Category: Family Synapse

When the boys were 3 and 5, we flew as a family to England. British Airways was amazing! We were connecting at Heathrow and were late. So we ran, really ran, to attempt to make the flight. We ran with 2 car seats, while pushing a wheelchair and yelling at Liam to run with his Thomas the Tank carry-on. We rounded a corner and realized we had to go through security again. Good grief, really?...

The summer I spent in Ireland with My Sharona, we got around by bus. Well, wait, first we got picked up at the airport and did that silly American thing of trying to get into the wrong side of the car. We were tired. Public transportation in Europe is generally fabulous. You really can get to out of the way places. The thing about the buses in Ireland is that they run on Irish time....

So my life is about to get so much easier in regards to transporting Aidan. The thermometer has reached the top and our van should be delivered on friday! This has made me reflect on different cars I’ve had. My very first car was a 4 door Subaru sedan named Roxy. A two-toned little bullet. She had no power steering and it took some guns to drive her. Within a month of getting my license,...

Bono, I would like to extend an invitation to you and your wife and band to come visit my family anytime. We have so much in common. First, you and my son Aidan wear the same glasses. He wears them because his environment can be overstimulating. I went to see you in concert last year with my friend Amanda. She was overstimulating too so I understand why you need them. My sister wants to see...

Sometimes I love my boys more when they’re asleep. It’s not that I don’t enjoy playing American Ninja vs. Russian Spy with Liam, or family indoor soccer. And Aidan is definitely fun when he’s awake and giggly. But what really motivates me to get up in the morning and do it again, is watching them sleep. With Liam, we can have silly conversations he won’t remember in the morning and I can mess with his...

Ok- I already posted about my beef with Frodo and I promise Frodo has nothing to do with this ring. Last May Garreth and I had a weekend away at a camp with other parents of children with special powers. This was an unstructured weekend meant for respite and connecting with other parents who get it. I wanted one thing. To go for a walk with Garreth. Really. It’s so peaceful to be in the...

This September was our 15th anniversary. We needed a long weekend away to celebrate. Overnights are too short because I take way too long to decompress. We found a lovely B+B and my Dad agreed to take the kids. Then he called to say the Undercover Princess just announced she was getting married that same weekend, which was in fact, three weeks away. She is family so his attendance was necessary. I had to dig...

So today my husband asked me if I had more posts for the rest of the week. I said I had some ideas and no shortages of reasons I love him. Then I asked him what he felt were his rock star romance moments. He replied, “Just tell them about the time I closed down a restaurant and hired a private chef for Valentine’s Day.” I promise you he’s a humble man, but he’s also...

Several years ago our marriage was in a bit of a downward spiral. Garreth and I both withdraw when the going gets tough. We have some friends at church who are deeply committed to equipping marriages to last. They’ve started a ministry at our church to that end and enter into couple’s lives for support. Garreth and I are so skilled in keeping a stiff upper lip and I’m sure these friends had no idea...

When I think back on the gold star moments of our marriage, Aidan’s birth was one of them. No one but the nurses suspected that Aidan might have medical issues. I had a “normal” pregnancy and delivery and his little super star Apgar scores were 9 and 8. The nurses, however, kept a close watch on him. In the middle of the second night as I slept soundly, Garreth was conferring with the nurses and...