Family tradition

One of the wonderful events I enjoy every holiday season is finding a Christmas tree with my dad. Last year, we included Franny--then, only eight months--in our tradition. For the last several years we have gone to the Petschi Christmas Tree Farm out Mt. Home Road. Although with Franny in tow, our trips are unquestionably shorter and my selection criteria has needed to be amended, it is still a very special excursion that the three of us share. It's special days like these that bring such wonderful feelings and meaning to the holidays.

Christmas tree excursion 2005

The search is on!

How about this one?

This looks like a good Franny-size tree...

Finding a tree can get the hands a little dirty...

Thanks for the yummy lollipop Mr. Petschi!

One sock at a time

From the very early time that she first managed to take them off, we couldn't get Franny to leave her socks on. And, for some time now, Franny has been extremely focused on wearing as little as possible. For any kind of event or gathering I need to make sure her attire includes a onesie, because it is the one item of clothing--including her diaper--that she is unable to remove, and she is very indiscriminate about where whe may be when decides she wants to disrobe. I realize a lot of kids go through this, but it can be a little exasperating at times.

Recently, however, she is taking an interest in attempting to clothe herself, as well. She is able to get her shirt on, but not the sleeves; she can put her pants on, but can't yet manage to get them over her rump. She has much better luck with our clothes, such as with her daddy's socks. As with everything else, it is endlessly fascinating to not only watch Franny acquire her new skills, but also to witness her process of mastering them. I admit, it will be a little sad when I eventually must relinquish control of Franny's wardrobe and allow her to choose her clothes and dress herself, but as for this "removal phase"--that's a different story...

Downtown in December

Realizing that life has been way too serious as of late, we gave ourselves a much needed family fun day, and ventured downtown to absorb some of the holiday festivity in our favorite city. Although we were very disappointed to see that Macy's had abandoned the wonderful traditions Meier Frank once shared--Santa Land and the 12 Days of Christmas--it was great to leave our worries behind and be regular people out and about. We shopped, enjoyed walking around in the brisk winter air, and then concluded our excursion with a relaxing dinner at the Portland Brewing Company. We needed this day and it was wonderful!

Shopping at Pioneer Square

Going up and down every escalator (6 in all!) at least once

Running around and charming sales associates at Eddie Bauer

Using a straw like a big girl, and eating lemons (she loves them!)

Heading home, sockless and shoeless within minutes

Post-Thanksgiving thoughts

The events that took place this past Thanksgiving have brought many things to the forefront of my mind for which I am very thankful.

Franny is too young to understand how very fortunate she is to be part of such a wonderful family. (Although, there is no question that she does adore everyone quite thoroughly!) It brings me tremendous joy to see the relationships develop between Franny and her different family members and to see the love they share. How one little person can have such an impact is no less than amazing. I had hesitated to teach her to sign "I love you" because I wasn't sure it would have real meaning for her; but now I can see that I underestmated her, as I do believe that she does understand and it melts me heart whenever she signs it spontaneously on her own.

We are also so very fortunate to have family around us to lend support and help when we need it. To be able to leave Franny with them, without worry, while we are forced to focus on other situations is a blessing that I didn't fully comprehend until recent events made it so relevant. To be unable to have her with me, but to be able to close my eyes and know, without question, that she is not only safe, but also secure and happy with people she loves, overwhelms me.

There are so many other things in my life for which I am thankful, but these are the things that evoked great emotion with me this Thanksgiving.

That's Ms. Squirrel, if you please!

One of Franny's new favorite activities is being on look-out for who we have affectionately, and very creatively, dubbed Mr. Squirrel. Franny is also enjoying watching the birds, but nothing quite beats Mr. Squirrel. Throughout the day, we are continuously on the lookout for our new friend, and fortunately, he visits quite frequently and sometimes brings along a companion, which is always a welcome treat. Ironically, from the looks of some key equipment, I think Mr. Squirrel is actually a female... But she will remain Mr. Squirrel to us!

Wish come true

Since Monday, Franny has been going to the window, looking out, and coming back doing her sign for her Auntie Noelle. So, I've been telling her everyday, Auntie is coming on Wednesday. And this morning, to her tremendous delight, her wish came true, and they had tons of fun. She left just in time for lunch and naptime, since we have learned--from painful experience--that both are impossible if Auntie is anywhere near! Unfortunately, all afternoon, she repeatedly signed for her Auntie while giving me the saddest looks. All afternoon. Poor girl--she'll just have to wait until next week!

Franny sporting her Auntie's glasses

Book worm

Here's Franny kicking back with a good book. She loves to pull the cushion forward on the couch. Most frequently, it's to play peek-a-boo behind, but in general, she seems to just prefer it that way. I think of it as her booster seat for the couch.

Franny rides again

There was a day when I thought that nothing would ever top dogs on Franny's list of favorites . But I do think that horses are about to take over that lead spot. For months, Franny and Grandpa--Bampa in Franny-speak--have been making frequent trips out to the barn. Grandpa moved very slowly and patiently with her, and now, what began with only very cautious looking, has developed into enthusiastic petting, feeding, and even riding of horses. Franny, in her fearless way, didn't hesitate for a second when Grandpa pulled her up on Gator for her first ride. Ever since, horses have been Franny's passion.

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of that first ride. But, Franny was so taken with it, it was only a short matter of time before I knew she would be back in the saddle again. Friday morning, during her morning snack, Franny pointed at the horse on her plate, looked at me very seriously, and very emphatically stated "Bampa!" At that point, I knew it was time, and we loaded up and headed out to Bampa and Mm-ma's (Franny's word for Grandma). And what a time she had! But who had the most fun, I'm really not sure...

Franny, using her sign for "horse" to request a ride


And they're off...




Franny and Bampa enjoying their ride


Franny and Mm-ma giving Gator a pat on the nose

Sweet nostalgia

On Monday, after Franny awoke from her afternoon nap, we settled on the couch for our transitionary wake up time, and before I knew it, she had drifted off again! It has been a long time since Franny has just fallen asleep in my arms. And, once I had gotten over the shock of it, I have to admit I relished in the sweetness of having her asleep against my chest, as she so frequently did as a newborn. It is one of the simplest, yet also one of the most serene and sweetest joys of motherhood. And on this particular day, a welcome cure for the Monday blues.

Perspective

Peek-a-boo--it just never gets old!

Monster March

Sunday afternoon we joined family and good friends for the Monster March parade. It was a beautiful, Portland Fall day--cool, but sunny with lots of beautiful colors--and Franny had a great time scooting through leaves, watching, and then, joining in the parade. This year, she was an earless cat, although we did manage whiskers, which was an improvement over our last Halloween event. All in all, it was a great community event, full of festivity and fun, and we had a great time!

"Earless" Franny Cat, setting out for the parade

Auntie Cherl and cousin Thomas checking out the costumes

Franny and Megan taking a rest

The apple of her eye

Franny can be incredibly stubborn when it comes to having things a certain way, especially when it comes to food. Quite consistently, she won't eat food she has seen me take out of a package and put in a bowl; but she will eat it if she can take it out of the package herself; she almost always demands her own silverware, even if she doesn't use it; and, she will always prefer to eat what someone else is eating rather than what she has to eat--even if it is the same thing. Today, I was eating an apple, when she indicated that she wanted some (of course). I cut off a piece for her, which she immediately rebuffed, pointing instead to my whole apple. Thinking she would get nowhere with it, I gave it to her, thinking she would quickly move on to the next new and exciting thing to catch her eye. To my amazement she bit right into it, and eventually ate it down to just a small piece. She had even eaten the top, bottom, and part of the core! Crazy girl!

2nd annual Kruger trip

After taking a trip to Kruger's Farm last Halloween, we immediately knew we wanted to make it one of our family traditions. This year, I had been eagerly anticipating our return trip; this time, with an older Franny, who, unlike last year, is walking, talking, and signing, but above all, is always enthusiastic and thrilled with a new adventure, which makes trips like these so much fun!



We began our excursion by venturing through the corn maze. The cool air and misty fog really leant to the feeling of Fall and Halloween and made me glad we hadn't gone earlier when the weather was more summer-like. Franny loved running up and down the pathways. We actually had to cheat a little in order to get out with enough time to enjoy all the other great events going on!







Another big hit with Franny was the hay ride to the pumpkin patch. From standing in line, where she could be around all the other kids, to the ride in and back, Franny really enjoyed the ride!










Once we got far enough away and Franny stopped making u-turns trying to get back to the truck, we explored the pumpkin patch. Unlike last year, when we went on October 30th, there were lots and lots of pumpkins to look at. While I think she liked exploring the pumpkin patch, she was not complaining when we headed back for our return ride!







We then headed into the market to check out all the great foodstuffs and merchandise. Franny tried on this super-neat cat hat while we explored the market, warmed up with some hot cider, and noshed on some free samples--yum!!

Definitely, a very fun time was had by all!

The Cooshie Booster

The booster seat I ordered for Franny has finally arrived. Already, the "Cooshie Booster" has been a big hit, although I can't say that it's actually been used for boosting, yet. But it has been drug up and down the stairs, stood on, sat on (mostly upside-down), used as a step stool, attempted to be worn as a hat (that one didn't work so well), and hoisted up onto every flat surface within reach. Most recently, I think it found it's way into the master bathtub. So far, it's been such a great toy, it's almost a shame to utilize it for such routine business!

I am sure we will start to use the seat very soon. But now that it has arrived, I feel more reluctant to give up the high chair, as it does have many advantages; mainly, the tray, which has been very helpful in maximizing damage control with an extremely enthusiastic eater. Ideally, she will use both interchangably, but we will see what the fiercely independent Franny will agree to once she's had her first experience with the big girl booster. I think we had better start stocking up on the Spot Shot again...

18 months of Franny Rae

1 1/2 months

3 months

6 months

6 months (I couldn't decide!)

9 months

12 months

15 months

18 months

The open window

This picture of Franny almost seemed to catch a reminiscent, final gaze on what may be among the last of our warm and sunny Fall days. I love the changing of all the seasons, but Fall is my favorite. Unlike other seasons, it is not just about the onset of Autumn, but also the passing of summer--with each falling leaf the carefree days of summer gradually fade, evoking a nostalgic feeling of the relaxing, fun days past, but is also accompanied by a sense of resignation to the transition into a more serious time of year. Kids return to school; we pack up our summer belongings and store them away for another year; we prepare our gardens for a long, dormant winter; and we retreat indoors until the elements are again tempered next Spring. The changing colors are breathtaking, the cooling weather is somehow comforting, and I find this time of year to also be a natural time for introspection and evaluating life.

This year, I much more to reflect on, with two major aspects holding my attention. The timing of the unwelcome transition that has been thrust upon our family is unfortunate, but we are trying our best to embrace the uncertainty with as much grace and optimism as we are able. The circumstances are much more encouraging than the last time we faced this dilemma, but the anxiety and sense of urgency are still an underlying and constant presence. Our new addition to our family seems to both ease and accentuate the anxiety, but it is an incredible joy thatI am determined not to undermine or allow to be overshadowed by our current challenge. I am prepared for wherever our life takes us this next year, and I am anxious to watch the unknown unfold over the upcoming months. Our health, love, and strength will see us to the next open window, of that I am certain. Until then, those same precious things will keep us going with our faith focused on finding it.