Malcolm is Four!

Happy birthday to my wonderful, goofy, creative, smart Malcolm.

You have grown so much in the last year, and I can't wait to see what comes next.

I am so grateful that I get to share all my favorite things about this world with you, like blueberries, gardening, bird watching, books, and tennis (although we don't always share a fashion sense).

Never stop sparkling, little super hero!

Now we are one!

A favorite new toy

Sheesh. I didn't realize that it had been almost a month since I last wrote anything. Having a one year old will do that to you, I guess. Yes, a one year old. Malcolm turned one last week. 

Cupcake, pre-Malcolm

It has been a roller coaster year for his parents. There were days (weeks, if I am honest) when I wasn't sure I'd make it as a parent. When it seemed as if we would be stuck in purgatory with a crying, non-sleeping, always hungry baby. When I couldn't imagine being able to eat out again, do things with other people, have an adult conversation.

Grandma came to visit, bearing books!

But, as with all things, those days passed. The most important lesson I have learned (and still have to be reminded of, at least when I have been getting up at 5 AM several days in a row) is that every phase is temporary.

Malcolm is growing into a real person, complete with a definite personality. He's stubborn, smart, and funny. There are still days when I am not sure I will make it as a parent, but I guess we all have those. 

Cupcake, mid-Malcolm squashing

Happy Birthday Malcolm! I can't wait to see what year two brings!

Happy early birthday Grandma Betty!

Later this month, my grandmother Betty Jean turns 90. Since I will probably be preoccupied by a baby or an impending baby around the actual date, I wanted to wish her a happy birthday a bit early. Besides, by 90 I think you should be able to celebrate for a whole month, don't you? Here are a few pictures - from her wedding day to my grandfather, and from this past year.

Engagement, Spring 1943

She grew up on a farm in Nebraska during the Great Depression and went to college at Hastings College, where she met my grandfather. She left after two years to teach - during the war they needed teachers and she needed money.

Wedding Day, May 14, 1944

After the war, she and my grandfather raised three children. When my mom (the eldest) was in high school, Grandma went back to college to finish her BA, then went for her masters while teaching elementary school. Eventually, she was a reading specialist (like my mother) and taught for 20 years. She is the daughter of a school teacher, her daughter was a  teacher and librarian, and my cousin is a teacher. Who knows what the next generation will bring (currently at 3, with 2 more soon to arrive), but I bet a teacher and/or librarian will be among them!

Beating my mother at Yahtzee. But she had help!

After she and my grandfather retired, they spent many years traveling the world, having adventures hiking and bird watching. She even hiked the Grand Canyon in her 60s, twice!

When each of us grand kids was old enough, we got to spend a week with Grandma and Grandpa, alone, doing fun things with them. On my trip, we rode the steam train up to the Grand Canyon and went on hikes around Sedona, where they lived.

Happy Birthday Grandma Betty! Thank you for all the love and support you have given me over the years - I am so blessed to know you.

And now this...

Bleh! On top of it being too hot, now I have a lovely summer cold. It doesn't seem right, to be sick in the middle of summer. Sickness is something that happens when it is cold outside, and you need lots of blankets and hot chocolate or tea. Needing a large box of tissues and feeling crummy just doesn't go well with sun. I guess I am getting the day off I wanted last week, but this isn't really how I would have chosen to take it. Also, when I am sick, I just want my mommy!

 On the beach of Lake Ontario

Speaking of my mommy, since I have been feeling a bit off all week (even before I actually felt crummy), I have missed pointing out my mother's birthday. I did send her a birthday gift, so don't worry that I missed it entirely. Anyway, here is my public acknowledgment: Happy Birthday Mom!

 Massachusetts (I think), Fall 1979

What a cute little baby. Mom was just a year or two older than I am now.

1982, Christmas? Mom, me, and grandma.

 And, tomorrow is also her mother, Betty Jean Seifer Van Dyke's, 88th birthday! What a wonderful pair of ladies. I love you both so much, and thank you for helping me become the woman I am.

On Turning 30

So, I turned 30 on Wednesday. I didn't immediately sprout wrinkles, and I didn't suddenly become wise. 30, it turns out, it an awful lot like 29. Huh. Actually, I sort of figured that out a while ago, when I started having friends who were 30+. What's the big deal then? I still get carded if I want to drink alcohol, I'll still get ignored by the sales people at obnoxious stores. Maybe the difference is that now I can look down from my lofty age and call people under 25 punks, and say things like "Kids today, I just don't understand them." And I don't. I may be tech savy, have a blog, use a cell phone, know what Twitter is, know how to IM, but I really don't understand a lot of younger people. Of course, I don't really understand people in general...

Anyway, I am 30, the sun is shining, the azaleas are blooming, and today, life is good.