and now for my final TRICK: Aunt Kim

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Aunt Kim

I love being Aunt Kim! How can I be so in love with this child that is not mine and I hardly know?
I had the most wonderful time with Kevin, Kasandra, and Blake.

I got to steal him away all for myself for two nights, while Kev and Kas caught up on some much needed sleep. Now that my own kids are reliable sleepers, I didn't mind waking up for a couple of nighttime feedings. It truly is the most special time with a new baby. You are just too tired to really enjoy it with your own kids. When all is calm and quiet, you can hear every little gurgle and sigh, you close your eyes and inhale the unique smell of this baby...every baby smells a little different you know!

Holden was enamored with him and it was beautiful to watch her "help" with bottles, pacifiers, and burp cloths. I was playing with her in the kitchen and she heard him cry. She stopped and said, "Hold on Mommy, Blake needs me." I melted. She was not the most helpful sister to her brother when he was a wee one, so it was sweet to watch her dote on Blake.

Everett wasn't too concerned with him either way. I think he is anxiously awaiting the day they can cause trouble together!

We spent some great time with everyone! Crazy dinners with toddlers and screaming babies, a big Mother's Day picnic where we got to see lots of family, some quieter nights at Kas and Kevin's when my kids had sleepovers with Mimi, and an INSANE breakfast at my favorite diner.

The PA leg of our vacation was wonderful and I think everyone was mildly happy to see us go and get their normal quieter lives back! But I think they miss us already...too bad I am not getting back on a plane with my monsters for at least five years! Hee Hee

Quote of the Day
"A babe in the house is a well-spring of pleasure, a messenger of peace and love, a resting place for innocence on Earth, a link between angels and men."
-Martin Fraquhar Tupper

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Recent Reads

Honolulu by Alan Brennert- 4 Stars
A lovely tale told by a Korean woman who came to America as a "picture bride." We learn of her challenging and oppressive childhood in Korea, her journey away from all she knew, learning the new culture in Hawaii, escaping an abusive husband, becoming an entrepreneur, finding love, becoming a mother, and living a fulfilling life. I previously read Molokai by the same author and loved it, which is why I snatched this one up as soon as I heard of it. I think I enjoyed this one even more! The writing is smooth and easy, the tales are gripping, and the experiences are harrowing which keep you wanting more of this woman's incredible story.

The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha- 2 1/2 stars
This book is a collection of vignettes celebrating the awesome things in life. The cold side of your pillow on a hot night, finding money in your coat pocket, popping bubble wrap, when cashiers open up a new line at the grocery store, and watching Price is Right when you were home sick from school. This guy also has a blog where people can submit more awesomness. It was fun to read, but not as great as I was hoping. I will probably read his blog though, because he is pretty witty and definitely made me chuckle and remember to appreciate the small things in life.

Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson- 3 stars
PAGE TURNER! I read this in 1 1/2 days. The story begins with a woman waking up in a bed, next to a man, in a house and she recognizes none of it. Over the next few minutes she learns that she has amnesia and every night when she goes to be she forgets most of her life. She begins working with a psychiatrist who convinces her to write in a journal, so she can reread it each morning and hopefully begin to build memories. The mysteries of how she ended up in this condition and her relationships with friends and loved ones kept me on the edge of my seat.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - 4 1/2 Stars
Another winner here folks. This book was AWESOME (and a bit shorter than Cutting for Stone). This was a new perspective on World War II for me. The story follows a boy growing up in a Chinese household in Seattle during the war. He befriends a Japanese girl, which is STRICTLY forbidden by his domineering and emotionless father. He realizes he is in love with her just as her family is removed to a Japanese Internment camp for the remainder of the war. The stay in touch through letters and his enormous risks to visit her . I don't want to give away any more, but you simply HAVE to read this book. The relationships between the children and their families and even the public during these war years was an interesting perspective for me. The twists and turns kept me up till midnight and the ending was wonderful!

Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese- 5 Stars
Oh my! I LOVED LOVED LOVED it. It was long and delicious and I did not want it to end. The premise is a nun working at a clinic in Ethiopia dies while giving birth to twin boys. The story explores the people and relationships in these boys' lives through the eyes of Marion, one of the twins. He grows up in the clinic in Ethiopia with amazing adoptive parents who were friends with his parents and gives us a taste of the culture, food, and everyday life of an Ethiopian. He heads to America to pursue a medical career and his birth father. We read this for book club and had wonderful and rich discussions...I wish there was a part 2!

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton- 3 stars
This was pretty darn good. It took me about 100 pages to really get into it and the ending was a bit too quick, neat, and tidy. But not nearly as terrible as the ending of Handle with Care by Jodi Piccoult (I threw that book across the room and into a wall as I read the last word). I was hooked and couldn't stop myself once I was into it. It was a book club choice and there was more discussion than I remember in 3 years of book club. We were talking over each other and jumping into other conversations. I couldn't even keep up. This story centered around the lives of three sisters who grew up in a castle in England from World War II to the present. They had an eccentric family and extremely odd and famous author father. The mysteries weave through history and the walls of the castle, revealing themselves to the woman chosen to write a piece about the famed play written by the father. It was very good and I would highly recommend it.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Aunt Kim

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