My Aura

"I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. 

For me they are the role model for being alive."

Gilda Radner

There was no greater dog, nor do I imagine there will be a greater dog, than my Aura. And today our journey together ended, but the unconditional love that she gave me for 11 1/2 years will be a part of me forever. There is no companionship like that of a dog - and there is no dog like Aura. She loved everything about life - she was my running partner, my squirrel hunter, my kitten-cat-puppy-dog-frog-children lover, my heating blanket, my diary, my assistant teacher, my road-trip buddy, my shoulder-to-cry-on. When I was happy, Aura wagged her tail and tap-danced endlessly. When I was stressed, she chewed on her leg until I found my peace. She was, without a doubt, a reflection of every minute in my life. 

Aura lived in my first apartment with me. She moved to three different rental houses with me. She was by my side when I bought my first house... when Zach moved out and John moved in... when I got married... when the girls were born. She attended every holiday function in our family, every birthday, every gathering. Aura loved opening presents. She was Cali's first family dog companion. She was with us when Sam and Murphy joined my parent's world. She welcomed Lucy into our home. She was a role model for puppy tolerance when Ginger and Charlie arrived. Aura was my journal for the past 11 1/2 years; there is nothing that she didn't know. And I am forever thankful for our time together and the place in my heart that will always belong to Aura.

The first snow

It snowed on Wednesday night. It was a snow that I spent all day Wednesday hoping for - you see, Aura loves the snow. My faithful companion of nearly 13 years has always LOVED the snow. And we were preparing ourselves (however poorly) for this to be her last snow. I'm not convinced that it isn't, but I feel like it snowed for her. And I'll be damned if she managed to get herself off the floor and insist that she join us outside - and I'm sure it did her old arthritic bones not a bit of good to be out in the cold, but so be it. The vet, as of this morning, put her on some pain meds that will either make a huge difference... or not. He was nowhere near ready to give up, so I'll peel myself off the floor, wipe the tears, and do the same. But while I wallow in my pathetic and insufficient coping skills, please make sure to notice and enjoy the little things...Like the first snow and all the wonderful memories it triggers. 

Wordless Wednesday: The presents under our tree

Foodie Friday: Kale Salad

• 3-4 leaves organic kale; shredded
• Heat 1-2 T olive oil in pan
• Sprinkle red pepper flakes in pan (amount depends on your heat preferences)
• Add kale to pan and toss in red peppered olive oil
• Saute until tender - I covered for a bit to steam slightly
• Toss kale with fresh lemon juice, salt, pepper, grated Parmesan, organic avocado

Wordless Wednesday: Barefoot and Bows

Lovin' Lawrence

It's good to love where you live. Really, really good. The past several days have simply reminded us, as a family, how great it is to do things, see people, and share experiences together. And Lawrence, KS is just the place for all of the above! We started our weekend-o-fun on Thursday with the Festival of Trees at Liberty Hall, followed by dinner at Freestate Brewery. We continued on Saturday morning with the horse parade and ended our day with some Rock-Chalk excitement at Allen Fieldhouse for the KU volleyball tournament. Sunday took us to Strawberry HIll Christmas tree farm, which felt nothing like December but was complete with warm apple cider. As we were leaving downtown on Thursday evening, surrounded by the glowing trees along Mass, Elise sighed and said "I just love the holidays". Yes, my child, I. do. too. 

Let there be ART!

From the time they were tiny, the girls had markers. They had paper. They had glue. They had scissors. It was a given that at some point, almost everyday, we would do art. My years as an early childhood special education teacher ingrained in my brain the need for children to create. I LOVE to create. This week, I've tried out new recipes:

Banana Muffins (recipe adapted from here)

• 3 ripe organic bananas
• 3/4 C organic coconut sap/sugar
• 1/4 local apple butter
• 2 large organic eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 C organic whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Combine wet; add dry; bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes

I made a baby beanie for a friend of the family ... I made a new wreath for the front door:

Having something to do... some way to occupy my time that is productive... having a hobby... it gives me such satisfaction, such a feeling of accomplishment. I see that very same feeling when the girls make something - we are drowning in paper around here. Paper with words. Paper with stickers. Paper with glue. Paper with drawings. Paper folded in half. Paper in envelopes. At their disposal, at all times, the girls have markers, glue sticks, scissors, stickers, crayons, pens, easel (with dry erase board/markers) and tape. Let there be art, people! Let there be art! It gets messy, it gets sticky, and it totally clutters your house. :) But then you get masterpieces such as these, which are 100% worth it:

Wordless Wednesday: 4 years ago

*My monthly collage from January 2009 used a picture of Obama to indicate Elise in each photo - clearly the presidential reference has significance again today, 4 years later...*

Sugary soap box

It's Halloween, a day when candy consumption is just that... consuming. I just read this infographic on forbes.com titled "How much sugar are Americans eating?". It's astounding. Sugar is everywhere. Of all the things I work very hard to limit (pesticides, chemicals, medicine, screen time), sugar is right up there at the top of the list. I haven't posted many recipes lately but the kitchen continues to be my ultimate experiment - almost daily, working to concoct food for my family that is nutritious and delicious. Now, with the cooler temps, I'm back to baking - cookies, muffins, bread. And I use little-to-no sugar. Does a sugar-laden cookie taste delicious? You betcha! But can we train our tastebuds to appreciate and love something less sweet? Of course. I use a lot of applesauce (apple butter, without sugar, is great this time of year), local honey, REAL maple syrup, bananas - all of these have high levels of sweetness without the refined, processed, worthless-ness of sugar. Will Abby and Elise consume sugar-filled candy today? Yes. But are they included in the "average American" category who consumes an equivalent of SEVENTEEN sodas every 5 days? Absolutely not. 

Enjoy your sweets today - I told my mom yesterday that Halloween is dangerous. Her reply? Halloween is delicious - eat what you love and trash the rest. :) 

We had the 27th annual Passman Pumpkin Carving party last weekend - A & E woke up every morning for at least 5 days prior: "How many more days until pumpkin carving?". I love that it is already a family tradition that they are now old enough to remember... expect ... and love.

And today, Dorothy and Glinda the Good Witch have been ready to roll since 7:30 this morning. We made our first round in costumes this morning - visit Bubbe, stop by The Merc. Second round after naps - Daddy's work. Third round this evening - dinner and trick or treating with the Walters. We'll just follow that yellow brick round all around town! We've listened to The Wizard of Oz soundtrack and read the book - once they're old enough for the movie, it'll be the Oz trifecta! :) Happy Halloween!

Fall Fun

Enjoy some pics from the past few weeks... John and I spent a weekend away in Hermann with two of the best of the best. :) The gals wrapped up their first soccer season - soccer was a great learning experience for all of us. We learned that social stories are helpful in understanding the unfamiliar. We learned that shinguards can be a bit scratchy and feel better on the outside of pants/socks. We learned that cold north winds trump social stories. We learned that it is best to start prepping for soccer at least an hour in advance. And we learned that it's never too early in the morning for deep breaths. ;) We made our first pumpkin patch trip - not to see pumpkins or take a hayride... but to see the kittens at Pendleton's. We went to the Maple Leaf Festival in Baldwin - complete with caramel apples, sparkly crowns, and the merry-go-round. Fall is fun. Damn fun.

I finally took the girls in for their 4-year checkup (per their request to go "see Dr. Heather"). They also finally made it to the dentist (sorry it took so long, Mom) and, with the exception of Elise coming up short by one on the total tooth count, their dental health is grand. Here are some stats, just for the books:

• Abby: 36 pounds; 40.5 inches
• Elise: 35.5 pounds; 40.25 inches

After having been weighed, Abby shared with the nurse that "I must have eaten a bigger breakfast and that's why I'm bigger than my sister today". They are 50th percentile across the board and developing as expected (and, in my opinion, a little bit above). They are taking a Kindermusik class right now and, just last week, their teacher asked if they had been preemies. I shared with her how early the girls were born and their birth weights. Her response: "you would never have known". True statement.

Wordless Wednesday: Silly Charlie

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Well ventilated.

As I mentioned before, the vents in our house have served the girls well as a means to continue conversations after being separated into different rooms. Yesterday, I too fell in love with the power of the vents. During rest time, Elise was in our room; Abby in their room. I peeked in at Elise: laying in bed, one foot crossed and propped over the other knee, book in hands, quietly telling a story aloud with great detail. Next I peeked in at Abby across the hall: not in bed, curled up on the floor, head on a pillow, blanket covering her, snuggled smag-dab beside the vent, just listening to her sister's story. I couldn't get downstairs fast enough to tell John. Sigh. I love those vents. Oh, and I love those girls.

Lonely blog...

The blog is lonely. I, however, am very much NOT lonely. One husband. Two children. Two dogs. One cat. Two fish. One newt. And today I looked around and realized my cleaning lady had quit. Errr.... hold on.... wait a minute.... what cleaning lady???? Oh, right. That'd be me. Hmmmm... 

It's okay. It's actually better than okay. Because I'd take Abby in her red velvet dress, Elise in her tshirts, undies, and sparkly pink shoes, Charlie and Aura with their growling-barking-playing, monarch caterpillars on the kitchen table, and John on his drums anyday. All of that totally trumps a cleaning lady. :) 

The girls started soccer and kindermusik this Fall. We head to the library at least once, if not twice, each week. We are insanely grateful for our weekly dinner group with some amazing friends and their kids. My family's Sunday dinner tradition continues. We make breakfast together nearly every morning. And lunch. And dinner. We visit the grandparents and the great grandmothers. I am learning how they learn - how Elise figured out to count all the way to "twenty-nine-ten" (30), how Abby sounded out "Lana" on my phone to tell me a text had just come from her. They can both skip. They say things like "the fish are probably about due for some more water" and "if I spill soup on my dress I will feel very disappointed" and "you are my very best friend and I'm your very best friend" and "this has been the best day EVER". The best DAYS ever.

Wordless Wednesday: A Vizsla to call our very own...