happy days.

some fleurs.

Above- arrangements I put together for the thanksgiving feast this year. They had ornamental kale at the wholesaler. Love it.
Last year Mike and I hosted Thanksgiving dinner at our house for nine people, and it all seemed pretty ambitious. We had our next door neighbors over because their parents lived out of town, and they had a new baby and weren't up for travelling. I remember admiring their little family and relishing the idea of a son. Mike and I broke the wishbone of the turkey that day and both wished for the same thing. A couple of weeks later Henry was conceived! Hard to believe that was a year ago.
Needless to say, we did not host Thanksgiving here this year. I made a couple of arrangements and three pies. That was ambitious enough with a newborn. It was a wonderful day to give thanks.

giving thanks.

I am thankful for...
my boys.

grrr.

Mike and I were looking at these pictures last night and we laughed. Henry seems to be saying: take away the owl motif and I'll punch ya in the gut. grrr. It is funny- the owl theme is a bit serendipitous- Cassie created a reproduction of an owl-shaped clock that I really wanted. She then made him the owl pillow. Then Gymboree, where we love to shop, came out with its 'creatures' line of infant clothing, which included- you guessed it- owls. Finally- a few weeks after Henry was born I was up and feeding him in the late, late night. I heard a loud bird call- it was an owl!! We have all sorts of interesting birds around, because we live on the wetlands- Herons, egrets, hawks, woodpeckers, we have even seen a pair of bald eagles- but never an owl. We hear the owl periodically at night. I like to think of him as Henry's nighttime protector. And to think the bird theme began with twittering bird. It comes around full circle.

hoot.

Henry is nine weeks today. He had his two month check- up yesterday, which included a nasty round of immunizations. Four shots in the meatiest part of his legs. I felt awful. It reminded me of how helpless I felt when he was born and had to go in to the nicu. It also made me think of Ken and Colleen. After all, this was just four quick little shots, and look what Ellie just went through! Four little shots is a piece of cake, really. Henry did fine and was pretty calm for the rest of the day. And- hallelujah!!!!! He slept straight through from midnight until 5:20 am. Unbelievable. It is amazing how much sunnier ones outlook becomes when they have had some sleep. Above are some pictures of the little one hamming it up.

indian summer.

This weekend we met up with some relatives at nearby Knott's Island. We convened at a local winery for a little (or a LOT of!) wine tasting and catching up. It was the perfect day for a leisurely drive from the city out into the country. The blazing colors of the foliage mingling with the stunning beauty of our coastal waters edge was the perfect backdrop for our family outing. A few things celebrated yesterday included an engagement, a 50th wedding anniversary, a couple of birthdays, and our son meeting a lot of cousins for the first time. Also in attendance were a couple of relatives whom have recently beat cancer. It was the perfect day for celebration.
Mike and I took a walk with Henry through the vineyard and to the water. A local dog that had been running about followed us. When we got to the dock the dog jumped right into the sound. He was swimming around like he belonged there, happily lapping at the water. When we turned to leave however, we realized the dog couldn't figure out how to get out. The bulkhead was too steep. He looked at us like "what do I do?". Mike ended up having to pull him out of the water. It was pretty funny to watch them. It seems that Mike is always rescuing people and things, so this was fitting. The look of gratitude on the dog's face was priceless.
He followed us back to the lodge the whole way and we played a bit of fetch. It was a perfect walk on a beautiful day- I will remember it forever.

hold your head up.... high!

Henry is eight weeks old today! He has reached many of his milestones ahead of time... It is so amazing to watch him grow.

posy.

some flowers I've recently arranged.

psycho.

Cassie- you left before the best part of the film!