Our Treehouse

Tree House

A tree house, a free house,
A secret you and me house,
A high up in the leafy branches
Cozy as can be house.

A street house, a neat house,
Be sure and wipe your feet house
Is not my kind of house at all --
Let's go live in a tree house.

--Shel Silverstein

our tree house, in progress

I missed a good chunk of the build and I'm sorry to say that I wasn't there to capture the progress from start to finish. While I missed each small step, maybe seeing it after a day's work was better - it was exciting to see how much had been accomplished. The first picture was taken after two full days of work, the second was during the third day, and the last two were taken on the fourth day. With the framework up, I can almost see my dad's vision, and I'm impressed.

On one of the nights, in between yawns, my dad said, "You know, I just really like the idea that I'm building something for my grandchildren. Something that will bring them happiness and lots of good memories." Uh, yeah, I'd say I'd have to agree with that. And I'll add this - I love that my dad gets to use the knowledge that he learned working side by side with his father and that he's sharing that knowledge with Brian. It feels like a big moment, and I think that Sarah and Eric, in their own ways, would agree. They already love it, and they're really excited to see the finished product.

Side note - While I wasn't around much, they did rope me in to helping pull up two of the sides. And when I was helping, my dad was swearing. When I asked about this, Brian said he'd been doing it a lot. I was entertained by the fact that while he was swearing, he was enjoying the process at the same time. What's up with that? Is that just a woodworking/carpentry thing?

Giving Thanks

This week, we are thankful for our family, with whom we celebrated Thanksgiving. We are thankful for the food we shared and the fun we had. We are thankful for the toys and ideas that kept us busy and inspired. We are thankful for pilgrims and homemade butter. We are thankful for beautiful days and outside play that came with warm weather. We are thankful for football games and card games. We are thankful for fuzzy jackets. We are thankful for a place to rest our heads, especially when we're sleepy. We are thankful for each other.

Nana's Sweaters

The other night, I thought it was warmer than it was and gave Sarah a sleeveless nightgown to sleep in. She loves the thing, and I knew suggesting a change of outfit wasn't going to go over so well. So instead, I offered her one of the sweaters that Nana made for her. She happily agreed and put it on.

With a big grin, she said, "Nana's sweaters are magical."

I agreed and then asked her why she thought so.

"They keep you hot and cold," she said.

I asked, "Do you mean they keep you comfortable, no matter what the temperature outside is?"

"Yes," she said, with another big grin.

Thanksgiving 2010

We spent several days leading up to and following Thanksgiving with my parents. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed/behaved themselves, even during Thanksgiving dinner! For me, this was somewhat shocking - unfortunately, no matter how much Brian and I entertain, plead, and threaten our children, dinners are not where they show their best selves. But, on this very special evening, they outdid themselves and made us proud, or at least relieved that we didn't have to badger them every minute and a half . . .

In preparation for our celebration, Sarah, Grandma, and I made turkey name cards for everyone, on which we wrote what makes us thankful. Six things that make Eric thankful: playdoh, all my family, water, playing in my sandbox, my trucks, and cookie yogurt. (Water? Really? We had to comment at his awareness of such an important resource.)
Six things that make Sarah thankful: salty corn, my family, Christmas, (I'm certain this is because she loves to spend time with her family, and not because of presents, right?!) raspberries, my teachers, and my friends.As for the rest of us, some ideas that stand out include: family, friends, good food, health, books, beautiful days, smiles, music, and (last but certainly not least) football. As my dad likes to say and have his grandchildren say (over and over again), "Go Hawks!!"

GG's 90th Birthday Celebration

For GG's 9oth birthday, her children, her grandchildren, and her great grandchildren gathered together and celebrated. (Not to mention all those wonderful in-laws that have joined the family!) It was a surprise party that remained a surprise, amazingly. She even flew down to North Carolina from New Jersey, under the guise that we were celebrating Judy's 65th. (I kept telling Brian that there was no way it was going to work. Obviously, I underestimated everyone's "sneaky" skills.) We ate lots (and lots) of good food, looked at old and new photographs, and told and heard stories about GG's life. And how did GG handle it all? She was overwhelmed and very happy. And she made sure we all knew how much she loved it (and how much she loved all of us too.) What a gift.

Grandma, Long Ago

This is a picture of Brian's grandma that I came across and I'm so taken by it. I love her open expression, her smile, her relaxed pose. She's beautiful, without attempting to be. I love that. When I look at her image, like any other photo taken so long ago, I wonder what she's thinking about, what her aspirations and hopes are at this point, what her story is in this moment. Is she married yet? Does she have children? What are her interests, her hobbies, her passions?

It's difficult to imagine people other than how we currently see them, especially if we didn't know them before now. But, with photos like this, we have clues to who someone might have been. Based on how friendly and open she appears in this image, I'd be so happy to meet her younger self. But that isn't much of a surprise, as I feel so fortunate to know her now.

Sandy Hook

When we visited Nana and Grandpop recently, we took a trip to Sandy Hook. Once again, with their contagious enthusiasm, the kids convinced me that the beach is indeed a great (maybe the best) place to be. Thank you to Grandpop, for catching the crab and for lending a hand to the wave jumpers. And thank you to Nana, for helping of find all of those shells (which now decorate our table at home) and for packing that delicious watermelon (not to mention the chocolate chip cookies). We couldn't have asked for a better day . . .

Mother's Day

This morning, Sarah pulled out a tablecloth that my dad's mom embroidered a long time ago. She placed it on the kitchen table because she wanted the table to be fancy for Mother's Day. It has seen better days - it has stains now and is wrinkled from being shoved too quickly into the dress up chest. Today, Sarah added some green crayon. Despite the disheveled appearance and rough treatment, I cherish it. And then it struck me - today of all days, Sarah decided to go and find it. Without realizing it, Sarah gave me the opportunity to reflect on those who've been where I am now, and the treasures that remind us of them.

I thought about Brian's mom and how her quilts keep my children warm at night. I thought about the sweaters, hats, and mittens she makes for them each year (and a sweater for me this year, which I love!) I thought about the wedding quilt she made us and the afghan that decorates our sofa.

I thought about my mom and her needlework, which decorates both kids' rooms. I thought about her baskets that decorate my kitchen and family room, holding napkins, magazines, and bread. I thought about the baby quilts she made.

I thought about my aunts and Brian's aunt and the baby afghans and quilts that they made. The pillowcases, the baskets, the stuffed animals, and dress up clothes for my kids.

I thought about the afghans and pillow from my dad's mom in the playroom, and the rag rug from his great grandma.

I thought about the afghan and baby sweaters from my own childhood that were made by my mom's mom.

I am overwhelmed. I am so fortunate. Thank you - for all that you've offered and given. Happy Mother's Day.

Mountainside, NJ

While a comparison to Iowa may not seem a compliment to some, for me, it is. Mountainside is for my children what Iowa was for me. It's where their father grew up. I experienced that sense of history and place only on my father's side, and because of that, Iowa is what I think of when I think of my own roots. It's the same for my children - the only place with history they will know is the one where Brian was raised.

But it's more than that. It's what we do while we're there that seems so familar. Sitting on folding chairs watching the kids play in the driveway, taking a walk to the playground, kids playing with their dad's old toys (check out that truck!), and eating homemade treats that Nana (or in the case of donuts and ice cream, Grandpop) shares - all of these things remind me of Iowa. Not to mention the corn cob pipe, although, in my memory, it was my grandfather smoking, not a granchild!

Granted, Mountainside is within 30 minutes of NYC, not exactly bucolic, but that's exactly what makes it so special. You wouldn't know the city was anywhere near this place, and from where I stand, that's quite a good thing.