Sam's Pants

We were at the Silver Diner tonight after Max's soccer game as it is Sunday and it is breakfast for dinner night. Dr. Auntie Ray was there with us - she's visiting us until Wednesday. So we're sitting there and Ian announces that he needs to go t the bathroom. So he and Tom head out. Then, Sam starts digging in his pants and As I'm telling him to get his hands out of his pants I notice that it looks like he has underwear on. Well, after a quick realization that Sam doesn't wear underwear yet as he's not anywhere near potty trained, Max announces that Sam has underwear on. I feel the front of his pants and while it feels dry, I realize that it must have been wet and dried as he's been without underwear for at least two hours and he's never successfully worn underwear for more than 20 minutes. So, we head quickly to the bathroom and I put him in front of the potty and tell him to pee. He does not, but explains that he doesn't have to right now. I warn him that he should not pee in his underwear and we head back to dinner. We make it through dinner, through the drive home and play for about 15 minutes before a bath without any accidents. Who knows. Maybe this is the beginning of the end of diapers for Sam! Ian's good to go with only one accident in the past week and a half (he was in the bathroom and was washing his hands between eating and peeing and just didn't quite make it), so we count him as potty trained - he goes by himself and hasn't needed any reminders other than to wash his hands. So, two down, one to go!

...shiver...shiver...

Here it is quite cold and me without a warm coat. Actually I have several varieties of coats that suited my needs in Texas, but now I find that they are just not enough. Tom told me today that 30 degrees was about the coldest that it gets here....yeah...he was kidding...I know. But, my lovely jacket that's carried me through so many winters in Texas really doesn't fit. It fit before I was pregnant (with the little boys I should say...) but hasn't really fit since. It's the ideal coat but not the right size. Then, I have a nice new trench coat that I wore in New York in February (in the snow I'll add). It was nice and fit the bill at the time, but how odd is it for me to go out of the house in sneakers a ball cap and a trench coat. The other jackets that I have are all too light. I have those great coat that Becky's mom passed along that looks great on me and keeps me warm, as long as it doesn't get too cold. I wore that one today and was quite comfy, but the sun was out and it was hovering in the 50's.

So, I guess I'm off over the weekend to find that just so perfect coat. I dislike clothes shopping not because I dislike clothes shopping, but because I dislike trying on three thousand different ________ (shirts, jeans, pants, jackets - you fill in the blank) until I find the one that fits me properly. Same problem with the coats. I need one that covers everything properly and does not bind, but at the same time doesn't make me look like a little girl wearing her momma's clothes. So, the hunt is on, and hopefully it will be a quick (and not too terribly expensive) one. I won't even go on my whole buying a coat at the beginning of the season tirade....I'll save that for after I find the perfect coat.

A Cautionary Tale

Two little monkeys jumping on the bed,
One fell off and bumped his head.
Mama called the Doctor and the Doctor said,
"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

That was the story in our house, and here's a picture of the sad little monkey:

Then, of course, there's Battleship on Mom's PDA while we wait for the anesthesia to set in:


And the finale to this tale are the SEVEN staples in the little monkey's head,

and of course the wise words from the doctor, the nurse, the triage nurse, the children's triage nurse, the patient services lady, the nurse's aide, Mom, Dad, and the discharge lady " NO MORE MONKEYS JUMPING ON THE BED!"


-Suzie (the sad little monkey's mommy)

Robot Chicken

I have found that one show that puts me to sleep. Regularly. Funny thing is, it's a fast paced animated, slightly off color humor show that is only about 10 or 11 minutes long - Robot Chicken. But, every time I turn it on I fall right to sleep. Tom has to wake me up to get me to turn the TV off. I guess I should preface this by saying that I generally only watch this with Tom, as it has to be one of his favorite shows (right up there with Farscape, Battlestar Galactica, and that animated show Tripping the Rift). So, there's the problem of me being tired and it being the end of the day when we are settling into bed, but it happens pretty consistently. As Tom said last night after I told him i had a new Robot Chicken "What, you're going to turn it on and fall asleep?" Yup. Again. At least I've found my answer to sleepless nights...

One More Thing

So Ian is wearing underwear today. He has peed in the potty several times over the past few days and he has also gone #2 twice in the past two days, on his own, in the potty. So, I told him that instead of tearing through diapers (he wants a new one each time he goes to the bathroom) that he needs to wear underwear. He's fine with it and seems to understand that he's to go tot he bathroom and not in his underwear. So, Ian was sitting on the potty and Sam was keeping him company. Sam says 'Mommy, diaper LEAKING down my leg!" with a BIG grin. I see that he is correct and wonder why the heck his diaper is leaking. He pulls his short down and he's got NO DIAPER ON. He says again "Mommy, diaper LEAKED!" a bit more insistent this time. In an attempt NOT to burst out laughing I go get him another diaper then calmly explain to him that he cannot take his diaper off and then pee on the floor. If he wants to pee in the potty, he can wear underwear like Ian, but for now he has to wear his diaper. Guess it's just one of those days.

A Max Funny

So every day after school I ask Max how his day was and what he did in class that day. He always spits out all the things that he did in Spanish class (which is his math and science class) and periodically pops out that he read with a partner in his English class. This immersion program is a partial immersion program, so he spends half the day in Spanish and the other half the day in English. He's picking up the Spanish very quickly and hasn't had any trouble understanding the teacher nor has he complained once about the stuff that he's learning in there.

So, I asked him last week what he did in his English class, because I suspect that he does things in there too but that I rarely hear about them. He pipes up and replies "Nothing! We don't do anything in there!" Knowing full well that this isn't the case (and that's he's 6 and this is what six year olds reply to just about any questions that you ask) I pushed him a bit further. He then went to to describe reading partners and his journal. I asked him what he writes about in his journal and he says...SPANISH CLASS! He absolutely cracks me up!

Thinking back I realized that most of what he does in his English class he doesn't see as work. They read, they write, and he is really enjoying himself. The reason that the talks about the Spanish so often is that a) it is a novel thing still, and b) it's science and math and he really seems to enjoy learning all about that stuff.

So thus far this year Max is having a stellar time in First Grade!

Our Soccer Whiz

So, while Max really enjoys playing soccer and likes his teammates and all, he is actually quite good at it. He seems to have an instinct to know where to go to on the field. Today he and a few of his teammates were passing, moving to the open space, kicking crosses, and doing other cool soccer things that they don't teach to the U-6 crowd. There are a few boys on his U-6 team that also get it, and they are slowly finding each other and rolling over the other team. Max alone scored about 10 goals today, and that was with him passing to his teammates. We were continually encouraging him to pass, but he couldn't resist drilling it into the goal when he had a clean shot. He really does enjoy playing, which is the whole point of all of this, so it's a super double bonus that he's good at it. It really is a bit eerie though to see him do these things as he hasn't really learned any of those skills yet...guess it's just instinct.

Breaking out the Halloween Stuff!

A few weeks ago I bought a few small Halloween decorations. Tom looked at me as if I were insane (which he generally does at holidays). It was mid-September and here I was wanting to hang up the end of October decor. Well, it's almost officially OCTOBER, so I hung it up a day or two ago and LOVE IT! We have this cute spider on the front door that has purple feet and orange spots, and a ghostie windsock out front twirling in the wind. I think that I'm not a only a window cling person, but a windsock person as well. Heaven forbid we ever own another home - Tom is in BIG trouble with my decorating affliction (or so he calls it). Anyway, since I broke out the house decor (the rest can wait until we find out if we are actually going to be living here on Halloween, but I can't talk about that just yet as we might go to court on that one) but the digital decor can come out. Here's one of my favorites siggys - the Ghostie family. I skipped over the football siggy this year, but football season is long and I can use that one after New Years (yeah BOWL SEASON!!!). So here's my little Ghostie in all of it's glory. Later!

Customer Service

Often we hear gripes about customer service - especially those located in call centers in other countries. I wanted to add to the discussion - not about bad customer service, but about good customer service.

So I was sitting here typing, like I am now, and my pinkie brushed across the up arrow on my laptop keyboard and it popped right off. This was several days ago and I just got around to mentioning it to Tom last night. After he fiddled with it he told me that I have the super duper warranty which includes phone tech support and that I should try that. I didn't want to do any further damage as the whole thing still works aside from the missing key. I have the key, I should mention, it just isn't attached - and nothing in particular appears to be broken.

So I pick up the phone late at night and call and get someone in India, presumably from her accent. She is very nice and goes through the inital ramblings of all customer service calls quickly. Then she asks if I would mind if she connects to my computer so that she can show me what I need (to reattach the keyboard later on in the call). Sure, why not? After mentioning that I saw a commercial about this, she took me right to the page that shows me how to replace the keyboard. Wild! Anyway, after giving me instructions (several times in several different ways to be sure that I was getting what she was saying) she determined that while the arrow key was now attached, that it was not attached correctly and I needed a new keyboard. She gave me some more numbers and a web address as well as contact info in case the keyboard wasn't here on time, and informed me that she'd call back on Tuesday to walk me through the steps of removing the old and installing the new keyboard. The whole thing was over in about 10 minutes, and I have a new keybard on the way!

I got off the phone feeling like I accomplished something in a reasonable timeframe without having to fight for or justify why I was calling. That's how I ususally feel after I get off the phone wit any customer service folks - regardless of which country they are in when I call. Seems these people are doing it right - at least this lady get it. So, kudos to Natalie (gotta love the Americanized names) in some other country who did a great job fixing my broken up arrow key. And kudos to Dell for stepping up to the plate with their customer service.

More Bees - UGH!

So it was my turn to get stung by bees today. Tom and I were out dealing with the back yard (it has rained a BUNCH lately and the grass is thick, so it's a task for sure to mow). Anyway, I was dealing with the edging around all the stumps and bushes and trees in the yard and Tom was mowing. We already discovered a bunch of bees in one spot it eh yard, but they were bumble bees - all black and yellow stripey and kinda fuzzy looking. They didn't seem to mind too terribly much when the mower was going. Anyway, I was almost done edging when I thought I brushed up against a rose bush near the back fence. But, it started stinging and I ran over to Tom asking him to get whatever it was off of me. He sees one spot where I have a pink dot, no stinger or anything- just a dot. Then it swells up. Then, I let him know that it's burning further down my leg, and low and behold two more red spots and now some swelling there as well. So, these little critters DID defend their nest. They were all swarming around the spot where I had the weed whacker, so I went about my business elsewhere in the yard. The back of my right leg itches like the DICKENS!

So I guess our family has a thing for flying stinging insects...

The Dongle

Did you know the little cord that you use to connect the camera to the computer (and many other things to the computer) is called a dongle? It has it's own Wiki entry even: "Dongle can also refer to something that plugs into a computer, especially something with wires that "hang" (dangle, or perhaps a more suggestive origin) from a laptop computer."

Anyway, I'm missing mine. i know that Tom has another one (or five more likely) but my little white one that's about five inches is around here somewhere...hopefully. I'm sure it is on this desk, but I can't put my hands on it. So, until I do, no pics.

We did some cool picture worthy things this past week, too. Ian has some exciting news to share - he pooped in the potty all by himself. I'll leave the story for the pics - pics of him putting the stars on his chart, nothing more ;) . We also went to San Antonio for Mom's memorial luncheon and I had this GREAT looking shirt on. Also a pic of that on there. Missing dongle can bring life to a grinding halt apparently.

Guess that's my task for tonight - cleaning off this desk - AGAIN. I pile, and I like to pile, but this causes me to occasionally lose things. So, the unpiling is tonight, and the picture posting will commence manana. ( <- Like the Spanish, huh? Gotta bone up as Max is learning it left and right!).

George and the Sink

So there's a member of our family that you might not have met yet. His name is George and he's all of about 16" by 24" (maybe - I'm terrible at guessing inches...) and white with a coated black inside. He is our George Foreman Grill, and he's been part of our family for several years now. Tom and I bought George (as Tom affectionately calls him) so that we would not have to fire up our big grill. Well, ever since then we have not fired up the grill, nor do we currently own one. George has a place of honor in our kitchen - on top of the fridge. He cleans up nicely, gets hot quickly, and cooks a mean steak. What more could you want from a man???? Seriously, though, George is the best. He is a portable easy to use grill that allows us to eat steak, even in a rainstorm, and even on short notice. I love George, as does Tom, and he will always have a place at our table (just not on it!)

So there's something else that you may not know about me. I like to clean the kitchen sink. In general I don't like to clean anything, and since we moved to VA have been without a cleaning lady. I had a wonderful person cleaning my house in Texas every other week, and here, in a bigger house I have no on to clean for me (yet - but that's another discussion). So, in general I keep the place clean, but I LOVE cleaning out the sink. There's something gratifying about the shiny silver sparkly sink. We have a one basin model with a tall faucet that is also very shiny. I'm not sure what it is about cleaning the sink, but I don't mind, even after cleaning up the dining room and kitchen (which seems to take longer as the boys get older and messier...) I like to take the time to clean the sink. It's not that I like to wake up to a clean sink (Tom is usually the first one up after I boot him out of bed) but the instant shine that you get after you've scrubbed the sink out. So, whatever it is that draws me in, I will continue cleaning my sink out, and enjoying every minute of it. Weird? Just ask George what he thinks of the clean sink - he sits next to it often.

The Things Kids Say #2

So we were riding in the car today and Ian asked to call Baba. We called him on my cell but Ian left a message as he wasn't home. A few minutes later Sam wanted to call, so he called and left a message. A few minutes after that Sm asked to Call Mimi. I reminded him that Mimi had died and that we can't talk to her anymore because she died. He asked why she died and I told him (the same thing we've told him before) that she was sick and had something wrong in her head and that she died. Sam went on to talk about how Grandpa (Tom's Dad) fixed up his head once and then said that "Grandpa fix Mimi's head and then she not die." He went on telling Ian and I all about how Grandpa fixed up his big bonk (which honestly I don't remember - but Henry did fix several of the kids' bonks, so who knows!). He probably talked about that for five minutes, but he moved past the whole wanting to talk to Mimi thing, and seemed to be O.K. with it for the time being.

Later on we were coming back from Max's soccer practice (first one of the season) and I asked Max if he had a good time. He replied with a big grin, "I had a SWEATY good time!" How funny is that????!!!! He was covered in sweat and quite stinky, which he wore like a badge of honor. Hmmm...maybe I should have had him bathe before bed...that's poor planning on my part. Oh, well.

Second Day of School

Since I kind of glassed over the first day of school, I'll sneak these pictures in here and tell you all a out the first TWO days of school! Max is in a class with a new teacher not a teacher that is new to his school - but a brand spanking new teacher. She seemed a bit overwhelmed at the open house and I certainly don't blame her. She's not only teaching for the first time (and meeting parents for the first time) but she's teaching at a school that has a weird set-up - it has a Spanish partial immersion program. We'll see how it all unfolds, but max seems to like her.

Anyway, Max is in that Spanish immersion program where they learn math and science in Spanish. The teacher speaks ONLY Spanish to them in class. The first day she explained this in English, then today only spoke to them in Spanish.Max said that he understood a great deal of what she was saying, so he's still excited about it. That, and they went to the math lab today. He also said that they had recess and PE today, but that they didn't get to do anything fun in PE.

A side note here. When we were at the open house going down to the front office the PE teacher stopped Max and asked him how his summer was. This is the same PE teacher that stopped us onthe way in the very first day and took the time to talk to Max and introduce himself and make Max feel welcome. Funny thing is - he's a big huge Egyptian man that goes by Coach A - because no one can pronounce his last name! Anyway, he told me that Max is a very fast kid - at which I laughed and said that I wasn't really sure where he got that from! According to Max he can run faster that everyone except Mahad Z., but he's taller and older than Max, which is why he's faster (according to Max). Everyone else in his old class he could run faster than (even though they were ALL older and most taller than he). The things that 6 year old think are important...

So, Max is riding the bus, liking his school, and making new friends, and apparently learning a new language along the way. It will certainly be an interesting year to come.

P.S. - We had lots of rain the first day, which also dropped the temp back down to the upper 60's, thus the rain coat.

What Floats Tom's Boat

So do you want to see what floats Tom's boat these days? (Don't worry - this is still a PG rated blog and will continue to be so unless you are warned...)


He was looking for something else online and stumbled across this NEW Lego Star Wars game. You see, we have the first one that Lego came out with - and it really is cute. All those little Lego people and creatures running around with Light Sabers! When you kill them the bricks just come apart - no blood or guts (my kind of game!). Tom saw this one and started giggling in anticipation - yes, giggling (and I know he'll read this and that's exactly what you did!). You could almost see him doing a happy dance right here in his chair.

Max is basically addicted to the first one (bad mom, but hey, it has a cute little Anakin and even a cute little Darth maul - he really is cute as a Lego dude!), and now there's a second one. The second one covers the original three movies, while the one we have covers the more recent movies (of which Max has seen two - but not the last one [Ep III] as it was WAAAAAY to dark and violent for his little mind).

Anyway, we're ordering it straight away and we're going to put it to good use I'm sure...

WOAH OH OH OH OH...

Florida State just beat Miami!!!!
WOO HOO!!!!

Oh, crikey.

Man, what a weird thing to hear. Steve Irwin, famous for his crocodile exploits, was killed by a stingray of all things today. He was filming a segment called Ocean's Desliest off the Great Barrier Reef when the ray shot it's barb right into his heart. Normally stings from these animals aren't fatal, but it punctured his heart and there wasn't anything they could do to save him.

This is a man who wrangles snakes, alligators, and some pretty creepy looking spiders, and here he was taken down by a stingray. It's just a terribly odd thing, and I never expected some creature as delicate and as plain (for lack of abetter term) to get him. Guess I figured it woud be a crocodile or deadly snake, or mayeb even one of those spiders. Regardless, we'll certainly miss seeing all of his exploits. We are Crocodile Hunter fans here and I'm sure that a good chunk of the rest of the world is mourning his loss.

It's SOOOO Hot Here

Well, not really. It's currently 60 degrees outside and it's the 2nd day in September. I never thought that I'd see this in my life. What I am used to (and this holds true for today in Texas) is that it is the hottest time of the year - hovering around 100 degrees. But, we had a storm (and we moved to VA), so it's oh, FOURTY DEGREES COOLER than that. It's so very strange to be sitting here knowing that it will be in the 50's tonight, and that it might, might get up to 80 tomorrow. I actuallywore jeans and asweatshort andit's only September 2!!!! It was in the 60's yesterday and today, which is well below the average, but it is so nice not to have the 100 degree temps roight now. Maybe I'm not such a cold ninny...but only the coming of the winter will tell. I still won't give up my flip flops for a parka...

...then again I saw some really cute coats the other day...

Why?

Why do some people task me so? I was happily driving to Starbucks (yeah, it was the Barnes and Noble that drew me initially but I just couldn't pass up the Starbucks while I was there), when this foul woman changed my mood for a brief moment. I had gotten my nails filled, picked up some stuff at Home Depot, and was driving around the corner to the Starbucks when this woman snaked my parking spot. I was driving up the aisle to a spot - not a close spot but a spot - when she zipped around the corner and honked at me and drove right into the spot. It's not like there weren't other spots around, but that's the one I was in the process of pulling into. My mistake was pausing when I saw a car careening around the corner - so as not to g et hit. After parking she jumped out and RAN into the B & N. Guess she needed that coffee more than I did (or she saw my stunned face and was afraid), but it put me in a foul mood for a brief moment none the less. But, books and magazines always cheer me up, as does coffee. It's that Pumpkin Latte that filled my belly and the scrapbook mags that put the sparkle back in my eye!

There's just no need to steal spots, regardless of how thirsty one is. Didn't we all learn to share when we were little? Guess some people missed that day of life.

Starbucks Pumpkin Latte

Don't know what it is about the Starbucks Pumpkin Latte that makes it sooooo good, but it's got that special ingredient that you just can't turn down. I can blame this one solely on my friend Becky. This obsession is solely her responsibility - and my curse. I was not aware of the yumminess of the Pumpkin Latte until this past year. It's a seasonal coffee, and while I venture outside my comfortable little coffee world occasionally, it's often with me kicking and screaming. I like my Frappuccinos in the warm months (or February in Texas) and my lattes in the colder months. I even have been know to grab an iced Latte now and then in warmer months - but never anything beyond the smooth flavor of the Caramel Frap.

So anyway, Becky told me that it was very good (she did that with the pumpkin flavored Round Rock donuts too, but we won't get into that right now or it will turn into a big old pumpkin thing). So, I tried it and low and behold was hooked. So, here I am driving up to the Starbucks drive thru today (conveniently located right next to our vet - WOO HOO!), when I see for the first time this season...Pumpkin flavor coffee has arrived. The light shines down from heaven like a beacon. I simply cannot resist. So, today was the first day of the overwhelming NEED to get to Starbucks so I can get that Pumpkin Latte - decaf of course. Thanks Becky, thanks a lot.

What's in YOUR purse?

After reading a blog last night where the woman dug into her purse and listed everything in there, I thought I'd take a stab. I figure that right now there's not too much in there, so no harm ...hopefully. Then, it's your turn!

Phone
PDA
My Business Cards
Delta Air Lines Trading Card (MD-88 - I think it is Ian's)
March of the Penguins Movie Ticket
Power Rangers DVD Case
MP3 Player and earphones
Altoids Gum (unopened)
Altoids Gum (opened)
Wallet (that's a whole other world so I'll skip the contents for now...)
Three half eaten lollipops (from our recent trip)
Children's Tylenol
Car Keys
Sunglass Case with Advil in it
Sugar Free Halls Defense Vitamin C Drops
Bag of crunched up Nutter Butter Bites
Muscle relaxers (from recent back injury)
Tums
Coffeemint Lip Balm
2 pens
Listerine Pocket Paks Oral Care Strips
2 AAA Batteries (also from the recent trip in case my MP3 Player died)

That wasn't too painful. This is one of those things where you never quite know what's in your purse. I knew that there was some weird stuff in there due to our recent trip, but also that I've been switching purses a lot lately (my DH thanks you a lot Becky...) and that I dump the trash pretty regularly. So, now it's your turn - what's in your purse?

We'll skip the wallet for now - that REALLY needs to be cleaned out!

A Not So Good Day

Since Mom passed away there are good days and bad days. Today was one of those not so good days. I won't call it bad because I got to hang out with my adorable kiddos, but it was tough. Mom was so delighted to hear stories about the kids, and I have a ton these over the past few days. The tough part is when I want to tell her something that I don't just pick up the phone and call her. I'm unresolved on the whole talking out loud and knowing that she's listening thing, but I think that I'll get there soon enough.

Several times today I wanted to pick up the phone and call her - and that's only happened a few times since she actually died, but many times in the weeks preceding her death when she wasn't the same person. I lost the Mom I knew about the end of June, when her brain started misfiring big time. I was able to love on her and talk to her, but she was losing her words as well as her comprehension very quickly. I realized at that point that it was time to tell her that she did a fantastic job raising me (if I may so so myself!) and that she could go. She was really at peace with all that was going on and while she knew that her brain function was fading rapidly, she still wanted to talk and visit. She was always willing to listen even if she couldn't comprehend what you were saying. On my last visit to her I didn't have much substance to our conversation, but I did get lots of hugs and I managed to squeeze in a bunch of "I Love You's". I knew that when I left it would most likely be the last time that I'd see her.

Fast forward to today. The boys were making crazy Lego creations, looking at the [dead] hornet out front, goofing around with each other, playing games, getting very excited about new Power Ranger videos, and general cool little kid stuff. All this stuff that I normally shared with Mom I had to just keep to myself. I can tell Dad the stories as I always do, but it is different than sharing it with my Mom. As always I have questions for her too, and now I'm not sure who to ask. It's an odd sensation not being able to pick up the phone to ask your mom a little thing here or there...and I miss those little things very much today.

Tomorrow is a new day. Hopefully it will be a bit easier than today.

No, really, I'm 34...

I took the boys to Chili's tonight because Tom is out of town and I didn't feel like making anything. I thought I'd order a beer with my fajitas - I am from Texas. The waitress who had to be in her 50's CARDED ME. I laughed and told her that I was 34, but she still wanted to see my ID. Guess she didn't notice the three kids with me, or the wrinkles, or the bags under my eyes. Either that or she thought that is par for the course with 20 year olds! I haven't been carded in years, and yes, she was serious. What an odd sensation to have to pull out your ID after all this time to get a drink. Funny part is - I wasn't ever really carded when I was younger. I almost always was able to order a drink and never really had to present ID - even when I was 21, 22, 23 years old. Not really sure why she thought I was so young - guess it was my three young dates. Cute guys, but come on...me, under 21?

Invasion of the HORNETS!

UGH! The Terminix guy came to day to rid one of our mostly dead trees of a BIG HUGE hornet's nest. These aren't just regular hornets, but Giant European Hornet - one of whom stung Max two days ago.

We noticed a problem a few weeks ago, but thought it was just a bee or two collecting pollen from the flowers out front. Then we noticed one or two of these things flying around our big mostly dead tree. This past weekend while we were outside doing lawn work (which apparently pissed them off) one came after Max and got him. Max, after he stopped screaming hysterically - was fine. The stinger wasn't in his arm, and after some ice and Benadryl, was no worse for the wear.

So, I called Terminix on Saturday and our pest guy Abi showed up today. Great guy - gets rid of any and all bugs that dare enter our house! Anyway, he was very surprised at the size of the nest. He dug most of it out but pointed out that it goes way up into the tree. By tomorrow we should have several hundred dead hornets in a big pile out front (I'll get a picture if there is indeed a big pile!). There are already dead ones all over the lawn and street - a very good sign. There are still a few flying around trying to figure out what the heck just happened. Abi donned the beekeeper suit and went after those suckers with everything he had - ran through two cans of wasp spray (I mentioned that he said this was a very large nest, didn't I?) - and also dusted the whole area for any stragglers.

Hopefully when we call the landlord (and send him a picture of the pile of hornets and disemboweled tree) he will get it cut down. Not my tree - not my problem, but if those things come back that would be really annoying (and after that sting dangerous!). Abi mentioned that there's enough damage in the tree itself that it might not remain standing past a few months anyway (we're talking a tree that's taller than our house but mostly dead - lots of branches but no leaves). He said that we need to get the tree taken down to eliminate the possibility that they re-nest, but also to prevent the tree from falling on our house, a passing car, dog, or a jogger, the power lines - you get the drift.

So, goodbye our not so friendly hornets...and goodbye tree.

Jury Duty

You know, I really want to be on a jury - always have. I know, it is a sick sort of fantasy. I'd like to be picked for a jury that only lasts for a few days but is interesting. No property disputes or boring civil cases - something fun and criminal. Problem is, I keep getting called for jury duty when I'm out of state. It happened three times in Florida and just happened again here. While I was in college I was called three different times - for juries in Texas. There was no way that I was flying back in the middle of school to appear for the jury selection pool in the middle of the school year. None of these summons came in the summer, or over a break when I happened to be in Texas, but right smack in the middle of the school year.

Fast forward to today. We ha ve a PO Box that I check about twice a week. It is all the leftover mail from our Texas address - mainly to catch those things where I haven't changed our address. Anyway, I got a very interesting piece of mail htere today. It was sent 8/8, forwarded on 8/12 and showed up sometime over the past three days. It was a jury summons from Georgetown, TX - for TODAY! I called information, called the clerk, and asked what I needed to do. Come to find out that they don't hunt folks down if they miss their summons date - happens all the time she said. Just mail it back and circle the "must live in the county" line and they'll excuse me, she also said. Bummer. Called for Jury Duty AGAIN when I can't go. This makes FOUR TIMES that I've missed my opportunity.

Not really sure what the draw is for me, though. It doesn't pay well, it isn't glamorous, and there's no type of reward of any sort, other than the feeling of satisfaction of participation. You actually lose money on the deal in most places - jury pay rarely covers the cost of parking. Guess I'm really a policy wonk at heart. Guess that I like to think that I'm part of the system - and that the sytem works. Obviously it doesn't, because here I am, someone who really WANTS to be on a jury, never having even gotten the chance. Then again, maybe I'm the exact person they are avoiding - scary woman with a mission...hmmm...I bet they see me coming a mile away... and close the doors....

Ahhhh...new bras.

Some women seem to LOVE purchasing new bras. For others it is a major pain in the butt chore. I fall into the latter category. I have these great bras that I absolutely LOVE that I can't find anywhere locally. They are so old and stretched out - they are literally falling apart. So, I've been hunting down new bras without any success. A thought occurred to me a few weeks ago that I might jsut call the place in Austin and have them send me the bras that I love so very much.

DONE!

My favorites bra and a bunch of it's friends are on their way here. I'm SOOOO excited about this! As long as they fit properly we are good to go. My old bras are so stretched out that the new ones will feel like heaven again! Not that you really wanted to know, but I just had to share.

Peapod to the RESCUE!

Now sure if I mentioned this already, but Peapod is the way to go for getting your groceies. Peapod is a grocery delivery service. All you do is place your order online and they bring the groceries to your door. Best thing on the planet not to have to go to the store (with the kids during the day or late at night by myself). My only complaint is that they don't carry big outside trash cans and they won't deliver my beer. If it did those two things I might just marry Peapod. Regardless, it is the best and I really swear by it. The man showed up at 9:45 tonight with a load of groceries (no trash can, no beer) and went on his nerry way. It took me all of ten minutes to place the order last night, then picka delivery time and send the order in. They charge it right to your credit card or checking account, but only after you've had time to check the order. If anything is missing htey either credit your account or bring the item on the next delivery. If you do have Peapod in your area and haven't tried it out, do it right away. It is the coolest thing ever. They even bring meats and produce and guarantee the freshness. They even take coupons...what more can I say?

The Hat That Got Away

This is SOOOO me...

Tell me there's not Air Travel Karma

So as not to completely destroy my already TERRIBLE air travel karma, I'll tell you now about our trip out to San Francisco. We are here safely now and are glad to have made it at all, albeit a bit late. We had a 6:30am flight out of DC National to Atlanta, connecting and arriving in SF at noon-ish Pacific. Not a bad deal all in all, and I can easily manage the kids schedule to avoid unnecessary jet lag. We get up at 3:30am and arrive in the terminal at 5am to learn that our flight has been cancelled and we are on a 6:30 PM flight. O.K., we'll still make it to the luncheon on Sunday. We go home (live 10 minutes from the airport) and sleep for three hours. We wake up, grab lunch, run a quick errand and head back to the airport at 3:30pm. Our flight out of DC to ATL is fine (we're all exhausted from getting up early, but we sleep some on the plane). We actually arrive EARLY into ATL and we're happy because we have a short (40 min) layover and three little kids - and have to change terminals. But, we sit on the tarmac for about 40 minutes and now we have about 15 minutes to catch our flight. They tell us that they will hold the plane but to run - three little tired kids in tow. We get to the gate and not only is the plane not loading, it hasn't even unloaded from the flight before. Big sigh, but again, not a big deal. We're still getting on the plane. They finally load the plane which was supposed to leave at 9:40. Still in O.K. shape - that gets us into San Fran at 11:45 PM (2:45 AM our time). But, we sit on the plane for an HOUR while they looks for 30 bags that are missing (this part is important so remember that I mentioned it). They find the bags but now have no driver for the tug to move the plane back from the gate. They find a driver but haven't gotten their paperwork back yet, but we eventually leave - 1 hour behind schedule. It's now 10:30 Eastern and we have a 4.5 hour flight ahead of us. That means that we will arrive at 3 AM our time. So, we try to get the kids to sleep as quickly as possible and nap ourselves. Tom goes to grab the boys' jackets for pillows for them (AirTran has no pillows - just blankets and we already have three of those) and discovers that they are covered in OJ. Apparently we didn't get all the juice out of the sippy cups and the pressure changes spit some out...a lot out. Another big sigh. But again, not a big deal - we're still almost there.

We get off the plane and stumble into the baggage claim to realize that they are missing one car seat. Three kids - two car seats. Fill out the forms and wander off wondering what to do. Fortunately I rented a Caravan that has the seats built in so we are fine and head to our hotel. When we get there we realize that something in our luggage leaked all over my and Tom's sweatshirts - thank goodness it isn't very cold out today. They dry and we go about our business. Still haven't heard from the airlines about the car seat and can't get a hold of anyone there. But, we're here, we had a lovely luncheon, and now we are going to play tourist.

I've got to say that separately these events are not bad. Not one of these thing made me mad or got my goat at all, but looking back this has to be the absolute WORST plane trip that we've had ever. And not only was it a bad plane trip that got us in 14 hours later than expected, but I was up for more than 24 hours with only one short three hour nap. I can't say that anyone in particular didn't do their job or was impolite, but the karmic world of air travel really got us this time.

The really funny part is that Max (who just turned 6) is telling everyone that AirTran is the best airline ever - that they are very good. All this because they flew in the dark. Ahhhh, to be 6 again and have that perspective. So, I sit here now, not particularly put out (weird, but true.). I guess there's peace knowing that we got here in time for the luncheon, spent the day with family and friends that love us, and that we are flying Delta back home...

Reflections on tuning 34

Well, today it's official - I am 34 years old. That doesn't sound much older than 33, and I certainly wasn't asked much this past year how old I was, so it really isn't a big deal. The reflections are more on the past year, and what a year it has been. More specifically what a sixmonth stretch this has been.

The first half of my 33rd year was pretty routine. I like routine because it is familiar. Max started Kindergarten and that was our big change (actually happened at the very end of my 32nd year, but let's not pick nits). Max loved school, the little guys didn'tseem to mind that he was gone most of the day, and we went about our business. The only real stress was that Tom wasn't so happy at his job and we all weren't so happy that he was travelling so very much. So, he started working on that part - mostly thinking about what he really wanted to do. Fast forward a few months. We're at the beginning of this calendar year and Tom has a new job that will take us to Virginia. We are very excited but there's a ton to do in a short amount of time.

Jump ahead one more month. My Grandma Sybil passes away suddenly, but she was in her late 80's and lived a very good life. I was sad but glad to have known her - she was truely a wonderful person. I travel out to NY for the funeral and see all the relatives. A week later my Grandpa Kermit died of what everyone describes as a broken heart. He was in his early 90's andnot in great shape, but he told me he was just waiting for Sybil to pass. He did - what a loving thing to do. Back and forth to NY again - this time only a month before the big move.

The move itself went smoothly. The company that Tom works for made it a very simple and strightforward process. All we needed to do was fill out some forms, tell folks when to show up and where, and sell our house. Now, that's a story into and of itself. The house sold pretty quickly (but after we were in VA) and that part was over. No need to rehash the crazy buyer stories - but just know that there are stories. We found a house the first day we looked and was able to secure it relatively wuickly, but we stayed ina hotel for almost two weeks. It snowed while we were here - without coats - and the kids thought that was cool. We hung out at the mall a lot because they had a playplace there - also pretty cool.

We eventually got our stuff all in one piece, got settled into our house and got Max into school. His new school was different but also very good. We were impressed with the school itself and are looking forward to him being there for more than the first few months.

In the midst of this my scrapbooking business was growing. I have yet to really get it going locally, but the reason for that is to come later in this year. But rest assured it's going! The market here is wide open and I'm sure that IRW is going to grow here in Virginia.

So, the summer starts up and we are looking foward to a trip to California for my cousin's HS graduation, swim lessons, and lots of outdoor fun. Two weeks before the CA trip, and shortly before Max gets out of school we find out that my Mom has a 4 cm glioblastoma in her brain. That's a very aggressive brain tumor. Life in this house comes to a halt. Patti and Henry basically move up to this part of the country for the next few months and are here when we need them to be. I went back and forth to visit with Mom, help Dad and give him love, and watch my mom quickly fade. She goes home from the hospital after a very brief stay (and brain surgery) right into Hospice Care. They are in and out initially, then provide full time care the last few weeks. She declines quickly so I take the boys out there to see her. While we're there Max gets sick , so he can't visit her the last two days, and then the morning we were leaving Sam got sick. We were staying down the street from my folks house and were very thankful that they put us up. I went back to TX two more times, the last being the day after Mom passed away. What a rough time.

Max's birthday was sneaking up and we really weren't sure what we were going to do. So, my Dad came to VA, Tom's folks stuck around, and some old friends from Texas who had moved to MD came over and we played mini-golf. The kids loved it and it was really great for my Dad to have some fun with the kids. Then, our Anniversary came and went (got some pretty flowers!) and here I sit typing on my birthday.

So, you can see that the past few months have been an adventure. Our lives since Mom was diagnosed came to a halt. We didn't dare plan anything bceause I wasn't sure what was to come. Tomorrow we are off to San Francisco for a luncheon for family to celebrate mom's life. She was a wonderful woman and will truely be missed.

And now, I am 34. Hopefully this next year will less eventful.

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL???!!!!

(This post gets BIG print!)
www.seminoles.com
www.nfl.com

It's finally here...and my dh has lost me for the season...sigh...gotta get me some MORE football!

O.K Not really obsessed...well, maybe a little bit. A very little bit...sort of. Just don't ask my hubby...

O.K. a LOT - Bring on the BOYS and GO SEMINOLES!!!

Seminoles Opener at Miami - Monday, Sept. 4, 8pm on ESPN

Cowboys Opener at Jacksonville - Sunday, Sept 10, 3:15 pm on Fox

More About Me!

It's my turn!

Four jobs that I've had:
1. Research Specialist
2. Secretary
3. Bartender
4. Lifeguard

Four movies I would watch over and over:
1. The Matrix
2. Serenity
3. Pretty in Pink
4. Threesome

Four places I have lived:
1. San Antonio, TX
2. Sarasota, Florida
3. Leander, TX
4. Falls Church, VA

Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. Prison Break
2. Nip/Tuck
3. Monk/Dead Zone/Psych/4400 (They count as on because they are on the same network!)
4. LAST

Four places I have been on vacation:
1. Walt Disney World
2. Walt Disney World
3. Walt Disney World(Yeah, we don't get out much!
4. Key West

Four websites I visit daily:
1. My Yahoo (for e-mail)
2. irememberwhen.com
3. Scrapfriends
4. Bank of America

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Steak
2. Cheese soup
3. Candy (does this count as a food?)
4. Anything Mexican – especially margaritas!

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Sleeping
2. Disney World (no big surprise there!)
3. Out with my girlfriends
4. Taking a warm bubble bath

Now it's your turn!

Color Theory

So I was sitting down last night frustrated with my latest newsletter, trying to figure out how to get the colors to work. Tom peeked over (after a bit of bullying him for his help) and asked if I knew that I could match the colors numerically and I was absolutely floored. OF COURSE! This is the answer! I was struggling because the colors just didn't look right, even though I thought I was using the color wheel correctly. While the colors were close, they weren't just right. The newsletter didn't pop. So, Tom rolls his chair over (I'm still parking my computer in the media room until I get my office fixed up) and offered up his mad math skills.

Seems that instead of 365 to make the wheel (as in degrees oh a compass) 8-bit color has 256 increments. So, if you pull the color using the dropped tool off the image that you want to match up, you can hit complimentary colors, tertiary colors, analogous colors, and such. It's all math from there on out. After you've “droppered” your color, you simply go into the info for that color and see what the HSL are (Hue, Saturation, and Luminosity), and adjust the Hue. There are twelve sections on my color wheel, so you take that 256, divide by 12, and figure out how many steps you need to move. Then, you add the steps to the original shade and you've got your new color. For example, if you wanted to get the complimentary color - the color straight across the wheel from your original - simply take the Hue of your original color and add 128. If you are near the end of one side of the color spectrum (for lack of a better description but I'm sure there's a word for it) you simply add the number then subtract 256 to get back to the other side - the answer needs to be positive in other words.

O.K. A lot of jumble, but basically it means that I've found a VERY easy way to match colors! I'm sure that none of this is new info, but it certainly is like a light bulb went on in my head. This is how folks get their colors to match up perfectly every time! No wonder all those coordinated lines look so perfect - it's all just mathematical color theory! Silly me with my little color wheel sitting here like I knew what I was doing all along. The even cooler part is that this works not only for stuff on the computer, but for picking paper as well! The number are a bit different as the computer uses additive color (RGB - goes lighter as we add color) and paint uses subtractive color (CMYK - goes darker as we add color), but the theory is still the same.

It's wild when you stumble on something so simple. It's certainly not something that was in my box, but after consultation with someone who thinks outside of MY box (in his own math box!), I pulled this little trick right in! I ended up using the Split Complimentary scheme for my newsletter, and since I was able to pull the original color right out of the logo, I knew EXACTLY what my other colors should be! WILD!

Butterfly Invasion!!!

Apparently San Antonio has been invaded by American Snout Butterflies. Actually, loads of cities in this area are being invaded. The recent weather conditions have been just so that their natural predators did not wipe many of them out. So, there are butterflies everywhere. Normally, this would be a cool thing (and I certainly thought it was kinda neat at first) but folks around here are complaining. Seems that they get stuck in car grills, get run over and attract birds into traffic lanes, and so on. You need to wash your car at least a few times each week to get rid of them. Makes you feel like you are in that movie "The Birds" both when you are outside and when you are in your car (except for the size thing - these guys are still pretty small). The bummer part is that they are not the pretty butterflies like you'd imagine (not the ones with pink and purple wings like we chicks really imagine, but the beautiful Monarches - all black and yellow - that come to mind when you thing of butterflies). For starters these guys are called American SNOUT butterflies, so they are oddly shaped to begin with. Then, they are brown and kinda look like moths. That doesn't really endear them to anyone. The whole swarming thing is no fun either - while outside you are constantly swatting at the air as they fly around - makes me look like a mental patient (don't need any help in that area - thanks though!). So, I'll post some pics of these little butterflies and let you decide - cute? I think not.

BLING MY PHONE!

Is it so wrong to want to BLING out my phone? Before you answer that, listen to my logic:

1. I don't often wear jewelry, so that would be my accessory.
2. I'm barely in this century as far as style goes, so this would certainly improve my status.
3. The BLING looks soooooo cool!
4. Pink it it baby!

(Yeah, those last two aren't really reasons, but I ran out of steam.) Tom basically stood there and laughted at me and told me that I really wasn't going to bling out my phone. This from the man who said that I couldn't get personalized license plates. Who is he to judge - my style impaired hubby? He's puzzled by the purses so I can't expect him to get the whole sparkly phone thing.

The only catch is that the phone that I have now is TERRIBLE. Not just bad connection terrible, but drop your call for no apparent reason terrible. Drop your call because it's Tuesday terrible. Can't think that I'll have this phone for a whole lot longer, so I don't want to sparklify a phone that I am not going to keep. Currently I have General Grevous on the outside of my phone (the creepy guy from Star Wars). I also have a great ring tone - Darth Vader's theme song - the Imperial March. Can't beat that with a stick, but I do want to get me some BLING!

Hmmm....pink? OOOOHHHH YEAAAAAHHHHHH!

Best Way to Travel

I saw a funny thing on the way to the airport a few days ago. I saw an RV loaded up with all the stuff - the family was on a road trip and they took all their bikes with them. Looked like there were four people in the family - Mom, Dad, and two little folks. One was old enough to ride their own bike and the other had a jump seat on the back of Mom/Dad's bike. Very cool to hitch a ride with your folks. But, the funny part was in the details. Take a close look at the picture and you will see something that I'm pretty sure you've never seen before. There's a Cozy Coupe strapped to the back of that RV right along with those bikes. Guess the little person on that RV didn't want to be left out, so Mom and Dad tossed their ride on the back as well. It was just about the funniest thing I've seen in a while as Cozy Coupes aren't usually spotted outside of a backyard, with the occassional sighting on a neighborhood sidewalk. This Cozy Coupe was in for a grand adventure - and it certainly brought a smile to my face.


Apologies for the quality - this was taken on my phone's camera. Technology only goes so far...

Clean Underwear

It was bound to happen eventually as I have been travelling a lot more these days. I finally got the note that the TSA opened my luggage and inspected it. Seems some man was digging around in my underwear. It's an odd thing to think that you not only have to have clean underwear on your body (in case of an accident like you mother told you) but that you need to have clean underwear in your suitcase in case the TSA guys inspect it.

So, I open my luggage after I got home and to my surprise was this nice little note that said "your bag and its contents may have been searched for prohibited items." Meaning (at least to me), some man was digging around through your stuff - you better not have had anything naughty in there...sigh...

At least my underwear was clean...I can't imagine what else they run across in people's bags. Not mine though. Not now, not ever. And hopefully no more men digging through my underwear.

it's all about me!

Breakfast for dinner

Every Sunday we have breakfast for dinner. Tonight we went to IHOP. Yeah, I know that it isn't Sunday but I'm going to Texas tomorrow and wanted to have breakfast with my family before I left, so we shifted it up two days. Anyway, every Sunday we pile in the car and head to either the Silver Diner or IHOP and order all kinds of fun breakfast foods. It isn't so much about nutrition at this point, but about having breakfast items for dinner. We even have coffee, milk, and juice for drinks. The kids get pancakes, waffles, bacon, eggs, and whatever other breakfast foods they want. Tom and I do the same. It's a great feeling to sit down to a big old omelette, pancakes smothered in blueberries, and a cup of coffee for dinner. Try it...you just might like it!

Burn, Baby, Burn

No, it's really not a Disco reference. It has to do with my cooking skills, or my lack of cooking skills. Don't get me wrong - my family eats, and they eat well. I go to a place that helps you prepare all the food once a month so that we can have home cooked meals. All I need to do is drag it out of the deep freeze, toss the prepared stuff in the oven/crock pot/stove and cook it, then maybe add a side dish or two. Sounds easy enough, even I can do this, right? Then you don't know me very well...

Let's go back a few weeks to the Blueberry Buckle. Did I mention that they also have a dessert once a month? This thing looked great. It was a pan FULL of blueberries and the rest of the buckle stuff. All I needed to do was to cook it for 50 minutes. Well, the buzzer went off on the oven and Tom kindly, at my request, turned the oven off. I told him I'd be right up, then I got disracted and never made it back up to the kitchen until MUCH later on that night. Well, something smelled like it was burning/had burned. Seems that the buckle had been in the HOT oven for about 4 hours or so. Blueberries don't like that very much, nor do oats or brown sugar, I'm sure. It was crispy, very crispy. The middle was a bit softer so I took a bite, and while it tasted yummy, that was probably the only bite that I could have takenfrom that whole pan. Tom laughed, I sighed, and the buckle went in the trash.

Fast forward to last night. I had these great pizzas that I made at the cooking place that were Basil Pesto and Chicken pizza. Not really something Tom would like, but no biggie. I was off getting my nails done and he ate dinner with the kids. When I got back I tossed the pizza in the oven and set the timer for the requisite 40 minutes. Then, I sat down at the kitchen table, so as not to forget or miss anything. The timer went DING and I hopped up, mouth watering. Well, seems that it was 40 minutes in someone else's oven, but only really about 30 in mine. The edges were burnt to a crisp, the bottom was dark brown and black, and the cheese on top was crispy. Man, I am just not going to win this cooking battle, am I. I thought I was so cool - I can follow directions - I can cook anything. Well, seems that I need to sit in front of the oven and watch the food cook so as not to completely screw it up. Once again, Tom laughed (referenced the Blueberry Buckle incident), I sighed, then I ate pizza. While the Buckle was paste dible, the pizza wasn't, and it was quite yummy.

Did I mention that the fire alarm went off in the midst of this? Here's a picture of it, sitting next to the pizza, after Tom pulled it off the wall...

I...

I WANT: to go to Disney World again…soon.

I HAVE: the best family on the planet.

I WISH: that I had more time with my Mom

I HATE: people that honk their horns for no good reason.

I MISS: dates with my hubby.

I HEAR: everything…or so I tell my kids. ;)

I WONDER: what my kids will be like when they grow up.

I AM NOT: quiet in the evenings. I SPEAK LOUDLY LATE AT NIGHT.

I DANCE: with kids standing on my feet.

I SING: four words for every song…and that’s all I know.

I CRY: at anything really sappy…when I’m in the mood.

I AM NOT ALWAYS: patient.

I MAKE WITH MY HANDS: beautiful scrapbook pages.

I WRITE: in an attempt to improve my writing…as often as it strikes me.

I CONFUSE: words, names, you name it I confuse it!

I NEED: more sleep, but what parent can’t say the same thing???!!!

I SHOULD: go to bed earlier (see the next answer!)

I START: each day WAAAAY before my body wants to.

I FINISH: each day with a kiss from my hubby.

Now it's your turn...

BUUUURRRRRRRP!

Man, can this little man rip a big one! He seems so nice and sweet looking, but he is ALL BOY!

We were sitting at Silver Diner tonight (Sunday is breakfast for dinner night) and Sam, like usual, ripped a big HUGE burp. Then, after laughing at hinself, in a little tiny voice, said Excuse Me! While we insist on the politeness, there's just something wrong about the whole big huge burp followed by politeness. It's like pounding on your brother then aplogozing, then pounding on him again because you know that you can apologize an get away with it (he does that too...sigh...boys...).

The best part, or the worst, depending on which side of the table you sit, is that he sits there and tries to burp more! Over half the time he is sucessful...but polite again. DRIVES ME NUTS! When did this cute little guy turn into a BOY??!!!

I guess one day I'll look backon this time and say "Remember when Sam was POLITE after he burped? Now he just burps and LAUGHS!!! AAARRRRRRGGGGHHH! Gotta catch that on video though - it's TOOOO funny...and very unexpected. He really does rip a mean burp - if I weren't is mother I'd be so proud...I mean appalled...I guess if I was his Dad I'd be proud - and you can GUARANTEE that Tom is proud of him for this...BIGGER SIGH...

Starbucks Keeps Her Clear

So as my Mom walks down this path, she goes to Starbucks almost every day. She went to Starbucks occassionally and really liked it, but now she believes (and this is the important part) that it keeps her "clear." As long as she keeps doing things taht keep her clear, like getting out of the house, walking around, drinking Starbucks, then she will be able to maintain her cognitive abilites. They will still slowly drift away as the tumor touches other parts of her brain, but Starbucks seems to not only keep her clear, but going these makes her happy, and that's what it is all about these days. She and Dad, or whomever else is there, hops in the car and drives to a local Starbucks and gets their coffee. They also drive around a bit more, but they are both out of the house and enjoying thier coffees.

So, I'm sending her a Starbucks tumbler with pics of her grandkids in it - that will make her VERY happy. It's two of the most precious things that she has - grandkids and coffee. Who wold have thought that coffee would be such a powerful tool? Now all I need to do is to crank out some more of these inserts so she can see different pics of the kids over the next few weeks!

Man, gotta love the Starbucks...but I already did.

That perfect fireworks picture...

Sam, Max, and Ian July 4, 2006 Falls Church Fireworks Display

So I'm a HUGE parade and fireworks junkie - to the point of dragging my kids off a plane (3.5 hour flight), putting them down for a nap, and then keeping them out until all hours of the night just to see some fireworks! We rolled off the plane and drove an hour arriving back home at about 2pm. We all crashed until about 6pm, except for my soccer junkie hubby who was watching World Cup (can't blame him for that though - he said it was a GREAT game!). Needless to say he crashed out early tonight. Anyway, after we woke up, I waffled (as is the VA Phipps way) between hitting the big DC fireworks and the Falls Church toned down version. Well, after considering that I'd be seeing the DC fireworks with 500,000 of my closest friends, I fugured that the FC variety would be just fine. Boy, was I wrong. It wasn't just fine - it was PERFECT for us! We got there aobut 1.5 hours ahead of time and the boys goofed while it was getting dark. Then, we enjoy a 1/2 hour show. I am still on my eternal quest for a picture - a good picture I should say - of fireworks, so I took about 80 or so. I snapped a few that might quality, but I'm off to try again next time now that I have played once with out reading the manual of my new digital SLR. (Yeah, didn't check ahead of time about taking pics of fireworks - but I'm sure it's in there. At least I brought the tripod!)

Anyway, while the boys were EXHAUSTED (it was 10:30 when we got home and we started this day at 5:00 am Texas time), everyone had a blast. I'm so glad that I dragged everyone out for the show. Tom just smiles and shakes his head any time I mention fireworks or parades, but he always goes with me. It's in the wedding vows: promises to honor, cherish, attend parades (or so he says). So, here are a few pics, first of the boys then of the fireworks. I haven't looked through them all to see if I FINALLY caught my perfect picture, but maybe, just maybe I finally did...

Is this the one?

Or perhaps this one?

The Things Kids Say #1

I'm sure that there are going to be a lot of these as we go on, so I might was well start the first one off by numbering them!

We were driving back from picking Tom up from the airport (he almost got on a plane for the first of three times today!) when Max suddenly asked an odd question. He asked if the 23rd had passed yet. I said that it was the 23rd, and why was he asking? He said that after the 23rd we cold vote for Bob Allen and Smith (or whatever the correct names are - he pulled those out and I have NO idea what they are!). Tom and I looked at each other and nearly lost it! Somehow between the signs on the side of the road, the folks in the Memorial Day parade, and who knows what else, he knew that after today we could vote here for the Senatorial Priamary. I was so proud (gotta love a kid with a sense of civic responsibilty at 5) and at the same time trying not to laugh out loud! He is so suceptible to advertising, of any sort apparently.

So, I spent the next few minutes ezxplaining that I wasn't yet registered here to vote (we only moved a few months ago and I haven't even gottten a local driver's license yet!) and that we had to be registered first to vote. Gotta love the things kids say! (And yes, I'll work on the driver's license!)

We have a FIRST GRADER in the house!

Well, today was the last day of Kindergarten, and Max passed, so he's officially a First Grader!

He is very excited about school and has learned a lot, so I guess Kindergarten was a success. His teacher said that he was a good student and that he seemed to enjoy learning, but that he needs to color and draw and paint more over the summer. Not bad for a 5 3/4 year old (as Max tells everyone). Now if we could only get the boys to sleep later during the summer...but that's another day...


Here he is with his two Kindergarten teachers, Mrs. Saul, and Mrs. Gale. Ms.Saul (in the pink) was his teacher from August 05 - March 06. Mrs. Gale (in the blue) was his teacher from April 06 - June 06. They were both wonderful teachers and made Max feel welcome at his schools. We were ver pleased to have them as teachers this particular year, as we know how important it is to get a good start in school! Watch out First Grade here we come!

Mom is in the Hospital

Mom is in the Hospital
Man. When it rains it pours. I lost both my grandparents in February of thus year, and now my mom has a tumor of some sort in her brain. It's 1:15 in the morning and I can't sleep. I'm heading to Texas to be with her tomorrow, so I'm not really sure why I'm writing this. The more info we get the better, but how can anything inside your brain be a good thing? The doctor said that it might be a cyst of some sort, but that it also might be a Glioblastoma, and aggressive form of cancer that takes the lives of most of the folks that it affects. This really sucks. That's the best way I can describe it. I guess that's allI have to say for now. Now sure why I even got on here, but I needed to tell someone and didn't want to wake Tom up. He's got along week ahead of him with me being gone...hopefully tomorrow will bring better news. If the swelling goes down she'll be more like herself.

...sigh...BIG SIGH...

Old Friends

Old Friends
So an old friend with whom I've been in contact with recently ran across another old friend from elementary shool. They started talking and decided to get a group toegether of the important folks in their lives - those who had an impact. As I attempt to hunt these folks down, it amazes me how many memeories are wrapped up in these few people. I truely did spend my childhood with a small group of friends. Since I didn't move from basically first grade on, I ahve a alot of the same friends throughout my school aged years. The problems we ran into was a population problem - they kept splitting us apart as neighborhoods grew and as more folks with kids moved in. Even though we lived in a town with seven military bases it seems the kids that were there to stay grew close. We all started at the same elementary school and ended up mainly at two high schoosl with a few others scattered around. Several left the state before we even got to middle school, and a few more peeled off as we got older.

We did Girl Scouts with these folks as well as birthday parties, play dates, swimming fun, and the list goes on. It's the little events that are creeeping back in now - those things that really did shape the person whom I've become. I am really thrilled at the idea of seeing the folks that had such a great impact on my life in a setting where we can really reconnect.

But it is an odd process hunting those that are "lost" down. I have one person where I have two possible names that I just need to pick one to call and see if he's the right one. Then we have the elusive friend whose name pops up here and there - and we know it's him - but we can't find any contact info. Then there's the friend we saw on TV and the two friends with such common names that in San Antonio alone there are several (and we're not sure but we think at least one left the state!). So tracking people down is a chore, but it will be so very worth it when we get together next year. Hopefully everyone else will have a similar reaction to our plan - not the revolting HS reunion reaction that we've all been through already. I'm sure you'll hear more about this from me as time goes on, but it's becoming a reality now so I can give voice to it and share so you can be excited right along with me.