To (B)each His Own...

Coming to the beach has been an excitement and joy for each of us this year...but something of a curiosity for the baby.

Having never been to the beach (or anywhere further than an hour away), he's been quietly (and not-so-quietly) taking it all in. Since he's still taking two naps a day, he's had a slight crimp in his "beach time," but, overall, I think he's enjoying his time exploring the sand and feeling the ocean.


It's amazing to experience such a place with a child this young...it reminds us of how big and wide and mighty the ocean really is.

Oceanward Bound

"We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo... How about you, you, you? You can come, too, too, too... We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo."

Okay. We aren't going to the zoo.

We're heading to the beach instead. Our first time in two years -- since last year we had to bypass it due to having a new smallish family member coming to live with us.

We're going to Nags Head, N.C., the beach I've been visiting since I was nearly 3 (and we won't pause to calculate how long ago that was, thank you very much).

So 9 hours or so from earlier (or later?!?) this morning...some 375-ish miles later...and we'll be listening to the ocean and smelling the sea-scented breezes.

Mmm...Nags Head, here we come!

Friday Funnies

Wordless Wednesday

(Finally see his first tooth popping through!!)

100 Things...Part 1

I'm borrowing this idea from Jadie over at The World of Emilia. (It's a lot harder than you think...)

1. I was born in Silver Spring, Maryland.
2. The year was 1970.
3. Stamps cost 6 cents that year.
4. I was due to be born on October 9th -- my dad's birthday. I arrived on October 15th.
5. Years later, my daughter was due to be born on October 9th -- my dad's birthday. She arrived on October 15th -- my 27th birthday.
6. I am the youngest of three daughters.
7. At a very young age I was dubbed the "Dr. Doolittle" of my family since I would save bumblebees and flies from drowning in our pool.
8. I always thought that the "William Tell Overture" was called the "Lone Ranger Song" since it was the theme song to that show.
9. I used to hop around our basement on our Hoppity Horse to that song -- which was playing on a 45 record.
10. The Baltimore Orioles -- my favorite baseball team since I was 3 -- won the World Series the year I was born.
11. Before I got married, I moved more than 15 times...and I was only 24 years old.
12. I've moved twice since.
13. My sisters and I were all four years apart in school, graduating in 1980, 1984, and 1988.
14. I started writing stories when I was 8.
15. I never stopped.
16. I couldn't.
17. Up until 6th grade, I wanted to be a veterinarian.
18. My favorite subjects in school that year were math and science.
19. I was in the Gifted Program for math from 3rd to 5th grade.
20. I discovered Leonardo DaVinci in 6th grade and was utterly fascinated by him.
21. We still had rotary-dial telephones when I was little. I remember dialing my friends on it.
22. I also remember dialing the Operator.
23. And making prank calls about "Sir Albert in a can..." and noses running...
24. I loved Westerns and World War II movies when I was a young teenager.
25. I became passionate about the battles in Bataan and Corregidor.
26. I remember when Dr. Pepper was first offered at our McDonald's.
27. We got commemorative glasses from it.
28. Mine had Grimace on it.
29. My sister's had the Hamburglar.
30. I was the "Around the World" champion of math in my 3rd/4th-grade classroom.
31. No one could beat me...and that was exhilarating to me.
32. I got my favorite stuffed toy -- a big stuffed frog named "Flippo" -- for Christmas when I was 5.
33. He went everywhere with me and helped start my love of all things "froggy."
To be continued....

Sweet Sunday

While visiting my parents' church this morning, we sang the hymn, "This Is My Father's World," and I was struck by the one verse especially. It's a great reminder that He has everything under His control.

What a mighty God we serve!!

This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears

All nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
His hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father’s world, the birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white, declare their Maker’s praise.
This is my Father’s world: He shines in all that’s fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass;
He speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father’s world: the battle is not done:
Jesus Who died shall be satisfied,
And earth and Heav’n be one.

This is my Father’s world, dreaming, I see His face.
I ope my eyes, and in glad surprise cry, “The Lord is in this place.”
This is my Father’s world, from the shining courts above,
The Beloved One, His Only Son,
Came—a pledge of deathless love.

This is my Father’s world, should my heart be ever sad?
The lord is King—let the heavens ring. God reigns—let the earth be glad.
This is my Father’s world. Now closer to Heaven bound,
For dear to God is the earth Christ trod.
No place but is holy ground.

This is my Father’s world. I walk a desert lone.
In a bush ablaze to my wondering gaze God makes His glory known.
This is my Father’s world, a wanderer I may roam
Whate’er my lot, it matters not,
My heart is still at home.

~Maltbie D. Babcock, 1901

Saturday Sweethearts

Celebrating the end of the Summer Library Reading Program, the kids pose in their shirts.

Camp Woohoohaha - Year 2

Today was our 2nd annual "Camp Woohoohaha" day camp...the part of the summer when the mommy and daddy of our household go back in time to bring the kids of our household some good old-fashioned "camp" fun.

The weather wasn't as cooperative as we would have liked, but the rain did hold off long enough for us to do some outdoor games and a nature walk to the library. And later on it stopped long enough for us to do our hotdog and marshmallow roast followed by some songs and stories.

All in all, I think it was a success in creating more "warm and fuzzies" for the kids. Stuart and I certainly had fun! *wink-grin*

I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story...

Thoughtful Thursday

I love our language. I love the variations and quirkiness of many of our words and phrases. It's probably what makes me love to write so much. But sometimes I have to sit back and wonder what we really mean when we say certain things. Are we really listening to the words we pair together?

Hmm...

With that in mind... I bring you...

Top 35 Oxymorons:
35. Found missing
34. Legally drunk
33. Exact estimate
32. Act naturally
31. Found missing
30. Resident alien
29. Genuine imitation
28. Jumbo shrimp
27. Good grief
26. Government organization
25. Sanitary landfill
24. Alone together
23. Small crowd
22. Seriously funny
21. Soft rock
20. Butt Head
19. Only choice
18. Sweet sorrow
17. Rural Metro (ambulance service)
16. "Now, then ..."
15. Passive aggression
14. Clearly misunderstood
13. Peace force
12. Extinct life
11. Plastic glasses
10. Terribly pleased
9. Minor crisis
8. Larger half
7. Tight slacks
6. Definite maybe
5. Pretty ugly
4. Rap music
3. Working vacation
2. Unbiased opinion
1. Original copies

Wordless Wednesday

Once Upon a Time...The End

For some reason this phrase has been going through my head.

I look around me at all the story ideas and I see "beginnings" and "endings." It's a part of my writer instincts, I guess.

Three years ago I began writing what I call "my saga." I'm just about to finish Book #17 (which equals over 2,440 notebook pages). I have no idea what I will do with it all once I finish...whenever that is. But it's been a good writing exercise and release for me.

When I first started the whole project, my kids -- Emily especially -- were somewhat jealous. I didn't see that at first since I didn't think any of it was worth of envy. But it turned out that they were wishing they had a notebook and pen to write their own sagas.

Done.

There's nothing more exhilarating to a writing mom's heart than to hear her kids beg for a notebook and pen....to (gasp!) write.

So began our tradition of going to Starbuck's or Barnes & Noble for "writing times."

We take our notebooks and pens, get our drinks (coffee for Mommy; cocoa or milk for the kids), pick our table (in Starbuck's, it's the one in the darkened corner that we've dubbed the "mafia table"), and begin jotting down our tales.

And what tales they've created.

I know they're my kids. And I know that nearly anything our own kids do is awesome to us.

But...

These kids have the knack. They are becoming quite good at spinning their yarns, honing their skills to capture their readers.

They've certainly captured us.

It's one of those times when I don't want to get to "the end" and instead look forward to hearing/reading the next installment...

"Once upon a time there lived a...."

Muggiest Monday Musings to Date

Happy Monday! The muggiest one yet, I think.

And just past the "ides" of the month. Already! Can you believe it?

Sigh.

We had an eventful week last week... well, eventful for us... probably slow to some others. *wink-grin*

On Tuesday, Emily had a "playdate" with a girl from our cyber school. It was nice for them to have some one-on-one "girl-time." Edward, Ethan, and I enjoyed visiting with her mom and younger brother during drop-off and pick-up.

We returned from that "fun-ness" to hurry off to our annual 4-H club picnic/swim. I think the kids changed into fish that evening. They hit the pool, and we didn't see them again until we "forced" them out to eat a few bites of food and then again when it was time to go home. All in all, it was a perfect day and didn't start to rain until just after we were home.

Thursday took us to Nemour's Children's Hospital for Emily semi-annual check on her scoliosis. Since she's hit puberty and done a huge growth spurt (5 inches since last October), the doctor there is fairly confident that her scoliosis isn't going to get any worse. In fact, from her newest x-rays, it appears that it may have improved slightly. Yay!! We always enjoy going to that hospital though. It's bright and colorful and has lots of fun things to look at -- including a model train/car/airplane table that is interactive -- and do. Note the above photo with Ethan riding in "patient transport." I'd like to see all hospitals offer all patients (big and small) rides through their facilities in little red wagons. Wheee! There's a fantastic and colorful playground outside, complete with wheelchair-accessible swings. Sadly, the day was filled with rain so there was no chance of playing on it. Maybe next time?

Edward had soccer practice on Thursday evening since the rain had eased by then. (Go figure, right?) He tried out for goalie. He likes that position, though we're not sure he's really ready for it yet. Still, he's having a good time learning this sport so we'll encourage him all the way.

And on Friday, we celebrated Edward's "half-birthday" and Ethan's 11th month-iversary with a little steak and potatoes on the grill, accompanied by a huge salad. It's hard to believe how quickly the kids are growing up! Makes Stuart and I age faster, I think.

This week should be a bit quieter.

Phew.

This Friday (shhhhh!) is our annual "Camp Woohoohaha" day. Stuart took the day off, and we'll have fun doing crafts, going on nature hikes, playing games, singing songs, and roasting hotdogs and marshmallows!! One day, we'll have a firepit so that we can pretend we're around a real campfire. We had lots of fun doing this last year, so I hope it's just as fun this year. Fingers crossed for good weather.

We watched Yes Man for our "Monday Movie Night" last week. It was...hmm...not bad. We enjoyed it but were glad we only paid $1.06 to see it. Not sure what's on the list tonight...but I have a shortlist of The Notebook or something from Redbox. I finished Season 7 of 24 yesterday. Awesome! I'm very surprised the show didn't get nominated for an Emmy this year. It was such a good season! At the end I felt chagrinned all over again that the new season doesn't start until next January. Sigh. Only 5 months to go. It'll be worth it!

The baby is walking in earnest now. He toddles everywhere, though crawling is still available, when and where necessary. He has two teeth trying to peek through. TWO TEETH!! We're so excited! We spotted them when he was screaming while I changed him on the examination table at the hospital. Perfect time to see them, huh?

Well, as I'm still a little out of sorts with some sort of "bug" I picked up this weekend, I'll bid you adieu and wish you a happy (and hopefully less hot and muggy where you live) Monday!

Saturday Sweetheart

A belly-shot of Edward at 6 months old

Half-B'days and Month-iversaries

Busy, busy days celebrating around here.

Here's a photo of our newest 8-and-a-half-year-old:



And one of the newest 11-month-old:

Friday Funnies

Today's "Friday Funnies" post proves that there is definitely "nothing new under the sun.

The thing my hubby and I enjoy the most in "Baby Blues" comics is how the authors are so good at capturing the "been there/done that" moments.

Click on the comics to make them bigger, and enjoy a funny Friday!

Just Beat It!

We were talking about the various ways our older two kids said things when they were learning to talk. We laughed as we remembered Edward's pronunciation of music as "mus-gic" and Emily's rhinoceros as "nos-a-nos." The local Target store was called "Skoo-doos," pizza was "pizbah," and M&M candies were "Ms-a-Ms."

Ethan, who turns 11 months old tomorrow (egads!), has begun trying to coordinate his mouth and vocal chords for his own versions. And already he's learned to say, "Hi!" and Daddy -- sometimes as "Da-ee" or "Nadee" -- and "Ni-Ni" and "Up!" Our favorite is when he whispers, "Wow!"

He's a huge fan of music so today I decided to capture his newest "talent" of beating out a tune on his toy xylophone. Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

Slip Sliding Away!

A couple of fun videos of the kids sliding on the "Slip 'n Slide" I got on clearance last week. Awesome fun for an awesome price!!

Like that Mastercard ad says: "X-amount of money for such-n-such... X-amount of money for this other such-n-such... The end result? Priceless."

M-M-M-Mmmmmonday Musings!

Well, here comes another one! Another Monday! Already the second one of the month. And the 18th anniversary of my sister, Shelly, and her hubby, Tom. A happy day is wished to them especially.

Well (again), here comes another one (again)! Our little "toddling" mini-man is loving his newfound leggies. He's walking everywhere... and even trying out his running shoes. Yes, you read that right. Our new walker has decided to once again "step up" his personal challenges and run. He doesn't get far before he face-plants, but he's loving the idea, grabbing hold with two little chubby, sticky fists and... And you can guess we've got our work cut out for us.

Speaking of cutting... Ethan has also cut his FIRST tooth!! Yippee! It's not completely through yet, but you can see (and feel) it!

The older two children are having a great, if slightly boring, summer, I think. They each enjoyed a date with their one aunt. And we've had some fun get-togethers with other children, and we have taken walks to the park and library. But unlike many of their friends who belong to the pool or take daytrips to the beach, we've been pretty much tied to the house. They've been troopers though and are so helpful to me, especially in playing with their little brother.

School starts in three weeks...actually while we're at the beach. So we'll be doing some of it earlier than that so that we don't have to drag all of our books and things with us. We're also looking forward to our annual day at "Camp Woohoohaha" and a possible daytrip to Blue Marsh Lake.

Edward celebrates his "half-birthday" this coming Friday. He's always so excited to see the second half of his age roll around. He pulled out another tooth and this time let me put it out for the Tooth Fairy. Hopefully she won't forget. *wink-grin*

We finished our week last week with a three-day VBS-type thing at our church called "Outdoor Adventure." It was a fun time for all the children involved. At the end program, I sat with Ethan on the floor of the sanctuary, listening to the stories and songs and reviews of what the kids had learned during the week. Ethan got bolder and bolder and began to crawl into the crowd of kids sitting on the floor. Before we knew it, he was patting some of them on their heads during the prayer. Redfaced, Stuart and I sent Emily to catch him. Ooops. Guess he's not another "shy guy."

We watched The Pink Panther 2 for movie night last Monday and were less than impressed. It seemed to be a rehashing of the first one which was immensely funny. Oh, well. It was still fun enough to watch. This week has Yes, Man on the slate for "M.M.N." viewing. We shall see...hopefully it's good.

Just under 5 months until our 24 comes back for what is probably its final season. (Sniff. Sniff.) Ethan and I are working through Season 7 during our feeding times (and laundry folding). He loves it. Of course. *wink-grin*

Heard from Emily: "Who wants to taste creeps?" Me: "What do you mean?" Emily: "There was a store back there called Taste of Creeps." Me: "That's crepes, Em."

On that note, I'll bid you adieu and wish you a happy Monday!

Sweet Sunday

We sang this song in church this morning, and I was once again struck by the lyrics.

Try reading the words as a prayer.

Out of the Depths
Words and music by Bob Kauflin

Out of the depths, O Lord, I cry to You
When I am tempted to despair
Though I might fail to trust Your promises
You never fail to hear my prayer
And if You judged my sin
I’d never stand again
But I see mercy in Your hands

So more than watchmen for the morning
I will wait for You, my God
When my fears come with no warning
In Your Word I’ll put my trust
When the harvest time is over and I still see no fruit
I will wait, I will wait for You

The secret mysteries belong to You
We only know what You reveal
And all my questions that are unresolved
Don’t change the wisdom of Your will
In every trial and loss
My hope is in the cross
Where Your compassions never fail

So more than watchmen for the morning
I will wait for You, my God
When my fears come with no warning
In Your Word I’ll put my trust
When the harvest time is over and I still see no fruit
I will wait, I will wait for You

* * *

Awesome, huh? Have a very sweet Sunday!

Saturday Sweetheart

An "oldie, but cutie" of Emily, at 19 months old.

Friday Funnies

My Friday Funnies post comes in the form of a funny story about Ethan.

Yesterday, Ethan decided it was time to start walking (i.e.: toddling) in earnest. He's been toying with the idea and walking a few steps here and there, causing great excitement and impressing us immensely.

So the day had arrived to step up (pun intended) the challenge to himself and cross the room.

The cheers could be heard to the moon and back I think. (Side note: Babies are NOT usually very keen on too much excitement. They join in but are easily overwhelmed, funny enough.)

Anyways...

That personal challenge met, Ethan began toddling everywhere he could, though he easily switched back to "4-wheel-drive" when necessary/needed.

So we're heading across the children's book area of the store when Ethan spots a little 18-month-old girl we'd been "talking" to earlier. She smiled behind her pacifier.

And to borrow a well-loved phrase from Dave Barry: I am NOT making this up. He spots this little girl while he's in crawl-mode and suddenly pulls himself up to his feet and begins to "strut" (in a wobbly-baby way, of course) in front of her as if to say, "Hey, Baby."

Okay. Okay. That probably wasn't the actual thought in his sweet little brain, but the sentiments were there. He was thinking something about impressing this little girl...and that was the funniest part of all.

Oh, it's starts so young...

He's...

...WALKING!!!!!!!!!

Tonight, Stuart and I headed on an impromptu date to the local Barnes & Noble store. The older kids were involved in a summer VBS-like program at our church, so it was just us and the baby.

This is what we experienced:



Amazing, huh?

Not even 11 months old, and he's found his legs.

Sigh.

Look out, world...here he comes, closely followed by one of us, of course. *wink-grin*

Stay tuned for a funny story of his incredible "feet" tomorrow...

Wordless (mostly) Wednesday

Happy Birthday to my sister*, Sandy!

(*I won't mention her numbers...except that she looks awesome for her age!)

(December 2008)

Boredom Buster #1

Sometimes during the summer, kids get a bit restless...i.e. bored.

My kids usually have lots to do during the day so it isn't a chronic condition for them, but it does happen.

Sidewalk chalk, jumpropes, blankets on the grass. Outdoor playthings don't have to be elaborate for the kids to enjoy a good time. Emily and Edward have even enjoyed building tents using blankets and our outside chairs.

A really fun idea I picked up somewhere along the way is to give the kids a can of water and a paintbrush and let them paint the sidewalk or frontporch or driveway.

It's easy, cheap, and can give them lots of time to be creative -- while keeping the mess at a minimum.

Sometimes my inner-Monet reminds me that it's fun to join in, too...

More and More Meager Monday Musings

Happy Monday! And Happy August! I can't believe we're in the eighth month of the year already. The year continues to whirl by me...

Life is stepping up in busyness this month. We have a few more things on the agenda before school starts for us on September 1st.

We always start the summer break between school years with a few goals. Last year, we had hoped to teach the kids how to play hopscotch and jump a rope. Success to both -- though I will admit it was rather hard to participate, being so heavily pregnant. This year, Stuart had hoped to teach the kids to ride their bikes, and my big goal was to get the kids to experience boredom. Stay tuned to see how we did.

The baby is growing like a growing thing. He's getting closer and closer to walking. We're all spinning at the idea that he's nearly 11 months old.

We watched the Pink Panther last week for our Monday Night Movie...and this week we're catching the sequel. I'll let you know how it is.

My apologies for the meagerness in this week's Monday post... But I still end with the same sentiments: Hope it was a good one!