turning, turning, turning through the weeks...

Its been a loooooong time since my last post and I have some really good excuses. Wanna see them?

Life is never dull here. The Redhead is enjoying preschool and is busier than ever. Whoever said the two's are terrible obviously never had a three year old. He's fun, just slightly manipulative and defiant at times. I came close to selling him once but then thought better of it.

Little Sister is doing fabulously. She turned 3 months old on Thursday the 21st. Hard to imagine that much time has already gone by. She's sleeping anywhere from 8-11 hours at night and had her first chuckle with me a few nights ago. She is very happy and laid-back and loves watching her brother.

3 months old (1/21/10)

An exciting update about our house - In mid-December we got a full price offer on our little home. We quickly accepted and set off looking for another, larger place to settle down. We found this great place...




Its got the space we need (almost 2000sq/ft, 3BR, 2.5BA, LR, DR, Den, and sunroom), is in a GREAT neighborhood, and was a heck of a deal. It will be our continuous "project home" for years to come. Literally, once you step through the front door, you are transported back somewhere between 1970 and 1980 - quite confusing. It'll be fun though.

coming up for air

We're still here, just a smidgen busy though. 60 days to go before the big arrival and as if that isn't enough, we've decided to put our house on the market in hopes to make a step up to more room (and rooms). No showings yet, but some interest, so we're crossing our fingers and praying that we will be able to sell it and avoid the 6% realtor commission. Between doctor's visits, playdates, MOPS gearing back up, Wesley getting ready for preschool, getting the house ready for showings, making time to nap, etc., I just haven't had much desire to blog. I'll probably be a bit more sporadic since life is only going to get busier, but I'll be around. There will MOST DEFINITELY be pics of the new arrival, don't worry your pretty little heads about that one. But I'll probably check back in before that happens!

See you around!

Caroline

he's here!

At exactly 3:47 this afternoon, Jack Owen Iseley arrived on the scene weighing 8lbs 2oz and 20 3/4in long. He's beautifully perfect in every way. My sister did a great job of laboring and pushing (and a lot of waiting for the doctor in the middle of all that) and all is well. I was blessed to be able to be present for the actual delivery (my first live birth if you don't count the Redhead) and was the official unofficial photographer. All of the good pictures are on Sarah's camera, but I managed to get a few which I will share with you all tomorrow (I'm too tired to wait for them to download tonight). Thanks for all the well wishes and prayers - they were certainly felt in the delivery room. Sarah commented several times about how peaceful the whole delivery was. Could have been the epidural working its magic, but we'll chalk it up to the power of prayer.


Pictures to come soon!

baby jack update

Well, its seems that Baby Jack doesn't want to make an appearance on his own, so tonight my sister will be admitted into the hospital. They'll start her on Pitocin tomorrow morning and hopefully, in a few short hours, Baby Jack can be coaxed out of his cave. I plan to go to the hospital sometime tomorrow probably after lunch and wait for Jack's arrival. I have secured a sitter for the Redhead, so all will be well here. If you're the praying kind, please pray for a safe delivery of Baby Jack and for protection over my sister as she labors. I promise to post pictures and details as soon as I can!

A Very Proud (Soon-to Be Aunt),

Caroline

words of comfort...two year old style

This past week my maternal grandmother passed away as she slept. She was my last living grandparent. "Mama Sease" as we called her died a month shy of her 90th birthday. She lived a good life, had a good husband, four children, ten grandchildren, and one great-grandchild who thankfully inherited her red hair! She will be greatly missed.

The redhead, since he's only 2 and a half, doesn't yet understand death and that's okay. I told him Mama Sease (who he most likely doesn't even remember) is in heaven with Jesus.

Tuesday night, my Aunt Emily and I were talking about how one of the saddest things is that Sarah, my sister is just 3 weeks shy of giving birth to a baby boy named after my grandfather Jack, Mama Sease's husband. Mama Sease wanted the baby's sex and name to be a surprise and passed away unaware that the baby carried on a family name. I commented (in the redhead's presence) about how Sarah must be sad about this fact and that I was sad for her. The following is exactly what was said by my most loving child.

Me: I know that Sarah must be sad that Mama Sease didn't get to meet Jack.

Redhead: Sarah, sad?

Me: Yes, Aunt Sarah is sad about Mama Sease and mommy is too.

RH: Mommy sad? Hug you. All better.



Upon hearing this, I cried. How could I not? My little redhead is so loving and compassionate and obviously sensitive to the feelings of others. I love it. What a blessing.

And what a blessing to have a grandmother who passed on a legacy of loving the Lord, working hard, serving others, and the importance of family. I'm thankful to have had so many years and so many memories with her. She will be greatly missed.

4 Generations (L-R): Mama Sease, me, my mom, and the redhead
July 2008

polishing a piece of the past

Next Wednesday will mark one year that my precious grandmother has been in heaven. Even though she is sorely missed, I am thankful to know that she is no longer living with Alzheimer's Disease, not knowing the faces of those who were closest to her. Now all she sees is the face of Jesus and those she loved who preceeded her entry into heaven.

Over Christmas, my dad and mom, along with redhead and I, spent one night (it would have been two if it hadn't been for the dreaded stomach bug...again) at my grandparents home. The house holds many memories for me - staging childhood plays with my cousins, playing piano for a captive audience of aunts and uncles, my first viewing of "Pinwheel" on Nickelodeon (we didn't have cable when I was younger), the list could go on and on.

Once vibrant and full of life, the house now stands dark and lifeless. The two that made the house their home have passed on from this life into the next and now it simply holds their precious belongings, most of which are slowly being divided amongst their four children and 11 grandchildren.

I have been fortunate enough to receive several items of great sentimental value from my grandparent's home. My collection includes three paintings that hung in various rooms of the house, a salad plate from their everyday china that we always ate off of, a crystal serving platter and vase, and some necklaces from my grandmother's collection. All of these items hold tremendous meaning, but three items in particular are the most special - a Revere Ware stock pot and two frying pans.


I realize it probably seems a little odd for me to cherish pots and pans as sentimental items, but allow me to explain. These pots and pans are by my best guess at least 30 years old, but probably older than that. They are the only ones I ever remember my grandparents using.

I can still picture my grandfather in his bathrobe and slippers, hair unkempt from a good night's sleep, standing at the stove scrambling eggs and frying bacon in the frying pans. He always made cooking a big breakfast a priority when we came to visit and by-gosh even if you weren't hungry for a big breakfast, you were going to sit down at the table and eat something.

After breakfast was over, someone - either my grandfather or grandmother would get right back in the kitchen and scrub those pans for their next usage.

To say the pans have been well-worn is putting it mildly.

This past weekend my mother-in-law and I were in her kitchen when I noticed that the pots and pans she was using looked similar to the ones I had just inherited, with the exception being that the bottoms of her pans boasted a shiny copper color. I asked her about it and she said that her mother was meticulous about shining her cookware. And I have to say, for about 50 years old, these pans looked almost brand new. I asked about products to bring back the shine on my pans and she shared with me her secret weapon, which I immediately tried to find when I arrived home. I wasn't able to find exactly what she had, but what I did find did the trick (even if it did feel like it was singeing the top layer of my corneas).

Here is what the bottom of the large frying pan looked like before:

and here it is in a side-by-side comparison with the polished stock pot:



Here is what about 30 minutes of scrubbing and several rounds of cleaner can do (please excuse the terrible lighting):




It was a major difference.

I feel as if I have revived a piece of my past and in a strange way, honored my grandparents by loving something that was theirs, no matter how simple or mundane. To someone else, these pots and pans might be mere cooking tools, but to me they represent the passing from one era into another - the making of something old into something new again.

jack-in-the-belly

While our family was together for Thanksgiving, we told the redhead about "Baby Jack" being in Aunt Sarah's belly (my sister is 5 months pregnant) and not only was he interested, but he went as far as to plant a sweet little kiss on her baby bump. (can you hear the collective "Awwwww, how cute..."?)

Later in the day, my entire family is sitting, deliriously stuffed, in the living room following our eat-a-thon and we ask the redhead who is in Aunt Sarah's belly.

He promptly responds in his cute as pie two-year-old voice, "Jaaacckk" and proceeds to lift Aunt Sarah's shirt to see her belly. We watch as he plants yet another kiss on Baby Jack and exclaim our oohs and aahs at how cute he is.

The redhead then climbs off the couch, goes straight to my mom, his "Nano", lifts her shirt and inquires in the same cute as pie two-year-old voice..."Jack?"

We peed our pants laughing - well maybe just Sarah since she's the only one with a "Baby Jack" in the belly.

hear ye, hear ye...

On this, the thirteenth day of November in the two-thousand and eighth year of our Lord, I have-est two proclamations to shout from thine rooftops.

Proclamation Numero Uno:

My sister (Sarah) is great with child and the child is a............BOY!!!!! Her little sprout shall be called Jack Owen(our name that was maiden) Iseley. Goest thou forth and bid her congratulatory remarks if thou so desireth.

This is how my dearest sister and husband shall appear upon the arrival of their bundle sometime near the ninth day of the month of April in the two-thousand and ninth year of our Lord. (Only they shall look much more tired when tis their own child
and they are partaking in no respite)

Proclamation Numero Dos:

Following much prodding, it appeareth that my dearest friend, Mrs. Noonzie has indeed proceeded henceforth into the blogosphere. I almost partooketh in a massive coronary upon hearing the news of this greatness. Please go out from this place and bid her a warmer than warm welcome - but only after thou leavest me a comment. You may find her at the following address...

Love Me Through It

Now go thou forth into the blogosphere.

home again, home again, doodly squat

Oh the fun we had on our vacation! I'll have to regale you with stories and pictures tomorrow as I'm tired and I've got some suitcases to unpack. However, I will share these two pictures with you.

Here we are in the car sitting in traffic on I-40. How long had we been on the road you ask? FIVE MINUTES!!!! Thankfully it only lasted 20 minutes. The cause of this slow-moving traffic? Onlooker delay. I'm not even going to get started on that right now.




Four hours (we had to stop to eat and stretch our legs) and three full bellies later, we arrived here...

There's no place like home.

fun on the fourth, fifth, and sixth

Over the fourth, we traveled to Waynesville, NC to have a reunion of sorts with the Owen family (my dad's side). As long as I can remember, we have met for the fourth at a farmhouse in Brevard. As we began to graduate high school, attend college, and get summer jobs, our annual reunion fizzled out. After my grandmother's death in January, the family decided to revisit the family reunion idea. My dad is one of four children, and I am one of eleven grandchildren (5 girls, 6 boys, born in that order). We always have such a great time together, and now that the family is expanding to include spouses and the "great-grands", its even more fun. On Friday, we got together in my aunt and uncle's backyard for a cookout. Now, those of you in the mid-west and west coast may refer to this as a "barbecue". That's all well and good, but we southerners know that barbecue isn't a verb (as in "to barbecue"), its a noun, and its very tasty, especially with slaw and hushpuppies.

So we ate, ate some more, and then ate some dessert. Meanwhile the redhead and his cousin MC were just happy to be outside. Here's MC and the redhead. I forgot to tell him it was a little early for the fireworks.

Our family in front of the apple tree. Notice we are quite color coordinated in our red, white, and blue. Totally not planned. We just roll like that.

Here's Mr. Baseball demonstrating his magnificent whiffle ball skills. I know, I married a good-lookin' and athletic man. Rrroooowww.

The redhead loves anything with wheels, including MC's baby doll stroller. He was so cute and so in touch with his sensitive side. I think he tossed the baby right before this picture was taken. Like I said...sensitive.

Thought I'd throw in a piece of family history for you. This is a picture of my great-great-grandparents, Robert Lafayette Owen and Margaret Elizabeth Murray Owen, born circa 1830. She has great eyebrows. I did notice, however, that she looks really peeved - probably because of something he did. He is totally oblivious to this fact. He's probably thinking about how he needs to feed the hogs and milk the cow.

So, I didn't explain that much of our weekend was spent at my grandmother's home. It is quite spacious (several of us stayed there) and holds an infinite amount of memories for all of the "tuzzins" (cousins). My dad and his siblings are facing the difficult task of going through the house and dividing up the contents among themselves and the grandchildren. Thankfully, there has been no strife, only fun. The pictures below are what transpired after my Aunt Mary brought out some of Nana's old jewelry, gloves, scarves, and the ever-popular "dicky".

(L) Jennifer sports the belt
(R) Tyson sports the "dicky" with some lovely beads

(L) Laura shows off her "jazz hands"
(R) Erin strikes a pose after she's gotten all gussied up

Here's Erin and I with all our goodies. The purse and the gloves are a good addition, don't you think? I actually got to keep those.

(L to R) cousin in-law Laura, Erin, me, Jenn, Tyson, and Sarah
**Please disregard the fact that I look gi-normous in this picture. Remember, the camera adds 10 lbs. I think three people had their cameras on us.**

You'll notice that we are all wearing our "dickies" and sporting lovely beaded jewelry courtesy of our lovely Nana. She had very good taste - well, except for the dickies - and we will get good use out of the necklaces.

Just so you know, no dickies were harmed in the making of these photographs, but many a joke was made about the dickies. Jenn had a "dusty dicky", someone's dicky got in a twist, and so on and so on. It just went downhill from there. I think I peed myself a little laughing so hard. Yes, I did just admit that.

Owen family, thanks for all the memories. I can't wait until next year.

redheaded fun

Here are some recent pictures of our redhead - for family and friends...

Cousin Katherine and Aunt Emy

He looks like he's seizing in this picture. Good thing the insurance card is under his foot - we might need it. Actually, he was doing the "bridge", but I didn't catch it in time.

Just being a wild n' crazy boy

Thanks for the hand-me-downs Jonathan and Jacob!

the extra "ingredient"

I love to eat out. We used to eat out a lot more when we were DINKS (dual income no kids). We'd drive to Greensboro and eat at Carrabba's, Olive Garden, Outback, you know, nice restaurants. Now our idea of a nice restaurant is one where we can all eat for under $15 and don't have to leave a tip. Places we frequent include Arby's, Chick-Fil-A (that one will never get old), and Sir Pizza (a small chain).

Now it makes complete sense why, when we were little, the only place where we ate out was Po' Folks!

Before I digress any further, let me get to the point of this post.

The plan was to take mom to a special "expensive" restaurant for Mother's Day. I won't name said restaurant but I will say it was/is in Charlotte. I think I was probably no older than 12 or 13 which would make my brother around 10ish.

We sat down at our table, placed our drink orders and perused the menu. I probably ordered chicken fingers and fries or something just as healthy. My brother placed an order for a personal cheese pizza (it probably had some other toppings that I can't remember), followed by everyone else's orders. We waited a normal amount of time, received our food, then bowed our heads to pray. Following the "amen" was a quiet gasp from my mother. She said (in a very calm voice), "Daniel, don't eat your pizza." Now, if you're going to tell a prepubescent male not to eat, there better be a darn good reason. This particular "reason" had two black antenna poking out from under a layer of cheese. Clearly, the extra ingredient had been added prior to the baking process and the brick oven had simply sealed its fate.

I think my response went something like this: "Eeeewww. Gag me with a spoon."

Daniel was simply without words. I think he considered passing out. He was kind of squeamish as a kid.

My mother promptly reported this unfortunate incident to the wait staff who promptly sent the manager to our table. The manager was totally embarrassed and apologetic. He was even generous enough to offer to refund Daniel's meal and offer us free dessert. Wow, so generous. My brother could have died from eating a baked roach and you want to offer us free dessert? Do you really think we want to continue to eat food after seeing that? Yah...thanks for coming out.

We finished eating (somehow), and left the restaurant. I have yet to return. My mother, however, says its under "new management" and has been back several times. She reports that the food is "very good". I bet she has yet to order a personal pizza.

I would love to hear your dining out mishaps. Do tell.

Start to Finish

See this?

That's right...I completed my first 5K (3.1 miles) race - EVER!!!!! YAY!!!! And I did it in 32 min. 33 sec. Pretty decent for a first-timer. That's just under an 11 minute mile.

I was a little afraid that I wouldn't be able to do it considering I have had a cold for about a week and haven't run in a week and a half. I ran with my sister who can be a bit faster than me - she was gracious and hung with me, even though she could have gotten a much better time. Thanks Sarah! There were a couple of times where I wanted to throw in the towel, but I stuck with it and only walked 100 yards at the most.

It was great to see the finish line and the fact that my parents and Wesley were there cheering us on was so much fun. Unfortunately Adam had to work, so he got the report via phone.

Ever since high school (when I started running) I have wanted to run a 5K just so I could say I have run one. After college, I quit running and started walking instead. This past January I decided to start running again and found a great training plan online. I figured between giving birth a year and a half ago and turning 30 last year, I could set some kind of goal to meet before I turn 31 and running a 5K was a good one. I would love to run the Asheboro 10K (6.2 miles) in October, so that's a good goal to work toward. I hear its a doozie - I've got a lot of training to do.

Here are my results for the race:

Out of the women who ran (63 to be exact), I placed 43rd. Out of the women in my age group (13), I placed 10th. Not great, but I wasn't last! I'm not sure how I did overall- there were 159 runners-but I am proud of myself nonetheless. Here's some pictures of the day...

Sarah and I get ready to cross the finish line -
my crazy excited face is because we saw Wesley and my parents

We're done - WHEEEEE!

Wesley with my parents, his "Papa" and "Nona" and his "cah" of course!

Happy Birthdays

This is my "little brother", Daniel. He's 28 today. I guess he's not so little anymore. Here he is with Wesley last summer on a trip to the mountains. What a handsome duo. Uncle Dan-O (as we like to call him) is sooooo funny and can come up with one-liners like nobody's business. He loves music and plays guitar exceptionally well! Did I mention, he also loves Jesus, which is the best! We love you Uncle Dan-O, Happy Birthday!


Today is also the birthday of one of my bestest friends, Stephanie. We met back at good old Providence High School in Charlotte in 1993. Wow, that means we've been friends 15 years! Are we really this old? Anyway, we don't get to see each other very often anymore, we live in different states. I appreciate her sense of humor, how she tells it like it is, and the fact that no matter how much time passes between our visits, it feels like no time has passed. Love you girl. You have been and are still such a wonderful influence in my life! Steph, don't be a hater, this picture was the only one I had of you that was "recent". I think for 4 weeks postpartum you look DANG good! Plus, I think its a great picture of us! Happy B-Day Mico!