Thursday, December 28, 2006
Monday, December 25, 2006
Monday, December 18, 2006
Bug's Photo...
My little Bug took this photo all by himself and he really wants Grandma Lil to have it! Here's to you, Gram!Sunday, December 17, 2006
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Family Photo Day
This is the kind of day I look forward to with trepidation. Firstly, we have a newborn and who knows how she'll behave...I half expected her to cry through the entire shoot. Secondly, my hubby looks like death warmed over in all the photos I take of him. Truly, he does. He has black circles around his eyes and they're usually half closed. Thirdly, my kiddos have the goofiest on-demand smiles. They scrunch their faces all up and just look silly. I hope for the best and expect the worst. Thankfully, this is what we ended up with!
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Just in Time for Christmas!
Well, for those of you who know John Fountain, and those who don't, he's apparently illustrated a children's book with his fiancee as the celebrated author. I'm sure it's a delightful book and I've ordered my own copy. The kiddos will get an extra gift this year! If you want your own, see the URL below!
While I haven't read it, the book cover looks adorable and funny.
'Birthday Wishes' is a story told entirely in rhyme about about twins who take 'sibling rivalry' to a whole new level when they discover that every year their birthday wishes actually come true. As we all know, siblings are prone to wicked pranks, and thus begins their 'wishing war' as they induce all manner of horrors on one another whenever their birthday comes around. (note: I plagurized this last bit from John's blog--look to the left for his URL--so you all would at least know something of what it's about.)
Monday, December 11, 2006
For Tante Shari
A huge thanks to Tante Shari for the wonderful little outfit for our chickadee! I liked it so much I had to put her in it right away and just see how great it looked. There is a cute sweater that goes with it but I couldn't get her to be happy long enough to take a reasonable photo of her with it. It's such a warm and cuddly outfit and the owl is great!
Friday, December 08, 2006
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
The Stranger
A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on. As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche.
My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the stranger...he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies. If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game . He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind. Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)
Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home... not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our longtime visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush. My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol. But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much too freely) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and general ly embarrassing. I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked... and NEVER asked to leave.
More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures. His name?....We just call him, "TV."
My parents were complementary instructors: Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the stranger...he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies. If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game . He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn't seem to mind. Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)
Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home... not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our longtime visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush. My Dad didn't permit the liberal use of alcohol. But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much too freely) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and general ly embarrassing. I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked... and NEVER asked to leave.
More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first. Still, if you could walk into my parents' den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures. His name?....We just call him, "TV."
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Gingerbread House Raising
Every year I organize a gingerbread party at the bakery. It is our one family tradition that I stick to yearly without fail...so far. But we love decorating the houses which mainly consists of loading them up with as much candy as we can possibly fit on the little house. The whole thing is edible and I end the year telling the kids they can only eat a little each day. Thankfully, the house gets tossed in January so they can't pig out too much.
Monday, December 04, 2006
Sledding Fun...
I took the kids to the park and we had a great time. The sledding hills there are great and vary in degrees of scariness. By the time we'd sledded for an hour or so both of the kids were on the tallest, scariest and fastest hill! They had a blast and never once complained about having to carry the sled to the top each time! I love to sled in 52 degree weather!
Saturday, December 02, 2006
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