my baby

Where or where has the time gone? I'm up too late and feeling tired, so a bit emotional, too, and as I was looking for some pictures to print off to send my mom I came across this one...my baby's growing up too fast! Someone make it stop!! No, really, it is nice being through with diapers, and I do so love every stage, they're still wonderful and precious at 10 years old and 90 pounds. And, they still want lots of hugs and kisses from mommy, too. Just to clarify, that is Jordan in the picture, she has an unmistakable mole on her neck that bears a startling resemblance to a tick! Couldn't you just kiss those cheeks all day? She's still got them, too...

swimming pictures

Jordan funnies

I know she's mine, and that I might be a little biased, but I do believe that my daughter comes out with some of the funniest things. Unfortunately, she is always insulted when it causes me to burst out in laughter, and especially so when I tell Jon or someone else what she said. Earlier today, I had given Jordan two pieces of Dove chocolate, and told her one was for her and the other she was to give to Mychael, who was down in the playroom. She smiled sweetly and said, "OK, Mommy." So then after dinner tonight I was giving Zach a little piece of the chocolate, and was going to give Jordan one, too, when she said something about Mychael not wanting his chocolate earlier. No one in this house ever turns down chocolate, it's a special treat around here, so I knew she was fibbing. It turns out she had eaten both pieces of chocolate, and evidently had a guilty conscience when I was about to let her have another piece! Either that, or she was letting me know that I could just go ahead and let her have Mychael's piece, too, he probably wasn't interested. Mychael had a good laugh about it, and got a double portion of chocolate for having been robbed earlier.

The other funny story happened tonight, as well: I was in the playroom with Zach and Jordan, watching Zach building things with Tinkertoys, and I said something about his being so smart. So we go back and forth a few times with, "No, I'm not smart," (totally fishing for more compliments, he enjoys hearing that sort of thing) and "Oh, yes you are smart!" when all of a sudden Jordan throws her head back, squints her eyes and says, "Oh, you're breaking my heart (pronounced howt)!" How could I not laugh?

Actually, she did also say this, although Nathan says that I'm the only one that ever hears her say these things and that I'm probably making them up: "Mommy, my home blesses my heart (howt)." I am telling the truth, I tell ya!

poll

I just wanted to draw your attention to the poll on the top left...I posted it after an observation my dad made!

I had to post this, too

Hope this in no way comes across un-politically correct, it's totally funny from both sides, actually...

Wednesday after delivering our Meals-on-Wheels, I decided to take Zach to a barber nearby that advertised $5 kids' haircuts on Wednesdays. So I park on the opposite side of the street, and just as I'm pushing the door open (remarking, "Look, they like Obama, too!") I realize it's a black barber shop...all black barbers, all black customers. The one barber who was not cutting hair is grinning from ear to ear and he asks me, "How did you find out about our barber shop?" to which I replied, "The $5 Wednesdays sign!" It was such a cute and funny moment in which you could hear the sound of cultural walls crumbling down. Zach got the best haircut he's had in awhile, and it was a very classy place. Big plasma screen TV with CNN on, light jazz music playing in the background....so, anyway, when we're leaving Nathan says, "Hey, mommy, can we come back here? I want to get a lightening bolt on the side of my head!" Hee-hee-hee!

remember when...

....you could afford to drive around for 30 minutes to get a baby or toddler to fall asleep so they'd take a nap?

my wonderful parents

I forgot to post this picture of my parents from their trip last month to California...they left before the current fires were a problem. Anyway, I think it's great that they're able to get away from their busy lives at home for a bit and have some fun together. Our vacations growing up were usually in a motor home, and there are a whole host of great stories and memories from them (Adam barfing, the toilet backing up, leaving the ladder down and driving off...), so it's great that they're able to do some more exotic venues (last year it was Puerto Rico with friends). Don't they look fabulous for 61 and 50-ish??

check it out!

Click on the link to my sister-in-law's blog, the one with "proud mama" in the web address...

summer

Hello, everyone, I hope summer's off to a good start for you! We're enjoying beautiful weather this week after a cool front that dropped the humidity and dropped temps to about 60 at night and 85 during the day. We went swimming yesterday and it was almost too cool. We've been so fortunate to be able to use a Jon's sister's neighbor's pool (go that?), which happens to be only 2 miles from my house (did I write that in an earlier blog?), and we meet my other sister-in-law there, too. Zach has just started swimming without any floatation, it's hard to believe I couldn't get him to dunk his head 3 weeks ago. He's pretty cautious, but if allowed to do things in his own time he feels much more confident in the end. Jordan kicks around in an inner tube, and the older two are like fish. We've also started doing school twice a week, I think it gives the kids a greater appreciation for free time, and it helps everyone to have a routine, even in the summer. Our plans, so far, are to go to Florida the third week in August through the first week in September, then we're renting a house with Jon's immediate family the second week in October, which was a wonderful surprise because Jon's not a beach person. But the family is all so excited, and it won't be super hot then, either. We ended up getting a place one row over from the beach, but with a pool, and even if we're rained in all week we'll still be living it up. Well, I've got some hungry kids here, so I better go. Happy 4th of July! (oops! Sorry, I thought I rotated all the pictures, you'll just have to look sideways...)