Daddy got these pix the other night of our Boy, who had fallen asleep at the laptop while playing, I assume, Webkinz.
We'll be adding these to our growing collection of pictures where Jon has fallen asleep in odd places or positions. I can't dig them up at the moment, but I have ones of him asleep under our coffee table, which sent me into a panic one afternoon because everything got really really quiet, and I could not find him anywhere. Finally I found him under the coffee table. I'll have to put together a montage of all these pics at some point.
To my dearest Katie on her sixth birthday,
I can remember the day you were born like it was yesterday. It was one of the most beautiful days of my entire life. As we drove to the hospital that beautiful, warm and sunny spring morning, I remember the bright fuschia of the azaleas and the delicate pinks and whites of the dogwood trees in full bloom that day. I thought of how blessed we were to be bringing our baby girl into the world that day on such a gorgeous day.
I remember so many details of that day. The loud verberation of your first cries and how I bawled right along with you. The gleam of pride and bewilderment in your daddy's eyes as he feasted his eyes on our big (yes, all 10 lbs., 5 oz. of you) beautiful baby girl. I saw him gaze at you with the same tenderness and love that he had for me, and I knew then that you would have him wrapped around your little finger. And you did...and still do for the most part.
Katie, I don't even think there are words to accurately express what I feel for you and your brother. You especially, because you are my first born, and you are my daughter. There are times when I can't help but stare at you, just overwhelmed by your beauty, your absolute perfection...an almost perfect blend of mine and your father's best features, genetically engineered to perfection. You still take my breath away.
I look at you and see so much of myself, but not just in physical features. I see myself mostly in your sensitivity, your strength, the way you tend to take the lead in many situations with your peers and your brother, your boundless creativity, and your warmth and compassion. You have one of the strongest senses of empathy for other people that I have ever seen in a child, almost to a fault. I see your little idosyncrasies, your crazy little fears and anxieties, and while others may see these things and look at you with grave concern, I see these things and think "yup, that's me." And while I would give nothing more than to have you spared from these little bouts of childhood pain, I know that it's necessary, and I know that because of these things, you're going to grow up to be more resilient, more self-aware, and more compassionate towards others because of your sensitivities.
I could not be more proud of you, my dear daughter. Six years ago today, I was given earthly proof that God exists, and I thank Him every day for all the joy you have brought to my life.
All my love,
Mommy
I have been devoid of blogging fodder as of late. There really hasn't been much going on to blog about. Same ol' same ol'. Hooray for status quo, I say. So I guess it's time for a general purpose update.
School is winding down for me (thank GAWD). I took an advertising class this semester and had to do a 1 year advertising plan/proposal on any product/company of my choosing. Of course I used my own photography business. The project was tough, but the benefit of this project is it really forced me to get my shizzle together re: the business. I now have a clearer vision of what I want from this. To that end, I've ended the portfolio building era of my business. While I know I have mucho de learno, I'm feeling more confident of my skills, and am ready to start taking things to the next level.
The kiddos are doing pretty well. Katie is working on her THIRD loose tooth, and her 6th bday is tomorrow. I still catch myself looking at her in amazement because she's grown so much. She definitely caught her mama's height gene, and no doubt is going to be an amazonmama in her own right one day in the future. I just pray she is able to escape all the awkwardness and lack of self-acceptance that I had as a teenager. When I was a teen, for me, 6'1=freakshow. As I aged, I realized it had its perks, and certainly has been helpful to the little old ladies in the grocery store who can't reach items on the top shelves. I can't even begin to convey how many times I'm asked "excuse me, sweetie, can you....." as they gesture to whatever item is beyond their reach. Happens. All. The. Time.
But I digress.
As much as it's weighing on my mind that my girl is six, I'll save the "I can't believe my baby girl is six" soliloquy until tomorrow.
The Boy is doing well. He's loving the spring and being able to play outside and get all dirty and gritty. I wish he'd be more interested in the potty, but he couldn't care less. Probably because he knows that I want him to care, and he's just a rebel like that.
I'm turning the keyboard over to The Boy this morning.
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fgkjfgkjfgkjfgikfgifgirriod9g9vbkvblcvofirf8rf8f99igifigifjhfgjigiigfifgfkfk
jon
The end.
Translation: Hey guys. .what's up? Can you come over and play cars with me? We have fruit snacks. It'll be fun.
Ugh. Where to start?
Thursday night at work, I started feeling weird. I had this awful headache and some nausea. I thought perhaps it was the makings of one of those totally debilitating killer migraines coming on. However, in the wee hours of last Friday morning, I awoke with severe nausea and cramping. Soon thereafter, I had a threesome with the bathroom garbage can and the toilet. Sexy, right? The rest of Friday was spent in an achy fog, drifting in and out of consciousness between trips to the toilet. By Saturday I was much better, and hoping that no one else in our family would suffer the wrath of this awful stomach virus that I understand now is making the rounds in our area.
But, as stomach viruses often go, it spread like wildfire. Saturday night, Jonathan got it. We had stopped over at our neighbor's house to chat, and I knew something wasn't right when Jon Jon stayed real close to me and wasn't running around with the kids like he usually does. After a little while, he wanted to ride his bike. He walked up the street with our neighbor's oldest girl to get his bike, and upon his return, as he was crossing the street, he threw up. Right in the middle of the street. Poor guy. I got him home and cleaned up, and he was pretty pissed that he couldn't ride his bike like he wanted to. He dry heaved a few more times, and by morning he was doing much better.
Sunday was spent disinfecting and lysoling everything in the house, in the vain attempt to thwart the spread of this vicious pox. I go back to work on Monday, hopeful that this would be it for us and this stomach virus. Monday night I get home to find Katie in our bed. She's complaining that her stomach hurts. A short while later, she's thrashing and moaning, so I make her get up and go to the potty. She sat there a little while, nothing doing, then she wanted to go back to bed. I get her back in bed, and then Jon wakes up wanting a drink. Shawn gets up to get him his drink, and I'm in the bathroom, and I hear a huge ralph and the sound of a large amount of liquid hitting the floor. At first I thought Shawn spilled something in the kitchen, but I soon realized, it's Katie. She's freaking out, covered in puke from head to toe, and so is our bed and bedroom floor. At 2 a.m., I had to put her in the tub and get her cleaned off, while Shawn took on the task of getting the bed and floor cleaned up. She and I spent the rest of the night/morning camped out in the living room. By the wee wee hours, the body aches kicked in for her and she was pretty much inconsolable. Shawn tried giving her Tylenol, but she gagged on it. So, no rest for any of us. It was a tough night, but by mid-day she was feeling quite a bit better.
But then, just when you thought it was over, Hubby gets it. He spent his evening last night "peeing out his butt" (his words) and vomiting. I was at work, of course. I told him to call me if he needed me, but apparently he's quite tough and was able to manage. Bless his heart.
Today, Hubby is feeling much better, the Girl is back at school and the Boy's appetite has returned. For someone who basically subsisted on chocolate milk for three days, he's certainly making up for missed meals today. In the span of three hours, he's eaten waffles, a bowl of cereal, a string cheese and half a baloney sandwich. That's like his food consumption for an entire day. So we're on the mend, having fought off yet another family-wide stomach bug.
What have you lost that you wish you still had?
Submitted by gunderson bee.
My mind. Seriously. Have you seen it? I'm starting to wonder if it'll ever come back...
Manic Birthday Party Mom has officially been laid to rest.
Yes, sorry to disappoint, but Katie's upcoming six year fete will not be the crazed, overthemed/underplanned extravaganza that I have been known for in years past. There will be no erections of the Barbie Dream House in birthday cake. I don't even have any immediate plans for an intricately designed birthday invitation as I have been known for in years past (although that might change this weekend -- I could use a sample for my portfolio, so the effort would be worth it for the business). Nope. This year, per the request of the Queen herself, she wants a simple birthday party at a local indoor playzone (think Little Gym but for bigger kids), where they provide not only all the fun a child can have in a single hour, but all the paper goods, balloons, and even pizza and juice. All I have to show up with is my person, my two chillruns, and enough cupcakes for the brood. Oh, and a #6 candle so she can blow it out.
How will I ever manage to not turn this simple affair into grounds for divorce? Shawn won't know what to do with himself and all the time he'll have to sit and, well, breathe, without my having him run to every candy store on the East Coast to find the exact type and color of gummy fruit slices.
I'm certain I'll manage to overcomplicate matters somehow. Oh yes, favors. Yeah. I'll make that a clusterfuck in no time flat.
I'm so excited that Katie's recital is coming up! June 21st is the date, but we're not sure yet if she'll have the 12 or the 3 p.m. show. Her dance school, Tricia Sloan Dance Center, conducts several shows over the course of a weekend, so we're fortunate in that we don't have to sit at recital for hours on end waiting for her performance, which I hear is the norm many other studios in our area. Her show will probably be about two hours long (not her performance, of course -- that's only like three minutes), and if it is anything like last year's show, we'll all be in for a real treat. Their dance company performances are top notch. It's even more exciting this year because our neighbor's little girl is also in Katie's dance class, so it'll be a neighborhood affair at recital this year.
Saturday they posted pics in the studio and on the studio's website of the various costume choices for the year. Below is a pic of the choice for Katie's dance class. I think it's cute!
Katie seems to think that they're using the blue version of the costume above. I like them both, but the pink/black combo has always been one of my favorites. And yay for me, I don't even have to order new complimentary seamless background paper to do her recital pics. The two rolls I already have are pink and blue, and would compliment either choice very well. I have the white and black backgrounds standing by as well.
I'm equally thrilled about the music choice for their routine this year. It's Rob Thomas' "Little Wonders." Awwwwwww. They're going to look adorable!
Last year, Katie's recital coincided with my graduation from Drexel, so it was quite chaotic making the mad dash from Philadelphia to Southern New Jersey on a hot Saturday afternoon in the height of shore traffic. We made it with only minutes to spare before she had to go on stage. I thought Shawn was going to have a stroke at the wheel with the stress of trying to get us there on time. My sister-in-law, Michelle, who danced throughout her childhood and teenage years and owned a studio of her own in Missouri, was here for graduation and never was I so thankful to have her with us. She managed to get Katie's makeup on in a minivan in stop-and-go bumper-to-bumper traffic. It was hectic, but we made it. It'll be nice this year to not have all that stress on recital day.
About a month ago, we were hanging out with our neighbors and somehow we happened upon the discussion of how my one neighbor's husband is totally creeped out by dolls. Then she went and got the doll and showed us why. This doll is from lord knows when, but when you turn her arm, her face and eyes contort into all these different expressions. Of course, I had to take pictures. After this thing, I'm thinking Bratz aren't so bad after all.
Today was Funny Hat Day at Katie's school. They do it as a charity event to benefit the Ronald McDonald House. Every child who wears a funny hat can contribute $ towards the cause. I think it's pretty cool, except that I totally forgot about it until I saw the notice in her folder yesterday afternoon, about an hour before I had to leave for work.
Thinking quickly, I had her get her old Easter hat from last year, and called Hubby (who was on his way home) to stop at the dollar store and grab a couple of bunches of cheap artificial spring flowers. Meanwhile, she and I swiped some plastic Easter eggs from their leftover Easter baskets, and got busy with the hot glue gun. She and I glued the eggs, some pink easter grass and some jellybeans to the top of the hat. I found a little bunny stuffed animal under Jon's bed that morning and safety pinned it to the top. When Dad got home, he finished the hat by hot gluing the flowers to the brim as I dressed for work. Ain't nothing sexier than a man with a hot glue gun and artificial flowers, lemme tell you.
So here is the end result:
