Surely, you jest....

We were putting Noah down for bed a little bit ago and he all of a sudden started running through all the names of all his daycare friends' little siblings. "Connor's little brother's name is Isaac, Taylor's little sister's name is..." whatever the hell it was. So then he got to Allison and said, "Allison's little sister's name is Camel."

CAMEL.

Uhhh....beg pardon???

And Noah is so clever yet goofy that I don't know if he's just messing with us or if he just misheard the name. Or, most horrifying...the kid's name is actually Camel!!! I really hope it's something else.

Feelin' frisky Friday

Possible changes
Looming on the horizon
I hope and I dream

Today was such an exciting day for reasons I don't share on here. But I think good things might be coming and I'm so ready. Also the weather has been gorgeous, it's Friday, everyone is healthy and happy....it's just one of those days when I'm thrilled to just be in today and looking forward to tomorrow. I hope everyone else has a few moments like this sometime this weekend!

:)

Pick up a book

I'm in a big hurry today - I think I'll just do thirteen authors I love with a couple examples of my favorites from them. Who are some of your favorites? If I like these, who do you read that I would like?

1. Ayn Rand - Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, Anthem
   
2. Stephen King - The Stand, The Dark Tower Series, Gerald's Game
   
3. Michael Crichton - The Andromeda Strain, Timeline, State of Fear
   
4. Mary Stewart - The Merlin Trilogy
   
5. Michael Connelly - The Poet, The Narrows, The Lincoln Lawyer
   
6. Dennis Lehane - Gone Baby Gone, Shutter Island, Mystic River
   
7. John Jakes - The North and South Series, The Kent Family Chronicles
   
8. James Clavell - Shogun, King Rat, Taipei
   
9. Sue Grafton - The Alphabet Series
   
10. Ursula Le Guin - The Left Hand of Darkness, The Dispossesed
    
11. Arthur C. Clarke - The 2001 Series, The Rama Series
    
12. Pat Conroy - Beach Music, The Prince of Tides, The Great Santini
    
13. Amy Tan - The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God's Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses

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I'm so doing this....

Sweater Day!!! Spread the word.

A tribute to children's public television pioneer Fred Rogers will include an effort to get people everywhere to wear a sweater on what would have been his 80th birthday.

March 20th is being promoted as "Sweater Day" to honor Rogers, who died of cancer five years ago. A sweater was his trademark garb on "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood."

David Newell, who played speedy deliveryman Mr. McFeely on the show, appears in a YouTube video that touts the event.

"Sweater Day" is the capstone to a six-day celebration planned by Family Communications Inc. of Pittsburgh. Rogers created the company to produce his show.

More Dylan

I wish my cell phone video function had better sound/video quality. This sounds soooo good in person.

Dylan's Birthday (Bittersweet)

It's Dylan's birthday today. I can't tell you how much I wish that this was a picture from his party. But this picture was taken 10 years ago. Today he is 17. This is such a happy/sad time for me. It has been such an honor to watch this boy grow into a such a fine young man.

The thought of his future is so exciting to me. I can't wait to watch him take his steps out into the world and go places and do things and meet people.

At the same time I am just aching inside. This is my guy. It was he and I against the world all alone for so long. Even though I love Noah and Jeff, I still sometimes wish I could turn back the clock for one day or even just one hour. Just live in that moment when he was so small and all mine. I wish I had cherished more of those moments when I had them - I didn't realize that they were so fleeting. I didn't know he would only be a baby for blink, only be 2 for a heartbeat, and only be the sweetest 5 year old in the world for the briefest flash. The next moment he grew up and away.

I weep now for that small boy so full of wonder and love.

He is still full of wonder and I couldn't ask for a more loving young man. For those of you who read along through my terrible fall last October, I can't begin to explain how amazing he was during all of that. No son should have to take care of his mom like he had to...but he just did it. Willingly and happily and with no questions asked. This is a kid who will play with his brother for hours on end, help out his grandparents whenever they ask, give a friend a ride if they ever need one. And he does all this with gladness in his heart and a smile on his face. I can't believe that someone as self-centered and cranky as me managed to turn out this kid. I really can't take too much credit for it. He's always just been so happy. When he was about a year old my brother said, "all your kid does is sleep or smile!"


We certainly have our normal teenage kinds of ups and downs. I know that most of it is just him trying to discover who he is and where he fits in the world. I want him to discover these things. I understand that he needs to leave me and become a man who stands on his own two feet. I can say (or type) these things with all the knowledge in my head. But my heart hurts. I know I have to let him go but so much of me wants to hold on to him forever. I know that our relationship will have to rearrange. We've been through this before - from little boy at home to school kid...from having him on my own to sharing him with Jeff and Noah and him sharing me...from really a kid at home now to a young man with a car and a job and his own life. We will get to a place where he is my adult child and I learn to love all the things about the man he becomes. I will learn to someday love his wife and the grandchildren he gives me. Most of me looks forward to all of this.


But I keep having to take a break while I write this to wipe away the tears I have for that sweetest and smallest of boys who stole my heart the first moment I saw him. I want to crawl into this picture and curl up next to him...smell the sweetness of the back of his neck...feel the softness of that small boy body...hold that little boy hand...and just never ever let him go.



I love you D.

Humble Pie

Whoever you 12 people are....I love you. This one's for you:

Weekly Winners 02.24.08

Idea, organization, and all-around coolness the brainchild of Lotus.

These really look much better if you click for the larger version.

Sunrise on the river.

Feet

Dylan Diving

Dylan sliding

Noah sliding.
(Alone!!! More gray hair!!)

My parents made this window. It's in their living room.

Endless winter sky.

For Julie

Last Wednesday, Julie over at Causes Rats in Lab Cancer wrote what I thought was a an interesting post about HIV rates in Africa. Lots of readers, including yours truly, left her some thoughtful comments. Except one person who decided to anonymously flame her. What a coward. In any event, the flamer accused Julie of being a hedonist. Julie stated in her Friday post that she was eating pretzels when she read about her apparent hedonist tendencies. (For a bit of perspective - Julie doesn't use plastic bags from the grocery store...she bought bags to take with her...to save turtles...what a selfish hedonist she truly is.)

As it so happens, Noah's daycare did some things in honor of the Presidents' Day holiday (see post below). This morning he pulled this little bit of stunning art work out of his back pack. Apparently, the pretzels are supposed to represent part of Lincoln's humble log cabin beginnings. (Uh....I'll say it again...desperation.)


In any event, the pretzels of course made me think of Julie. After a teeny tiny bit of hard work (because too much would wreck my hedonist ethic - is that an oxymoron?) I have created a badge that I encourage all pretzel lovers, Julie fans, anti-flame warriors, and...well...anyone to steal. Or...just...y'know...take it cuz it feels so good. :)

Unite! They may take our lives...but they'll never take....OUR SALTY SNACKS!!!
(Please imagine Mel Gibson painted blue and screaming this at the assembled troops.)

Hail to the Chief

Abraham Lincoln
Must be turning in his grave
Sorry Mr. Prez.

I totally understand that it must be hard to keep daycare kids amused - especially in a state like SD with long, cold winters. But this just smacks of desperation. Well...at least someone, somewhere is doing something for Presidents Day.

Hey does anyone know what happened to Thursday Thirteen? I missed visiting all the fun lists. Hope it comes back.

Attack of the killer blondes

This is American Idol Season 4 Winner Carrie Underwood

Are the producers hoping for a repeat for Season 7?

Even if it has to be a guy?

Let's mix it up a little...m'kay?

Embarrassing

Here are thirteen things I really liked as a kid/teen. It was the 70's and 80's. I was a KID. Ok - and a dork.

1. I saw the movie version of Carrie when I was about six years old. Even though I'm still a teeny bit afraid of Sissy Spacek, I think this has started my life-long love of the King.
2. The first album I ever owned? This is so embarrassing.
3. I wanted to be:
4. And even though I HATE pink - maybe:
5. I never could settle on musical tastes so I had this:
6. Next to this:
7. And this:
8. My favorite dolls were:
9. I never could settle on the type of boy I liked either. There was this phase:
10. This upsettingly Freudian phase (he looks like my dad):
11. And because both Blaine and Ducky were kinda lame - actually this is a little upsetting too. It was a high school movie and he looked like a VERY dissolute, but oddly appealing 30-ish:
12. The perfect couple was:
13. But the most embarrassing thing? I still really like all these things. Well - maybe not Shaun Cassidy - maybe.

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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What the heck Wednesday

I have no idea what to write about. I thought about ranting about something, but I just did that big anti-pheasant thing a couple days ago. Don't need to be scaring all my like 4 readers away with too much ranting. Besides, Julie has a GREAT rant today and I know I could never reach that level or awesomeness this late in the day.

I just got home so have no news stories to share and/or make snarky comments on. (Yes I just ended a sentence in a preposition - sue me.) Maybe I'll offer a picture. We spent part of the Presidents' Day holiday at the YMCA with my Aunt and her granddaughters. Dylan and Noah had a blast. Here are some pictures.

My cousin's beautiful and sweet daughter.
Rain on Dylan - or please someone tie up this kid and cut his hair.

Noah's daycare takes them to swimming lessons at the Y twice a week. This is him showing me how well he "swims." I kind of think it looks like drowning, but am proud of him no matter what.