Lives With Laughter

Zoe and I have had a blast these past three weeks with the older kids in school.  We have had some serious bonding time and lots of time to play and cuddle.  She will start her Mothers Morning Out program Tuesday and I’m sad to see the day.  It is only because I know how much she needs the interaction with friends her size - and the mental stimulation and learning - that I’m even letting her go.

So our final day, today, was spent running errands with her in control of a bottomless Sam’s Club size bag of cheese puffs, sticky twizzlers fingers, and skipping around the house singing songs and watching our favorite show, High Five.

She is truly a delight and a blessing.

And the return drive is as well.

You can mapquest it and it will tell you differently - but I promise you it is a 12 hour drive.  It could have been the accidental merge onto 75 instead of 85 and ending up in Macon - or the hurricane weather, tornado warnings with torrential down pours that we had to drive through at 35 mph- it could be the locking of the keys in the car - or being locked out of the club house where the engagement party was we were trying so desperately to get to - or going to the wrong motel - or the fact that when we found the right one our  room was flooded -or you could factor in two flat tires on the highway - and the tire guy WRECKING the entire side of the car while driving it in the bay - and having to wait on the police, the filing of the incident report, etc. - and of course more torrential weather…

but either way - it is a proven fact -  Atlanta to Montgomery is a 12 hour drive.

And we get to do it again in March for the wedding!

Not my style to make this posting/blog about me - but it’s hard to pass the anniversary of Mom’s death - followed a day later by my Mother In Law’s - without a salute. 

To two wonderful women - each in their own individual way - 

We’re doing great - all of your grand children are fabulous - and we miss both of you dearly. 

Goodness knows I’ve been to enough funerals in my life.  One good I’ve drawn from them is the familiar statement that they are a time of celebration and not sadness.  In the moment - it has always seemed a bit out of place to me - I mean -I’ve lost a loved one - how can I celebrate?  But now, having mastered the funeral scene - I do see a familiar thread that runs through them.  Next time you have the unfortunate opportunity - look around at the people and think about why each one is there.  The recently deceased have a power about them - they bring us together - even as we joke that it’s the only time we get together or see each other.  I’ve witnessed feuds, fights, bickering over items and money - long needed reunions…you name it and it happens at a funeral. All in all - I’m not sure if it is age or just having lost so many people so close together - but I have found a new and much needed connection with distant family - cousins that were inseparable from us as children - now us all having children of our own - have begun new and renewed relationships and friendships. Catching up is fun - strolling down memory lane is at times hysterical - and being there for each other as we mourn the lost of our parents and grandparents and venture into the rest of our lives without them is priceless.  I guess as long as I lose someone - but gain someone lost - funerals will be a thing of celebration for me from now on.

By herself - at 6:30 in the morning - in Illinois!

We were recently visiting Randy’s family in Joliet.  Randy got up one of the mornings to check on Zoe and she wasn’t in her bed.  He looked in all the other rooms, down stairs - then the basement.  That’s when he noticed the kitchen door was open.  Sporting his underwear - he ran up the driveway and saw a cop car a few houses down.  He ran down and they had her - safe and sound.  A woman had driven by and saw her walking down the side of the road and got her and called the police. 

I can’t imagine what her little brain was thinking.  I have tried not to spend to much time imagining what could have happened.  Needless to say we have reinforced the baby gate to her room here and have turned on the door alarms. 

I will say that little girl has proven time and time again that she has her own personal army of angels wherever she goes and whatever she goes through.  I think we all have a little idea who those angels just might be!

N :  an anniversary of the day on which a person was born.

Simply not the case with a to-be 5 year old boy. 

It doesn’t matter how many hard laboring hours we went through - the numerous stories we tell him of the big day - Your birthday is the day of your party - period.  It could be a month before the actual day - doesn’t matter - you turn 5 when your friends show up to party and you blow out the candles. 

I’m going with it - it is certainly easier than the several conversations we’ve had with me trying to explain otherwise.

So we’re headed to a friend’s Derby party later today.  One of Madison’s friends spent the night last night and is going with us.  Her mom dropped off something for her to wear - as she’s handing the bag to her she tells her these are her clothes for the party…  Austin looks up at her and says “But they gotta be dirty ‘cuz we’re going to a Dirty Party today so her clothes gotta be real dirty…”

 Precious.

If said percentage of unknown liquid is tossed into fish tank under assumption that said percentage of unknown liquid equals water - and said percentage of unknown liquid actually equals lemonade - solution created equals fish world disaster and therefore end of said assumptions.

There are very few times when the male vs. female issue rises up around here.  I mean after all there are 4 of us and 2 of them so we pretty much get our way (just kidding) - but when it comes to purchasing and planning the cooking of three live lobsters - major heads were butting around here! Randy, Jamie and Austin had all been out having guy time and went to the store - the boys simply couldn’t resist the temptation of the live lobster tank and Randy being the great dad and uncle that he is - bought three and brought them home for us to cook up for dinner.  Little did he know that our two future tree huggin’ - save the whales - pre teens were not going to allow it to happen. They hit him with all they had as soon as they caught wind of what was planned.  They cried, they yelled, they pleaded, they made banners protesting… they promised to be vegetarians.  Even though they completely understand the process of animals to meat - it was not going to happen in their house!  We even went as far as to Google how to make a lobster tank so we could maybe keep them as pets.  What else do you do?  The idea just to give them to someone else to cook wasn’t working either…So… we took them back.  I wasn’t sure it would work - but the people in customer service weren’t shocked by our plea at all - the women working actually cheered and clapped for the girls - the guys rolled their eyes in disbelief- I certainly don’t think it was the first time such a thing had happened.  But I will say I’m certain the girls will make sure it’s the last time it happens here…

I’m sure it doesn’t exist - but if it did - Madison would be the finest teacher of it.  I have always been amazed at how uneventful it is to her - I’ve seen kids convulse - scream in terror at the fear of choking - or just plain work the moment and be as dramatic as possible - but not our Madison. She simply kneels to the porcelain god and vomits.  She calmly asks for tissue to blow her nose and when finished - will stand up and say something in a cheery way like “Well, I guess I’ll start feeling better now”  or “Sure don’t want to eat that again for a while” - There have been times when she hasn’t even bothered to disturb us sleeping and simply tells us the next morning…

fascinating.