Dreams coming true

I witnessed this at 6:35 am:

This is photographic evidence of my two elder children...-gasp-...playing a game...-gulp-...by themselves...-SOB- And it lasted for...TWENTY MINUTES!?!?!?

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I have memories of playing HOURS of UNO with a group of kids while on vacation. My parents were in the other room...doing I don't know what. Drinking? Playing card games of their own? Having adult conversations uninterrupted by little children?

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I have seen the future...and it definitely includes these two playing cards with each other.

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(btw...the game box is for holding cards...just flip the box upside down and voila! Card holder.)

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(also...can anyone recommend how to tell children to shuffle by themselves...other than just throwing cards around. That was the only snafu this morning...shuffling)

Thank you, Linda

Pictures from Grandma!

Some are bonus shots from her visit last month while Jeff was in South America:

Feeding ducks in New Hope...sorry I didn't get this one flipped around.

Some are from when we had the older two at the rehearsal dinner...and Michael got to hang out with Grandma and Grandpa alone.

Back in time to PA now...damn my computer illiteracy...I hate posting pictures. Someday, I'm going to sit down with someone and figure out how to do it. Because the way I do it is just too difficult.

This is at a park near us with the coolest playground equipment ever. This is a modified merry-go-round.

A giant saddle shaped swing (I think you are supposed to stand on it and "surf"...but sitting is fun too)

Aaaaaand...back to the wedding.

The only family shot...and you can see why there weren't more taken. Getting #3 to sit still and #2 to pose was damn near impossible.

Lily and Andrew getting down.

My sister and family.

Lily and I waiting for the photographer to need her again. He didn't do all the kid pictures at once, so we had to keep wrangling the kids up to the stage and then when we would be dismissed and the kids would run off, he'd say, "I'll need them in a few minutes...don't go far." They would run off, wanting some of the appetizers that other people were getting...and then we'd get called back for more photos before we could go get some. Ugh. I was less than happy with that man.

This is what my blessed father-in-law did for much of the beginning of the wedding.

Lily dances with Pepere

Random photos

Have I shown you these photos yet? I don't think so. I made fun of my MIL a bit for not sending me photos very often, but I had a bunch of old-ish photos sitting in my camera that I haven't gotten around to putting on here.

My boys. In love. Forever and ever.

Playing dress up. Andrew the king and Lily the queen and Michael...the jester?

King needs an Adrenalin shot and the queen need a new hair stylist.

More dress up. This is...I don't know...Super Cat in the Hat?

Mikey gets in the act as Spiderman."Come with me, fair maiden"

Naked Mike looks like he's giving a dissertation.

Kind of a smile...darned unphotogenic children

This is how I found him before I started the photo shoot. I was putting Andrew and Lily in the tub together, and when I went to see what Mikey was doing...Ta Da! Miraculously, the book emerged unharmed and dry!

While I had the camera out, I had to get the original cuties of the household.

And try to photograph the new hole in his mouth. The permanent tooth is already mostly in.

Losing a tooth hasn't affected his maturity (or lack thereof) at all.

I found a half dozen or so eggs in the back of the fridge that were a few months past due. So rather than throw them out, the kids got to play with them. Lily was totally grossed out by the innards of an egg, but the boys thoroughly enjoyed it.

You can almost hear him thinking, "You are really going to let me have this?"

Yesterday Lily got a new haircut! It was sad to see all her length go, but there were so many broken ends that it wouldn't even stay in a pony tail anymore (see picture above). I think the new style really suits her non-girly attitude. But we'll probably grow it out again, since I love piggies and ponies and braids. This cut will be great for summer!

Mad at me for wanting to take her picture

More cooperative later on, but really? The smile? Wait until you see Andrea's wedding photos. She did this in ALL of them.

Running from camera.

Sneaking some shots

Wedding pictures

So this is all I've got. Apparently all the family shots I posed for were taken with my MIL's camera. So, quick...bug Linda to send her pictures to me. I'm talking to YOU commenters and Mt. V people who never comment.


Here's my favorite shot...taken at the rehearsal. Lily and her Aunt Andrea getting ready to practice walking down the aisle. Cute, eh?

The whole crew waiting in a dark hallway. I'm pretty sure Andrew is issuing a challenge to Colin way in the back there. It probably went something like, "I wonder who can say the funniest inappropriate thing up on the alter during practice."

Lily actually threw the paper flowers during the rehearsal. Not so much at the actual wedding. To be fair...there were only about 20 people at the rehearsal and 150 watching her the next day. I'd forget the flowers too. ;) At least she walked and didn't have to be dragged!

The wedding! With so many people, I didn't have any shot of the aisle...so no cute pictures of the boys and Lil'. I'm sure the professional got it. Instead, we have this cute shot of shy Lily standing in front of Andrea's bridesmaids.

A close up. I know her hair is unadorned and a bit scraggly. Seriously...a miracle that she wore the dress and even showed UP at the wedding. Hair was NOT a priority.

Andrea and Dave getting married.

Andrew looking...well, normal, I guess.

I gave Andrew the camera to entertain himself. I deleted most of the pictures, because they were of his shoes or the floor or the camera strap. But he got a few...

He never asks people to turn and look at him.

Except for his cousin Colin, apparently. Most. Photogenic. Kid. Ever.

I believe this is the dance floor. I have videos of this...somewhere. Now...go to the comments. Bug Linda for her pictures, and maybe you'll get to see me in my dress. Looking...thick. ;)

Maybe this is why she doesn't like to eat

(shhhh...I know, I know...wedding pictures. I promise I will eventually download them onto my computer and upload them onto Blogger. Promise. Not right now.)

During our travels last weekend, there were two instances that made me wonder about my Lily.

#1: We stopped at a rest area, and it smelled overwhelmingly like cow dung. Welcome to the middle of Pennsylvania. ;) I was putting Lily back into her car seat, and I commented, "Pee-You! It smells like cow poop!" And Lily replied while holding her nose, "Yes! Yucky! It smells like potatoes!"

#2: We were stopping for a break at Cabella's in WV (read: best free zoo EVER...even if all the dead animals are a little creepy...the kiddos love it). Lily and I went into the restroom right after someone had changed a really really stinky diaper (read: Mike and I had been in there just moments before). Lily immediately held her nose and said, "It smells like hot dogs in here!"


Now, tell me, if YOU thought that potatoes and hot dogs smell the same as cow shit and dirty diapers...wouldn't YOU be a picky eater too?

The toast

Andrea was stunningly beautiful. Dave was handsome and calm and eager. There were tears of happiness, but a lot more laughter. I met Dave's family...and I know Andrea is set up for a GREAT life with these people. They are lucky to have her, and she is lucky to have them. I was allowed to give a toast at the reception. I KNOW! The bride was also very brave. :)

Here is the toast as it was supposed to be. Once I got up there and I had to speak into a microphone while balancing a glass of wine...it didn't quite turn out this way. I move my hands A LOT when I'm speaking in front of a crowd, so I felt a little out of balance. I also allegedly started to cry in the middle of it. Allegedly. But I got MOST of it in there.

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The toast...not Roast...Toast.

Hello! For those of you who don't know me, I'm Giselle, one of Andrea's older sisters. The YOUNGER older sister if you must know. And I cannot believe that we are celebrating my baby sister's wedding today. Partly because they've been engaged for what...7 years or something? But mostly because Andrea is our baby.

To put it into perspective, when I left home to go away to college, Andrea was about to start 5th grade. When I got married, and Andrea walked down the aisle in my wedding, she was just about to begin her freshman year in high school. And then I moved away, and I haven't lived in Ohio since.

So perhaps that makes me the LEAST qualified person to stand up here and talk about Andrea and Dave...since I didn't witness the evolution of their relationship. But we are a family of girls...and girls TALK. We talk TO each other and ABOUT each other and we just talk and talk and talk. So I've heard stories...oh! Like about Dave shoveling the snow off of Andrea's car before class...even though he had a broken hand. And about Andrea fishing and camping...as if I ever thought THAT would happen. I've seen Dave coo and cuddle my babies when he thought no one was watching and I've seen Andrea support Dave's hobbies even when it means she might have to spend a day alone with little to do. I'm amazed at how they have embraced new interests while still maintaining their true selves.

And I'm excited for them. Because I see marriage as one of life's greatest opportunities. In the rest of your existence here on earth, you kind of get "stuck" with your family. You don't get to pick your parents, or your siblings, your grandparents, cousins, or aunts and uncles. You don't have any say in your in-laws, children, or grandchildren. With all these people, you must etch a relationship out despite personality clashes, differing interests and hobbies, moods, you name it. And often you get really lucky...but it is not by your choosing.

And then...you get this one chance...this one opportunity to go out into the world and select a family member. You can choose someone whose gifts and talents and quirks and idiosyncrasies balance out your own and make you a bit better when you go out into the big world.

I think you two have made a great selection. But don't forget that even though you are your own family now, the rest of us that you got "stuck" with will always be here for you...supporting you when you need help and cheering with you while you celebrate. Best wishes, and I love you!

Why I love this man...

I have so much to write about our whirlwind wedding weekend. I wish I had more pictures to share...but with 3 kids and poor lighting...well...not much to post.

But before I do, I have to share a story about Jeff. I don't write much about him here...mostly because he reads it (if you know what I mean). ;) Also, mushy-gushy posts tend to sound insincere, forced, and icky here in bloggy land...in my opinion anyway. And since I am often mushy-gushy about him, I choose not to sicken you all ;) So here's a little glimpse into WHY I can be so mushy-gushy.

We had a blast at this wedding. But in the past, weddings have made us quite amorous towards each other. Whether it is the minister's words on marriage, spending the day remembering our own wedding day, or slow dancing under dimmed lights...weddings take us back to when we chose to join our lives. And that makes us twitterpated...a bit. But Saturday we were distracted by a million little things...let's just say the 3 physical manifestations of our love for one another. Rather than pondering the words of the minister, we were worrying about keeping Lily quiet and keeping the chocolate off her white dress. Rather than remembering our own wedding day, we were introducing our kids to my extended family and watching them enjoy every minute. Rather than slow dancing with each other, we were spinning with our little ones and boogieing down like fools. It was AWESOME...but different.

So we drove 9 hours to get back home yesterday. Jeff and I had a lot of time to discuss how kids at a wedding (and IN the wedding) changes our experiences quite a bit. How we had fun, but missed the mushy-gushy a bit. And then the subject changed to a million other things.

We got home and ran around outside with the kids a bit. Then they were wrestled into their own beds, and I hurried to watch last week's Survivor on the DVR. Jeff was tinkering with the computer or something...he hates my tv selections. As Survivor comes to an end, he comes into the family room and starts putting toys away...clearing the floor. Odd. Then he pops in a CD.

And asks me to dance.

Apparently while I was killing brain cells with reality tv, he was burning a CD with some of our favorite slow dance-songs from college and beyond. And even though he couldn't remember our first dance song from our own wedding (When I Fall in Love, by Nat King Cole...for future reference, Jeff)...it was incredibly sweet and thoughtful.


And so there in our family room, with the lights dimmed, surrounded by Matchbox cars and princess dolls, on a Sunday night at 9 pm...we danced. And we reminisced about our own wedding day, and remembered why we decided to join our lives together in the first place.

Enough for every fire hydrant

Have you ever taken a dog for a long walk? And been amazed at how it can pee on every swingin' fire hydrant, tree, and mailbox. Seriously...a 50 minute walk, and a dog can manage to squeeze out drops on 45 objects. It is mind-boggling.

Lily seems to have a little canine blood in her...at least when it comes to urinating. Except she isn't spraying bushes. She is delaying bedtime. In one 60 minute "nap", Lily will cry to pee at least 3 times. And I swear to GOD, she goes every single time. This is the same girl that held it all the way to Ohio at Christmas (9 hour drive), and all the way home (9 hour drive). Baloney that she has a small bladder.

She has a dog bladder.

You must excuse me...Lily has been put to bed and she is breathing heavily at the top of the steps. I'm certain that if I confront her, she will need to go to the potty again.

And she will squeeze out a few drops.

Argh.

Blast from the past

Yesterday I was being productive (shocker), and I decided to clean out the garage. I found 3 medium size boxes and 2 shoe boxes stacked on a table. Thinking they were leftover stuff from Jeff's office move last summer, I made a space for them in the back of the garage (I know...we clean out our garage a lot...obv.)



Turns out that my parents secretly transported them and left them in my garage. They cleaned out my old room a while ago and kept telling me I had boxes at their house. I repeatedly told my mother to just pitch them. I am not sentimental and if I'd gone this long without that stuff then it must not be important.



And yet it still somehow ended up in my garage.



And most of it IS junk. Lots of knick-nacks, a candle I made in 5th grade (ew), some journals (double ew), and random cheese-ball wall hangings ("Friendship is ooey-gooey-barfy stuff..etc etc.). Lily was "helping", and managed to commandeer several little animal figurines, a troll doll, a Minnie mouse teeny tiny doll from when I went to DW in 1983, and a troll doll...which Lily held up and announced, "Look! It's from the Woody movie!" (thank you Toy Story for schooling our children in old toys...)

There were also some gems in there.

--I found old high school English papers, some with angst filled poetry and dramatic fiction short stories. Let me say that I was not a bad writer. Also? Ugh with the teenage drama.

--I found a paper I wrote in college which I thought was lost forever. It holds sentimental value because it was a life history paper...from my birth until my death...and even though I had only been dating Jeff 9 months I couldn't quite write him out of my life permanently. It was my first realization that I had it BAD for this boy. It was also fun to read what I had projected for my life. 2 boys and a girl, named Nathan, Jacob, and Megan(although the first boy was with my first husband...I wasn't ready to marry Jeff right out of college at that point, so I had to have a first husband before he came back into the picture). My little sister Andrea married right out of high school and went on to become an architect. My older sister Kate ended up settling in Phoenix. I live most my life in Ohio until retiring in Atlanta (?) And I die moments before Jeff...side by side in a hospital...both of us victims of a massive flu epidemic in 2058. Nostradamus, I am not. ;)

--I found a folder of writing pieces from 4th grade. Apparently I was seriously traumatized by my parents giving away our dog that year. Seriously...half were about that incident or fictional stories closely paralleling it. I was UPSET. Good news? While I remember being angry about it, I am certainly not scarred by it. Which makes me feel better about disappointing my own children someday :) And then there were a few funny ones about my sister. Lordy...priceless.


Then mixed in with the fun writings were random things like:
--Jeff and my wedding registration folder from Home Place...a store that is now defunct.
--Our pre-cana folder with all our personality tests and guides on praying as a couple
--A folder filled with all my application garbage for California teaching jobs.

The two shoe boxes were fun too. One held college stuff.
--I fell in love with Jeff all over again as I sifted through the many many love letters. Thank God there was no e-mail when we started dating...snail mail is much more...I don't know...emotional. Reading his scrabbled handwriting...ugh...he had it BAD.
--I also fell in love all over again with my college roommates. I realized that I really really miss them. My favorites? A napkin with doodles on it, a momentum from an ill-fated road trip to Niagara falls (we ended up stranded in a diner for HOURS due to a car accident). A Barney birthday card with a note from my friend Katie, "Nobody says 'I can now legally drink alcohol' more than Barney, don't you think?"
--I was most saddened by all the cards from my grandma and my Memere. I don't think I realize how much I miss them. Even though they are still alive, they are mere shadows of the women they once were.

The second box was high school stuff. Including my diploma. Not much else of note, however.


It was fun being thrust back into the "olden" days. I feel like I'm so far away from all of it. I can't believe it was only 15 years ago or so. Mid-life crisis is coming soon...I can feel it!

Lily talks about rabbits

I finally found where the videos are hidden in our computer (thanks, Jeff!).

Here's an oldie but a goodie...Lily telling me about what she learned at school way back in March.

Lily is still a bit hard to understand...especially with Mike gallavanting around in the background.

So basically it goes like this...

Lily starts. Lily yells at Mike to stop. (which I love...so big sisterish) Then she tells us about what rabbits eat. And in a hushed whisper she tell us that they have long ears to listen for the other animals that like to eat them. Like foxes. Then she jumps up to show us how they have hoppy legs to get away. And then she says, "That's all I have." And then something about their wiggly noses.

I know this is boring for many of you...but perhaps the aunts and uncles will enjoy seeing their far away niece. ;) I'll hunt up some more videos later. It takes about 15 minutes to download them onto Blogger...so I'll see how many I can get up.

Enjoy!

3 times a week

No, this isn't going to be an x-rated post. I'm just going to try and take Kelsey's challenge and write 3 times a week in the month of May. Shouldn't be too hard...but I've noticed that blogging has definitely taken a back seat to other things. So hopefully no huge gaps in the chronicle of my bad parenting for my children to take to their therapists in the future.

Jeff is back! He got back Friday morning, and we picked him up and took him to IHOP (welcome back to the USA!), where Lily promptly rejected a chocolate pancake with a whipped cream smily face on top. WTF? Welcome back to the family life! He had a fabulous time and I am only 45% worried that he is going to accept a transfer to the southern hemisphere sometime in the near future. ;)

Jeff's mother left on Saturday afternoon, after trekking to the Sesame Place grand opening with us. She was an absolute life-saver...the week kind of flew by, and I didn't do nearly as much moping around missing Jeff. ;) I'm pretty sure she's convinced I am a lame-o mother now, though. I've been telling her for YEARS, but she is too nice to accept that. Nothing like a week-long immersion to convince a person. On top of watching how I parent, she had to eat horrendously boring lunches (I served her boiled hot dogs one day...Lordy), I went to bed between 9 and 9:30 every night, I was sucked into a 1,000 page book (read: anti-social), and she even did a bunch of yard work. She is a good woman.

Anyhoo, this weekend was a whirlwind...starting with the aforementioned Sesame Place grand opening. Which was...hot...crowded...miserable...incredibly fun. Kind of par for the course. Then Andrew had a t-ball game and then Jeff and Andrew went to the Princeton-Cornell lacrosse game in Princeton, NJ. Sunday we went to church in the morning (where Michael was a bit of a problem in the nursery), Jeff mowed the lawn in record 89 degree temps, Andrew had a flag football game, and then we went to our friends' house to try some traditional Montreal food for dinner. It was a very full, very fun weekend.

And now it is Monday. Lily was up at 5:30...again. sigh.

I shall write again...at least 2 more times...I already have a post asking your advice ready in my head.

Off to (bad) parent some more! At least I finished my book last night. ;)