tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773345.post2328825889799472773..comments2024-03-19T07:54:13.113-04:00Comments on ben and birdy: Nickerson AgainBenBirdy1http://www.blogger.com/profile/13328557199418095755noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773345.post-53048186210241931902011-09-02T00:08:11.438-04:002011-09-02T00:08:11.438-04:00I love this post. It sums up how I feel so often m...I love this post. It sums up how I feel so often much more eloquently than I ever could express. It really resonated with me as I am a mama of a 7 almost 8 month old baby boy and EVERY day I feel so many moments of melancholy over how quickly time is passing, how I just haven't had enough time with him at this stage or that stage... and then your post made me realize there is SO MUCH good stuff yet to come. Thanks :)elshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03997348878881804065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773345.post-84681206988437808502011-08-06T02:10:41.661-04:002011-08-06T02:10:41.661-04:00Thank you for this post. As a mama of three little...Thank you for this post. As a mama of three littles, reading that it all gets even easier (as each year it seems to all begin to simplify so much more), and your perfect description of it, made me smile. I keep cringing picturing these little people growing up. Feeling sad about it. Feeling lonely when I imagine life with "older" kids. But your post made it all feel so real and alive and beautifully fulfilling. And I will not miss the poop scattered all over the house (now how did that happen today?!), but those little butt cheeks. Maybe. :) Cheers to you. I'm so glad a stumbled upon your blog from another one I read regularly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773345.post-35554897462164879412011-08-03T22:13:49.160-04:002011-08-03T22:13:49.160-04:00I see myself in your bittersweet love for time sta...I see myself in your bittersweet love for time staying/passing/moving so quickly, and the way you describe your love for Ben and Birdy. Keep writing, keep writing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773345.post-18845120084781207722011-08-02T04:12:31.143-04:002011-08-02T04:12:31.143-04:00beautiful post! I am actually crying while reading...beautiful post! I am actually crying while reading it because you have captured so wonderfully my feelings exactly. I was also heard uttering the words "why didnt anyone tell me this was going to get easier and so much more fun?" this year while camping (with my 2 and 4 year old) My guess after reading your post is that it really is only going to get better! YAY!kristahttp://www.greenthimble.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773345.post-81926817611404379342011-07-29T18:07:17.145-04:002011-07-29T18:07:17.145-04:00Great post. I already know that it gets better fr...Great post. I already know that it gets better from my six year old daughter. Can't seem to remember that truth when dealing with my super energetic 2 1/2 year old son.amynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773345.post-55014805856104261412011-07-29T18:06:03.980-04:002011-07-29T18:06:03.980-04:00Wonderful writing as always.Wonderful writing as always.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773345.post-55920744691945487542011-07-26T21:06:29.524-04:002011-07-26T21:06:29.524-04:00We're heading for the Cape this weekend. We go...We're heading for the Cape this weekend. We go to PTown for family week, but I've always wanted to camp out there. Thank you too, like many posters, I wait for this one ... and the Sandra Cisneros story is called "Eleven" ... eleven years.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773345.post-42772294977150904532011-07-23T19:08:10.215-04:002011-07-23T19:08:10.215-04:00Catherine, read some poems by Donald Justice. He&...Catherine, read some poems by Donald Justice. He's the Poet Laureate of Nostalgia and Bittersweetness.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773345.post-8649223102269797862011-07-22T15:04:19.028-04:002011-07-22T15:04:19.028-04:00Oh, Catherine, please keep writing forever. Becaus...Oh, Catherine, please keep writing forever. Because I've been reading you since that wonderful camping story about Ben and the runner with the dog.Jenni B.http://www.jennibowring.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773345.post-20868471888896004312011-07-22T09:09:17.539-04:002011-07-22T09:09:17.539-04:00Beautiful post Catherine! People thought we were c...Beautiful post Catherine! People thought we were crazy to camp with a 4 month old and 2 year old on my 30th birthday. In August. In Texas. And maybe they're right, but I wouldn't trade the memory of sitting on a dirt road with my husband sipping champagne out of camp cups watching as we spun beneath the Milky Way with the girls asleep in the tent 20ft away for anything. It was Exactly how I wanted to start a new decade. Though the stars did scare my oldest. Note to self- camp with the girls more often!Lauren A.https://www.blogger.com/profile/01385221893595410341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773345.post-40655640542344823102011-07-21T23:35:27.831-04:002011-07-21T23:35:27.831-04:00I look forward to your annual camping updates as I...I look forward to your annual camping updates as I remember reading about your trips with a small Ben and then a tiny Birdy. I don't think I've been in the midst of all the sandyness myself without thinking of you! Thank you for sharing your nostalgia, your humor, and your sweet family.kristihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09353766021472115375noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773345.post-24346435829638349902011-07-21T22:56:01.216-04:002011-07-21T22:56:01.216-04:00Thanks for the rice and beans recipe! We're t...Thanks for the rice and beans recipe! We're trying to plan our first camping trip with our 4 year old for next weekend. This post is so lovely. You make me wish I'd gone camping every year now. I haven't been since I was a wee Girl Scout. Now I'm 7 months pregnant and thinking I'll have to remind myself how good it will be to look back through rose-colored glasses.lastdogzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01002382627081976712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773345.post-76103692052767293342011-07-21T22:44:24.536-04:002011-07-21T22:44:24.536-04:00Where did you learn to whittle? What kind of wood ...Where did you learn to whittle? What kind of wood and knives did you use?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773345.post-10284605943964117122011-07-21T15:57:36.098-04:002011-07-21T15:57:36.098-04:00Reading your words feels like I'm swimming aro...Reading your words feels like I'm swimming around inside your life, your mind, your heart. (In a totally if-the-inside-of-you-was-like-a-clear-blue-warm-tide-pool sort of way, filled with rare beauty, appearing slightly soft around the edges here and there as an effect of looking through water, and sometimes so brilliantly crisp. But you knew what I meant, right?)<br /><br />This is just to say I love the way you put the words together. They're always in just the right order with you. <br /><br />jen<br /><br />(My verification word is unpou, which sounds French and a little dirty to me. Or small.)jenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16379986868264461919noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773345.post-83337819991602030992011-07-21T13:15:24.604-04:002011-07-21T13:15:24.604-04:00Oh how it does get easier. I'm so thankful, bu...Oh how it does get easier. I'm so thankful, but its bitter sweet.<br /><br />We love to backcountry camp by canoe. Our first time going with children was when they were 2 and 4 and it was a nightmare. It rained the whole time we paddled in to the site, we spent the first day stressing that one of them would fall off the cliff that was the edge of our campsite, it was 2 degrees celsius at night and our youngest came down with a bout of diarrhea that had us traipsing to the thunder box constantly. We left early.<br /><br />Scarred from that experience, we just recently took them again (age 7 & 9). 3 days backcountry camping on a river. They loved it! and so did Dad and I! They zipped up their own sleeping bags, helped set up camp and "got" the solitude and peacefulness.<br /><br />I miss the toddler years, but am loving the freedom of now and their new found appreciation and understanding of the bigger picture.<br /><br />Now is wonderful, and I dread the teenage years when they no longer want to experience these things with us, then look forward to them having their own families and passing all of these experience on to their children to create their own memories.BCHnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773345.post-16644191137824346292011-07-21T12:52:56.711-04:002011-07-21T12:52:56.711-04:00"Fun with Fire and Knives" sounds like w..."Fun with Fire and Knives" sounds like what we do at Cub Scouts, (among other things), seriously.<br />I look forward to your annual camping posts. We also go to Nickerson but this year checked out Lake Dennison, (much closer to your neck of the woods). It was lovely and so much fun with a 9 and 11 year old!Nettie0523https://www.blogger.com/profile/08431852224134938381noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773345.post-85490299377770148262011-07-21T12:52:45.726-04:002011-07-21T12:52:45.726-04:00So beautiful, Catherine. I am teary as i sit here ...So beautiful, Catherine. I am teary as i sit here with my 5 week old asleep on my chest & my 10 year old happily painting in the next room. camping for us has been so, so much easier & fun the last couple of years. now, i think, are we going to try it again anytime soon? sounds too hard right now ;)Joy Fasnachtnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773345.post-40092258626052851112011-07-21T10:08:49.650-04:002011-07-21T10:08:49.650-04:00Looks like you all had a wonderful time camping! I...Looks like you all had a wonderful time camping! I completely get what you mean about the nestedness of those recurrent holidays. We go skiing yearly and each time we go is like an extension of the time before. Time stops on the snow fields - it's always white and wondrous and the kids just get bigger and more fun.<br /><br />And I LOVE Fun with Fire and Knives - sounds delightful and we'll have to try it (we've only tried fun with fire previously).<br /><br /><3aimeemaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18067879883565849424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773345.post-44232963919796038262011-07-21T08:40:44.510-04:002011-07-21T08:40:44.510-04:00I look forward to your Nickerson blogs every year....I look forward to your Nickerson blogs every year.News From Our Nesthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04086025989606702333noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773345.post-59112449637881961962011-07-20T23:49:54.817-04:002011-07-20T23:49:54.817-04:00I had a dream last night about the perfect name fo...I had a dream last night about the perfect name for your blog. It was so logical and amazing! But, alas, I woke up and didn't think about it until now. So, of course, the awesome name is gone to the land of dream problems solved. I'm glad you had an awesome time camping, eating and whittling. It sounds pretty cool. <br />Of course things get easier every year when it comes to outings with the kids. But when they are little, you cannot imagine anything becoming easier... so you might as well enjoy it. Only it does! Yay for the rosy reflection our memories give to the nightmares of yesteryear. <br />By the way, I will be making your bean concoction at some point in the coming weeks. For dinner at home... even though camping food never tastes as good when it does when you are actually camping. I'll never fully understand that.<br /><br />Till next time!Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03254433240112289671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773345.post-86678279978191608342011-07-20T16:47:40.387-04:002011-07-20T16:47:40.387-04:00You just got me totally in the mood to go to our f...You just got me totally in the mood to go to our family cottage (read: more like a shack with electricity and running water) on Lake Huron this weekend, which I have kind of been not thrilled about until this minute. We just went three weeks ago, and it was really fun as always, but it IS just so hard to do that sort of trip with littles. Especially one who still has to be walked up the very very long hill to go to the bathroom. And the baby who won't nurse if anyone else is around (which, wth, baby?) so I have to go find a quiet place ALONE while everyone else sips sparkling wine concoctions and sunscreens each other gaily and reads their trashy beach books. Sometimes I totally feel like I should take your mental advise to the baby's parents and just go home and watch TV until everyone can more or less look after themselves on vacation! But I'm always happy we went, so...Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07141742419364168878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773345.post-45903667685262477562011-07-20T16:40:59.600-04:002011-07-20T16:40:59.600-04:00Such a beautiful post, Catherine. I have thought m...Such a beautiful post, Catherine. I have thought many, many times this summer that everything is easier with older kids. (mine are 7and 11)They are both strong swimmers, great bicycle riders, can make their own breakfast and one of them does laundry. At the same time, I miss their chubby babyhoods. So bittersweet.Jennifernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773345.post-3827703358991397702011-07-20T14:19:13.683-04:002011-07-20T14:19:13.683-04:00I came home from camping today... just myself, a ...I came home from camping today... just myself, a two year old and a three month old. And even though it was fun, and not even too hard, I can totally see your point. My 6 and 8 year old girls were at camp (it was ridiculous, a three hour drive, and I decided that camping was easier than driving twice with the little ones) and it would have been so much less stressful with the big ones. No issue with it being 95 degrees and trying to figure out where to nap, for example. Or trying to take a shower with the toddler and also trying to make room for the baby seat and not get her wet. And the whole bathroom phobia thing - he insisted that it couldn't be clean, you know, because of the spiders.<br /><br />And just when I thought I had it nailed, totally packed up and a successful three days behind us, the cheerful neighbors mentioned how the other campers were concerned that I was out here "without my man" and thought I was an abused mom hiding in the woods with her kids. Because obviously no same person would camp with little people all on her own. SIGH.<br /><br />Anyway, I'm the one who requested camping recipes a long time ago and you graciously posted them. And we didn't make ANY of them. :) Mostly we ate a lot of granola and homemade graham crackers and fruit. I did manage a small fire for marshmallows one night and eggs one morning, but the more adventurous cooking can wait until these little people get a bit bigger.<br /><br />All of the camping memories are so great, even the sort of sucky ones. I guess that's the definition of nostalgia, eh? Like maybe it wasn't that great but we choose to dwell just on those beautiful parts.SeeTryFlyhttp://www.seetryfly.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773345.post-86757286170834490562011-07-20T12:39:42.352-04:002011-07-20T12:39:42.352-04:00so awesomely classic "catherine newman",...so awesomely classic "catherine newman", hilarious, sweet, a tiny bit sad, nostalgic and that amazing dark sense of humor that i totally get and have too! love love love it. won't be camping anytime soon though with a 15 mo. old!amityhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16921805600774889607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31773345.post-58191768258752484232011-07-20T12:32:35.867-04:002011-07-20T12:32:35.867-04:00Oh! We were in the same area last week and had a ...Oh! We were in the same area last week and had a blast! We go every year too. Love Nickerson- the water is so lovely - we don't camp anymore, but stay right on the bay (Linger Longer by the Sea) where we get the privilege of watching the tide go in and out and taking long walks along the flats at low tide. My kids and my nieces just love going to the ponds. And the Store for CANDY. This year they discovered and fixated on those kinda horrible little wax bottles with liquid in the. Had to laugh at the mini golf photo- if you were at the same place we were - the one with the crazy bright blue waterfall - I especially love it because of the atypical landscaping (purple coneflowers and shrubs) - there was MINT growing all around the early holes!!!!Maureennoreply@blogger.com