In Memory of my Mom

Greetings to family and friends,

It is springtime, which means that I have re-registered to participate in the Freihofers Women's 5K as a member of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) Team In Training which will take place on June 2nd in Albany.

Again I am completing this event in memory of my Mom, who lost her battle to lymphoma in August of 2009 when I was pregnant. Her photograph is right here on my desk as I write this, and Andrew, her namesake, now "knows" her by face and name. Time passes and losses become easier to bear, but the fact that they'll never meet each other weighs heavy in my heart. I can't do anything about that, but I can commit to helping to find a cure through fundraising.

If you can (no pressure - I know there have been times where I could not) please consider making a donation through my website, big or small, to support my participation in Team In Training and help advance LLS's mission. Last year I raised $1280, which far exceeded my goal of $500. I hope to beat that record this year with your help. There's little more my Mom would have wanted than to prevent others from having to endure the pain and treatments stemming from the disease that took her life at the young age of 54.

Last year's race inspired me to continued running, challenging myself by increasing my distance and speed. Anytime that I am tired or in pain, knowing that Mom pushed through much tougher times, gives me the motivation I need to continue training. My goal this year is to finish in 30 minutes.

Cancer is rarely described in positive terms, but occasionally it brings about a new opportunity for healing. In this year's race I will be joined by my sister, who is fundraising for the same cause. Should you know her too, please consider splitting your donation between us. Mom would have loved that we were doing this together.

All of us on Team In Training are raising funds to help stop blood cancers from taking more lives. On behalf of my family, thanks in advance for your support, though both fundraising and friendship.

Please donate here:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/uny/frihfrFT12/slawson4a4

Be well, stay healthy.
Love, Susan

More Crazy Boys

Not looking as crazy this time, but having lots of fun. Trevor 3.5, Alexander 3, Andrew 2, Westley 1.

Crazy Kids

Enjoy the madness of a 3.5 year old, 3 year old, 2 year old, and 1 year old running around like lunatics. Very cute lunatics, of course.

Itty Bitty Things

The latest craze at our house? Sorting itty bitty things by color, shape and letter. If you have jars of buttons or marbles that are collecting dust, please consider donating them to Andrew!

Saying Goodbye

We're really bummed to be saying goodbye to our friends Julie, Alexander and Westley. There have been countless playdates this past year+ and many laughs shared. Good luck in your new home! We'll miss you!

Still Getting Settled In

A big part of getting settled back in was making baby Andrew's room into toddler Andrew's room. Its odd to me, visually, but it will work until we get him a bedroom set. I do still enjoy all good feelings exuded by the homemadeness of it all (quilt on the wall, quilt above his crib, curtains, rug....) We took the front off the crib, removed furniture so he couldn't topple it over on himself, and relocated all his clothes into a closet. It works pretty well - I'm not sure what I'm going to do with that pile of pillows and dolls....if anyone wants them, let me know. Each night we read 3 books together in his bed (its pretty weird sitting in his crib with him) and after he goes to bed I leave a different toy on his rug that he finds in the morning. This buys me some time to wake up and get dressed before tending to the little guy. We gate him into his room, much to his dismay. Although he can do stairs by himself now, I don't really trust him enough to give him free range. If you haven't contacted me yet, we are out and about reconnecting with friends, so feel free to call or email and we'll make it a date.

We're Back!

Sorry to be MIA....we got back last night after a 2 day drive back from Ohio. All our belongings are in bags, scattered throughout the house so its a bit nuts! While I try to get my life back in order, I'll leave you with this cute collage that my friend Meg shot/compiled while we were in Ohio.

Thank You!

A big thank you goes out to Nana and Pop Pop for babysitting a few nights this week while Shawn and I went out for dinner.

First Haircut

Andrew had his first haircut! Well, not quite. His first mullet-trim. The hair on the back of his head was much longer than the rest because it came in first. So Nana worked her magic and it looks a lot better. We saved some of the curls for his scrapbook. They are the cutest, about 1 centimeter ringlets!

Portraits

As usual, while we're in OH, my friend Meg took some beautiful pics of Andrew for us. Thanks, Meg! Andrew is 2 years and 3 months old.

Retro Toys

Sorry for the delay in posting, I still haven't set up my computer here, and probably won't bother. As promised here are the 1970s/80s toys of Shawn's that A is playing with. Remember any from your own childhood?

Greetings from OH

Just a quick note to say that Andrew and I arrived here in Ohio last night. The flight was easy. Andrew played games and watched movies on the iPad with his new, totally awesome orange tiger headphones. Shawn. Bosley, and Pop Pop are expected this evening. Its far warmer here than I expected, in the 50s. So not a huge shock to my body. Luckily at Xmastime I sent Nana and Pop Pop home with some winterwear for us all.

We woke up after a good nights rest and have spent the entire day checking out Nana's seemingly endless stash of 1970s/80s toys. She saved most everything from Shawn's young years, so its been fun to take a walk down memory lane for me as we had some of the same ones! I'll be sure to post some photos of these toys; I'm curious how many of you also recognize them - most are fisher price classics. We have a fun 2 weeks planned - a combination of R&R that involves never getting out of pjs, tasty food, and lots of movies as well as outings with friends and day trips to Columbus and Dayton.

For those who are interested, we plan on getting home on 3/16...just in time for the birthday party of Andrew's best buddy, Alexander!

Leavin on a Jetplane

Here are a few pictures (courtesy of Pop Pop's new iPhone!) of how we spent our last hours in Florida. Andrew and I are off to the airport this morning. Nana will pick us up in Dayton and bring us back to their farm. Shawn and his Dad will be driving our things, and Bosley, in a 2 day trip. Gotta say, its been a pretty amazing winter! So sad to be leaving. Andrew has changed SO MUCH in these 2 months: potty trained, big boy bed, plays without help on playground equipment, sits without a booster chair at the table if need be, helps cook our meals. I think its been just as great for him as it has for us.