Portraits - At the Pier

Pictures of the men in my life under the pier in South Nags Head.

Spring Break - Outer Banks here we come!!!

We joined the Crawford's for a trip to the Outer Banks for a week! We chose a house on the Cape Hatteras Seashore, in Waves, just south of Rodanthe. The house was perfect for us - a place for everyone to spread out!

The weather was great! We spent hours digging in the sand making elaborate sand pits. One afternoon we drove up to Nags Head for a rousing game of Putt Putt golf. Countless hours were spent with the art box creating interesting and colorful art. Great food, great friends, date nights for the adults....lovely time!

April Fools Day!!!

No joke, it really is!

The boys woke to a breakfast of cereal, but, when they poured the milk on it the milk turned GREEN!!! Oh the shock and horror! Colin and Ethan refused to eat it. Ryan and Joey rolled with it. Branden was a bit horrified, then shrugged his shoulders and ate it!!!

Happy Birthday Honey!!!

Happy Birthday Kent! 47 years old!!! Just getting better, not older! ; )

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Lucky the Leprechaun came for a visit today! All sorts of mischief occurred! Chairs were turned around, pillows were placed at the foot of the beds, shamrocks were scattered about the house, milk turned green, and more!! The children spent lots of time hunting for the tricky little leprechaun!

Quite possibly the BEST thing was that when we all got home the Wii was on and we thing the tricky leprechaun had been playing a game! There was a new character named Sean who looked an awful lot like a leprechaun...

For dinner were had corned beef, mashed potatoes and peas! For dessert we had frosted shamrock cookies and green M&M's!

Mischief, merriement, memories!

Our Garden In Bloom

Popcorn and a movie!

A typical Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Depending on what's showing at the Base Theater that's where you'll find us! Clean, family oriented theater, great prices, good snacks! Admission is $4 for adults and $3 for kids. Popcorn is $3.50 for a jumbo, kids drinks are $2.25! We bring our own brown paper bags to divide up the popcorn for the kids. Often you find us there with our friends - Joey, Michael, and Carolyn along with their mom, Sandy. On this day we saw Marley & Me. Great, enjoyable movie, sad at the end, but sweet too. For some reason we would up wth popcorn buckets at home...not sure why...

Peep Show!

Yup, got a little stir crazy with all the snow, got some Peeps from their package and went to town. Quite the production...

PS No Peeps were harmed during the production, they were however eaten shortly after filming ended.

March, in like a LION!

Well, what they say about March must be true. Mother Nature gave us quite a visit over night dropping almost a foot of snow throughout our area! We had quiet a morning shoveling our driveway and our older neighbors. The boys had the best time playing in the snow, but only for a little while as it was brutally cold out. DS #4 managed to create his much desired snowman (with a little help from Mom & Dad), DS #3made beautiful snow angels, DS's #2, 3, & 5 created an ice fort with the help of a neighbor boy.

Great Wolf Lodge

February break from school. We took the little boys to Great Wolf Lodge for two days. We were joined by a bunch of families from school. Highlights from the trip:

*Stopping at Sonic for Cherry Limeades and lunch on the way.

*Walking into the Lodge and finding a bunch of our friends waiting for us!

*Jumping into the Wave Pool!

*Drifting down the Lazy River with our friends!

*Heading back to the room to catch American Idol.

*Story time in the lobby in our pajamas.

*Going to Sonic in our PJ's to have sundaes!

*Spending the morning playing withour friends in the waterpark.

*Wearing our swimsuits out of the Lodge in the 71 degree weather (IN February!!)

*Swimming and playing until we were the last family still there from our group!

*Stopping at SONIC one more time on the way home! Just one more Cherry Limeade please!!

Johns Hopkins...

DS #1 and I went to Johns Hopkins today for a yearly eval with the neurosurgeon. DS had a three hour MRI first, then he had a break before the appointment, so we headed back to the Children's House to clean our room, pack, and grab some lunch.

We were fortunate enough to get space at TCH last night. They are in the middle of some renovation and a part of the house is shut down to guests. So thankful they had space for us since the first appointment was at 6:45a.m.!

Looks good. The Brain Tumor Board still has to review it next Teuesday, but the preliminary report was good. Tumor is stable, Chiari is stable, slight enlargement of the thoracic syrinx likely but not needing surgical intervention yet.

Poor boy got horribly sick on the way home from the hospital. Keeping him home Wednesday...

Valentine's Day Random....

Mommy got a dozen beautiful red roses from Daddy! Did I mention they are beautiful?

The little boys each brought home a rose from school for Mommy...very sweet!

Mommy let Daddy sleep in and surprised everyone with a yumy breakfast!

The boys were excited to find gifts at the table when they came to breakfast!

DS #1 had Bball practice this morning!

While Daddy and DS #1 were gone, Mommy and DS's #2,3, &4 made super yummy Valentine's Day Funfetti cupcakes!

We took the boys out for Dim Sum as a lunch surprise!

Daddy surprised Mommy by purchasing steak and lobster for dinner! YUMMY!Daddy makes the best steak and lobster dinners!

We ate dinner on our wedding china. The boys got to have sparkling cider with their dinner in real wine glasses! Fancy!

Mommy and Daddy watched Nights in Rodanthe after the boys went to bed.

Valentine's Day Breakfast!

On the breakfast menu:

Heart shaped pancakes
Fluffy eggs
Fresh berries
OJ slushies

Gifts for all!

Valentines....

So, I am in an anti-commercial Valentine's card mood. Finding the overly commercial cards covered in Hannah Montana, Spiderman, and Indiana Jones simply more than I can bear to shove in my boys hands, I decided we'd create our own this year! We've done this before and enjoyed it. I'm game, the boys are game, and so we go, off to the craft store to grab some supplies.

We start with simple craft paper in a cheery red, then head off to the heart shaped doilies, pausing to look at some heart stickers, passing them by after they are deemed "too girly", we stare at a myriad of stuff...and we stare some more.

Finally we head out of the land of overly cheerful hearts and sparkles crossing the store to the famed Dollar Aisle! There we discover packs of pencils, Silly Putty, and Grow A Pets! Eyes grow big with the wonder of it all! We decide that this year the triplet boys will create a goodie bag together instead of individual Valentines.

Passing on the Silly Putty, we grab an assortment of Grow A Pets (pirates, dinosaurs, princesses, ducks, dogs, and cats), several packs of pencils, and some cellophane treat bags to go with our red cardstock. Twenty three dollars *gasp* later we are home with our loot! Tomorrow we will begin assembling our Valentine's Day delights!

What have I gotten myself into???

Earlier today, I had DS #2 (10yrs old) with me in Target where he selected three small heart shaped boxes of chocolates for the three little girls he is enamored with. I am frankly afraid to ask DS #1 (16 yrs) what he wants/needs for Valentine's Day!!

The circus is coming to town!!!

Okay, not literally to town, but two hours away which is close enough! DH and I just bought tickets to take the boys to see the Ringling Bros Circus this spring. Finding 7 seats NOT in the nosebleed section was fun...not! We had a hard time finding ones in a good spot until we searched the last show time of the day, 7:30p.m. and viola, fab seats, smack in the center, about a third back. Good thing the boys are older now. We'll still have the two hour drive to get home after, but it'll be fine, they'll likely sleep through most of it!

We took the boys three years ago for the first time. Well, they've seen the funky litle off off off Broadway version that swings through small towns with dancing cats, but... So, we decided it was time to do it again! Even the oldest, rapidly approaching 17, agreed to go with us!

Random details....

DS #1 saw the head of Orthopedics at JH this week. His scoliosis has not gotten any worse in the last two yearly visits, and factoring in DS's age now (almost 17) we have been moved to an as needed status for return visits. Fabulous!!!

DS #2 has been having a lot of joint pain in his hands, feet, arms, and legs. Doctor is concerned he has a form of arthritis....sigh, poor kid, he's 10! He's been having pains in his legs for over a year, they had been calling it growing pains at the last practice. This new octor though has ordered a slew of blodwork to make sure there's nothing lurking and to look at the RH factor.

DS #3 (7 yrs) is getting ready to compete in his first Pinewood Derby tomorrow. He chose a pick up truck design. Painted it black and metallic green. It's fabulous so far. DH and DS are still working at it. Competition is in 12 hours! : )

DS #4 (7yrs) is getting ready to compete in same Pinewood Derby competition. His car is a patriotic car, all red, white, and blue and metallic with stars and stripes!

DS #5 (7yrs) is also getting ready for the Pinewood Derby. His car is black with metallic blue paint! Fabulous. Trying to design a lightening bolt for him now...for the door. He's hot that way! LOL

Me? I'm sick again....down for the count. It would be lovely if they could figure this mystery illness out. I am back in bed again much of the day. SO tired of being sick...so tired of having to find someone to cover for me. I couldn't even teach my class this afternoon. Just unloading the dishwasher makes me faint and I start panting.

DH? He's worried....about me. Burdened by having to pick up more of the household chores. The dishes loom out of control....and we'll not talk about the laundry. Planing to have DS #1 do the laundry tomorrow.

Tomorrow perhaps I'll have some Pinewood Derby pics to share!!!

Chinese New Year Celebration - Leftovers!

Our annual Chinese New Year Celebration! Note the menu in the foreground, Kent's list of good eats to prepare! We had such a great time with our neighborhood friends! So much food, great chocolate cheescake for dessert (thank Rio and yes, it's totally non traditional but delicious) and some yummy beverages!

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Happy New Year! It's the Year of the Ox! Lucky Money envelopes filled with Lucky Money!

Waiting to get back in the game!

DS #1, after seven weeks in a cast, stands courtside waiting for a chance to get back into the game! He had a stress fracture in his right leg. He did get to play a bit...he was very excited!

Sweat Equity

Whew......after three weeks the dining room is almost finished! 80's floral wallpaper (shudder) gone, beadboard and fabulous moldings have replaced it... Hues of soft green and gleaming white shine throughout the space! A new ceiling fan/light illuminates the room. A new buffet will be moved in later this week. It's taken longer than we expected, but the end result is fabulous! Now...on to the living room!

Giraffes...

DS #4 has a rash...not just any rash, but a rash that is not typical...not responding to typical things like Benadryl, and now steroids. He's not itchy, not sneezing, no fever, no cough, just spots. So he's home from school for the time being until it goes away or whatever since the docs think it could be contagious. Ok, so there are six more of us in the house and none of us have spots...yet!

So, last night we told the boy that he might be turning into a giraffe with all those spots. Ok, I should interject here that the boy is fascinated with giraffes...I mean fascinated. Sleeps with giraffes, has a giraffe blanket, giragge gee gaws, etc. So fast forward to morning...the boy walks into my room...

"Mom, I am not a giraffe, see, no antlers! I'm still E!"

Yup, good thing too...I'm partial to the boy, although having a giraffe for a son could be interesting!

Merry Christmas!!!!

Just kidding!!! Thought I'd share the rare family photo with you! Christmas morning 2008!

Dim Sum...

Saturdays are the BEST! A newish local eatery serves up delicious Dim Sum half priced from 11:30-3p.m. every Saturday! DH and I have decided that every other Saturday shall be a Dim Sum day! I'm sooo not gonna argue with that thought process!

Wonton in Sesame Peanut Sauce
Vegetable Dumpling
Fried Dumpling
Crab Rangoon
Sesame Ball
Crab Shu Mai
Shrimp and Leek Cake
Seafood Shu Mai

Transformations...

It's time....I've lived in this new old house for 2.5 years. Very little has changed cosmetically. Life moves on and time flies by. So this week, with the help of a friend, I have begun the dining room transformation. Gone now is the ugly wallpaper (ok, it wasn't ugly when it went up, but after 20+ years....) soon to be in it's place a lovely soft green above gleaming white beadboard. I cannot tell you have exciting this is for me. Just removing the old wallparer lifts my spirits and refreshes me. Out with the dingy country floral, in with the clean lines and soft colors.

I cannot wait to see the room come together....new sideboards, framed black and white photos on the wall, a new ceiling light fixture..exciting things!

How do you say thanks?

Sometimes in life we find ourselves experiencing something pivotal, something that changes us forever, something unexpected. A few months ago I had such a moment, except it didn't really happen to me, I was merely a witness to the after effects, to the challenges, fear, prayers, and celebrations that came next. As I wandered alongside this family I discovered something amazing, someone amazing. This woman that I didn't know...her tragedy became that pivotal moment for me.

Stephanie Nielson, known to many in the blogging community as Nie Nie, had been in a horrible plane crash along with her husband and their friend. Stephanie suffered burns over 80% of her body, her husband was severely burned as well. Their friend passed away from his injuries. I spent months checking on Nie Nie's and Mr. Neilson's recovery, looking daily for a piece of news, encouraged by pictures of smiling children, a family's utter devotion, strangers coming forward, friends rallying.

I came to know of Stephanie and her family as a result of their tragedy, but I was drawn past the horrific details and found my self spending literally hours, long into the night, reading Nie Nie's blog (you can find a link on my blog list to the right). What I discovered was an amazing woman, a woman who embraced herself, her own beauty, cherished her family, was madly in love with her husband. A woman who celebrated the big and small, who made life magical for her children, even in the mundane acts of daily life.

Stories Stephanie told of her every day life challenge me as a wife, mother, sister, friend. I am older than Stephanie, farther along in this than she, married longer, mothering longer, but what I have learned from Stephanie's blog is that I have a lot to learn about these things.

Stephanie's unabashed love for her husband, her hopelessly romantic feelings (and sharing them) challenges me to shower my husband with more admiration publicly and privately, as so often we allow the busyness of day to day life to get in the way and we put off things we shouldn't. Her ideas of motherhood, the simple magic she creates through everyday things encourages me to celebrate with my own children more, to create more magic, to sit longer and cuddle, to linger at the table engrossed in conversation. Her true devotion to her friends...do my friends know how very special each and every one of them is to me? I hope so, but perhaps I need to say it more. Perhaps I should write a thank you to my dentist...

Stephanie also has a way of capturing her own self....flaws and all. Stephanie's use of self portraits (literally) as well as revealing details (flattering and not so flattering) challenges me to be more revealing, to encourage my own self, to embrace my own uniqueness.

In the four and a half months since learning of the Nie Nie Dialogues I have made many changes, some simple, some large, some emerging. Simple things like decorated tablecloths celebrating the seasons, cute spider plates for Halloween and snowman plates for Christmas for my boys. I pulled my apron out of storage and fell in love with it all over again. I make it a point to tell my husband how much I love him daily and thank him for providing for our family...

The funny thing is, had Stephanie not endured this horrific tragedy I might have never known of her...never had the chance to read her stories, to embrace her family, to ponder such things as Back To School parties and family words. Stephanie's tradegy touched literally thousands, far more than she likely would ever have reached without it. How does one say thank you to that? How can you ever say thank you to someone who has endured so much and yet in her very suffering touched so very many lives?

I am forever changed...we all are.

MeMe...50 things

1. What's the last thing you bought? Took oldest son to Gamestop to exchange a PS2 game.
2. What describes your relationship status? Married
3. Where are you? In my bedroom
4. What's the last movie you've seen? In the theater, Bolt
5. The last person you held hands with? Hubby
6. Who Is Your Best Friend? My husband
7. Who have you talked to most today? Hmmm, three way tie with husband, friend Carrie, and friend Ellen.
8. Do you carve pumpkins every year? Yep...it's fun!
9. Color of your underwear? White...yawn!
10. Color of your shirt? Sky blue
11. I'm always...Tired
12. Who's on speed dial 2? 4? 6? What's speed dial?
13. Honestly, how many people do you have feelings for? What kind of feelings are we talkin' about?
14. Whats your favorite season? Summer
15. Good advice if you ever go camping? Bring a fully stocked luxury RV!
16. Are you a bad influence? Sometimes I suppose, but not in bad ways...more like dining out and caving in to the chocolate cravings...
17. Rather have your name or your siblings name? Well, since my siblings are all male I'll keep mine!
18. Would you do anything for someone else? Depends on the person and if it's legal in 48 states!
19. Do you read trashy romance novels often? Nope, never. If I have time to read I am gonna read something with more substance!
20. iPod or Zune? Neither, Creative Zen
21. What is your ringtone? Um.....something already loaded on the phone!
22. What's the last thing someone bought you? Well, Dh bought me dinner last light, but before that it would have been a Christmas gift, but I got lots of those...
23. Do you ever think people hate you for filling these out? Nope, I am super interesting! Everyone knows that! LOL
24. Physics or chemistry? Neither...I am more of an English major girl!
25. Facebook or Myspace? Neither, but if I had to go there I would go to Facebook (I know you're reading this ML!!!)
26. R-rated or G-rated movies? Both can be good, and both can be bad.
27. Whose page did you visit last? Christine's, copied most of this from her blog!
28. Last time you went out to lunch? New Year's Eve, my friend Carrie and I went to Lonestar with a $10 gift card. We ordered salads and an appetizer. We paid $2.15, but left a $5 tip!
29. What's your favorite Disney movie? Probably Snow White, although the witch and the poisoned apple...scary to me as a kid!
30. Who is your favorite character from Friends? Hmmm, Phoebe
31. Do you have a tattoo? Not a chance!
32. Do you want one? Not really
33. Fly or road trip? If I need to be there quickly, fly. If the journey is part of the fun, drive!! Sometimes you can find some really cool unexpected things along the way!
34. What did you do last night? Went out to dinner with the family after a day visiting museums! Chinese!
35. Are you a LOST fanatic? Yup, pretty much confused too!
36. What's your name spelled backwards? Stupid looking
37. Do you have a song by Ozzy Osbourne in your library? Nope, not a one!
38. Do you ever sing obnoxiously in the shower? Not obnoxiously
39. What's in your CD player right now? High Schol Musical 3
40. What's your favorite movie? Anne of Green Gables
41. Another favorite movie? Cars
42. Do you believe everyone has a soul mate? Yes
43. Can you sing? Yes and I am told I have a lovely voice
44. Do you play any instrument? Yes, piano
45. Are you ever a freak about cleanliness or organization? No, but I wish I was at least partly!
46. Have you ever been to South America or Africa? Nope
47. Do you know how to knit? Nope, not even a bit
48. What are you doing right now besides this survey? Watching HGTV and waiting for DH to finish making grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner.
49. Last place you went for vacation? The Outer Banks of North Carolina
50. Favorite number? Hmmm, I don't think I have one...

Freedom returns

Today we drove into the city with the four younger sons...a day of subway rides and museums. As we packed up to go, the boys scrambled to gather their Nintendo DS players, MP3 players, books for the car, and snacks I was struck by the realization that they were almost self sufficient. I had to gather my MP3, the camera, my tote of magazines for reading, etc. and that was it. I gave some instructions, but seriously they were all quite capable of getting ready - it was w.o.n.d.e.r.f.u.l.

Ok, I did pack a lunch/snack bag for all to share, but they were each responsible for the "I'm hungry" snack that would inevitably occur 5.7 miles from home! So, some granola bars, cheese sticks, drinkable yogurts, and a bag of freshly washed grapes and we were on our way!

The subway was a huge hit! We took the time to ride to extra stops just so they could enjoy the ride, and enjoy it they did! We managed to hit two museums with no meltdowns, accidents, injuries, etc. The boys were fabulous and we had a great day. I am amazed at how far we have come in this parenting. As the triplets (and boys in general) grow older I see our new opportunities. The years of "It's just too much work" have passed and I am in my head planning many jaunts out and about to explore -a trip to the steam engines a few hours north, hiking along the river, touring historical sites, etc. The possibilities are endless - freedom returns!

My word for 2009...

This year my word is Simplicity...

Main Entry: simplicity
Pronunciation: \ sim-ˈpli-sə-tē, -ˈplis-tē \
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural sim·plic·i·ties,
Etymology: Middle English simplicite, from Anglo-French simplicité, from Latin simplicitat-, simplicitas, from simplic-, simplex
Date: 14th century

The state of being simple, uncomplicated, or uncompounded


This year I shall embrace this word...to simplfy my life, reduce the things that bog me down, make way for the uncomplicated.