rock star

how to get 5 kids to sit still for a picture? TV.

farm girl

morning song

Isabel and I enjoy our breakfast together while Cael sleeps in. Away from raised eyebrows and sideways glances we can use as much ketchup as we want on our scrambled eggs and as much butter as we like on our toast. Mother and daughter have bonded over condiments.

Isabel has taken to this whole talking thing with great gusto. She is so thrilled with herself and so delighted to communicate that often her sentences sound peppered with exclamation points. “More! Toast! Pleeeease!!!” and “More! Ka-cup! Big! Ka-cup! Please!!”

monkey sighting at the alexandria zoo

our life, deconstructed

48 days to go. I have been packing our life up one box at a time. It is surprising how exhausting this is. Every single thing I pick up represents a choice; keep, take, or toss. Some things are a given, but most fall into a gray area. And every item has a history that I relive as I wrap it up in newspaper, slip it into a box, categorize and label it. I think about who I was when I found each object, where I lived, what I wanted it for, how it fit into my life. And then I think about who I will be when I unpack it, will it have been silly to hold onto it, will I be thrilled to be reacquainted. I will miss my cool spice rack, my paintings, my piano, my history. A sharp stab of nostalgia hits my chest when I look around my lifeless house with empty walls and temporary furniture. And then it's gone. And in its place is an enormous sense of freedom.

two choices

Cael catches me with a piece of art that lives on his kitchen wall.
"PUT MY PICTURE BACK ON MY WALL RIGHT NOW MOM!!"
"Oh, honey, I am going to pack this away now. I am so sorry."
"Mom, you have TWO choices; put that back on the wall RIGHT NOW, OR YOU GO HAVE A TIME OUT!!!"
It was only later that I realised that I should have chosen the time out!

the daily hogan

For those of you just catching up, 'the daily hogan' was an email that I sent out to friends and family updating them with our little daily life moments. I have been neglecting my updates of late and need to get back in the habit. I wanted to start a blog instead, to be able to easily invite you to read about our shenanigans and share your comments and insights. I am now officially caught up with inputting the past daily hogans so everything will be in one place. I will still go back and add some more photos too, as this format makes it WAY easier to post photos then what I had to go through with the email. Happy reading!

the blank page

The first page is always the hardest. Words float and spin until they land awkwardly. Lonely letters shuffle over to the wall and fiddle nervously, hoping more letters will arrive soon to distract the finicky reader. Later the narrative has momentum, the party is in full swing- someone could easily spill their adverb or dangle a modifier and shrug it off with carefree laughter. Oh, to be one of many sentences rather than the fifth.

So yes, a blog begins. The Hogan clan is headed off to a new life and we thought we should try to share it with you as much as we can.

Enjoy!

quit jumping, Cael