Easter

The Bunny arranged for a very early Easter breakfast together

before our little egg hunt.

Braving the chilly weather

and reaping the rewards of treasure found.

A little something for everyone, including Kiddie!

Ever mindful of how incredibly grateful we are for one another.

That afternoon we shared a lovely dinner together with family and friends,

experiencing traditions old and new, sharing wonderful stories

and contemplating a gigantic bunny.

Wordless Wednesday

Palm Sunday

Flickr and I have been at odds all week.

I have been feverishly trying to post these photos in a slideshow all week however,

Flickr has been stubbornly refusing to cooperate.

Did I mention that I have been trying ALL WEEK?

I finally decided to post the photos of our lovely Palm Sunday

garden stroll, individually.

(oh, and Flickr, I'm not done with you yet!)

Wordless Wednesday

How is it possible

that it only took 18 months for Sweet Pea

to morph into a mini-teenager...

SUGAR

SPICE

and lock the door, throw away the key

ATTITUDE!

Wordless Wednesday

WonderBoy and the Sweet Sisters

Sunday was such a nice day.

The kids were all itchin' to get out and soak up the sunshine after what has felt like an interminable Winter.

WonderBoy struck gold when we moved here 5 years ago because we happened to move right across the street from two of the Sweetest Sisters ever. One sister is 11 and the other is 9. WonderBoy will be 10 in a few weeks..right in the middle. He and the girls have been friends from Day 1. He adores them and they spend quite a bit of time here playing with WonderBoy which says a lot for the girls because WonderBoy is, how can I say, a handful!

On Sunday the girls agreed to be my models for my photography assignment this week since WonderBoy rarely lets me take a picture of him without a chase. His latest modus operandi when my camera comes out is extortion. Our photosessions usually end up with me promising him something he wants if he would just sit still. Those little promises are getting quite expensive so I found a new method to get him to sit still...I told him I didn't need him for the pictures since I have the two prettiest models on the street right here.

The girls were thrilled to be my models. He climbed the magnolia tree and perched himself above the action. He silently watched the girls pose in their girly poses as I clicked away. They were laughing and eating it up with the props I gave them. WonderBoy hung in the tree overhead and kept looking and looking, just hankerin' to get in on the fun. We paid him no attention at all.

(Note his favorite red crocs. Not exactly tree climbing material!)

Finally he couldn't take it anymore and down he came to join in the fun.

I adore watching these 3 play together. The girls are just darling and so great with WonderBoy. They always make him the center of attention. He is his true self with them and I so enjoy seeing the three of them interact.

As I watched them through my lens I thought to myself that time is just flying by. I wondered, as I clicked away, just how long they would let me take pictures of them, how long they will run up to my front door when they are playing outside for hours to bring me a flower, a ladybug or a worm or tell me that one wasn't behaving. I wondered how many more lemonade stands they will want to do, how many bicycle runs on our little street I will be privy to, how many more moments I will look from my front window and see WonderBoy pulling the wagon with the girls squealing in delight from within. How many more forts, igloos and sleigh ride obstacle courses will be built on my front lawn. I wondered how many more movie nights, bowls of popcorn popped, cookies will be made, juice boxes smuggled, lightning bugs caught........childhood is, after all, finite.

I don't want to blink...so I will click, click, click instead...click away and capture these days because I don't want to miss a moment of the beauty and joy of their lives exactly as they are today.

(Click on the slideshow below and hit the lower right hand icon to expand the photos to full screen)

Poor Kiddie, Poor WonderBoy

Oh, What A Night

WonderBoy was having so much fun at Grandpa's house tonight. We all had dinner there with my sister and her husband. My brother-in-law loves to horse around with him and chase him around the place as WonderBoy squeals in delight. Grandpa is a big jokester, too, and never tires of a good game of "keep away".

Well, tonight Kiddie got caught in the crossfire. The guys thought it would be fun to toss Kiddie around a la Monkey in the Middle while WonderBoy tried to save him. They went too far and Kiddie wound up getting helplessly tossed to the floor.

Poor WonderBoy just couldn't handle it. As big as he is getting he's still just a little boy and Kiddie is sacred to him. He picked Kiddie up from the floor clutching him and ran off to the living room. JR went running after him because only Papa could know how hard his son was hurting. WonderBoy was sobbing. JR scooped him up in his arms and carried both WonderBoy and Kiddie back to the kitchen...making everyone apologize for putting Kiddie in harm's way. The culprits apologized and WonderBoy began to bandage up his "son" through his tears.

Lots of scotch tape and napkins later....here is Kiddie all bandaged up.

and then all was right in WonderBoy's world!

Wordless Wednesday

Brown Eyed Girl

Not a day goes by that people who see Sweet Pea don't say she's all Daddy.

I can't say that I disagree with them although it often gives me pause as to why it is that I did all the work and he gets all the glory.

I am reminded on these occasions, however, that I should revel in the sheer luck stroke of genius I had to not only marry such a wonderful man but one who is is so darned easy on the eyes!

Those baby browns and that feisty spirit, however, are ALL MOMMY!

Pushing Spring

We are officially tired of Winter and ready for Spring to finally grace us with her presence.

We've grown tired of the brown grass, bare trees and the white stuff.

We've been missing the cushions on the outdoor furniture along with the warm breeze and sound of crickets that usually accompanies them.

It was in the high 60's here this afternoon and WonderBoy and Sweet Pea decided to talk their control freak angel of a mother into letting them run around without jackets for a while.

That lasted just long enough for me to get a few pictures.

Don't they know by now that mama usually has a plan?

WonderBoy is starting to include his sister in his activities, ever so slightly but oh so cutely!

1928 Was An Exceptional Year

There are people whom one appreciates immediately and forever.
Even to know they are alive in the world is quite enough.

-Nancy Spain




Today I celebrate the birthday of a very special and dear friend of mine.


Steve and I “met” rather by circumstance as our paths intersected at quite a pivotal time in both our lives a few years back. Our friendship was immediate as we both were keen enough to appreciating the gems we had found in one another in extremely short order and we decided to cultivate it, despite the fact that Steve and I have never actually been on the same continent at the same time, nor shared a time zone.


We, an unlikely pair, separated by a little generation called the Baby Boomers and a pond of water called the Atlantic. I, a longstanding member of Generation X and Steve, a member of what has been coined the Silent Generation or, as scholars in his native England call it, the Air Raid Generation, being characterized by those having grown up as children amidst the crossfire of World War II.


Over the few short years of our acquaintance, I continually marvel at the world Steve so eloquently describes and allows me to journey back into with him….his childhood in England when he was WonderBoy’s age having been assigned his very own personal gas mask (it came with its own carrying case!), the loss of his brother in 1941 during World War II and the state of turmoil that England and the rest of the world was in during this incredible time in history.

I am always captivated when I read his words regarding the love he has for his beautiful wife, B, the love of his life….both yesterday and today…and I have been so lucky to share the gift of friendship with both of them today.

The example of marriage and committment they have set exemplifies the meaning of the vows for better or for worse and the importance of keeping love, respect and laughter in marriage.

Steve is a consummate gentleman. He is exceedingly intelligent, detailed, capable, precise and cautious…the very best qualities one can hope for in a gentlemen but even MORE in a pilot. Flying is his passion and although he has been grounded these past several years, he has flown most anything that flies. His impeccable recollections, through his flight logs and sharp memory, allow me to fly jump seat with him again on exciting missions for the British Royal Air Force for which he so honorably served for many years.

When we take our trips I can see right out the window of that aero plane (as he calls it in his perfect British accent!) high above the world of yesterday…little ole’ me…a traveler through space and time…from the dusty jungle runway in Borneo barely a patch beneath the treetops



to that breathtaking scare when my heart was in my throat as we were forced to take a blind approach over Colombo, Sri Lanka. Whew...what a wonderful way to travel with such an elegant, competent pilot at the helm! Through the many photographs Steve has generously shared with me I can hear the engines roar...



...and the sound of laughter as he and his buddies walk the streets of Venice, Italy in 1947.




I've had the privilege of passing a few hours with him and a member of his crew as they sailed the ferry to Hong Kong and shared a beer...long before I was born.


Who says travel through time is not possible?


It’s never a dull moment with us. Some days I receive the most gripping history lesson I've ever had as he recounts missions he has flown or world sentiment at different points in time...better than any history class I have ever taken. Other days I recieve his musings on the House of Windsor, the current state of affairs of the British Parliament, a cartoon in the British newspaper of that morning or his thoughts on Global Warming or the credit crunch. Steve's record of forecasting beats any weatherman’s with regard to basic current events or situations. I will always remember that he called the severe economic downturn more than a year ago in our correspondence…."it just can’t end well" he said…"people spending money they don’t have on things they don’t need."



Over the years I have come to depend upon Steve in so many ways; his insight, his ability to pick up through my written word when I am not feeling my best, his genuine kindness and brand of caring, his wonderful sense of humor that always leaves me in stitches...and the sage advice that only one who has experienced life in such depth can impart. He has grounded me when I have needed it and has raised me up when I deserved it.


We have seen each other through surgeries, illness, childbirth (that one was me!), floods, disappointments, holidays, job changes, a spiraling economy, an historic presidential election, other friendships and family affairs and the day to day living that friends share.

In this modern world where life moves at lightning speed and people seem to have less time and even less patience, our friendship has flourished through a little box with a wire running from it called the computer…a box I never was very adept at and he almost missed altogether. I always smile when I see that little envelope signaling an incoming message from my dear friend wondering what will be on our agenda to discuss today or this week. We have even added a new medium to our repertoire…Skype. We have been meeting regularly at Cafe Skype most weekends with a cup of cappuccino and lots to discuss (granted its mostly me that does the talking…but Steve is a wonderful listener!)


It is pretty well established among connoisseurs of fine wine that 1928 was an exceptional year. This is evident as they speak of a highly coveted bottle of red wine from the Bordeaux region of France called Chateau Lafite Rothschild, a Pauillac. Its 1928 vintage is the envy of collectors throughout the world. That particular bottle of wine has a market value today of $3,000, 81 years after it was placed into its bottle in a little village in France.


I couldn't agree more with the wine connoisseurs that 1928 was a remarkable year, however, in my opinion, they can keep the Lafite……I’ll rather take Steve any day of the week. Like a fine wine he gets better with time and to me, he is priceless!

Happy, Happy, Happy Birthday, Steve…….before I met you, I didn't realize I was missing you and then one day you arrived just when I needed you most.

I cannot imagine life without you.

You mean more to me than you will ever know!

All my love to you and B, today and always!

Jedi Training...CHECK

Just a little update....

It was announced today that Kiddie passed his Jedi training over the weekend.
Who knew?

(Kiddie resting after completing his training)

Wordless Wednesday

Nothin' Like a Good Milk Coma

The Life and Times of Kiddie

Lisa, mom, writer, chef, photographer extraordinaire and blogmaster of one of my favorite blogs wrote so beautifully the other day about the trials and tribulations of being a Pacifier Mom. She inspired me to reflect on our own history with Items of Security.

Wonder Boy loved his pacifier and a small stuffed animal. The animal is a rabbit that he named Kiddie, and we are never allowed to call it/him either stuffed or animal. WB maintains he came upon the name given that Kiddie is his kid…his son. Both the pacifier and Kiddie were the two items that were always part of my mental grab and go in the event of emergency list in my mind when my son was little. There was a time that I thought I’d even leave my purse behind before I left those two items. I was all about the matching pacifiers to outfits so I had a ton of them, all makes and models, with their coordinating holders. I used to sterilize them every night and I always had back-ups for the back-ups. Granted, WB had a lot going on back then and the last thing I wanted to do was take away something that so clearly gave him a sense of security however, the pacifier’s time had come…and gone.

It was our beloved nanny who finally made me face the me reality when he was nearly 3 years old that it was time to say goodbye to the pacifier. She was right. In fact, she always nudged me when it was TIME….time to stop feeding him baby food, time to give up the bottle, time to potty train (or get more serious about it), time to put him to bed earlier, blah, blah, blah. She was always right (a well honed skill after having raised 3 children to adulthood herself!) and as reluctant as I was to let my baby go every single time…I thank her for being honest with me and making me THINK about it long enough to then set a plan in motion to do it. I believe it’s hard to really see things when you see them everyday. How often I hear people say, wow, he has really gotten tall…or he is so well behaved (being so used to hearing the opposite!) and then I think about that and realize myself…"you know, that’s true"

So, in the case of his pacifier…my stash began to dwindle as my son began to grow and dart from one thing to another; eventually leaving a trail of pacifiers to be found by disgusted strangers from place to place. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure and vice versa! We finally told WB that we were down to one sacred pacifier and that it was his responsibility not to lose it. He promised not to take it out of the house. That lasted a day or so. He did and he lost it. He was not happy. Neither was I because I felt so bad for his loss. I do think, however, that he was READY to let that particular item go himself. He mourned it that evening and looked for it the following morning. I quickly scooted him past the baby aisle in every drugstore and supermarket so as not to spark a flashback and within a few short days there was never any mention of a pacifier again. All was right with the world.

I do not attribute this to my prowess as a mother orsome innovative technique that was handed down from generation to generation or some magic Ronco product I found on late night TV. I attribute it to one thing and one thing only…Kiddie.

That was 7 years ago and Kiddie is going stronger than ever. He is now (according to my son) a teenager, although we are not quite sure of Kiddie's actual age (I have no idea what it would translate into in rabbit years anyway), his birthday, his country of origin or who his biological parents are. What I do know is that Kiddie is loved. He is part of our family and has traveled the world from the Italian Alps to the white sandy beaches of the Dominican Republic, he's weathered the Palm Desert humidity and seen the red rocks of Sedona with lots of trips to Florida, in between. He has been lost, found, lost and found, again. He has been squished, pulled, stitched up, and smothered with love. He has survived countless spin cycles and scorching front loader dryer heat. He has been swimming, sleigh riding, licked and hugged to death by Sweet Pea who has often tried to organize a coup and kidnap him. He has been the backseat driver in countless GI Joe vehicles on unknown missions and has occasionally borne the brunt of a wayward Nerf dart. He has traveled by plane, train and automobile. He has been to a Star Wars convention (argh..now I'm having a flashback!)and I find him in my purse when we are at dinner, church, the doctor’s office, the movies…having been strategically put there by a young man who adores him but yet is concerned with having people see him carrying Kiddie to the movies to see Iron Man.

Kiddie has even survived 3 days hanging on a tree limb in our front yard when his “Dad” ran off with the neighborhood girls in their wagon when they needed a partner in cuteness to operate their lemonade stand. Wonder Boy somehow forgot where he had left him that day. That evening, the search for Kiddie reached epic proportions. Tears and sadness only subsided for mere moments those 3 days, both his and mine! If only Kiddie would have shouted out to me that he was there in the tree that we were walking past 20 times a day. Usually you can’t get teenagers to stop talking….I wind up with one that is the strong, silent (stuffed) type!

We are embarking on Wonder Boy’s 10th birthday in a few weeks. Double Digits! I am proud to say that he will not have a pacifier in his mouth in the photos that match his outfit…thanks to a lovely lady from Trinidad who wasn’t afraid to tell me it was time.

As for Kiddie…..well, Kiddie is right where he belongs, with Wonder Boy when he needs him…in good and bad times…today, tomorrow and as long as Kiddie can manage to stick close enough to WB when he is out in the Big World as his attention drifts and its only when he gets home that he remembers where he hid Kiddie to tag along on our outings.

I know what the books say…I’ve read the articles in my subscription of Par*nts Magazine that seems to continually renew itself regardless of the fact that it takes me 3 months to find the time to get through one issue. I’ve heard the unsolicited comments by well meaning friends and family that he should really get rid of it that stuffed animal (ouch...Kiddie hates to be stereotyped!) And so, WB sneaks him into my purse or his father’s suit jacket when we go out somewhere, he signs Kiddie's name to my Mother’s Day card and Kiddie has his own Christmas stocking on the mantle. That’s why each night when I quietly make my final rounds and I see Wonder Boy and Kiddie snuggled up in bed together I kiss them both and make a little wish for each of them…one for my son who is growing so fast and who will be a teenager himself in no time…and the other for Kiddie who will always remind me of the boy who loved him and the mother who understood that despite what others may say…growing up is not always as easy as it looks and sometimes, a hug from a very special friend can make everything all better.

Ballerina in Training

Love is in the Air

Valentine, originally uploaded by dita4040.

She Just Can't Get Enough

of her big brother! He's off from school for a 4 day weekend and she'll be

in her glory following him around

day and night!