Our Christmas Guest

Hank and Katie let us keep their littlest family member, George, over Christmas while they were away. He has been so fun to have. He makes Alison laugh all day. Her dream finally came true tonight when he was just so tired that he fell asleep in her bed while we were finishing night-time routine. Unfortunately, George woke up minutes later and realized he was in a room with two little people and the thought put him in a nervous frenzy until he was let out to join the adult world. Every day, several times a day, Alison asks me how many more days he gets to stay with us. I think she's formulating a plan to will him over.

The Baby

We found out a few weeks ago that we're expecting a baby girl. Alison was thrilled. Stuart, not so much. The ultrasound tech wrote the gender on a piece of paper and sealed it in an envelope. We opened it together as a family that night.

Stuart just stood there with his mouth open, stunned. It was as if he had never considered it could actually turn out to be anything but a boy. Alison is thrilled. Stuart asked if we could send it back and get a brother instead and Alison got so defensive and upset. I assured her that we couldn't send it back and that Stuart would love the baby girl. (To which he said, "I'm NOT playing with that baby sister ever until I get a baby brother. I already have a sister.")

Alison still occasionally asks me with concern, "Mama, we won't send her back, will we."
Stuart maintains that he just wants a baby brother. (He even asked after my next ultrasound, "Mama, did the baby grow a penis?")

Duck vs. Baby

Stuart: Mama. What are you doing?

Mama: I'm cutting this material out to make a little jacket for our new baby.

Stuart: That will be cute.

Mama: (Thinking that perhaps Stuart will indeed warm up to the idea of a little sister before spring.)

Stuart: Remember that baby duck. He was SOOOOO CUTE (said with extra adorable).

Mama: Yes I remember that baby duck. He was very cute. Is our baby going to be cute like that duck?

Stuart: No. Babies ARE NOT cute like baby ducks. Ducks are so tiny and they swim and they are fluffy. Our baby is not going to be as cute as a baby duck.

Happy Thanksgiving

Among a lot of other things, we're thankful for our dear friends. Today we attended an annual Thanksgiving party. Alison, Stuart and I made Mr. Turkey, which was accompanied by turkey sandwiches and the yummiest corn in the cob.

Tragedy Strikes

After a year of loyal service, our beloved bubblegum machine made a tragic and fatal jump from his home on the second shelf.

Stuart was inconsolable.

Shocking, I know.

I'm going to try to revive the blog. The proposition overwhelms me and I'm not sure how much I'll want to share on a blog. (Europe, positive test, lots of puke, primary program, hospital stay, lots of tests, diagnosis, lots of support, lots of appointments, 3 birthdays, new seasons, more appointments, one surgery, one bout of bedrest, one neglected garden, and whatever else I'm missing. Voila, updated.) Thank you for your prayers and support. Please stay with me! There are a lot of emails and calls that I need to return, I'm hopeful to begin those this week.

News #1

Alison and Stuart are expecting one baby sibling in the spring. When I brought this picture back Alison said, "Oh Mommy. It will get much cuter before it comes out. Right?" I'm hopeful.

15 weeks 5 days

Not a Give-Away

If you are related to a darling and very clever Miss Alison and you have/have had thyroid disease or an autoimmune disease please email me at apahnke@gmail.com.

If this site was as cool as other blogs, this would be a drawing to win something cool. It isn't. Just so you know.

Love Aurelie

Stop by for Veggies!

Green beans, summer squash, basil and other herbs, CUCUMBERS, tomatoes.

Welcome Disney

Until about 3 weeks ago, Alison hadn't seen Disney films, didn't really know about Disney princesses, and in general was a lot less brainwashed.

Then something happened, that causes me to mourn. She somehow discovered what was missing in life. With her insistence, I made her a Cinderella dress and bought her the Cinderella movie. Now she thinks we need to go to Cinderella's very beautiful castle, have a princess birthday party, make adult princess dresses (for me of course), and add every princess starting with Belle to her costume box.

The only upside is watching Stuart and Alison go to the ball.

Walking to the ball. It can't be in our yard. Our yard is the castle.

Stuart is such a good sport, he will do what she tells him to for a while. Then I have to dance with Cinderella

This is where they pay for their tickets.

Toy Testing

Under much distress from him wife bothering him a lot, Ryan agreed to buy me a new camera. We leave for a vacation sans kids tomorrow. I have high hopes of doing much better with pictures this trip than I did with Korea, but until I return, here are a few from our picnic at the park. Alison wanted to fly a kite but it wasn't windy enough. I tried to tell her it wasn't but because the tree's leaves fluttered every few minutes she couldn't be convinced without a trial (and subsequent failure). Still we had a very nice afternoon rolling on the grass. Alison told the most ridiculous and long stories. Stopping occasionally to grin at me or throw her head back in laughter because, really, A BIRD PLAYING ON A SWING, now that is the most HILARIOUS thing ever.

ETA: I didn't get this post finished before we left, but still fun.

24th of July Parade & Breakfast

Leaving our house for the Mountaire Acre's annual 24th of July Children's Parade. We decorated our bikes the day before and were ready. Alison was in the thick of the group until the route turned and began the uphill ascent. Here she is bringing up the rear with the medics. Stuart traded his bike in for a plane, not that I blame him. My kids remember last year's parade exclusively because of the red plane that was there. They wanted to drive planes this year, and when I reminded them that Drew's grandpa built these planes by hand they demanded that I make them one too. Uh. This was a new addition to the fleet and Drew thinks he is getting much too big to drive them comfortably. He would much rather let Stuart and push, which we REALLY appreciated. Thanks Drew!Stuart was over the moon.

When the planes were packed up to head back to their hanger, Stuart burst into tears. He even told me that he would rather go live at the house that has planes. I mentioned that I would miss him and he assured me, "It's okay Mom. You can come visit me and the planes."

When you pedal the red one the propeller spins. They really are beautiful.

Alison posing by the firetruck that leads our parade each year and then sprays the kids in the street after the breakfast.

The cooks (thanks!).

The grub. (Thanks Gma and Gpa P and Uncle Jeremy for coming out to support us.)

Some of my favorite party-goers.

Happy 24th!

Garden Update

I know it isn't everybody's fancy to watch my garden grow, but by far, it is one of my favorite things about summer so I'm writing about it anyhow.

Tomato Garden (Next year I'll sink the posts before the plants and they will be straighter. It irritates me a bit.)

Bean Trellises & CarrotsSummer Squash & ZucchiniCucumber & Butternut squash (This was the location of the Spring 09 garden. These plants were companion planted with the growing pea trellises and broccoli so when those plants were harvested and torn out these were ready to spread.)Grape vines, perennial herbs, lousy peppers, and my cold compost pile (here is for hoping for a hot compost system in the coming year).May 2009

I'm always amazed how desolate things look in the spring and how fast everything can transform.Check out that bitty stick tree Jolene!Annual herb garden. Each year I plant more and more basil and I never have enough. This year I started a flat from seed and I think we have it covered. I love this little garden and use it every day in my kitchen. Summer cooking is the best!Alison's Annuals

She loves to pick seed packets from the gardening center. When I was starting basil seeds she insisted we plant something "much more beautiful" and chose three varieties of zinnias which she reminded me daily we needed to plant during the peak of spring veggie planting. I dug through mulch and she dropped in the seeds and covered them with starting mix. Now they are happy and about to begin flowering. She checks on them almost daily. I think each year we will plant some annuals in the over spray from the sprinklers (like these) for Alison. She loves flowers. When we go places as she sees flowers, she tells she wants to plant them at our house.Jolene, this one is for you. I know you can't see it well, but there is one of the wee peach tree we planted this year. They have grown up SO much! The second one didn't have any green for SO long I thought it was dead for sure, but now it has grown as much or more.These are my only other annuals--my first year of hanging pots. I love the routine of waking up and checking on all my growing things and watering these little guys. Other details you can skip because they will probably only interest my Dad: This year, despite several annoying men at Home Depot who thought I couldn't actually know anything and kept impeding my work, I installed two new valves in the veggie garden that are controlled by my 9 valve clock under my kitchen sink (which I installed last year with the other 6 valves when I put in the sprinklers). I'm delighted with my irrigation system. One valve controls my permanent areas--raspberries (planted this year), perennial and annual herb beds, and an area that is currently planted with peppers but that I will probably plant with asparagus next spring. The other valve controls 5 manual ball valves, which each have threads available for soaker lines, are placed strategically throughout the 800 square foot garden. It works beautifully, gives me a lot of control, and wasn't cost prohibitive. When my spring garden went in, I threaded one soaker line on that watered my broccoli and peas while the rest of the garden went dry. Of course, it rained every day this spring so I watered twice I think. Now, I have four soaker lines up that I can adjust by opening and closing the valves by varying degrees. It is so much better to the hose spigot system I had last year, which was multitudes better than the hose strung across the entire backyard connected to the house water from the year before (prior to running water to the back).