Blessings and Happenings in Our Little Corner...

Early last week was difficult; my father-in-law was hospitalized with double Pneumonia (having Pneumonia in both lungs), and my husband and I weren't sure what to expect.  (My father-in-law has been ill for a long time, having survived throat cancer, mini-strokes, heart problems, and even  Mesothelioma, which is present in his lungs.)

Still, Papa is a fighter.  After several days in the hospital, he took well to the medication, and today he's back home with the family.  AMAZING!  During his illness, he's written a book, and this week he has asked me to help him with starting his own blog.  In his eyes, he has too much to live for, and his journey is not over!

On Sunday, my wonderful husband watched Lewie, so my mom and I could go on a bus trip to Narragansett, Rhode Island.    There my mom and I had brunch at the Quidnessett Country Club, took a lighthouse tour of Narragansett Bay, and went shopping at the quaint, historic town of Wickford, Rhode Island.  It was a beautiful day; the only "minor" flaw is that we missed the Peter Pan Coach Bus that was supposed to bring us.  There was a mix-up of times on the web, and so we learned quite quickly that the bus had already come and gone when we arrived at the commuter parking lot only to see dozens of empty cars and no people!  Fortunately, we knew we could drive ourselves with a little help from Google Maps.  It would have been easier to sit and nap on the bus, but oh well, the bright side is that we arrived to everything on time, and we even gave ourselves an extra few hours to shop since we had no "bus curfew" to follow.  My mom and I are best friends, so it's always fun when just the two of us can get away for a little R&R.

My mom and I posing after a delicious brunch at the Quidnessett Country Club.

A gorgeous view from the country club dining room.  (As we were leaving, wedding guests were starting to arrive...
I so want to go to another wedding.  I'm suffering from withdrawal.)

A view of the Dutch Island Lighthouse from our boat.

A view of Newport Harbor from the boat... I LOVE Newport!

A view of the Rose Island Lighthouse and Newport Bridge.

 

My mom chillin in Wickford, Rhode Island

The Beach Rose Café...Don't you just love the colorful buoys!

A flower box in front of one of the many cute stores...

An adorable church nestled in between homes from the early 1800's.

On Wednesday, my husband and I will be celebrating our 8th wedding anniversary.  We had some rocky times over the years (when my husband became addicted to prescription pain medication for his back), but I'm happy to report that he's almost one year clean and sober and going strong.  Our anniversary is nothing short of a miracle, and I am thankful to none other than God who both gave me the patience to stay in the marriage and gave my husband a new, second chance at life.  If our prayers had not been answered, I would be a single parent right now, and my husband most certainly would have turned for the worse.  (As we know, stories of full-blown addiction never have happy endings.)  This year we feel renewed in our marriage (one day I may share the whole story), and we have agreed that if we're celebrating our 10th anniversary in another two years, we WILL rent a hall, invite all of our friends, and dance until the wee hours of the morning.  I cherish my marriage now more than ever, and I NEVER want to take anything for granted again!

Lew and I -- Lake Tahoe in August 2005

Next week, to celebrate our anniversary and our little family, we will be going to Tampa, Florida to enjoy the beach, visit the zoo, and to spend a few days in LEGOLAND.  For me, going on vacation is my reward for working so hard during the year.  It hasn't been easy to go back to work full-time and hold back tears each time my son has asked me to spend the day with him. And it certainly hasn't been easy to stay up all hours of the night to teach online classes to make extra income to pay off bills either.  (In-patient treatment for drug addiction costs tens of thousands of dollars, and since our health insurance refused to pay for it, the only viable option was to use credit cards...)

Today I feel blessed.  We all go through challenges in life--some that we share and some that we choose not to share.  While we are facing these challenges, life can seem very grim, but I'm convinced that prayer is the answer.  This week has been a reminder of just how powerful prayer can be...prayer has saved my marriage, prayer has helped Papa get better and come home from the hospital, and prayer is the reason we have good times nearing the corner--a happy Father's Day Celebration with my husband, Papa, and Lewie and a fun trip to look forward to where we can spend quality time together as a family.

(Lew and Papa)

Life will not always be perfect, but just for today, I will be thankful for what I have...

Hot Air Ballooning for Father's Day

For Father's Day weekend, my husband and I decided to take a quick, four day trip to Vermont.  We found a great getaway deal from Travelzoo that we couldn't resist, which included a three-night stay at the Castle Hill Resort and Spa with extra credits towards two massages and a dinner for two.  Before booking the reservation, I made sure our little guy could come with us too.  Fortunately, they found a room that could accommodate the three of us, and they didn't even charge us extra!

By far, the highlight of staying at this resort was the pool and hot tub.  The outside pool was heated, which means that the water was typically warmer than the air, and the hot tub was nearby for convenient access after the pool.  Both the pool and hot tub used a fine salt to keep the water clean instead of chlorine, which means there was no chlorine smell, no burning eyes, and no green hair.  We made sure to use the pool everyday--Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday morning.

On Saturday, we had decided to attend the 34th Annual Quechee Hot Air Balloon Craft and Music Festival.  While riding on a hot air balloon is definitely on my "bucket list," we didn't make reservations to ride one this time.  I didn't want to spend a lot of money and have our little guy be afraid.  Instead, we figured it would be just as fun (well almost) to watch them all go up into the air at once.  After enjoying the festival itself, we walked over to the field at 6 p.m. to prepare for the hot air balloon lift off.  At first, the weather didn't seem to be cooperating and so all of the hot air balloons were lying dormant on the field.  Then, all of a sudden (around 6:30ish), the breeze seemed to dissipate, and before we knew it, 21 balloons were inflating and preparing for lift off.  While they didn't all take off at once, they did follow each other in close sequence--one, then another, then another, and then another.  I got emotional after watching the first one leave the ground; it was such an exhilarating experience, and my brain didn't know how else to handle it other than to make my eyes well up with tears.  Lewie, amazed, even said to me, "Mommy, I never saw anything like this in my whole life."  After the fifth or sixth balloon, however, he was eyeing the playground and wanted me to push him on the swings.  Kids--go figure!
  

On Father's Day, we treated ourselves to massages while we took turns watching Little Lewie, and for dinner, we used our restaurant credit to eat at their castle.  While eating at the castle was cool (Lewie enjoyed going into the different rooms to look for secret passage ways), my husband and I both agreed that the environment was a little too stiff for our liking.  Most of the couples were older, and for this reason, they seemed somewhat displeased that we brought our very active four year-old to dinner.  While no one said anything to us in particular, we did receive lots of glares.  All I could say is that Little Lewie behaved wonderfully in my eyes.  He didn't talk too loud, and when it took a while to be served our food, he was very well mannered as we walked into the other rooms of the castle to keep him entertained.  We certainly couldn't be blamed for interrupting any one's dinner.

All in all, we had a wonderful trip, and I feel very grateful that my extra online teaching assignments were able to help pay for it.  The next time we go to the Quechee Festival, (yes, I plan on going back), I definitely want to be in one of those balloons!

It only took a matter of minutes for each hot air balloon to inflate!

The very first "lift off."  This balloon was from Fairfield, CT--not far from us.

More balloons getting ready...

The next two balloons preparing for flight.

Up, up and away!

The race to "the top"

And we have another lift off...

I love this picture.  The hot air balloon was literally right above us.

Floating away...

Taking a picture from the playground area.

Anyone that's seen Wicked the musical would appreciate this balloon.  It says, "Defy Gravity" on the other side.

Big Lew and Little Lew on Father's Day.

My husband and me... Little Lew took the picture!

My husband spotted an orange salamander outside of the castle.

Me and my little guy in front of the fountain.

There was a wedding here on Saturday.  The tent actually has chandeliers inside!

The Castle, built in 1902.

The other side of the Castle.

Big Lew enjoying the hot tub.

Me taking pictures of the pool.  

Another picture of the pool area.  (I'm a sucker for gardens and landscape design.)

Taking a swim in the 80+ degree water.

Father's Day 2011

Now that Little Lewie is getting older, he's starting to understand the concept of holidays a little more.  And yes indeed, his little mind is catching on fast--he knows holidays are all about family, friends, presents, and CAKE (his favorite). 

This week, we started celebrating Father's Day by making presents and buying a special card.  He made his own special present for Daddy at daycare, and then on Friday, we went to a cute little children's art studio called the Giggling Pig, where Little Lewie and his friend had a chance to make special wooden picture frames and finger paintings for their daddies.

The only problem was...

Lewie's friend Ryan being attentive and ready for his art project.

Lewie deciding he'd rather play with the toy blocks in the corner.

Lewie deciding that he really, really LOVES knocking down the blocks.

Lewie watching Mommy make Daddy's picture frame from afar.

So, ahem...the only problem was that Lewie didn't want to do any art projects.  Both the picture frame and the finger painting captured his attention for point nine seconds.  After that, he played with blocks and the doors to both the art studio and the bathroom.  When I suggested he sit down to help me, he decided to do the complete opposite; instead, he ran around in circles trying to get his friend Ryan to chase him.  It, to say the least, didn't work out quite exactly as planned, but at least Daddy received a present made from Mommy's TLC.  (I didn't include a picture of it because you'd laugh at my extreme lack of artistic talent.)

The one gift, however, that Daddy received that was created by Little Lewie was his Father's Day card.  I bought a special Hallmark card that lets you record your own message, so after only two tries, I managed to get Little Lewie to say, "I love you Daddy," and "Happy Father's Day."  I'm not sure how long these cards last, but I thought it'd be great if Daddy could save the card all the way until Little Lewie becomes a grown adult.  It'd be so much fun to listen to his little two year-old voice again one day. 

On Father's Day, Little Lewie had the joy of spending the day with the other two Lew's in his life--Papa Lew and Daddy Lew.  Indeed, I was happy to capture a picture of the three generations of Lew's.  The reality is that Papa Lew continues to be a walking miracle.  In his lifetime he has survived two bouts with throat cancer, Mesothelioma, a heart attack, and as of only a month ago, several strokes.  (We are still in awe at how well he is getting around when his doctors thought he wouldn't be able to speak, let alone walk!)

Lewis, Sr., Lewis, Jr., and Little Lewie Jayden

Yes, Father's Day is a day to celebrate with friends and family, open presents, and have cake.  The only thing that could have made it more fun for Little Lewie would have been the chance to blow out candles.  (Little does he know that he will be doing that in only a few short months--yes my little guy will be turning three--gulp!)

Yes Dear, I'll Buy You ANOTHER Wedding Band

For Father’s Day, I bought my husband a typical shirt and a little trinket as a gift from Lil’ Lewie to Daddy. However, this year, I decided to buy him a gift from me as well…a wedding band.

It’s not like he didn’t have a wedding band. He did. About a year ago, he lost it. I think the conversation went something like this…

Husband: “Annette, have you seen my wedding band?”

Me: “No, you better not have lost it. Lewie…did you lose it?”

Husband: (Silence.)

I gave him a year to find it. I gave him a year to make him think about what he did and repent, and then finally, I gave it a year to realize that I should just suck it up and buy him another one. After all, although I never lost my wedding ring or my engagement ring, I have lost other sentimental things in my life. Well sort of…

For Father’s Day, I bought my husband a stainless steel personalized spinner band that could be engraved on the outside and also on the inside. While I’m not a big advocate for marketing products on my blog, I do have to say that I love the ring. On the outside in clear, black, legible letters, it says Annette & Lew with our wedding date, and on the inside, it says our son’s name, Lewie Jayden, with his birth date.

No, it’s not the typical wedding band, but he loves it. It’s masculine, it’s affordable (less than $100), and it’s one of a kind. If he loses this one, now I can make Lil’ Lewie give him a guilt trip right along with me since his name's on it too!

Father's Day Recap

Celebrating Father’s Day in our house was like the Father’s Day celebration glamorized in the new ABC comedy The Middle. For anyone not privy to this show or episode, the whole episode was created to show the disparity between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. You see, when mothers celebrate Mother’s Day, they don’t have a chance to relax and stop being mothers. Instead, they’re still in charge of changing poopy diapers, getting the kids dressed and fed, etc. etc. However, when fathers celebrate Father’s Day, the day is all about them, and they get to have some good old fashioned playtime with the kids and without the kids…

Anyways, I know my husband had an enjoyable day, but I have to say that if I took a poll, I would admit the person who enjoyed this day the most was our Lil’ Lewie Jayden (L.L. Cool J.)

You see, the day started with watching Daddy open his present along with his special musical card. After one viewing of the card, Lil’ Lew was hooked. For the next hour, he laughed and squealed with delight as he continually opened and closed the card. Asking for the card back didn’t work. I finally had to pry it out of his little fingers, so that we could move on to our next adventures.

After the musical card, the fun progressed to taking a walk with Mommy in the stroller followed by a ride with Daddy on the large ride-on mower.

After a little snooze, it was time to visit the grandparents, Ninny and Papa, where he’s always fed special treats. After a yummy lunch, he got to play and experiment with a Slip N Slide for his very first time. This time he squealed with delight as he danced around in the water and watched his older cousin Sarah glide through the rain shower like a plane coming in for a landing.

After a busy afternoon with the Slip N Slide, it was back home for a delicious dinner, followed by more playtime and storytime with his favorite books, Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown and In My Little Blue Bed by Claire Henley.

Father’s Day officially ended for Lil’ Lew as he snuggled up in Daddy’s lap and slowly felt his eyes get heavier and heavier until he drifted into a sound sleep from the rocking motion of the recliner. Ahhhh, what a perfect day, indeed.