The FOURTH Week Of Summer

Last week was so much fun!  Dylan and I went to the bookstore for story time again, had a fun playdate with friends, and discovered a new park.  On Saturday, my dad, Jim, Dylan, and I  went to Jim's parent's house for an early dinner.  Then, we spent the evening at Kennywood.  That deserves its own post, so I'll do that one later.

For the Fourth of July, we spent the day as a family.  We went to the pool.  Then, we went to Max & Erma's for dinner, so we could have the best chocolate chip cookies on the planet for dessert.   Have you had them?  MMMMmmmmm...Then, we hung out at the playground until it was time for fireworks.

This was going to be Dylan's first time to see fireworks, and I wasn't sure how it would go.  As we waited, sitting in the back of the car, in the mall parking lot with the huge crowd of people, he seemed excited.  But, about five minutes after they started, he had his hands over his ears, and was saying, "It's too LOUD!!"  He has super sensitive hearing, so that is what I had been expecting.  Jim suggested he sit in the car, so maybe it wouldn't be so loud, but he just kept rambling on in there, "It's still too loud... I like the colors, but I really just think it is too loud... I'm starting to get tired, too... I'm tired... I think we should go home... Can we go home now?"

Jim and I really wanted to see the whole thing, and Dylan talks non stop, so we were only partially listening, but then my ears picked up on something he said.  "WHAT?!"  "I have to pee!"  Oh man!  Just maneuvering out of the mall parking lot without hitting someone was a logistical nightmare.  Plus, I think we blinded several people when we shone our headlights directly into their faces.  When Dylan says he has to pee, it means he has waited until the last possible second before the situation becomes dire, so I was in a panic.  The fireworks would be ending any minute, and then we could quite possibly be stuck in a huge traffic jam.

I shouted, "MCDONALDS!  PULL INTO MCDONALDS!!"  Then, I grabbed Dylan and rushed for the door.  I could see a couple with kids in there, eating ice cream.  I could see a couple workers.  But, when I got to the door, it was locked.  "NOOOOOO!!", I shouted.  They just closed.  I started banging on the door, and got the attention of one of the workers.  I pointed down at Dylan while saying "Can we please come in, so he can go to the bathroom!!??"  The guy shook his head and pointed, like I should leave!  "Oh, no, you didn't just... you son of a... okay, then...Come on, Dylan!... Over here...(walking over to where the drive thru was)...You can just pee... in this bush".  "Okay!", he said, smiling at me like this was a fantastic idea.  Jim looked over and saw Dylan's super pale white heiney and got a look that was half mortified/half proud on his face.  And, seconds after I yanked up Dylan's shorts, a car swerved around the bend of the drive thru.  Wonder if they noticed a strange smell?

So, it was an eventful Fourth of July.  First fireworks, and first pee in public.  Oh, the joy of having a boy!

Memorial Day Weekend

What we did this weekend...

(Went to a picnic/birthday party, and watched Dylan play with his second cousins).

(Spent some time enjoying nature, and throwing rocks in the stream).

(Ran through the sprinkler.  Or, in Dylan's case, tiptoed AROUND the sprinkler, not wanting to get his face wet).

(Jim and my dad planted 12 more of those trees in the background.  Then, we all went to Dylan's favorite restaurant - Eat N Park)

(Finally got the water table set up in the yard, and ordered a sandbox, which should be arriving any day now!)

(Spent some time reading.  No, it's not one of the ones I bought at the library.  I found out the Mom's Club I belong to is going to discuss it at the next book club meeting, and decided to see if the library had it.  I walked up to the librarian and asked her "Do you have a soft place to land?"  Yep, I did.  What was I thinking?  You should have seen the look she gave me!  After I clarified, "Uh, the book?", we both started cracking up.  I should finish it today).

The weekend went by way too fast, even with the extra day.  What did you do?  Hope you enjoyed it!

Thanksgiving Memories

For me, holidays always conjure up memories of years past. I remember myself as a young girl, watching my mom, aunt, and grandma, cooking and laughing in the kitchen. My grandma would grab me as I walked past, and squeeze me to her, saying, "There's my beautiful doll! Give your grandma a kiss!" I would kiss her quickly, then struggle out of her strong grasp, but I loved it.

When I got a bit older, I remember playing pool with my cousins, and trying to beat my grandpa at a game of ping pong. He was hard to beat, and he never let anyone win, so I had to work hard for every point. I remember how good it would make me feel, even when I lost, when he would say, "You played a good game, Jenny".

I remember how I used to complain about having to sit at "the kid table", even though I was a teenager. My cousins and I would laugh and tell each other stories, but I was interested in the conversations going on at "the big table".

We would eat turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, rolls, green beans, jello, and applesauce. Sometimes, my mom would bring something out halfway through the meal, saying, "I forgot to put this out", and we would all groan, and grab our bellies which were straining against our pants. Someone would always say, "I don't think I can eat another bite", but then in just a few hours, mom would be bringing out pie, ice cream, pretzels, and drinks.

I remember playing games after dinner. Sometimes we would play Family Feud, other times, Pictionary. Regardless of what we played, there was lots of noise, and laughter. My grandma was always yelling out answers when she wasn't supposed to, and then she would grin, and say, "Oh, well, I was just helping".

I remember my grandparents, always sitting next to each other, my grandfather's hand frequently resting on her shoulder. She would often turn to him, in the middle of a story, to ask, "Right, Ken?" I remember thinking to myself that someday I wanted someone to love me that much.

I remember when Thanksgiving day would come to an end, and my family would put on their coats, and the goodbyes would begin. The goodbye portion of the evening always lasted a long time. There were lots of hugs, and kisses, and last minute words of advice, and "I Love You"'s shouted out the door all the way to the car. I remember the glow of happiness that lasted after they were gone, and my parents and I would rehash the days events.

Things are different now. Not better, not worse, just different. Even though, I often think of how things were at the holidays, I am thankful for all those wonderful times and the memories that go with them. More than that, I am thankful for what I have now. I am thankful for the new memories I am making for myself, and for Dylan. I am thankful for everything that I have and for everything that I had. It was a very happy Thanksgiving.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom

Mom,

I was going to write a post about how you used to say, "One day when you're a mother, you'll understand". I was going to say that I do understand now, and that I finally appreciate you - I mean REALLY appreciate you - but, then I started thinking. To really, and I mean REALLY understand what you did for me, I would have to do the following...

*Go through childbirth alone, while my husband complained about the uncomfortable chairs in the waiting area (sorry, Dad, I couldn't resist).
*Go through the baby stage with a baby who cried every time I gave her milk, because (who knew) she was allergic to milk.
*Put up with a child who liked to whine (I still don't believe I was a whiner, but you told me not to whine when I went to Kennywood with Mame, and she thought you said I wasn't allowed to "ride").
*Make countless bowls of chicken noodle soup, and jello to give a kid who got sick a lot.
*Worry. Worry. Worry.
*Leave my child in the hospital so she could get tested for allergies and try desperately not to laugh when the nurses tell me my little girl baricaded the door with a gurney so they couldn't get in.
*Take my little girl to get allergy shots every week, even though she absolutely hated it.
*Read countless books to her, and give her a love of reading and words.
*Plan and throw awesome birthday parties each and every year.
*Cook perfectly balanced meals and constantly shove bowls of cut up fruit at her to keep her healthy.
*Help her with her homework, and help her study for tests.
*Feel left out when she gives her dad all the attention.
*Put up with her crazy friends, and the way teenagers can't seem to finish a sentence, and the giggling.
*Decide to start driving her to school when she tells you "there was a strange smell on the bus today, and I started feeling weird".
*Worry. Worry. Worry.
*Send my baby off to college, not wanting to let her go yet. Miss her like crazy, when the house suddenly becomes very quiet.
*Think about her, and talk about her way too much. Send her countless cards, letters, and care packages.
*Bite my tongue and keep it to myself when she starts dating a boy that I know is all wrong for her. Put up with him for 3 1/2 long years.
*Console her when he breaks her heart, knowing that it is the best thing that could have happened.
*Pray every day for her.
*Stay up, even though I am exhausted, until my now-an-adult daughter stays out very late at clubs, wondering what she is doing and when she'll be home.
*Worry. Worry. Worry.
*Support my daughter, instead of strangling her, when she decides to go to graduate school at the college she should have gone to in the first place because it was free.
*Rejoice for my daughter when she meets a man that I do approve of, then watch her go through unspeakable pain when she loses him four days before their wedding. Try to be there for her in any way I possibly can, as I always have.
*Be patient while she goes through a myriad of emotions and sometimes takes out her anger and pain on me.
*Be supportive of my daughter as she goes from one job to the next to the next.
*Rejoice again when she meets another wonderful man and plans to get married in Jamaica, and not invite anyone (including me) to the wedding.
*Be estatic when she finally gives me a grandchild, and be as great of a grandma as I was a mom.

Thanks for all of that, and so much more, Mom. I love you and I appreciate you, and all that you do.

Happy Easter!

Well, here it is almost Easter, and the weather is still in the low 40's. Why the heck is Easter in March this year, anyway? Who decides this, and where can I reach them, because I'd like to give them a piece of my mind. What about the Easter egg hunts outside? Darling little children in their spring dresses and crisp button shirts, will be darling children in sweaters, winter coats and hats, getting hot chocolate after they freeze their little butts off looking for Easter eggs hidden in the SNOW! Yes, it is supposed to snow tonight. Grrrrr.

On Monday Dylan has a playdate scheduled with his new girlfriend. As of today, he has a runny nose, consistently leaking left eye, and a big pimple on his chin. Isn't that just the way? Sounds like my dating years.

Oh well, have a great Easter everyone!