D.I.R.T.

And soon it will be mud :)

What's in a word?

Aidan: Mom, I want to be in the talent show.
Me: Well Honey, what is your talent?
Aidan: (after a not too thoughtful pause) I can make Ben10 watches out of paper!
Me: (long and drawn out, trying to find the words that will not crush his spirit) Well, that is not really something you can do on stage. Let's take a look at the handout. Oh, they are looking for people who can dance, or sing, or recite a poem. Do you know what a poem is?
Aidan: No, I can make Ben10 watches very fast!
Me: oh well, here, look. They said you could do a, um, a routine (don't mention Tae Kwon Do because he thinks those 10 lessons made him a black belt) or look, they want musicians like a pianist.
Aidan: no response, just chin to chest stare.
Mom: (oooohhhh this should be fun:) Do you know what a pianist is?
Aidan: ummmm, someone who studies penises?
Mom: (here's where my 2% woman comes out. I could go along with what he said because it is just so dang funny. Then the mom comes out. He may get in trouble. Fine. I will tell him) No honey. Listen to all of the syllables. Pee-a-nist. Like Pee-an-o? Piano?
Aidan: well I can make Ben10 watches and transform them into the Ben10 characters.!

What we've been up to

It is spring break. That statement takes on a whole new meaning when you are the adult!

I spent the first two days at a conference and yes it was just as exciting as it sounds. The next two hanging out with Aidan and Nadia (by hanging out I mean cleaning while they played, taking time for a walk or two and baking then eating a cake and cookies). Tony is home today so that means lunch at Olive Garden and running errands. No wonder Aidan said, "I am sick of always doing adult stuff!" Sweet child, summer is just around the corner and then we will do outside adult stuff like plant grass!

Project

Tony is working his buns off with projects of his own so I thought I would have one of my own.

Tony, my dad and I worked on getting some reclaimed wood from a house that had fallen down and we found small cabinet doors. I added these silhouettes of Aidan and Nadia and wa-la!

I am pleased:)

We have M.O.V.E.D

We are in our new home. The one we drew on a little piece of paper about a year ago, you remember, right? I have hardly mentioned it, so I will understand if you have forgotten...

Yes Aidan, that was sarcasm.

We have two rooms completely unpacked and decorated. That would be Nadia and Aidan's rooms. The rest will come with time. Tony's to-do list is very, very long. He is building cubbies, a closet, cubbies, a mantle, cubbies, a mudroom bench, cubbies, putting in the yard and a few more cubbies. I am really excited about these little things called cubbies. They are storage boxes (like you would see in Pottery Barn) that fit in playrooms to store just about everything. I should be organized to the fullest (at least for a week I am guessing).

Pictures to come!

tick tock will it ever stop?

Maybe by the end of next week the waiting will end.

Then maybe I can cook dinner here.

10, 5, 1

Ten years ago...
I lived in a basement Boulder Creek Apartment in Pullman with roommates Monique and Lisa. I was spending more time than I should at an apartment a few rows forward with Tony and not nearly enough time studying such topics as Physics 102, Chem 106, Embryology and Cell Physiology. I worked at SESRC with Lindsay and Cori. GO COUGS! I missed my family, especially my sister. I was restless, I remember that clearly. There were nights that I would tell Tony that I just wanted to run for as long as I could and see where I ended up. I was restless, and excited and I was happy and oblivious of what was to come.

Five years ago...
Tony, Aidan and I moved from Bellingham back to Pasco. We lived in home that we made all our own, with color and grass and flowers and trees. I worked as the director of a nonprofit that supported teen parents. Working with young, struggling moms was like a backward step in time in some ways from the work I did as a family advocate in a homeless shelter for women with children in Bellingham. The work was satisfying and stressful, but part-time. I loved having time for Aidan and was anxiously awaiting Nadia as an addition early that summer. Life was changing and we were adapting. Life was busy and we were happy, and yes, I was oblivious of what was to come.

One year ago...
Tony, Aidan, Nadia and I decided it was time to build a house. We were growing and we were accumulating this and that and toys and cats and things and mementos and stuff and oh yes, papers. We were settled but bulging. Tony the engineer, me the teacher, Aidan and Nadia the pre-k and preschoolers respectively. We loved walking and building and singing and dancing and legos and babies. We were close and we were happy and yes, we were oblivious of what was and what is to come.

You're it. Give me your 10, 5, 1
Andria, I expect to see yours soon.