rocky road

things have been a little rocky around here lately. 
one minute you're laughing about an odd fork in you're hand, one minute your wiping tears.
not exquisitely good, not devastatingly bad, just emotional bumps about things that are insignificant and mostly related to being impatient about the summer countdown. 

and really that can be read in a loud, booming plea as...

get here NOW summer because i don't think we can take any more of this rigid routine.  we need freedom and space and freckles from the sun.  the kind of elbowroom where papa rides a skateboard for no good reason and you decide it's time to shave a kid's hair into a mohawk.  the kind of laxity that finds you roasting marshmallows on a perfectly good thursday night with a group of equally untethered friends.  there are just too many good things coming our way.

the countdown has officially begun people.  much earlier than years past but not a moment too soon...

she makes it happen

that nadia.

my sweet, sweet nani girl.
did you know that she sits patiently at every practice and game for aidan without complaint?  she is deeply pained when her brother or when one of her friends is feeling blue.  she jumps at the chance to help when asked.  she is a dream come true. 

oh yeah, and she kicks the pants off of her goals. 

she ran in her 2nd 5k as part of girls on the run. 

i was lucky enough to be her running buddy.

she beat her time and smiled, sang and skipped along the way. 

and when i asked her the best part she said she loved the running, she loves the activities, she loves that she is with her bff's and new friends too and she loves her coaches! 

and she is super ready for next year.

finding the positives

my main man has been having a hard time lately.  it's the awkward social stuff and insecure kids trying to find their place in the world by knocking others down.  ugghhhhh.

nothing hurts worse than when your baby hurts.  but he has had some moments were things are mighty fine, so let us dwell on those instead.

like his hit tonight.  this is him moments before:

 and this is safe on first:

 and this is him being sweet to his sister:

 and speaking of her, she took those first two pictures.  pretty impressive my little grasshopper.

ah, aidan,
chin up bubbies.  all of this crappy kid drama stinks right now, but you are a fantastic person with a wonderful heart, a killer smile and brains ta boot.  i know it hurts right now, but stay strong.  just keep looking for the positives in life and you are going to come out of all of this just fine.  

a dozen years with you

happy anniversary my love.

thank you for this charmed life and our perfect-for-us children and our mutt margo and all my cats and kisses goodnight and locking up the house and being hot and bringing me coffee the way i like it each morning and believing in me and running your hand across my back when we are passing each other in the kitchen and mowing the yard and working hard at being a fantastic dad and giggling and squash-squash and schmeagal too and being creative and keeping me up on world events and having dreams & indulging mine and promising me a lifetime and





loving me
exactly the way
i need it.

oh mother...

we all know that this mothering stuff is...what is it exactly? the hardest, most heart-wrenching, conflicting and loveliest thing i've ever done in my entire life? 

thank heavens i have all of you to look to...

so to all the mothers out there---

-the ones who have it all together
-and the ones who show me it's sometimes more fun not to

-the ones who inspire me to do better
-and the ones who let me know i'm doing ok

-the ones who remind me to be in the moment
-and the ones who remind me that sometimes for sanity-sake, you have to check out

-the ones who call themselves mommy and mama and grammie and nana and act the mother to so many
-and to the ones who made me mimi

-and of course to my mom, who always reminded me that i was her favorite youngest child---

found here

to all of you, because without you i would be utterly lost.
thank you!  happy mothers day!

oozing with sappy happy

today is making memories with mom day at my kids school.  they asked me to pretty please take off the morning and go.  how could i say no?  i love making memories.  i love that they wanted me there. 

but it is also msp testing for nadia, so there were snacks to make (which tony did and i added the note) and a special brain-food breakfast to nosh. 

and it is also field trip day for aidan, which means a super-packed lunch and an unsucessful scramble to find a camera (besides mine, because i am not that nice) that actually works in our house.   i decided i would swing through the walmarche' and get a cheapo one.  we made it to mmwm in the nick of time.

and all was great.  aidan's teacher had questions scrolling on the projector about how well you know your mom.  he pays attention to my likes and dislikes which i think has him on the path to making a very attentive husband someday.  he wrote me a poem, but instead of mom, mommy or mama he used mimi.  it included things like i am 'immune to evil'.  he knows how to make me go all mushy.  that kid.

and onto nadia's class.  she drew a sweet picture of me complete with her favorite tank top of mine.  she wrote the 10 best things about me.  who wouldn't love to hear that the best thing about them is they snuggle and make bueno brownies!?!  she showed me the plant she is growing and some of her work and i got to write her a good luck note for her msp.  i loved that her teacher encourages that.  especially since nadia is my little note keeper. 

all of this was great.  better than great.  i felt special and all squishy mushy loved.
but the happiest, sappiest part of all came when we realized the camera needed an sd card.  i told aidan i would try to get home and back before his bus left and bring him one, but i wasn't sure if i would make it.  i went fast like a bunny and made it back as the kids were lining up to go into class. 

no less than 20 kids said "HI AIDAN'S MOM!!!!" as i was trying to find his line. 

i'm aidan's mom.  that's my name.  i honestly have never felt more important in all my life.

have you heard?

this is going to be just about the most fun you will ever have raising money for cancer research!
i would say that if you are in a 300 mile radius you should probably click HERE to register.


you can camp out in my back yard.  i'll make bacon in the morning.  seriously.

it is going to be awesome!!

here is the link again, you know, in case you missed it... 
REGISTER BY CLICKING HERE

checkity check check out this lady if you want to see more cool people who are involved in this.