"Carrots"

In preparation for Connor's Easter party at preschool on Thursday, we got to work making "carrots". With C&C's help, we got them done quickly. They turned out so cute!

Profound Impact

This morning as I drove into our church parking lot, I was amazed to see an enormous crowd of men, women, and children of all ages and backgrounds gathering at the edge of the parking lot. I was immediately overwhelmed with emotion and tears began to stroll down my face. You see, what they were waiting for was to be let into the Free "Sale". Members of our church donated items (not junk either...nice quality items) that were going to be given away for free to those in need. The entire church parking lot was lined with tables overflowing, with clothes, household items, furniture, tv's, microwaves, lamps, etc... As I walked across the parking lot, drying my tears, I couldn't help but feel so grateful that I had been given the opportunity to witness such a profound event. I was so touched by the outpouring of support and donations that had been given.

The Pastor gave the green light and the area was soon flooded with people scooping up items for their homes and families. As I was standing next to a leather chair that one woman asked me to hold for her, she whispered "This is such a blessing to me. I don't have a couch or chair in my house to sit on." Stories like that are numerous so I will not share them all. But I will end the post with the most touching story of the morning...

A man, obviously out on parole, had collected a number of things for himself. When he was finished and about to leave, he approached a Pastor and asked where he could make a contribution. When the Pastor responded, he explained to the man that no contributions were being accepted. The motive behind the event was to give back to those in need in our community. The man insisted on leaving a contribution so handed the Pastor a check, pre-filled out by the Parole Board, for $0.11.

I need another tissue to try my tearing eyes...what an incredible, powerful day. One that I will continually replay in my mind. Absolutely amazing.

P.S. The Washington Post was there shooting and interviewing so be on the lookout sometime in the near future. I'm sure his story will do this more justice.

Love Notes and Boo Boo's

The other night, as Connor, Carly, and I were sitting at the table eating dessert, the folliwng conversation took place.

"Mommy, do you know how to spell Riley?"
"Yes"
"I mean Riley. Do you really know how to spell that?"
"Yes, honey, I know how to spell Riley."
"OK, good, I want to write a note to tell her I love her"

Matt, who was washing dishes, and I, were completely taken by surprise and had to chuckle a little to ourselves. First crush? I do know Riley, though. She is a cute little girl in his preschool class. At least we know he's got good taste!

Another day, Connor and Carly were running around outside. Carly came in complaining that she hurt her buns. Connor said that she had fallen and hurt herself. As I was cuddling her, trying to make her feel better, Connor ran into the kitchen to get his Doctor's Kit that he'd made recently in school. He came back with a Band-Aid and instructed Carly to show him where her boo boo was. She pulled down her pants and stuck her toosh right out. Connor preceeded to remove the Band-Aid from the wrapper and put it on Carly's boo-boo! If anyone had been peering into our windows, they would've surely wondered what kind of monkey business was going on in our house!

Those Silly Leprechauns

After a bit of inspiration by the most clever and creative mom I know, I decided to play "Leprechaun" and do some silly things around the house after C&C went to bed tonight. Matt had a meeting late this evening so I was on my own (and he had no idea of my intentions to be so silly). I put the kids to bed, waited a bit until I thought they were asleep and then got to work tipping over chairs, rearranging furniture, decorative items, and toys, and adding green food coloring into the toilet bowls so the water would be green in the morning. As I stood back to admire my work, I noticed that the food coloring had stained my fingers...ugh! I used soap and scrubbed, and scrubbed, and scrubbed. The color slightly faded, but is still visible. My identity is going to be given away! My thoughts were interrupted by the telephone. While chatting with a friend, who appears in the living room...CONNOR! I almost threw up! He glanced around the kitchen at the misplaced chairs, then in the living room he saw the pillows stacked, ottoman tipped over, and decorative items rearranged. He was clearly confused, but excited at the same time announcing, "Mommy, the Leprechauns have come to our house already!" (I'm still on the phone) Of course I played along, "WOW...they came early. They must have come while I was upstairs checking on you. Those silly leprechauns!" Meanwhile, my friend on the other line was totally confused so I had to explain in "hieroglyphic" terms what was happening in our crazy house. Connor continues walking around investigating, and putting things back where they belong. But he was clearly searching for something while doing so. For what I asked..."Gold" he said very seriously. Meanwhile this whole time I was trying to hide my green stained fingers from Connor. I tried numerous times to convince Connor to go back upstairs. He finally did, but only after emptying an entire box of raisins on the coffee table. A snack for the leprechauns...they might be hungry if they come back ya' know!

Lesson learned...make sure the kids are asleep before attempting this crazy ritual again!

Did those silly leprechauns come to your house?

Who needs a gym membership....try this!

Snow, snow , snow!

Just about 6 inches...

OK,..there are times when money does indeed buy some happiness, in my opinion. However, for now, I am thankful that I am blessed with a strong back, a healthy heart and time off of work to get the job done.

Last night through this morning it was mezmerizing to watch the snow fall steady and peaceful. We were due for a good snow storm around here and we finally got it. So, this morning we headed out to play. As for me, I could not stand the fact that the roads would soon be plowed and my driveway would remain white. Why do I have this pressure or urge to shovel? I know what I'm in for, have no power tools to use for this challenge and would rather play. Even better, I would really love to get in the car and go skiing. Nevertheless, I instinctively grabbed the shovel and got busy. I could not be the guy who was burning rubber and racing my engine to get up my driveway tomorrow.

The tool: One shovel, Zero HP

The fuel: Scrambled Eggs, Sausage, Milk and Coffee

The job: Driveway and walkway

It's the first time I have shoveled our driveway since we moved here and I wish I could say it is the last. I am relieved it's done, but I do not look forward to the next 6 inches of snow in my driveway. Then again, maybe by then I'll have something fun to use that will assist me? You never know.

Connor and Carly had fun too. Maybe I'll put them to work next year?

A Day of Fun for the Boys- ThunderNationals 2009

It was a spontaneous decision inspired by Mrs. Skammer, Connor's preschool teacher last year. She posted some pictures online of Monster Trucks and I had questions. It made me remember how much I love Bigfoot when I was a kid. Does anyone else remember Bigfoot and all the Bigfoot trucks,...they were cool right? Well, ironically, the trucks were coming to town soon after,....ThunderNationals at Richmond Coliseum. So, I had to get some tickets and share the experience with Connor.

Connor invited a friend for the day and Alex came down with his Dad (Greg) all the way from Centreville, VA. It was a blast! We saw a little of everything. We hit McDonald's on Broad Street first,...Connor's luxurious choice of restaurant dining. Unfortunately, the rain brought many unusual people inside and our timing was bad. Police arrived after a "little" domestic dispute,...long story! We left after the man locked himself in the bathroom. How do these things manage to work themselves into my day? Sorry Greg and Alex,...Richmond isn't always like this,...I promise.

Anyway, then we went to the show and the day got much more exciting. We saw Monster Trucks jumping and racing, Quad racing, Motorcycle jumping and so much more. Our seats were perfect and these pics will prove it:

Connor's favorite at the start of the show was Grave Digger, no question. However, every truck had a favorite moment and we had trouble deciding by the end which was our favorite.

Monster Mutt was original indeed and cute as he chased the bone.

Bad Habit got HUGE air,...even with only front wheel drive today!

Backdraft had cool lights and looked like a fire truck.

Eradicator stole the show today with big air, awesome wheelies and the best donuts/burnouts you can imagine. You've gotta see these plus this video:

Finally, no one will ever forget Martial Law today and the killer crash right in front of us. WOW!

While we were not being entertained by the awesome Monster Trucks, the other machines raced around the Stadium with quick turns and sweet tricks. Check this out.....WOW!

As we were leaving, it was raining and wet. By the time we got home, it was white and snowy. Less than an hour between the show and our arrival home and it was a winter wonderland. So,..we did what anyone would do,....keep playing and having fun. Thanks to mom, we have a new friend outside for tomorrow. Here's some pics to prove it.

It was a good day and it was fun to spend time with our friends Alex and Greg. Thanks for making the trip guys and we're glad you made it home safe and sound in the storm.

Thanks Mrs. Skammer for the great recommendation.

Thanks Mommy for welcoming us home with fun in the snow. WHAT A DAY!

Let's hope for a snow day in the morning to play some more tomorrow. = )

Good night! ZZZZZZZZZZZ.

Birthday Week, Day 4

Wednesday was day 4...and you won't believe how I spent it. My mom kept C&C all day and I shopped. Yup, all day! I went to every mall in Richmond and TJ Maxx and Marshalls. Unfortunately I didn't find anything at all for myself (big bummer), but I did find a cute outfit for Carly and a baby gift. It was so nice to be able to amble slowly, without the pressure to move quickly and attend to an anxious and fidgety toddler. I grabbed an Auntie Anne's pretzel for lunch and ate while I walked. It was absolutely heavenly.

Then Wednesday evening, straight from shopping, I met up some very close girlfriends for dinner at Olive Garden. I ordered my regular (eggplant parmesan) and very much enjoyed the company of my friends. I was so touched that they took time away from their families to spend the evening with me. We drank, talked, and laughed, and drank some more. SO so fun! Thanks girls!

Wow...what a Wednesday to remember!

Birthday Week, Day 3

Nothing too exciting today...took Connor to preschool in the morning, went to work, etc... BUT I have enrolled in a "Bible" Study at Church entitled "The Case for Faith" by Lee Strobel. It is a six-session investigation of the toughest objections to Christianity, and tonight was the first night! I'm anxious to see what it will be all about - sure to be interesting!

Birthday Week, Day 2

Yesterday (Monday), Matt had off from school because of the President's Day holiday and, since the children were with my mom overnight, we were able to sleep in! We took full advantage of that and enjoyed the low stress of having a quiet, lazy morning at home. The plan was to pick the kids up at my mom's around 10:00 and head over to Pottery Barn Kids to see the Cat in the Hat. She called around 9:00 she mentioned that they were all doing great and relaxing and offered to keep them until after lunch if we didn't have our hearts set on going to see the Cat in the Hat. Of course, we accepted! What to do with our newly free morning/afternoon??? We lounged around and paid bills, ate breakfast (slowly), and chatted. I ran out to do some shopping and when I came home, I got a call from my mother. She had gotten a phone call from the family who's home I stayed in for 6 weeks while I taught in England during college. (some background...we stayed in touch and visited each other on several occasions after college. Diane had suffered with cancer, had the cancer removed, and inevitably it would come back. A couple of years ago, we lost touch. We didn't hear from them on Christmas and my birthday like we traditionally had. They stopped e-mailing. Nothing. On several occasions I had thought about calling, but I was too afraid that I would learn that something had happened to Diane. I just couldn't handle that call. So I did nothing...just always wondered, in the back of my mind, what they were up to. Recently, my mom tried to contact them. Their phone number was disconnected, phone number unlisted. Fearful for the worst, she decided to write to them asking them to please get in touch with us. Thus the phone call.) Diane was okay and as chipper as could be. They talked for quite a while and then Diane called me but had to leave a message. So after my mom relayed the good news to me, I got right on the phone and called them back. It was so wonderful to catch up and be in touch. Right now, she is healthy and the family is all doing well...all grown up, but well. I was elated!

After that high, I randomly decided it was time to do something about the office closet. It is jam-packed with gifts, Christmas/gift wrapping supplies, MOPS materials, pictures, crafts waiting to happen, etc...I would never open it in front of anyone for fear that something might fall out. Seriously I am a fairly organized person, but this closet has just been taken advantage of since we moved in two years ago and it has been a thorn in my side. Today was the day. I pulled it all out and attempted to sort everything into piles (gifts, wrapping supplies, etc...) That's about as far as I got (and the office still looks that way). Check out the mess I have to maneuver through in order to get to the computer...

Anyway, the rest of the afternoon was fairly normal...naptime, dinner, bedtime.

Birthday Week, Day 1

Yesterday began the week of celebration leading up to my birthday (Yes, birthdays are a week-long celebration in our house). We spent the day doing normal Sunday activities (church, grocery shopping, etc...) and then we took C&C to my mom's for the night. Date night with my honey! Matt and I drove down to Chesterfield (yes, all the way down there!) and enjoyed a delicious dinner at Bonefish Grill. YUM! Afterwards we went to Barnes and Noble and scoured the shelves for some fun reading material. We each picked a book and plunked ourselves down in some comfortable chairs. Unfortunately our evening ended short because we forgot that it was a Sunday night and the store closed early. It really wasn't too disappointing though, because although it was only 9:00pm, we were both exhausted! At home, my arms were tickled until I fell asleep...awww.... (that is my most favorite thing ever...to have my arms and hands "tickled" at bedtime). 6 more days of celebrating to go...