Finally the rain has stopped! Now I can quit trying to overdose with brownies and chocolate Oreo milkshakes w/ extra Oreos. Weeks of rainy weather have convinced me that living in Seattle--or any other mostly cloudy place--would be the wrong move for me. So since the sun is out and all is right in my little world, I thought I'd catch everyone up on our 4th of July activities. We did as little as possible, which means it was a perfect holiday.
First the kids missed the neighborhood parade, we slept right through it. As any good parent would, we foresaw the likelihood of our sleeping late and we purposely didn't tell the girls about the parade. If anyone tried to bring up the subject around Tess and Adelle we broke out in show tunes, thereby avoiding any possible disappointment. Quality parenting, what can I say.
when going to the pool seemed too taxing we whipped out the white-trash of water sports, the slip-n-slide.
we had two options for the fireworks... #1 We could drive 10 miles to a free firework and symphony show. Then, because of parking, be forced to walk a mile with two tired-from-the-slip-n-slide-fest kids. Then stand in line for the over used up-johns at least 4 times due to watermelon consumption. OR #2 We could walk two houses down from us, sit on out neighbor's lawn chairs, eat our neighbor's watermelon and fresh picked blueberries, watch our girls play with our neighbor's sparklers, and enjoy the fireworks in peace while our girls sit on our neighbor's laps. I'm sure you can guess what we did. By the way, we have a new addition to the family. Above is our sweet 10 year old neighbor who is Tess and Adelle's new big sister. She has been staying with us every Tuesday this summer while her parents--who are some of my favorite people in the world--are at work. We've loved it!
At about 11 pm that night I realized I hadn't made or cooked anything for the 4th. I should have made an apple pie. Then I remembered, I had made cookies on Monday and that should count, although I was too lazy to attempt icing or sprinkles. Even if my festive domesticity turned out more Napoleon Dynamite than Martha Stewart, the semi-festive cookies did get gobbled up and I even let Tom and the girls have some too.
We spent the weekend tearing down the garage so we could use the wood to build an ark. Not really, but I thought about it. It dumped all last week and this week is supposed to be a little of the same.
I'm happy to say that we have been graced with another sibling visit from my side of the family. My brother Gerry flew into town to take us out to eat before he had to drive to Oklahoma City for some business. It was a short visit but we'll count it. Unfortunately I'm short on pics from the visit which really works out better for everyone because I can use some old photos of Gerry to illustrate this post. And I'm happy to take this opportunity to make fun of him like he has so lovingly made fun of me my whole life.
oouuuuuuhhhhhh! Check it out! This is back in the glory days, Gerry could barely keep the women at bay. I mean seriously who wouldn't want to make out with a guy in tight jeans and a rainbow sweater, riding a sexy black motorcycle. Way to work it Gerry! hot.
You can't really see it in this picture, but my left arm is in a cast from a break that occurred when I fell out of a tree. Unfortunately, going to the doctor conflicted with Gerry's intramural football playoff game. Since he was in charge of me at the time I was forced to go to the game, watch, learn and "be a man" about my pain. Although it was difficult as an 8 year old to appreciate this learning moment, I'm glad I toughed it out. I can now thank Gerry for the character I was able to develop as I tried to sleep that night with my un-casted broken arm. Thanks good brother.
Here's another good one. Gerry's wearing a nice flannel, not-as-tight jeans, and some cowboy boots even though he is not...
living on a farm/ranch,
visiting a farm/ranch,
country dancing, or cow tipping
once again....hot.
Not to much to make fun of here. Gerry really has been an attentive, sweet, involved and caring brother. Oh, I thought of one...here is a photo back when Gerry was taller then me (okay, we're the same height). Love through sarcasm, one of many good things you've taught me.
I love you!
The girls loved getting to play the piano and dance with uncle Gerry!
Today was Roo's last day of school which marks the end of my days alone with Deli. Sure it's going to be good to have the girls back together again, but I'm going to miss all the attention Delberd demanded from me. Now her constant stream of conversion will most likely be aimed at Tess instead of me. Will she ask to go to Target everyday like she would after we left Tess at school? Or demand that we eat breakfast together and that we eat the exact same thing? What if she doesn't need me anymore? What if Tess is already a better mother than me. Summer is just beginning and I'm full of anxiety. Any way, here are some pictures and a video with a bunch of random moments of Boo Radley.
Deli's first babysitting job was to watch Tess's school teacher's new born baby for two days.
accessorizing
why paint on paper?
Adelle with tea, toast and Delphiniums from the garden
Some of my favorite Dellanorisms:
setting: breakfast in the kitchen
me: "Look Adelle, there's something behind your head!" (I was trying to steal a bite of her cereal) Deli: "What? What? Wait.......is it my Christmas stocking?" (this is in May)
setting: taking out the trash
me: "Look Adelle a cockroach! What should we name it?" Deli: "Bush, hello Bushy"
setting: picking up Tess from School
Deli: Tess...I'm sorry but Mom and I went to Target today without you and I got a bagel but we didn't get you one. I'm so sorry Tess. (in a not-really-sorry tone)
setting: TJMaxx, quickly trying to buy socks for Tom when Adelle spots a must-have Dora shirt
Deli: Mom can I get this for my birthday? (This is the standard question for any desirable object in a store) me: maybe, but your birthday is in March, remember? Deli: No Maaahhm! My TODAY birthday! me: nope Deli: please. please, please, please, please, please Mom please. If you let me have the shirt then I will invite you to "Kids Club" (a magical place without parents and all you can eat brownies that she and Tess have made up and try to threaten to uninvite Tom and I to when we don't respond to their liking) but if you don't let me get the Dora shirt then you will have to have a consequence (at this point we had a small audience) me: let's put the shirt in the basket for now (This was deceptive of me, I know. When we got to the check out I just handed the clerk her shirt and asked him to put it back for us.) ---later that day, just as Tess gets into the car from school--- Deli: Guess what Tessy....Mom and I went to the store and guess whhhaaat....I got a new Dora shirt but I'm sorry you didn't. I'm sorry Tess. me: Deli, we didn't get the Dora shirt, you were much too fussy in the store. Deli: WHAT! Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!
setting: me sitting at the computer
Deli: Mom, I want to sit on your lap because it's squishy
setting: getting the house picked up
Deli: Mom, can I watch Lion King because it is my favorite? me: no Deli, we have work to do, you need to do your spoon drawer (emptying the silverware) and clean your room Deli: (after stomping her foot and bouncing her body off every piece of our furniture) but Maaaahhm, it's my very very favorite! me: sorry babe, not until we finish our work Deli: But Maaaaaaammmaaaa me: no Adelle Deli: FINE! (with a final stomp of her foot) I WILL do my spoon drawer and THEN I'll clean room me: good idea
setting: at the checkout at Walgreens
Deli: hey Mom, can we get some gum? Gum is my favorite, I will chew it. I know when I was 2 I would swallow it but I'm 3 now and I will chew it pleeeeeeeeeaaaaase. me: no Deli: but Mom I mean it. I mean it! I WILL chew it! I will chew like this (munch, munch)......I will NOT swallow it. Look, thus gum is blue and look....this gum is pink and this gum is red and this gum is GREEEEEEN. Ooohhhhh I like green gum, I had green gum one time. Mom can we get this greeeeeeeen gum because I LOVE IT! checkout lady: WOW! She talks a lot! Does she always talk this much? me: yup.
So I was talking to my running mentor and friend, who happens to be what I would call a power blogger (a person who equates "put new post on the blog" with "wake-up" on their daily to-do list) about our different blogging styles. Basically she write really interesting, funny things and doesn't necessary rely heavily on photos, especially photos of the kidos to try to sponge some attention--which would essentially describe my style. But most recently my friend has ventured more into utilizing cute baby pics to draw in the online crowds so I thought I’d give it a go at a picture-less kid-less post. Prepare yourself to be rocked by randomness, click away while you still can.
First of all, Tom and I have been in love lately and that feels good, so we decided to celebrate our love by…….. buying some CD’s (something we haven’t done for sooo long). Saturday night we took advantage of some free babysitting and hit the town. Although we had planned to go out to eat together, we skipped dinner to justify our purchases.
purchase #1 Pacha Massive – Hot Spanglish disco techno rap (usually at this point I would put pics of the girls break dancing, but I won’t) Here’s one of their songs, my favorite is “oye mira” but I couldn’t find it
purchase#2 History Boys Soundtrack-- What a movie! The screenplay is perfect, taken from an even better play I hear. The Soundtrack includes the Cure, the Smiths, the Pretenders, the Clash etc. Normally I would talk about how the girls believe the chorus from the Clash song sings "rockin' the Deathstar," and I'd put a video of them grooving in the backseat and singing the chorus as loud as they can, but I'll stop myself.
purchase#3 Tracy Thorn, out of the woods
Music I still would like to get someday, Nick Drake and Texas--but Tom won't let me b/c then he would have to admit that I can pick out good music all by myself.
Second only to dancing around in Barnes & Noble and embarrassing Tom, I love to spend my weekends reading the New York Times. I try to force myself to read the entire Week in Review section before I rush into the Sunday Styles but I can hardly stop myself from heading straight to the most entertaining section of all--at the very end of the Sunday Style lies the Wedding Announcements or what David Brooks calls the "mergers and acquistions." Here are my top four from the last two Sundays. These select few are chosen based on 3 criteria;
1-- unbelievable perfection (i.e. She's a 25 year old M.D. graduating from Yale with a masters in astrophysics from Harvard and he is a 27 year old J.D. from Columbia with a Ph.d in bio-engineering from Stanford and MFA in french horn performance from Juilliard) 2-- Shameless exploitation of career based lineage (i.e. the bride is the great-great-god-niece of Herbert Boufee, a noble prize nominee in 1874) 3-- unadulterated corniness (this stuff is my favorite, you got to read it to believe it)
So read on and cast your vote for your favorite. Please remember to sit up straight, cross your legs, and turn side to side while you clap soflty and repeat "good match, good match indeed" in your best british accent when you finish reading each announcement.
The girls loved hiking and collecting rocks and pinecones
J Lo hiking with my girls
Downtown Hot Springs is beautiful and the national park is the heart of it. Tom and I loved this old Art Deco hotel (above) and the old bath houses on main street (below).
For all the national park junkies, did you know....
Hot Springs Reservation, the first designation of Hot Springs National Park, was set aside by Congress in 1832. This makes Hot Springs National Park the oldest unit in the national park system, 40 years older than Yellowstone National Park.
We stay in one of the state park's one bedroom cabins
makin' smores
smores for dinner
trying to recover from suger overload
Trip Stats:
number of Spinach Capitals of the World visited = 1 (Alma Arkansas)
number of Magnolia Capitals visited = 1 (Durant, Oklahoma)
number of times Deli fell and bloodied herself while hiking = 5 number of times Tess fell and bloodied herself while hiking = 2 number of times Deli asked to go home during the rain
storm on the hike = 57 number of Sonic shakes consumed (primarily chocolate oreo
with extra oreo) = 8 number of DQ blizzards consumed (primarily chocolate oreo
with extra oreo) = 3 number of Sonics visited total = 5
number of Sonic car hops with braces and blonde ponytails that
said "OOOhhh, y'ALL have like the cUUUtest little fAAAmily"= 1
number of mosquito bites = 437 number of times watching Star Wars episode 4 = 1
number of times asking to watch Star Wars episode 4 = 32
Toad and Sue had children far too early but Roo and Boo Radley happily tolerate them anyway. Roo recently announced her candidacy for the 2012 presidential race. She will be representing the communist party; promoting her theory that big sister really does know best. Boo Radley--known for her husky voice and innate Brooklyn accent-- just published the highly acclaimed, New York Times best seller, “the power of pout; a memoir". Toad and Sue have never been happier, basking in their non-traditional roles. Toad enjoys his flexible, relaxed work schedule while Sue enjoys matching socks and ironing the sheets.
