Happy Birthday Ashton!

Today was a big day. I can no longer use Ashton's age to justify thinking about him as a toddler. No, he is now officially a big boy. Those who know Ashton can tell you that he has been 3 going on 10 for quite some time, but now he is 4 going on 20 and as big and mischevious as ever. To celebrate we spent the morning at the zoo and then had a small party with our wonderful neighbors (one of whom is 97!).

Ashton saw a pic of this cake on the cake box and decided that is what he wanted! We had initially talked about putting on sprinkles, but when I pulled them out of the cupboard he looked at me seriously and said, "No, Mom, you're not doing it right." Thanks to Aukai and an emergency trip to the store, we finally got it "right."

Ashton, here are 10 things we love about you:

1. You are very happy and very funny. You love being silly and making other people laugh, and frequently exploit this to try to get out of trouble. You are mischevious, and we always know we're in trouble when your eyebrows go up, your eyes sparkle and you scrunch your nose.

2. You are extremely kind. Whether its lying about Isaac's timeout so he can get out and play or sharing your favorite candy, you love to make others happy.

3. You think you are Isaac's twin. When older kids and kids your age are over, you frequently opt to play with the older kids. When I suggest otherwise, you state, "No, Mom, that's a baby."

4. You love music. When Isaac practices violin, you like to play along using the piano or blocks. This drives Isaac crazy. You make up elaborate songs describing your activities and imaginary worlds about dragons, monsters and aliens. We nicknamed you our 'little bard.'

5. Your favorite colors are green and pink. You love anything sweet, especially ice cream, but also love all fruits and most vegetables. You don't like crusts. You love pizza and will tolerate hot dogs. You love roasting anything over a fire!

6. You have an imaginary friend named Fiona. Fiona has red hair. She can be as tall as a house or as small as a beetle. She can swim in the ocean without having to come up for air. She is always kind and has taught you almost everything you know. Fiona has an infinite amount of money and will always give it to you if you break a favorite toy.

7. You like pretending you can't speak and using gestures to communicate. You do this when you are feeling especially silly or especially grumpy.

8. You know your mom is a sucker. When you get out of bed at night you creep along the walls to reach her before Daddy sees you. You love to cuddle with her in bed in the morning until she gives up going back to sleep and offers you breakfast.

9. You love anything to do with balls or water. You are unusually coordinated for someone who just turned 4. You throw a frisby better than your mom.

10. You are incredibly independent. It is not unusual to find you making your own food, such as lemonade (with a dose of fresh-squeezed lime juice and fresh mint from the garden).

Backyard pics

After a full week of unpacking, we finally found the slip-and-slide.

I think I forgot to mention the sun room attached to the back of our house.

Aukai bought a lawnmower yesterday using his "veterans" discount at Lowe's. Yay for memorial day! The boys thought his was as exciting as the slip-and-slide . . . well . . . almost.

Pics of House

As promised, here are some pics of the house. The quality is a bit lacking as I was trying to get them taken before our boxes piled in, but you get the idea.

Street View.

As a side note, our neighbors are wonderful. On the right we have a sharp and spry woman in her late 90's that bribed our children to fall in love with her with a couple boxes of Cracker Jacks. We couldn't have gotten moved in without the help of our neighbor two doors up. On the left is a cheerful woman and her sharp teenage son . . . and two dogs who have adopted our boys into their family.

This was described as the "dining room." It was initially a bedroom, and could still be used as one if you put some French doors between it and the kitchen. Hard to see here, the curtains have a subtle polka dot pattern that I really dig.

This kitchen was truly hip 40 years ago! Harvest gold appliances, dark wood paneling and orange berber carpet (in the kitchen?). The oven was even a self-cleaning over. This was prime time. I can't wait to see what our children have to say about the decor of 2010.

This orange carpet is in AMAZING condition . . . looks like it has only 5 years of wear by our family's standards. It is hard to see, but the walls curve up to the ceiling.

This is one of my favorite details. Leaded glass windows on either side of the fireplace!

I am so happy the tub is white! Even though I am not a big fan of pink, this is probably my favorite room in the house. I love the bubble glass and the architectural arch above the tub!

Interspersed with plain white tile are pieces with flecks of gold. Very 50's era.

Master bedroom.

Stairs going to the attic rooms. The bubble glass adds a lot of character.

Upstairs 1/2 bath.

Aukai calls this the "naughty" pine room. (Bad joke . . . no story behind it . . . REALLY!) I call it the cabin room. I'm not sure exactly what to do with it. While it could make a fun themed room for the boys, it is very dark. I'm thinking about painting it eventually, but that would require sanding, priming and painting oddly shaped cracks . . . big project. We could also drywall, which would allow us to insulate the walls . . . also a lot of work. Any ideas???

This is the other attic room. I adore the antique crystal light cover. Wouldn't it be perfect for a little girl's room? *sigh* Still need to find an OB so I can get that darn ultrasound.

So there you have it. Brownie points for the best remodeling ideas. :)

What's up Doc . . .

So, since it has been a while . . . how's about a little catch-up.

1. Aukai and I flew down to St. Louis to look for a home. My dear Aunt Cassandra came out to watch the boys and introduced them to gummy peach rings and Winnie-the-Pooh.* Their lives will never be the same.

2. We didn't find a house. I flew home and Aukai stayed two more days to keep looking.

3. Aukai found a house. He sent me pictures and told me to let him know if I wanted it. He didn't tell me he'd already put in an offer.

4. I spent the last two weeks of medical school on surgery. Thanks to the wonderful ladies in student services I finally finished all my paperwork so I could graduate.

5. My sweet parents flew in one week before graduation to help us pack and spoil the boys. Holly came in 2 days before graduation and single-handedly pulled us from utter disaster to packed moving truck. Ashton decided only Holly could wipe his bottom. The boys frequently reminds us that they are two of Holly's favorite people.

6. I caught a horrible cold and spent most of graduation* wondering whether I was hot or cold. Just before I walked, I finally realized that after 24+ years of fighting, I'd finally done it. It was all I could do to hold my composure for the next 30 seconds.

7. We went to dinner with some of the finest people I know.

8. Thanks to the help of the world's best friends and neighbors, our house was emptied, cleaned and painted on time (barely). The boys are still recovering from being torn out of their bed and kicked outside just before the key was due. I cried as we left Whipple Park.

9. We spent the night at Bryce and Zion's home to prevent an accident.

10. The next two days, including my birthday, were spent driving across 5 states.
Aukai gave me the best birthday present ever . . . a home.*

11. I walked into my birthday home and realized how much work was ahead of us. Aukai's parents came and helped us clean, put in a dishwasher and fix a leaky main pipe. Ken shared a motto that has gotten me through the past week: "Other than hard work, there's nothing to it."

12. Isaac decided he wants us to keep the mustard-yellow appliances, is obsessed with the Gateway Arch and has concluded that St. Louis is much hotter than Rochester. Ashton is in love with the dogs next door and spends hours telling them stories about Rochester and our meals. Aukai is busy pulling up carpet, fixing things and researching insulation. I am working hard to find more projects for him to do. We will try to update the blog as we update the house.

*Stay tuned for pics.

What I will miss about Rochester . . .

About a month ago we had a wonderful snowstorm . . . the best of the season. The trend this year was igloos and snow huts.

One of the best things about Whipple Park is how neighbors always join in. A few days ago we were dying Easter eggs outside. Within minutes, the table was surrounded by girls ages 2 to 10, many of whom had never seen eggs colored before (we have a lot of foreign residents).

Beautiful Ranunculus

Thanks again Anna. We loved having you over!

C'est la vie

Spent the morning curled under my "special" blanket on the couch while the boys tossed occasional cuddles as they ran past . Aukai doted on me. I indulged in the anti-folk music of Regina Spektor and the beautiful ranunculus bouquet that my always-thoughtful friend brought for Easter. All-in-all, a wonderful way to spend a crisp, Spring morning. Now, if I could just stop puking . . .