This is the sight that greeted me when I was awakened at 7AM this morning. Apparently, a good old rousing game of jump-on-the-bed resulted in a fall into the corner of Colin's desk. Yeah---I know it's gross, but it tells the story, dontcha think?!

It ended up being better than it first appeared, but there's a chance I'll be headed in for a stitch or some glue tomorrow, because the gash is deeeeep and was still bleeding a bit 15 hours later.

Poor kid got his palate expander in at the orthodontist last week, and we are using a tool to ratchet that thing out each day for 4 weeks...which has caused aching in the jaw & some headaches for the past few days. And now THIS??

The poor kid, dude. He's the man, though...it's like he just never learned to complain.

And yes...I DID actually take a picture BEFORE getting him any aid. Cause that is also how we roll!

Colin's swimming from Jennifer Farris on Vimeo.

As many of you who know Colin's "story" are aware, he has always been a bit of a slow-starter in most things physical. Not walking until 2, tricky time drinking out of a cup still at 3, peddling a bike came late at 5, and so on.

He had taken swimming lessons with his best pal Luke a couple of years ago, and he hadn't exactly kicked butt & taken names, if you know what I'm sayin'. I let him quit, and just assumed that swimming would come. Problem is, Colin often has a mind-over-matter issue where there is no apparent physical issue. Swimming this summer was no different.

As of about 3 weeks ago, Colin was terrified to go into a pool without water wings. About 2 weeks ago, Colin mistakenly went into water that was over his head, about crapped his pants, and struggled to the side of the pool. And last week? Last week, Colin DECIDED to swim. I say decided because Colin very clearly didn't "learn" to swim, he just reached inside himself and was BRAVE ENOUGH to try. And that is my boy. That has been my boy's story all along, and that is why there are tears in my eyes right now.

And this is my boy today. On the big slide at our community pool. Not the little slide. Or the middle slide. The big slide.

Love you, baby.

Kids went down to the garden earlier to pick the crazy-over-producing grape tomatoes, and came running back up to the house with this.

MOM!!! THIS TOMATO LOOKS LIKE A BUTT!!!! CAN WE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PUT IT ON THE BLOG???

Well, of course we can---cause that's just how we roll...

Another hike today! This was just a quickie, only 2 1/2 hours up & back and an elevation of only 2850. It was funny because Colin asked me not once but twice why we did such an easy one, and when were we going to go on one that was harder. Crazy boy...it was, after all, 90 degrees today. The breezes at the summit were appreciated!

I decided to let the kids control the picture taking for this one, which is why you see about 3 or 4 good pictures. The others were Colin's butt, Sydney's butt, up Colin's nose, up Sydney's nose, an eye here or there, some tufts of grass, out-of-focus clouds, and the like. I took a couple of the kids just so it wouldn't be a total loss. You're welcome for the closeup of my teeth. No orthodontics...can you believe it?

One highlight was Colin getting to see the scenic railway train from the summit; we've never actually seen anything on the tracks from up there. SO...this resulted in him practically SPRINTING down the mountain to catch it at the base depot before it took off. You'll see by the picture that we made it (although Sydney bloodied her knee in the rush!)...and it very quickly became his very favorite memory from today. We even had to find the conductor (in the bathroom, the poor dude) to ask when they were pulling out. Luckily, it was within minutes, so Colin got to watch it leave. Bliss.

Last hike of the summer next week...praying for temps below like, ummm, 90?!

Buried them there kids at the beach today, I did. Hilarity ensued.

The postcards telling kids which teacher they've been assigned for the next school year came in the mail this past weekend. And know what? THREE girls called Colin today (girls calling boys? geesh) to see who he'd gotten for a teacher. Oh, and one email from Emilie, of course.

And know what ELSE? I feel pretty good about that.

(I'm also feeling very good about the fact that he got Mrs. Thompson for 3rd grade rather than the unfortunately-married-named Mrs. Butt. I'm not mature enough for that...someone at school clearly has my back.)

So, anyway, Colin...you go on with your bad self, killah...

Casey Jame - Killing Me from Matt Underwood on Vimeo.

I'm mostly just so excited about this because I actually figured it out...which is no small FEAT! But, for those of you under a rock who haven't heard, this is my niece, Miss Casey Jame Shuler. The video is from her live performance in Louisville, KY a couple of months ago synced with the original track from her EP.

So proud of this one, and so glad I've figured out a way to link her video here, so you can go PLEASE! TELL ME HOW I CAN FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS GIRL! And I can go...HERE! You can find her self-titled CD (Casey Jame) on Itunes and at Amazon.com. You can also see her at www.caseyjame.com or go to her myspace page at www.myspace.com/caseyjame. Not enough? Follow her on Twitter! Facebook! Flickr! And even better? Buy some of her merchandise so that her dad will maybe have enough left over to leave me a little somethin' somethin' in the will!

Congrats, Casey! Love you, Missy!

Sam & Pooch...looking forward to their civil union...

Yup--you're not seeing things. That dog really IS that big. And Pooch really IS that small.

We're dog sitting my friend Sarah's horse---errr, dog---for the week, and things are going just about as swimmingly as you'd expect. We've put a dog who is stupid enough to bark at his own reflection in a mirror in a small space with a 400 pound puppy. They take turns being scared to death of each other. There have been loud barking competitions, much wrestling, and the customary fights over rawhide.

One thing we didn't anticipate? The humping. Oh, the constant humping. On Sam's part, not our Pooch's.

Which, honestly, is akin to watching a hippopotamus make sweeeeet luuuuurve to a squirrel.

A study in contrasts...

Did God allow a mother's children to have such very different personalities so that on any given day there would only be ONE you wanted to strangle? I can't say who it really was during the day today, but it was both of them for many of the same reasons tonight. I actually wanted to just contrast the two little monkey's personalities in this post with a couple of recent stories, but I've just had to go up the stairs for the HUNDREDTH time since they were put to bed an hour ago. I got sidetracked.

Okay. Illustration one:

Both kids got balloons at a cookout thing a couple of weeks ago. Time to go home...I remind them both that sometimes the transfer to the car can be the trickiest part of balloon ownership---so careful. Colin immediately asks if he can please stuff his in the trunk so there will be NO RISK of losing it. Sydney? She decides to play balloon vs. sunroof the whole way home, and promptly LOSES it. Tears and gnashing of teeth ensue. And you know what happens NEXT? Colin no longer wants his if she can't have one too. Grrrr.... Mommy & Sydney have small talk about personal responsibility for the benefit of Colin.

Illustration two:

I have just made chocolate chip cookies, and they are still so hot. Like, the chips are made of molten lava at this point. I offer the kids a cookie when they cool. Colin would like his to please be put into the fridge so that there will be no chance of getting burned or any unpleasantness. Sydney steals one while my back is turned, burns her tongue on a hot chocolate chip, and runs screaming from the room. She will not return with kind words for me or my stupid cookies for at least 15 minutes. Colin is left shaking his head. Second talk about personal responsibility. He smiles.

Illustration three:

We went to Barnes & Noble bookstore today...one of our very favorite things to do. Spent a good long time there, and Colin got a big chapter book. On the drive home, I caught a glimpse of him in the mirror...head down, intently reading, thoroughly engrossed in this actually quite advanced book. I smile to myself, then tip my head a little to get a good look at Sydney. She is staring at herself in the reflection on the window and has a finger stuck up EACH NOSTRIL. She is singing A Spoonful of Sugar to her friend in the window.

Ahhhhhh................

We went on our first hike of the summer today! We decided on a loop that would hit 2 summits, first Welch Mt. and then Dickey Mt. It is billed as a rather challenging loop, but my kids have a truly amazing love for hiking. Like, as in, they're like 20 year olds when we do it. No fear, no exhaustion, and every corner turned is like Christmas. I LOVE it. So, here's the story of our 4.4 mile "loop" hike, as told in pictures, with a couple of other notable hightlights at the end.


1. Here's where we were about 45 minutes into the hike. According to my little trailguide thingy, that should have put us at the first summit, Welch Mountain. We ooh-ed and ahh-ed, and had a big snack. Then, we all shared a good joke about how glad we were that we didn't have to climb that crazy looking sheer cliff in the background! As fate would have it...


2. Here's us standing at NOT EVEN THE TOP of the ACTUAL summit of Welch. Looking down on where we thought was the ACTUAL FRIGGING TOP of Welch. Good joke, huh?


3. Continuing ascent. Colin got a good laugh at the top when he turned around & said "guess what? If I don't use my hands and bend over...I'll totally roll all the way to the bottom". HAHAHAHAAA!!!!


4. Sydney...doing what she calls her "mountain monkey" climb. Trooper.


5. YAY! A summit! Of something! We think we're at the end before our descent, and we roll out our full lunch. Thing is, we are still under the assumption that picture #1 was the summit of Welch, and we are now on Dickey. Again, snarky comments made about the crazy idiots who would want to climb that scary looking thing in the background. Enter a woman who says "are you kids doing the whole loop, or just this summit?". I'm all--this is the end of the loop, as in summit 2, and she's all---yeah, actually, no. See that right there? THAT'S Dickey...see ya at the top!! Kids ask "Mommy, are you sure you packed enough snacks for this?!" Mommy makes mental note to ration...


6. See that there? With the rocky trail? That's where we had lunch, ya know, on Welch, where we thought we were done? This is now 45 minutes AFTER said lunch, still on way up to summit of Dickey.


7. On our descent, both kids yell "Mom! Pooch is here!". And I am completely blown away by the fact that, indeed, Pooch seems to have stowed away in our car, snuck up the mountain, and is now doing his best to camouflage his presence. It's the stillest I've ever seen him sit! (It's a tree stump, folks!)


8. This is back in the car, about 10 minutes out of the park...headed home. I took the picture while flying down the highway at 80, and took it to show how wiped the kids were. But really? Really? All I've done is set myself up for my child endangerment arrest...because look veeery closely....

.....yeah.....Syd's not buckled. Nice. Remedied that immediately.

So, there are about 20 other awesome pictures, but you get the idea. The only other highlights?

**the nice old lady who asked Sydney what was in her backpack, and before she could answer...I said "Mommy's FLASK"! She didn't get the joke.

**there was a group of about 10 boys from a local camp there hiking the same loop. They were all about 15 or 16 years old. They were right along with us most of the 4 1/2 hours, and every SINGLE time we would approach and pass them, Sydney would yell "YOU GUYS GONNA LET A FIVE YEAR OLD GIRL BEAT YOU?!" Sure enough---we beat them down, and they ALL shook her hand. She was in HEAVEN.

**a pit-stop about 3 hours in where BOTH kids decided that no, in fact, they didn't just have to pee, but also both had an immediate and severe need to poop. So, I made it very clear that pooping was something that was really so uncool on a hike, and I sent them a little ways off the path with napkins and strict instructions to NOT SAY THE WORD POOP. They were to act like they were ONLY peeing---or better yet? Collecting flora & neat insects for their 4H club exhibit. Good. Yes. Got it. Then I heard the footsteps. Around the corner comes Henry the very-serious-70-year-old-avid hiker man (walking stick, wool socks, fanny pack, wide-brimmed sensible hat that breathes)...RIGHT as Colin yells, "MOM! THIS POOP IS A WICKED HARD ONE--IT'S GOT STAGE FRIGHT I THINK!". Henry the Hiker stops. Stares at me. I stare back at him. He opens his mouth to say "are you aware that your two monsters are taking CRAPS about a foot off the marked trail?" And I open my mouth to say "are you gonna carry the soiled napkins down the mountain IN YOUR BACKPACK ABOUT 7 INCHES FROM YOUR NOSE, or am I?". Yeah, that's what I thought. Good day, sir.

A FANTASTIC day overall. Tomorrow we head to Boston. Where there will be indoor plumbing.

Overheard last night as we were putting the kids to bed:

ERIC: Uh, oh, Syd. Looks like the Feds were here.

SYDNEY: Huh?

ERIC: Seems your room's been tossed.

SYDNEY: Huh?

Summer is here. Which means...so are the busy days. Busy. Like, unbelievably busy. I am sure I wouldn't want it any other way, but it's busy.

We like to plan our summers to be pretty FULL. We have a method that works for us. You know how during the year, your kids are always asking "can we do ___?" or "can we go to ___?". Most of those things really do sound fun, but all require full days or even overnight trips...which isn't practical during the school year. So, we keep a "summer folder" of flyers, newspaper ads, internet pages, jotted down ideas, maps, brochures, etc. Then, the day after school gets out, we make a fat breakfast & open our folder full of all of the stuff we were interested in during the year. Then we get out the calendar, & plug 'em in! Add to that a beach day each week, library visits on a specified day each week for the summer reading program, 2 hikes a month, and we're BOOKED. It's really great, because having the kids hear no or we can't go is no sweat during the school year... because it just goes into the summer folder!

And---truth be told---it feeds my need to have everything alphabetized, color coded, spreadsheet-ed, and planned. Everyone wins!

So---I'll be posting some pictures of our adventures throughout the summer. Stay tuned, we've got some fun stuff planned! For now---here's a favorite from today:

The kids are going to VBS this week, and today they learned about Abraham & Sarah and their almost-sacrifice of Isaac. Sydney was all "MOM---listen to THIS--"!!! She started in on the story, in excruciating detail (because that's how Sydney rolls), and was really doing a great job of remembering the details. I listened carefully, but then just casually said the name Isaac, because she couldn't seem to remember the son's name. Dead silence. Mad face. Hands on hips. Sydney says, "seriously?? you've HEARD this before?!!" Turns & stomps out of the room. HAHAHAAAAA!!!!!

So, yeah, Sydney. 10 years of Christian school, 4 years of Christian college (okay...3 1/2, but that's another story), ummm....yeah.....I've heard it before.

Sydney does NOT like to be anything but the only know-it-all in the family.

Stay tuned for Summer Spreadsheet of 2009!!

Sydney is at the stage where she can read a few words, but THINKS she can read entire books. She thinks she can read these books because they are books we've read at night for the past so-very-many years, and she's heard them hundreds of times.

One of the favorites is Madeline. A classic. She told me tonight that she would do the reading, and launched off into an almost-perfect recitation of the book...memorized quite impressively.

Until this page. Her rendition went like this: "And all the little girls cried, boohoo, we want our independence changed, too".

Which is amusing for the sole fact that her father and I are on our knees praying every single night that Sydney's independence changes as well.

Ahhhh...irony.

Is there anything that says start-of-summer quite like a Slip & Slide? I can't think of anything.

I also can't think of anything more "real deal" than Colin's hysterically LOSING HIS MIND with glee in the background of that picture of Sydney.

I thought I was telling a story with the expression on Syd's face in that one...but I think Colin kinda steals it, don't you?

Play ball!

Last night we went to see the Sea Dogs (Red Sox farm team) play the NH Fisher Cats. We had a BLAST! Colin & his best buddy Luke were able to go out on the field for a "parade", because they had participated in a reading challenge at school. It was pretty cool. Here are some highlights, chosen strictly because I think they all truly capture the essence of each of us.

Colin? Psyched to be there, totally all in for the fun. Sydney? Psyched strictly for the 4 pounds of peanuts she managed to wolf down in the first 2 innings...and when the peanuts are gone, really? What's the point of even staying awake? And finally Mommy. Ahhhh...Mommy. Well---what do you THINK Mommy was there for?!

I am thoroughly convinced that there is NOTHING
Sydney would not do for gum.

I KNEW IT! I SO KNEW IT!

I was volunteering in Colin's class this afternoon, and his adorable friend Emilie got up from her seat & went to Colin's table to pass him a note. I just winked at him, he winked back at me, but then HE got up & passed HER something a minute or two later.

THEY WERE EXCHANGING DIGITS!! HA!

I found a note in his backpack the other day that had her email address on it...ooohhhh, boy....I had no idea this was gonna start this early. Yikes, but really---awwwwww....!

"Sydney, what is this number?"

16

"ummmm....onety-six?"


Kindergarten, here we come!

Colin just had a birthday a couple of days ago. Eight. Wow. I like to write both of the kids a note or something to celebrate the occasion. It's always a little something about how I feel about them, or who they're becoming, or to reflect on some part of their character or personality as those things develop. I was going to do this for Colin, but he ended up kinda writing it for me yesterday.

His Nana had slipped a ten dollar bill in one of his birthday cards. Colin has been saving---and I mean saving; I've actually given a bank teller a ONE dollar bill before--money in his little bank account. He says he's saving it so that he can "buy a truck when I'm 16". It's almost $150 now, and I'm so proud of him. Anyhow---I was sure he'd want to put that money right in the bank responsible-boy-that-he-is, but thought I'd ask if he'd rather buy a toy or something.

I think it may actually be the first time he's ever considered BUYING rather than SAVING---whose kid IS that? I digress...

So we headed off together to get some toys. I told him specifically in the car that the entire $10 was for him. HIM. Not to buy something for Sydney, not for his friend Luke, not for Daddy or for me...HIM. And, of course, if he had money left over afterward, we'd throw it in the bank. We headed straight for toys. He went down the Barbie aisle. "Just something small-ish for Sydney?" NO!

I redirected him, and we finally got to the aisles that would work for him. He held that $10 bill like it was made of GLASS, and slowly walked up and down the aisle doing the math. There was a really neat thing that he's been wanting, but it was $9.97, and he said he'd rather make the money go farther (it's like he's adopted?!). He finally settled on a toy for $6, and another one that was $2.97. I explained that this was gonna leave him with a dollar or so extra, and he said he knew what he would do with it. I assumed the bank, or maybe some candy in the checkout lane. Whatever. Good. Decision made.

When we got to the checkout counter he told me, "I've got this...I'll take it" (ouch--my heart)---then handed the cashier his two toys and his $10 bill. She handed him back a dollar and change. I was really trying to be quiet & let him handle things, but I gently reminded him that he'd forgotten about spending that last dollar.

He looks at me, cocks his head to the side and says, "do you think they have one of those buckets for the sick kids in the front of the store?".

I took his hand, led him to the display, he folded that dollar into the smallest little wad he could, and put it in the Children's Hospital container.

And then I fell to my knees right there and hugged him just hard enough to make sure that I will never forget what I felt in that very moment.

Colin, you are an amazing boy. You are making a difference every single day, buddy. We are blessed, my friend.

I love you with my whole heart.
Love, Mommy

This is a photo of how I looked when I went OUT IN PUBLIC this afternoon. It was a day that made the top 5 of "what the??" kind of days. Here's the rundown.

1. Morning starts at 6:30 with Colin running down to tell us the potty in his bathroom was "overflowing"---which usually means that it's sounding funny or there's a poop that won't go down. So, I got up & put my contacts in...took my time...but then the kids started YELLING that it was an emergency. DUDE---it was like the movies. The bathroom floor was FLOODED (with clear water, thank God), and the toilet was still flowing over the sides. Flowing. I threw every towel in the place on the floor & tried to get the thing to stop flowing, but nothin'. Then I heard what sounded like a sink on, and realized in HORROR that it was coming from the kitchen. Ran down the stairs. Kitchen lights all POURING water out of the fixtures. Yelling to get Eric, he bolts down & turns off water...then there was much more drama and yelling and crying and standing there in like total shock. Had to cut some of the seams in the sheetrock in the ceiling to release the water & pressure. Long story short: don't know what caused it & don't care. Gonna deal with it.

2. Today's is Colin's birthday (I have an EIGHT year old!), and he was dismayed that the whole Niagra Falls in the kitchen thing was gonna put a damper on the hey-it's-my-birthday-and-there-better-be-monster-truck-shaped-pancakes-for-me thing. Soothed the situation with pancakes that were round --but they were served without me smacking anyone across the face with my spatula. The kids decided to consider that good enough.

3. Cleaning helps my mood & since it was so beautiful out, I decided to clean outside rather than in. Started a raking, weeding, mulching project that ended up taking almost 7 hours to complete. There were about 35 trips up and down the yard with wheelbarrows full of mulch. Looks great out there, but I can't feel my legs/back/arms. The kicker? I managed to upset a nasty swarm of ants...noteworthy because I am ALLERGIC to red ant bites. They were less than happy & stung me all over the place, causing my ears & neck to turn red, swell, and itch like you don't even understand. Ever see the movie Hitch with Will Smith? Yeah---like THAT. awesome.

4. THEN Eric lets me know that yes, in fact, I DO need to go to Staples and pick up his whatevers for his class tonight. And he needs them, oh, like now-ish. So, folks...I went to Staples. I've been out with only minimal makeup & with minimally clean clothes in the past. THIS was something else entirely today. I did not put on ONE BIT of makeup, had actual mulch between my flip-flopped toes, and let's not forget that my neck & ears looked like I just described in #3. Threw on an old hat & rolled. Colin went with me & looked over in the car and said, "wow--mommy--you don't look good at ALL". Thanks.

Honestly, there were a few other things, but you get the idea. I think I'm just gonna call it a day, not operate any heavy machinery (just in case), and hit it early.