Soccer Saturday - Week Four

The kids played in a tournament this weekend. Each team played 2 games each. The kids had so much fun. Maddie's team won their first game! Their second game went into triple overtime. It was really exciting, but so stressful! It was supposed to rain all day, but it managed to hold off until the last ten minutes of the last game. Then, the sky opened up and poured down like Armageddon just as we got in our cars. But we were rewarded with two gorgeous rainbows on the drive home!

Maddie's birthday weekend - Part II

Grandma and Grandpa Hickey, Uncle Sean and Aunt Jen came to visit for Maddie's *second* birthday weekend. Maddie got this hat for her birthday, so the collection of cool hats continues. What are these kind of hats called? Anyone know?


We went out for drinks and music Saturday night - Aunt Jen volunteered to babysit. I won't get into why Linda is making this face, but some of you know why...

Honestly, I think I posted this as evidence that I can look halfway decent if someone cares for and entertains all four of my children for 30-40 consecutive minutes. This may not be replicated for at least 6 months. Can I just print out a life-sized copy of my face from this photo and walk around with it in front of my actual face? It may be a little Conan O'Brien if I cut out the mouth and stick my real lips in, but so be it.


Jackson is loving his Aunt Jen! The hard thing about moving away is that Jackson doesn't get to see everyone in the family as often, but he is still comfortable with them. I'm very grateful for that. He is such an easy-going baby.

Three Months Old

I can't get enough of these hats...


How cute are they!



Hard to believe he's three months old already!

Soccer Saturday - Week Three

This weekend held a visit from Grandpa Ken to help us celebrate Maddie's birthday. I finally get a picture of Jackson with his namesake!


Grandpa couldn't wait to see Isabella play soccer. He was rewarded with the show of all shows - Isabella asked the coach if she could play goalie. John recalls it as the most stressful experience of his life.


This is Isabella yelling at John: "What, Daddy? Why are you yelling at me?" How HUGE are those goalie gloves?


The kids really loved having Grandpa in for the weekend. Grandpa definitely hasn't lost "the touch" with our babies. He can still settle the fussiest baby with just a little fresh air and the leaves on the trees. No one can cry through "the walk" with Grandpa!

Maddie's Birthday Party

Maddie's bithday party was at a local indoor playground. They specialize in birthday parties. We even had an assigned "party pal" who helped keep the party moving and got everything together.


They played for a while in the playground, then the party pal started a treasure hunt which ended in the room where the pizza and cake were waiting...


We went with a cute little fairy theme. I loved this Tinkerbell cake. It says 'Happy Birthday Maddie' around the outside. So cute!


She was glowing. She invited eight of her closest girlfriends from school and they all seemed to really have fun. And it was no pressure for me! I actually enjoyed myself!

My current favorite photo... (Twelve Weeks Old)

Jackson's t-shirt says: ROCK ME ALL NIGHT LONG.

Eleven Weeks Old

And they said kids learned how to use computers early in our generation... Jackson will be making a killing at PartyPoker.com by the time he can talk!


This child has many faces. He looks so different from picture to picture. John said to notice the red hickey on his neck from the baby trying to nurse on him. :)

Soccer Saturday - Week Two

I'm sorry we must interrupt your regularly scheduled weekly soccer update. Bella, Jackson and I went back to Ohio for my great aunt's funeral. It was a lovely tribute to a woman I wished I had been able to know when she was younger. She had a spirit that not many people have and most of us wish for.

Ten Weeks Old

Baby Jackson is so smiley. He smiles all day long. He imitates whatever faces people make at him. If you smile and laugh at him, he does the same right back. It can be hard to capture with the camera, though, since the camera blocks your face when you're taking the photo. I have learned to compensate for this by using the screen on the camera (instead of the viewfinder- which I much prefer), locking in the autofocus and talking to him while shooting without looking at the screen. It makes for a few great shots and many off-center, out -of-focus ones!

This is his favorite way to express himself right now. One arm is always in motion.

"Power to the little people!"

September 11

I feel a need to speak about today. Of course I remember where I was when I heard. My mother-in-law called me and told me to turn on the tv. I was fixing breakfast. Liam was 3, Maddie was almost 2. Neither of them went to preschool yet, so we were just at home, doing what we usually did.

I turned on the tv in our living room. The kids were just around, not really paying attention. Later in the day though, I noticed Liam playing with his puzzle. He had a set of transportation puzzles: one was a train, one a bus, one a fire truck and one was an airplane. He was putting the airplane one together and then crashing it into the ottoman. He would put it together again, then crash it into the ottoman. I was spooked.

Our lives have changed since then in several ways. First, I sought out a church immediately afterward. I began going to Unity Church in Tallmadge. I needed help making sense of these events that made no sense. I needed to be among other spiritual peacemongers. We also made a major change at our house. The word "hate" was abolished from our vocabulary. We will not allow the word to be used. The children have to say "I don't like brussel sprouts" or whatever. Using the word "hate" is not tolerated. It seems like a small detail, but not to us. We don't want to contribute one single molecule of hatred into the world.

And finally, Isabella was conceived three weeks after 9/11. I wonder how the energy of that event influenced the children conceived around that time. (I know of many!) She was born to change the world. You can see it in her. She has the fire it takes to make a difference.