random- literally

there is a random folder on my hard drive.

in it are random pictures. some i remember having taken.

some i don't.

but they each tell a little story- or open a door for the imagination

to tell it's own story-

let's have a looksie-

first we have the cupcake tree on a diet...
then, there is pretty jess. hey jess, you are pretty...

okay. here is xave's cake. last year.

this year he likes baseball. both cakes were delish.

xave's mom can bake !!!!

hmmm. not really sure about this one.

i think i will just skip to the next-

this one is titled:

two beauties and a mom...

again, we may just let this one go unexplained...

but if you want more info

email me...

i think they take it on the road

this is a summer afternoon with a friend. also known as

"mom is a freak and thinks there might be lightning in the next day or two so she isn't coming out on the boat with us but I am not afraid, let me just have one more bite of my lunch and we're off...."

this one i called

"happy birthday muzzy"

4th of july. 2010.

muzzy's first birthday in heaven.

the lightning bugs danced that whole night.

okay. what have we here???

i know who this is,

but not where he is,

what he is eating,

or where his parents are.

i mean, what kind of parents would allow this mess???

this one is called

"paper dress".

you heard me right.

it's so good i might treat you to another-

here is

"paper dress in the kitchen"

which is not recommended as it is not a

waterproof paper dress.

it is just a plain paper dress.

random enough for you??

oh, there's more.

tbc

Spewing.

Here are a few things I'm spewing tonight because (quite honestly) I simply don't have time to organize a real post. There is packing to do gosh darnit.

1. I have no idea who took that picture (above) but it must be a cousin. See post from 7/25/11 for reference.

2. I like that picture. Dear Cousin, you can borrow my camera any time.

3. Dec, in the midst of picking out "American" t-shirts today at Target to bring to all his relations he doesn't know in County Wicklow and County Cork and Tipperary - asked

"Does Auntie Una have any babies?" No. I replied. "Why?" Dec asked. She and her husband decided not to have babies. I replied. "But how do you make a baby mom?" Dec asked.

4. I was not prepared to answer him in the discount t-shirt aisle of Target so I wheeled (quickly) in the direction of the new CARS II toys and avoided the questioning all together. Was that bad parenting? I'm beginning to think yes.

5. Dec paddled his new (birthday present) kayak in the lake for the first time today and within about 67 seconds had an older (7-year-old) girl asking to hitch a ride on the back. He obliged. Of Course, he did. Because he is the best kid ever born (and Nonie too). But, should I be concerned that his new yellow (banana boat) kayak is a chick magnet.

A chick magnet?!

I was not prepared for this.


Please, discuss amongst yourselves and advise ASAP.


Over and out.

another life lesson

it's not everyday

one gets the invaluable opportunity

to be reminded

that

despite cultural and geographical differences,
despite differences in opinion, religious beliefs,

and laundry techniques,

despite different taste buds,

choice in nail polish color

and sleep habits...

we are all pretty much the same.

Life lessons come in skinny little packages

from the bronx...

I Will Always Have...

When Declan was a peanut (days old)... my BFF Claire flew in from Brazil to meet him.

As if it were yesterday, I can still picture her holding Declan down at the edge of the lake.

I took pictures as the sun set off in the distance, silhouetting Claire and Dec.

And, I can still hear her softly spoken words to my 12-day-old-son, "I am your Auntie

Claire..... and I will always have gum....".

At the time, her not-meant-for-me-to-hear-words melted my heart.

This was my best friend, who had flown in from a hemisphere away,

to hold my dear son in her hands and to tell him, in a simplistic way,

that she'd always have something exciting to offer up -

even on his darkest of days.

For anyone who has ever tuned in to the sitcom "Friends", you'll know that our Dear "Auntie Claire" borrowed her lines from "Aunt Monica", who offers the same promise of a never-ending supply of gum to her nephew Ben (her brother Ross' son).

Regardless, Claire's words meant a lot to me. And they have meant a lot to Declan in the days since, when Claire has filled days with creative and enthusiastic FUN and on occasion, gum.

****

Last night, I lay in a tent in the middle of my backyard with 4 nieces and nephews, 1 son, and 1 daughter.

I'm so proud of my little campers.

They did a beautiful job relaxing under a star-filled sky, snuggling into their soft sleeping bags, and giving way to the power of falling asleep with a cool breeze on their face and far-off animal cries in the distance.

During the night

I helped Cormac scamper from the tent and pee just before dawn.

I made sure Aidan wasn't suffocating himself as he nestled deep in the corner of the tent.

I became surprisingly proud of Anna, who was on her first official sleep over and was the first to give way to her exhaustion. She got my unofficial vote for "best all-around-camper".

I was comforted by the calm, still, presence that Mags exuded from the far edge of the tent. I knew she was one of the last to fall asleep, but I also knew she was enjoying the view of the star-filled sky from her cozy spot.

I was happy to have Declan snuggle up between his cousins on the night of his 6th birthday.

And, I was amazed that Nonie fell asleep so soundly, long before the cousin tent winded down.

****

While the cousins fell asleep, I recounted (outloud) the number of nights I've spent in a tent:

(must be close to 400) - from Glacier Peak in Washington, to the frozen lakes of Minnesota and Ontario, to the Alpe d'Huez in France, and the chipmunk overrun beaches of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia - and of course, the sandy beaches of the Vineyard and South Carolina. For a moment I was impressed with the amount of time I've logged in tents. Intense.

I encouraged the cousins to listen for new sounds. NOTTOSLEEP.

And, to try to ID familiar ones. They listened for a long time and finally came the question I was waiting for:

"Can we stop listening and start sleeping now?"

To ease anxiousness,

I twirled the hair of my 6-year-old nephew.

I unzipped and zipped and unzipped and zipped the tent for tiny bladders.

I shined the light on the grass to direct the mid-night peeing.

I sang out-of-tune-songs like "You are My Sunshine" "This Little Light of Mine" "ABCD -" Nonie's request)....and "50-Nifty-United States...."

Just to be sure that you're sure. I did sing each song out of tune... though I had them begging for encores.....

****

In the midst of all this, I paused

and realized I was so happy.

I took a deep breath of fresh, fresh air.

Then, I took a deep breath again.

I gazed at the stars and at the blinking lights of planes flying high above.

For a moment, I wondered where the planes were going. Ireland?? Maybe.

After a while, I couldn't hear much of anything.

Except the sounds of amazing children sleeping.

Once I knew all the tiny little children around me were asleep,

I whispered to them in the dark of the night:

"I am your Auntie K,

and, I will always have room in my tent for you."

Charlie Brown Wins

We go to the library every week.
Sometimes twice.
Visiting the library has become part of who we are.

I love taking out armfuls of books - 99% of them are easy readers.
I really love when the librarians call my children by name.

I really don't love the way libraries smell. But that is neither here nor there.

In the 6 years that Dec has been with us, we've rarely missed a week
and we've hardly ever had an overdue book.

I'm a bit neurotic about this. I'll be the first to admit it.

So, when we went to the library last week to check out books
and learned that we have one overdue, I was surprised.

Really? I'd asked.

Yes, the computer lists it right here.

Really? I'd asked again. Just to be sure.

After tearing the house apart, pulling everything out of my car
and even searching under the fridge - no luck.

So this is my plea to the family: has anyone seen "It's a homerun Charlie Brown".
Dec claims he never even saw it come out of the library bag.

This is the great unsolved mystery of the summer.

Where the h-e-double-hockey-sticks is it?!?

Charlie Brown, it's not just a home run.

You knocked it outta the park.

Good grief.

I just can't
decide

what I like best

about

SUMMERTIME

A DSI Can't Compete With This.

Just before Xmas of 2010, we asked Dec for a Christmas list.

More interested in getting him to practice his penmanship than actually directing

"Santa" in his Christmas gifting.

Then, the hubs and I sat down to enjoy a few quiet moments while Dec worked on his list.

We smiled at each other.

(We thought his listing would take longer than it did.)

Within a minute, Dec waltzed in and handed us a list.

There was a snarky smirk on his face. It reminded me of my second oldest brother.

His list.

Dec's list.

We were eager to read it because he'd just started the fine art of writing, and we weren't sure he could EVEN SPELL THE NAMES of the toys he wanted.

The hubs and I huddled together. This was exciting.

We unfolded it and read together:

The list was short.

Just one thing?

Number 1. DSI

My first thought: Oh, he can spell it alright.

Second thought: Uh-Oh.

The hubs and I looked at each other.

We weren't entirely sure, but kind of certain, that a DSI

was a hand-held video gaming device.

I won't go into the boring details, but after many conversations Dec eventually learned that Santa wouldn't bring that to this house, so he may as well do a "Do Over" Christmas List.

(Which he did -and well.)

So yesterday, I sat upstairs typing up a press release for work and found myself having to shut down my laptop and just listen to Dec and his daddy play "Cars" downstairs.

They do a complete Piston Cup race, with each car talking/shouting in the appropriate

accent - and I?

I just crack up listening to them.

I just crack up.

Dec has spent countless hours with his cars and his wooden JENGA racetrack. He beelines for these toys when he enters the house and puts up a MAJOR FIGHT when he's asked to pack them up before bed.

3 dozen racecars, a racecar track, jenga pieces to make the race course, and 1 enthusiastic dad to make every wise-crack joke,

every funny 1-liner,

and the goofiest Mater voice any of us have ever heard.

Though Santa ignored Dec's (FIRST) XMAS list last year....

I know Santa made the right decision.

A DSI just can't come close to competing with these magical moments

Dec has had with his simplest toys,

his wild imagination,

and his one goofy daddy who

makes silly soundtracks for every skid-out, flat tire, checkered flag, draft, and course record.

A DSI just can't compete with this.

Not this year, at least.

summer hair

guess who

What I Found.

In the living room tonight, Declan and Nonie sleep side by side.

They are camping out.

In doors.

It is summer.

Isn't this what kids do in the summer?

Sleep in different places, and giggle with each other while they feel special about sleeping in exciting and usually off-limits places?

At least, this is what my kids do in the summer.

Just for kicks I took their glowsticks from the freezer (which had been there since the concert the other night) and hung them to the light fixture above them for instant summertime ambience.

It is in the dim glow of fading light sticks, that I'm taking time to reassure my babies that I am with them while they fall asleep in this new and mysterious place.

I pause to think about how, in the future, there will be many new and mysterious places they choose to rest their heads - and I won't with them, to stand guard over them, 4 steps away.

Also, I am using the quiet time to

download my camera. It has been a while.

401 pics to be an exact count of how long the long while has been.

Without further ado, here is a sampling of what I found:

sunny sunflowers growing along the white picket fence - a sure sign that summer is here

at long last.

surfer girl brushing her teeth in front of her

favorite audience and biggest fan.

cousins sharing secrets at the seashore.

fathers standing guard.

little rascals getting herded for a group shot.

no comment.

the hubs, hiding from my lense -

oh I'll find you every time my dear.

the best we could do.

after a few seconds of jostling around, the youngest ended up at the bottom...
like a tiny grain of sand.

and I agree with the look on her face - it ain't fair.

hand holding.

a daughter's sparkle.

we weren't even playing charades.

fences in bloom. 02539.
hats with personality.

anniedeux.

running bases played by the adult relatives. with one token youngster thrown in the mix.

average age of runners? 36.9

in my mind I call this picture "life is a game".

1/2 a picture.

1 story.

high five for granny.

t-shirt competition.

summertime silhouettes.

practicing for his first day of school.

practicing for his first day at school.

jumping in at mile 4.99.

celebrating at mile 5.0.

A treasure trove of memories.

What I found.


oh and as if you didn't notice - a very persistent smudge on my camera lense
yup, I discovered that too.