New Year, New Posts

Happy 2010.
This year will hopefully be about routine and normalcy (whatever that is.)
As you know, I started a new job over the holidays. I am back in a M-F 8-5 job which I have not had in a while. This will allow me to go to school on Tues/Thurs nights at Belmont Abbey College. Incidentally, I am taking classes at the school's satellite campus- Charlotte Catholic H.S. Yes, my alma mater. I will graduate college-from my high school.

M LOVES Kindergarden and is excelling all around - especially in reading and writing. She loves to make books. She will staples several sheets of printer paper together and get going with a cover, title, table of contents and pictures. She asks for help with some spelling but we try and let her sound everything out. Her favorite song right now is Fireflies by Owl City. It's super cute.

N is busy being a boy. He loves transportation right now. Trains, planes, cars, rockets. Actually, anything can zoom through the sky and fly if he has a mind to do it. We played bat the other day (despite the cooooold weather) and he is awesome. He can really smack the ball sometimes. Once, right before we pitched he turned around and spat on the ground. How do boys know to do this? His favorite song right now is Bad Romance by Lady Gaga. I know. It's catchy though and he likes the part where she growls a bit (Roma, roma-a-a-a-a.)



If this photo looks reminiscient it's b/c it came from the same November library photo shoot that our Xmas card picture came from.

Have a blessed New Year.

Rewind from this summer

NoJo at Chuck E Cheese
Can you believe these things cost a quarter?

Definition

Sprainkle (v): To injure oneself by falling or banging an extremity, causing short lived though severe pain to the affected region as evidenced by tight gripping and yowls. As in "Ow, I sprainkled my arm."

Also Known As: M's interpretation of "sprained ankle," a phrase I hastily applied to a stumble she had involving the stairs, her ankle, and pain. Sprainkled is now applied copiously to any pain she receives as defined above. Her father and I try not to giggle too much as she takes offense at our flippancy towards her pain.

Sucker Punched

Last night, right before bedtime, N was standing at my knees between the couch and the coffee table when he went over like a felled tree. Out of the blue just 'boom!' He smacked his mouth on the table and cut the inside of his lip real good with his tooth. With the both of us covered in blood- head wounds bleed a lot- I held him tight and iced his mouth. Here is how he looked by 11pm as he lay sleeping, peacefully beside me.

The next generation

So on Sunday M and Air-on both did a couple hilarious things. It started out during service (church) at Momma H and Pap's church that morning. The children were called up for a short message before the readings took place. Having just been the fourth of July the day before the message involved freedom. To illustrate this, an American flag was on the altar. When the woman speaking with the children asked what the flag was for M quickly raised her hand and responded: "For Obama." Which is great, except I've paid attention to the bumper stickers in the church parking lot. They don't a one say Obama.
Then, afterward at breakfast I was looking at the weekly entertainment magazine for movie times. On the cover was a picture of Michael Jackson circa Jackson 5, with his name and dates written. That's when A asked, "Aunt Gwen, why does that picture say Michael Jackson on it?" "Because it's a painting of Michael Jackson from when he was a boy." "Aunt Gwen, Michael Jackson wasn't black."
LOL LOL LOL
That was a fun one to try and explain. Actually, I challenge any one of you to imagine explaining MJ's life to a 5-9 year old.

Fourth of July

The fourth here was great. Big N was off work, which is good cuz restaurants are s-l-o-w that night. We had Justin and his two kids over for a quick cookout. That was interesting. In addition to our two kids we had Justin's two, and cousin Air-on who is here for the week. So we had a ten year old and four under 5yrs all kinda screaming and coating themselves in cheetoh's and asking for different beverages and "How many more bites do I need to have," all while in a rush to make the fireworks. Wow, Mom. You did that every day.
Anyway, We headed down to S.C. to the minor baseball league stadium and parked the pick-up truck just outside the stadium. We had awesome seats and the fireworks were first class AND it was well organized so we got out of there quickly afterwards. The best part though, has got to be little N. He was thrilled from the get go with the "bonus" fireworks we could see in the distance. Every one was followed by an "OH! OH!" All two of you who were at the zoo with us and remember him with the sea lions...well it was that but more so! He also immediately made up a sign for fireworks. Punching me in the face. Yeah. So in the seconds in between fireworks, he punched me in the cheek. Actually, it wasn't hard, but it got belly laughs out of everyone.
Happy Independence Day, ya'll.

Random Mer-isms

- "Dad, I can see your fur." (speaking of his chest hair.)
- " Mom, look.... frosting! (about the frost on the rooftops and grass.)
- "I like my leprachaun." (Yeah, her harmonica.)
Oh, and her cousin Aaron, his name is pronounced Air-on. He sounds like a superhero- and to her, he is one.