Quotes

A few recent exchanges with the boy that have amused us:

Josiah was describing how one big fish ate a smaller one at the Baltimore aquarium the other day. "Was it super gross?!" I asked with Mommy enthusiasm. He looked at me like I was crazy. "I didn't taste it," he said incredulously. Good point.

We've been tracking the arrival of spring with great happiness each day. Our delightful little magnolia tree is in full, fragrant bloom. Even more delightful is that Josiah invariantly calls it our "granolia" tree. Makes me smile every time. (He's very into granola bars right now, I should add.)

A couple of weeks ago he was taking care of a bit of business in the bathroom. "I need my privacy," he told Jesse, who obliged by heading out into the hall. A minute later he called out: "Daddy? Um, Daddy, I need...a magazine." Jesse was pretty amused and grabbed a Better Homes and Gardens from the living room. "Thanks," said Josiah as Jesse closed the door on him again. A few moments later there was a thud. Jesse stuck his head back in the doorway. "That was a Mommy magazine," Josiah explained, pointing to where he'd tossed it on the ground. A couple of days later, in a similar situation, Josiah again stated "I need my privacy" to Jesse. As Jesse was closing the door, Josiah shot out his hand to stop it. "Daddy, what's 'privacy'?"

What amuses us the most is his very adult demeanor in general. "Shall we have a little chatty time with William?" he asks frequently, that wording verbatim. Or the other day he climbed up on his train table. I was nursing Will in the other room, and he called to tell me about it. I told him he should probably get off. Several minutes passed before he called out again. "Mom, I can't quite seem to get down." Or there was the other evening when he observed (again, I report precisely) "It seems to be a bit chilly in here. I'll just turn on the fire." (Our fireplace ignites with a switch on the wall.)

Of course, he's very much three years old in his tastes and emphases. He brought in some rocks last week from a walk with Daddy. He mentioned them to me later. "Did you see my rocks, Mom?" I replied that I had indeed noticed them in the hall. "Did you see how gorgeous they are??" He also was quick to remind me yesterday, after I had the audacity to offhandedly call him "Babycakes," that he was "Big Boy Cakes." So true. Where did my Babycakes go??

Conference time = surprise mini vacation?!

I write from the luxury of a king-sized bed in the largest hotel room I've ever stayed in.

Each year around this time I attend (and usually present something or other at...) a major conference in my field, which can be held anywhere in the country and sometimes internationally. I was beyond delighted when I realized, a year ago, that this year's event would be held in Baltimore, a mere 1.5 hours from our home. Given that I remain William's sole source of nutrition, a further flung destination probably would have nixed my involvement this year. As it is, though, Jesse and the boys have come along...and circumstances couldn't have worked out more perfectly! Somehow it serendipitously ended up — to our suprise and delight — that we're staying in a gigantic king suite and a double queen (yes, two hotel rooms, adjoining). We only had reserved one room, naturally, but a hotel snafu yielded us this delightful outcome upon check-in. The boys are currently asleep, each in their own queen bed in the adjoining room. Unreal. Thank you, Hampton Inn!

Whoa. That's a lot of detail on the room. I guess it's obvious I'm pleased! (Seriously, it was going to be a bit difficult to all stay in one room with William very much needing to go to sleep at 6 p.m.  Having this wonderful amount of space to spread and play with an active 3-year-old has changed the entire feel of things!)

Anyhow, while I've been in conference sessions during the days, my boys have been enjoying a bit of Baltimore. Josiah and Jesse spent a bunch of hours at the aquarium today. I kept Will with me during that time since this is an infancy conference, after all. It's so nice to be in a place where my baby is seen by my professional peers as a completely worthwhile addition to my hip rather than a nuisance. I can tote him around without worry, nurse him in the back of conference rooms, no questions, no raised eyebrows, no problem.

Tomorrow morning Jesse and the boys are heading to a railroad museum (Josiah can't wait!) while I take in a few more sessions, and we'll head home in the afternoon. Oh, and my talk yesterday went well, making the whole thing worth it. Phew!

Killing me

I'm working insane hours this semester. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining; I have a lot more flexibility in my schedule at some times during the year than people in most other professions, and I'm (truly) thankful for my wonderful, secure, rewarding, always-changing job! But I'm on the thin edge right now working 80 hour weeks and sleeping broken, very short nights, with no sign of relief until May. Jesse has moved to a part time schedule at work this year, and it's so (so, so, soooo) wonderful that the boys are receiving almost undivided parental love and attention even if they're not getting it from me as much as I'd like for these few months.

Anyway, that's not the point of the post. This picture Jesse sent me today at 5:09 p.m., shot with his camera phone, with the subject line "come home soon!" is the point of this post. Seriously, how could a mother do anything but ditch it all and rush out the door? Killing me, I tell you, killing me!

* Note: After posting this, Jesse informed me that he had socks stuffed under William's legs to keep his feet up high enough so the trains could pass under. Hilarious!!

Thirty-three

We celebrated Jesse's birthday yesterday, knowing that today would be busy with work and all. Tim and Holly came over, the requested cake and dinner was made, and lots of balloons were hung. Lots of fun! And...here's a super cute shot of William with his Auntie Holly.

Twinned

Freshman year of college, Jesse was attending a Bible study in his dorm led by a wise upperclassman named Dave Yescott when he first met Steve Miller. Little did Jesse and Steve know how much their their paths (and sense of humor) would overlap over the next four years. They became fast friends. Since college days, even their family lives have mirrored one another's. When Steve and Marcia moved from the Boston area to the Philly area several years ago, we had no idea that we were shortly going to be leaving Boston for Lancaster ourselves. Zachary was born barely three months after we had Josiah in 2006, and in the most recent installment of our twinned lives, William and Eli were born all of one week apart last fall! They're now down in Maryland, and we made the three hour drive last weekend. If our boys' friendships can be anything as good as what their parents are fortunate enough to enjoy today, they'll be lucky little men indeed. 

Will and Eli's first meeting was a hit!

We tried to visit a playground and had fun in spite of the fact that the snow hadn't been cleared.

The boys (all of them) enjoyed lots of crashing and football. Even Teddies got in on the game!

Walkin' and stompin' up the street. 

We even found we have matching Bumbos for our babies. We wish we lived closer, Steve and Marcia!!

Cocooning

When one's husband is again out of the country (to gorgeously warm places, I might add), and the weather back home looks like this:

it makes sense to simply stay inside and do this:

as a woefully too small treat for the hands-down amazing neighbors who help and do this:

since I can't exactly go outdoors and shovel for hours leaving this or this:

We've received another foot and a half of snow (on top of the ~20 inches we got over the weekend) with sustained winds anywhere between 25 and 40 mph, which apparently meets the criteria for a blizzard. It's utterly ridiculous out there. The top photo was taken before it even got bad! For the first time in 5 years I was forced to call off my classes today due to weather, since this single mom couldn't quite pull it all off. I don't feel too guilty; the entire region is in a state of lock-down and emergency! Jesse, I desperately hope you can fly home on Friday. I fear the airports are going to be reeling for a looong time...and I might be too! 

Miscellaneous stats

Number of inches of snow we got today: 18

How many hours Jesse went without seeing a bed on his long journey home this week: 49

How much William weighs now at four months: 16 lbs 6 oz

Number of times Josiah asked to go out sledding this morning before it was time: I lost count somewhere north of 15

How far I can open my mouth with the growing size and pain of this cold sore: less than 1 inch

How many calories Jesse must have burned today in 3+ hours of shoveling and 2 hours of snow play with Josiah: hundreds and hundreds

Percentage of the day William had to be held and cuddled because he seems to be feeling a bit under the weather (due to vaccinations yesterday, perhaps?): 90

How happy we are on a scale of 1 to 10 that Daddy's safely home: 348

Here's what's making me happy today:

How much Josiah loves his little brother.

And how much William looks up to Josiah already.

A photo and a video as evidence....

Josiah reading to William 2/4/10 from Krista Casler on Vimeo.

On the subject of kissing

When you return, Jesse, there's this chubby loveliness ready for nuzzling and kissing:

Or these super cute cheeks, peeking out from under your hat:

But I'm afraid my lips are off limits, as I'm wearing stress and sleep-deprivatioon* on my face in the form of a nasty, rapidly developing cold sore. Very sad:

*To be honest, I'm okay with the cold sore. Happy, even. I have a bad track record with the immune system nosedive triggered by excessive stress+sleep deprivation. Got shingles a few years back after an all-nighter finishing my dissertation (same base virus as the cold sore, so this is much preferred!). Got bronchitis and pneumonia while pregnant with Josiah in a similar set of circumstances. Yep, this is definitely much preferred! 

This little piggy

Josiah and Nannan made piggy cookies yesterday. Aren't they great? Actually, I was informed that although Josiah helped with the sugar cookie dough, Tim and Mom formed and baked the little oinkers since Josiah was preoccupied at that point with another activity. He happily came 'round again when it was time to eat. :)
(By the way...it's been so wonderful to have Mom and Dad here these last few crazy days. They're the only reason I'm still clinging to sanity!)

Dear Jesse,

Hello, my darling. I'm sorry for the lack of blog posting or updates. Being prepared for work this week and snatching a few (oh, too few, too few) hours of sleep are keeping me and Blogger apart. But rest assured that your little family is still here, and we are still well, and we of course still miss you like the dickens! 

How are you? Have your meetings been productive? Is it a nice change of pace to be in 90+ degree heat? Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning, so 6 more weeks of winter for us. Enjoy the Congolese sun while you have it.

Keep checking back, as I'll do my best to provide some photos of the boys soon. In the meantime, you can take my word that they're still as cute as ever. 

Love,

K

Kinshasa

Daddy's en route to Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo...a short jaunt of 6500 miles. We hope you're safe and nearly there, Jesse! And we hope none of your many counterfeit currency scanners were confiscated in customs. :) For your viewing pleasure upon arrival, here's a photo of Josiah we took while "camping" under the afghan last evening. We spent nearly an hour under there after Will went to bed...and our hairstyles showed it by the end! And here's also a short video of William doing "Lady Rides" when we got home from church today. You'll note that William isn't exactly in his Sunday best. He produced what is to my memory our all-time, ultimate, record-breaking diaper explosion this morning while I was minding the toddler classroom during Family Service. I'm not joking when I say I even wiped neon yellow baby poop out of one of his ears. Unbelievable! It was a winner on every count: velocity, quantity, spread, stealth. Will was completely and characteristically unperturbed from the first rumbling through the end of the protracted clean-up mission. Such a happy, sweet boy!

Lady Rides 1/31/10 from Krista Casler on Vimeo.

In Loving Memory

Gram, Jesse, and Josiah — October 2006

Jesse returned last week to Warren, PA. That's the town where he grew up...where his dad grew up...and where his grandmother called home for much of her life. Lila Beryl (Yankie) Casler passed away on January 5th, 2010 at the age of 96.

Gram was a wonderful woman. She loved life and was always ready to laugh, wearing many different hats through the years. For instance, nearly seven decades ago she worked in a small hotel in Kansas. She lost that job because she started seeing one of the long-term tenants who had offices in the building (how improper!). A while after marrying that tenant, Dr. Gerald W. Casler ("Doc"), they moved to Warren, where Gram joined and remained an active member of the First Church of the Nazarene, working with teens and serving on missions councils. They lived briefly in Pomona, CA during World War II where she became one of the famous "Rosie the Riveters" working in an aircraft plant. Then back in Pennsylvania, she was employed by Montgomery Wards and Gimbals Department Store. In her older years, Jesse remembers her best as his frequent childhood babysitter, picturing Gram wearing her apron at work in the kitchen.

In the midst of these many roles through the years, Gram was a steadfast model of Christian love and charity, and her example is still influencing her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and countless others. As a church member recalled last week, she never had a negative thing to say about anyone — not a bad way to be remembered, in our book.

She will be missed.

Click below to play a pictorial slide show that Jesse's sister, Lisa, put together for the funeral service. Make sure your sound is on.

Lila Casler slideshow from Jason Condon on Vimeo.

My Boys...and some recap pics

Wow am I smitten with my children.

My boys.

Josiah kisses Will constantly, and Will continues to be a ridiculously snuggly little sweetie.

I have some catching up to do with posting photos I've promised to various people, so up tonight: A few additional shots of our fun at Nannan and Papa's house in December. (Christmas Day itself will be reserved for another post if I can get my act together.)

Sledding with Papa.

Sending marbles down the ramps and through a big mailing tube down to the floor. Super fun!

Playing with buttons. Also super fun!

Mommy and William the Sunday before Christmas.

Family Photos

As part of their Christmas gift to Mom and Dad, Tim and Holly arranged for us to have professional photos taken while the entire family was together in New Hampshire for Christmas. It was especially fun to get pictures of my parents with their three grandsons: Josiah is 3 years, Micah is 6 months, and William is nearly 3 months.

Eyes and Ears

We miss you, Jesse! I meant to more carefully note Josiah's comments today in order to document his chatter, as I'm sure you're missing daily doses of his articulated foolishness. Sadly, all that comes to mind right now is a comment more funny than quaint, uttered over lunch: "Mommy, when I grow up, I want to be a caterpillar feeder. I want to feed caterpillars." Of course, he's in the motherland of descriptive speech. "I feel like one of Nebuchudnezzar's henchmen" was uttered by my mom, mostly to herself, whilst stoking the fire yesterday.

William, for his part, continues to chat, coo, and sigh delightfully. He's such a sweetie! I'm including some photos of him, as he's been woefully underrepresented behind the lens this week; I imagine you're anxious to see more of him.

Busy Boy

Josiah certainly has enjoyed his grandmother's attention today...and observing it is just as much fun for me as a procession of our childhood toys are marched out from storage at intervals throughout each day!

I captured some of today's events on camera, but not pictured activities include Josiah and Nannan baking banana bread, choosing fabric from the stash for making a stuffed dinosaur tomorrow, playing with marbles and duplo blocks, and reading lots of books.

Making spinners and trains out of Tinker Toys.

Listening to stories and looking at the accompanying books with my old Fisher Price record player and Disneyland records. (What a blast from the past for me to hear several of those old stories again!)

Hearing the story of the first Christmas retold by Nannan with accompanying reenactment. The soft nativity set is one Mom whipped up out of scraps nearly 30 years ago. The stable is made of a Light Bright box I received as a Christmas gift as a little girl about Josiah's age!

Learning to play Snood on the computer. I'm not sure how I feel about this one. :)