For my "second self, my best earthly companion"...

"I am yours,

and you are mine;

and we shall leave earth,

and make our own heaven yonder."

Do you remember where we were last year at this time?

In the middle of all the urban noise, do you recall

the strange quietness that we found together

as we lay on the grass east of the Bethesda Fountain?

Did you, like me, close your eyes

and wish the moment would last longer?

~

I am yours.

And I'm incredibly humbled, grateful,

and surprised that I can call you mine.

Someday, we will leave this earth

and together make our own heaven yonder.

But in the meantime,

I treasure the heaven we've made together here.

~

Happy anniversary

to the one who has the ability

to make everything and everyone

around us seem still,

until only we exist.

~

getting "on track" with my birthday...

Last week while Brett was out of town, the kids and I celebrated my birthday by hopping onto Frontrunner and seeing "Rio" at the Gateway - suuuuuuuper fun!

Help! What do you do with a kid who...

• seems to have no remorse?


• would rather ask forgiveness than permission?


• would rather do the time if it means he can do the crime?

------------------

Today was a classic example of said child's literally "shameLESS" personality:

He played with play-dough happily for an hour.
When he was done he sat amongst bits of green play-dough scattered all over the kitchen counter along with the toy tools for the clay. He told me he was hungry and asked if he coudl have a banana.

"Sure," I said cheerfully (really, I said it cheerfully). "I'm happy to get you a banana as soon as you clean up the play-dough."

Weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth ensued. Apparently, I was being terribly unfair.

"I think you're just making me do it because you don't want to do it," my astute and sharp-as-a-tack son observed. (Wow, nothing gets by him.)

"You're absolutely right. Why should I clean up your mess? It will only take you a minute to do it and then you can sit and enjoy your banana."

I went upstairs to put the laundry in the dryer and when I came back down he was sitting on the couch playing with a different toy.

I stopped in my tracks and took a deep breath. "This is so sad, but I want you to know you will not be getting a banana until you clean up that play-dough."

Without even looking up at me, he continued to play with the toy and declares, "I decided I'm not cleaning it up. I decided you can do it."

Breathe, I told myself. Then I began counting inside my brain in attempt to not ring my child's neck. One, Two, Three, Four... "Wow, then this is really sad because if I have to clean it up you won't get to play with play-dough anymore."

He shrugged his shoulders and said with resignation, "That's okay. In a few days I'll get to play with it again and that's okay."

I started to clean it up and tell him, "I'm sorry you feel that way. It makes me sad that you're not willing to clean up your messes and that you are okay with making mommy do it. That's so sad that you would treat me that way. And it won't be just a few days. It will be for a few weeks that you won't get to play with the play-dough."

"Oh, well, that's okay too because guess what, Mom? I already ate my banana. I ate it while you were upstairs." Smug little son-of-a...

Opening the garbage I see that sure enough there is a freshly discarded banana peel in the top of the heap.

So now he's grounded from having any snacks between meals for the rest of today and tomorrow, but I am so sick of this attitude! This kid feels no regret for bad choices and certainly feels no sorrow or sincerity in his penitence.

He honestly just
DOES
NOT
CARE
how his choices make other people feel.

I know he's only 4 1/2 but that's old enough to have compassion, feel some degree of responsibility, and have a desire to not make wrong choices.

WHAT DO I DO?????

top 5 reasons why Costco is evil:

5. Artichoke Jalapeno Cheese Dip

4. The cute black metal two-seater

patio bench for only $40

(can you believe it?!)

that I've been eyeballing for two

springtimes in a row now.

3. The TRIPLE-DVD set of all the

Anne Of Green Gables

movies for only $50!!! So cheap and yet

just enough coin it's considered a splurge!

2. breathtaking Floral Bouquets

that are difficult to walk by without thinking,

"for just $9 I could have a beautiful

centerpiece on my kitchen counter for the week!"

And the #1 Reason...

.....

.....

.....

(drumroll please)

.....

.....

.....

Their Chocolate Tuxedo Cake!!!

$2? do I hear $2? whoa, baby!

Tonight Carson told me he wanted me to go to the store and buy a baby.
I asked him where?

He said matter-of-factly, "The baby store."

"I don't know if I can afford it - babies are expensive, you know."

"No they're not, Mom."

"Oh? Well how much do money do you think I'll need to buy one?"

"Hmmm...", he says tapping his head with his finger, "maybe two dollars?"

"T" is for TERRIFIC. (Or T-Ball...)

It's been a blast attending the boys' t-ball games. Carson needs a reminder to run to first base after hitting the ball, but what he lacks in speed he more than makes up for in cuteness with that huge helmet on his head! All the younger kids look like they're going to topple over from the weight of it. Wyatt zoomed around all the bases and brought in a point for The Volcanoes when he reached Home Base. It was very exciting!

Carson made it around the bases, but stopped
when he reached Home and had to be reminded to
touch his foot on the plate - all these "technicalities"!!!

Here's Wyatt coming into home!

said by Halle this morning when she wasted enough time I couldn't do her hair for school and she had to settle for a ponytail she did herself:

"It's not fair!

Now I'm going to go to school

looking like a FREAK!"

more Carsonisms

Carson: "Mom, when am I going to grow up? It's taking forever!"

------------

Carson: "Me and Wyatt are going to be on T.V. when we grow up."
Me: "Really? How?"
Carson: "Wyatt's going to be a football guy coach and you know that race car show Daddy watches [Nascar]? Well, I'm going to drive the race car on there."

------------

Carson: "Mom, you're pretty."
Me: "Thank you, Carson."
Carson: "I mean, your kind of pretty and your also kind of ugly, but you're more pretty than ugly."
Me: [SIGH.] "Thanks, Bud."

Won't you be my valentine?, Part 1

Every morning on V-Day, I make a sinful, scrumptious breakfast. Last year it was chocolate crepes. This year, it was...

Strawberry French Toast made with Chunky Cinnamon Bread!

The kids also got a small bag of treats,
like stickers, red & pink jelly bellies, socks, chocolate chapstick, etc.

I can't talk V-Day without sharing a couple new pictures of my

most recent valentine, Ms. Ruby Roo.

She is getting big! She's 2 1/2 pounds and

full of feistiness! (word?)

Won't you be my valentine?, Part 2

The week leading up to Valentine's, Brett had been in Phoenix for a full week, so needless to say we were both very much looking forward to our special datenight. We always celebrate V-Day early, since we hate the crowds on the actual day and our first date was actually on Feb. 5th (eleven years ago!). It was a great opportunity for us to use the Market Street Grill giftcard Santa had left in my Christmas stocking, and perfect timing, too since they were having their Crab Festival (which tasted heavenly, BTW).

-

While we waited for our meal, I had Brett open his gift. Now, typically we don't exchange V-Day gifts because both of us would prefer a really nice datenight instead, but this year I realized there was something my sweet husband could honestly use after I'd been forced to drive the truck the entire time he was in Arizona. That week happened to have been a cold one, with several chilly snowstorms hitting the Wasatch Front. I could now fully appreciate how lousy it has been for him to hop into a FREEZING truck every morning - one that seems to require driving 4-5 miles before the air hits a notch above arctic!

-

Here's his gift (first, the "oh-so-crafty

and oh-so-funny-if-I-do-say-so-myself card"):

Ooooooooh! A remote-start kit and key!

Thanks for revving my engine babe - I love you.