Only 65 days left until school starts back up

Want to know how we know this?
It's not what you think! No, we're not trying to rush through the summer. Not trying to get our little guy back in school so he won't be with us. He's not having a bad time, or trying to get away from us.

He's a 2nd grader now! He CAN'T wait to be an official 2nd grader...which, to a "literal man" means that you have to go to a classroom and start doing 2nd grade work.

He has asked us every day since school got out last Thursday about "when do I go back to school?" We thought he was having trouble with the concept of the month, even though he does know days, weeks, and months, as in understanding how long they last. He wants to be a 2nd grader.

Oh, and today...is the First Day of Summer!
Summer Starts Today!
It's The Longest Day of the Year!

We love our Literal Man.

And now, please excuse me as I go and make a summer calendar of activities so he has other activities to look forward to, besides just going back to school again.
Please, let's enjoy as much of the next 65 days as possible, let these days be productive and educational, in a fun way.

Happy First Day of Summer!

Happy Father's Day to all you Dads!

Happy Father's Day to all you Dads out there! I hope this finds you all enjoying your day and your weekend. Really, each and every day is a father's day, where you can celebrate the reason(s) you can this your day. Whenever I look at our little guy, I remember all the reasons why I love being a mommy (yes, even on the challenging days/moments) and I imagine that there are those moments for all you guys, as well.

Remembering those little fingers and little toes. Feedings and diaper changings at all times of the day and night. Toddling to running, and then taking the bus the first day of school. Okay, I get it, the women typically get more choked up at the changes in milestones, the events that make our little people grow up on us. But, tell the truth, I'm sure that you guys also get a little emotional at times.

Then, today, our little guy brought in his Papa's 7th Father's Day by picking up a book that he put on hold at the public library (on his own, mind you. I found out it was on hold when I got the email notice that it had arrived), and then by reading almost the entire book in one day. "The Diary of a Wimpy Kid" is apparently not on the shelf of his school library, perhaps because it uses the words "dumb", "stupid", "idiot" and more, that are not allowed in schools. On the way back from the Farmer's Market, he started to read his book. While we started to build scarecrows at our shared/family garden, he sat in the chair and read it for almost 2 hours. In the car on the way home after dinner with my brother and his girlfriend, he turned on the overhead light and read some more. Then, once home and changed into his pajamas, he read some more. Made it to page 151 before we told him he had to put it down and go to bed. He's had books in the past that he didn't want to stop reading, but this is his first book on his own that he just couldn't put down. Not sure how many more actual pages he has left to go, but he's about 2/3 of the way done now. What a nice gift for his Papa, the love of reading!

For his actual present to Mike, well that's a funny story. Mike bought himself a new watch about a month ago, to replace his several broken ones that have seen better days. He left it under Chris' pillow that day, with a note that basically said that Chris could decide to keep the watch for himself, or he could save it for his dad for Father's Day. He found the note and watch under his pillow when he was getting in bed in his top bunk for the night. He read the note, and without hesitation, he decided to save it for Father's Day. He slept on top of the packaged watch and note for several days before he would agree to move it to a new location, which was a bin with clothes in it. We put it on the bottom, so it would be hidden. Mike had entered the room to help Chris change his bedsheets that day, and Chris almost got caught with the present under his pillow. He told Mike he had to leave the room for a few minutes, and when Mike asked "why?" he told him "It's none of your business!" I think he panicked and couldn't think of what to say, which if funny, because he's never at a loss of words. Well, that's when we moved the present to a bin. Which brings us to tonight. He's going to bed and I remind him that tomorrow is Father's Day, so he'll need to give Papa his present in the morning, after we wrap it. He says it's still hiding, and that's when he tells me that he had moved the present awhile ago! Hmmm, I wonder where, so I ask him. He peeks over the top end of his bunk bed, and says, "down there, under the air mattress." We have a queen-sized air mattress in the corner of his room, only there because it has a leak and we need to inflate it back up this week so we can repair the leak. He apparently put the watch package under the bottom layer of the mattress. This wouldn't normally be a problem...but Mike and I both have stepped on the mattress to help make up his bed! I quickly grabbed the watch package and found it was a little banged up, but fortunately, no broken watch face or band! How lucky!

Father's Day will be fun for us, because we are going to take it easy and enjoy the entire day. Might go out, might not. Not sure. Might go fishing, maybe a softball game, not sure.

May you all enjoy your Father's Day and each and every day!

Updated: we slept in -- YAY!!!!
then, Chris brought Papa his gifts he had been hiding and making
while I was doing dishes, Christopher finished his book he had just gotten yesterday. as he says, "it has 217 pages and I read all of them in one day!" I'm amazed, and also excited that he loves to read.
called a few folks, including my Dad, to wish them a good day.
then headed out to a softball game / bbq with the brothers and sisters and some friends at a nice public park from about 2 until almost 7 pm. it was nice to play softball again, and to watch Christopher try to hit a softball for the first time ever. I even hit the ball a few times, which made me happy since it's been Years since I played on the co-ed team in Alexandria, VA.
went back home in time to catch the recorded interviews and coverage from the previous weekend's demolition derby, as showed on "Weekend Sports" on channel 50. they showed most of the guys, including our nephew, Patrick, who is a new driver. I had never seen a demo derby until last Spring. it's not "my thing" but I will say it was entertaining, especially since they guys usually don't get hurt.

and now, time for bed.
I think Mike had a good day, too!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to All the Mom's Out There!

We celebrate all weekend, what fun! Today we got up early, got some plants from a plant swap, and then did yard work with Marti. Mike and Chris played t-ball, as Chris practiced hitting and even tried to hit left-handed. I love how he likes to play outside and that he likes to play with Mike so much.

I took a nap, which was welcomed and long overdue, but especially appreciated today. Feeling more than a little uncomfortable and exhausted, due to cramps I woke up feeling so much better. Mike then went to the store and picked up a charcoal grill and cooked steaks, asparagus, and portabello mushrooms, as potatoes with onions and garlic baked in olive oil in the oven. Christopher stayed outside with Mike while he was cooking, and we all enjoyed talking and hanging out around the grill and having dinner. Chris said he was a little cold, so he got a blanket and wrapped it around himself while he was waiting patiently. After dinner, he asked me if he could cuddle up in my lap, which made my heart sing. I have come to realize that I can no longer pick him up and carry him around, as he's gotten too big...it makes me happy how he's growing, but sad how I have to let go of one more "baby" thing. He often sits next to me to cuddle, but it was extra special that he wanted to get in my lap while we were outside. And then, he fell asleep. Awww. That almost never happens these days, that he falls asleep before being sent to bed. How nice it happened this way for my weekend with the guys. Truly makes my heart sing!

Chris made me something at school for Mother's Day, but he's been very good a keeping his secret after his initial disclosure this week. We have a rule in the family: "there are no secrets in our family" and since he is "Literal Man" he almost let the cat out of the bad earlier. I had asked him how his day went, and what did he do in school, so he told me that his class made something for all the moms. "It's a ...." he started to say, so I told him that he's supposed to tell me that it's a secret, which is when he reminded me about how we have no secrets in our house. So, there I was explaining to him the difference between a secret for a surprise, vs. a secret that is inappropriate. I tell you, every day is a learning experience with this little guy, I love it!

After we sat outside and talked for awhile, listening to music, Mike took him and put him in his top bunk. He was able to say most of his evening prayers before he drifted back to his solid slumber. Before he fell asleep earlier, he asked me where his backpack was, because he wanted to be sure to get his special present out first thing in the morning. I'm not even going to peek in his backpack! What fun it will be in the morning!

As for this weekend being a special day, I have to say, it's nice to have a day of our own, but it's really not just "our" day. There are so many levels of relationships out there, so many women who deserve to be honored, so many who have had an impact on each of us...how can we squish it all into one day? We celebrate for the whole weekend, and we make it a family even in our house. I also like to call several others to tell them Happy Mother's Day...my grandmothers, a couple of friends, my sisters, and several others.

Besides feeling emotional all week due to PMS (sorry, guys, I know this subject is considered TMI, but dammit, it hurts, it's uncomfortable, it's predictable, it makes some of us crazy), it's also the 3rd year without Mom in person. I know she's still around me, I know I can talk to her, but I do really miss her some days so much it makes me emotional and then I remember the good times. It's easier to meet the milestone days, birthday holidays and anniversary days, especially with a growing appreciation of all that is and all that will be...but it still hurts. Sigh.
And now, time for bed so I can sleep in tomorrow and continue this awesome weekend.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!
And to all the Mom's out there!

More Serendipity, Lovin' It!

A wonderful anniversary...Adoption Day!

Our little guy is quite the flirt, and he found this beauty walking around at the courthouse, waiting for her turn for her legal adoption. Before we knew it, he had grabbed her hand and wanted to walk her up and down the hallway for quite awhile. That's her mom on the left, and his attorney, Sheila, on the right. He had just learned to walk a month or so before, and was quite good at it, but he had on his new cowboy boots and had a hard time not slipping in them on the tiled floor. Otherwise, we are convinced he would have been walking with his new friend without any adult support, lol!

So, we celebrated our little guy's adoption day by taking him to the only Mexican restaurant in town, and he loved it! We do something special with him each year, and will likely make it bigger each year as he understands more and more how much he means to us and how we love having him in our family.

When we got home, Mike put on his nightly show, Jeopardy, from a recording earlier. It's celebrity week, so some of the questions are a little easier for the rest of us non-fast thinkers. Well, on this special day, we had several personal references from the answers on Jeopardy tonight, including:

Senator Diane Feinstein of California is the aunt of the judge who signed our adoption papers, Judge Feinstein! On the day of his adoption, we had commented on her relationship to the senator, and used that as our way to remember the name of the judge who helped change our lives on this monumental, ceremonial day.

under the category of "yellow" was the New Mexico flag -- where we have lived the longest with our son (4 yrs for him, 15 for us)

Neil Patrick Harris was one of the contestants, a native of NM, and he is the one who answered the flag question

We've been talking about and picking one of my favorite local flowers....the buttercup. In fact, I just gave a bunch of buttercups to both Mike and Chris about a week ago. Not only was the picture of the buttercup easily identified by Chris, but it was not correctly answered by any of the 2 contestants

Now, we don't live our lives according to what happens on Jeopardy, that would be dumb. It is rather odd and amusing, since we do watch the show every day, that on two particular days in the past month, the answers on the show are randomly and yet very closely related to something not as pertinent to the day as it was by showing up today.

It was a good day!

Science in Schools

This, fresh in from Facebook. A recent entry by my sister-in-law's 8th grade daughter, Bailey:

"Today was so cool in science! We got to disect owl throw up. My partner saw animal bones like shrews and birds and that kind of stuff. It felt wierd to touch the bones. So gross!"

What can I say (besides "eww!") but that's some funny, funny stuff....

A Serendipitous Day

Perhaps it happens more than we notice, but a Serendipitous Day is just a fun day, no matter how you look at it. It happened mostly around me, but I was glad to get to be a witness to the fun.

Here we go:

Last night I was flipping through a book about the Amish community, and came across a picture of a group of folks who were watching the filming of the movie "Witness" -- in a town called "Intercourse, PA". I just thought it amusing to see all the folks, a combination of Amish and non-Amish, looking on in a town with such an unusual name. Particularly since the Amish are known for their simple living, a contradiction to the name of the town. I turned to show the picture to Mike, and read the description to him. He was putting away his cell phone, plugging it in before we went to sleep, when he noticed he had received a message from a friend who had just visited us on Sunday from San Diego, CA. Ira was now in Pennsylvania and had sent Mike a picture message -- with the town sign of "Intercourse, PA" and "Intercourse Community Park". How Funny and what odd timing. In all these years, I don't think I ever noticed there was a town called Intercourse, and yet here it appeared 2x, from 2 separate sources, in less than a minute apart.

Next,
In the morning, Mike woke up to tell me that he had just had "really weird dreams last night." He said he dreamed about The Beatles, except Paul McCartney was the only one missing. They were all just jamming to music. He rarely tells me about his dreams, as he says he usually doesn't remember them in the morning. Mike was headed to Waldorf for a class he currently teaches. After that, he headed to the Leonardtown HS to hopefully pickup books for a home teaching student. When he arrived at the counselor's office...he found her walls covered with posters of The Beatles!

Mike and Chris went home before me, and I stopped by the grocery store to get something for dinner and a few other items. He asked me to get something to go in the oven, preferably a pizza or two. The store I was in had limited options, so I picked up a DiGiornio, as well as two other smaller pizzas, labeled "Mystic Pizza". My cousin at the checkout line mentioned the movie by Julia Roberts called "Mystic Pizza", but I don't remember ever seeing it. It's a movie from the early 80's. Well, while we were sitting down enjoying the first pizza, Mike also mentioned the movie and insisted that I've seen it before. Despite how I can't always remember the names of movies I have seen, that one did not sound familiar. So, he did a search on the cable system, and found that the movie was playing AT the Moment we were discussing it, it had just started about 15 minutes before.

Finally,
When I put the first and second pizzas in the oven, I had asked Mike to set his timer on his phone. His phone allows him to choose various ring tones, so he chose the lyrics from Prince's song "1999" as the alarm. Well, on Jeopardy, there was a category for interesting or odd Prime numbers...where the answer to one of the questions was the same selection of lyrics that Mike had chosen for the alarm, just a mere 10 or so minutes prior to the viewing of Jeopardy.

Now, I'd have to say that this has been one heck of a Serendipitous Day, if I ever saw one!
Too cool!

New Days, new beginnings

Everyday brings new surprises.
Much of the past two years...more junk than good.
But, Finally...a breath of fresh air!

Here's to good choices, good people, good days, the best of everything.
I'm optimistic, and I know in my heart that things are finally turning around.

It's about time.