Colin and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary.
This picture sums it up perfectly. The two of us, facing the world together with a smile. Or a smirk, as the case may be. (Our best attempt at Zoolander’s “Magnum.”)
I love this man. I love the life we share. It’s perfectly imperfect, full of mayhem and disappointments, dedication and love. And best of all, it’s full of laughter.
Happy anniversary, Colin. There’s no one I’d rather spend my days with than you.
This kid is now eight. How it happened so quickly, I just do not know.
We had Jared, Evelyn, and Miriam visiting so we celebrated Warren’s birthday with family.
Jared drew this amazing chalk birthday greeting from Yoda.
“A happy birthday you will have. Yes.”
When Warren woke up, he saw a decorated bathroom mirror, courtesy of Dad.
“Happy Birthday, Warren. Pick a face!” with a Frankenstein monster, a cowboy, and an alien drawing. Insert your face here.
We had pancakes with sprinkles for breakfast.
(Though not pictured here, it was also topped with a lime cream filling used in the delectable cream puffs left over from Pam and Kevin’s wedding.)
And for dinner, pasta with meatballs.
Followed by chocolate cupcakes frosted with the ubiquitous lime cream filling. That stuff got around. Good thing it was so tasty!
Oh, Warren. You are undeniably a big kid now. It makes me so happy to see all the things you can do on your own. I love how much you think about things and consider the world around you. It’s amazing to see you becoming your own person, making decisions about things on your own terms. Sometimes I get frustrated by how you tackle situations, but I know I need to stand back and let you fall, let you learn for yourself how this crazy, wonderful world works. I hope you will always come to me and your dad the way you do now to check in and seek guidance. May your love of Legos and all things creative, your artistic talents and need to invent bring you fulfillment and joy your whole life through.
We love you, Warren. Happy 8th year!
Colin’s mother got remarried Saturday. I never publicly stated on this blog that she and Colin’s dad had divorced, but they did. I was reluctant to tell the story because it’s not mine to tell.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t heartbroken at the breakup. In fact, it contributed to many dark days and a sadness for our family that still continues to linger.
But, as in all things, moving on is a necessity. The time had come.
This is how she looked on her wedding day this weekend and this look is what matters. May they always find joy like this in each other.
Jared and Laura graciously let us borrow their Wii gaming system when I came home from visiting them. Having it “on loan only” has been a great way for us to play without committing to video games becoming a part of our lives.
However, that doesn’t mean our kids haven’t flocked to this particular entertainment medium like white on rice.
In fact they can’t get enough. Especially Maddie. Almost every day she asks if she can play Golf.
But before you agree that practicing virtually is okay because it prepares you for real life play, think again. Maddie has her own flair for the sport. Not only does she have a backhand serve suited more to tennis but her main goal in playing is to have her golf ball land in the sand trap. As in she aims for it. Or the water. Whenever her ball falls in she yells, “kerSPLOOSH!” If the ball reaches her intended destination she shrieks with joy, ” I DID IT!” We are, of course, quite proud of her accomplishments, blazing new paths in the world of golf. She also enjoys coaching, if you’re interested.
Jake and Joey don’t have the same drive (ba dum bum) to reach any goals, in particular, but they sure love to play. They are (mostly) really good at waiting and taking turns. It’s easier since they know to wait until they see their little avatars, one dressed in blue (Jake) and the other green (Joe).
Good old video games. A colossal waste of time that never gets old.
I foresee many tears when our loaner system heads back to its original owners.
1,620 minutes. That’s how long Warren read total during his school’s Eager Reader program that lasted over a month.
And he’s really gotten into it, too. Reading has not always come easily for him. He’s taken off in the last few months. You can often find him curled up on the couch with a book in hand. Most likely, it will be one of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. Sometimes we’d have to drag him away from his story to do something pesky like eat dinner. He hardly ever wanted to put the book down to be bothered.
We’re so grateful that he took this challenge seriously and worked hard to fit reading into his daily schedule. More than that, we’re grateful that he actually likes to read now. It’s inspiring others in our household to spend hours pouring over books, as well.
While I was gone on my trip to Boston, and Colin was left to fend for himself with four little squirrely kids, he decided to distract them with creative play. Necessity is the mother of invention, they say, and the need to placate active little bodies led to the creation of a new game: Monster Hunters. Little hunters seek out the terrible, ferocious Daddy Monster, wherever he may be hiding. Here are the rules, in case you want to play:
1. Seekers find a safe “base” and count to 10 while the “monster” hides in a distant location.
2. Brave seekers venture out slowly to hunt the monster, sometimes in packs, sometimes solo.
3. Once the monster is located he barges out of hiding and chases down the little seekers as they squeal in delight terror.
4. Repeat the process about 20 times over.
The first thing we did before we moved into our new home was hire people to remove the narrow walkway of dark green tile from the front door that spread into the kitchen, pull out the carpeting on the remaining flooring of the downstairs and paint the entire house bright, straight-out-of-the-can white to be our base color. Goodbye pink walls!
Our contract allowed us a few colors in addition to the main house color. Some accent walls to liven up the joint. So for the kitchen we went big. We went green. I absolutely love it.
Here are the “Before & After” shots (although I should probably refer to them as “Before and In Progress” like the awesome interior design blog “Young House Love” so often does), so you can get an idea of how far we’ve come with just a few adjustments.
Here is a better picture of the new flooring since the angle I used in the first shot in haste and then recreated has a limited view. Luxury vinyl in wide planks. I highly recommend over real wood or laminate for a house with little kids.
So, so much to be done. Like adding window treatments (I’m thinking a fun pattern for a simple valance), new countertops, and some decent appliances, especially a gas range. Electric stoves and I don’t get along. But all in good time.
For now, I’m just thankful that the Dusty Rose/Mauve look is a distant memory.
I don’t really know how we stumbled on it but Maddie and I have become quite fond of watching Everyday Food with Sarah Carey cooking videos. It was probably because I was looking up some recipe and Maddie spied the video icon while glancing over my shoulder. The girl cannot resist media in any form. She begged to watch one and one turned into three and three into six.
Pretty soon we’d seen nearly all of the recipe demos. But that doesn’t stop Maddie from asking for more almost daily. I don’t mind, though. I enjoy Sarah’s style, she’s quirky and fun, and I find her recipes quite tasty. I’ve made several after seeing them on the screen. Our favorite has been the Bacon and Escarole Pizza. Oh, mama! Bacon? On pizza? Yes, please! Other goodies are the Vegetable and Tofu Pad Thai, the Beef Skewers with Scallions, and the Croque Madame Sandwiches.
Many times, after we’ve watched one together, we’ll head over to our kitchen and try an easy one out or just make an old stand by that we love. Usually a cookie one because who can resist making cookies, really?
I love this little pastime we’ve started together.
I had no business making hand made robot Valentines for Warren’s classmates, especially after returning from a long trip away from my family, but I did. With Colin’s help, we assembled these little suckers 24 times over.
Using boxes of Craisins, Starburst, pipe cleaner, sparkly heart stickers, googly eyes (for crying out loud!), and a sign that read, “I’m nuts and bolts about you!” we hot glued the robot together.
That’s what I get for giving him free reign to pick an idea off my Valentine’s Day Pinterest board.
Next year, it’s a package of Angry Birds cards straight from the supermarket!
One day, the boys decided to climb into Warren’s bed, slip under the covers, and declare that they are Renny. Nenny, as the pronounce it.
We tucked them in as they giggled and proceeded to ask them about their day… Did they have fun at school? Did they ride their bicycle? Did they go play in the forest? All activities Big Brother Nenny does every day.
It’s adorable to hear them shout, “I be Nenny! I be Nenny!” as they make themselves comfortable. Even Maddie gets into the act sometimes.
I have to admit, if they’re going to emulate any big kid, I’m glad it’s their wonderful oldest brother.
