Welcome to Kelly Martin's Blog! Here I share my stories from my blessed life as a wife to a super-talented man, Jason, mom to my precious kids, Lucy, Jack, and Connor, and friend to my amazing girlfriends who inspire me every day!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Chicken and Apple Balls ** baby food recipe

I give this recipe two tiny thumbs up!

I have been enjoying making Jack's baby food, and I want to share a new one that Jack and I both love! This "Chicken & Apple Balls" recipe is a great one because you can make a large batch and freeze it too. Plus, the child can hold the balls and practice biting off pieces rather than you breaking it into parts. Finally, they're yummy hot or cold-super convenient for taking baby food when you go out to a restaurant. Jack could eat two dozen of these things at a time if I let him!

I got this recipe from the book I've used to make all of Lucy and Jack's baby food: The Healthy Baby Meal Planner, by Annabel Karmel.

Chicken and Apple Balls (makes 20 balls)

1 large dessert apple, peeled and grated
2 large chicken breasts, cut into chunks (I use the Costco rotisserie chicken which is already cooked, or the shredded cooked chicken that comes in the cans is very convenient as well)
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 tsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme or sage, chopped
1 chicken bouillon cube, crumbled (for babies OVER one year old-sodium content is unsuitable for babies under one year)
1 C. fresh bread crumbs
S & P (for babies over one year)
all-purpose flour for coating
veg. oil for frying (next time I make this I'm going to try baking them and see how it works)

Using your hands, squeeze out a little excess liquid from the grated apple. Mix the apple with the chicken, onion, herbs, and bouillon cube (if using), and bread crumbs. Roughly chop in the food processor for a few seconds. Season with S & P (if using).

With your hands, form about 20 little balls, roll in flour, and fry in shallow oil about five minutes until lightly golden and cooked through. (If you're using precooked chicken, you don't have to worry about it cooking through.)

If freezing, store in freezer bag for up to 3 months.

Let me know if you try it and how your baby likes it! Happy Cooking!

Monday, October 26, 2009

Enjoying the little things

I just sent in a large photo order to get digital prints (BTW, Winkflash is doing a special right now, 4 cents a print!!!), and I came upon a folder of pics from late summer that I hadn't filtered through yet.

I found these two of Lucy at Parker's bday party, and it just reminded me to stop and enjoy all the little pleasures in life...like eating ice cream! (I totally undid all my hard work running with Tiffany tonight when I had that exact food for dessert-but it was low-fat ice cream, so that doesn't count, right?!? :-)





"We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today." -Stacia Tauscher

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Corn Maze

What a WONDERFUL day! Great message at church this morning, special family time at the Corn Maze, and Jason and I had a wonderful time with the Billings at Cgroup this evening! Oh yeah, and I even started and completed an entire sewing project: halloween tote bags for jack and lucy to use trick-or-treating :-) Very fun!

It was quite a warm day for late October, the sun was out its full glory, and there were no clouds in the sky. We headed out to the Corn Maze with the Mike & Elaine, Molly & Jason, Hugh & Vanessa, and Nicole & Kevin-and all the kiddos (and fetuses) of course.

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with the "Corn Maze," it's like Tate Farms, but not as pretty. But, it's much less expensive, so that's a plus :-) And it's closer...Has most of the same attractions: hayride, corn hut thingy, lots of things for the kiddos to get into, and of course, the large corn maze (which we did NOT do this year; I still remember getting horribly lost in it last year (at 8 months pregnant and with Lucy who insisted on walking the entire maze :-).

Here are some of my favorite photos from today. Enjoy!

Sewing Project!



Oh my gosh, this girl just breaks my heart!
Jack: "OOOOOOHHHHH" face

Awwwww!

Lucy on the "cow ride" I think it's called :-)


Thursday, October 22, 2009

best and worst list

Okay...so before I get into my topic today (of which I'm very passionate about), here's a funny fact: we just got back from dinner (Sante Fe) where Jack polished off the remains of Lucy's uneaten chicken fingers. Jason peeled off the fried part and shredded up the chicken; let me tell you, the kid can put down some chicken fingers!

But on to my topic for tonight...

Not much stops me in my tracks, but today I heard myself exclaim, "Wow!" after listening to a message on our machine. Our pediatrician, Dr. Scott (Field Pediatrics), had called to check up on Lucy after her visit to the office yesterday. Quick background: Jason took her in because she was holding her head and complaining that her ear hurt. So, of course you obligated to go and have the doc look in her ears (I seriously should just buy whatever that device is :-). Ears were perfectly clear and Dr. Scott and Dr. Susan (his wife) decided that she must have been having a painful crick in her neck.

But today, he called - not his nurses- but the DOCTOR actually called and asked how Lucy was doing. I sure do love them! Perhaps my reaction was a bit dramatic, I'm not sure if you've had your pediatrician call you, but it certainly impressed me and made me feel great that my kids' pediatrician is looking out for them. I don't know if it's because we take birthday cake to the office to share when we celebrate our kids' milestones :-) or if they're just a fantastic practice, but I certainly rest better knowing they're looking after Jack and Lucy.

After the kids go to bed tonight, I'll write my second letter to a doctor's office this week, one in praise of their exceptional care of their patients.

Which brings me to my point of tonight's blog (yes, I do have one :-) Did you have a terrible experience lately at a place of business? TELL THEM! Did you experience something wonderful and worthy of praise lately? MAKE IT KNOWN!

Like I said, this letter I'll soon be writing is the SECOND letter I'll be sending to a doctor's office this week. A week ago, deep into my little rendezvous with pneumonia, I had the worst experience ever at a doctor's office. And while fuming about it and ranting to Jason, I realized all that energy would be wasted if all I did was complain to loved ones about it. The person who needed to be aware of it was the DOCTOR. And far too often, people have a negative experience and they NEVER provide the feedback necessary to keep it from happening again. So, I slept on it, and the next day, decided to absolutely write that letter. (I'll include the letter at the end :-)

Now, let me provide this disclaimer, because it's important: there is a difference between people who seek out opportunities to bitch and complain about poor service (We all know someone who you hate to go to dinner with because they always send the food back or find fault with the cleanliness of their silverware-we've got some in our family too!), and people who provide honest, constructive feedback. I can honestly say I fall into the latter category.

But, when I experience something that I feel is inexcusable, you can bet someone will hear about it. It's necessary if we want our capitalist market to continue; if you want good businesses to stick around and bad ones to naturally fail (survival of the fittest, baby!).

Some recent examples: a few months ago, within a period of one week, I had three crazy drivers nearly loose control of their car and hit me on Old Big Cove (very windy road where there have been several fatalities from car accidents this year). So, I set aside a mere three minutes of my time and called the local police department and suggested that if the dept. was in need of some funding, placing a few cops on this road to catch speeders would provide a lucrative return in a very short amount of time. And you know what, the very NEXT DAY, a cop was stationed on the road. (Don't worry, I emailed all my friends in the neighborhood to tell them to slow down, cops might be out :-)

About a month ago, a cleaning crew from Stanley Steemer-two young punks from my observation-pulled a very stupid stunt on the road and nearly caused an accident with my car. Now, when my babies are involved, I become "Mama Bear"; they picked the wrong mini-van to get their kicks with. I noted the number of the van and when I got home, took just a few minutes to track down the local manager of the Huntsville Stanley Steemers. I made a polite phone call to report the incident, and hung up the phone very satisfied knowing this manager was going to light a certain fire under their asses. The manager thanked me profusely for calling and letting him know.

And finally, the worst of the worst was this terrible doctor I had the misfortune of knowing. You'll get the gist of what happened if you want to read the letter, but here's my point everyone: it really only takes a few minutes to let someone know if they're doing a great job or if they need to take a critical look at something, and you will get results! Maybe you'll just be doing someone else a favor and keeping a negative experience that happened to you from happening to someone else, or maybe you'll be making someone's day by being that rare person who actually provides positive feedback. But either way, you'll be doing something very important and worthwhile! I encourage you to try it!

So, there...there's my soapbox for today...now I'm off to brush "hungry Jack's" chicken finger- covered teeth! :-)

Letter: (Big thanks to Molly for helping me with the medical lingo and awesome closing!)



Thursday, October 15, 2009

Mrs. Kelly Martin
XXXX
XXXX

Dr. Marshall Plotka
Phoenix Emergency Care
7105B Bailey Creek Circle
Huntsville, AL 35802

Dr. Plotka:

I have been a patient at your facility on a few occasions, and I would like to express my displeasure with the visit I had Tuesday of this week with Dr. Robinson-Humphrey. Assuming you’d be interested in patient feedback, please allow me to explain my complaints.

After I had initially been examined by Dr. Robinson-Humphrey, I commented to the nurse that I was breastfeeding, and would she please relay to the doctor that any prescriptions she gave me were safe for my son. Dr. Robinson returned to my room and, in a scolding manner, expressed that I should have told her that earlier. I apologized and agreed that I should have mentioned it earlier, but my illness had me less than alert.

Then, she followed up by saying, “I am a nursing mother too, and I would never forget to mention that to the doctor.” The Code of Medical Ethics states that a doctor must always maintain the highest standards of professional conduct. Again, I agree with the doctor’s recommendation that I should have provided that information earlier, but the manner in which she spoke to me was less than polite, and her personal comment was completely unnecessary and unprofessional.

I came in to see a doctor because I thought I had the flu, so when she said I had pneumonia, I was surprised. I asked her specifically if the flu test came back negative and she replied, “Well, the nurses would normally tell me if the test came back positive.” The Code of Ethics states, “A doctor should certify or testify only to that which he has personally verified.” Clearly, Dr. Robinson-Humphrey had not checked the test results herself, and if a nurse had accidentally forgotten to check the results, a misdiagnosis would have been possible.

A few incidents occurred that I would normally overlook, but considering the experience I had, I think they’re worth noting. I arrived at the office at 8am, hoping to get seen quickly, but the nurse came into my room to let me know the doctor was unexpectedly running late, but that she’d be there soon. She arrived at 9:40, one hour and forty minutes after I signed in. Upon entering the room, Dr. Robinson-Humphrey introduced herself, and when I extended my hand as a greeting, she replied, “I’ll forego the handshake today.” Obviously concerned about germs, I was surprised that she did not even wash her hands in the room. Moments later, while attempting to look in my throat, she stood as far away from my body as possible, stretching out her hands, hardly able to get a good view. After receiving a shot, I had a dizzy spell, and the nurse was kindly fanning me and placing a cool cloth on my head. It was at this time that Dr. Robinson-Humphrey was finishing her exam. She stopped herself in the middle of a sentence to tell the nurse to back away from me.

I completely understand her concern, and I do realize I was sick with a bacterial infection, but I found her actions to be very poor “bedside manner.” Simply utilizing universal precautions would have kept her safe from any potential cross contamination, while allowing her to conduct an exam that didn’t make me feel ostracized.

Finally, I had to wait over 45 minutes after my exam was completed to receive my prescription. I had asked the nurses to please check on the status, and it was still 20 minutes before I was discharged. I was at the office from 8am-10:55, nearly three hours. I understand that a doctor’s office generally isn’t known for speedy service, but this seems a bit extreme, especially when the patient is in obvious distress with physical symptoms such as fever, chills, and severe coughing. On top of simply feeling miserable, it inappropriately prolonged my exposure to the other patients and staff, something Dr. Robinson-Humphrey made abundantly clear she was concerned about.

In conclusion, I want to re-state that while I understand in a medical setting things can occasionally happen to prolong patient wait times, I will never understand a physician who contributes to an already stressful situation by showing callousness and carelessness. Dr. Robinshon-Humphrey is lucky that I spoke up when I did- regardless of her inappropriate admonition- since in reality the responsibility to obtain the necessary patient information before making a medication recommendation lies completely with prescribing physician, not the nurse or the patient. Her rude attitude when questioned about the flu test is inexcusable; not only was that within my patient rights, but part of being an informed member of my own health care. I simply want to draw attention to the poor care I received Tuesday in the hopes that the contributing parties correct their mistakes and the situation does not repeat itself for other patients.

Sincerely



Kelly Martin

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

This is the day the Lord has made!

Today was a beautiful day outside with warm temperatures! The kids and I had a great time playing outside after naps.



Jack: This dirt looks yummy!


"If I can just squeeze by this darn door!"



Lucy LOVES riding her tricycle!

And finally, here's a picture of Jack's first haircut. I gave him a trim at home, just snipping away the hair that's falling over his ears and a tiny, tiny trim on the bottom in the back. My handsome little "benjamin button"!

Sunday, October 18, 2009

A "Swingin'" Good Time

We had a good weekend (except for the auburn loss, of course). Jason finished up the addition to the kids' swingset, adding a glider and spaces for three swings. I'm so very grateful he is the handy guy he is and always willing to take on whatever project I suggest. I thought the kids could use some additional swing spaces and a glider, and presto! he made it happen. Big thanks to Daddy!

(sorry, the pics are terrible quality. it was right around dusk, and too dark not to use the flash, but the flash made it super bright.)

Lucy's learning how the glider works:

Jack loves being in the swing, and lucy loves pushing him

We ventured out to Beauregard's Saturday night to watch the game with a bunch of our AU friends here in town. The kids promptly took over the take-out pick-up area by making it a pretend house, and where they had removed the table from between two booths, Lucy decided it was a great place to play "Little Gym" and try to jump from one booth across the now empty space to the other booth.

Finally, here are some funny pics of Lucy taken over the weekend:

"What happens when Daddy does my hair..."

No, just kidding. While I was recovering from pneumonia, lying around in bed all day, it's obvious they were having lots of fun playing together getting into all kinds of things!

Finally, here is Lucy:

1. sitting in a bumbo

2. pretend breastfeeding her glowworm, and

3. using a neck pillow as her boppy

The things she comes up with!... :-)

Saturday, October 17, 2009

How Jason watches College Football

Count 'em...yep, that's 3 viewing devices simultaneously playing football games :-)

War Eagle!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Mr. Mom


Still blogging from bed...quick update: went to a new doctor this morning-THANKS so much everyone for the referrals!-only doctor accepting new patients was Dr. Garrard with Total Sports Care, and he was WONDERFUL! (I couldn't get in to see Dr. Cost until November). Turns out Dr. Garrard is an AU grad (aren't they all wonderful :-)?) and he was very polite, thorough, and everything a doctor should be.

Surprisingly, he confirmed what the terrible doctor yesterday from the doc-in-the box said, so I'm to stick with the zpack and should feel better by the weekend. I sure hope so! Jason has to travel next week, so it's not really a choice for me-I HAVE to feel better!

But speaking of Jason, I must say he has been doing a WONDERFUL job of being Mr. Mom while I'm out of commission and trying to stay away as much as possible from Jack and Lucy, so as not to contaminate them :-)

He took them to story time this morning, and he even put lucy's hair in a ponytail (and bow!) yesterday! He's remembered the diaper bag every time he leaves the house, and he took them to dinner last night at Tortora's to eat with Tony and Laura (preview of coming attractions for them :-) YEA!! He discovered Jack LOVES shredded chicken fingers! Jason said he must have eaten what was equivalent to one entire chicken finger! LOL! That's my Jack)

Oh, and this is too cute not to share: so every night, Jason tells Lucy a made up story filled with topics of her request. For a while, the requests have always been the same; the story must revolve around: Audrey, firetrucks, poops (lovely, and we can thank Daddy for that :-), and dogs. Well, last night a new request was added to the list, and it upset Jason very much: BOYS.

Yes, BOYS. As soon as he left her room, he promptly came in here to share his concern. He said, "I tried suggesting, 'Girls', but nope, again, she said 'boys!" Boy it starts young doesn't it!?!

So thank you, Jason, for being a wonderful Mr. Mom (He's really learning how it goes, too: he hasn't been able to shower yet today)! When I'm feeling better, maybe you can sneak away for a 9-holer or something :-) Love you!!!!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

pneumonia

Well, I'm blogging from bed, layered under at least four heavy blankets feeling worse than I ever have in my entire life. It's worse than morning sickness, worse than strep, worse than watching Alabama win on a day when Auburn lost :-)

I have pneumonia.

Yesterday, I had chest pains and it felt "cold" in my chest when I took deep breaths. At one point, my teeth were chattering so bad I was sure I was about to break them :-). Fever spiked at 103.7, so I went to the doctor this morning thinking I had the flu. Chest x-rays proved otherwise. I had to get two shots-one antibiotics and one steriod. The antibiotic shot sent me into a dizzy spell, my vision blurred, and I nearly passed out. The nurse kept saying to me, "Say something, darling, stay with me." But then she fanned me and kept a cool cloth on my face for a while and that was nice. I remember thinking, I did not sign up for this! :-)

Had a terrible experience with the doctor...I've stopped going to my General Practitioner because every time I go I have to sit through no less than a half hour of family history medical questions and it's never quicker than a two-hour ordeal; plus at the end of the visit I usually end up getting referred to some other doctor-very frustrating.

(I've asked some friends for referrals, but turns out, none of those offices are taking new patients-great :-(

Thinking I just had the flu and needed a quick prescription for Tamiflu, I took my chances at Phoenix Emergency Care where you can just walk in. I've been there before. Nothing to rave about, but nothing terrible. Well, there was a lady doctor there today, one I've never seen before. Before I got my shots, I forgot to tell her that I was still nursing Jack (bad oversight, I know, but my head was spinning so bad and I felt so awful, it just slipped my mind). Before she wrote my prescription (and after I received the shots), I asked her to make sure the Rx was safe for nursing moms. She promptly scolds me for not telling her sooner (again, I agree, she's right, but her tone is way out of line), and then she says, (and I quote), "I'm a nursing mom too, and I would never forget to tell the doctor something like that."

Seriously!?! How rude! There were three or four other things she did during the visit that I thought were bad manners for doctors, and she didn't even show up to the office until 90 minutes after they had opened (I went first thing at 8am hoping to be in and out-yeah right!) I left at 11am. 3 HOURS!

They sent me out to the waiting room to wait on my prescription, and after a half hour more of waiting, I go up to the nurses desk and ask them to check on it. I'm crying at this point, and I don't even care. I feel so awful and have had such a horrible experience -I'm fearful I won't even be able to drive home I'm so dizzy- I just want to run home to the safety of my bed. Twenty minutes after that, they finally give me the Rx. My face is red, streaked with hot tears, and I leave. They didn't even schedule a follow-up. Not that I'd ever visit that place again.

So, I'm back to square one: MUST FIND GOOD DOCTOR! I don't even feel confident in the care I received today, so I'm wondering if I should have another dr. look at me if I don't feel better soon. And I definitely want a follow-up chest x-ray in a month when this thing should be out of my chest.

So, anyone love their doctor? And I mean, LOVE. I'm through with mediocre doctors. People should give a crap about how they do their job. I can honestly say I never strived to just be a mediocre teacher-the little ones I was interacting with daily were too important for that. And doctors should feel the same way!

Sorry for the rant today. But I'm stuck in bed, I miss my kids (Jason's taking sick leave to be Mr. Mom, thank God), I've already taken two naps today, and I'm just feeling worse than I ever have before. And I won't be able to go to Bunco tomorrow night, to boot! Boo!

Saturday, October 10, 2009

Gameday!

Well, it was the first sad Gameday of the season --AU took a slight beating from the Arkansas Razorbacks. It looked like AU might still have a shot a few different times during the game, but in the end, our defense could not keep up, and our offense had a much-too-late-start at putting plays together. Oh well, 5-1 is pretty great, especially considering the dismal season we endured last year.

At least we have this adorable cheerleader to brighten our spirits! War Eagle and have a great weekend!

Waking up after naptime, snuggling with Baba and Grandpa, watching football

Baba gave lucy some new clothes!
Lucy's off to take her clothes to the closet!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Dog Heaven

We're so sad for our friends the Carney's who had to put to sleep their sweet Golden, Berkley, this past weekend. Berkley was such a GREAT dog! I wanted to do something that might help Gavin and Cameron (4 and 2 years old) deal with missing their dog. For anyone who might be dealing with this situation, check out the book, Dog Heaven, by Cynthia Rylant.



During my grad school work, I used a lot of Rylant's picture books with my students, and she is wonderfully talented at writing stories that are beautifully simple and with which kids and adults can relate to. Dog Heaven is one of those sweet books that would be perfect for helping a young child cope with their dog dying. It's comforting to read about how the dogs have open fields to run in and angel children to keep them company. Every dog gets to be a good dog in Heaven, and my favorite part of the story is when Rylant mentions God's sense of humor in giving the dogs treats shaped like squirrels and cats! Really, this book is a great addition to anyone's children's library!

And before you go to Barnes & Noble or Books a Million and pay $16.99 + tax for the book (I think it only comes in hardback), check out your online book sites where you can get it for a fraction of that. (You know me, love to find the deals: I got Gavin and Cameron's book for $5 flat - including shipping!- at www.alibris.com)

Happy Reading!

PS-Oh yeah, and for cat-lovers, there is Cat Heaven too :-)

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Wedding Weekend Wrap-Up


Well, we're back, and as nice as it is to be home, we were sad to leave behind what was a WONDERFUL family trip! While we were eating dinner the night before we left Huntsville to fly up to Albany, NY, Jason mentioned that his goal for the trip was "to delight in my family." Yes, he was going to be best man and there would be some time away required for that, but he said he was so looking forward to just spending time with me, Jack, and Lucy, away from it all. (About a month prior to the trip, I was anxious about all the things that take place in merely getting a family of four - including a 2-year old and 10 month old-to such a far away destination and the logistics of it all, but I shook off those feelings of worry pretty quickly. But, to then hear Jason say that just make me let go of any little trace of worry that was still lingering.)

And it WAS delightful! Chris and Jess are great people, and all of their friends and family were lots of fun to be around . Jason calls Chris's parents his "second parents" and we both enjoyed lots of time visiting with them at their peaceful lake house on Lake George (with the most amazing view that we got to enjoy every day! You can't really tell from the picture because it was so overcast, but the leaves were changing and there were endless ridges to view - just spectacular!)

Lucy and Jack were excellent on the plane rides. Lucy was excited to be flying on a plane like the Super Readers do, and Jack was flirty with the flight attendants and really anyone who gave him attention. The only hassle that revolved around flying was caused by the Atlanta Airport (which is too busy for its own good). Our flight path was from Huntsville to Atlanta, and from there to Albany, NY. On BOTH the trip there and back, Atlanta put our departing plane on hold, causing us to have less than 20 minutes to get our gate-checked luggage, and RUN to the next concourse (which you have to take a train to get to of course) and board the next plane. But, we made it, both times.

Sidenote here: Jason and I discovered something that is different than the way air travel used to be...anyone know why this is: airlines no longer publish if a departure is delayed. You know how airlines used to post "delayed" if a plane was set to take off even mere minutes after scheduled departure time? Well, as we were running off one plane and reading the tv screens to find what gate to run to next, they never posted our next flight as delayed --and because it was showing "on time" we hauled ass with Jack on Jason's back in the backpack and Lucy in the rickety umbrella stroller, all the while rolling two rolling suitcases, a diaper bag, and large backpack through the crowded Atlanta airport. But it WAS delayed, and quite delayed at that because that's the only way we made the next flight. I'm thinking this is because airline companies are more interested in getting good reviews and "on time" departures now??? Not sure...

Anyways, Chris and Jess had a beautiful wedding, and they were most successful in pulling off a welcoming environment, laid-back atmosphere, filling everyone's tummies with delicious food and drink (Jason and I both had steak and shrimp at the wedding), and reminding everyone how wonderful it is to be in-love and surrounded by great friends and family!

Lucy made two little friends, Anna and Shay, and had a ball dancing on the dance floor. The kids got to enjoy staying up late every night (there was just way too much fun taking place to worry about keeping bedtimes! :-), and Jack quickly learned that if he refused baby food I would nurse him in the interest of "keeping the peace." So, for the second half of the trip, he got to return to infant-hood :-), but he's paying the price today, for withdrawal from extra nursings is proving to make him VERY mad! I'm so glad Jason had the foresight to take today off from work so he could help out with the "unwinding" that takes place after a long trip away from home.

I have too many great pictures to post here, but I've uploaded fifty or so pictures to our Shutterfly picture site, so if you want to see our pictures, click here.

Off for the last of the unpacking!

Friday, October 2, 2009

Greetings from Lake George!

We're here!!!! Our trip was pretty uneventful, which was just what I wanted! Jack and Lucy behaved so well on the plane (thanks to lucy's dvd player and jack's never-ending supply of Cheerios). Jack took a short cat nap, but Lucy skipped her nap. So, by the time we loaded into our rental car at the Albany airport around 5:30 pm, Lucy and Jack both passed out before we even exited the airport. Worked out great, though, because when we arrived in Sabbath Point Day on Lake George, they were rested and ready to party with a large group of wedding guests and family that had also arrived early for the festivities. The groom's (Chris) family has a house on the lake and their neighbors opened their house for us to use, which has been so wonderful. Not only is the lake view breathtaking, but having a large area for the kids to play in has been a life-saver.

We're staying in the top bonus room which is enormous, and Lucy headed straight to one of the beds, and first things first...must JUMP ON BED!

The atmosphere this weekend is wonderfully laid back and friendly. There are lots of family in town (Bride's grandmother flew in from Korea!), and a few tiny tots that Lucy has made friends with. The rehearsal dinner last night was yummy and had beer from a local micro-brewery, so Jason and I loved tasting their IPA.

There is no tv where we're staying, and Jason and I have had lots of time to spend one-on-one with the kids and together as a family; Jason even went on an extended hike yesterday by himself for some quiet reflection time. It's been a much-needed break, and it's been WONDERFUL! I've nursed Jack lakeside, just following the ridge line of the mountain tops, enjoying the strange quiet we're not used to. It's funny...God is always at work: at church for the past few months, some sermons have focused on getting quiet time away, time alone with God.

We had to travel all the way to the Adirondacks to do it, and it's been a wonderful vacation so far!


what a view from the backyard! You can walk right up to where this water begins. The leaves are turning and it's just gorgeous!