Finally!!!

Attention everyone!!!

Barrett has a loose tooth!

He has been waiting, quite impatiently, for this momentous occasion;

ever since Charlotte got her first loose tooth, which was before she started kindergarten.

It's been a long two year wait.

He is soooooooooooo
excited!

It's just not possible...

You know the family photo we have as the header to this blog??

Well, I love that photo. Truly, I do.

Except, there are times when I look at it, and I am completely bewildered and confused.

Surely, that beautiful and lovely young lady on the right cannot possibly be my oldest daughter!!!

I look at this photo, and Savannah just looks so grown up and lovely.

This troubles me.

It seems only yesterday that she was a tiny little six-pounder.

When did she grow up?

She just looks so grown up, so lovely and so much older.

I blinked, and she turned into a young lady.

Sometimes I cannot even look at this picture, because I start to cry.

Who decided the kids could grow up so fast??

Love Letters. . .

From Charlotte!!  Charlotte surprised all of us with sweet and tender little notes that she had written. I sure do love it when the kids do something totally unexpected, and that "unexpected" takes the form of kindness and love.

This is what Charlotte wrote to us-

"Dear Mom- I love you so much. You are the Best mom in the world, and you are being loved so much. Love, Charlotte"

"Dear Dad- I love you so much. You are the Best dad in the world. You are being loved. Love, Charlotte"

"Dear Savannah- I love you and your loveness so much. Savannah is always kidding. Love, Charlotte"

"Dear Barrett- Boy, you are always kidding, but I love you and your goofyness so much. You are the best brother in the world. Love, Charlotte"

It just made my day. Love her sweet and sincerely kind little heart!

Getting to know you. . .

I was asked to take a quiz the other day. You know the kind of quiz that has about 20 of the most random and pointless questions, all aimed at "getting to know you" through your answers to such questions??

I filled out one of those.

On request from church, mind you.

Apparently, people at church don't feel they know me well enough.

Maybe they were happier in their ignorance.

:)

One of the questions was:

'What is the most-played song on your ipod?'

My answer:

"God Called In Sick Today" by AFI.

Yep.

Church asked the question.

"God Called In Sick Today" is the answer.

I love the universe when it is awesome like that!

By the way, it is a great song, on a great album, "Black Sails in the Sunset."

Anyone who really knows me will find it funny.

I think it's funny, anyway....



Notable quotables. . .

Some funny things heard around our house lately...

Savannah and Barrett talking about their respective softball and baseball teams:

"My team is the Blue Jays, Barrett. And I'm number 9, just like you!"

"Cool, Savannah. But my team is the Bats, and that's more awesome than Blue Jays. Hey, Savannah, do you think Dad would still let us play if our team was the Yankees?"

"Well, maybe he'd let us play, but we would have to wear a different shirt to the games."

Charlotte to Barrett:

"I don't care what Spiderman's other name is Barrett, I'm a girl."

"It's Peter Parker, Char."

"Barrett, I don't care. But you're a boy, so you can care about Spiderman, I guess."

Barrett to Mom:

"Mom, where are you?"

"I'll be right out, I'm in the bathroom."

"Oh. Are you draining your sea monster, Mom?"

A Very Nice Day. . .

Today, the kids got home from school, and we listened to this:

 

and this:

Listening to the rain softly pound the windows, while Otis Redding plays on the Ipod.

A rather good afternoon, don't you think so?

Allow me to step up on my soapbox. . .

Today I was more than a little bit annoyed by the behavior I witnessed.

There was a school bus picking up students.

It was completely STOPPED.

It had "flashing for safety" tail lights.

There was a completely visible line of students boarding the bus.

And, last but certainly not least, the bus had

a large, glowing and flashing red

STOP SIGN

sticking out to the side of the bus.

A STOP SIGN.

That clearly indicates you should stop, right?

I hope I was not the only one who was both amazed and outright angered by the not one, not two, but THREE people who totally disregarded the

glowing, flashing stop sign, and drove right around the bus.

Really, people!!??

I admit to my fair share of idiotic driving when I was younger, but not now.

And certainly not around a school bus!

Come on, people, please slow down, and please, please, please,

for the safety of our kids,

DO NOT GO AROUND A SCHOOL BUS SPORTING A GLOWING, FLASHING STOP SIGN.

Please.

Our kids are definitely worth the extra two minutes it will take to wait for the bus to finish loading.

Thank you,

and now, I will get off my soapbox.

End of an era. . .

 First we lose manager Terry Francona. . .

 Then we lose pitcher Tim Wakefield, who retired after a stellar career. . .

and now we lose our beloved Captain, catcher Jason Varitek, who also retired after a phenomenal career.

As if this isn't enough bad news, our new manager is Bobby Valentine.  Ugh.   :(

All in all, I am not overly excited about the new baseball season starting up in a few weeks.

Sorry Colby, my dear, but now seems like the perfect time to start fresh.

I'm thinking of flip-flopping my baseball teams.

I just may become an ardent Detroit Tigers fan, and downgrade to a casual Red Sox fan, instead of the other way around.

Ooh-La-La!!

Today, we celebrate a magnificent milestone:

5,478 days of wedded bliss!

Or, in simpler terms, 15 years.

I mean this very seriously, and very honestly-

the past fifteen years have been

Heaven on Earth.

Truly.

All the good times, and even the not-quite-as-good times.

I adore you, Colby Hill.

Happy Decade-and-a-half!!!

Happy Birthday Charlotte! ! !

Happy 7th Birthday Charlotte!!

Wishing you a special day just as sparkling, twirly, fabulous,

fun and glitterific as you are! 

Love you, our Princess Blue-Eyes!!

Sick, sick...

Charlotte is home sick today.

I knew she was not feeling well when. . .

She came home from school yesterday, and spent almost the whole afternoon and evening on the couch. Not like her at all.

At dinner, she only ate 2 teeny-weeny spoonsful of soup. Not like her- dinner was chinese food, and chinese soup is one of her favorites.

And of course, there is always the unmistakable sign of your child's sickness :

waking up seven times in the night to throw up.

Seven times.

:(

Poor girl.

I can't see how such a tiny little tummy can hurl so much.

Here's hoping it passes quickly, and that Savannah and Barrett don't come down with it.

It is so sad to see your kids sick, and knowing there's really not very much you can do about it.

Back in the day. . .

When we wanted to watch a movie, it was on one of these sweet babies. . . . .

 Yep, a "video." A "VHS tape."  Which we watched on this. . . . .

A video-cassette recorder.  A "VCR."

How very old-school, charming and retro these seem to me now! But, I still remember when my dad purchased a VCR for our family. It was awesome! Movies in my house, at any time??!!

YES!!

But times sure have changed.

For our family movie night, the movie I wanted to watch was only on VHS (we still haven't quite finished upgrading our movie collection to DVD yet!).

So, after trying to remember how the VCR worked, we popped the video in, and pushed 'play.'

After the initial confusion as to where the odd "hissy/static-y" sound was coming from (remember the sound of tapes!!) we fast-forwarded through the opening credits.

And I mean, actually fast-forwarding. No clicking on the "menu," selecting our chapter, and being instantly transported there, like magic.

And so, we watched the movie.

On video.  : ~ )

Then, it was over, and we told the kids it was time for bed.

Charlotte asked me then. . .

"Mom, what is that?"

I asked her what she meant, what?

"Mom, that sound, the "whiiirrrrrrrrr" sound- what is it?"

Then it clicked for me- my kids had never heard the sound of a VHS video being rewound!

So I explained that the video was rewinding. Her response?

"What does that mean? Why is it so loud and annoying?"

Oh, the days of rewinding a movie, not just merely clicking the chapter you want.

The static-y and hissy sound of VHS movies.

You know what?

I almost felt sad that we own a DVD player!

I kind of liked the trip down memory lane, to about 1982 or so.

I am so old.

I remember our old VCR from when I was a kid.

And, while we're on the subject. . . . .

I owned a record turntable, of my very own!

I remember the Sony "Walkman."

I remember cassette tapes.

I remember the very first CD player I ever owned. I remember the very first two CDs I bought.

I remember Atari games.

Man, I kind of miss 1982!!

Goodbye, Hello...

I was thinking about posting some photographic proof of my family's existence over the past few months, but then I just got

overwhelmed by the prospect.



So, goodbye 2011,

hello 2012.

I'd say that my New Year's resolution is to keep a better record of my family's comings and goings, and adventures and mishaps, but-

1.  I hate the whole New Year's holiday, with it's irritating and annoying, yet somehow obligatory "need" for improvements and goals and resolutions, and,

2.  Let's be honest:

besides me, who even reads this silly little blog anyway!?!?

Remembering...

Happy Birthday, Boston!

Today you would be three years old. I can't believe how fast time goes by.

Wishing your sweet Mommy hugs and kisses and extra love and prayers today.

We love and miss you, Boston.

Stephie, our hearts are aching with you today. We love you so very much, and will be thinking of you, and praying for you today.

Shocking, I know...

I must LOVE Charlotte.

Seriously.

She has a dress that she received for her birthday. She loves that dress.

LOVES it.

Sadly, because Charlotte is so.....well......

Charlotte,

it has a couple tears and rips in it.

So what did I do?

I actually busted out my needle and thread,

and I sewed up that dress with

my own two hands.

That is how much I love Charlotte,

I actually sewed something.

Feeling pretty darn domesticated and Betty Crocker-ish.

Yikes!!