sophia and olivia

We've Moved...

2011-01-17T22:00:00.001-08:00

After four years and...we've got a new site:http://www.mysongstosing.com/

Come visit!

Calling Dr. S.

2011-01-14T10:46:00.000-08:00

Sophia did great at her 4-year check up this morning. But what's there to fear when you're the doctor?
Here she is checking Foo's throat. Foo was trying out some rubber gloves.

Dr. Mares didn't appear to feel threatened by his new colleague. Probably just jealous of her scrubs...

Turns out role playing with costumes is an excellent coping strategy - and it beats emotional eating every time:)

Teach Them Young...

2011-01-13T07:41:00.001-08:00

Heard this morning at:
"Oh Mommy. It is so beautiful here. Look Mommy. It's so beautiful."
- Olivia, age 2

Apocalypse Now

2011-01-12T18:18:00.000-08:00

When I was in the sixth grade I saw this movie:As a result, I have spent the last 18 years avoiding any discussion of the end times, lawn mowers and the final twenty-two chapters of the Bible. If you actually saw this movie in the 70's when it was produced or anytime after you became an adult, you might have had a broader context to understand it stylistically and philosophically. I was eleven - and paradoxically becoming obsessed with both my appearance and my ultimate fate. (I've since learned I was right on track developmentally.)

And so I would lay in bed at night quaking with fear over the state of my bangs and if the world was going to end before I made it to seventh grade. Behold: a piece of my spiritual baggage - it fits, just like yours, on the luggage rack next to family baggage and emotional baggage. And left un-confronted it has traveled with me even into parenthood. One night I found myself singing "This Little Light of Mine" with my preschooler and realized that I never sing the verse about Jesus coming back... you know, because I don't want to scare her. Why should that scare her? Because it still scares me.

WHAT is this? Has the Year of Slow become the Year of Confronting My Fears of the Apocalypse? I had no intention of this until I sat in a room full of people this morning listening to this dear Texan:
Oh Beth - why isn't there a decent picture of you on Wikipedia? Your hair is AMAZING. And this tiny picture does it no justice...If you know Beth Moore, I need not say anything. If you don't. You should. Can I get an amen? She is in one sense every evangelical stereotype - southern, big hair, passionate, gendered,absolute, waves her Bible and makes sweeping hand gestures. She creates so much material for this cynic to go to town...until I sit in one of her studies. And I open up my Bible and I fight tears because somehow someway I am learning that I am loved recklessly and called to greatness in the scary last twenty-two chapters.

And so B. Moore in the next ten weeks take me into the fire. Only you can pack the house in a study on Revelation - and you are just on a screen. Remind me that this part is the same as the others - a story about He who was and is and is to come. Even more, I dare to hope that if I can push past the fear, there's something new to be learned here - a picture of His love for this world and a perspective on being "chosen, called, and faithful" (Rev.17:14) that I couldn't learn anywhere else.

Baby It's Cold Outside...

2011-01-10T18:34:00.000-08:00

But we're still having fun... Tribe Basketball Vs. JMU with Ali
Afternoon stunting like Super Grover...

Playing Jack in the Box in my hamper

(yes, dirty clothes had to be removed for the shooting of this footage)

Pop goes the Weasel!

And again...

She is shouting: "Pop goes Olivia!"

(When I registered for this double hamper at Pottery Barn almost eight years ago, could I have ever envisioned this?)

Hope you are staying warm!

Upcoming

2011-01-06T19:10:00.000-08:00

It's been four years since the birth of this blog...I figure four years is a big milestone and its definitely time to make some updates. All of this is in the works. In the meantime, please cope awith a slightly lacking design scheme that I may play with day to day as I await my professional consult...:)

Also, I wanted to mention something that I'm excited to be prepping for over the next month. Our church is hosting a women's event with author/speaker/adopter Lysa Terkheurst February 4-5. If you live near Williamsburg or love the outlets, the colonial garb, and the pancake houses we would love to see you! Click here for more information and to register. This is my first time being part of a team putting on something of this scale and it is crazy and energizing and my primary excuse for still having this in my living room:
Can we please have a moment for the January Christmas tree? I just tell the girls that in December everyone had a tree. Now, it's exciting because in January we're the only ones with one (or are we? Help me out here...)

This week I am loving...

2011-01-06T11:00:00.000-08:00

This girl...and opening shoeboxes filled by the Three Kings..

This girl...and her undeniable stage presence...

good acoustics,

captive audiences,

and the lasting benefits of a good holiday mani/pedi.

Hope your week has been filled with a lot of ordinary goodness!

Sooo Slow

2011-01-03T19:06:00.001-08:00

As an admitted self-improvement junkie, New Years Resolutions are such joy. There is so much motivation in the air. I find it euphoric. I headed out to buy a new planner out of Resolution #3: Be more organized. But I went to TJ Maxx because I only wanted to use a gift card out of Resolution #4: Never spend any money ever again. TJ Maxx has many wonderful treasures but not a great selection of planners. I left with no planner but no money spent. Half euphoria.

I have so many resolutions this year - philosophical, spiritual, wellness-based, image enhancing. It was getting a bit convoluted. Especially with no planner. So I took a step back and decided to go with the year theme. There is a lot I want out of this year but one word kept tugging at the back of my mind: slow. I want to slow down. I want speak slowly. I want to listen longer and be slow to respond. I want to move slow enough to make contact and say hello to people I pass. I want to be fully present in every interaction even if it means actually doing only one thing at a time.

But more than anything I want to slow down with the girls. I want to rush them less. This will take some work. They don't really keep a normal or predictable pace - or like to wear clothes. Getting out of the house or back into the house is often quite ugly. "Come on, hurry up. Put your shoes back on! Stand up! I can't carry you and this bag and your cup and Elmo and Diego! WALK! WALK LIKE A NORMAL PERSON! Stop hanging on me! Come this way! In the door! Let me strap you in! No - get out of the drivers seat. WE HAVE TO GO NOW! WHY ARE WE ALWAYS LATE EVERYWHERE?!

So really, until I can accomplish all of my resolutions including #10 Get Organized for the Next Morning the Night Before...The Year of Slow will most probably look like The Year of Late. But that's okay. Last year was The Year of Late and Yelling and Regret.

We attended a very tender funeral last night for an incredible man. He received a devastating diagnosis in September. He traveled to Europe with his wife in October. He continued to volunteer in the church nursery in November and he passed away days before Christmas. Life moves at a hearbreaking speed. What is celebrated and remembered in eulogies is never what I am yelling about at 8:50 in the morning. So if the Year of Slow really becomes the Year of No Other Accomplishments, so be it. Then I never really needed a planner after all.

And So this was Christmas...

2011-01-01T18:56:00.001-08:00

A letter to be opened next November before it all starts again...

Dear Self of November 2011:

Please remember the following lessons from Christmas 2010.
1. Beginning your shopping early is only fiscally prudent if you finish your shopping early, or finish at all. Being in the stores in late November means you should not still be in the stores on December 23 and 24. And whatever you do, please do not decide to go to Best Buy on December 23, with the girls, to "look around for something for Daddy." Though Best Buy is the first place we've ever been to with yellow carts (!) it is not for someone without money and without a plan. You will end up returning what you couldn't afford on December 24 which translates into two visits to Best Buy in two days, twitching eyes from all of the flat screens, and much less of a soul.

2. Remember how you painstakingly planned and purchased presents for your two little girls and then your husband upstaged you by bringing them toys from the vending machines at Pizza Hut? Yes, the whole Christmas extravaganza could have maxed out at $5.75. He does it every year. Last year it was the pencil sharpener. This year, a slimy whale that sticks to the ceiling. This year just go to an arcade, win some tokens, and cash them in for Christmas.

(My gifts were loved though and left much less slimy residue...)

3. Remember how you discussed ad-nauseum your Christmas Weekend Strategy...and then it snowed and everything changed anyway?

The snow prevented us from making it to some great events and ended up compressing and isolating the holiday a bit...but what we lost in Christmas Craziness we gained in some really sweet unexpected family time. For us, for some reason, Sunday December 26 had been a moving target of scheduling - between church responsibilities and family events and travel plans the day kept changing shape as December went on. To be snowed in and unable to go anywhere and accomplish anything felt strangely ironic and like a surprise gift.

4. Remember that your Christmas Day expectations differ greatly from your children's. You have higher demands, built on years of nostalgic memories and listening to too much Christmas music. They are still along for the ride - with an instinctive ability to celebrate. Cherish the gratitude for vending machine toys and animal crackers,

the gift of making any time quality time

and the joy that reminds us of everything that we have. And keep them on their PBS Kids only TV diet. Commercial-free living is still managing to produce low-demand Christmases over here...

5. Try and have a healthier week before Christmas. All of those sweets prior to the weekend did not set us up well. Poor Foo's sick stomach prevented her from providing many camera-worthy moments...Oranges and raisins are traditional stocking stuffers. Bring them back.

And remember - stop, breathe, enjoy and celebrate. Watch their wonder and excitement. Let it remind you.

Love,

Your earlier, younger, pre-30 Self.

Another great Christmas in the books over here. More footage to come of Buelo's Big Surprise...

Lets begin again...

2010-12-31T19:00:00.000-08:00

My goal was to clean my car tonight. There is a lot of debris that will no doubtedly carry over in my life from 2010 to 2011 but somehow I couldn't face my filthy car being part of it. It didn't happen. Instead I made myself nachos which I am following with the contents of my much-loved, almost-empty box of Candy Cane Joe Joes. Little girls are tucked snugly in their beds, dressed in variations of flannel pajamas, noise machines blasting - hoping to drown out the midnight fireworks. I might run out to the porch to watch them. I might be in my bed. Either way I am delighted to spend another New Years Eve like this - at home, super lame and completely relaxed.

Here's to new things to come - milestones and accomplishments, prayers answered and hopes fulfilled. And here's to the old stuff that still works year after year after year.

Happy New Year.

"We shall not cease from exploration. And the end of all of our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." T.S. Eliot

Let's Celebrate...

2010-12-24T10:44:00.001-08:00

...the pictures that will never make the Christmas card cut...

I hope the real you - wherever you are, however messy your mess is - experiences real joy and peace tomorrow. (I hope it for the New Year too, but we're taking things one day at a time over here...)

Merry Christmas.

The Most Anticipated of All Days...remembered...

2010-12-22T11:02:00.000-08:00

This sweet girl is four. And with her birthday came the threat of snow...which I hoped against. (We had big plans.)
Yet, by noon, this was our view.

Fortunately, fearing the worst...we met Judah, Lydia, and Leah at Chick Fil A at 8:45 am for an impromtu this-may-be-the-only-party-we-have-if-it-actually-snows celebration. Good thing.

But when we took out the rugs and let her ride her new bike inside the day was not lost...

And of course we had another celebration later that afternoon when I convinced her to save the cake for her big party.

Amazingly, she was quite content with all of these arrangements.

And Foo loved the birthday presents! Especially the new Princess vanity...

And we decided to give Christmas pajamas early...special snow day treat...

And then right before bed Sophia even got special surprise Birthday visitors who sang again!

After all of this hoopla, she probably didn't even need a party. But we had had the Big Event postponed to the next day at Inflation Nation ("A Party Anywhere Else Would Be Flat.")

The usual sophisticated crowd was there...

And I think the day(s) lived up to the 364 days of waiting.
Now we just need to rest a little...before Christmas...

Oh and about that cake...

2010-12-22T10:45:00.000-08:00

We are staying in today. Christmas is coming ready or not and I am grateful for no school and no schedule before the celebrations begin. So...the following few posts will be catch up from last week's birthday and other December events...

First...the Princess Cake! I'm probably not going to start a Cake Decorating Blog, but as I slapped the icing on (again) Friday morning, Sophia said, "It's so beautiful Mommy." And the doll hadn't even been stuck in yet...

Apparently there is frosting and there is decorator's icing. I did not know this. And guess which one I used...Yep, my favorite Paula Deen frosting recipe. Very delicious but also very prone to slide off the cake. Someone assured me that it seemed very Disney - the dress evaporating before our eyes. I'm not sure what Disney movie that is but I'll go with it.

See the back? I kept putting more frosting on until the last minute but I wasn't quite fast enough...

Oh a daughter's love. Maybe it should have been Cinderella...after the stepsisters rip her dress to shreds...

This labor of love was well worth the adventure! I loved making it for her. And who really likes to eat that Decorating icing anyways? Tastes like toothpaste...right?

Uncle Peter!

2010-12-22T07:40:00.000-08:00

Uncle Peter, Celebrity Uncle and He Who Defines Coolness to Small Nieces, is recovering from surgery today...Here are our (attempts at) well wishes...

We hope you have a speedy recovery! Enjoy the room service from Buela!

Stage Mom, Stage Sister

2010-12-22T05:07:00.000-08:00

Last night we attended Sophia's Preschool Christmas Program. Sophia and her class sang three prepared numbers, complete with choreography and lots of red Christmas clothes. It was wonderful. Foo struggled. She wanted to be up there. Really bad. I believe the quote was, " I want to sing! Where is the microphone?" So as Sophia is rocking out to "Go Tell it on the Mountain," guess who is sitting on the floor, stage left, practically on the teacher's lap, simulataneously singing the song, doing the motions, mouthing "Smile Bigger Sweetie!" and physically restraining Olivia from climbing onstage? Yes, Stage Mom came out. She's been in there waiting to compensate for every bit part I ever got (pretty much every part I got). And I have to say I am comforted that the stage is not a scary place to either of our children. The bigger the audience the better around here...

All around us

2010-12-18T19:54:00.000-08:00

Snow is falling outside again. Have you ever noticed that every children's Christmas book unfolds against a backdrop of snow? Until this week I had just come to assume that each of these books took place in St. Paul, Minnesota. I don't know when and why Christmas and snow got so entangled but occasionally it does feel nice to fulfill Hallmark Card Expectations. We've had a whirlwind two days of snow and birthday goodness with much to share. But just tonight I was taking inventory of the moments this week that could well be considered Christmas miracles in my little life.

1. Stroller Saved.
We met Aunt Lindsey and Cousins Addie and Carter at the Childrens Museum of Richmond a few weeks ago. And I left my stroller. Who leaves their stroller places? It's like kids who forget their backpacks at school. And I actually left it on the curb about a block down from the museum. I didn't realize it was missing until 5 days later when I looked in my trunk and then mentally retraced my steps. Uh-oh. I can just envision the scene. Strap girls in, hand snacks, load bags, get in car, drive away. It was another 5 days before I took the time to call the museum on the off-chance that someone pushed my stroller a whole block back to the museum for the Lost and Found. And apparently someone did (and pushing the Baby Trend Sit n' Stand is not fun - I do not recommend it for you Baby Registers out there...). And not only that, the museum still had it - they didn't donate it when the crazy person who left it apparently didn't miss it for over a week. And Mr. Roy is holding onto my stroller for another week until I can make it to Richmond to retrieve it. Festivus Miracle? Definitely.

2. Carolers.
Real ones. Not a group I had convinced. Not school children. Not high schoolers working on Key Club hours. Real grown up carolers showed up outside our door Thursday night. And I was overcome. And they were standing there all bundled up against a backdrop of snowy sludge and it was my own Falalalala Lifetime moment. They said they were law students who had just finished their finals and wanted to come out and do this. WHAT?! I'm familiar with what people are usually doing when they finish their finals...we find their debris in our front yard in the morning. But this group came caroling. It was such a stark contrast to the news on TV at the moment...their sweet voices drowned out the descriptions of a world full of disasters and people with very dark hearts. I would have followed them anywhere. Instead I showered them with all the baked goods I could find and thanked them profusely.

3. Neighbors
We went with some neighbors to a Christmas concert last week and tonight we were at our other neighbors for a party. And when I say "neighbor" I mean we literally share a yard. Both of these families have an up close view of the recycling bin on my side porch(and can tell by the overflow that I missed pick-up this week). Really knowing people who live next to you is comforting and natural.But...I admit, we should come with Neighbor Warning Signs: We will need to borrow butter and salt and maybe your car. We will give you a key to our house because its safer with you than with us. There is often screaming in the driveway because our small children have trouble transitioning from the house to the car and vice versa. And occasionally we have large groups of people over which require us to move all of our furniture into our driveway. Please note that this was not Nina's idea and do not be alarmed. It will all be moved back before the night is over. It can't be denied that it takes a village for our family to carry on and and this week I've been struck with what a great one we've been blessed with right on our street...

So there's a piece of my own Heathrow Airport musings. The festive feelings around here have been so strong that I haven't yet needed my favorite Christmas movies to create seasonal mood. But hopefully I'll get to some of them this week because surely they couldn't hurt...

Four

2010-12-16T19:04:00.001-08:00

Sophia finally turned four today. We had a lovely snow day regardless of tears due to her postponed party (hers and mine.) I removed the rugs and she did circles with her brand new Princess bike in the living room all afternoon. The emotions I feel over this girl being four are intermingled with exhaustion from pre-birthday prep. I think I was more disappointed then she was over today's change in plans. Tonight she threw her arms around my neck and said "Oh Thank you Mommy...for my new pajamas." Sweet girl, how you continue to blow my mind and rearrange my life...in all the ways I really need it. And with the doll cake chilling (and hopefully miraculously improving) in the fridge, I'm off to bed. Sophia Birthday Four, The Sequel is tomorrow.

Me, The Cake, and Mrs. Hatcher

2010-12-13T17:29:00.001-08:00

With Sophia's fourth birthday days away, I am focusing in on a single project. Our halls are decked, cards have been mailed, gifts have been bought - all earlier than usual so that I would have the emotional space needed...to create this:

Picture taken from Christine's Recipes Christine makes these cakes regularly! I wonder where she lives...

Except the cake will be a Sleeping Beauty version (a change from her earlier "Ariel Cake" request). And honestly, my goal is something near the shape of this (apparently Pampered Chef makes a special pan), the decorating will be something only a daughter could love. I don't have much confidence. And apparently I'm not alone:

Me: So I'm going to make that doll cake for Sophia's birthday - you know the one where the cake is the dress and you stick the barbie on top...

Mom: (beat) Oh Nina. Why don't you ask Joyce to do it for you?

This is my mother's response whenever I announce some sort of domestic/semi-crafty motherhood endeavor. Mrs. Hatcher - the Joyce of whom my mother speaks - can do anything.

I believe she made me a poodle skirt in first grade, a "Mulan" costume in 12th grade, and countless school play ensembles in between. She can cook anything, sew anything, construct anything...and she's good at math. She navigated Erin and myself through cities over the phone, "guided" us through dozens of science projects, and did emergency alterations on my wedding dress - two days before the wedding. My favorite though, was my phone call to her last year with one desperate question: "Mrs. Hatcher, Travis is making his own advent wreath for the service - what color are the candles?" She knew.

But, no, I will not bother Mrs. Hatcher with this project, not this time. I must pass this Self-Inflicted Motherhood Initiation on my own. We'll see how it goes. Even if it means an emergency run to the Harris Teeter bakery - and Sophia submitting her own request to Birdneck Point next year...

The Grandest Yet...

2010-12-06T17:02:00.000-08:00

This weekend Travis was out of town and we were hosting a holiday open house on Sunday during Grand Illumination - about twenty minutes after he was due to return. So Saturday, my work lay ahead of me - dozens and dozens and dozens of cookies to bake, food to cook, and my house to clean in such away that it would look like civilized people lived there - a weighty endeavor indeed. Until a Festivus Miracle occurred with the arrival of The Connecticut Krops. In town for a wedding, their presence turned a day I was dreading into such a great time. And, as always they were a HUGE help.

Note: Mike pumping air into the tires of my stroller.

Kristen put on an apron and started to bake. This sweet friend has been bailing me out of crises ever since we were bunking beds on the third floor of Dupont Hall.

Mike and I frosted cookies. I depended on his architect eye to create an aesthetic I was not capable of. I was still frosting Gingerbread People at midnight while it was softly snowing outside. It was a beautiful Christmas-y moment - marred only by what my Gingerbread actually looked like. I quit after doing only six. I figured I couldn't convince people that Olivia had been able to frost more than that.

Sunday night turned out to be wonderful. Many fabulous friends stopped by - including Rudolph.

We were so excited to have people in our little home.

And the fireworks were breathtaking. Some though, were not so enthralled...

And others really,

really,

really enjoyed them.

We were thrilled that Grandma and Grandpa joined us for their first Grand Illumination!

This is, quite possibly, the most celebrated night in this city. And its one of our favorites.
Sharing it with so many people we love could have made this year the best yet...

Wish Me Luck...

2010-12-04T04:47:00.000-08:00

I'll be baking all day for an event tomorrow. Baking is not my natural gifting (unlike creating one-dimensional paper manger scenes) but I am excited about the challenge and very grateful for my assistant(s)!

Keep Singing

2010-12-03T17:36:00.000-08:00

(for Jessie...and Tara, because today they both asked...)

Photo courtesy of Sophia: Elmo, Ernie and Bert asleep in her closet. Bert was clearly not consulted on this change of scenery. And Elmo and Ernie are practicing for a Christmas Cantata.

Singing "O Come all Ye Faithful" puts this big lump in my throat. Every year, every time I sing it, the same wave of regret washes over me. It is about this time that I remember: This was supposed to be the year. I was going to extend my arms to the poor and complain less, and be triumphant and joyful and never ever doubt. I was going to radiate love and peace and be the Proverbs 31 woman wearing purple and weaving my enterprising loom late into the night. I was at least going to learn to be nice. But I didn't. Nope. Not even close. Even as I write I'm kind of fuming over the college student who left her car in front of my sidewalk for the past six days and hasn't bothered to introduce herself. (Because I was never a student who snuck my car onto residential streets at night and ran for my life - in this same town, two blocks over. Obviously).

I learned to tell the right story years ago and but I am always tempted with believing the wrong one. The one with halos and pristine clothing, Mary's hair freshly straightened and cherubs and gentle, sleeping oxen. The manger scene that's by invitation only, based on excellent behavior, or at least wanting to behave. My Christmas Theology is being held captive by a Renaissance painting. And I think the only place I really could be welcome is in Sophia's rendition below:

( Which I have to confess, I contributed quite a bit too. In fact, she only colored and glued. Another reason I must never homeschool.)

My friend, Kate, once had a professor who said "more than anything she wished she could smell history. The smells would add incredible perspective." So here's my new strategy: When I start shutting down in the first line of this most beautiful Christmas hymn, I'm going to be imagining what it smelled like in that stable - before and after all the "prestigious guests" arrived. And maybe then I'll feel that there is room to squeeze one more in. Even if my year didn't seem to accomplish all I had planned, and even though I'm probably silly enough to think next year still could.

The power is in the Story's ludicrous details. Grace is woven through every inch of the poverty and scandal and invisibility and odor. Our crazy Yankee Candle Burning traditions, though lovely, make it so pretty and well-scented. And then its down the slippery slope to becoming like every tale we tell - a story about what we have done and we will do, or haven't done or can't do. And we get stuck on the first line and miss the song entirely. Imagine the smells. Hear His invitation. And keep singing. The song isn't actually about us. (Thank God.)

...Word of the Father; Now in flesh appearing.

O Come Let us Adore Him

Christ the Lord.

Hip-Hip-Hooray! The SuperReaders Saved the Day...

2010-12-02T10:58:00.000-08:00

While coloring yesterday, Sophia wrote the word P-I-G. Besides names of everyone she loves, its the first word she has written. And I did not show her how. She told me she learned from this PBS show: I was immediately torn between parental pride and parental guilt. My child can write! My child learned to write sitting inactive in front of the TV! But I do really like this show. We love to sing the theme song and the dance with the characters at the beginning and end. And, most importantly, they have an episode dedicated to the story of Juan Bobo. All these years and I thought Juan Bobo was just a Puerto Rican Family Myth. One day I turn on the TV and a huge part of my cultural heritage suddenly felt more legitimate... Moral of the Story?

PBS Kids - educational, inspirational, life changing.

Foo FlashBack (Way Back)

2010-12-01T19:21:00.000-08:00

Christie sent me this picture today as she continues to go through her archives. I had never seen it before and am thrilled because I now have exactly one picture from each of my pregancies. Christie writes "I remember you coming to this party and just sitting on Tara's bed and eating a giant bag of popcorn." I vaguely remember the party - no idea who it was for. But I really remember that popcorn. It was good.

If you are pregnant or ever plan on being pregnant: Take a few pictures of yourself over the months. I read somewhere that I should and would regret it if I didn't. I still didn't and do regret it. Thanks for being my personal historian Christie and for sending this to me instead of posting it for the world. (So, I could post it for the world, obviously.)

(hope you had a) Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-29T18:54:00.001-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving...parade watching, food eating, hot tubbing, you know...the usual. As would be expected, I have no pictures - except for these: Look at the adorable edible masterpiece served at Sophia's class party! I provided the plates, crackers, and carrots...someday I will construct edible art, someday...

We feasted in Virginia Beach then spent a couple days down there relaxing with family. Bright and early Friday I found myself at...BIG K. Some of you may not realize that Kmart, home to the Kathy Ireland clothing line among other things, holds the largest, most value-priced selection of what my family calls "Character Clothing."(cringe) Yes, I was there to purchase Disney Princess and Dora pajamas - cheaply made and cheaply sold. My girls love this stuff. And I am yielding, albeit slowly. But not slow enough to miss the fact that Big K has the goods and on Black Friday the prices were slashed even lower. So there I was, shoveling through racks of Princess clothing, throwing them in my cart, heading to the checkout only to have my kind cashier confess that she thought she was still drunk from Thanksgiving. 'Tis the Season. I did enjoy my first real Black Friday adventure. I'm trying to be organized this Christmas and I found my few hours shopping energizing and definitely money-saving.

Black Friday Shopping Tips:
1. Drive a small car. I was lucky to be borrowing my mother-in-laws VW bug. It can whip around parking garages very quickly and fits into any spot imaginable. And make sure you know where your horn is. You will need it.
2. When at the mall take your bags to the car and go back in if you are not finished. Do not haul heavy shopping bags around. My hands are calloused and I need a chiropractor. And I did see paramedics resuscitating someone in the food court. It's a jungle out there. Perhaps training for a Turkey Trot could be my best prep for next year.
3. Brew and bring your own coffee. Food Court McDonalds ran out and Starbucks had the longest line in the mall (and I feel like raised their prices for the occasion - has a Frappucino always been almost five dollars?) And hydration is a necessity.

We started taking down our Christmas decorations last night. Which put Sophia back into Manger-playing mode. Check out the scene above. Everyone has a very distinct role. And she is ALWAYS Mary. I LOVE her imagination. I LOVE that when she asks me who can be Joseph and I suggest Bert (from Sesame Street) she totally sees how that can work. I LOVE that a basket can be a manger and a Teddy Bear can be a Wise Man. Though it can make it difficult to get out the door (like when we brought all Seven "Dwarves" to the Farmers Market), I dread the day when culture's cynicism starts creeping in.

Note: Elmo is proudly reviving his role from last year as Baby Jesus.

And today in the spirit of our first ever Attempt to be Organized Christmas we headed out to get the tree.

In this season of thanks I confess that my cup runneth over and and my heart is full.

We have so much in so many ways. I am grateful for my little family.

And the wild wonder of being a mom.

But my gratitude is tempered by the knowing that it's been a year of loss to many people I love dearly. This Thanksgiving was the first of many new Thanksgivings - reminders of what used to be and what isn't any more. I have friends who are missing parents and husbands and children. My friend and Mom Hero Jordan said goodbye to her mother just last Tuesday, after an unprecedented 7 year fight against breast cancer.

"Thank you" takes on new meaning in the midst of suffering. I'm learning about gratitude and life from my friends who have suffered loss. My friends who are grieving are teaching me about hope. And as this season of Advent begins, these friends are also teaching me about waiting for joy.

Thank you.

Rethinking My Christmas Shopping...

2010-11-29T18:51:00.001-08:00

...because they can spend most of the day playing with this...

The Dream Christmas Card..

2010-11-22T08:29:00.000-08:00

I have spent all morning making and ordering our Christmas card...you know the drill, browsing, uploading, clicking and dragging, editing, losing it all, starting over...Really I should have just sent this out to everyone but Ruthie beat me to it...

Memory Lane

2010-11-15T17:37:00.000-08:00

Christie sent me these "old"

pictures today in an email from college. Look at Sophia in a crib! And I just put Olivia to bed in those pajamas tonight...
Speaking of the Foo...it's hard to remember her like this...

And I don't know who's grown up more over the last two years - Sophia and Olivia or Christie and Ali! Love to all you girls! Can't wait to catch up. And Bundle Up - Thanksgiving Weekend Porch Time is in the works...

10th Grade

2010-11-15T09:14:00.001-08:00

Last night I sat in a circle of 10th grade girls who were every bit as exhilarating as 10th grade girls should be. They were warm and energetic, their love for each other and their time together could not be contained. They looked effortlessly beautiful in hoodies and sweats and every serious thought elicited an irrelevant comment and lots and lots of laughing. Why don't I laugh that much? To-do list: laugh more. About everything.

At one point a question was asked from the group leader and somehow completely unrelated, one of the girls commented: "My mom is getting braces. I don't know why, I mean, it's not like it matters at this point..." Then they all look at me (the guest, the old one, the mom) for a breath of horror and erupt into laughter.

Oh God Bless you sweet 10th grade girl. And God Bless your dear mother who lives so sacrificially that its easy to forget that she is more than an extension of her family and its needs. I have been that daughter. And I love that my mom shops at surf shops. I love yours for getting braces. She's daring to care for herself. And her actions are quietly and invisibly forming how you will one day think about yourself. Because tenth grade, like every season, is fleeting...

La Luna

2010-11-13T17:20:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the time change, darkness descending before 5 pm means more opportunities to...see the moon! Sophia said the other night,"We're so lucky! We get to see the moon so much now!" Did you notice the Crescent Moon this week? We saw it every night. We like to search for it out of car windows and from carts in parking lots and from underneath stroller shades. The first one who spots the moon shouts out in joy and then we all break into Margaret Wise Brown's ageless incantation...

"Good Night Room. Good Night Moon. Good night cow jumping over the moon..."

I don't think I noticed the moon much for about 25 years. I am struck by watching Sophia and Olivia marvel at something that is there every night. The regularity of it is more cause for joy, not less. They never become rushed in their observation or bored with the subject. It's the moon. Bright and shiny, far away, high up, and mysterious. Just guessing its shape is exhilarating. I am drawn to watching them watch it. At our local School of Wonder, they are the teachers and I am the student. And I have much to unlearn. "Aren't we so lucky? We get to see the moon so much now!"

Crazy Love

2010-11-05T19:08:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I spent two hours at the doctor with a small child who cried - the entire time. Crying, I can generally handle. Small enclosed rooms - usually not a problem. Crying in the small room can get hard and increasingly sad. Almost as sad as her sister when we forgot to bring her a lollipop from the doctor. And almost as sad as the look on my face when her sister had a melt down in the bookstore in disappointment over not having a doctor's appointment today.

Again, meltdowns I've learned to handle, meltdowns in public - just part of life, but public meltdowns in which my child is screaming " TAKE ME TO THE DOCTOR!!!!!! WHY WON'T YOU TAKE ME?!" This was new territory. A new level of craziness.

And then this evening, as we got back in the car at the park. I was greeted by the sound of my CD player grinding away, eating the precious 8 CD's I have not heard in 3 months. It was a fateful day when a small child inserted coins into the slot thus rendering us to be 24/7 Positive Encouraging KLove radio Listeners. And sure enough, the radio comes on, above the sound of the grinding and I hear the Positive Encouraging Radio Spot reminding us about the importance of having an orderly home - and that the burden should not fall soley on the mother. And our quest for this orderly lifestyle will be made easier if we visit this website, and so on and so forth...(Grind Grind Grind of broken CD player)

And I just started laughing. Not bitterly. Quite joyfully. Because my life is so ridiculous somedays. Because I am so one step away from a Christian Radio Intervention. Because even as I was laughing O was yelling at S because S had taken off her shoes and socks and put O's mittens on her toes. Because I really think I was sitting on a juice box the whole drive home.

I promise you. Right now. My house is orderly. It is completely picked up. It is quiet. There is a candle burning. Sometimes I stay up really late just to be alone in a quiet, clean house and to pretend I really live there. My house is only this way from about 10:30 pm - 6:30 am. What happens the other hours is often pandemonium. And maybe I am at fault for not promoting an orderly lifestyle. Or maybe orderly can mean that you have the right things in order. Or maybe I just need to stick to the music on P.E. KLOVE and enjoy CD Grinding during the promos. I might just be that far gone...

Our Foo Turned Two - So We Went to the Zoo...!

2010-11-03T18:11:00.000-07:00

Olivia turned two today. I have to hedge that with:" And I hope you voted." Having a November 3rd baby means that her birthday and elections will always be intertwined . She was born the day before the presidential elections. I remember my doctor standing over me with a scalpel and asking "Did you vote absentee?" I did. But what if I hadn't? Regardless...it has been my joy to watch this sweet Baby Sister grow these past two years. If you track her personal development by the changes in her hair: she's come a long way, but she's always had a lot going for her:) Opening presents this morning.

First Birthday last year

Celebrating in her Duck Class today.

We decided to mark the event by taking Olivia to the zoo for the first time. She loves animals and had been talking all week about seeing the giraffes and elephants. We had some Celebrity Guests meet us there. Above she is walking with Buelo.

Grandma and Grandpa playing with Sophia - who was a great sport about it not being her birthday. She did much better than I ever did.

Check out that elephant!

Sophia is impressed.

We were thrilled to have Kristyn, Addy and Jackson make the trek to Norfolk with us!

We went to the park next door for cake and presents and the viewing of Olivia Movie 2 (Travis makes a slideshow each year for the girls)

Party Guests

My Mom makes this strawberry frosting from a Paula Deen recipe - six sticks of butter and lots of goodness. It is amazing. I am on my way to eat another cupcake right now.

I think birthdays this young can be tricky. But today we may have gotten it right - not too little, not too much: a lot of love, some giraffes, some swings, and cake. I think she understood this year too which makes it so fun. Happy Birthday Sweet Girl. We are so very grateful for you.

Tricks and Treats, Tutus and Crowns

2010-11-03T17:31:00.000-07:00

Laurie and Bryce live in one of those Suburban Dream neighborhoods where Halloween competes with Christmas for the amount of lights and decorations. Neighbors sit in large groups in their open garages handing out candy - that is if they are not dressed like zombies on their front porches or operating their own fog machines. I love our little street but no one trick or treats, no one gives out candy, and though the stray black cats add to the spooky vibe daily, we choose to migrate across town for the night's fesitivities.... As for the girls costumes...Sophia had been planning on being Snow White for months. She has had the costume since her 1st birthday and proudly wears it publicly in the middle of the summer. She was Snow White all week - school parade, friends school parade, grocery store...etc. At first, Olivia didn't seem quite as opinionated. So I decided make her Olivia the Pig. She shares the name, we love the books, yadda yadda yadda. I figured it was the last year I could get away with it. Until, I heard her answer people all week long, in her little munchkin voice, that she was going to be a princess! I borrowed some princess stuff from a friend, Sophia saw it and...amazingly, Sophia became the Princess and Olivia was designated to be Snow White for the night. When it came time to dress. Olivia didn't want to wear anything. I got a tutu on her and a crown - for a few pictures. [One day when the girls are older we are going to sit down and have a long talk about the hard, politicized, oppressed lives of princesses through history. I will maintain that "Waiting for my prince to come..." is an unacceptable life mission statement, that no one's complexion can be as flawless as animation can paint, and that no fairy's magical powers are as strong as that of Disney's marketing team. In the meantime, let's enjoy some crowns and fancy dresses...]

Sweet Sisters!

Look at this band of Merry Makers!

Olivia was just having a rough time. I don't know if she doesn't buy in to this holiday, which is fine, or if she is just going through some pre-two angst.

Sophia, on the other hand, LOVED it! Looking at these pictures of joy actually makes these past few days of detox almost worth it...

Did I mention she LOVED it?

Oh Olivia. Why do I get the impression sometimes that you are just humoring the rest of us?

Take a whole handful? Yes, thank you!

On Friends...

2010-11-02T18:39:00.000-07:00

Had you been in our house last Monday you would have seen a small blonde child standing, nose pressed against the glass on the front door. You would have heard the following exchange with our neighbor, five year old Darius, who was standing outside, across the street, on his front porch.

"DARIUS! I can't come outside. I AM SORRRRRRRRYYYYYYY! I am having a CONSEQUENCE! Yeah...I RAN AWAY SO I HAVE A CONSEQUENCE OF NO PLAYING OUTSIDE. No. I can't play with you. No. Stop asking. I can't. OH I WISH I COULD. What are you doing? OH. OH. I WANT TO PLAY WITH YOU. I just have this consequence. I RAN OUTSIDE WITHOUT A GROWN UP SO I CAN'T PLAY WITH ANY FRIENDS. Oh I miss my friends. I miss them. I never get to play with them. I haven't played with a friend all day. What am I going to do? I have this consequence..."

(Had you still been in our house (strange) you would have then seen a small blondish/brunette child look up from her playing, plainly comment, "Sia's yelling," and return to her activity.)

The child loves her friends. She is desperate to be with them. Here are two more shots of her social world...

I love this:

2010-11-02T18:32:00.000-07:00

Because I can't help but remember this:

Here..we...gooooooooo!

2010-11-01T17:17:00.000-07:00

I am currently carving the fudge/caramel off of a candy apple cursing myself for actually throwing Sophia's candy away today. I had taken a Grand Parental Stance when her attitude and my sanity had deteriorated beyond recognition. We are bloated, pale, and can barely see through our bloodshot eyes but what I would give for a bite size Milky Way right now to nurse this Halloween Hangover.

We didn't Trick or Treat growing up. Yes, we went to Harvest Parties and dressed as missionaries and Bible Characters and the occasional hippie. Then when my brother Peter was growing up my parents repealed their ban (about the same time they stopped believing in spanking) so one year I went out with him, relishing the rebellion of it all...trick or treating over-age. I think I was a Mime that year. Oh Christian Subculture, how I could not shake you...

We had a great time trick or treating last night...pictures to come. But today I'm considering a religious ban for next year - in response to the the very unholy space our home/car/the public library became today...Here 3 year old child: have a pumpkin full of candy but only eat 4 pieces tonight, and tomorrow you get one, and then one a day until its gone...HAHAHAHA.

And then as I stood in Target today buying 50% off costumes as dress up clothes for Christmas presents (a rare moment of savvy shopper-ness), I heard "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" over the loudspeaker and went into fetal position. You see, the space between the end of October and the end of December is rather busy in our family, due not only to the major holidays but also due to two MAJOR birthdays. My brain has this sticky note permanently sketched in it:

1. Halloween
2. Olivia's Birthday
3. Thanksgiving
4. Sophia's Birthday
5. Christmas
6. Loss of Consciousness

Hearing Carols in Target and seeing that Starbucks will be selling the Peppermint Mocha starting tomorrow makes me feel like I am already incredibly behind...And I guess that's their goal. In light of all that...this blog post speeds up some great events that I'm sure I could overshare much about individually. Oh well, enjoy the montage. I have other things to worry about like where to find Diego plates and napkins. The party store was closed today. The sign claimed they were "Cleaning Up For Halloween" But we all know the truth. They were stocking Christmas for tomorrow: Election Day/Official Start to Over-Commercialized Holiday Madness. Hey, at least we get some extra weeks of the Ginger Bread Latte out of it...

Homecoming 2010

Class of 2007 - I would have no friends without you - and the Bradshaws...

Trav and I pumpkin carving. Check out my expression. Crafts and living things have never been my strong point...

Family Pumpkin Patch Day at College Run Farms!

Sophia is holding up the pumpkins Elmo picked out.

I loved this farm! This really cute couple who went to VA Tech together started it a few years ago and it was very idyllic and inspirational. As we sat there eating our pumpkin ice cream, Trav and I really considered starting a farm. Then we remembered what our yard looked like.

Sweet Foo. Are you really about to turn two? Whenever you ask her any birthday-related question she responds with: "We're going to eat cake!"

We had a fabulous night in downtown Norfolk celebrating Erin's birthday. As always, way too short...We shut the place down. And when I say that I'm not just saying the waitress was glaring at us from the kitchen, which she was, but that the Valet came to our table with our keys and said: "Here. I'm going home." Yet, it was far too short because I have spent the rest of this week remembering all the things I had wanted to discuss with her...Maybe we just need to take a road trip to Texas again..

Sophia's Costume Parade at school!

And the real Snow White was even there!

Sometimes I wonder...

2010-10-30T19:37:00.000-07:00

What the girls are telling other people about us?

Let's Freeze Time...

2010-10-29T19:53:00.000-07:00

Right about here:
It's been quite a week: birthday night on the town with Erin, celebratory dinner at church, count them 1,2,3 Costume Parades, more pumpkins, Jack o'Lanterns and two little girls that I think should stay just about this age...

I have many pictures to share but as we all know uploading pictures to Blogger requires the strategic planning of implementing a Shuttle Launch (not to mention I think there are two stray cats mauling each other outside my door right now- where do I live?!)...so I am off to bed, oh wait, I mean to clean the kitchen. More to come...

Significant Birthdays

2010-10-24T18:21:00.001-07:00

And in the most exciting news of the week...two of our favorite families have joyfully expanded!

Hatch and Shannon welcomed Anna Kathryn last Monday. Baby Anna joins eagerly waiting twin brothers Hudson and William. I first spent quality time with H and S many moons ago in a Nicaragua orphanage. Our paths have crossed and entangled many ways since then - my favorite connection possibly being the one we have over a certain Chevrolet Caprice Classic (LT model, Travis will always add.) That is all from another time, for another post, but I must say nothing seems more right and beautiful to me than seeing Shannon's arms full of her babies.

Then on Thursday, Dave, Megan, and Big Brother Noah welcomed Micah Jeffrey! We have much history with the Rathbones as well, including the lovely detail that Dave and I lived in the same college slum, umm , garage, umm, apartment (?) a year apart. And we live parallel child-birthing lives two years apart, with different genders. When I visited on Saturday I even realized Megan was in the same hospital room as I had been in with Olivia almost exactly two years ago. I was thrilled to get a peek at this perfectly adorable little guy in the nursery before I was kicked out upon failing to convince the staff that I was the grandmother. I'm so excited they all got to go home as a family today!

Congratulations friends! May you get as much sleep as possible. And if not possible, as a consolation, may you have many wonderful casseroles delivered to your homes - our favorite part of baby recovery over here!)

Two Unrelated Highlights from this Week:

2010-10-23T11:51:00.000-07:00

Here is one of my favorite fairys attending a "Fairy Tea Party Birthday Party." Best part? No strange feats required to earn your wings. They were handed out at the door.

And...if you are headed to Lynchburg, perhaps to visit colleges, wineries, or my sister's in-laws, you must stay here:Yes, that is a red heel. This is a Boutique Hotel housed in what was once the Craddock Terry Shoe Factory. I was delighted by the small ways the shoe theme is carried throughout the design and operations - down to the "shoe boxes" you leave outside your door with your breakfast order! The rooms, furniture, and resturants are all outstanding - and all so unique. No, you are not at the Marriot anymore - and you won't want to be.

Field Trip #1: Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-23T11:19:00.000-07:00

Sophia's first field trip of her academic life (not counting the ones initiated by her mother to neighborhood construction sites) cost $3.50, and yes, following Strickland Family Private School Small Fee Tradition...I wrote a check. And I went. And so did Buela. And so did Foo. Holly Fork Pumpkin Patch was wonderful...no creepy plastic witches and no placards of Bart Simpson(sorry Pumpkinville).
Just lots of chickens, a few pigs...

And a rooster Olivia was determined to pet.

And since it was a Pumpkin Patch...there were hula hoops.

And lots and lots of pumpkins!

Class Picture ( I really need more skill or a better camera or both)

They asked us to dress the children in their school shirts. I am such a rule follower- when I remember. But most people didn't - and now I wish I'd put her in something more festive , you know, for the pictures...

It was a beautiful morning and a fine start on the journey of many field trips...And I feel like I get to do it all over again - without the dress code.

My Favorite Tree Huggers

2010-10-18T05:07:00.001-07:00

Love those pigtails...

Batteries Not Included

2010-10-16T11:32:00.000-07:00

(Photos in this montage are courtesy of Sophia) I've always appreciated Elmo's enthusiasm about well...everything.
How does such a face with so few fine details communicate such emotion?

Surprise, excitement, contentment...and, in this case, it's all about grocery shopping.

Elmo had a big day last Sunday. Sophia and I went through the toys and made a list of everything that needed new batteries - which was everything that used batteries. My Mom had this rule when we were growing up that we couldn't have toys that used batteries. It ranked right up there with the "no sugar cereal" rule. We felt greatly deprived. Of course now I consider my mother a prophet as 1/3 of our nation is obese, quite possibly from a large intake of Lucky Charms. (Now we did always have Pop- tarts in the house...but those provide 8 essential vitamins and minerals.)

And she was right, once again, about battery toys. I thought she banned them because batteries are expensive, which they are. But I've now learned the whole truth the hard way: battery-operated toys are annoying. Batteries = noise. Batteries = broken. Batteries = devastation-when-it-worked-yesterday-but-it-doesn't-work-today-because-it-was-left-on-all-night.

These are my reflections - After I spent a full day buying and replacing batteries for toys and then asking myself why. Elmo can now talk about how thirsty he is and how he needs to go to the potty. And if Sophia rolls over him just right in his sleep, I can hear those startling sentences amidst the Strange Sonic Birds over the monitor. It's unsettling. For Christmas, I'm commissioning Buelo to widdle them Laura Ingalls Wilder-esque toys out of wood. What was the Pioneer version of Elmo, I wonder?

Tram, Tipping Points, and Other Trauma...

2010-10-11T07:12:00.000-07:00

Last week made me tired. I figured it was due to increased Night Wandering- accompanied by Sophia's choice of Strange Sonic Birds on her noise machine. Instead of being chased through the Arena from Hunger Games, I felt my Night Wanderings become a Hitchcock nightmare. When a head cold hit me full force this weekend I surrendered to the yoga pants, hot tea, and 8:30 bedtime. But not before visiting Busch Gardens with the girls Saturday morning. Busch Gardens is usually my Happy Place - the answer to long afternoons or weekends when Travis is gone. Not so much this time.

We did our usual character-hugging, and ladybug-riding, but I discovered S and O are at a hard gap with their ages and personalities - and I realized this after I brought them to the park by myself. A lot of what Sophia wants to do requires an adult to go with her - but Olivia is too small for it or too scared. Very few things let you ride as a group of three. So there were many tears, many negotiations, and a long time in the Land of the Drachens playground.

Add to this, the reality that Hollow Scream is going on and it was not the relaxing morning I imagined. Luckily if you go before sundown zombies don't attack you (how considerate). But I find I can't let the girls ever look up for fear of seeing ghouls dangling from the trees. So we race from country to country with the stroller shades covering them.

We did find some solace in the Wild Animal Refuge and Bird Aviary. We were enjoying looking at the different colored parakeets when a Major Meltdown occurred over who got to hold the bag of Goldfish. And like that. I was done. We fled the Animal Santuary and I hauled that double stroller through Ireland amidst screaming, gave a shout out to the sheep in England as we ran by and got out the front gates just as the screaming subsided. We boarded the parking lot tram in relief - the only ones leaving the park at noon.

I told the Kind Old Man with the Microphone that we were parked in Germany and then settled in for the wind-down that usually is the tram ride. But something went awry. Perhaps KOMwtM did not communicate to Kind Driver Man where I was parked because the events that followed are a bit hazy yet very traumatic. As the tram went flying by Germany, KOMwtM shouts "SHE'S PARKED IN GERMANY JOE!" And the tram comes to a screeching halt. Olivia flies off the seat and somehow I catch her with my feet but Sophia flies off the seat and lands on the floor of the tram. Hard.

All three of us are then officially sobbing. Yes, I am sitting on the Busch Gardens tram outside the Germany parking lot weeping and clutching my children to me. I do not speak. I do not move. I surrender to the moment. And oh those poor, sweet old men in their lederhosen looked completely horrified. But to their credit they do not bother me. They send the other trams around. They knew far better than to speak to an emotional woman whose children have been endangered (even if she has been yelling at said children moments before).

They just stood there. Finally they offered to take me to First Aid. I declined. I knew we were fine and could not face re-entering the park. In retrospect, had I been thinking clearly, I would have proposed an under the table deal of Lifetime Preferred Parking. But at the time, I just did not want to be there anymore. Finally we hobbled off the tram and headed into the wasteland of the Germany parking lot. Then we all went home and had lollipops.

And somehow managed to make a full recovery. A friend at Emory gave us this wisdom when we were expecting Sophia: He said, "Children are incredibly resilient. They have been surviving for thousands of years all over the world in a host of different conditions." After weeks like this, I remember these words. But then I also remember that he never mentioned the resiliency of parents...

And the Birthday Train Rides...

2010-10-11T04:59:00.000-07:00

...This time to our house to celebrate Uncle Daniel! The Cake Enthusiasts seem indifferent to who the celebration is actually for...though Sophia's mind was blown by Uncle Daniel's old age of 31. He is the one person she now knows of older than Daddy - with an age/number her mind is still able to wrap itself around (sorry Grandpa).
Check out Foo in the next progression of pictures (above smacking her lips)

Oh the joy of sugar!

Umm...I can "help out" by licking the frosting off of these candles...

And then I will stick them back in the cake...

Blast! The Clean Up crew arrives!

The Cousins were exiled to the porch to enjoy their cake.

I love the many pictures of Sophia being herself, Addie being enthralled with her, and Olivia not even noticing. Family Systems...

Yes, Baby Carter, these people are related to you. I know its a lot to handle. But just think - they will never miss your birthday - ever. No matter where you live. No matter if you insist that you are trying to downplay it. They will show up with cake and balloons, and if you're lucky, a full Mariachi Band. Don't fight it. Just get your cake preferences in early.

Uh-oh

2010-10-10T17:24:00.001-07:00

Olivia (the other night): Look Mommy - the stars are shining!Nina: They are shining! Who made the stars Olivia?

Olivia: Si-A did.

Reason #23 that Daddy is a Rock Star

2010-10-07T05:16:00.001-07:00

(and I am the Scullery Maid): He takes them bowling! And they loved it. Foo told me about her shoes and how she pushed the ball. I was very impressed. Middle School Lock-Ins here they come!

Fall Weekend

2010-10-04T08:11:00.001-07:00

Oh Fall...pumpkins, caramel apples, zip-up jackets... and the ocean?

We took a quick trip to the beach this weekend to meet up with Travis who was leading an all day high school retreat. I assumed no one would swim. Clearly, its been a long time since I was sixteen..

Sophia jumped in wearing her clothes and rode back on the bike in nothing but my jacket.

Sometimes I think in heaven we will get to be every age all over again - but we will know how sweet each chapter is...

Indoor Fun

2010-09-29T18:30:00.003-07:00

Rainy Fall days return us to an old fave: removing the couch cushions and jumping our hearts out... Many parents may opt to pay for their children to take interesting dance classes or play challenging sports...

Not here. We're building forts with our hand-me-down couch.

Pretend naps were taken...

So willing to sleep when it is all a game..

Then Sophia took this self portrait...which alarmingly resembles her 36 week ultrasound pictures...

Monday Funday

2010-09-29T11:03:00.001-07:00

The girls spend special time with Daddy every Monday morning. It has grown into such an exciting ritual that Sophia wakes up yelling, "It's Monday Funday!" And she dresses up for the occasion. Surely she wasn't the only one in a Flamenco Dancer Dress at Chick Fil A that morning?

Labor of Love

2010-09-27T08:51:00.001-07:00

Here's my dad "Buelo" catching Fried Fish for Sophia for dinner. Yes, the dynamic in my parents kitchen is reminiscent of centuries past...My Mom surveys the supplies and sends my father out for the meat. If he brings a small bounty he is shamed...if his catch is large, they have a dinner party.

With Hope

2010-09-26T17:46:00.000-07:00

I began this month excited about new beginnings and schedules and preschool and Fall. But I will always remember this month for something entirely different. I had the honor of being in a dear friends wedding two years ago - and yesterday afternoon, in that same church sanctuary, I had the honor of holding her precious baby while we celebrated the life of her husband, who was killed in action in Kandahar, Afghanistan on September 9th.

It's been a long month - filled, as promised, with preschool and birthday parties and schedules and school clothes. But my heart has been far away and sad. My friend has endured great sorrow this month with grace and beauty and unshakable resolve. I had to remind myself to breathe yesterday amidst both grief and pride as this amazing woman, who I met when she was a junior in high school, so bravely and poignantly eulogized her husband, flanked on either side by her four closest friends - All army wives, two pregnant, two with babies, all four with husbands fighting in Afghanistan. There is a strength I know nothing about. And there is a Hope that I am trying so hard to cling to...Because sometimes it just feels sad.

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" John 11:25-26

VB Overnight...

2010-09-24T10:33:00.000-07:00

My Mom just took the girls to Virginia Beach for the night as we have two days full of child-care -needing events. Sophia called it her "vacation" (From what?! Me?) They will go to the Neptune Festival, celebrate Auntie RuthA's birthday, see the Sandcastle Contest, play in the hot tub, and be showered with attention. But do you know what Olivia will tell me about?

Ranger.
He may not feel the same way about her..but he's always been a good sport.

The Truth About Bedtime...

2010-09-23T18:12:00.001-07:00

I've considered writing this post for a while...self-consciousness, or "image management" caused me to hesitate. Yet my desire to remember trumps my desire to appear competent so the truth must be told.

Our current bedtime routine is a circus act. It is not for the faint of heart or the sane of mind. It starts out very peaceful and slowly digresses into something other-wordly...

1. We read 3 books, 1 bonus book in the bed, sing 2 songs and pray...
2. Kiss Sophia Good night. Sophia reminds me not to let Olivia (that menace) wake her.
3. Door shut.
4. Count to three...MOMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY.
5. Yes?
What follows is a series of requests/desires/complaints/thoughtful quotes/philosophical questions/bathroom trips (necessary and unnecessary)/and general observations on the state of her bedroom.

She has slept in slippers and socks, with socks on her hands, horizontally for fear of her head hitting the headboard, with seven stuffed animals, with no stuffed animals, with a night light, with the hall light on, with Vicks Vapor Rub, and (my current favorite ) in a ponytail due to the extreme hysteria produced by her hair touching her ears while she tries to sleep.

Sophia brought home her classroom newsletter this week in which the teachers reminded us to put our children to bed early as they appeared tired during class. I was horrified and ashamed. I interrogated Sophia about whether she acted tired in class...BECAUSE WE PUT YOU TO BED EARLY YOU JUST DON'T GO TO SLEEP!

Two nights ago, on one of my trips into her her room, she commented, "Mommy, you are talking in the regular voice right now." "What do you mean?" I asked. "Well, last time you came in you were talking in the "Losin' It" voice."

That is what makes me sad about bedtime and why we will go back to the Sophia Bedtime Success Chart tomorrow night. When I leave Sophia the first time I always say the same thing: "Good Night Sophia. I love you. You are my precious girl." When I leave her room 35 times later, I am huffing and puffing and yelling in the "Losin' It!" voice. I morph into some sort of Ogre of the Night and am sad that these are our last interactions before she (finally) drifts off to sleep...

Until, I am woken at 4am by"MOMMMMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY!" And I must deliriously move her head away from the headboard or her hair away from her ears. Then I realize that she is probably not scarred - though I might be.

Sidenote: I kind of wish all of us mothering night wanderers could see each other and feel the solidarity. I often wonder who is up with me at 4am and why...
Also, if you are often up in the night I do not recommend reading books such as The Hunger Games. I found myself being chased in my dreams and then chased around the house as I made my way to my crying child. I found the book riveting but who needs that kind of stress?

85 Days and Counting...

2010-09-22T17:01:00.000-07:00

Sophia: Ruthie, on your birthday will you be as tall as this tree? Ruthie: I sure hope so! I've been waiting my whole life to be tall...

Sophia: Yeah... (empathetic sigh) I've been waiting my whole life to turn four...

I'm Having a Moment...

2010-09-18T11:14:00.001-07:00

...Because this sweet guy just turned five... I remember the day Braden was born. When Bryce called to tell us the news I burst into tears. Some moments are so big and mean so much that tears replace words and I think with Braden's birth somehow I had an instinct that our lives too would soon enter this season - and change in the biggest way.

My instinct proved right. And Braden has paved the way for us from the beginning...I know next year when Braden enters kindergarten, I will tear up. When Sophia starts... I will probably be stressed about whether she had enough breakfast. Sadly, I tend to be too engrossed in the details of my own children's milestones to be emotional - so I preemptively experience them through Braden:)

I've learned that you need a all types of community to raise children:.

- You need friends that are right there in it with you so that you can talk ad-nauseum about sleep schedules and baby food and giving up pacifiers.

-You need friends with grown-up children to remind you that it goes fast and though your adult children may not wake you up at night to eat, their more complicated issues can lead to an even lesser amount of sleep.

- You need friends without children to remind you of who you are and who you want to be outside of being Mommy Hold Me Mommy Hold Me and facinate you with tales of The Outside World.

- And you need friends that are In It With You but Just A Little Ahead. They have survived beautifully but it was recent enough that they remember how they did it and have gear to lend you to help you do the same...
Laurie told me what to register for for my baby shower and what books were worth reading and basically said over and over that I was making it in those dark post-partum days...And one day soon she will explain bus schedules and school supply lists...

and how to throw 5 Year Old Birthday Parties Your Child Will Never Forget..

I've always been a firm believer in Birthday Magic, having been a recipient of it quite a few times (Oscar Party anyone?) But when 5 Members of the Tribe Basketball team

made a surprise running entrance onto Braden's Backyard Basketball Court...

I think we all felt we really were at The Happiest Place on Earth...

Throw in some hot dogs and cheese balls (!) and it was a pretty great Saturday.

Not to mention the Basketball Birthday Cake (I might have to commission Laurie to construct the Ariel cake in December.)

And as always, there's Braden and Coleman's Playroom. We just don't have these kind of dress up clothes at our house...Hey! Wanna trade? 4 Sparkly boas for one Tribe Football helmet?

Because We're Completely Normal Over Here...

2010-09-17T18:13:00.000-07:00

So very shortly after publishing my manifesto against bizarre stranger interactions, I send my child out into public like this:Am I just asking for it? (And, yes, Bobito ends up in the 3-point harness...)
Somewhere out there I know someone is ranting on their blog about people's inappropriate behaviors with their pets and how they prance them about in public - assaulting innocent bystanders with images such as the ones above...

Another First, a Jaunt, Some Pizza, and a Rant

2010-09-15T17:32:00.000-07:00

Today was Olivia's first day in Mom's Morning Out...3 hours every Wednesday morning she is in the "Ducks Class." My favorite part of this whole scenario is that the class says "Waddle Waddle Quack Quack" as they move around the building. Foo was not as enthralled. She was crying when I picked her up. Told me she cried the whole time and was hungry. Wow, she knows how to get the guilt going here. The greatest fear of the Latina mother is that her children be hungry or skinny...We shall see how this goes. Sophia was a Duck Class drop out two years ago when the emotional burdens of becoming a big sister took their toll...

Sophia goes to the "Bumblebee Class" on Wednesday. This afternoon she became a bumblebee for our walk to Colonial Williamsburg. Here she is in an ensemble she created herself pointing her "stinger" right at me.

I was only allowed to address her as "Bumblebee" and she refused to ride in the stroller because Bumblebees need to fly. I convinced her the stroller was the beehive and she got in. Two can play this game.

We ended up at Doraldo's for slices of pizza. The Bumblebees were very hungry.

Warning: I am stepping onto my soapbox with this next part...

I have this issue with strange people touching my kids, getting in their space, and basically being all-around too familiar. I take S and O out a lot in the stroller in Colonial Williamsburg so maybe what I experience is unique to tourist areas teeming with relaxed people with lots of time. I'm fine with strange people talking to them, saying hello, commenting on something they are wearing or doing. But please Strangers Who Swarm Around Us(!!!) do not get in their faces and talk on in your own strange child-language. Don't take their stuffed animals and tickle them with them. Don't try and soothe them if they are crying. I don't care if you have grandkids just this age or a stroller just like this. I don't care if they are cute and you miss these years. Give them the dignity of a little distance.

My stance is two fold:

1. I am trying to teach two preschoolers to respect other people's space. This task is complicated when people are always in theirs.

2. I am raising girls who,(fist shaking) heaven help me, will grow up believing they have power over their bodies and their minds - the ability to walk away when they don't want to do something, the strength to say stop when they are being wronged, and the mindfulness to believe in their own strength and capabilities regardless of what other's tell them.

Does empowerment really start in a stroller? Maybe. Or maybe it just starts with hearing your mother advocate for you even if it sounds awkward or rude. I didn't do that today with Crazy I Have Twins Just Like Them Woman, and I regret it. The last time I really said something was when that Pet Smart employee picked Sophia up. (What was I doing at Pet Smart anyways?)

I could be overreacting. I could just be a jerk. I'll take the risk. Every parent gets a few soapboxes. I'm going to develop a little dialogue for handling these offenses. Perhaps I will just print my thoughts on a sign and attach it to the stroller. Or maybe I'll just get Sophia Bumblebee an upgraded stinger...

What a difference two years makes?

2010-09-11T19:17:00.000-07:00

WiffleBall World Series 2010And 2008...We were Rhonda's Rhinos - named for our mascot "Rhonda" the name my small group girls used for in-utero Foo. (Flashback comparison pictures never get old to me...)

Ready, Set, Preschool!

2010-09-11T18:07:00.000-07:00

First Day of Preschool Photo Shoot:
No anxiety here...

That's right...work it girl...

Poor Foo. At this point she still thinks she is going. As you can see she has packed her purse and her backpack.

Looking very mature...

She has to wear her nametag for the first couple of days. They will probably go back and add an "S" after her name to differentiate her from THE OTHER SOPHIA IN HER CLASS. What was I thinking? When your baby name is in the top 5 this is the moment you fear, the risk you take. Did I really think that I was the only one who saw that 2006 movie "The Holiday" and adored Jude Law's daughters named Sophia and Olivia? Sophia go for it: Be Alecia to your heart's content. And I'll just count on there being no other Foo's by the time she gets to preschool...

Here's what I decided about first children. It's really not about their "first" being more intense. It's about our firsts as parents. Sophia loved her first day - she loved Other Sophia and Other Braden and doing stamps and playing on the playground. But she also plays into the fact that we seem to make a big deal of this. Why? Because its a bigger First for us than for her. On Thursday she played in a class. On Thursday we became tuition-paying, carpool-driving, soup label collecting, extra fee paying, meeting-missing parents.

And just like at her first pediatrician appointment when they called her name, not mine, I found myself asking: Is this allowed? Especially because I am realizing who we are doesn't change as much as our seasons in life do... Thus I found myself in the two hour orientation meeting following a very familiar routine: sit in the back with a friend, listen, miss something, identify responsible listener, ask responsible listener what I missed, try and keep up with corresponding paperwork, give up and have a snack, have anxiety over a procedure that I don't quite understand, realize I have already forgotten something, get overwhelmed at the word "fundraiser", feel like I have nothing to offer, feel like I will be a huge asset, look around and get excited about new social scene, wonder if I will fit into new scene, have regrets about my outfit, see someone with haircut I really like, remind myself to ask who cuts it, and so on and so forth - and all the time wondering if Sophia is enjoying herself, being kind, and introducing everyone to Diego and Pedro.

Can such a person really be trusted with the parenting of Sophia S. and Olivia Foo? Is this allowed?

Further Adventures of Diego and Alecia...some highlights from Leah's camera

2010-09-07T12:13:00.000-07:00

Sign of a true friend: ablility to immediately assume the persona of your imaginary friends as soon as he arrives. Diego leaves big shoes to fill. Judah is boldly up to the task.

Here are Diego and Alecia enjoying one of their favorite activities: communal baths.

Lydia joins the fun. Olivia refused, probably due to her irrational fear of Lydia ( who is 13 months)

A twilight playdate gets crazy...
and...

Pajama Storytime!

Daddy showed up just in time for the Pajama Parade around the library. It was just what he wanted after a long day at work.

We were quite a crew. The ripped Princess negligee kind of set the tone...

Olivia: "Wear my pajamas to the library? Don't be ridiculous. This is so not my scene."

Lydia wondering why this was the event she was allowed to stay up so late for...

Can you imagine how much they would enjoy an actual sleepover?

What My Child is Teaching Me...

2010-09-06T19:21:00.000-07:00

"I'm just so excited. I love this being in the water! And I'm just excited! I'm excited about my birthday and I'm excited about Braden's birthday..."
- Sophia, as she splashed in College Creek in her underwear this afternoon

"It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy...For we have sinned and grown old and our Father is younger than we." - G.K. Chesterton

September!? Already?

2010-09-02T09:45:00.001-07:00

Please don't close the pools! It's really hot at the playground!

My eighth grade science teacher Mr. Reffit had a sign next to the clock in the back of the classroom. It read:

To all you Clock Watchers:

Time passes -

But will you?

I was a HUGE Clock Watcher, thus this sign is forever imprinted on my memory - along with most of Mr. Reffit's axioms...(I never see an overhead projector without thinking of him.) I was always wondering how long until lunch...how long until Wed...how long until the weekend...spring break...summer... When I had children the clock watching officially stopped. Oh the times I have given this excuse: it's not that I forgot your birthday - I honestly do not know what day it is. The rhythm of this life space tends to push me along leaving me without energy or brain mass to think very far ahead.

And so I find myself here - surprised that its September, surprised that I have a real preschooler, who will be assigned classroom jobs and has her name on a cubby. I'm surprised to discover changes in myself: the grasping for survival of the past few years is being replaced by a grasping to hold on - to them and to these innocent times in which I am the Divine Mother Goddess and Daddy is a Rock Star. Sometimes "Mommy hold you Mommy hold you" can seem wearisome but I imagine "MOM. I told you I wasn't coming home last night. Didn't you get my text?!" is exhaustion on a whole other level. Oh September. Slow down just a bit...

Where do we go from here?

2010-08-31T09:37:00.000-07:00

The porch repair/repaint is finished and a marvel to behold. All that's missing is the plaque thanking all the members of the community who contributed. Everything we tend to do takes a village and I know a lot of people are wondering what to do with their lives now that this is over... Sophia is wondering when we will get to use the front door again.

Favorite picture of the project.

How many years will it take to win back the mailman's respect?

Week in Pictures

2010-08-28T18:47:00.001-07:00

It's been our first full week at home in what feels like a while. Travis is gone for most of July and we were gone as a family for most of August. It's good to be back in the burg and on the court...The week commenced with a big house project: redoing and painting the front porch. Know this about Travis and me: we are not project people. Neither of us. We don't like doing them and we don't necessarily feel satisfied after they are done. They make us angry and tense. I always read and hear about projects bringing people together...no, not over here. A full service yard and maintenence man? That could really bring us together. But we also really love our little house and want it to be a welcoming place for people. I start getting nervous when the exterior of our house begins to resemble the college houses. It is nice having neighbors that set a low bar, but come on...
Pictured above is Stephen. He is an Eagle Scout. I try not to change light bulbs without consulting him first. He apparently had school work to do on Monday but when Travis texted him that he had begun sawing things in the front yard, Stephen came running. I am so impressed with what they have accomplished - lumber, saws,hammers, sanders... I am hosting a baby shower next week and that's the deadline I gave us for the porch. Travis, though he might be hating it, always works well with deadlines...He gets really intense for a brief window of time and always gets it done. Again, we are not project people...there is no joy in a long process here.

That's what our crawl space looks like. I was just glad no animal families emerged...

As of tonight the porch has been fixed, sanded, and primed. Last step is the paint which will happen Monday

Jess hung out all day Tuesday and I was sad I didn't get any pictures until I went through my camera and saw this great photo shoot occurred!

I have no idea where I was when this happened. You know you are good friends when Jess is visiting all the way from California and I still feel fine just leaving her to play with my kids while I was doing who knows what...

We journeyed to Charlottesville for Addie's second birthday! As if the abundant stairs in their three story house were not enough - Addie is now the proud owner of a "Jump 0 Lene!"

And jump they did!

Addie was an extremely well-adjusted birthday girl. Look at that maturity...it's amazing what older sisterhood can do!

Foo loved her some cupcake.

And I promise, Sophia was having a great day until the very end...when we decided to take the cousin group picture...

What can I say? Other people's birthdays were always hard for me too.

Judah and Lydia came to play and we dragged out the ol' backyard pool for the first time since June.

The comment preceding this picture was "I don't eat chicken. I just eat ketchup."

Today the girls attended Xander's birthday party at Inflation Nation. Jumpin' Joey's is no more. This new place is a big improvement! Bounce to your heart's content!

Sophia is imagining her triumphant return to Inflation Nation for her birthday... Which reminds me I better start researching how to make Ariel Cakes...

Here are the girls watching the work on the porch...very exciting..all that noise and sawdust...

It was a great week just enjoying things we love about being home. We said goodbye to some of our last friends headed off to college and are now gearing up for a busy Fall schedule.

Are we really going to make it out the door to preschool 2 days a week? I'm already prepared to be the stigmatized "late" parent. I just hope they don't shame the late kids at this age...

What We Read...

2010-08-26T17:47:00.001-07:00

When I think back on this summer I know I will remember much of it by what we read. Travis can remember entrees he ordered at resturants 10 years ago...not me, but I do remember the books: the spring of 9th grade - I remember being in long rehearsals for the school play, the unmatched angst of being fourteen, and reading To Kill a Mockingbird for English class; I read Wuthering Heights while on a family vacation to Puerto Rico right before senior year in high school and the summer before Sophia was born I was working in Atlanta, thought I was going to die of heat exhaustion, and read Gone with the Wind for the first time. So...here it is: the summer when they were 3 1/2, and 1 1/2, when Foo began speaking English, and Sophia became a protective older sister...we were reading:

A friend told me about Mo Willems last spring. We've enjoyed his "Pigeon" books but Knuffle Bunny is king. The second one, Knuffle Bunny Too, follows Trixie to preschool and Sophia really connects with it. So do I. Willems can sum up all that is parenting a three - year old in one cartoonish facial expression. He is brilliant. And he is about to release his third book in this series and is coming to our library to speak. Be still my heart.

There was a point this summer when we had two copies of this book checked out at once and Sophia would not go to sleep without both in her bed. They both love the rhythm and the numbers and the heroic ending...What's not to love?

This is an A to Z of "naughty" children. Warning: it's a long one. It almost pushed my mother in law over the edge at bedtime because Sophia knows it by heart so you can't miss a word. I have read it enough that I can get through it in record speed. I like it. In many a disciplinary moment we have referenced the particular child who acted wrongly and how that effects people. Think Book of Virtures - reversed.

Okay, it takes some energy to dodge the Disney books (fairies and princesses), the Dora books and (oh the horror) the Barbie books. I don't have a huge stance. These books often make their way home with us. I would just prefer Sophia and Olivia to aspire to be prime ministers or poet lauretes rather than princesses and I want to believe there's better literature out there than Barbie Loves Cheerleading (okay, really,it's just that those photographed pictures of real Barbies being posed amidst scenery really freak me out.) So we read Little Critter and Curious George and Max and Ruby. And we've read Angelina, and Eloise, and Fancy Nancy, and Ladybug Girl. And we like them all. But no one compares to Belinda. No one.

We have been checking these books out for over a year. Sophia knows where to find "Y" in the library and checks everytime we are there to see if there is one in. Olivia loves Belinda and the Glass Slipper and would request it along with Karen Katz books long before she spoke.These woeful tales of a Ballerina marginalized due to her very large feet have struck a cord in this family. And I like that Belinda, in her own way, is a survivor, a fighter, she has overcome.

Dear Amy Young - wherever you are: Please write another one in this series. Perhaps Belinda and the Bedtime Routine. That could really meet us where we are right now.

Love, Your Devoted Fans.

P.S. If you do write another one we promise to buy it and not just continually renew it from the library. We realize our system provides you with no increased revenue.

Scott and Morgan are Married!

2010-08-22T08:51:00.001-07:00

Scott and Morgan were married last night at The Whalehead Club in Corolla, NC. It was a magnificent celebration... But first, a rewind...once upon a time, on a cold winter day in January I met Morgan for the first time. She was coming through Atlanta with Jess en route back to school at Auburn. Sophia was 2 weeks old and I had been wearing a velor J-Lo suit for about that same amount of time. I was barely cognisant enough to shove Sophia into Morgan's arms and say "Here hold her! We're taking pictures of all her visitors."

Morgan complied and this is one of the few pictures we have of those weeks. (We did not have many visitors.) I never would have known how our lives would intersect again years later...Morgan is one of the sweetest, strongest and most truly lovely women I know. It has been sheer delight to watch her love story with Scott unfold - and this picture serves as such a reminder of how life works: unexpectedly! (So when you have surprise guests, get dressed and put on a little mascara - you may be reading Scripture at their wedding one day)

The setting could not have been more perfect. The Whalehead Club is a historic home and grounds facing the Currituck Sound.

The aisle - I loved her colors!

I'm kind of glad I got half of Grandpa in this picture. That's my style of photography, very real, very raw. Morgan wore her mother's veil -gorgeous!

Besides the many perfect details of this wedding, there some other fabulous elements involved such as...a bridal party beach house that made me feel very old...

a very fun rehearsal dinner with the most hysterical wedding slideshow I have seen...and...

(Praise the Lord) there was Karaoke!!!!

Student Ministries Staff (present and former). My shoes really hurt and I thought this picture was going to be closer up...I would also like to mention here that this was the 19th wedding that Mrs. Jessica Jiao Smith and I have attended together. 19. In nine years. I'm not a stats person but that one is pretty mind-blowing.

Scripture Readers! Way to rock that OT passage Becca.

And there was lots and lots and lots of dancing...

It was such a night of goodness - of joy and hope and laughter.

Here's to your new beginning Scott and Morgan - Thanks for sharing your day with us!

Reason #74 that Williamsburg is a Magical Place:

2010-08-22T08:39:00.000-07:00

Mooretown Rd.

As if this place couldn't get better...the Chick- fil -A now hosts "Mommy and Me" on certain weekday mornings. They provide play-doh, coloring, and a storytime...

Here is Olivia doing play-doh with the wonderful Chick-fil-A Greeter, Mr. Jim.

And you thought it was the milkshakes that made this place utopic...

Where was the Mommy during these festivities? Kicking back in a booth enjoying her complimentary beverage...

What I Almost Missed...

2010-08-18T18:24:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I was tired, it rained, the Wednesday night concert was cancelled but we needed to get out... I don't like afternoons where I feel like I'm just pushing through until bedtime. I know I am bound to miss something...
Look at this sweetness! Could they be becoming friends?

Yes, Sophia is about to hurl herself into the horse field and it appears Olivia is eating dirt.

Oh dear farm animals, may you never lose your allure...

Kindred Spirits

2010-08-17T22:20:00.000-07:00

and the sisters who love them...

She'll Have the Usual

2010-08-17T21:49:00.001-07:00

Nina: Maybe this weekend Buelo will catch a fish for you to eat.

Sophia: Yeah, the same kind he always catches for me: fried fish.

Virginia Beach - Family Style

2010-08-17T21:35:00.001-07:00

We enjoyed some time away as a family in Virginia Beach last week... Made our rounds at some favorite dives (Beach Pub for breakfast)

Nothing says vacation like multiple sets of stairs to climb...all day long...

And small dogs to play with...

(Wilson shakes the whole time Olivia is in the room with him)

The normal splattering of cabaret shows were held...

And Saturday we took a big adventure...from 72nd st.

to 64th St...

and beyond...

well worth our hike when the woods cleared and we saw this:

Foo? What is it? Would you prefer the mountains? That could be problematic...

Sophia could not get enough of the water (until the Jellyfish struck)

Don't be fooled. She is actually shouting: "I'm ready to go homeeeeeeeeeee!"

A final night on the porch...

2010-08-17T21:30:00.000-07:00

Dear Chelsea, Christie, Crystal, Kristina, Jessie, Jessica, Ali, Tara, Lauren, Diana, Rylie, Maggie, Lauren, Allison, Hannah, Caitlin, Lexi, and Renee -

I guess life always moves us forward. Which is why you have to go. And I can't :)The cars are packed, the Target has been emptied and over the next week every one of you will become a college student. You're ready. Even if you haven't decided on coordinating hampers with your suitemates. I'll miss you - but do you really want to hang around and be my full time babysitters for the rest of your lives? Go start the best four years of your lives - I mean the next four years of your lives. You don't need the pressure of those kinds of expectations.
What you do need to know is that there is a place on the porch waiting for you everytime you come back.

Giveaway Winner and Question for the Masses

2010-08-16T07:11:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to...Kristen King! You will receive a signed copy of Bittersweet.

Thanks to all who entered. And FYI Shauna Niequist will be speaking at Spring Branch in Virginia Beach on November 21.

On a completely different note: Can anyone recommed a children's purifying shampoo that can cleanse a summer of chlorine? This hair is no longer braidable...I'd love to know what works and doesn't out there!

The Good I Know To Do

2010-08-15T17:09:00.000-07:00

This is a dangerous time for me every year. We live across the street from a college, not just any college - The College I went to and loved. Because of this, I mark my seasons by the College's activities. I can still feel the rhythm of it: I know the parades of yellow t-shirts during orientation, the sounds of the bands during football season, huge lines at the delis during homecoming, singing from the Wren during Yule Log, and laughter all night long during Blow Out. Because we share the street with students I see these events play out in front of me year after year. And thus the danger: I trick myself into thinking I'm still a part of it. It's embarassing.

For some reason, my greatest weakness comes at Move -In time. There I am with my stroller, giving directions to dorms, encouraging smiles to lost students, explanations to hot and angry parents. I'm like the Tour Guide who never left. Clinging to her past and her hard-earned skills in walking backwards. I'm a freak.

I felt myself slipping again today as I talked to my new neighbor down the street. She's a senior, here early to help with orientation. There I am chasing Sophia, who is chasing Diego, trying to keep Foo from eating rocks, saying offhandedly, "Well, I graduated in '07." Then I stopped myself, no I didn't. Ruthie graduated in '07. I graduated in 03! Seven years ago! I moved in eleven years ago! I saw the truth in her polite smile. It doesn't matter. I might as well have gone to Ohio State. I have made the swift, inevitable descent into (shudder) irrelevancy. She laughed and said, "Yeah, that was the year I graduated elementary school." Thanks for that.

I recovered awkwardly and admitted "It just doesn't feel that long ago." So, in case she had any doubts left I completely assured her I was old by that line. Then I simply pointed to where I lived and said that to come by if she ever needed anything, or wanted to see children or be in a home. One of my dearest friends to this day invited me to her house once a week while I was in college. I saw her interact with her family and prepare food without using a George Foreman Grill. Being in her home on a regular basis balanced me in a really fragile, angsty time. Sometimes 18-22 year olds don't hold all the answers, yet they don't realize this and that can be exhausting.

I have a quote I stuck to the side of my refrigerator. I spend more time than I like to admit at that kitchen sink so I have learned that's the place to put something if I want to look at it often - or at all. I confess to yanking it from Stephanie's blog. (Thanks Stephanie!)

"The adventure of faith begins with faithfulness. Being faithful is taking responsibility for the good we know to do. It is about treating even the small tasks before us as important and worth our best effort. Faithfulness is God's kingdom pathway to greater opportunity, responsibility and adventure. - Chasing Daylight

It seems my life these days is a series of very small tasks - lots and lots and lots of them. But I am taking responsibility for the good I know to do. Right now. In this season - not seven years ago, not ten years from now. I am sometimes discontent with the lack of glamor and prestige and measurable progress. But this is the good I know to do. And maybe if I continue to be faithful here, it will expand onto my street and to my neighbors. Perhaps I have something different to offer, even better, than I would have had back in my collegiate days of glory. But I'm still secretly grateful we'll be away at a wedding when those 1500 new students arrive on Friday. I need to move on with my life. I just have to trust that they'll be able to find their way around without me...

Giveaway!

2010-08-12T12:44:00.000-07:00

Well in my first courageous, audacious and gutsy move...I am doing a giveaway! I know, I know - how very blog of me. Shauna Niequist will graciously sign and send a copy of Bittersweet to the winner. Just comment below if you want to be entered. If you post a link to the giveaway on your blog, you will get another entry, just write an additional comment below with the link to the blog.

I'll do the drawing Sunday night and announce the winner Monday morning. Happy Thursday!

Bittersweet

2010-08-11T12:09:00.001-07:00

Within the last 36 hours, I devoured this: Travis bought it for me last week at a conference we attended. The note he wrote in the front was so sweet, I considered not even reading further. June and July are crazy - which make our marriage a little crazy and often result in me yelling things like "HOW COULD YOU FORGET THE DRY CLEANING?!!!!" as if he'd forgotten my birthday - for the last ten years.

We are fortunate to be able to spend a lot of August reconnecting as a family and contemplating
where we are headed and if we can afford the aforementioned dry cleaning to get us there.

But now, this memoir is infusing so many of my thoughts. Shauna Niequist writes in a raw and honest way during a recent season in her life - one with many transitions and lots of questions. She admits to finally learning how to understand the core of the Christian faith: death and rebirth. She confesses to previously fighting the death that precedes life: I'll just have some life, thanks so much.

The book is a collection of vignettes on incredibly ordinary things - meals, weddings, babies, love, loss, disappointment, work, family, and friendships. Yet, Niequist's rich language and ability to be so fully honest somehow weave each story into a beautiful portrait. As I first began reading my reaction was "Wow, she has a really cool life..." but with each chapter it became so clear that she's describing my life - and your life. The relationships and the memories, the food and the yoga pants. And the disappointment and heartbreak and longing.

We have mourned for dear friends this year, hoped and prayed for healing for others, and next week we will no doubt all joyfully dance like fools at Scott and Morgan's wedding. And on and on it goes. Then their are my own struggles with expectations and disappointments, trying to get it right and barely getting it done. I'm still learning that marriages and babies don't come with textbooks or syllabi - and I am not being graded on a curve, or actually being graded at all. I am finally accepting that almost everyone spends some time crying in the shower.

This book honors this life that is so unsure, and so sad in some moments, and breathtaking and joyful in others. But it describes these tensions without downplaying the pain or cheapening the beauty. It does not give a formula to quench the suffering. Suffering is and will be. Joy is and will continue on. There is change and transformation that emerge out of embracing this reality - not fighting it, not hiding from it:

"Bittersweet is the practice of believing that we really do need the bitter and the sweet. Sweet is nice enough, but bittersweet is beautiful, nuanced, full of depth and complexity. It's courageous, gutsy, audacious, earthy." - Shauna Niequist

Haircut Time!

2010-08-08T20:40:00.000-07:00

I like to have the bangs cut about 4 inches above the eyebrows. That puts us due for haircuts about every 4 months...

Maybe we should have come sooner?

Princess Buttercup we need to find you a chlorine cleansing shampoo before those green highlights really start emerging...

Support Local Young Artists

2010-08-08T20:23:00.001-07:00

While in Virginia Beach last week, Sophia welcomed viewers to the 72nd St Gallery to premiere her latest collection of modern art.

Drinks were provided as art lovers wandered over the back porch looking at the paintings...

Almost - married Scott and Morgan saw a few pieces they might like to have in their new home.

The artist dedicated her work to her father, her muse and inspiration.

Alexis and Morgan were inspired by the joy-filled works.

They were delighted to pose with the artist and her young protegee'.

The body art was an added bonus to a truly successful evening!

Sound Bites

2010-08-07T18:56:00.000-07:00

Kind Strangers at the Pool: Your daughter Alecia has a beautiful name!

Awkward Mother: Oh, umm, that's not really her name. Her name is Sophia.

Kind Strangers at the Pool: Oh...so you don't have a five-year-old son named Diego?

Awkward Mother: Not who I've ever seen...

Me: How was Wild Water Rapids?

Sophia: It was good. I went down the orange slide and the purple slide and the green slide all by myself.

Me: What about Olivia?

Sophia: She went down the slides too but the family had to go with her.

Me: Oh? Who from the family?

Sophia: The whole family. Buela, Ruthie, Uncle Peter, Diego and Pedro.

My Mother: Sophia told me she was Mexican today. I just thought you should know.

But a mere glimpse of what I will one day experience in parent teacher conferences...

Milestones

2010-08-01T19:09:00.000-07:00

Here's a toddler who just used the potty for the first time. She is slightly confused about all the fanfare and how she ended up with a lollipop without sobbing or being at the Doctor's office, or being at the Doctor's office sobbing. Foo? Potty training? Do they all eventually grow up?

I Think We Might Live in Stars Hollow

2010-08-01T18:52:00.000-07:00

Summer time in Williamsburg brings with it many free, safe, family-friendly events.We can't fit it all in...Farmers Markets, concerts, outdoor movies, endless people in costumes...The "Summer Breeze" Concerts are among our favorites- every Wednesday night in the summer on Merchants Square. We stay in the back with clowns, hula hoops and jump ropes...

Last week the new Dora bike came along. This was a prize for a game show at a recent church event. The 26 year old single guy who won it graciously donated it to our family.
And it has inspired equal amounts of joy and controversy.

Luckily while Foo rode Sophia was living it up with the hula hoops...This is what I love about summer. Before we know it all we will have is the Yankee Candle and their Singing Von Trapp Family Concerts and very strange petting zoos...

So for now we are enjoying every moment - regardless of the temperature...

Visit to the Dentist...

2010-07-31T18:05:00.000-07:00

Sophia had her second visit to the dentist on Thursday. I didn't have my camera for her first visit six months ago, but that was the day she gave up the pacifier cold turkey so we had bigger issues at hand... I love our dentist and the practice. There are TVs! Here she is relaxed, catching up on some Sesame with the headphones on as her teeth is cleaned. And when I mentioned that last time the light made her nervous, out came - SUNGLASSES. Dentistry has come a long way...

I actually look forward to my appointments here. Its the two times a year I get to watch The View...

Bedtime Prayers

2010-07-31T17:57:00.000-07:00

"Father we thank you for the new puzzle. And for all the beasts and vegetation."

Meeting Carter McCall!

2010-07-30T18:35:00.000-07:00

The girls and I road-tripped it to the mountains today to FINALLY meet our new cousin Carter McCall (Sophia says it like a double-name, very Southern Belle).Oh Sweet Newborn...how wonderful to snuggle with you when I am not the one sleep-deprived. And that newborn smell? It should be bottled and sold at Sephora...

Carter is absolutely precious. It's amazing to realize in another year she will be ready to perform with my Mom's Song and Dance Troop - Buela's Beach Babies/Ana's Bananas (name still to be determined...)

Remember When...Thirty Seemed so Old?

2010-07-29T10:37:00.000-07:00

Travis turned 30, on July 26th and was suprised with a Festa Italia Party...Everyone brought a favorite Italian dish in order that Travis could enjoy those things he loves most - people and marinara sauce. What is so surprising was - he actually was surprised! There were over 80 people there and he had no suspicions. Sadly, this could also be an indicator of how stressful his summer is and how low his birthday expectations are. Some college guys kidnapped him (yes, he was forced to sit blindfolded on the floor of a van even) and after a full afternoon they brought him in a dark hood to the party house, took the hood off and when we yelled surprise he had to turn around and go outside just to figure out where he was...

Post-surprise embraces...Nick Hill? Did I invite you? Glad you found your way there...

And the food...oh the food...Everyone went all-out. This was no ordinary pot-luck...This was an amazing culinary adventure!

Look at this spread!

Party Guests ate to their hearts delight...

Guests filled out name tags with a place for their name and then their connection to Travis.

"My Name is....I'm Travis's...."

Entries got quite creative.

Yes, if you look closely Dave claims to be Travis's "lover"

Here is Travis with his Summer Interns. Towards the end of the evening Travis started collecting the nametags and wearing them.

Luke was my great Emcee for the evening...

And Travis with our VERY gracious host...
80 people? No problem

Its common knowledge that Travis and I go WAY back...as in to kindergarten. We went to school together until 3rd grade and then reconnected again the summer after 6th grade in the church youth group. That June I turned 12 and the next month he turned 13. All I wanted to be was a teenager and he berated me all summer saying "You're closer to 11 than you are to 13!"
Sweet Justice you are finally mine. Happy Birthday Trav. I'm closer to 28 than I am to 30.

Aunt Ashley flew in from New York, bringing a frozen slice of Sicilian pizza from Travis's favorite pizza resturant as a gift. Oh the sibling love...

Simone Family Picture...

Foo was worn out by this very Grown Up party...

But I think Sophia could have gone all night...

It was an amazing night that exceeded even my most hopeful expectations. I wanted to give Travis a moment - just a moment to feel how rich he was in community and friends and life. We have so much and daily schedules can be so relentless - it was a great occasion to take pause and celebrate. I was moved seeing how people love him, the incredible influence he has had, and as a result how our "family" continues to extend and expand...We had our immediate families there, extended families, dear friends from Virginia Beach, and our Williamsburg community - some of whom we have known since we started at William and Mary in 1999. People have been so good to us. I felt humbled and grateful and George Bailey-esque - and I didn't even have to turn 30 for it...

Five Minutes Peace

2010-07-28T17:48:00.000-07:00

Megan's recent post reminded me of two things: 1. my life and 2. Mrs. Large. Once again, after having spent a childhood being read Jill Murphy's books, I find myself experiencing a new sense of kinship with Mrs. Large, elephant and mother of three. If you have not yet read this modern-day tale of hope and tragedy, desire and disappointment - read it. Mrs. Large's quest for "five minutes" peace is the battle cry of mother's everywhere.

I recently attempted to take a shower during normal daytime hours. This has always been a risky endeavor. I do put away all razors now, but they get into things I can never think of. They are always one or two, or often, three steps ahead.

Note the dialogue that occurred in what I was hoping would be 5-6.5 minutes of serenity.

Mommy!!!!!!!!!! I got myself some shredded cheese out of the refrigerator! I put it in my own bowl.

(me)WHAT! Don't spill it!

I already did. But I cleaned it up.

(me) Well, what is Foo doing?

Eating crayons.

(me) Well, umm, tell her to stop!

pitter patter of little feet running away...then returning...

I told her but she is still eating the green one. Yummy...this is good cheese...

Dissonance

2010-07-27T12:10:00.000-07:00

My Aunt Pat recommended I read this book a few weeks ago. I finished it in two days (an impressive post-kids record) The jacket blurbs call it "heartbreaking" and "terrifying" and a "must read." And all of that is true. Especially if you love someone who has Alzheimers Disease.

Baba and Foo - August 2009

Recently I read back through this blog and noticed how each post seemed to resolve. I needed to share something in my life that, along with Jazz and Don Miller, I cannot resolve.

re-solve [ri-zolv]

- verb

1. to come to a definite or earnest decision about; to determine

2. to reduce by mental analysis

3.to deal with (a question, a matter of uncertainty, etc.) conclusively

4.to clear away or dispel (doubts, fears, etc.), to answer

5. music: to cause to progress from a dissonance to a consonance

Peanuts and Cracker Jacks

2010-07-23T05:42:00.000-07:00

We went down to a Tides game Sunday afternoon. Oh the fun of buying concessions - I mean, watching baseball!

And the moonwalk was a huge hit!

Not surprisingly, my children fit that very narrow category of humans not terrified of clowns.

Sophia chose to have Belle painted on her face...

It was a great afternoon!

What Do You Wear to Church?

2010-07-23T05:35:00.000-07:00

Sophia has been excited to dress "fancy" for church lately. If only she would take her fingers off her nose for the picture...

CSSM

2010-07-23T05:16:00.000-07:00

As I continue into adulthood, I still have moments when I realize "...not everyone grew up this way?" For example, last week, the girls and I headed back to Virginia Beach to participate in CSSM (I'd put a link, but there isn't one.) CSSM is essentially Vacation Bible School - on the beach. Growing up in a beach town the underwritten rule always seemed to be: "If it's worth doing, it's worth doing in our bathing suits." Here's Sophia holding up part of the daily Memory Verse, while wearing her Two Piece Princess Bathing Suit with a Tutu. This image warms my heart and speaks of those values I was raised to honor the most - the beach and Jesus.

Sophia and Olivia were on the young end for this event. But I was eager to start their indoctrination early. I grew up going to CSSM, spent high school as a leader and now my mom runs it, my Cousin Becca assisted her and Brother Peter and Cousin Megan were on the team. It was a family affair. And when I saw two huge Norfolk Christian buses dropping off dozens of children from city neighborhoods, well I felt like I was home.

Foo wasn't so sure. I am determined to make her a beach lover but she tends to resist. We would get there and she'd sit in the sand for 4.5 minutes and then stand up and announce "ALL DONE" and head back to the boardwalk.

Sophia enjoyed making friends new friends. We had a great week and the girls have the tans to show for it, though they may not remember the Bible verses...Maybe next year...

Babysitter Salute!

2010-07-23T05:04:00.000-07:00

We've been dealing with some separation anxiety around here lately...Well, that's not how Sophia explains it to me. What she tells me is more along the lines of "Diego gets nervous when his Mommy is gone a long time," and "I don't want to go to my [church] class anymore because Diego stopped going. It just got too long for him." She used to adore babysitters, and class settings, relishing the captive audience and new places to weave her tales. This too shall pass. Hopefully in time for preschool to begin in September. We already paid Diego's deposit.

I called Nicole the morning of an engagement party we were going to and explained the situation. I begged Nicole to bring something - some sort of gimick, an old stuffed animal from her childhood could do it - just something special for Sophia to get excited about.
What does Nicole/"Babysitter Extraordinaire" show up with? Supplies to make jewelry and t-shirts!

They could not get me out the door fast enough...An amazing time was had by everyone - even Diego I heard...

Daddy's Back!

2010-07-18T19:39:00.000-07:00

Travis is back from his second and last big trip this summer and we are so glad to have him!Updates to come on our adventures over the last week including today's trip to Harbor Park for a Tides Game!

Nobody Puts Foo in a Corner

2010-07-08T19:47:00.000-07:00

Olivia's English fluency has arrived. All of a sudden sentences started flowing. I am convinced I was still in c-section recovery when Sophia began speaking, so Olivia's process has been completely different and exciting to watch unfold.

This is our dialogue every morning:

I get up. I watch Diego.
"Would you like to eat something?" (Me)
I DON'T.
I want tutu. I dance. Sia dance. Mommy dance.

And so since Sophia takes orders from no one, especially not her little sister, and I really want to encourage and reward verbal skills, Sophia sits out and I squeeze her tutu up to right under my knees and Foo and I dance around the living room to the sweet background noise of Diego.

Isn't that what you are doing at 7am?

I've Got This One Nanny Jo

2010-07-08T19:28:00.001-07:00

I have this great discipline strategy: I make threats. It's very original and highly effective. That's why you will always see me, calm and collected with my clean, coordinated, appropriately behaving children at my side. (No, that was not me, fleeing the Southhall Pool this morning with a child screaming "I AM HOT PUT ME BACK IN THE POOL!!! Don't be ridiculous.) I usually threaten one of two things based on the circumstances:

1. Failure to Obey - I threaten time out. If we are at home time out is in one's bedroom. This creates problems when the infraction has just occurred in the bedroom or, let's say, I am trying to get said child out of her bedroom and into the bathtub.

2. Eminent or possible bodily injury due to unsafe, often erratic, behavior - I threaten the doctor or the hospital or shots,etc etc. Again, not good when, it's, let's say, time for the yearly wellness or stitches may actually be needed.

Yesterday, as Someone lay contemplating her next deviant move, she calls to me quite sincerely, and asks "If I do this will it mean time out or the hospital for me?"

I need a new strategy.

She Got My Hair...

2010-07-06T18:20:00.000-07:00

On Independence Day....

2010-07-04T20:21:00.001-07:00

We were very festive at church this morning. I only wish that I had a stars and stripes dress. I mean, how often does July 4th fall on a Sunday?
And of course, the flashback picture from last year - when Sophia was still in a crib and still had pacifiers - and Olivia was a brunette, getting haircuts from me!

Note the change in Olivia especially! Whose hair turns blonde?

Pondering our freedoms outside the church...

And then a great afternoon on the river!

My one regret from an incredible day is that I don't have a picture of Sophia on her first jet ski ride!As you can tell from their expressions, they take water safety very seriously...

Hope you are enjoying a wonderful weekend!

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to CW...

2010-07-03T16:44:00.001-07:00

On our way to Colonial Williamsburg, by way of the playground, we came across a very exciting event: (Well, exciting if you are a preschooler and mesmerized by construction. I find demolition a bit sad...) Yes, Current and Former Tribesmen (with or without the feathers ) have you heard the big news? There is to be a WAWA DORM! Well, the technical names is "Tribe Square" but it is going to be right next to the Wawa. What will this mean for those lucky students? Will they never even go to the Caf? Will it be a HoagieFest all year long?

But it did mean that this old office building needed to come down. And we were there to see it happen.

Don't worry the King and Queen MOTEL is still safe (you can see its beautiful brick exterior just beyond the construction.) A historic landmark perhaps?

We then went on to the playground, where Foo found herself often "stuck" climbing up the ladder.

And Sophia and Diego bounced like crazy...

Next it was on to the Climbing Tree!

We were so excited to have Ali hanging out with us!

Emma and Baby Kiley were also along for the festivities... I used to walk Sophia all the time in CW when she was this age. Emma would be working at The Precious Gem and come out and see me and tell me how much she wanted my life. Look at you now Emma. Living the dream...

And then, this is what we saw as we walked back, less than an hour later:

Well, that didn't take very long did it?

(Apply metaphors as you see fit)

Welcome Cousin Carter McCall Strickland!

2010-06-30T17:17:00.000-07:00

Born June 29th 2010, 11:07 pm, 7 lbs

We have so much to teach you...

(Carter is my parents' fourth granddaughter, my maternal grandparents' fifth great-granddaughter and my paternal grandparents' sixth great-granddaughter. There are no boys on any side!)

VB - Where the Party Never Stops

2010-06-29T19:01:00.000-07:00

The girls and I headed to Virginia Beach for a long weekend. So Fasten your helmets - it was a wild ride... "The Bugger" was the girls very green choice of transportation while we were there...
Oh Wild Water Rapids, water park of my youth. How you have changed so much less than you should have - but are still so enjoyable.

We spent every afternoon at "Great Grandma's Pool." It was a 100 degrees almost every day we were there, so being submerged was essential.

Come on Olivia...look like you are enjoying yourself

There it is!

Next, was the hot tub party with Uncle TBone and Company - complete with bubbles! Very Spring Break.

From left to right - Cousin Meredith, Uncle TBone, Sophia, Titi Teta

Ruthie, Sophia, Buela

Here he is Master of the House - Buelo. When many of his generation choose to downsize, my dad has enlarged his estate to create the incredible multi-generational, multi-lingual, multi-dog experience that it is. It's a sociologists dream. He welcomes you to eat of his food, fish of his inlet, soak in his hot tub. Just don't leave your bike in his garage.

Hey Dad - Why is your swimming pool so small?

My beautiful Abuelos took me out to lunch at the De Rican Chef - for a taste of the Homeland. I can't hang out with Bobo that often - he brags about me constantly. It could go to my head...yes, I am brilliant. I am beautiful. I am fabulous. It was great!

And no I am not pregnant. Last time I posted a picture of myself in this dress (which I wear in 70% of pictures this summer) I received some email inquiries.

And in case the pool, hot tub, and water park weren't enough...here's some more water fun on the back deck...

Discussion Questions: When did their hair become the same color?

How did I produce children this tan?

And back to Wild Water Rapids (known as Ocean Breeze) to those not from the old school.

Olivia's sentence of the week is "I stuck." She uses it both literally and metaphorically. It came in very handy when describing her displeasure with the life jacket. The wave pool life guard had shouted at me "He needs a life jacket because he is under 42 inches." Wow, two sweeping assumptions in one statement. We refused the tyranny and returned to the kiddie pool.

Even after an action packed time on the "other side of the water" its always great to return home

and back to our dull, colorless routine

And not long after we drove our circus out of town, the Abuelos began the race down the highway to meet our new cousin Carter - who should be here any minute!

We're cheering you on Aunt Lindsey and Uncle Daniel!

2003

2010-06-28T05:04:00.000-07:00

Travis: 7 years? This is starting to sound like a legitimate marriage.

Sophia: Mommy, Who babysat me while you were at your wedding?

Olivia: More chips please!