Creating Christmas Memories

Liam is ready and very excited about going to the Teddy Bear Tea at the Taj Hotel in Boston...It is a very special day..and the look on his face, as we start out, tells me it's going to be a "memory making" day.

The Taj Hotel, formerly the Ritz, is one of the finest hotels in Boston and they really know how to put on a show..this was a kids event but it was very fancy and proper..and so much fun.  Each child was to bring a Teddy Bear to the Tea, which would then be donated to charity...Liam has a mind of his own though.  I took him shopping and he decided that he wanted to bring a Monkey..I like that he knows his own mind and is not afraid to act on it...he took very good care of that monkey until he delivered it to the hotel.   On the way home though, he said he missed the monkey...

First on the list of things to do was for Liam to get that letter to Santa Claus written and mailed...this, my friends, was very serious business.  He drew the photo's on his letter and I did the writing and we got it in the mail just in the nick of time..I assured him that Santa would get his letter in plenty of time to make his wishes come true.

As you can probably guess, the girls far outnumbered the boys...and oh my, it was so much fun just to see the fancy outfits that they were wearing..it's been a long time since I've seen so many girls in real party dresses. They were really cute.  

Tea Time and so many treats...I'm wondering though if it is really a good idea to put a bowl of mini marshmallows in front of a four year old...his lunch consisted of hot chocolate with many, many marshmallows and a quarter of peanut butter sandwich...no fancy sandwiches for this boy...in the meantime Jenna and I devoured our sandwiches, scones with cream and petite sweets...oh yes, and let's not forget the tea.

Oh look who came to visit...Mrs. Claus and one of the Elves...Liam took them very seriously and it was so much fun to see him in awe of Mrs. Claus...after they left..he told his Mom and me that he didn't think the elf was real...to big.  Hmm, he's to smart.

After decorating gingerbread men, wreaths and candy cane cookies, it was story time...I'm not sure Liam was ready to get fully involved...he's just going to check it out first.  Just in case it's not his thing..

He decides it could be fun and he finds a group of boys and then he is "all in"...they had to close their eyes and also cover them while the Big Elf...hid.   It was there job to find the elf and bring him back to Mrs. Claus.  

There were many more things to do...he got his face painted..he had popcorn and colored.  It was a very busy day for this little guy.  His first big Christmas...he really gets it this year.  His excitement is barely containable and he is a joy to be with at this exciting time...Before leaving we got a photo of the three of us with the biggest Teddy Bear there...It was so nice to have time with my daughter and Liam..to celebrate the season. Next year it will be so much fun to add Jaxson to the mix...

While waiting for Liam to gather his things...I looked over and saw Jenna sitting on the windowsill, looking out to the Boston Common...such a poignant photo...reflecting on the beauty of the city, and all that the holiday season brings and requires when you are the Mom of small children...I was glad that she could sit quietly  for a moment...and just be.  She is a sweet and loving Mom..and I am blessed to have her.

What better way to end such a beautiful day than with a lovely glass of wine while we waited for the valet to bring the car...of course, we were in stitches when we found out how much it cost to park the car...whew...but none of that was important at the moment...we all left with such light hearts and visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads...

I believe that Christmas is magic, that Santa Claus is real, that all things are possible, that life is precious, That peace is reasonable, that laughter is special, that blessings are devine, and that love is grand.

Merry Christmas my friends...find the beauty wherever you are.  Enjoy the little things and never let go of the magic of this very special season...wishing you all the most wonderful of year ahead...in 2014.  Thank you for stopping by for tea.  For your Friendship and for your Love...

Several photo's textured with KK_Villa...thanks Kim..

Thanksgiving Blessings

There was no turkey, no stuffing, no squash or pumpkin pie...No table settings for 6...no high chair joining in with a little boy full of laughter.   This year we weren't even home..this year I really, really got the meaning of Thanksgiving and giving back...and being grateful for all that we have and especially for those that I love.  I learned that food and festivities do not define what Thanksgiving really means...and it was powerful and precious.

We spent the day at Boston Children's Hospital...my little family of 7..all together, squeezed into a tiny room...We played lego's, watch the Smurf video...colored and read books...we took short walks pushing a IV pole and watching two little brothers ride in plastic trucks all around the halls, laughing together as they raced...not a drop of food or drink was allowed in that room...because Little Liam had surgery last Sunday and he is still restricted...the surgery is what prompts this post but it is not what defines it...what defines it is how thankful I am for his life, for his smile, for his healing. I am thankful for a family that doesn't ask what we can do,  but we all just show up...day after day...until we are no longer needed...I will be forever grateful to his parents for their 24 hour concern and love and sleep-overs so he is never alone. My gratitude goes beyond anything I could have imagined for the skill of those fine doctor's at Children's, one of the finest hospitals in the country...and a basket full of thanks for the nurses who care for him with such joy in their hearts for these little patients...

Life doesn't always come in a neatly tied package...it sometimes throws us a curve that we could never even imagine..but riding on the waves of those curves are lessons learned...life lessons that sometimes make you stand up and take note of the real meaning of life...the real gifts we are given and it reminds us of the goodness of so many people...strangers until you meet and whose hearts touch yours in unexpected ways...

So for the first time that I ever remember we did not sit down at the dining room table with the fancy dishes and way to much food...what we did was gather in goodness and Grace...in gratitude and love..because when it was  time for me to leave the hospital I left taking Thanksgiving with me...it was always there...in my kids, my husband, friends who prayed and doctor's and nurses who in my mind perform tiny miracles everyday...it reminds me as I entered the season of Christmas..to keep Thanksgiving in my heart and pass the goodness along...and be so Grateful for the Blessings I've been given...

I hope all my family and friends found many reasons to be grateful and thankful today...

"I am grateful for what I am and have.  My thanksgiving is perpetual.  It is surprising how contented one can be with nothing definite....only a sense of existence."...Henry David Thoreau...

Look What Liam Got For His Birthday

From Nana and Papa......O.K you can calm down now...no, we did not buy him this pony but what we are doing is giving him riding lessons.  Can I say Love right here...his love of horses is so evident and I'm living my love of horses through him...When he is at Myopia for his lesson, he has a smile a mile wide..I'm so proud of how he is doing and what he is learning..but what I really want to know is, how did this happen to my boy so fast...

Birthday's are a unique experience for me...any time one of my kids has a birthday I spend the day reflecting on their growth and accomplishments and particularly on how fast time moves.  Kids define the measure of time. With Liam, it seems I waited forever for him to come to us..I've been waiting longer than he had even been a thought to his parents..And then on November 13 in 2009 he arrived.  So much joy. So much thankfulness and most especially, so much love.  He was worth the wait.  Now I am pondering the miracle of four years passing..from this photo below..to that photo above..how did time move so quickly..No longer a baby but now a little boy.  He has ideas of his own and speaks freely about them..he knows what he likes and what he doesn't.  He is good and loving, although sometimes he finds this a bit difficult with his brother as he is becoming more mobile.  Four years old today...and he is still quite amazing to his Papa and Nana..

His love of horses began to appear last year when we were at a Halloween event...they had horses there that went around and around in a circle...tied to a moving pole..Liam marched right up, and got on the biggest one he could find and road around that circle for 4 trips.  We live in an area that is full of horses and we often stop to pet them and talk to them...This summer Liam and I went to our first Polo match together and that sealed the deal for him...I asked around and found out quite by accident that Myopia Hunt Club gave private lessons and so a seed was planted in my head...His Birthday Gift...I was so excited when they told me that they would take him at this young age...and I feel good to know that he is learning from the best and the safest.  And can I say clean, clean, clean stables...I had looked at many before this...not so good.

So Happy Birthday my little love bug...thanks for taking Nana on your journey these past four years...you have taught me so much...how to listen, how to learn, the importance of patience.  You've taught me how to play cars, and how to dress fur babies.  I've learned about bugs and poop and super hero's from you.  You make me laugh and walking with you in conversation is one of my greatest pleasures, holding hands is another gift you give..I especially love that you like to take photo's with my G-10, which you tell me now is yours. Tea time is always special with you, here and at the Wenham Tea House. You've also taught me the joy of giving beyond anything I had ever know...and the sweetest words I hear...that I carry with me each day, is when you spontaneously say..."I love you Nana"...how to win me over...So win me over you did with your love of horses...enjoy the ride Liam...just like I'm enjoying mine with you....

Before Liam can go riding he has to take care of his horse..Penny...First he gets his brush basket and he knows all the names of the brushes.  Then he has to brush Penny.  Penny loves this part.   

 Next comes cleaning Penny's feet...Liam likes doing this..He scapes out all the sawdust and his instructor told him it looks like a frog in there..He does a great job with the tool.

 

After all the brushing and cleaning of Penny's feet...next comes the blanket and then the saddle...Liam struggles with this...that saddle is pretty heavy, but he carries it to Penny and then gets help tossing it over the horses back...always with a smile.

 

He has to learn to keep the saddle on and so he gets some help with the buckles...he's pretty good at getting it done up and then of course there is an adjustment made for him.

Then comes Liam's favorite job of getting Penny ready to ride...putting in the bit.   He knows all the words and of the equipment and he knows where they all hang in the barn because when the ride is over he has to reverse all that he has done here and brush Penny again...before leading her back into her stall.

 The time that he most enjoys...riding.  Getting in the ring and learning how to tell Penny what he wants her to do..I am amazed that he is riding English instead of Western...so much harder to me but I think, in the end, he will be a better rider because of this...so here he goes...my Little Guy..riding like the wind...well not yet, but for sure someday.

It is a lot for a little boy to take in.  It is more work than riding at this point but he does love it so far..and at the end of the riding, it is time to take Penny back inside the stable and clean her up and put her away...Liam happily walks her back...

A beautiful day at the Stables...for Liam and Penny...becoming best friends.

THE RIDING SCHOOL -By Denise Clark

The smell of hay and the stable hound,
The clatter of hooves on the tarmac ground.
The creak of leather supple in the loft,
The neigh of contentment,
The whinning of fright,
The variety of weight, cob, heavy or light,
The colour of horses,
Chestnut , white, black, or bay,
The turning out of ponies after along hard day,
The munching of food, barely, bran, hay and oats,
The pricking ears and the shinning coats,
The sucking of water from the trough so cool,
All these things you find in a RIDING SCHOOL.

On A Fall Walk

Friday's Finds come up so fast...really, a week just flies by. This week it was hard to pick what to post but then after thinking about it for about one minute..the choice was easy.

You all know that I have the Boys on Tuesdays and this week Liam and I ended up, late afternoon, at the Tea House....again..Gosh we both love that place so much.  The special part came though after we were finished with tea. I asked Liam if he would like to walk home today and kick around a few leaves..of course he said yes...I was a bit surprised because we had never really walked any distance before.  My husband, sweet man that he is, was waiting for us in the car with Jaxson while he napped.   So here was the plan....Liam and I would walk, Jim and Jaxson would give us a head start and then come and pick us up...

So off we went, him and I...holding hands..nothing electronic, just us and the sounds of fall and our own voices.  It was the best walk ever...and this is what we saw...

We passed the old cemetery.  Well that stirred up a bit of conversation about ghost and dead people...little boys love ghoulish things..before we got into how old I might be I quickly moved him on.

We live in horse country so we often pass the horses in the fields.  These white ones...Liam calls them Sugar, were just grazing around...Liam loves horses and on our drives and walks he always likes to say "hi" to the horses.

Next we came along a house that had the laundry hanging out...this was my opportunity to tell Liam how we used always hang our clothes out...I'm not to sure if he was impressed with this but I sure was...To me there is nothing nicer and more refreshing than laundry hanging on the line...In Maine I sometimes still do this.

More horses...our lucky day. The sound of the hoofs clip, clopping along the trail as two girls were just out on a leisurely ride..with such great colors to travel through...we stopped and watched them pass..and Liam says someday he's going to have "his own horse"...Good luck with that one Liam..

Last but not least and really the most fun...is running through the leaves...this photo was not taken on our walk because I did not have a camera...but it certainly belongs with our walk because we both moved through those leaves with laughter and joy and the wonders of spending this fall  walk with a happy, talkative  little boy....

Side note...when Jim came along to pick us up...Liam insisted that he wanted to walk the entire way...and he did...the weather was lovely, the colors outstanding and we encountered more than I could post here...We had a lovely chat with a man, sitting on a bucket, painting is new fence...I have to say..it was one of the best fall days I've had...these boys continue to lift me up...and I am forever grateful for my time with them...it just seems to me that fall was made for children....of all ages...:)

Happy weekend.

"We are here essentially to risk ourselves in the world; we are a form of invitation to others and to otherness, we are meant to hazard ourselves for the right thing, for the right woman or the right man, for a son or a daughter, for the right work or for a gift given against all the odds, and to allow ourselves to be happy may be the greatest, most courageous act of all."  David Whyte

Going Back...and Moving Forward

It was March 2, 1962..Paramount Theater in Salem, Massachusetts.   Back in the day when you had a ticket booth out front, live organ music on the stage, at least 3 cartoons and finally, the two main events...That's right, in 1962 you got two movies and you spent the day there...for .25 cents.  My first date.  I was barely 15 years old..We sat in the balcony.  That's where you sat and most often it's where you first held hands and finally kissed...I don't know what the movies were that day, but I do know I was very excited with a lot of fear mixed in there..and no, on that date we did not kiss.  

We walked home that night, not old enough to drive yet and I remember him walking about 4 paces in front of me...I was balancing myself walking on the curb stone.  That night was the beginning of a 51 year journey with My Guy...today we celebrate 45 Years of Marriage.  Now when we go to the movies, you only get one show..but that's o.k. for us.  We are usually at the 4:30 showing anyways...

Life takes so many twists and turns and in 45 years we had our share of both good times and some not so good...great joy and huge sadness....we've been through "in sickness and in health"...and we spoken loving to each other more often than with anger but yes, that has been spoken also..We have built a wonderful life and family...sharing two kids, a boy and a girl, both offering us pride and joy and friendship.   Jenna has given us two beautiful and loving Grandchildren which we see as God's gift for a humble and loving life.   Most days I can't wait to get up and see what life will bring my way.   Sometimes it's sunshine and light, some days it's clouds and rain..we get through all our days together.

I wish there was some magic fairy dust that I could bottle and pass around so every couple could have a long and loving relationship...but it's really not about magic.   It's about commitment and hard work, maybe the hardest work we do as a couple is to every so often re-evaluate where we are at any given moment and what we want for our future...For Jim and I it has always been about family first and that continues to be our priorty to this day...there is nothing that we are more committed to than our family.  Not always easy but always, always worth it.   

When I look back over our years together and our life both as partners and as individuals, I now at my age, can claim a lot of wonderful treasures...not material treasure but life experience treasures...the kind you learn about along the way.  The kind you can only recognize as you grow...up.  As I look at these treasures I have learned there is one common thread that runs through each one of the "biggies" in our life.   Every gift of great importance has come through hard work...Nothing of value comes for free or without some pain or struggle..knowing that when we got to the other side of the struggle, we were stronger for it and we appreciated it...Life in not a sprint..it's a marathon...you need the right person next to you to grow in love and faith and loyalty...Then you get the gifts...We are truly blessed in each other..it's been quite a journey.

I want to share a few of my favorite times with my Favorite Guy...I am amazed that from that tiny theater so many years ago, at not only how fast the time has gone by, but by how much we have to look forward to. Who knows where the road will lead...but I know who will be by my side...

My beautiful family...I love them so much...

At our Lake House in Maine...we have so much fun here and it is truly a piece of  Heaven for relaxation

And sometimes we end up in the strangest places and that is where we really have the most fun...this is not your average taxi...Cusco Peru.

Then off to Macchu Pichu

On Top of the World....in Yosemite..

Riding off into the Sunset...Me and Him...not quite yet...so many more adventures on our bucket list..but on each adventure we tried to go horseback riding..it really is one of our greatest pleasures..

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.”  John Muir

“The world is big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark.” 
― John Muir

 My Guy