hurricane sandy

as you know, hurricane sandy devastated the east coast over the past few days. we are praising God that we are safe and sound, though without power and unsure of when it will return. many friends and family are posting pictures of the aftermath. our old street in ocean city was 6ft underwater. homes are floating down the street, as are cars, people in boats, and tons of wreckage. trees and power lines are down everywhere. I haven't seen a single boardwalk still in tact. this is the worst storm we've ever experienced in our lifetimes.

my husband, Norah, and I have traveled south to his parents' house since they have power. we had to wait in a line 45 mins long just to get gas on the parkway. but now that we are here, we are in a warm house and we have working phone/Internet service so we can at least be in touch.

though our family is ok, many are not. the news report yesterday said 3 million people are without power and I'm sure the number has gone up since then. many people are returning to their shore homes today to find there is nothing left. it's such a tragedy, and so very upsetting knowing your childhood home, the place you grew up, the place your memories were made, the place you live and love is just...gone.

again, my family is extremely lucky to only have experienced loss of power through all of this. many many people have it so much worse. please keep our communities in your prayers.

***the following are a few pictures I took with my phone yesterday. we drove around our neighborhood just surveying the damage. no flooding in our town, but lots of trees and power lines down.

on a car

 

there's a house under there

 another tree on a house

right around the corner from our house

through the roof

fallen tree blocking the road

another fallen tree

 

the line for gas....we're halfway there 

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unproductive

no matter what i begin doing today, i start losing interest about 2 minutes in. i guess it's just one of those blah-days where i don't feel like doing anything at all. it's rainy and cold and i'm just plain tired. norah is taking a longer-than-usual nap (and because i just said that she's probably going to wake up right.....now.....) and i'm sitting here wishing i took advantage of this free time by taking a nap myself. maybe i would wake up feeling a little more motivated for the rest of the day? who am i kidding though, weather like this means PJ's, a movie, and snuggles with my peanut. folding the laundry can wait. answering e-mail can wait. heck, the fridge is full of leftovers so i don't even have to cook dinner today.

and i was right, i can hear norah starting to wake up in her room. i'll get her out and take her downstairs where we'll share a snack and i'll have another cup of tea. we'll watch sesame street or maybe a movie and i'll snuggle her to pieces. we'll have a tickle fight or two or twenty and we'll play "horsie tea party" (her favorite lately). i'll make her laugh, but she'll make me laugh more. i'll kiss her and hug her and tell her i love her.

maybe this won't be an unproductive day after all.

xo

so long, summer

this morning was so very chilly. summer is finally gone but fall is welcomed with open arms. it is my most favorite time of the year. i think many would agree that they can't wait for sweater weather, crunching leaves, or pumpkin flavored coffee. however, there are some things about summer that i'll miss. like walking barefoot in the grass.. staying up late catching fireflies in the backyard.. sitting on the curb eating popsicles.. swimming at night..

i realized that the things i'll miss the most about summer are the things from my own childhood that i hold near to my heart. norah has allowed me to relive these experiences through her and with her and so it is the new memories we make together that i'm sad to move on from.

but now it is fall and we'll have new memories to make and share and next summer will return in less than a year. so we said goodbye to summer on one of the last 80 degree afternoons we'll likely have. i pitched a makeshift 'tent' and we blew bubbles in the grass, barefoot, in the backyard. here's to the memories we made this summer, and all the ones we'll make in the future.

** p.s. i thrifted that checkered sheet ages ago (when i was pregnant!) and i finally brought it out of hiding. isn't it wonderful? one day it will go on norah's big girl bed. :)

our lovey

norah has a couple of stuffed animals that she clings to. one, being the grinch, who we call "chew." and another being a little red mouse from ikea who is named "ruby." chew has been her buddy for a few months now and ruby is starting to work her way up to a close number two.

lately, norah has been very affectionate toward a third animal and let me tell you it melts my heart. this bear was my bear when i was a baby, and she's been with me ever since. her name is "baby allison" (haha) and i took her everywhere with me. even as i grew she came with me to college and when i moved away. she even had a place in my apartment as a newlywed. when norah came along i kept her close by still, sitting in the corner of the crib.

now norah is growing to love baby allison as much as i did (and still do). my bear will be the first, of many, things that i hope to pass down to norah one day. it makes my heart so happy to see them together, and to hear norah call out for her friends "chew", "boobee", and "assin."

always

tonight i put norah to bed even though the normal routine is mommy does bath and teeth brushing, then daddy does storytime and snuggles before laying her down. however we had dinner at mark's brother's house and afterwards gave norah and her cousin a bath together. we drove the mile back to my in-laws (oh yea, we're staying with them for a couple days. did i mention that?) and she was still awake and asking to nurse so i decided i would take over bed time.

the room was dark and cool, and we each slipped into our PJs and snuggled under the covers. she nursed for only a minute or two before reaching for her binky and rolling over, her animal friends tucked under her arms. it would have been easy to pick her up and lay her in the pack n play, but i decided to just stay with her for a little longer.

as i lay there with my nose on her neck, inhaling the sweet baby smell that still lingers on her soft skin, i said a silent prayer and thanked our God in Heaven for that moment. so easily i forget to just feel her skin, really feel it i mean. i ran my fingers along her arms and felt that baby softness that will only be here for a short while longer. as she gets older i know her skin will look more like mine, with marks and scars that prove the passage of time. tonight i remembered just to look at her and breathe in everything that she is. that soft soft skin, her sweet baby smell, and her small little body pressed into mine. this was such a happy moment, but i couldn't help but feel a little sad.

tonight is the last night that norah will ever be as small as she is. as that thought circled my mind i couldn't bring myself to leave the bed. i wanted to stay with her forever in that moment, and never ever leave. it is so painful, this thing called motherhood. the heart that once beat inside of you and now is alive in your arms will one day be too big to stay there. one day my arms will be empty but i know my heart never will. moments like these i tuck away, safe in the reserves of my memory, for days and years to come.

i brushed back her hair and the words "i love you so very much" whispered into her ear. i picked up that teeny little body and made my way to her bed. as i laid her down and covered her up the sadness i felt was replaced with a surge of love. i kissed her cheek and i realized that i didn't have to be sad because this moment will never leave me. as long as i am alive, i will carry this night in my heart. norah will grow and she'll no longer need me to put her to bed, but i will close my eyes and remember.

i will always have tonight.

the color run

over the weekend, little mouse and i (along with my sister-in-law, her two kiddos, and our friend and her family) ran in a 5k in philly called the color run. mark was the official photographer of the day.

it is a 3.1 mile run, but not a race. in fact, a good amount of people were walking! as were my sister and i for about half the time, since trying to run with a jogger and a double jogger through the crowds proved to be rather difficult. you wear as much white as possible at the start and by the end you are covered head to toe in colored "paint"! afterwards there is live music and dancing and runners all gathered together throwing more color, dancing, and having a great time. it was such a blast and it's something we definitely plan on doing again. 

besides being such a FUN event, the color run also partners with local sponsors and charities for each event. the philly run benefited an organization called back on my feet, which "is dedicated to creating independence and self-sufficiency within the homeless and other under served populations by first engaging them in running as a means to build confidence, strength and self-esteem. The organization does not provide food nor shelter, but instead provides a community that embraces equality, respect, discipline, teamwork and leadership. Back on My Feet’s approach focuses on the very profound and innate desire for all of us – regardless of age, race, socio-economic status – to feel recognized, appreciated, valued and important."

i love that they go at the problem of homelessness from a different perspective. instead of meeting the physical needs of these people, they are meeting the emotional and psychological. i believe this coincides with our job as Christians in this world to love people no matter what. it doesn't matter who you are or where you're from, how much money you have (or don't have) or the type of clothes you wear: everyone on this earth wants to be loved. i applaud 'back on my feet' for doing such a wonderful service in their communities.

i have to thank the color run for providing an event that i can bring my young daughter to and feel comfortable. she had such a good time (and so did i just watching her enjoy herself!) playing in the paint and dancing away. i know that as she gets older this is something we can do together and she will get something out of it besides just exercise. i want norah to know that Jesus came to die for us ALL and it is important to help and love ALL people as that's what He tells us to do. any activity that is both kid friendly and charitable, and one that reinforces our beliefs, is one that we will absolutely invest our time in. 

thank you, color run! now for some pictures:

group before

group after

cousins at the finish line

woo hoooooooo!

cool shot mark got of a random girl

dancing girls

mommy and mouse // little mouse gettin dirty

:)