Basketball Mayhem

I do believe we now lead the league in Technical Fouls.

Tonight we played against the "best team" in the league. It could have been a slaughter but we played them close until the last 4 minutes of the game when all Hell broke loose. The other team had a kid who was throwing pushes and elbows all over the court all game long. Finally, Colby (the assistant coaches big son) got fed up. With both hands, Colby shoved the offender forcefully to the floor. He was awarded with a double technical foul, an ejection from the game and the building, as well as a suspension from the next game, which we play next Tuesday. The good news is that the missed game from a few days ago has been rescheduled for next Thursday.

"the guys"

I mentioned the other day that Indy plays with the new twins who moved in to the neighborhood. Here they are! All three of them were being quiet, so i went into Indy's room to check on them. There they were, piled into the recliner watching a movie, poking at one another and giggling quietly. The twins will be four years old in just a month, and Indy will turn 2 the month after... Jeremy weighs 27 pounds, Indy 28, and Jonathon weighs just a little more at 31 pounds. They are all nearly the same height. It makes for even rough housing matches.

Get your Dodge on!

Nascar and Kasey Kahne look great on Indy! We picked up this t-shirt for Indiana so that he could match his big brother with all his #9 gear.

Indy is doing so well on his social skills. Nearly every day we go to play with "his guys" as he calls them. The twins are a great influence, and although the interaction is not perfect, it is fabulous for this age group. The three boys play together, argue over toys, run around playing chase, and crash to the floor in a group. I am so glad Indiana has friends again. Besides, i get a chance to gossip with their mom, and i will never turn down a good chat!

suckage

I do not often post photographs of myself. However, I am finally starting to lose weight, and i like this picture. So, here I am.

Tonight, I have no score to report. Duck's ball game in Lebanon was all screwed up. The game was scheduled for 7pm tonight. When the entire team arrived we were told that our game had been rescheduled for 530pm. Unfortunately, no one from either the school, nor the boys and girls club had bothered to tell the coaches players or fans. Now, this would suck if it were just here in town, but realize that this game was nearly 25 miles away. All ten members of the team had shown up with their parents, and several car loads of fans drove all the way there(3 car loads.. 10 people in all... just for Duck alone) . So, tomorrow we call the boys and girls club to whine. I hope that the game can be rescheduled for in town some other time this week.

we won!

52-50!

Great Job Guys!

Way to go Duck, 15 points, a couple nice blocks and some excellent rebounding as well as free throw shooting. I am so proud of you and your whole team! Next game: Monday Night!

Colorful...

Indy looks good in red.

I had to cover the sofa in Indy's Elmo blanket to protect the fabric from the damage Indiana inflicts upon it every time he gets near it. It amazes me how much damage one small little boy can cause to a tan superfine.

Besides, it looks better in pictures this way.

Playing Rocks!

Indy loves playing around. Today Indy had friends over and he had a ball. It is so nice when you can socialize kids at this age. His new friends are recent additions to the neighborhood. Twin three year old boys named Jonathan and Jeremy. We love them... They share very well, and play nice as a trio. It's nice to find something for Indy to do that doesn't involve me!

BLOCK!

We lost again. However, Duck got such a good block the entire bench stood up and cheered! All ball, straight into the ground. It was like something he did to my friend John while he was home over the Christmas break. It was epic, classic, fabulous blockage! Duck didn't even trash talk the kid he blocked. He just smiled!

That's my boy!

the Larry Bird birthday...

I was one of the lucky ones. I grew up in an era of Celtic pride. I grew up during the Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parrish era.

Larry Bird, affectionately dubbed "the Great White Hope" was the king when I was young. No "Magic" could touch him! It was an era of fantastic basketball, before Jordan, pre-Shaq. Larry's jersey was later retired, immortalized in not only Celtic history, but NBA history. A true hall of famer! An amazing player, a great coach, a role model for work ethic and talent.

This was my Larry Bird birthday, good old 33.

Indy's daddy went out and made my Celtic birthday dream real... He made me this awesome jersey cake.

Thank you, hunny!

Its my birthday!

Duck lost last night, but it was still a good game, and of course the coach (Duck's dad) got his obligatory technical foul. Personally, I am aghast at the call. He didn't deserve one. Not this time.

today's my birthday, so I am doing NOTHING all day. Well, that isn't strictly true. I cleaned the kitchen, then the living room, vacuumed three times already this day. Indy is running wild, and I am enjoying a book.

Dad's sick day

Chris is home sick today, so Indy and his daddy are getting in some good cuddle time before daddy goes back to sleep.

I am pleased to note that the "Indy" Colts won the superbowl yesterday. Duck was rooting for the bears, so this is my official taunt: HA HA, Bears Lost.

Well, back to caring for the toddler and the sick child. Carry on !

Winners!

We won last night! Duck scored 5, which is all right. He got two fouls, which was all right, too. Duck's dad got himself a "T" which made us all laugh. The ref who gave it to him looked frightened of retribution, though!

My birthday is this coming week, so today we took a friend and headed out for a nice dinner, and I got some new Nike's (which I was dying for) and a couple shirts and a book. My mom gave me gifts today as well. I got a beautiful new wolf, ink for the printer, and a comfy wolf cuddle blanket for the sofa. So, all in all, nice haul this year considering that my birthday is still a few days away!

good things, good things!

How bad am I?

So, I am a terrible wife. The other day was Chris's birthday (my husband, for those of you not in the know). He turned 27 and I didn't bother to post about it.

So, I am a terrible mother. Today, the headache kept me mostly on the sofa, curled under a blanket, instead of cheering on my handsome Duck at tonight's basketball game. I have had the same headache for several days now, sometimes worse than others... this afternoon was bad.

So, be sure to say Happy belated birthday to Indy's daddy, and maybe, if we are lucky, Duck will post the results of tonight's game. We have another game on Friday, and I will not miss it for any headache, or anything else.

The game: not so good...

For today's basketball game, it was a tough game and we got beaten. The officiating was not so good, but in a few weeks, Philomath will be coming into our house to play again, and we will beat them soundly when they get here.

On the good side, I got this cute picture of Indy checking out the hoop!

In just a few more years Indy will be out on the court. If Indy is lucky, Duck's dad will resume his coaching duties to lead Indy's team the way he has for so many years for Duck.

The time has nearly come...

so, my lovelies, it is that time of year again...

you know the time I mean:

When teenagers bite their nails, parents tug their hair, and the world slows down to a crawl...

that's right! Its report card time.

I know that my teenage son is the smartest, most handsome, athletic, amazing guy to grace the halls of his middle school... Now its time to see it on paper as I await the results of his schooling.

The talk around our home is all on what gift is right to appropriately reward my young prince for his brilliance. A new video game perhaps? A movie for his psp? A few bits of paper currency per A? Now, if he gets crappy grades, how does one reward that? He will, as a matter of course with his father (if the grades are not up to par), find himself sitting on the bench for the rest of the basketball season and never see his beloved playstation, psp, dvd player, television, myspace page, or friends again for the foreseeable future, but what can I do? Make him change diapers perhaps?

How do you reward your children for good grades? How do you punish or encourage them to better grades? How do you handle it as a non custodial parent? (most of my readers know Duck lives across town from me with his dad) How did your own parents react to your grades (both good and bad)? Do you think that today's parents are involved enough in their child's education?

Root Root Root for the Home team!

Gratz Duck Boy!

Like a weed!

Back in October of 05 I took This picture of Indy in a basket...

Here is the updated version!

Indy is still a laundry day menace! As soon as I get the basket empty he will climb in it, fall out of it, drag it around, sit in it, or haul it off. Sometimes a combination of all the above!

A short update:

Indy is recovering nicely from his cold, the doc gave him some amoxcicillin to take every day for about ten days. We also got dosage recommendations on Children's benadril, for other symptoms. He is sleeping a great schedule now, going to be at around 630 in the evening and getting up at 720 in the morning. He no longer naps.
Indy is up to weighing 26.6 pounds. We didn't get a height.

Duck's basketball team has another game coming up on Monday night!

I got my taxes finished and filed. Just waiting on Chris's forms to come back to file his.

Not much else going on. I finished reading a book called "the Last Templar", which was fabulous if you are interested in the Templar conspiracy theories. The book would make a nice movie.

We watched a few movies, had a few friends over, played a bit of Karaoke Revolution American Idol edition on the PS2.

Chris's birthday is just 8 days away.

The Snow Continues...

Snow began falling all across western Oregon a few days ago. We then had a cold snap where the high temperature never edged above the freezing mark. This morning, the snow began to fall heavily throughout the Portland metro area, and here in the Valley, freezing rain slowed our fair town to a crawl. There is no school, many businesses did not open, and Indy's dad went to work to find that fully half the crew couldn't make it safely to work this morning. Thankfully things are thawing a bit, as the temperature climbed to a balmy 37 degrees Fahrenheit.

Indy sees the doctor today to check out this pesky cold that has been clinging to him for the last two weeks. I am sure it's nothing, probably just the weather, but better safe than sorry.

until we meet again...

My dear friend is returning home in just a few hours. He fit so seamlessly back into my life it was as if five long years hadn't lain between us; as if life experiences so vastly different had created in us the same friendship we wore as young people.

My current hope for all of you reading my words is this:
I hope that all of you can know a friendship so dear, that the pain of loving that person is worth every single tear.

Blast from the past

I do not recall how old Duck was in this picture, I think he was around 3 (for those of you who don't know, he is 14 now). We shaved those curls off shortly after his 3rd birthday.

I was so thin and young, I almost don't recognize myself.


Anyhow, my buddy found this in a pile of old pictures his parents had. He found some of himself as well and posted them over at his blog. They are pretty funny!

Snow!

i forget who i got this from... but Go ahead... gooogie me!


we have been having some excellent snow falling on the valley floor. We are at such a low elevation, any snow is fairly rare. The rest of Oregon gets a nice ammount of snow in fact, this morning, sitting on the beach at sea level in Astoria, Oregon there was almost 7 inches of snow!

41-14

'NUFF SAID

41-14

'nuff said.

Guardian elmo...

There are many needs in the world. Two important ones in our lives here are the security of love and a warm cuddly "guardian elmo" to sleep with at night.

Bogart, Humphrey...

Donkey got a doggie. His name is Bogart, not actually after Humphrey, but after a pound dog of the same name whom we were unable to save from being put down.

Bogie is a wonderful 9 week old chocolate lab puppy. He already weighs in at 15 pounds, so we expect him to be a tank when he gets bigger!

We look forward to the time when we can purchase our own home and get a dog for Indy. Until then, grandma's service dog will have to do.

2007

Happy New Year!

Time to build an ARC...

It seems that we might need new drainage on the building... Indy, however loves the puddles, the rain and the flood.

Joy is such a wonderful thing.

Aw Mom...

This is what happens when you buy your teenage son boxers that say "Hands off my Booty" as a Christmas gift, then have him unwrap them in front of his grandparents!

We here at "the State of Indiana" would like to wish a happy holiday season to all of our friends and family, near and far.

Happy "whatever holiday you celebrate"!

We feel very fortunate to have made blog friends from many places, from many backgrounds, and of many religions.

Blowing in the wind...

Growing up, one of the things I wanted was a dad who didn't suck. I struggled to find a father figure. I latched on to my friends fathers, teachers, any male role model I could find, but it wasn't the same. Having a great dad is something very special to any girl. In my life, I never qualified as daddy's little girl. I was so jealous of my friends who had these great fathers. Mel's dad is one of the best.
When I was sixteen my Mom and Donnie got back together. I didn't realize it then, in fact it took me 15 years to realize it, but I inherited a great father then. Sure, I have sent Donnie father's day cards for several years now, but I never thought of him as dad. The funny thing is, it was Donnie who walked me around the block to let me know when I was disrespectful to my mother and it was Donnie who made me paint the fence when I broke curfew. It was Donnie who sent me wedding gifts when I married. It was Donnie who came to the hospital when my sons were born. Donnie was being my dad all along. He did it so subtly, I didn't even notice. That is the mark of a truly good dad.

Thanks, dad. I love you!

Joy to the World...

Today I bought the last real gift, got it wrapped up and placed nicely under the tree. All that remains of the shopping nightmare for me is to purchase a few last stocking stuffers for Brother Duck, and the ham for dinner. I never thought the end would come into sight but it has and its Glorious!
This year, if our gift pile seems smaller, its because not all of the packages are here. Some few special ones are hidden in other locations... And I think we spent more this year than last. Go figure.

Fun and Frolic:

The last few days we have taken a break from the holiday madness and just had some family fun. Brother Duck was here, so we grabbed some neighbors and went to the school across the street to play basketball! Sure it's only 40 degrees outside (Fahrenheit) but when a body gets moving it warms up nicely.

There is a new play structure out on the playground, just Indiana's size. So while everyone is playing basketball, one person watches Indy as he climbs up the stairs and slides down the slide, or picks up wood chips to toss into the air. Usually I try to be the one watching him, but lately Indy has preferred his brother's dad as play companion. Duck's dad is a great sport about it and will wander the playground as Indy leads.

I got to spend some time visiting blogs and friend's myspace pages. We watched a few movies (Talladega Night's was pretty funny). Spent some time hanging with friends, just trying to be supportive. Relaxation, time with friends and family, its key for me to get through the holiday season sane.

Santa's little helper!

Indiana is busy testing out all the toys in the workshop! With just 8 days until the great toy harvest, toy testing is a must.

Actually, Indy is raring to get into the multitude of brightly wrapped packages under the tree. One of the great things about this age is that Indiana doesn't mind clothes as gifts. I got lazy this year. Instead of wrapping all of his clothes individually, I piled them all in a large gift bag and sealed 'em up. It wont really matter, I suppose, what we may have purchased for Indy. When he opens his gift from Brother Duck, Indy wont even SEE the rest of his gifts! He will be opening that gift last!

And then there were 4:

Growing up there were four.
One sits writhing this now.
One moved on to far places; had grand adventures.
One disappeared into the mists; glimpsed occasionally, but unknown.
One stayed near and true, hurting now.

My friends.

I await impatiently the impending visit of our intrepid explorer.

I dream of another glimpse of the "lost one".

I stand here, arms open to the one in pain.

The years have passed us by. Life has taken us each on our own twisting and turning paths. We have fought our demons, together and alone. All of us so very different, but with memories the same. Friendships so valuable to me that at times in my life I would have cheerfully laid down my very life for them all.

John, you gave me strength and courage. You gave me wings.
I didn't always know what to do with those gifts.
Teresa, you gave me grounding. You gave me a sense of right and wrong.
I often went the wrong path, and took you along with me.
Melody, you gave me you. You gave of your wit and charm and family.
I love you for that.

Confidential: Mel, stay strong. You have it in you to start again. You can do it. I believe in you. When it gets hard, I am here. When it gets harder, I have a bottle I am willing to share.

Brother Duck

This is Brother Duck and i cant wait so i have to spoil it I found a TMX ELMO at walmart.com so that is Indianas present from brother duck


EXTREME TICKLE ME ELMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hooray for the US Postal Service!

I am so excited! All of our Christmas Cards that need to be mailed are now in the hands of the Post Office! It took 2 days to get all the pictures ready and envelopes addressed, but it is a labor of love. I feel a little bad that this year; I didn't write as much as I normally do, but they are out there!
Duck boy visited yesterday and helped get the tree up. This morning I finished with the ornaments and lights, and after I write this I will start popping the corn and stringing it. Every year my popcorn strings get a little pinked by my own blood, as I prick my fingers with the needle. However, I never lose enough blood to be incapable of finishing the chore. I am not sure if that's a good thing or not.
Most of the gifts are purchased and wrapped... The packages to be shipped to distant family have all been wrapped and await just a nice sturdy box. Just a few last purchases for us to finish the gift purchasing in our budget. I am not one of those people that goes into debt for gifts. We budget a certain amount of money that we can reasonably afford, and start saving in September. When the money runs out, that's it. I have enough left to do some nice things for the family, so that's good.
All in all an excellent day.
Pictures of the tree forthcoming...

Holidays are Busy days!

I love that there are so many family friendly activities this time of year. Instead of being trapped in our homes by the wet and cold, we brave Oregonians head "en masse" to event likes the Metro Washington Park "Oregon Zoo" Zoo Lights Festival (the name of the zoo was changed to Oregon Zoo from MWPZ a few years ago because folks were confused... The zoo is in Washington County in Oregon, but due to our proximity to Washington State, well ..... You understand the problem).

Yesterday, we bundled up and headed for the zoo. We spent the entire day wandering the grounds of the zoo, then the lights came on! We went on a steam train ride looping around the zoo and were dazzled by the more than 1/2 million lights brightening the zoo. Indiana had a BLAST. He hollered "lights" every ten seconds, with the occasional "pretty lights" thrown in, to keep us guessing.

Crater Lake

Back at the end of August, Duck boy and his dad went to Crater Lake.
Crater Lake is located in Southern Oregon on the crest of the Cascade Mountain range, 100 miles (160 km) east of the Pacific Ocean. It lies inside a caldera, or volcanic basin, created when the 12,000 foot (3,660 meter) high Mount Mazama collapsed 7,700 years ago following a large eruption.
Generous amounts of winter snow, averaging 533 inches (1,354 cm) per year, supply the lake with water. There are no inlets or outlets to the lake. Crater Lake, at 1,943 feet (592 meters) deep, is the seventh deepest lake in the world and the deepest in the United States. Evaporation and seepage prevent the lake from becoming any deeper. (information taken from http://www.nps.gov/crla/)
It is a beautiful, serene place to visit; one of Oregon's most amazing bits of scenery, in a state full of wondrous vistas. There are all kinds of wandering wildlife, a nice lodge, and some great trails (walking, hiking, and driving) to explore during the summer months. Crater Lake is even featured on the Oregon state quarter.

Furniture and Trees...

I don't know if I just like to confuse my child, or if I really am psychotic about this, but I change my furniture location about once per month. I really like it like this... Indiana is looking towards the telly and tower, watching Sesame Street (you obviously cant see the telly in the picture).
I also moved the piano and wicker linen basket in the dining room to accommodate the Christmas Tree. Indy has just been wandering around our place lost. We will be "putting up" our tree on Monday night. Pictures will be forthcoming.

Speaking of our tree... We have some wonderful Hispanics who live in our building (10 out of the 37 units here have Hispanics in them). Many of them are going home to Mexico for the holidays when the Christmas Tree farms they are currently working at lay off for the season. One of the fellows (Juan) brought a tree home and gave to us! He smiled and said "Feliz Navidad, Indiana"! Indy has ingratiated himself with all of the neighbors, English and Spanish speaking alike. The boy is living proof that racism isn't inborn, its taught. We are teaching him that everyone deserves a smile and a hand shake and that being nice to all people will bring him much more success and many more rewards in life than racism and bigotry.

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

My mom is so talented with her photo editing programs. I sent her several pictures of my two very handsome boys and in return she sent me these. We will be sending the above picture with our Christmas cards. The lower photo we are using as our desktop wallpaper for the holidays! It makes a perfect background. Thanks, mom! (I seem to be saying that a lot lately)

On the go with Grandma!

My mom (Indy's grandma) came by yesterday and took us out Holiday Shopping. Indy was raring to go! He climbed right into her car and made it clear he wanted to ride in the front!After wrestling him into the back seat, we were off to the shops. At the local department store Indy decided to have a tantrum. My mom took his hand, hauled him out of the store and explained to him that "Bad boys stay in the car; good boys get to go in the store".After spending some time sitting in the car he was ready to behave. His grandma brought him back in to the store, where I had run into an old friend and was chatting. He was an angel for the rest of our excursion, through several other stores. It was a miracle!When we returned home, Indy entertained everyone, throwing leaves (one at a time) and chasing his shadow. There was a mild wind blowing, so every time Indiana threw a leaf forward the wind would catch it and blow it back to land on the ground behind him. He spent several minutes trying to throw this same leaf. Indy and I had an excellent day and hope to spend many more days hanging out with my mom. I had such wonderful grandparents in my Grandpa and Grandma McGarry, it is heart warming for me to see my own mother carrying on with Indy.

Thank you, mom, for inviting us!

pre-emption:

Today's post was going to be a nice set about Indiana and I go shopping with my mother yesterday, complete with photos. Instead ya'll get to see this:

Indiana loves his daddy. Our apartment complex has a rule about quiet hours. Thus hours are 10pm to 8am (however the old leases say 10pm to 7 am). Indiana's daddy headed out to work today at 8am. When he left Indy and I were upstairs chatting with Sue (she was giving me cough drops because I seem to have developed a nasty cold). Indiana cried when daddy left. He wanted to go, too. Indiana is not quite 20 months old. Our brand new neighbor, who's children bicker, scream, and fight came outside. The background on this neighbor is that at 6pm two nights ago, the neighbor came out and told the on site manager to quiet down. Three days ago her son tried to pick a fist fight with the little 7 year old Mexican boy from downstairs (he's 11). Last night at 1130 pm her son threw their garbage down the stairs (envision metal cans clanking down the metal steps near our windows). She explained to me that I need to be quiet, she sleeps until noon and doesn't want to hear my kid cry and she will be calling the home office to complain about me. At which point she stormed into her apartment and slammed the door so hard the windows rattled in her apartment and the one next door to it. This woman has come down and borrowed cigarettes that she hasn't paid back. She has been caught digging through the ashtrays in front of my home and the other neighbors' homes. She has lived here since the day after thanksgiving and has not sent her children to school, not even once.
I admit that Indiana should not be waking up neighbors. However, it was the first time he has bothered her. To my knowledge. It was not during the quiet hours (it was after 8am). It is not my fault she sleeps on her sofa directly in front of the window.
Now, what!?! Does she expect her 11 and 14 children to be neighborhood nuisances yet my toddler isn't allowed to cry when daddy leaves him?
frustration.

Christmas Story-book Land:

Every year our town plays host to a fun "Christmas Story-book Land", which is just right for children and families. It is hosted at the fairgrounds. We always go a couple of times each year. Last night, we took a couple friends with us and headed off to the fairgrounds.
One of the displays really resonated with Indiana! In fact, Indy had just gotten his brand new "Sesame Street" tennis shoes an hour before he saw the display. I did notice, no Elmo on this street... Anyways, Indy kept chanting "Cookie" and jumping around and squealing with joy. He had to be bodily moved on to the next exhibit.
More pictures of visiting the displays and our first "Santa-visit" of the season coming up!

Play Date!

Indy has a new girlfriend. Her name is Mayo and she came to play with us for a while today.
Her grandmother lives upstairs, but we have the best toys, so she came down to our place. They had a great time watching movies and playing with every toy Indy owns. I don't think she is used to have so many toys to chose from! After they tired out from playing with all the toys they both settled into Indiana's recliner to read books. Indy loves books, and Mayo can't wait to learn to actually read all those words. Literacy is such an important part of growing, it does my heart good to see that these two seem well on their way to learning the skills it takes to read and write. They are also learning the social skills to get along and play well together.

What a fun day.

positive changes

Sometimes, Indiana just doesn't provide much material to write about. He grows and changes everyday, says new words, trys new things, gets into stuff... Standard toddler stuff. It is all exciting and wonderful, but not necessarily the most interesting writing. Thus, today's post is again not about Indy. Instead it's about some wonderful things that have been happening for me lately:

Most folks realize that I can be a bit of a snob about things. I figured I would never jump on the "Myspace" bandwagon because it seemed rather silly to me. I love my blog and blogging seems like such a more versatile way of conversing with the world at large. However, my beloved Duck has a myspace page and I had to see it (and get involved in it) because I'm his mom and I like to be involved. So, I made a page (if you want to see it, there's a link on the sidebar), and he helped me figure out how to do fun things with it. In the process of discovering myspace, I found some great old friends who I have been able to reconnect with. Some are far away, some are very nearby, but all are wonderful re-additions to my life. I feel so blessed with my small circle of friends; however there is always room for old faces, rediscovered. Welcome back, I look forward to getting to know you all, all over again.

Update on "meme":
A few folks have participated in the "high school era photograph meme". Faira, over at Daffodils and Dragons put up some fun ones.
Bart, from Daze of our lives contributed this juicy one.

There are a few more I am waiting to see come in... Stay tuned!

Cut, Crop, Chop...

I am very self aware of my appearance. I was something of an ugly duckling when I was young, always struggling with self esteem issues and in the shadow of a "Pioneer Picnic Queen" sister. When I came into my own, during my twenties I wore a size 6 pant, bleached my hair into light shades of red and dark shades of blond, wore flashy jewelry, drank heavily and was admired my many a fellow. Then the unthinkable happened. I got FAT. I don't mean I put on a few pounds. I don't even mean I put on twenty pounds. I couldn't fit one BUTT CHECK into my old jeans now, even if I greased up and used a shoe horn. One thing I had never been in my life was a fat girl... It was hard enough being less than a beauty in an era when beauty was all that mattered, when substance (a mind, opinions, and a personality) was less than nothing, but to have been fat also... A fate worse than death. So, now I am a rapidly aging, mostly unattractive, fat woman. Thank Gawd I am married to a guy who is not only blind without his glasses, but blinded by love. So, I cut myself out of the picture above before posting, and I continue to exercise... And I work on accepting my changed reality, everyday.

Bravery comes in many forms:

My buddy John was brave enough to post a high school picture of himself in a Toga. It is worth the time to look at it, the giggle will do you good.

I am not nearly as brave, so although this is a picture of me from high school, its a good one... This was taken when I was 12 years old (Freshman year of High School). You can tell from the turned up collar that it was the 1980s and I thought I was cool. The giant fish is a long dead fellow who happened to be climbing the Bonneville fish ladder.If YOU are brave enough to post a high school picture of yourself, leave me a comment and I will be sure to come visit!

Informative:

Indiana is practicing his "Elvis sneer". Indy makes some of the strangest faces. I wish I could capture all of them on camera. Unfortunately, when Indy sees the camera he usually stops whatever he is doing to "pose" with a grin.
Indiana is developing so quickly now. His vocabulary increases everyday. Often we don't even comment on new words now, as there are so many of them coming so fast, it would be all we talked about if we mentioned each word.
He is practicing following more and more complex instructions, with three or four steps. He can usually be induced to "go to your room and get the orange ball and bring it to mama" or to "climb on the wicker box and shut off the kitchen light switch, please" (there are two light switches in that spot, the kitchen and the dining room).
He is having some trouble adjusting to the cold and dark and wet of our pre-winter storms. I don't let him venture outside as often as before. Indy still gets in his quality time with Jack, running the balcony and feeding the birds.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What are you thankful for?

Here is my top ten list:

1) I have two wonderful sons who are healthy, happy, beautiful, boys.
2) I have a great husband who loves me very much.
3) I have wonderful parents; my mom and Donnie are fabulous, and I love them.
4) I have a very nice ex-husband.
5) My ex-husbands family are a wonderful group of people whom are all very special to me and treat Indiana with special kindness.
6) I have a nice home that is warm, dry, and safe.
7) I am blessed with a mother-in-law, who (although crazy) is one of the nicest, most well meaning people I know.
8) I have a small group of friends so close, they might as well be family.
9) I have digital cable television which includes the PBS kids Sprout channel that keeps Indiana busy.
10) I live in a neighborhood where all the neighbors are supportive of one another and look out for each other.

Cruising

In honor of Papa Harley's upcoming birthday, Indiana took to the road! Well, actually, the local Harley owner's club was holding a fund raiser. For a small fee, the club members would take your photo on a bike and frame it for you. Indy loved it and had to be removed forcibly from the motorcycle. The original framed photo will be on its way to Florida sometime this week.

Welcome to the world:

Our upstairs neighbor, Jennifer, brought her little bundle of humanity into the world this morning 11/20/2006 at 8:51 am. His name (according to sources close to the parents) is Darien Rian. He was just 6 lbs 9 oz and 19 1/2 inches long.

Darien, Welcome to the world. Welcome to the neighborhood. Welcome to the wonderful life you have ahead of you. We wish you and your mommy nothing but the very best. I know that Ox (the dog) will be waiting to greet you when you get home, and watch over you as you grow up. I hope you and Indiana will be fast friends.

pictures of the new baby forthcoming... stay tuned!

Saying Goodbye to Fall...

Most of the leaves have progressed through their startling shades and fallen. The chill in the air, the fog on the ground, tells us that Winter has arrived, although the solstice has not yet arrived. The snow level has dropped, the passes and icy and the valley floor is soaked from days of cold rain that seems to put a lie to the promise of the rainbow.
One of the bonuses of parenting is seeing everything through newly opened eyes. The wondrousness of the world comprehended for the first time. When I stop to think about how delightful the world around me is, it takes my breath away.

On a different note... I think we should purchase stock in Kraft. Indiana currently will consume 5-6 slices of Kraft American cheese at a sitting, followed a few hours later by half a box of Kraft macaroni and cheese. He tolerates velveta shells and cheese, but he prefers the blue box. He shouts impatiently as it cooks. His favorite word seems to be CHEESE, spoken at 1950 decibels.

More confessions of a worrier...

I don't know what happened to the care-free, care-less woman I once was. Sometimes, like today, I miss her.
Normally, I hear from my husband everyday while he is at work. I tease him about calling home so often. Today, he didn't call. Today he was at work for eleven hours with no word. Today, I called his work. I never do that unless there is an emergency. I don't even know the name of the regular receptionist, I have so little contact with her. But, I was worried. I don't even know WHAT I was worried about. But, I was worried. I had to be sure he was at work and okay.
A long time ago I lived with a nice man named Tom. It wasn't a grand romantic passionate love, but it was a comfortable, happy life until one day he went on an overnight visit to Idaho and instead of him coming home the next morning, a police officer showed up at our door to let me know that Tom wouldn't be coming home, ever. He had been killed in Idaho. Maybe that is why I worry when Indiana's dad is late home from work. Maybe, when you love someone, you just worry; either way.

I'm in LOVE!

Today, Indiana assisted me with lunch. That's a nice way of saying he swiped the crackers that went with my soup and crunched them all over the carpet. Oh, and then danced on the crunched up bits. I did not yell. I smiled. No, I am NOT having a nervous breakdown. I got a brand new shiny purple Dyson Animal Vacuum Cleaner. I was excited to get to use it! Had I known how incredibly amazingly stupendously fabulous these things were, I would have started whining for one long ago!

So this is my testimonial: I keep a fairly tidy home. We live in it with a toddler, so it isn't immaculate, but it is comfortably clean. I was stunned upon using this new Dyson vacuum to discover that We are danged dirty pigs! I went over the carpet three times and the Dyson is still sucking nasty looking dirt out of the carpets. Oh and it leaves behind a nice smell... Not that nasty-just-vacuumed-dust-in-the-air yuck smell. There's some sort of air freshener built right into it. Man, it's cool!
I think I am going to go vacuum again.

Who knew that one day I would find the greatest things in life to be "Dyson's vacuum" and "Clorox's Anywhere Spray"!?!

Elmo mania hits home...

I grew up loving Sesame Street. When I was a little girl, my mom made sure that when I started school (at 5) I could count, I could say the alphabet, I could write and spell my name, tie my own shoes, and do several neat little tricks like that. So many kids don't know those things when they go into school.
So, the experts say that watching the telly is bad for kids. Sesame Street has already taught Indiana, at just 19 months to say his ABC's and 123's. He recognizes those three letters and those three numbers when he sees them written down. When you say "One" to him, he says "Two"! He has recently started "sharing" with his stuffed Elmo. He will take a bite of his food, then try to give a bite to Elmo. He doesn't just sit and stare, he gets up and dances and shouts. When he hears the opening bars "Sunny day, chasing the clouds away..." He will drop everything and come running! So, screw the experts, We love Elmo.