Vacation Fun

He'll be leaving for college before I know it...

St. Nora of the Drama Queens

Jennifer was recently writing about her long history with Wonder Woman. But she also mentions another Strong Girl Family Favorite.
Picture Book of Saints.

I don't know how many hours my sisters and I spent poring over this epic tome. I chose the confirmation name Cecelia because she had the prettiest picture in the book. Seriously. We also would "Play Saints". My favorite to play was St. Agnes. She was tied up and starved (if memory serves) because she wouldn't marry Sempronius' son. First he tried to burn her at the stake but the fire wouldn't touch her so he immediately beheaded her. Anyway...I might have to pick up a copy for some light summer reading.

Dexter and Zach are working hard to keep the band together. Sometimes their creative differences cause some problems, but harmony prevails.

So Dexter was successfully Christened on Sunday. It was a nice service and a great party afterward. Dex is blessed to be part of several families who are kind and generous and a lot of fun.

6.26.04

Three years ago I made a pretty smart move.



Happy Anniversary Babe.

Happy Birthday to my Mom!

Love,
One of your noisy chicks...

A surprise in my garden this year is the Celosia. (Due to my adolescent sense of humor I can't call it by its common name: Cockscomb.) Last year I planted them in back and they were quickly eaten by squirrels, but they are thriving in the front yard. I think it looks like I have a lollipop garden.

Between errands today Dexter and I caught up on our celebrity gossip.

Photo Essay: How do I manage to find some alone time?

The boys like to sleep in.

December 22nd:


February 18th:


June 16th:

That picture never gets old to me. (And to those worrywarts out there: Dexter is sleeping quite happily in his crib, however, on the weekends we can get another hour or two of sleep out of him by moving him to our bed.)

She does, in fact, meander...

(Due to the angle of the photo Dexter's head looks ENORMOUS! I swear I didn't Photoshop this to make him look like a Baby Bobblehead. He's still the CBE!)

I celebrated the start of summer vacation with a nap in the hammock with the little man and a long walk in the neighborhood with little and big man. And I am sitting here this morning with two months and two weeks of vacation time ahead of me feeling that I am, perhaps, one of the luckiest people in the world. I am enjoying a quiet moment of calm, feet up, while Joel and Dex are sleeping upstairs. One reason for this joy I feel right now is the anticipation of the long days of summer that stretch out ahead of me. So I went to my trusty friend Google to see what words of wisdom people have to offer about "anticipation". (I know I am a freak...I know it is 6:30 in the morning. However, this non-coffee drinker feels in the morning the way most people feel at about noon or one. Then by eight at night I am drooling into my Entertainment Weekly while Joel encourages me to go to bed.) Anyway, imagine my surprise to learn that most of the commonly quoted people don't find "anticipation" in and of itself to be a particularly good thing:

“Expecting is the greatest impediment to living. In anticipation of tomorrow, it loses today.” -Seneca (hmm... fine. Way to put a damper on my post "ancient Roman philosopher".)

“If pleasures are greatest in anticipation, just remember that this is also true of troubles” -Elbert Hubbard (I'd be focused on my troubles too if my name was Elbert.)

“The poetry is all in the anticipation, for there is none in reality” -Mark Twain (Oh Samuel, you had me at 'a good walk spoiled'.)

Since I can't find anyone else to summarily describe my current bliss I'll have to do it myself: I don't have to go to work for the next eleven Mondays.

I heart google...

I always wondered why the Beatles cursed Sir Walter Raleigh for being such a stupid git. It turns out it is because he introduced the tobacco plant to England. To those of you who are saying duh right now keep in mind that my smoking experience is limited to two Capris behind Michelle Batistella's pool in eighth grade.

Dexter's new trick

Kiddo performed a new trick while visiting Great Grandma today.

Found on my tire yesterday morning

Cicada on death row


Cicada on death row

This little piggy is six months old.

I'm in a blog rut...

so I'm going to answer Jen's meme. (At least then I'll have updated this week).

A - Attached or Single?: Attached at the hip.
B - Best Friend?: Joel...and superlatives are hard, but I'm so glad I have some good friends who have been around for nearly twenty years and nearly fifteen years.
C - Cake or Pie?: Pie. Banana Cream.
D - Drink of Choice?: A well-made Margarita. Least favorite drink? A poorly made Margarita.
E - Essential Items?: books and my laptop...so I can get to the internet...I am a junkie.
F - Favorite Color?: red
G - Gummie Bears or Worms?: Worms.
H - Hometown?: Chicago
I - Indulgence?: Buying new books.
J - January or February?: February because it is one month closer to spring and summer.
K - Kids?: If you read this blog and don't know about my kid I worry about your comprehension skills.
L - Life is incomplete without?: sunshine
M - Marriage Date?: 6-26-04
N - Number of Siblings?: 2 sisters
O - Oranges or Apples?: Apples
P - Phobias/Fears?: Offending people... and it is a really debilitating fear.
Q - Favorite Quote?: "The fault dear Brutus is not in our stars, but in our selves that we are underlings." (Shakespeare...I am an English teacher. I torture my students with this one.)
R - Reason to smile?: Nine days until summer vacation!
S - Seasons?: Spring, Summer, and Fall with a little bit of winter to appreciate the others.
T - Tags?: ditto what Jen said.
U - Unknown Fact About Me?: I think I'm over karaoke. I'm heartbroken about it.
V - Vegetarian or oppressor of animals?: Proud carnivore.
W - Worst Habit?: Saying too much to too many.
X - X-rays or ultrasounds?: Have you seen the Thelonius ultrasound?
Y - Your favorite food?: steak on the rarer side
Z - Zodiac?: Leo

Family resemblance

So I always hear how much Dexter looks like Joel, and he does. I still like to point out the other family resemblances. This is a picture of Dexter's great grandfather, Richard Welch.

Mr. Dex goes to Washington

Here are fun photos of our trip to DC.
Here Dexter is very interested in his luggage tags.

The girls in front of Margaret's fancy Georgetown apartment.

Dexter in front of the White House expressing his views on the current administration.


What's that thing growing out of my head?

Granny Mary knows the best secret views of the Potomac.

Auntie Katherine was a trooper and carried Dexter up all the steps of the Lincoln Monument.

200!

(This is my 200th post to Meander...too bad it's so lame.) I can't keep up with all
the requests for Dexter pictures. We had a great time in DC except I forgot my camera. I will post about it (and Dexter's first flight) as soon as I get the disposable camera developed.

In the meantime...this is from last week. It was one of the 40 degree days not an 80 degree day.

Goodbye burrito baby.

Well the sad day has arrived when Dexter doesn't want to be swaddled much any more. Consequently we are all adjusting to new sleep habits. Happily we learned that not only is he a snuggler, but two fisted snuggling really helps him fall asleep.

Mother's Day

Today was my first mother's day. It was a nice day even though I didn't get the long morning in bed that I dreamed of.

Dexter and Joel sure enjoyed it.


This little boy also had a lot of fun with his feet.

And finally... thank you Martha and David. I love my Mother's day present.

Joel's 40!

Last night was Joel's 40th birthday. His party was great. (Except we didn't get to bed until after 3. Way.Too.Late for this mama.) Thanks to everyone who came out. We feel so lucky to have so many people we care about ready to celebrate with us.

Older woman...

2:39
Originally uploaded by NKB.

Dex likes to hang out with our next door neighbor, Lenora. I think he has a little crush. He stares at her and giggles whenever he sees her. He is impressed by her mad skills...walking, sticking out her tongue, having teeth and knowing some words.

So I am an idiot and don't know how to rotate this video. (It isn't the same as rotating a picture... I know that much.) Anyway, if you feel like watching sideways, here is Dex having fun on the jumperoo. Oh yeah, and...the best part is at the end so watch the whole minute if you have time.

9:35

9:35
Originally uploaded by NKB.

I am trying to do this so I have been taking a lot of pictures today. Rather than submit though I am just going to let them stand as a day in my life. I'll be adding to it throughout the day. If this isn't your cup of tea, feel free not to look at it. I think my day was interesting... I know that the rest of the world might not necessarily agree.

Happy Birthday Jen & Iain

No this isn't Dexter and me. It is a 25 year old Jennifer and a seven month old Iain in December of 1997. (My college graduation weekend.) I love you both. (And Iain... have fun at that sleepover tonight.)

There are a lot of bad shows on TV. Tongiht I watched one of the worst ones. October Road is horrible. It is as if it is 1994 and several cheesey freshman English majors were locked in a room and forced to write a TV show. Insert witty banter here. Now it is time for a metaphor! Look we can mix in a soliloquy. See Professor? I did learn my literary terms.

Where have I been? Mostly slammed at work, but this weekend I was at the farm and in Charleston. My nephew Iain just got his black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and some of the family went down to celebrate.


The weather and the company was nice. Rory was so funny. She teased us all weekend. She loved the curlers because she thought they made her look like Shirley Temple.



Dexter was a good boy as usual. Here he was so happy he was going to fly away.

Sunday brunch with Ol' Blue Eyes

Portrait of a Mommy Blogger

Hmm. How can I torture my parents? I know! I'll suddenly mix it up a little, just when they think they know me so well. They said I am a good sleeper. Famous last words.

Hoppy Easter

Doing my homework...

So Woodland Mama has given us another topic to blog about. This time it is embarrassing moments. I used to get embarrassed by everything that my parents did or said, but felt that everything I did or said was the epitome of cool so I don't think too many things stick out under the banner of "most embarrassing". Plus, I was never shy or introverted so I wouldn't have been embarrassed, say, asking an old lady to zip up my skorts. In fact, I would have chatted with her about how they don't make clothes like they used to and wouldn't you like to go get a club soda with me? There is a bathing suit incident from Michigan, but I have told and re-told that story so many times that it no longer embarrasses me either. But upon giving the matter some thought, there are certain elements of my teenage years that make me cringe today. First of all, if you had asked me when I was a junior in high school where I liked to shop the most, my answer would have honestly been the Disney Store. My prized possession was my maroon and navy blue Mickey Mouse baseball cap. I wore it with the rim bent in a "U" shape with my ponytail and scrunchie threaded through the hole in the back. I spent my tip money from Bac-N-Eggs on Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and Beauty and the Beast stickers that I would seriously pass around at school to everyone I knew insisting that they put it on their shirt. I bought Happy Meals so that I could have the Disney toy that came with them and I'd glue them on the dashboard of my car or play with them during study hall. I thought this made me quirky, now it makes me want to hide my face.

Dad and Dex...

enjoy a Wednesday morning jam session.