Saturday, August 30, 2008

She's walking!!!


Our sweet little Mallory started walking two days ago. It's so cute because she looks like a walking infant (she's in the 3rd percentile for weight). She just made up her mind to do it and never looked back. Jilly loves how she always walks to her first, and Griffin is annoyed that she can now get into his stuff faster ;) I can't believe her first birthday is right around the corner (9/25). Her first year has flown by waaaaaaaay too fast. But I guess the quote from Barbara Kingsolver is true. "It kills you to see them grow up. But I guess it would kill you quicker if they didn't."

Monday, August 25, 2008

The Eagle has landed...

After a year of hard work, Doug finished making the kids' pedal plane today. It's a wooden, totally handmade, Christen Eagle with a working stick and tail wheel. He even made the tail number N4JGM (For Jillian, Griffin, Mallory). The kids (and myself) have been waiting anxiously for months to see it completed. They were beyond excited to take a test flight today, and they were NOT disappointed, complete with the begging and whining for another turn when the other was "flying." Even sweet little Mallory got a turn. She had no idea what to make of it but she grabbed the stick like a pro and smiled her precious smile :) The kids are so happy with their new plane. Now Doug wants a real one to park along side of it, ha ha! Even though he's the best daddy in the world and deserves it, I don't know if I see that happening, but I guess it never hurts to dream, right?!

Saturday, August 2, 2008

I read this when I need a little perspective...

A young mother writes: "I know you've written before about the empty-nest syndrome -- that lonely period after the children are grown and gone. Right now, I'm up to my eyeballs in laundry and muddy boots. The baby is teething; the boys are fighting. My husband just called and said to eat without him, and I fell off my diet. Lay it on me again, will you.''

OK.

One of these days you'll explode and shout to the kids, "Why don't you grow up and act your age?"
......and they will.

OR:

"You guys get outside and find yourselves something to do. And don't slam the door!"
......and they don't.

You'll straighten up the boys' bedroom neat and tidy -- bumper stickers discarded, bedspread tucked and smooth, toys displayed on the shelves. Hangers in the closet. Animals caged. And you'll say out loud, "Now I want it to stay this way.''
.......and it will.

You'll prepare a perfect dinner with a salad that hasn't been picked to death and a cake with no finger traces in the icing, and you'll say, "Now, there's a meal for company.''
.....and you'll eat it alone.

You'll say: "I want complete privacy on the phone. No dancing around. No demolition crews. Silence! Do your hear?''
.....and you'll have it.

No more plastic tablecloths stained with spaghetti.

No more bedspreads to protect the sofa from damp bottoms.

No more gates to stumble over at the top of the basement steps.

No more clothespins under the sofa.

No more playpens to arrange a room around.

No more anxious nights under a vaporizer tent

No more sand on the sheets or Popeye movies in the bathrooms.

No more iron-on-patches, wet, knotted shoestrings, tight boots, or rubber bands for ponytails.

Imagine. A lipstick with a point on it.

No baby sitter for New Year's Eve.

Washing only once a week.

Seeing a steak that isn't ground.

Having your teeth cleaned without a baby on your lap.

No PTA meetings.

No car pools.

No blaring radios.

No one washing her hair at 11 o'clock at night.

Having your own roll of Scotch tape.

No more dandelion bouquets.

Think about it. No more Christmas presents out of toothpicks and library paste.

No more sloppy oatmeal kisses.

No more tooth fairy.

No giggles in the dark.

No knees to heal, no responsibility.

Only a voice crying, "Why don't you grow up?'' and the silence echoing,
"I did."

by Erma Bombeck