Saturday, May 29, 2010

my name is l-i l-i pickle i pickle i pom pom beauty no more whiskey ice cream soda pop cherry on top

ooooo shaleta walking down the street...
i met her, i set her, i stole my mama's letter...
i'm cool, you fool...

sock you in the stomach three more times...

i wish i knew the real words to that song. 
i am pretty dang-tootin' sure those are not it.
but that is what nadia and i sang 11 times while we froze our bajezals off waiting for tony & aidan to bring us some hot cocoa for the parade.
the wind, she was a blowin'.
the band, they were a playin'.
my sandal-clad tootsies, they were a freezin'.
but we cheered and waved and ran for candy and talked with old friends and loved spending time with grammie none the less.  the best part is that we still have two more family days left in this weekend!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

oh those lashes

they get me every time.

He batted those beauties and asked me to go with him to the BSA 100 Year Camporee.    But first we had to get through the week.  The list ran on and  on and on  and  on with our obligations, but one of the highlights was Nadia's Bridging Ceremony.  We have scouts coming out of our ears I tell you.  You can see from her lovely little kisser that she couldn't be more excited about becoming a Brownie!  Ok, so maybe that was me.
Then it was off to the Camporee.  Did I mention I have never slept outside? in a tent? camped?  And since I have not, neither have my children.  Since we brought along Super Tony, you know for putting up the tent, hauling all of the supplies, cooking in the rain and not complaining when I woke him up at 1 am because I had to use the lavatory and I didn't want to wander away only to be lost among the 4000 or so Boy Scouts without anyway the wiser, we were in great hands. 
 
Look at that happy little face.   
Enjoying all things boy. 
 A little slice of all-boy-dogs-planes-climbing-hiking-welding-train-flint napping-paint balling, wood burning- knot tying- biscuit in a bag roasting-fire building-puddle jumping-heavenShe on the other hand, really enjoyed the pancakes.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

walk on

I can't help but look at these feet and hope that we are doing all we can to make sure they are walking the right path.  Now, I believe in them, it is my faith in my own direction that leaves me somewhat shaken at times.  I don't always make the best decisions, or watch my tongue when I ought.  I have learned the grace and value that comes with a good apology and have been thankful to those people who have taught me that.
I hope that when I slip up with these two, and try to make it right, that they have learned the power of forgiveness. 
I hope that through forgiveness they will not get bogged down in 'what ifs', regrets and words not said. 
I hope that they are able to walk on
Carry on
Move through whatever mistakes they have made. 
All of this sounds like I have some heavy mistake weighing on my heart.  It is not that.  It is just that when I see the steps they are taking it pushes me to be the best mom I can be.  The mom they want.  The mom they deserve. 
I hope when they look back on these years they see that we try every day to be better, for them.
I hope when they look forward to their own paths that they remember that mis-steps happen, but that through perserverance they can be the person they want to be. 

Thursday, May 13, 2010

my love to the tenth degree

How did we get from there to here? I ask myself this often. I shouldn't question it, really, because I could not have asked for someone who embodies the word partner more. Today I am thankful beyond measure for the ten years of marriage to my one true love and can't help buy reminisce. Take a walk with me down memory lane...


Year one- ahh the newlywed phase. since we had been dating for six years, there wasn't much we didn't know about each other. tony knew that i was neurotic about the dishes and silverware placement and lousy about putting my sweaters & shoes away. i knew he was hyper at night and predisposed to having project after project, even if that meant construction projects in our apartment dining room. we moved from pullman to bellingham (with a layover in dayton and then puerto vallarta to get hitched) in the span of a month. throw in tony's graduation and first engineering job and me with the new found obsession of creating intricate vacuum lines on the carpet and you can picture our first few months as husband and wife. eventually i had a job of my own, working nights at a homeless shelter so we learned to make the most of the moments we had. sundays were lazy. the rain was brutal. the town had an oddly comforting smell of burned coffee and ham. and the winter brought a cravings of cucumbers and donuts that by spring became a baby-bump.



Year two- all things Aidan. our life revolved around this little life. gone were the days of sleeping in until noon then lounging in bed the rest of the day reading the paper and eating donuts. to think of it, gone were the days of sleep. and our bed. i slept on the couch with Aidan nuzzled under my chin, tony took up camp on the floor beside us. the donuts remained. in march we were off to a new adventure, back to the tri-cities. we learned quickly that the love of our little family takes precedence over all other things.



Year three- the light of new jobs and a new mortgage were to be quickly dimmed by a new craving, this time tomatoes and mcdonalds. small complications from a surgery for Aidan showed us that our love is fierce, for each him and for each other, and if i ever need someone in my corner, you better believe i have the best of the best in my husband. family gatherings, home improvement and AFV dotted the year.



Year four- just barely into the fourth year brings our sweet little Nadia. it also brought the balancing act of man on man defense, classical music to thwart off mid-night wakings, stretching patience and stretching waistbands. mostly it brought on a hum of equilibrium, we were us- insular, whole, family. we were just gearing up.



Year five- graduate school and a layoff were the biggies. i learned that sometimes i don't need to talk to tell someone i believe in them, that i love them. sometimes i need to listen for them to know. sometimes i need a gentle reminder of that. we grew closer than ever before during the hardships of that year and learned that it is easier to rebound when you have the momentum of a partner.

 
 
Year six- it is funny how the first five years just came to me. each distinct with the ups and downs and the growth. year six was a year of routine. a year of health. a (gasp) name tattoo. a new job for me. continued success at a family friendly job for tony. friendships deepened, pace picked up and life marched on.




Year seven- a year of making dreams a reality. together we have grown in our love of creating. i have learned that a project can still be fun, even if it takes longer than an hour. tony (i think) has learned that the beauty is in the finishing, not in the planning. mostly we began our long, arduous climb up the learning curve of compromise. it wasn't until we began to bring our grand ideas together did we know how alike we are in our priorities, but we also didn't know how different we are in our processing.



Year eight- this brought another move, another move and many more projects. it brought the term schmegal because saying i love you just wasn't enough anymore. i am certain that it was along in here that i started to wonder when it fades. when would i stop feeling like i am going to burst with love. when would i stop thinking that i couldn't wait to tell tony about the days happenings. wasn't it suppose to get old by now? the year brought calm in our relationship while it began a year of chaos in our professional lives.


Year nine- year 9, the year work tried to eat us alive. no matter, we had each other.


 
Year ten- smooth. tranquil. satisfying. serene. comforting. level. busy still, but a year of give and take. a year of priorities in order more often than not. a year of family. a year for us to open up even more to each other, (if that is even possible). a year of i got this. he's got this. with each other it seems as if we will always have 'this'. Together.



Welcome to the next ten- i have high hopes that in today, on our tenth anniversary, we will continue to grow with each other. we will continue to appreciate each other. we will continue to schmegal because the word love just doesn't hold enough. i couldn't want for more. i wouldn't want anyone else by my side.  in the words of the comic book guy, thank you my love for the 'best decade ever'.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Sunday, May 9, 2010

happy mother's day 2010

Nothing says Mother's Day like a fresh sweet batch of kittens.
Go ahead and oooo and ahhh, they are totally use to it after Nadia and I got through with them.


I know, cute right?

The other thing that just has Happy Mother's Day written all over it is spending the day with your mom (Happy Mother's Day Mom, you are the best!!!), your dad, your husband, your kids and Mother Nature herself.  What a great day. 
Color me lucky!

Saturday, May 8, 2010

poor baby

For once it wasn't Nadia with a battered toe, a scrapped knee, knocked in teeth, a festering splinter or worse...




Poor Sparkalicious-ding-dong met the wrong end of a something that tore his perfect little smoochie face to pieces.  Any guesses as to what did this?  Even his little nose was swollen. 
Poor guy. 
He fits in around here. 
He is a lover, not a fighter. 

Sunday, May 2, 2010

a comparision of sorts

Now this isn't a true comparison.  Not enough data was collected for that. This is mearly some notable notes on experiences here and there during a couple of parades.  I am not a parade expert mind you, although I have doned a sash and riden a float or two, but this homology is from the spectators point of view.

Music, amazing horses, beautifully dressed and carefully coiffed ladies and children singing, dancing and marching top the list of similarities of both the traditional parades I have been to and the Cinco de Mayo parade we enjoyed yesterday.  Rain (lots and lots of enormous watery drops of rain) or shine, the people and children enjoying the community celebration are the same.  The most striking difference between the two types though is in parades I have been to in the past is the audience waves back, we clap, we take pictures, we talk to our neighbors about the loveliness of it all.  In the Cinco de Mayo parade, parade-goers hoot and cat-call, run into the parade to cheer on the entries and make certain their neighbor gets a piece of the candy action.  Our jaws dropped at the generosity of the small cart vendor who handed out full size ice-cream bars and the businesses who delighted salty-processed-meat-loving children like Aidan with gigantic beef sticks!  Don't they look happy?  Dripping with rain, shivering, but happy none the less.

Saturday, May 1, 2010