Memories from my Phone

 

Violet playing a football game in the leaves in South Bend.

Violet waiting beyond patiently for her birthday cake she shares with Grandpa Cip.

Wearing Daddy's gloves as the weather gets colder.

Trying to pick the right Daddy/Daughter self snapshot!

I tried to resist it, but a cold Sunday morning with no other activities equates into putting up the tree and letting the girls decorate for an hour.  With the darkness outside by the mid-afternoon, the soft glow of the tree is calming and a welcome source of light.

 

 

Audrey at one of two birthdays last weekend.  It is great to venture out with her friends and get her ya-ya's out!  

Cake = Contented Audrey. 

Long Road

It is Friday night!  School is over, the week is done, the lights warm the living room while outside the darkness stalks.  The girls are playing with various toys, the floor covered in plastic bobbles and bits of pink and purple doll accessories.  While a clean floor is a luxury around here, watching my children make a mess of it brings a distinct kind of satisfaction.

The nights are getting longer as winter strengthens its grip around the days that once belonged to autumn.  Frost and slight flurries are the precursor to the inevitable blankets of snow that will fill our world soon enough.

As Thanksgiving approaches, I take time to recognize the people and things in my life I am most grateful for.  My parents for always giving me support and advice as I continue to make mistakes on my road of life.  I am thankful for my family members who send love from all over the country, and give comfort to me in knowing that they are always there for me and my kids.  I am thankful for having a job where I feel rewarded and also have the ability to pay the bills and make a difference in my community.

As the weekend draws on, I have time to sit and watch my children, and think a bit about the future and the long road we all have yet to travel.  While nothing is a given in life, I look forward to watching and participating in the life of my family.  I see other people and their children out and about, and wonder if they are as in-awe of the developing lives in front of them as I am with my kiddos.  It is tiring, at times, to repeat instructions and routines and find different ways to communicate important things to your children.  I gain more and more appreciation for my own parents every day that I am lucky enough to be a daddy.  I hope that I am around long enough to see a good portion of my children's stories in life.

But the road is long, and we must enjoy the mile we are in, and live for the day.  We are here, together, right now.  I miss my family across the country a lot of the time, but understand that we are still connected by the time we have lived together and the experiences we all share.  Now I carry the advice and laughter and ideas and interactions of my past into our future.  So this is what I give thanks for as we hit another mile marker of life and set-out for new territory and adventure.

Drifting

The Orelove Family by Kim

Today is a holiday, and I lay in bed drifting in and out of sleep, trying to convince my jittery mind to take a rest.  The girls are having a nap as the weather outside contemplates snowing the first real snow of the season.  While my hopes hold out for a few more days of seeing the sidewalk, I know that sooner than later our world will be filled with the white stuff.

Violet rocking the three-wheeler in the driveway.

The past few days have been filled with the daily grind:  work, cleaning, laughing, movies, etc.  It is simple and happy most of the time, although there are moments of sisterly arguments and disputes over particular toys...but those pass quickly once a parent becomes involved.

Violet and rainbow umbrella on a chilly November morning.

We now have our sights set firmly on Thanksgiving and getting to see family in Virginia.  The tradition of driving East continues for yet another year.  This time, Hanukkah will overlap the turkey holiday, which does not happen all that often, so another layer of uniqueness is placed upon our time in Richmond.

Fresh cinnamon, raisin, walnut bread.  Yum.  

Audrey and Violet helping to make apple cake!

As I get a little older, I become slightly more aware of the world around us, and even though I try not watch the news, I cannot help it sometimes.  These are the times where I become a bit paranoid and worry for our future, which I am certain every parent does at times.  However, every time I leave my house and take a look around, I see good things happening and people who appear to have a little common sense and humanity.  Either way,  thinking about what it means to be human and being thankful for all that we have in our lives makes the entire holiday shopping and consumerism model seem unimportant and trivial.

Violet, 2 years old

So let it snow outside.  Let it build up to the windows.  I have a roof over my head, and a blanket to keep me warm.  When I wake, my daughters and I will have a snack and listen to music as we paint pictures in the living room.  

Violet getting her iron levels checked at her 2-year appointment.

Audrey and Violet at Family Reading Night at daddy's school.

Audrey in the dive.  

November Thoughts

We have been busy these past few weeks.  This was my first time at home over the weekend in about a month!  Kim was in Bloomington for the Indiana University homecoming with her college core of friends.  It is important to spend time with your friends, as I got the chance to do so this summer, and it is great that Kim also has a close group of people she keeps up with.  

With that being said, it was Daddy and Daughters weekend!  We hit the Brookfield Zoo on Saturday, and then went to McCormick Place today for a dairy processing convention, where we had lots of cheese and ice cream and a chance to catch-up with the wonderful Uncle Stuart!

As November spread its frosty fingers over our windshields, Violet turned two years old!  It is a parental cliche to think about where the time has gone, but I guess they are cliche for a good reason.  Violet has been a wonder in our lives, bringing zest and intensity all wrapped in a bundle of laughter and smiles!  Happy birthday to my little warrior!  

Today was spent cleaning house, which feels great once it is all done.  There is something about a clean floor, clearing clutter, and an empty dryer that bring immense satisfaction to my day.  Cleaning allows me to figure-out what we need, what we don't need, and to also let my brain sort-out whatever thoughts are stirring.  

Below are some of the things we have been up to lately, trying learn, love, laugh, and grow together as our little family unit!    

Daddy shows-off his medal after finishing the Grand Rapids Marathon in Michigan.  It was a great run, very beautiful and well-organized.  It was no Chicago Marathon, but still very glad I tried this one this year. One to consider returning to if my legs let me!  

A close-up of the finisher's medal.  It was the tenth year (obviously) of this particular marathon.  There is also a half-marathon, and I highly recommend it to anyone who would like to run either distance!  

Audrey in the fall leaves.  She helped rake the leaves in grandma's back yard, and then proceeded to leap into them!  

Halloween 2013:  Audrey is a fairy princess and Violet is a lion.  The rain kept us in for most of the day, but the sun broke through for about 30 minutes, so we jumped in the wagon and managed to get to a few houses for trick-or-treating.  Violet still isn't sure about the whole process, but she really enjoyed the apple on lady gave her, and I am sure a few pieces of her sister's candy stash will find their way into her clutches!

Lighting the candles on Friday night.  The girls helped make this fresh challah loaf and we lit the candles on Violet's 2nd birthday.  It was a nice way to celebrate the end of the week, a birthday, and just being together as a family. ...and the bread was amazing!   

Brookfield Zoo:  This pumpkin was nearly 1,800 pounds!  It was a bit chilly on Saturday morning, so the girls practically OWNED the zoo.  We saw all of the major animals and no one was around.  It was like getting a private tour!  It was our favorite day at the zoo ever!  Audrey even told me she knew that she wants to be a zoo keeper at Brookfield when she gets older.  

Audrey and Violet at the dolphin measure wall.  The dolphins were very active, and we spend about a half hour just watching them swim past our viewing window.  

Again, notice no one around!  We were all by ourselves at the pinniped viewing area.  Here are the girls with the massive walrus sculpture.  

We spent all summer collecting the wax Mold-a-Rama animals.  Last month the zoo released three special Halloween limited-edition molds:  The Devil, Frankenstein, and a skull!  Here are the girls getting the last two molds at the end of our day.  Audrey is doing the "Mold-a-Rama Dance", while Violet anticipates holding the warm Frankenstein mold as it is pressed-out.  

The collection is complete!  A successful day at the zoo!

We had a great day today at McCormick Place with Uncle Stuart.  It is always a treat seeing him, and he makes the girls so happy!  We enjoyed just hanging out by the water fountain and running around in a quiet area of the convention center.  

Audrey is fascinated by the "jumping" water display in the convention center main floor area.  

The girls and Uncle Stuart take a break from running around and enjoy some goldfish crackers and milk.  

Violet taking a mini-break before resuming "chase Uncle Stuart".

The Stu Crew.  Off for an adventure.