Hartzog Happenings

First Day of School 2010!!

2010-09-01T18:15:00.000-04:00

Today was Julia's first day of 4th grade and also marks the first time she's ever been at her school without Devin! Devin started 6th grade (which is junior high here) so he's at his own school now. Two kids, two schools what seems like 8 schedules. Can't wait to get into a pattern! The side view is to show how big his backpack is with all his stuff in it!!

I "forced" them both to take pictures again (of course!). Neil took Devin to school and off he went, happy and excited with a little bit of nerves just to make it fun. Julia stood for her pictures then asked, "You're NOT walking me to school right?" Apparently I have overstayed my welcome on the walk to school. So, off she went, just a little grumpy that I had even suggested SUCH A THING!! The second side view is to show off her new headband!

Devin's biggest complaint about his day was trying to get his locker open. He finally did it, but was one of the last ones to get it open. He made some new friends and started to get familiar with his schedule. He felt like he knew a lot of people already (from Cub Scouts) so felt good about that.

I asked him to sum up his day in a single word..."Awesome!!" So, it sounds like junior high is off to a good start.

Julia has the same teacher that Devin had for 4th grade, Mrs. K. She's a fabulous lady and we're all thrilled to have her again. She has some real nice kids in her class and I think she's going to have a great year. Her biggest complaint was how HOT it was in her classroom (it was 95 today, and she's on the top floor of a school without AC). But, it will get cool before we know it, so problem solved! I asked her for the same one word description and got the same word, "Awesome?" but said with more of a questioning inflection than an exclamation.

One day down, 179 to go...

4/15/2010 Boat Day!

2010-04-23T16:37:00.004-04:00

Dad rented a boat last Thursday so we could cruise the intercoastal and Lake Worth. It was a little windy and there was a decent surf on the ocean. We went to the mouth of the inlet just to peek and I was VERY happy that we were not going to be cruising on the ocean that day. My sister in law Lindsay's Mom Kathy was down on vacation with her friend Jane and they joined us on the boat. It was a nice, sunny day, if not a bit windy, but we had a ball cruising around to all our old haunts. We stopped at Sailfish Marina for a bit, and then to The Waterway Cafe.

When we got back Jane invited us over to her hotel to swim. She was staying at a beautiful place right on the water with 3 pools and a hot tub. The kids pool was a combination splash pool and got a little deeper. It was nice and warm!

The kids had a blast, and so did the grown ups!

After a brief period of hibernation...

2010-04-14T22:50:00.005-04:00

Camera died night before my niece's 1st birthday. Got it fixed, just in time for my pc to die. Does NOT make for good blogging...but, new laptop, card reader, cameras at the ready...and more importantly I'm typing this from the lanai at Papa's house in Florida. Ahhhh....

We're here for rest, relaxation and to celebrate Gaga's 90th birthday!! The whole fam damily of Hartzogs is headed down this weekend and we're off to Vero Beach. Can't wait!!!

Here's a sneak peek from today. Woke up at 5:00 am. Flew here. Rented a convertable Mustang as a surprise for the kids (BIG hit!). Lunch at Juno Beach Cafe (of course!) and spent some time at the pool with Aunt Bet and Gaga. Great dinner at Jupiter Island Grill, and now, chill time!! Looking forward to a GREAT vacation!!

Stalkers

2009-12-18T13:58:00.005-05:00

Yes, we're stalkers. The kids, my sister and I. I'm sure there's a 12 step program for it, but I don't care!! I got a very excited call from my sister one Wednesday in late September telling me that a TAPS van was parked outside Trader Joe's. TAPS stands for The Atlantic Paranormal Society and they are featured in the SyFy Network show "Ghosthunters". Heather, Devin and I are avid fans of the show, and Heather has met Steve G., as you may recall.

So we jumped in the van and drove over there to sit outside with my sister and watch and wait to see who came out. Yes, clearly stalker behavior.

When the man and woman came out (one who we think is a camera man, the woman we've seen on the show before) we thought, oh why not, let's just take this a step further. So rather than being rational human beings and walking up and saying "Hi, we're fans of the show", we, well, stalked them. We followed them onto the highway, through the streets of Hartford to a local hotel. For the record, I make a LOUSY tail. My future as a PI is highly unlikely.

A friend of my sister's texts her and says "Hey, heard they're shooting at the Mark Twain house tonight." So, rather than continue waiting outside the hotel we drove over to the MTH to see what was what.

Sad news is we didn't get to see Jason, Grant, Steve, Tango or any of our other GH favs, but I'm pretty confident there is a camera shot of the parking lot from the episode where you see my van going through the parking lot with 4 giant stalkers in it. We're harmless, really.

Happy Birthday Lindsay!!

2009-12-18T13:52:00.002-05:00

We had Sunday dinner/game night/birthday celebration for Lindsay at Mom H. and Tommy's back in September. The pictures are sort of sad b/c I took them with my phone, but you can still tell we had fun and that my beautiful sister in law is still an entire decade younger than me!! Happy birthday!!

(I also never miss an opportunity to take pictures of my adorable niece!!)

Locks from My Love

2009-12-18T13:43:00.003-05:00

I think Julia believes the sole purpose of her hair is to continue growing it until it's long enough to cut and donate. This is her second donation and she was just as excited about it as the first. We went to our good friend Sally at Cuts for Peanuts in Avon, as we always do, and with a few snips, she was sporting a new do and 4 clean braids to donate!

This time we are sending her hair to Pantene's Great Lengths, another great organization that makes wigs for people who need them. The benefit to this program is you only need 8 inches of hair versus 10. We couldn't quite get to 10 this time, so this was a nice option.

Look at my sweet girl, beautiful inside and out!

A Great Fall Day for a Birthday!

2009-12-18T13:16:00.004-05:00

My dear friend Ellen called one week in September and said "Have you seen the forecast for Sunday? It's going to be gorgeous. Let's all go do something together, preferably outside!" Now, she's a sneaky little monkey b/c nowhere during all the plan making did it come up that it was also her birthday, but I already knew!!

So we headed down en masse to Lyman Orchards. They have pumpkins, sunflowers, a corn maze, acres and acres of fruit trees and a great store in the middle of it all. It really was a spectacular day. Bright blue fall sky and warm still. The kids all got to pick apples and peaches with us, we did the corn maze and looked at the sunflower maze (note for next year, fruit and mazes are cash only - thanks John!!).

We took some family shots and bought the most amazing chicken pot pies for dinner. YUM! We headed back to their house and snuck in a little birthday cake to go along with it. So kudos to the birthday girl for coming up with such a great plan!!

Brief (3 month) interruption...

2009-12-18T12:27:00.003-05:00

I was a somewhat dedicated blogger until a few months ago. I blame the lapse on 2 things: 1) Facebook and it's immediate access made Blogging seem like snail mail and 2) I decided to take a small trip/flight/fall down the basement stairs on Sept. 12th. So, I'll use this space for the purposes of a cautionary tale...if you've already taken your Ambien and are doing the zombie kitchen snack wander, when you spill almonds all over the floor, don't bother trying to get the broom and sweep them up, just leave it until morning. Otherwise, you could look like this.

The benefit of a few months has at least provided me with what the going rate is for a spill down the stairs. It rounds out at about $7,000 when you include the ambulance ride to the ER, labs, drugs, IV fluids and a big ol' CAT scan.

So, yes, I was night wandering after taking my Ambien (take it, then just go to bed!!) but on the flip side, I was so relaxed and out of it that it didn't really hurt and I don't really remember it all that well. Since it was the middle of the night (like 3 am) I yelled for Neil but couldn't wake him up. So I yelled for the second lightest sleeper in the house besides me - Devin. He came down right away and got Neil and woke him when I asked him to. Neil took one look at me and said, "Uh, I think I'm going to call 911."

When you call 911 in our town they don't waste time finding out exactly what is needed for trucks and personnel at the scene, they send one of everything (firetruck, ambulance, police cruiser, paramedics) which is great b/c they get here like asap. So, about 20 people flood into the livingroom strapping me to a backboard and neck collar. The first responder was a town police officer who we and the kids all know since he has kids in my kids class/school and he's also one of the officers with a canine, so they do a lot of the scout, Brownie meetings etc. I wasn't horrified until later to realize I was just wearing my nightie! He was also the one who stayed at the house with the kids until my sister got here. Got to love having your kids watched over by one of the town's finest! Doesn't get much safer than that!

I remember fighting to stay awake in the ambulance (Ambien finally kicking in and deciding to do what it's supposed to) and answering all their questions. I remember the tiny little room, the CAT scan and finding out I had no broken bones (miracle!!). I also remember them asking me over and over if I was in any pain and offering morphine. I kept saying no b/c it really didn't hurt at that point (shock, sleep, Ambien, my extra high threshold for pain?) so finally I agreed, just to make them go away! They kind of laughed and said, well, it's going to hurt later (for the record, they were right).

They released me in the morning and my sister and the kids came to pick us up. I headed right to bed and called my parents in Maine. I think Mom said something to the effect of "My poor baby, I'm coming right home!" I laugh, but now that I'm a mom, I get it and would have done and said the same thing.

I spent a couple days just in bed, feeling sore and taking pain meds. By Monday I was on Advil and would go downstairs with a spotter.

The worst part was being out in public. People look at you with this look of pity like someone is beating the crap out of you. We were all out to dinner one night and I was looking at Neil's whole posture and demeanor. He was apparently getting looks of the opposite nature! Poor guy! He was a very attentive nurse, reminding me once again, what a lucky girl I am.

I had several great nurses (in addition to the ones at the hospital). My sister Heather had the first watch until Mom got there. She took care of me, the kids, she was Florence Nightingale with better hair. My Mom, of course, came and took the next two days watch. She made us food and brought over her arsenal of movies to watch! And even the kids did a lot which was so neat. One of those great little moments when you get to see them be caring and nurturing because they've been cared for and nurtured. Even Max the cat stuck to me like glue, even more so than usual. He sat right by me like he was protecting me from further harm.

So, long story, but all I have to show for it now is a copay (thank you health insurance!!) and a little scar over my left eye. I kind of think it makes me look tough!

Photos from 9/12, 9/15, 9/17 and 9/30.

Labor Day Weekend in Maine

2009-09-21T23:38:00.004-04:00

I have finally shaken off the feeling that I need to go back and "catch up" on all my old posts before I can post new stuff. Meh - whatever! Here are some great shots from our weekend in Maine with my family. It was one of the most mello, relaxing and best weekends we've had yet. And what's funny is we didn't do a ton of stuff, maybe just the quiet pleasure of each other's company was what we needed.

We took a day at the beach, the kids got to play with the next door neighbors, Neil did some running, we did a little shopping, we did some rock climbing, some crabbing and some time chilling on the deck.

What do you think of the new family photo? No doubt where our loyalties are huh??

The Magic that is iPhone

2009-09-21T23:34:00.003-04:00

Scrolling through some photos to edit and found this one that made me laugh. Thank you to Bec and the magic apps in her iPhone. This is what the adults really did after the kids (and Neil) went to bed in OBX.

First Day of the "S" Word...(School!)

2009-08-31T23:06:00.002-04:00

All week the kids have been moaning about school. Granted, they were in one of the country's greatest vacation spots EVER (OBX) so I cut them some slack. It became very apparent on Sunday night (after a 12 hour drive home on Saturday) that Devin was actually a little bit happy about going back (but continued to deny it with a sly little smile) and Julia grew increasingly more wary.

Julia is like me, massive control freak. If I know it, I'm on it, I own it, I'm the queen of the world. Unfamiliar territory...meh, not so much. So, she starts to panic a little, but quietly, in a control freak kind of way.

They were both up with the birds today and bursting with excitement. Devin even got dressed, took his allergy meds and BRUSHED HIS TEETH WITHOUT BEING TOLD. This might be a 5th grade miracle, people.

Julia, asserting her 3rd grade girl independence wore the exact opposite of anything I would have chosen for her. I stayed mum, I still wear socks that match, so what the hell do I know?

They allowed 2, count them 2 pictures on the front steps. Usually I'm allowed a few out-takes, but not this year! Devin ran ahead. Never got to wish him luck, have a good day, don't forget to write - NADA. A pack of girls swallowed him up in hugs and "HI DEVIN!!!" Neil and I shot each other a look and burst out laughing. Any predictions on when the first girl calls the house??

Julia, now one of the school's "big kids" gets to line up on the ramp for her first year in an upstairs classroom. Oh the joy, ohhhh, the trepidation... She told me not to come with her, then quickly changed her mind and pulled my hand, then dropped it and kissed us and took off. Turned around and never looked back. That's my girl!!

They were both bursting with stories about friends, new and old, teachers, new and old and both agreed it was a great first day. Oh, the relief!

So it begins. But really, shouldn't they both still be in kindergarten??

OBX 2009

2009-08-31T22:08:00.007-04:00

FANTASTIC week in the Outer Banks with the Hannas and the Odells. Great drive down, tolerable drive back (not counting NJ) and just great stuff in between. We had a couple red flag days at the beginning from the wave remnants of hurricane Bill, but it was all typical NC surf after that. The first day or so had big surf and the tide came up so far there was literally no beach. Water right up to the dunes (never saw that before). We made runs down there the first night after the kids went to bed.

The women got the first run. "Oooh look how far out I'm going..." (Deb)

"Has she been drinking?" (male bystander)

"Uh, yeah." (me)

"Mmmm, keep an eye on her..." (male bystander)

Ok, we were being a little bit wussy about it, but, out of concern...

Kids managed to have fun in the red flag (no swimming) days. Lifeguards seemed to be ok with going in knee deep. So, we sat in the surf to keep cool. Sadly, on day 2 I forgot to apply sunscreen to my legs (senior moment?) and got a bit fried.

We did something new and rented Jeeps this year to drive up to Swan, NC (where it's only sand roads and 4 wheeling) to see the wild horses. It was REALLY hot and sunny, and the Jeep was a bit bumpy for some of us (Bec has bruises, that's all I'm sayin') but the horses were so neat. We also saw dolphins breaching in the ocean, and lots of neat houses you can't see unless you have 4 wheel drive. It's VERY tempting to rent up there sometime...

Kids had a ball playing with the other kids. We barely saw them! There was a lot of gimp, matchy "squirrel" (aka skunk) nightgowns, DS "pictochatting", pool and beach play.

The adults always seem to have fun (despite 1 day of broken A/C. I think it reached 85 degrees on the top floor?) with cards, guac, Oreos and a couple of adult beverages.

I took lots of pix, did some skinny dipping (gasp) and only used the outdoor shower (which I miss dreadfully).

The only low point was on Friday when a 12 year old boy from NY went missing in the surf about 2 miles south of us. The local rescue and Coast Guard searched until dark, but couldn't find him. I spent that day until 5:00 at the beach and couldn't quite keep my eyes off the water, hoping to see him bobbing to safety. His family has not been far from my mind ever since. It only shows that life can change in an instant, and you have to enjoy every minute and grab every morsel of joy out of it.

So, thanks to the Hannas and the Odells for helping to create another year's worth of great vacation memories, they will last a lifetime for all of us!!!

You know you're old when...

2009-07-30T23:51:00.004-04:00

...your cake catches on fire. Just sayin'. Happy Birthday, Sissy!!

Penultimate Cross Over

2009-07-30T23:32:00.003-04:00

It was a day of back to back events. Julia had a party in the middle of town, then we zoooooomed over to Bloomfield for the Cross Over ceremony. We made it just in time to see our Webelo 1's become Webelo 2's. This will be the last time Devin crosses over to a Cub Scout rank. If he continues with it, next year he'll become a Boy Scout (or MAN SCOUT as they say at sleepaway camp).

It was funny to watch our grown up boys acting as role models while I watched the younger scouts running amok. It wasn't but a few years ago it was our little Tiger Cubs who were dancing with ants in their pants.

Ellen and I were very much thinking about the 5th grade yearbook as we gathered our boys together for a "class shot". Ah, one of 4,000 pix down.

Devin and E were running around after the ceremony (ok, so they aren't as far from being Tigers as I thought) and Devin wiped out on the pavement. One of those really hearty, left all my skin on the pavement kind of wipeouts. Since it was pretty early in the season, the recently trained lifeguards swarmed over to him like he was a shoplifter at Macy's. We initially said he was fine, and we'd clean it up at home. But after seeing the sad looks on their faces as they were dying to use some first aid skills, we relented. They did a great job, all bandaged up!

Celebrate!! (WH)

2009-07-30T23:21:00.003-04:00

June? Must be time to Celebrate WH!! This involves crazy parking, expensive craft booths, yummy but expensive food and ridiculous lines for $5.00 ferris wheel lines. But that's ok, it's all for a good cause...oh wait, no, it's just for the coffers of our town. Oh well.

The kids adore it and it was a beautiful (though hot) day. Papa, Lindsay and Lis joined us too which was cool. Got to hang with "the girls" and Papa went on all the rides with the kids. When did my inner ear start to hate rides that spin?? God, I'm old.

Bumped into lots of folks we know and drank fresh squeezed lemonaid. Julia got her face painted. The woman who did it liked the design so much when she was done she asked if she could take her picture for her website. Gosh, NO, wouldn't want her face splashed all over someone's blog...hee hee.

These Cats ROCK!!

2009-07-27T22:32:00.003-04:00

On a whim we took the kids to a Rockcats game in June. We invited Grandma and Oompa since we know they love baseball too! Every time we go to a Rockcats (or Portland Seadogs) game we always remark about how great a family night it is! The tickets are cheap (we had FABULOUS seats for $12 a piece) and the food is very reasonable. Great between innings fun and a fantastic nail biter of a game!!

We saw a few families we knew, and entered a charity drawing. Well, wouldn't you know we get a call in the middle of the game that Julia won a big basket in the drawing she entered? The luck of the Hartzogs!! She got a big bag full of great summer toys and games. She was thrilled!!

We had a tiny bit of rain, but it didn't spoil the fun at all. We can't wait to go again! What a nice way to kick off the summer.

Conspiring Against Us

2009-07-27T22:29:00.002-04:00

One day I found the kids sitting in the front yard having a discussion in hushed whispers. What were they talking about? I don't know, but I think we're officially in trouble now.

Spring Scout Camping

2009-07-27T22:07:00.005-04:00

Ah camping...words you won't hear from me unless they are preceeded by "Neil took both kids and I had a night to myself..." Well, it was supposed to be 2 nights to myself, but I digress.

They packed up and headed to Otis, Mass with a boatload of food and supplies. Julia had never been camping and Neil, in a clearly gregarious mood, decided to take them both (note from photos, yes, she was the only girl.) After the first night they spent the next day hiking ( a 4 mile trail, by accident), boating, fishing, playing endless Uno games and just having fun.

When I saw Peter C., Sr. (Neil's co-asst. Pack leader) he laughed and said, "It was just like having you there (to have Julia along)." I laughed and asked, "Am I that bad?" He laughed and said "No, but she was just like a wife, convinced we were doing it all wrong!"

Who? My daughter?

Sadly, all the fun came to abrupt halt when Dev woke up at 1:45 am and threw up all over the tent. Neil decided it was just easier to come home and leave it all there until the next day. So, in walks my family at 3:00 a.m. One of these days, my heart WILL give out.

But, stomach upset not included, it sounded like a good time. Even better, because I got to enjoy it through pictures!!

Spring Fair Madness

2009-07-24T00:09:00.003-04:00

Hate the spring fair at school. Hate it hate it hate it. Stresses me out, total chaos, dread it every year.

And then it rains. And they bring it inside the school. And then I lose my mind.

My darling husband knows this. He hears me freak out on an annual basis about the noise, the crowd, the awkward chit chat. These are all things that are 100% him. He LOVES this stuff. Right up his alley.

This year, he may have qualified for husband of the year. My friend Manj was here from Germany, and the fair got moved inside the school (aaaaaaauuuuuuuurrrrggghhhh). He literally banished me from the fair and sent me out with Manj.

How much do I love this guy???

He even remembered to take pictures of the kids when they came home with their face paint. And thought it was even funnier and took MORE pictures when some of it was still on.

Did I mention I love him??

Mini Reunion

2009-07-24T00:00:00.002-04:00

My high school friend Kristin and her family came to CT late this spring for a visit from the mid-west. She was walking at her graduation from Yale with her PHD, clearly an accomplishment worth celebrating!

We have not seen Kristin and Dave and the kids since their oldest daughter was little. So, we jumped at the chance for a little reunion.

They cooked an amazing dinner of shrimp curry and Mexican chocolate cake that my kids STILL talk about and beg me to make for them weekly. It was a wonderful time seeing the kids play and interact and to catch up with the grown-ups. (When did WE become the grown-ups??)

Uh-Oh...

2009-07-23T23:57:00.002-04:00

With Oreo's passing we have noticed an over-abundance of critter activity in our yard this summer. Birds, chipmunks, other cats, but mostly bunnies.

This wasn't quite so concerning when we only saw one. But one day there were three, and well, you know the rest. But aren't they cute??

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-07-23T23:48:00.006-04:00

Ventured up north to Mom and Dad's for the weekend. Realized that leaving LATER is the trick to the Mass Pike/495 now. Yeah!! Spent the weekend shopping in Kittery (Trading Post, lunch at Flo's) and hanging at the beach.

Julia and I got matching Wellies boots with cherries on them. I wore mine around shopping in Kittery (well, it was raining, a little). Neil pretended he didn't know me and Julia thought I was da BOMB.

Ah, the pace in Maine is always something to look forward to!!

Sweater for my New Niece

2009-07-20T12:00:00.002-04:00

Laurie and Vinnie (Neil's step-sister and her husband) were due to have their first baby, a girl, at the beginning of June (upcoming post of meeting Miss S and how stinking cute she is) and for her shower I told her I'd make her a sweater for the baby. I made it big (6-9 months) so no pix of her wearing it yet, and Laurie chose green as the color, figuring she'd have lots of pink. Here was the final result. Thanks to my cousin Jess for sending this great pattern my way!!

Sleepover

2009-07-20T11:55:00.002-04:00

I've blogged about how close Julia has gotten to the girls two doors down. Well, Julia and Miss E finally got to have a sleep over at our house (we all figured Miss C was still a bit too young). They had a ball, and even slept well!! I suspect this is just the first of many these two will have in the next decade or so...

Mother's Day

2009-07-20T11:32:00.004-04:00

We did our second annual Mother's Day at the Pond House this year. Again, we decided next year we picnic instead! Food was disappointingly not as good this year, but perhaps we were just jaded by the lack of "the good table" and no mini creme brulees. Sigh. But it was such fun to enjoy it with a new baby in the family!! And doesn't the newest member of the mommy club look fabulous??

Spring Concert

2009-06-28T23:52:00.003-04:00

One of things that's so cool about 4th grade is that the kids start to "officially" play an instrument. Devin chose (after some tense moments of pondering the violin) the trumpet. He did really well with private lessons last summer and continued to do well this year. We decided to never harp on practicing and let this become something he WANTED to do. And, there are times he pulls the trumpet out to "practice" for us. My heart sings!!

Well, we finally hit the parental rite of passge known as "the first concert". An occasion that is marked with purchasing dress clothes your child doesn't own and stuffing yourself and all your extended family into a boiling hot auditorium. And at the end of it all, you are beaming with pride over how amazing your kid was. Because you just KNOW that was HIS trumpet that sounded so beautiful in the middle of the 50 kid band.

I think he was a little nervous, but he did very well keeping that in check. And look how handsome he is in his dress up clothes!!

All Growed Up

2009-06-28T23:47:00.003-04:00

It's not too often that we whip out the fine china and get the dining room all prettied up (ok, truth is it's not often that the dining room table can be SEEN underneath the clutter). But, a fine occasion deserves fine dining. We were finally having our friends the Colvin's over for dinner and wanted to kick it up a notch. After all, how many people do you know that would willingly give up a day the week before X-Mas to help you haul wet, disgusting stuff out of your Grandmother's basement? Enough said.

We had a ball, as we always do with them. Good stuff!

Summer in April

2009-06-28T23:29:00.004-04:00

So, another example of a day in late April that was better than most days in June. We went for brunch at Mom and Tommy's. It was HOT. They had a new umbrella for the patio and it was great to have it (did I mention it was HOT?). So she also found these cool squirt gun things that are made out of the pool noodle material (I believe it's called styrofoam - ha ha). The kids had a ball squirting each other, us, the trees, the house. Poor Rita (Tommy's sister, who I adore) got the brunt of the adult soaking.

Tommy showed us all that he's great with the little ladies. After raising 3 daughters, he knows just how to make things all better. See him taking Julia by the hand after her brother gave her a face full of water? Oh yes, Oompa to the rescue!

Too bad they only had to wait 2 & 1/2 more months for weather good enough to do this again!!!

Girls

2009-06-24T13:12:00.002-04:00

Remember back in April when it was like summer? Well, I guess April and June decided to switch this year. Ugh, so sick of rain. This post is funny though, because these were taken in the last week of April.

Julia and the "F" girls from two doors down. They have been constant companions this spring. It's really cute how much they enjoy each other. Don't you love how girls will just get together and read??

Water Conservation Skit from Blue and Gold Dinner

2009-06-24T13:02:00.002-04:00

Devin does the intro. The concept was that they conserve water by sharing it to brush their teeth. They were very proud of their comedic impact.

Blue and Gold Dinner 2009

2009-06-24T12:54:00.002-04:00

I'm not typically a fan of the chaos that is usually the Cub Scout Blue and Gold dinner. It's the annual awards dinner for the Scouts where the whole family gets to join. We usually have it in the cafeteria of the local junior high. The kids LOVE it.

This year was a lot of fun though, I have to admit. Despite the kid chaos, there were some great families there and the food was awesome! I have to admit, I'm a convert now. Sad to think we only have one more of these though!

Some cute moments were the Webelos I skit where they did "Water Conservation" by pretending to share toothbrushing water. And Julia and Mr. N were playing the "trust game" with each other in the back. I guess they decided that they trust each other because they spent the rest of the time sitting in each other's laps! Too cute!

Last Night at Ocean Grill

2009-06-24T12:30:00.003-04:00

We spent the night before we left at Ocean Grill with the whole family for dinner. Gaga and Aunt Bet joined us too! Julia had a chocolate ice cream "martini" for dessert (they gave it to her in a martini glass) and she shared with Papa. That's love!

We got a great family shot too. Funniest picture is of Gaga and the kids doing their "Fire Power" motion from "Night at the Museum II". So glad we caught that on film.

"Hey, check out the gun show over here...boom, boom - FIRE POWER!!"

I let my firstborn do what?????

2009-06-24T12:16:00.004-04:00

Ok, so the most heart-stopping event on our vacation was when Papa asked to taake us flying. My response? There aren't enough drugs in the world to get me on that plane.

So, he settled for taking Neil and the kids. Again, I balked. If that plane went down, my reason to keep on living would be what....? So, Neil and Devin volunteered and Julia was more than happy to go with me to get our nails done and hit the pool.

We have great video of this too (and some not so great when Neil taped his knee for about 10 minutes). Devin seemed a little nervous about it at the last minute and Neil had to assure him it was fine. Of course, this was while Neil was also nervous and holding his Dad's door closed for the whole trip.

But it was a cool experience for them. They got to see the beach, Jupiter Light and the site of Tiger's new house on Jupiter Island. But what was really fun was that Neil texted me the whole time to tell me where they were and Julia and I saw them fly overhead while we were at the pool! By the time I got my phone to take the picture they were just a speck in the sky, but they could see us at the pool.

Very happy to report they all made it safe and sound!

Florida Oceanographic Coastal Center

2009-06-24T12:05:00.004-04:00

Dad Hartzog spent a bunch of time this year planning all kinds of cool stuff for us to do while we'd be there on vacation. One thing was to go feed the stingrays! He felt bad that Devin had missed out on that when he was sick on our cruise, so he found this place on Hutchinson Island. We drove up, had lunch at Conchy Joe's and then headed to the center.

It wasn't a huge place on the inside, but it was very well run and had some cool learning and fun activities. After watching the stingray demo the kids both got to feed and pet them in the tank. Then we played with some of the kid activities and walked around the "game fish lagoon". That was my favorite part!

Cool Bee

2009-06-24T12:03:00.002-04:00

Saw this really cool bee in Florida (sitting inside the flower). It was a blue/green shiny color and I've never seen anything like it. Had to share.

Dinner at the Crab House

2009-06-22T00:57:00.002-04:00

I think we had started to go to dinner at another place and it was closed, so we "settled" for the Crab House. Great outside deck, gorgeous weather, good company, good food, view of Jupiter Light. Why didn't we start out there??

Somehow Julia managed to get a neck rub out of the deal from Linda too. Life was good that night!!

Cat's In the Bag

2009-06-22T00:54:00.002-04:00

Ok, before anyone calls the ASPCA, he was only in there for a minute and he LOVES it. He voluntarily climbs into any bag left on the floor. I think he would have napped in there if he could have. Crazy cat, that Harley.

How the Hartzogs Spend Easter

2009-06-15T21:37:00.005-04:00

I guess I like spending the holidays in a somewhat unconventional way. I still remember the year I spent Christmas at Dad and Libby's and we made our own sushi for Christmas dinner. So I guess it's not surprising that "going to church" wasn't on our list of things we did on Easter. Well, Dad Hartzog and Gaga went, so hopefully they prayed for the rest of us.

Easter kind of started for us the night before. We came home from dinner and found that two beautifully painted eggs had been left for the kids and there was a bunny window decoration on the sliders outside. I guess the bunny wanted to make sure the kids knew that he'd still hide baskets for them at Papa's house, not to worry!

We got up at a fairly reasonable hour (God I adore having older children) and they waited patiently in the hallway for us to have some coffee and find the "on" button on the cameras before they started basket-seeking. After much lots of searching (Harley was thoroughly confused about what was happening) the kids found their bountiful baskets and dug in.

Papa took Gaga to church and we packed up some snacks and drinks for our day. We rented a boat and hit the intercoastal. It was GORGEOUS out. A totally perfect day to be out there. We hit Singer Island, had some brunch (it was about the only time Julia wore her Easter dress all day!) and then scooted over to Peanut Island.

In all the years we've been taking boats out we've never docked out at Peanut Island. It's this great little spot where you can dock or anchor and play on the beach, wade in the shallows or explore the cute little island. There were people who camp out there too. How fun!!

We hit the beach and Papa took a nap while we walked out into the shallows and checked out all the boating activity. It was a giant party. It was hysterical. The floor of the ocean had some sharp shells, so the bottoms of our feet were a little worse for the wear, but it was very cool out there.

Sun, fun and something new, what a great Easter!!

Turtles Need Rehab Too

2009-06-09T22:02:00.003-04:00

It's only June and I'm just starting to add pix from April vacation. I'm hoping for a boring summer where I get caught up on everything AND have a clean house. Until then, I dream...

Here are a few snaps from the ever-growing Turtle Rehabilitation facility in Jupiter. We happened to visit this year on a day when they were cleaning the tanks and weighing and measuring the "patients". So we got a really cool glimpse at some of the stuff the staff and volunteers do there to take care of their shelled friends.

We also managed to get just a few (cough cough) cute ones of the kids and Papa too, go figure.

While we were standing there watching the whole process I happened to see a man standing there with a shirt from our local high school on. It's a fairly generic name, but the font was right so I decided to approach him. Sure enough, they not only live in our towen, but had kids that go to our kids' school. Microscopic world.

Another piece of cool news is that we are so often taken with the turtles at the "farm" that we got a special surprise from Papa. Just the other day we received our paperwork that Devin and Julia are the proud "parents" of a rescue turtle named "Morgan". They are not quite sure if Morgan is a boy or a girl (something having to do with the state of tail growth) but we are just loving him/her and hope that he/she is well enough to get released next spring (hopefully when we're down there, how cool would that be?)

Pinewood Derby 2009

2009-06-05T14:29:00.003-04:00

This was going to be his year. They conferred, they shopped, they planned, they sanded, they painted and came up with another sweetheart of a car this year. THIS was going to be his year.

The heats that his car ran in (the really skinny red one in the middle) went well over and over. He consistantly placed 1st or 2nd in each heat. But, with so many boys in his group, he missed out on a 3rd place finish by some microscopic amount of time.

My Dad has vowed to make it his life's mission to come up with THE CAR for 2010. After all, Devin only has 1 Derby left (snif, snif) before he becomes a full out Boy Scout. Rumor has it that he plans to spend his fall and winter constructing a test track in their basement. My Mother must be thrilled.

Did Devin care that he narrowly missed winning a trophy? Does he look like he cared? Ok, yes, I'm sure he was a little disappointed, but it certainly didn't show.

Lake Wo-Be-Gone

2009-06-05T14:04:00.003-04:00

I have officially ended my period of blog mourning for Oreo now and am so ridiculously behind on posts it's almost funny. The last weekend in March we took a drive out to the lake to survey the damage. What damage, you ask? Well, this is what can happen when an oil company forgets a delivery and a pipe bursts.

Now, to show you the hole in the pipe I'd practically need to give you a microscope, but it's quite out of sync with the amount of damage it caused. The pipe burst on the second floor kitchen. The water ran for some time. Since it was still dang cold out there, once the water reached the sliding doors, it started to cascade into a large ice sheet down the side of the house.

Once the ice became several inches thick, the neighbor (Norm, you rock) called us.

Bottom line, everything except for the 2 upstairs bedrooms had to be gutted down to the studs. The upside? All the work is now almost done and you can hardly recognize it now. I'll see if I can get some "after" pictures soon.

The first picture is a view from the bottom of the steps to the basement. You can see all the way through the closet that used to be there, the downstairs kitchen, the downstairs bathroom (see the shower stall door?) and into the back bedroom.

The second picture is of the kitchen upstairs. And, couldn't resist a picture of the kids standing "in the lake". The lake gets drained a bit every winter to protect the docks, and usually the spring thaw fills it back up again. It's still pretty low this year, which is ironic considering all the rain we've had! And last, but not least, Julia holding her baby cousin.

So, fear not. Lake party, still on this year!

Been dreading this post

2009-05-05T00:01:00.003-04:00

So, I have been extremely absent from my blog primarily because I knew I had to write this post first and I haven't been able to stomach it until now. We lost our beloved Oreo less than a week after I took the top right photo in the collage. We have heard tales in our neighborhood about some animal (hawk? coyote? bobcat?) that's been killing cats and always scoffed at the thought. Not OREO. He's such a natural hunter, I would have defied any creature to go up against him.

Well, we have seen ourselves both a hawk (dismantling a squirrel, btw) and a coyote in our back yard in the past year, so this really shouldn't have been a big surprise. However, one Friday night in early April he BEGGED me to go out before I headed to bed (a somewhat unusual request, but since it was spring, I figured it was a bit of spring fever). The next morning when he wasn't right there to be let in, it still shouldn't have been all that unusual (as a cat known to go on the occasional walkabout) but I had a bad feeling. That feeling grew after he still hadn't returned for several days.

We put out signs (an unfortunate but productive way to meet your neighbors) and received several calls right away that filled us with hope. But my brain knew that there were at least 2 other cats in the neighborhood that looked a lot like Oreo, and unless you were familiar with his markings, it would be easy to confuse them.

We finally got a couple calls that confirmed our fears. The boys playing baseball on Saturday morning at the school had found the remains of what appeared to be a black and white cat. It had been so many days at this point, that we knew this had to have been him.

So, we told the kids as gently as we could (and without details) that Oreo had died and wouldn't be coming home. I sobbed somewhat openly (yes, so good at hiding my emotions, I know - ha ha) and that first night after I thought Devin was asleep, he came down and was sobbing too. I realized after a few days that Julia was just flat out in denial. She has begun to process it all, slowly.

The timing of our trip to Florida couldn't have been better. We got a nice change of scenery and it helped to heal our broken hearts. Max, our other (very indoor) cat, was another story. He cried and cried at the door every night. He stuck to me like glue during the day and has been the slowest to accept the change.

He is now, after a month, THE most spoiled cat in the universe. I think he may have anticipated this and might have just ordered a "hit" on Oreo to be the lone house cat. (It's just a theory.)

So, here's to my sweet little Oreo. He and his litter mates were abandoned in a box on the side of the highway at about 6 weeks. We adopted him from the Protectors of Animals (really, he adopted me). Max, who as a kitten about 8 weeks older, beat the tar out of him for a few days and then just loved him like a brother.

We always joked that Oreo was the cat who literally had about 9 lives. We were in the vet ER with him about once a year and thought we were going to lose him more than once. As an indoor cat, he BEGGED us to become an outdoor cat about 5 years ago (he was 11 when he died). He brought us "presents" (mostly headless) and would come home with wounds and a "you should see the OTHER guy" kind of attitude about it. But as fierce a hunter as he was, he was also a giant mush ball too.

He was very loved by all who met him and his constant presence on our front steps made him a well known fixture in the neighborhood. I believe the Hannas loved him so much that we were supposed to leave them Oreo in our will (I kept telling them he was a package deal).

So, the baby bunnies will be safe this spring and we will miss him lounging on our Adirondack chairs this summer. I have finally stopped looking out the front door every night, but admit to the occasional glance out the window, just hoping for a glimpse of him trotting up the driveway.

We miss you, Monkey-O, rest in peace.

Oreo (c.)August 10, 1997 - April 4, 2009.

Blue Belt Mid Terms

2009-03-29T22:32:00.004-04:00

I seem to always get very gushy about my kids at karate graduation time, but they just continue to amaze me and it all sort of culminates when I watch them in the dojo. They had the very tough Master D again this time and he was definitely true to form. What's sort of amazing to see is how much the kids have upped their game. They did EVERYTHING they were supposed to. Clapped, paid attention, worked really hard on sit ups, push ups, near perfect jumping jack sets. They both shot their hands up to volunteer over and over again (and both were chosen to show their 2 kata). Are these the same kids I drag to karate with groans week after week??

This was all great, in of itself, but what made me most proud was how they reacted when someone in their class struggled through his 2 kata. He is a quiet, sweet kid, very big dude for his age. It is REALLY hard for him to even talk in class. He has been working hard on building his self confidence and decided to volunteer to show his 2 kata for the class. With all eyes on him he really struggled with his nerves. Everyone held their breath as they waited for him to remember his steps. I admit that it was really hard to watch him struggle so much.

At this point there were a few snickers from the class. I shot my head in that direction ready to give the VERY angry eyes at my kids if one of them were responsible for the laughter. But they were both glued to him with the same pleading expression in their eyes for their friend to succeed. I was very humbled at the compassion a 7 and a 9 year old could possess.

After fighting his way through a few steps Mr. O joined him and they did it together. It was such a huge thing for him to do what he did. And though it would have made our hearts sing to watch him execute it perfectly, it turned out to be a tremendous lesson for everyone in courage and tenacity. Master D totally called out the snickering and made it clear that this was NOT the kind of behavior that would ever be acceptable in there. He told stories about his successes and failures at tournaments and made everyone realize that even a 5th degree black belt has not always been great at this.

We celebrated with a big dinner out afterwards with Papa, Aunt Bet, Mima and Stipa. It was a great kick off to the weekend. I am so proud of these kids. Remind me of that the next time one of them talks back or forgets their homework, ok?

My little Ice Capade

2009-03-24T13:06:00.003-04:00

Julia was invited to a birthday party for a classmate this past weekend at the local skating rink. I thought how fun, but can she skate? I haven't been skating in a LONG time. I think I tried it again as an adult, fell, really hurt my bum and that ended my skating career. So, as a result, we've never taken the kids ice skating (Neil doesn't skate either). So, it was going to be interesting...

I have to admit that I had one of those over protective mom moments where I resisted bringing a helmet for her. I had visions of her being the only kid with the dorky mom that made her bring her helmet. But in the wake of Natasha Richardson's untimely death, traumatic brain injuries were definitely on my mind.

Well, half the kids there had helmets. And now I was panicked because she DIDN'T have one! But I quelled my anxiety and helped her lace her skates.

I thought one of the first big tests would be to see if she could even walk on these skates? No problem!

She got onto the ice and held onto the side for about 2 laps. Her friend "S" came along and, being much more comfortable on skates, took her hand and coaxed her away from the side. They did pretty well for a few laps. Then boom! Down she went and bumped her head. Ack! First thing I did was look at my watch. (I know, I know.) She was totally fine after a quick drink of water and a kiss. Bless her heart, she went right back out there.

I'm not sure this was the start of a life long love affair with ice skating, but it was a fun afternoon and definitely exposed her to something new. (Sorry about the poor photo quality. In my helmet or not to helmet tizzy I forgot my real camera, so these were taken with my phone.)

Toll House Cookie Pie

2009-03-16T23:41:00.002-04:00

Notice how my last 2 blog entries have been about food? Spring walking needs to start soon, or I'll never fit in my clothes. The kids love my Toll House Cookie Pie (ok, it's really JoAnn Burke/Kelly Mel's THCP recipe from college). It occurred to me the other day that I usually have all of the ingredients in the house at any given time (including the frozen pie shells, we like quiche, what can I say?). So, in a burst of Sunday nesting I made one. Look at those happy faces!! Two seconds in my mouth, three years on my thighs...

Best French Toast

2009-03-15T19:52:00.002-04:00

I consider myself to be a connoisseur of all things related to breakfast food (read: full of fat and sugar and I'm there) so when we hit a new place for breakfast I always go for the richest, sweetest thing. While we were in Sturbridge this year over February vacation we hit a little spot called Churchill's Village Eatery. They have something called cinnamon roll french toast. TO DIE FOR. It's only 45 minutes away, so if the craving ever get too bad again, I'm there.

Julia's First Sleepover

2009-03-08T12:12:00.002-04:00

Julia's friend L and her mom called to see if she'd like to try a sleepover? It's been a source of much discussion this year but I wasn't sure if she was really ready yet at 7? Well, once the plan was formulated she was just beside herself with excitement. When the big day arrived she had her bag packed and sitting by the back door at 10:00 a.m. (she wasn't going until 5:00).

She and Miss L had a ball. I was wondering if I'd get a call late that night or not, but either she did very well, or L's mom, a veteran with 3 girls, was just a great girl whisperer. Julia said she had a great time, but would like to have her next sleepover at our house. :)

As you can see from the "next day" photos, sleepovers still tend to involve very little SLEEP. Girls will be girls!

Port Canaveral Fun

2009-03-08T11:58:00.002-04:00

On Saturday we had to debark the ship at some really early hour. We had a bit of a wait between when we were brought back to the hotel and when our car was coming to pick us up. We had thought about a movie, but none of them started until noon, which was too late. So Neil spotted a "Family Fun" park just a short walk from the hotel. So we had some breakfast and headed over there to kill some time. They had a few different go cart tracks, and now that Devin was old enought to drive himself, he was FIRED UP to try it. I'm not sure I captured the glee as well as I could have, but he was beaming. It was a fun way to kill some time, for sure.

Stingray Video

2009-03-05T20:06:00.003-05:00

A little snippet of stingray feeding from the water camera...

Last Day of Cruise

2009-03-05T19:33:00.008-05:00

The last day of our cruise was very bittersweet. Gorgeous Castaway Cay, sunny but on the cool side and Devin so sick he barely left bed until later in the day. Poor baby was so sick when we got up that we took him to the health center to get checked out. 103 temp, almost delirious. This kid hasn't been this sick in a LONG time. But the doctor on the ship promised they'd fix him up, and fix him they did! He was a million percent better in 24 hours time. Thanks Doc!!

We had booked a stingray encounter on the island and they let us split them so that Neil took Julia in the morning and then we switched off and I went back with her in the afternoon! It was great, because she was like my own little personal tour guide.

Julia was great with the sting rays. You get a little orientation and then get into the water to feed them. They've been trained to look for their food on a "dinner plate" that looks like Mickey's ears. So when they see that plate, they scoot on up for lunch. Julia was very at ease with petting them, a little hesitant about holding the food to feed them (understandable since they suck their food up like vacuums) but she did a great job - both times. I like that our kids are willing to try new things like this, even if they aren't 100% sure about them.

We did have to miss our couples cabana massage though (sigh). Oh well, good excuse to go back.

Castaway Cay is a GORGEOUS little island. I was talking to one of the marine biologists who lives there and I was sooooo jealous. Disney has a little gem here.

We got to see The Flying Dutchman ship that was featured in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies that is docked right there, and took a little tram to the end of the beach where the stingray hut was. We did a tiny little bit of shopping on the way (thank goodness, because everything closes up well before you have to be back on board). We did finally get Devin up onto one of the outer decks later in the day to at least see the FD with his own eyes, but that was about all he felt good enough for.

Everyone rallied around dinner time to make it down for our last dinner. We had a parade and took lots of pictures of Adi and Willy. Willy showed us one last magic trick. I miss the Mickey ketchup and the magic tricks!! And by well into the cruise they no longer had to ask that Julia wanted chocolate milk and Devin wanted plain, they'd just bring it. Not cooking for a week was heaven!!

After dinner we made it to the last show on the cruise. It was funny and entertaining and we still talk about "Freddie Fushion". He's a comedian/performer who does amazing things with giant balloons and toilet paper rolls. Hysterical. Still one of the highlights of Devin's week, fever or not!

We had to get up early the next day, and although we were sad to leave, we were looking forward to getting home.

Video from Day 6

2009-03-01T13:15:00.004-05:00

Here is the evidence of how rocky the ship was on Thursday. Here are Julia and Neil in the pool getting battered by the waves. They made a game of it by holding their breath and letting the waves go over their heads. Julia got popped up like a cork a couple of times though!

Cruise Day 6

2009-03-01T12:42:00.006-05:00

Thursday was a busy last day at sea. We were so tired from the day before and Devin was still not up to par, so I think we all slept in a bit, which was fine with me! For the at sea days there were always cool thing to see and do. There was an art auction (which we passed on, but it was fin to watch other people spend $30,000 on Picasso originals). There was a princess gathering in the atrium, movies etc.

The kids each had activities in their kids clubs that they wanted to do that day, so we got to spend the day with both, neither or one at a time which was nice too. Devin was with us on deck when they did a live ice carving demonstration. The ice carver was from Thailand, so of course I felt the need to go talk to him after wards.

We sat by the pool some more and I did a full out slip onto my butt by the side of the pool. I was "that woman who fell". Fortunately it did nothing but leave me with a couple bruises, a spilled drink (which they replaced for me) and a sheepish look on my face. I had seen a few other people go down in this spot and realized that wearing flip flops there was not a good idea. Oh well!

It was a pretty bump day at sea. The water in the pool was sloshing to and fro like crazy. I'll try to upload the video of Julia and Neil in the pool - quite funny! By that night it was so bumpy they were putting motion sickness bags out in the common area bathrooms. Never a good sign!

We had been feverishly (no pun intended) trying to gather autographs of all the characters all week but still hadn't found Donald Duck! We finally got to meet him that day. Julia was petting his feathers and telling him how soft he was. Hee hee.

The kids both had an opportunity to be part of the Ocenareers Club/Lab show with all their new friends called "Friendship Rocks". It was held in the big theater right before dinner. Very cute. Devin chose to participate and got a tee shirt to keep. Julia had chosen not to and sat there through the whole show wishing that she had.

Devin is also wearing a baseball cap that he won for being on the first place team that afternoon playing "Disney Scene It". Anyone who has played this game with our children know that they dominate at it, so I was NOT at ALL surprised to see he'd won something!

This was our "semi-formal" night at dinner and we all got dressed up and headed down. Neil started to get a fever right before dinner, so we were down two now. He and Devin didn't stay through all of dinner, so we had some food sent up. They each took some Tylenol and rallied to go to the show that night which was incredible. Julia even had a "Slumber Party" with Goofy after the show. She she was going until late that night! Goofy showed up in his jammies, they decorated pillow cases and told campfire stories. How fun!!

We went to bed and this was the night that the boat was REALLY rocky and Devin woke up with a fever that had spiked way up and felt really bad. Poor buddy!

Cruise Day 5

2009-02-23T20:21:00.006-05:00

Ok, so this was a see saw of a day. We landed in St. Thomas and had tickets to take a ferry to St. John's and go snorkeling in Trunk Bay. This is something that Neil and I have wanted to do for a LONG time. We weren't 100% sure we'd be able to go with Devin feeling so yucky. But he felt ok enough in the am to eat a little breakfast, take some motrin and off we headed for St. John's at o'dark thirty in the morning.

The weather had been unsettled, and the smallish ferry ride was VERY rough. Julia made it about 10 minutes before she looked green. I, feeling very much the same way, took her as close to the bow as we could get, but it didn't help so much. I had to finally hand her off to Neil, who seemed to be doing better than the rest of us.

It seemed like it took forever (only about 40 minutes) but I was soooo relieved when we finally got there. However, Julia was still not feeling fantastic and the bus ride to Trunk Bay was not so fun either. Fortunately we got to stop a lot for photo ops, so she got a chance to walk around a little and fight off the queasies. I was a total basket case by this point. So NOT relaxed it was crazy.

We made it to Trunk Bay in one piece. What an amazingly gorgeous island this was. Stunningly beautiful. Neil and I have been to enough islands now that we can both say this was one of our favorites. Sadly, with no airport, ferry is the only way to get there. I told him if we ever went back, he'd have to leave me there because I'd never want to get back on that ferry again. So, if you hear I moved to St. John, you'll know why...

The bay was gorgeous, and despite a little hesitation on both kids' parts we all got to do some snorkeling. (Ask Devin what a one horned butt fish is sometime.) The trail is pretty big and Neil and Devin went all the way out to the end of it. One of the more fun moments for me was going out to the second buoy with Devin and seeing some fish in the water. One swam right up to me like he was checking me out. I was cracking up and trying to snap pictures at the same time.

We only had a couple hours at Trunk Bay which was too bad, but we had really made the most out of this trip we weren't sure we'd even be able to make. I force fed Julia a kids Bonine and she slept for both the bus ride and the ferry ride back to the ship. The ride home was much smoother, so I actually got to enjoy it a bit. We saw Michael Jordan's house, Madonna's house and a little rock island called Alligator Island. It looked, from tail to snout, just like, well, an alligator.

It was only about 1:30 or so when we got back to St. Thomas. Julia wanted to go to her kids club and Neil wanted to go shopping. So, loaded up with motrin dose # 2 Devin and Neil went trekking around St. Thomas. I took advantage of the good signal in the USVI and started madly texting my friend Jeanne to see how long her daughter's fever had lasted. (4 days was the response - ack!).

One blissful moment of the day was as we were setting sail from St. Thomas. The band we liked was playing by the Goofy pool and Neil and Julia were swimming. I was on deck, having a much deserved cocktail and watching us leave port, listening to the music.

That night Devin made it to dinner, but didn't feel great and wasn't really eating. Our amazingly sweet and thoughtful Willy brought him an extra tablecloth to put over his shoulders to keep him warm. So so sweet.

Cruise Day 4

2009-02-20T12:02:00.009-05:00

We docked in St. Croix while we were sleeping and woke up to the beautiful view out our window. We had intentionally left the day open to explore the island on our own. We ate and walked into port to shop and explore. We got some great views of our ship. We went to the Fort museum that was right there and got a interesting but rather stream of consciousness rundown of the history from the curator.

As we walked around Devin seemed out of sorts. My mom radar was on high alert. Sure enough, this is when Dev started to spike his fever. So we abandoned our plans to take a cab to the beach and just hung by the pool. After a dose of medicine Devin was still not totally himself, but felt good enough to sit by the pool with us. Julia went to her club for a bit and got her hair braided. While she was sitting in the chair Stitch came over and mauled her again. Neil said it was pretty funny and couldn't quite get the camera going in time to capture it.

As dinner time arrived Devin was feeling pretty crappy, so Neil and Julia went down to dinner and Devin and I stayed in the cabin waiting for his motrin to kick in. The bummer was that it was pirate night. So, we missed the pirate dinner, but got him feeling well enough to head to deck 10 for the Pirate party and fireworks! We partied like it was 1699!!! Devin still talks about how we were "on the big screen". During the party they did crowd shots up on the Ariel view tv and there we were!!

Again, looks like we had nothing but fun, but the photos didn't capture how yucky Devin felt, how anxious I was feeling about it all, and how disappointing it was to miss dinner with the kids as well as our adults only late dinner at Palo. Also didn't capture my heart breaking when Devin apologized for making us miss our dinner. I told him there was no place I'd rather be than with him while he needed me.

Cruise Day 3

2009-02-20T11:47:00.005-05:00

This was our second full day at sea. After a late wake up and breakfast on deck the kids hit the clubs and Neil and I had a couples massage. Ahhh...bliss. We had a few minutes to ourselves at the Quiet Cove pool (adults only) and then it was time to get ready for our formal night dinner! We got to eat in Lumiere's on formal night which seemed very appropriate. After dinner the kids hits the clubs again and we got some quiet time in the Sessions piano bar. A little too quiet, so we headed to Rockin' Bar D for a little more night life.

The weather got warmer as we headed further south, so it was a nice day today as we sailed towards St. Croix.

Cruise Day 2

2009-02-18T19:16:00.007-05:00

Our second day on the cruise (first full day) started off with a bang. Everyone gets a character breakfast while on the ship. Ours was on Sunday! We had to get up a little early (which was ok) . We ate in Parrot Cay and got to meet Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto and Chip and Dale (my personal favorites). They also make crazy hats for you out of your napkins. Hee hee, so clever!

The kids got to try our their kids clubs. Julia made Flubber and a new friend named Julia! Devin had some fun up on the sports deck. When he got chilly he paged us and joined us for Bingo. Sadly, since I bought the cards, we never got close to winning...

It was Superbowl Sunday so after dinner at Parrot Cay again, Neil jumped out to watch the game a bit. The kids and I went to the Walt Disney Theater and watched BOLT in 3-D. LOVED it!!

It's TODAY, it's TODAY!!

2009-02-11T20:07:00.008-05:00

To quote one of our favorite family movies, ironically about a mouse..."It's TODAY, it's TODAY!!" (Stuart Little)

Neil and I woke up on our birthday and got to leave for a cruise - yeah!! We woke up at the hotel, had breakfast, and got on the shuttle to the port!

Disney is amazing in their organization skills. Check-in process was quick, efficient, pleasant and well orchestrated. While I "waited" in line for all of about 5 minutes, Neil and the kids got to meet Mickey and Minnie, see a scale replica of our ship and just hang and watch cartoons.

After we checked in, signed up for the kids club and got our pager, and had our photos taken, we got to walk through the big ears and enter the ship.

(Monica, don't read this part if you want it to be a surprise...) One of the cool little things Disney does is when you are just off the gangway they ask you name, announce you and everyone claps as you enter the ship. How cool is that?

We got there pretty early, so we had a little time to kill before our stateroom was ready. We explored the ship, had lunch at Topsiders. Again, props to Disney for their handling of any and all food allergies. The chef came out, spoke with me and made Devin a special lunch so he would feel comfortable. But, just about anything he wanted would have been made available. My friend Claire said she never heard the word "no" on the ship, and now I know what she means.

Once we got into our cabin we were met with birthday decorations, a cake and champagne and sparkling cider (thanks Mom and Dad!). We had a little toast and checked out the ship some more.

One of the funny things you always have to do on a cruise ship is the muster drill. The muster drill is where you put on your life vest and go to your station in a mock evacuation. We always bring the camera b/c it's always a hoot to see everyone in orange!

After that we headed up to deck 9 for the setting sail party. It was a blast. The kids danced and cheered (and we danced and cheered).

Then it was time to get ready for dinner! Our first dinner was in Animator's Palate. It's a really cool place because it changes from balack and white to color while you eat! We also got to meet the best servers ever. Our waiter Aditya (he said "call me Addi") from India and our assistant waiter Willy from the Philippines. They were awesome! Every night Willy would ask me if I wanted pepper, and every night I declined. It became kind of a joke by the end. He always had to ask, but he knew I'd say no. He also showed the kids magic or logic tricks every night. So much fun!!

They also brought us a cake and sang happy birthday! Yeah! Happy birthday to us!

Fun didn't stop there, we headed to Studio Sea to check out the family game show "Mickey Mania". Eventually we did have to sleep though.

Cape Canaveral, FL

2009-02-10T22:39:00.004-05:00

The first thing I always think of is I Dream of Genie for some reason...but no, this was the official kick off of our cruise! We wanted to beat any bad weather so we planned to fly down the day before and stay at the Radisson at the Port.

We had a series of little mis-steps on the day we left. We couldn't get Neil's car started (it was going to the garage while we were away). No time to wait for AAA, so Dad P. to the rescue (this will be a theme.) He waited it out for us so we could get to the airport.

Then, mechanical delay (ack). (Un)fortunately there was this nightmare woman on our flight who was loud and annoying and immediately called her son-in-law (and airplane eingineer) to make sure that a generator isn't a really bad thing (not to fear, there were apparently 2 extras). We were delayed for about an hour, just enough time for the woman to FINALLY realize she's going to miss her connection and got off the plane. There was a cheer, I'm not kidding. Flight staff was so grateful to be rid of her, all of those around her got free drinks. Yeah!!

We took a town car from the airport to the hotel. This has always been a goofy (get it, "Goofy") dream of ours to come off a plane and see our name on one of those signs being held up. Well, that didn't totally pan out as planned, but Neil was surprised anyway. In retrospect, we should have taken a shuttle. Julia, just like her mom, gets carsick when she can't see out the window. So, we had to pull over and let her get some air. (Fortunately it never got worse than that.) However, as we stood there we suddenly realized that Neil was in an ant hill and was covered with ants. (Any of you who know Neil know this is a recreation of a traumatic childhood experience for him). He managed to only get 1 bite on his hand (a miracle).

When we finally got to the hotel, we thought this is it, all the bad little things are behind us...almost. It was VERY chilly in FL (low 60's that day) and windy. But the pool was heated so the kids wanted to swim. Made us cold just looking at them. We were sitting with jeans and sweats on. But they had fun and got to try out the new water camera. (Try a "Parrot's Tail" some time - very yummy drink.)

Dinner was a little dramatic as Devin was concerned about the nut-free safety of his food. We were able to reassure him and asked LOTS of questions of our SERVER named Devin (how funny is that?). Note to anyone with food allergies: the Radisson staff at this hotel was AMAZING about all of the food questions we had. I was really pretty impressed. Dev thought after eating his chicken (which they had brought out the label for us to read, so we knew it was fine) that his throat felt funny, so I busted out the Benedryl, but it turned out to be just a little anxious moment (again, whew).

Room was nice and was about a 5 minute ride to the ship. I would definitely stay there again!

Video clip is Julia doing her "I'm on vacation" dance on the bed in our room. It sort of expresses how we all felt!!

Budding Scientist

2009-02-09T14:07:00.002-05:00

Before we left for our cruise Devin had a few long term homework assignments to complete. One of them was his "Scientist of the Week" experiment. While watching Bonnie Hunt one day I saw a segment with Bill Nye the Science Guy and he did a cool experiement with a film canister and baking powder. I told Devin about it and he was all about "blowing something up" (ack). Problem was I couldn't find the exact instructions/measurements.

In a way, this became a good problem as he had to really work it like an experiment. How much baking powder? How much water? How do you do it all without shooting your eye out? We had a lot of failed trials, but that's how we learn best, right?

Well, bless his heart he finally looked at my baking powder can and realized it expired in 2003 (note to all of you, check your baking powder dates). Well, we got some new powder and lo and behold, that was the biggest issue. It seriously, never occurred to me.

He was SO into this experiement, it was lots of fun. It was REALLY cold when we were trying it (outside, of course) and I took some pix from the window as he did test runs.

I'm not sure, but I think we have a science lover in the house! He gets to do it for his class today, can't wait to hear how it goes. It's a delicate timing issue to get the cap fully on and down on the ground before it goes off. Let me tell you, this thing will fly like 20-30 feet in the air. I'll post about his results!

Julia's Poetry Tea

2009-01-27T12:54:00.003-05:00

Ok, the learning curve for video off our new camcorder has been fairly steep. But, I have had success!! Here is a snippet we got back in December from Julia's 2nd grade Poetry Tea. I think she did a great job. There was a pretty good crowd in this room at the time too. She seemed a little anxious to get back to her seat and she looked over at me b/c I had threatened to do a "Woot woot!" at the end, and she made me PROMISE not to. I was good...

Nickname from Sawyer

2009-01-26T12:12:00.003-05:00

http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/index?pn=nickname

So I headed out to the ABC website to see if I could watch the season premier of Lost that I missed (twice). There was this fun little thing you can do to see what Sawyer's nickname would be for you (after trying it twice, I'd still rather be "Freckles".

First name I got was "Jabba". You can see why I'm not anxious to adopt that one anytime soon...

So I tried again and got "Champ". Much better I think!

Tara and Bella

2009-01-25T22:18:00.000-05:00

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4696315n

Get the hankies ready people, this one's a beauty.

Stipa's Birthday Video

2009-01-20T09:15:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday Stipa!!

2009-01-18T19:51:00.005-05:00

We had a somewhat early birthday celebration for my Dad this past Thursday. We were headed to the Winefest this weekend, so they were kind enough to move up the party so we could be there!

Mom made a banging pasta dish with meatballs and garlic bread. We were all in a carbo-loving haze. It was fabulous (want the recipe, Mom!!). Dad is usually the cook (and a darn good one too).

Heather came up with the idea to get Dad an iPod Shuffle since he was planning to start walking on the indoor track at the gym. I thought getting it engraved would be fun, so that's what we did. He loved it. Now he can listen to Celtic Woman all he wants!

After the carbo-delight dinner we had a cake that looked just like a donut. Isn't it funny? It was DELICIOUS!!

I had to put up the picture of the Christmas tree. Not only is it funny that it's still up on January 15th (3 weeks after Christmas - even the wise men are gone by now) but the reason it is was pretty funny too and I had forgotten about it. My parents got a faux tree this year. It's pre-lit, so when they plugged it in it was, well, eye-piercingly bright. Whatever white bulbs they put in this tree can be viewed from space, I swear. It was so painful that my Dad has been painstakingly replacing many of the bulbs, by hand, with multi-colored ones. He's not finished yet (the whole front of the tree facing the street is still eye-scorching white) which is why it's still up. I think they should just leave it up! Dad agrees since this is just the "winter house" now!

Laurie's Baby Shower

2009-01-16T15:04:00.005-05:00

What do you do when your step-sister-in-law lives in AZ and is having a baby? You have a baby shower, a little early! Though little baby girl N isn't due until early June, we had to act quickly for her and proud papa-to-be Vinnie's visit to CT.

They're so excited, can you blame them? I can't wait to meet their little bundle. They're going to be amazing parents.

Trish, Lisa, their Mom Chris and my MIL Gail planned it all out at this great little spot in Old Wethersfield. Since they couldn't pack a lot of stuff in their suitcases, lots of people gave them gift cards or were having the gifts shipped.

And, of course, it was a good chance for me to take more pictures of my niece and Lindsay. Soooo cute!!! So smiley!!

We can't wait for you little baby N!!!!

New Year's Eve

2009-01-16T14:58:00.002-05:00

Spent NYE at the L's again this year. I warned her that this was becoming a tradition that we were getting very used to...:)

The M's and G's were there too, a perfect little gathering to ring in the new year. We had this rocking chili with every possible topping in the world that Ellen made. The kids loved it (I had 2 bowls, I admit).

Anyone else think the "9" in the "2009" sign on tv looked funky??

Butter-nutty

2009-01-16T14:44:00.004-05:00

Ah the hubris of youth. I don't ski. Some of you have seen me ski and would wholly agree that I don't ski. However, Neil does ski, well I might add, and I'm determined to have kids that don't grow up hating it like I did.

Devin and Neil have been going to Ascutney for a couple years now with Cub Scouts. Devin has my cautious nature and Neil's testosterone, a tough combination. Sometimes he's gung ho, sometimes, well, not so much.

Julia had never been skiing and I suspected she was a bit more like her Dad than her Mom on this one.

Neil decided to take them for a day during their Christmas vacation week. A quick trip to Butternut. I was torn - be a lodge bunny with my book or clean the house. Sadly cleaning won, but Neil got some great pictures.

I guess it's a law (and one I think is a good one) that everyone (not just kids) who skis has to wear a helmet. So, $200 worth of helmets later I was REALLY hoping Julia would take to this. You can't rent them b/c of lice - whatever.

Devin decided he didn't need a lesson this time and even did a few solo runs (that's him on the lift by himself). What a dude.

Julia took a lesson and did very well according to her instructor. She had a few near-meltdown moments trying to get on the lift (I guess she is like her Mom a bit) and then really took off. Check her out on the cool pulley-up-the-mountain thingy they have there. Isn't that cool? I'd have broken something for sure.

They were all very pooped out when they got home, but reports were that it was a good time. They proudly showed off their lift passes at school the next week. And I even got some stuff done in the nice, quiet house. Ahhhhh, vacation.

Dec 26th at Papa's (Xmas # 3)

2009-01-15T23:07:00.004-05:00

We mixed things up a bit this year with Papa and had Christmas at his house last instead of first. To the delight of his Grandkids (all 3 of them this year!) he did get his tree up. Yeah! Kids got a couple of big "musical" gifts from Papa. Julia got a piano for her Julia doll (the most requested gift of 2008 for her) and Devin got his trumpet! This concept was a little tough for him to wrap his brain around initially. We've been renting his trumpet since July and Papa, knowing how much he loves the trumpet, bought it for him for XMas.

So we had to sneak it in for Papa to wrap up. But when he opened it, he didn't "get" it right away. What was so funny was watching him slowly react to the news that this trumpet was now HIS to keep forever. Then...he fell over on the floor in shock. Very dramatic!!

I finally got to give my niece the little Ugg boots that I knit for her. Lindsay sent me THE cutest picture of her a couple days later wearing them with a giant smile on her face. Cutie pie!!

Dec. 26th is also...Adam's birthday! The old geezer turned 35 this year. He's so old he should think about Depends and Geritol soon, don't you think? He can still party like a rock star though (or at least pose for pix like he does). Check out the size of that Kahlua martini. Ouch, my liver.

Christmas Day at Mima and Stipa's

2009-01-10T11:40:00.004-05:00

After a very leisurly morning at home we headed all of 5 minutes over to Mima and Stipa's house for XMas dinner (But we all wore jammies!!). It was very relaxed and casual and such a nice way to spend the afternoon.

Julia got a new bike from Mima and Stipa (she was practically tripping over her old one, and it gets LOTS of use now). And Devin got this very cool interactive globe that we had a ball playing with. Did you know the leader of Vanuatu has a name that sounds like "Scaly Kelly". Makes us laugh every time.

Hands down though, best present of the day (besides the crazy hand sculpture I got as a goof for Heather) was a Shutterfly book that Mom, Dad and Heather (and the kids) had put together in secret.

We are not hugely religious, church-going people. To assist in the teaching of Bible stories to the kids my Mom wanted to do a "nativity Story" with the kids. Then it got really creative.

They put together a little set, got costumes and took pictures of the kids acting out the Nativity story. It was HYSTERICAL. The kids faces were priceless and it literally made us howl with laughter.

I still can't believe they kept the secret for as long as they did!! They also both personalized the books for us. It was a very heartfelt and special gift, and we LOVED it. Here is perhaps the worst picture of me EVER, but captures the howling moment. I think I was in pain with laughter!

It was a day of hand made gifts. Heather and Dana teamed up to hand carve two stamps for us for our Letterboxing team name. Can't wait to use them!! Think we can use them on our cruise???? What a creative family!!!!

For Bec

2009-01-09T11:24:00.003-05:00

Since Santa didn't bring it for me under the tree...I bought it for myself!!! I also ordered the very cool floating strap for it too.

What is it?? It's a waterproof (up to 11 feet) impact resistant (up to 6 feet, perfect for me I'm short) camera. It takes photos and video (like what you see here on Bec's blog). And the picture quality is pretty amazing. Far better than any underwater camera I've ever seen.

http://becodellsblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/last-obx-post-i-think.html

As you can see Devin and Emma had a blast with this in the pool one night.

I was going to beg Bec to borrow hers for the cruise and then I thought...every vacation we take involves water: Maine, Florida, cruise, lake. Why not get one for us to have all the time? Plus it's not hard to talk me into getting another camera!

I'm sooooo stoked about this camera. We only signed up for one excursion on the cruise - to go snorkeling in St. John's. How sweet will this camera be for that?? And in the Mickey pool, and going to see the Flying Dutchman...endless possibilities. AND I don't have to worry about lugging around the "good" camera the whole time.

Christmas Morning 2008

2009-01-08T22:12:00.005-05:00

We had some new fun this Christmas morning! This year (I think Devin started it with the Tooth Fairy) the kids decided to write notes and questions to leave for Santa next to his milk and cookies and carrots for the reindeer.

They were curious about who his friends were? Does he have pets (besides the reindeer)? Where does he eat the cookies? I wasn't sure Santa would have time to sit and write (since it IS the busiest night of the year for him) but I'm not sure why I would have doubted him? The kids got answers to most of their questions (apparently Julia's page was two sided, but Santa didn't realize that). He sits on our couch to eat the cookies, his friends are Mrs. Claus and the elves and he has a polar bear as a pet. Who knew??

Julia and Devin (aka Twiz) gave us wonderful gifts. Some were re-wrapped items we already owned (ala Alvin and the Chipmunks) but we also got some wonderful colored pictures and a wonderful note (which, of course, I kept). One of my favorite gifts of the whole season! (The other came later at Mom and Dad's house.)

The kids got DS's as their big gift from Santa this year. Devin got lots of sporting equipment (new baseball glove, basketball, couple of golf clubs). Julia got a neat gift from Mrs. Claus. A whole box of clothes for her "Julia" doll with a note from Mrs. Claus. I had no idea that Mrs. Claus was a seamstress! She must have a lot in common with my Aunt Linda, because she is the only other person I know that can sew this well!

Neil got 6 jars of his beloved habanero salsa (thank you Chuck!!) and some clothes. Kelly got a new seat for her bike (yeah!!) and some GORGEOUS earrings.

BUT the best present was a family cruise to Disney!! Neil and I planned it last March and have kept it quiet for months. It's still weird to talk about it out loud! We gave the kids a box full of pirate gear (including the Mickey pirate ears they already owned). And they thought, cool, but don't really get it. Then we gave them a tube with 2 posters in it of Mickey and Minnie on a cruise ship. See the picture of their best pirate "HAAARRRRR!!!!"

It's hard to tell who's more excited now? The grown ups (who are dieting madly) or the kids (who love the idea of missing a week of school). We'll be there in just a few weeks!! Aloha and Merry Christmas!!

It's finally Christmas Eve (if you're a slacker)!!

2009-01-08T21:51:00.004-05:00

Yes, 300+ Christmas photos later I finally downloaded and edited all the Christmas photos. I'll only torture the people who are related to us with the full compliment of photos via Shutterfly, but here are some favorites from Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve is still one of my favorite days of the year. Something about the magic of Christmas Eve. And every year we get to go to the best XMas Eve party around at my mother in law's house.

It's funny how the party has changed over the years. For a LONG time Neil and I were the only "party poopers" who had to leave early to get the kids home in bed for Santa, but now there's LOTS of babies and the party ends a lot earlier. (Note to Tommy for next year: DON'T work late again!!) Poor Tom had to work late, got home, ate shrimp and boom, we were all packing up to leave.

But he did get to see Buddy the Santa dog and hear all of the songs Devin has been practicing on his trumpet for Christmas!

Baby "A" and Big Boy "E" got their first Hess trucks this year (a family tradition). And how close to "A Christmas Story" is the hooded bunny towel "A" got?? Made me smile!

And HOW stinking cute are my niece "A" (2 & 1/2 months) and nephew "E" (4 days shy of his 1st birthday)?? Too cute for words! And, it wouldn't be XMas Eve without the big family photo. (Note the picture of Laurie and Vinnie in front. Almost like they were there!)

"Snape Snape Severus Snape..."

2008-12-28T19:47:00.001-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx1XIm6q4r4

Ok, one of Devin's favorite YouTube offerings...thought I'd post it for mass amusement while I download XMas photos...

Holiday Fun With Max

2008-12-24T10:39:00.002-05:00

Ok, the Grinch had nothing on Julia. Need a "Max" to dress up in horrible holiday attire? Check. Crazy Santa hat? Check. Totally annoyed animal? Check.

But isn't he cute??

Family Sledding

2008-12-24T10:31:00.002-05:00

Those of you who know me know I'm not a big fan of the cold and snow, but once in a while I like to unleash my inner 8 year old. After the week we had, once we were all safely back home we decided to head out in Sunday's storm and do some sledding. It was a ball! Kids got good and tired out and we got to see some friends and catch up. And yes, we did a couple "family runs" on the giant sled.

Then it was back in for the "good" hot cocoa with marshmallos. Mmmm.

My favorite part was seeing John G. and having him tell me, "Oh, you just missed Jeanne!" And me looking at him and saying, "Really, Jeanne was here?" (Knowing full well she likes this less than I do.) Him laughing and saying "no". Tee hee!!

I Elfed My Grandma

2008-12-19T19:57:00.001-05:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Grandma's House

2008-12-15T17:55:00.006-05:00

Here's some of the fallout from the ice storm. It's kind of hard to see the water line in some of them, but it's about 3 feet (came to the top of Neil's legs). Note temperature inside the house - 44 degrees! The picture doesn't do it justice, but the ice on the trees was really thick.

Still can't reach her insurance company...

Twilight Puppets

2008-12-12T11:14:00.002-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/spookydan

Ok all you Twilight fans, everybody clap your hands...
SpookyDan has made a short, everybody let's cavort...
Puppets are are all so funny, how come Forks is rarely sunny?
In love with Edwards glowing eyes, but hottie James - a big surprise!
No I haven't gone round the bend, but make sure to check out "Team The End"!

Ok, I really need a life, I know. This Twilight puppet show cracked me up, well worth the 3 minutes!!

Reunited and it feels so good!

2008-11-30T15:39:00.003-05:00

After the stuff yourself full day on Thursday I spent the rest of the weekend in reunion mode. First at the cocktail party Friday night of the mom of a good friend of mine. That was like "reunion lite" and a good gear up to my actual reunion last night.

There were a lot of people that couldn't make it that I would have loved to have seen, but it was great seeing the crew who did make it. Here's a small sampling of the pix. I do have some really fun pix of Deb dancing, but love her too much to post them (though it's a series of very flattering shots of your posterior). All in all it was a fun night! Continuing it tonight with a few more folks that don't have to head back to their home states quite yet.

My new "must have" music

2008-11-20T23:59:00.004-05:00

http://www.joshuaradin.com/

Ok, maybe I'm late to the Joshua Radin party, but you must find the means to acquire this man's new CD "Simple Times". Then, after you listen to his rich, folky voice (with what sounds like a hint of Irish influence) and his mello guitar sounds, read his story.

I love that he took a stand against the big music machine, sooo gutsy and risky (being a long time underwriter, I am risk-averse and therefore totally envy his intestinal fortitude). I hope he's the next household name and that big music scores this one as a huge loss. Seriously, Columbia/Sony thought there was no top 40 hit here? Sheep need not apply.

I need to go listen to "One of Those Days" again now...

Sturbridge Tournament

2008-11-15T22:52:00.004-05:00

Spent last night and today at the karate tournament in Sturbridge. Julia's been practicing night and day b/c she was determined to get a "big" trophy this time. Now, this was only their 2nd tournament ever and the competition tends to be fierce. The kids did an AMAZING job. They both knew their "1 Kata" cold and used all the practice and techniques they've been learning. They each got participant trophies today which is great because they definitely earn them getting up in front of all those people to do what they do! (But I still think Julia got hosed in her division. Just saying.)

Judge for yourself...

It's the most wonderful time of the year...!

2008-11-13T22:35:00.004-05:00

Yes, to me Christmas has officially begun. It started when Neil and I compiled our buying list on Saturday and I started wrapping on Sunday. I've spent the week shopping, re-ordering Christmas cards (long story) and generally getting into the Christmas spirit.

We have started some new homework rules, for those of you playing the home game, and one of the perks is a periodic celebration. The kids are left largely on their own to complete homework now (which is going REALLY well according to us and both of their teachers in conferences this past week) and when you complete a long term assignment you get a celebration. Devin had both a book report (# 2 of 10 due this year) and a Current Events topic which is written and an oral presentation to the class. Coming on the heels of those we told him he could pick a dinner out tonight to celebrate. He chose Olive Garden (shocking) and they both wanted to go see Santa (yeah!!).

Our mall Santa rocks. They import him from South Carolina every year. All hair is his own. He is my hero every year. This year our mall adapted last year's theme (reusing snow globes and the like - yeah, recycle!!) to be something to do with the Polar Express.

Happy memories of tonight - being in the snow globe, watching the snow fall on us and seeing Julia's face full of joy and wonder as she looked up at the snow. It was almost like a movie that played in slow motion. I'll never forget it. I was wiping tears away when we got to Santa.

When we got to Santa he amazed them with his recollection of their names (though later they both confessed they thought we told the workers their names - busted) and although Devin chose to sit "next" to Santa rather than on his lap, I was thrilled that, at age 9, he's still wanting to see him. Julia chose the "lap" option which made me glow. She's still my baby, after all.

They had a great chat with Santa, and I caught his eye on the walk away and mouthed "Thanks." Thanks for one more year of wonder, belief and the joy of being a kid. Thanks for that early Christmas gift for me, which I'll not soon forget. It will be only too soon before they shun the notion of the mall Santa and the real one, for that matter. I for one, still believe.

So, yes, it's Christmas time for me now.

P.S. Our mall did a brilliant thing this year and teamed up with Shutterfly for the pictures. Shutterfly sent me a $10 off coupon for the mall Santa pix. For $23 I got a reusable flash drive with our picture loaded on it and a $25 Shutterfly card-maker coupon to make prints of the photo. Such a deal!!

Nine? Continued...

2008-11-05T00:23:00.002-05:00

A few more pix from last night...

a big Happy Birthday shout out to Oompa too! Devin and his Oompa have the same birthday, how cool is that?? Birthday boy # 2 in the red sweater!!

Nine?

2008-11-05T00:08:00.002-05:00

Well, the last single digit birthday for Dev has come and gone. Hard to believe my "baby" is 9? He'd be horrified if he heard me call him that. I'll also share another funny story from Halloween. I was on the door while Neil and the kids trick or treated. Three girls rang the bell, cute costumes, candy handed out etc. When I hear..."Tell Devin we said hello!" I looked a little harder at the girls and realized I knew 2 of them from Dev's school. A few giggles followed as I stood stunned at the door. Has this already started?? Ack, I just sprouted another gray hair.

But, back to the birthday boy...we divorced ourselves from the whole election night and held his family party last night. It was really a lot of fun. It's the kind of night that I hope my kids will remember from childhood. A whole mess of family sitting around a big table, laughing and enjoying each other. Devin was in his glory. My Mom ordered the BEST cake for him. It's an Indiana Jones cake with the boulder that actually rolls down. Little frosting "vines" were swirled all over it. It could be the best birthday cake I've seen. Devin even had a few bites, which I consider tremendous progress for the boy who's been having some allergy related anxiety over food. All in all a great day!