Monday, December 31, 2007

The best surprise ever

I have recieved so many wonderful gifts in my life that told me I was appreciated, that I was loved and that I was surrounded by thoughtful people. This year I recieved the biggest surprise ever. This year my parents met Tony, the kids and I in Northbend a couple of days before Christmas on a trip that I thought was happenstance. Little did I know that they had planned a huge surprise: my sister, Lane and Kaid! That is right! I was told that they would not be able to make it home for Christmas, the first Christmas we have ever spent apart. Good work Mom and Dad! You really surprised me. The hardest part was keeping quiet about it until they could do the same to my brother and his family when they came back from Arizona!

Lane holding Cooper, Nadia, MacKenzie, Aidan and Kaid

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Two more of the house


We have a door!


This is inside said door, looking up.

A Night Out On the Town


--with children


We join my parents and their Friday night dinner friends at the Eagles of Dayton (here is where I refrain from long reminiscings about the town and the place). We order our food from a very pleasant waitress. We observe my mom talking to nearly every table there. There is bingo in the background.

Time goes by.

Aidan is bored and is telling Papa wild stories much like I remember Papa telling me (insert story, any story, as long as it starts with “back in ’42”).

Again, time goes by.

Nadia is wiggly but entertained. She raises her hand. No one pays attention.
A waitress brings us “salad”. You can knock the way it looks but it was really good.

You guessed it, time goes by.

Nadia raises her hand and the waitress asks her if she needs anything.
Nadia innocently informs her, “I don’t have any food
The table and surrounding tables erupt in laughter.
My mom proudly tells the adjacent table, “that’s my granddaughter!”.

I am smiling and looking at my daughter seated next to my mother and I am so grateful they have a special bond. I am also grateful my mom publicly claimed her at that moment for she was knuckle deep in her nose. I gave her the ‘look’ and she quickly pulls it out.
I say to my mom, ”yeah, the one picking her nose and eating it is your granddaughter”.
Nadia quickly defends, “I didn’t eat it yet”.


Give the poor child some food so she doesn't have to resort to her own devices.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Snow snow snow snow

For those of you Bing lovers, you will know the title of this entry from 'White Christmas'. You would think it would be this line that would come to mind as I readied for my day this morning. Tony woke me up, then woke me up again, and again and finally again with a cup of coffee in his hand. I drank half, got up and stumbled around and then the phone rings. I hear Tony tell the caller, "you just made her day".

2 hour delay, YES!

I laid back in bed for about another 1/2 hour when I finally just got up (thank you coffee) and did a little work for the day ahead. Then, inspired by the clock, I made pancakes! Yes, hold your applause. We then hurried off to school. I called Tony on my way and asked him to call the Boys and Girls club just to make sure Aidan was to be dropped off in the usual fashion. He calls back as I round the corner to the school and says,

"PSD1, no school today".

So I called Sara, and off to the mall we went to get Tony a birthday present. We came home and I wrapped nearly all of the Christmas presents. I prepared a crockpot delicacy for tomorrow night and made meatloaf, Tony's favorite. I did the dishes and put away laundry and still had daylight to burn. We watched Shrek the third. And still I had time.

I turned my attention out the window to admire the snow that gave me the gift of this day.

I looked. I looked again. Our snow day was really a little ice day that was cleared by 9 am. I am not complaining, I almost got to sleep in and I had a terrific day with my kids:)

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

we came in together, we're going out together

Apparently this was the mantra of the very first two teeth Aidan ever got nearly 6 years ago. We discovered these two pearly whites when we heard the clank of a drinking glass against his teeth. Yesterday morning he was delighted that finally one was loose. One orange at lunch took care of that one. By the time he got home, ziploc bag with tooth in tow, he had another wiggly one. He would not rest until it too was ready to collect cash beside his bed. Determination being one of his strong suits, he wiggled and pushed and pulled and begged for pliers until finally it came out. For this second tooth's exit raked in 8 quarters and a bonus $1 from a nearly tardy tooth fairy.

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Slowly But Surely


Here is our progress as of today. All the windows are in except the big one in the front and the HVAC and plumbing will be done by Monday!