little boy would run up to me and say, "mommy, I wanna go on the potty" and that would be all she wrote. Well, my reality check bounced and it bounced hard!

Now I admit, I never put a true valiant effort into potty training. We tried underwear once, for an hour, had to accidents and that was it. We threw the "do you have to go potty" question out there periodically hoping for a bite, but nope. We were always told tomorrow. I even resorted to bribery and bought trains as a reward. He knew that to get them, he had to go on the potty. After a few months, I was told to send them back to the store, he no longer wanted them.

The battle continued over the course of 2 years, with kicking, crying and screaming bloody murder. I should have sent a disclaimer to the neighbors that if they hear screaming, we are just potty training, don't be alarmed.

Then 2 nights ago before his shower, I asked if he wanted to sit on the potty. After a little persuasion, he sat. He didn't go, but he sat. As soon as he got in the shower, he had to go. I plopped him on the potty, and he went. We repeated this 4 times. It was like a dog peeing on every telephone pole it passes.

We made a huge production about it, called everyone that would answer and ordered him a train. The following day he went 5 times at grandma's. I was sure the train would derail today at school, but he went there too!!! We haven't done #2 yet, but I'll take what I can get! Although, it does seem too easy.

All those times that we made it a bad experience, for all of us, he just needed to do it I his own time.