Surviving

Life has been crazy. My grandfather passed away on Saturday night (he would have been 99 in July), and if that wasn't enough, my father ended up in the hospital that same night. Long story short--he has has an infection in his intestines--they think. As he was getting ready to go home yesterday his heart started palpitating strangely, so they made him stay. This morning they gave his heart some electric shock to get it to beat regularly. Scary. We visited him this afternoon and he is doing better, but is staying in the hospital at least until tomorrow. Hopefully he'll be out for my grandpa's funeral Friday--he's supposed to speak as he is the only son-in-law.

It's interesting to talk about death with Boo. We visited Grandma Dixon and asked Boo if she would sing, Have I Done Any Good (she is singing it as a solo at the funeral--it was Grandpa's favorite song and she has sung it for him since she was 2). She said, "But Grandpa isn't here." I asked her if she knew where he was and she said, "Heaven."

We were able to get together yesterday for Memorial Day at my brother, Craig's house. We just relaxed, prepared some pictures and songs for the funeral and the kids enjoyed just being with each other.

Princesston

Right: Ivy, in
Rule of Four
it burned down.






We went Saturday with Mom and Dad M. to pick up S.'s youngest bro from Princeton. What an amazing campus. The architecture is beautiful and puts my alma mater to shame. I told Boo that she can do graduate work at Princeton, but if she really wants to go undergrad there she has to pay herself.

One thing that was different from my college experience: YOU DON'T HAVE TO CLEAN YOUR ROOM WHEN YOU MOVE OUT! WHAT?!??! I remember SCRUBBING my apartments. These smart, rich kids get it all. What are they, royalty?

We went to Nassau Sushi for lunch where my refined children ate sushi for the first time. However, they preferred the dumplings. Then we went to The Little Chef Pastry Shop--a must hit. We roamed the campus, bought Little Man a hat and snapped a few pictures.



Bottom: a
preview of
Little Man in
16 years.

Old School

Friday night I went back in time. I entered the halls of my old high school to see the show choir that I used to be in, Touch of Class. I went with one of my best friends growing up (I'm talking sleepovers, tping--the type of friend who helped in shaping who you are today). We missed going to the 20th anniversary show last year, but somehow made it this year.

It was interesting to be thrown back into that time when you think only of yourself--when the world revolves around you--you and the boy (or boys), you have a crush on, and the friends you have such drama with. You think, "I'm always going to k.i.t. (check your yearbooks for that one) with all my friends. They are EVERYTHING!" Within about a year, you get involved with your new circle of friends at college and soon the e-mails from those old friends get fewer and fewer (umm, not to age me, or anything, but e-mail was relatively new when I started college). Ten years later, and you remember how much those friends meant to you during such malleable times in your life and you scramble to find their addresses, phone numbers or e-mails. I skipped my ten-year reunion, but was able to get back in touch with some friends that I lost contact with when I went across the country to college. I've loved hearing about their lives and how they are making a difference in the world.



Me and Kelly as freshmen in high school



Me (mother of two) and Kelly (pregnant with first!) fourteen years later.

Nats V. Os

Senators, no team, Nationals... During the time that D.C. had no team I was a low scale O's fan. I have been to tons of games up at Camden Yards, eaten the dogs and Cracker Jacks. It was there that I discovered how you're supposed to spend a baseball game when you are 9 months pregnant--in a box, with leather chairs, crab cakes and wings. I thought I was never going to be able to sit in another stadium seat again. Fast forward a couple years...last week S. got free tickets from some partners at work and we went--third row, right along the third base line, right behind the Nat's dugout. I'm cured. I am a Nat's fan (I'm not painting my chest or anything, though), and clearly the kids are, too--with the help of a little cotton candy. During the 7th inning stretch the camera man was right by us. I thought, "Oohh, he'll see how cute Boo is and catch her." Wrong. He saw some early 20ish guys across from us and asked them to sing Take Me Out to the Ballgame. He didn't even see her. His loss. She knows all the words to the song and how cute would that have been?

MAAAA MAAAA's Day

When can you officially start celebrating Mother's Day? At church women 18 and up get a flower or chocolate, kids or not (which I think is great, and frankly, I got the best treat when I didn't have kids--a box of Ferrer Rochers at church in Mexico). When I was pregnant with my first, Boo, Mother's Day rolled around. I was huge and 8 months along. My aching back and enormous belly wanted a present. I hinted to S., but he politely and in more words, said, "No." Fine, I agreed, but even if she is born two days after Father's Day--no present for you (say in the Soup Nazi's voice). I wasn't really offended, I was just trying to squeeze a present out of it.

This Mother's Day S. made up for that pre-Mother's Day. Here are some highlights:

1. Breakfast in bed (made with the help of Boo and Little Man)
2. A card from S. and Boo
3. The most amazing necklace from Fire and Ice with S.'s birthstone, Garnet, and Onyx that symbolizes our time in Mexico

4. Boo sang at church with all the kids to ME! (well, SHE sang to me, while playing with her friend's hair and hugging the two friends next to her).
5. Little Man made his singing debut a little early (he was running around on the stage while the older kids were singing--whoops).
6. S. and Dad M. made a delicious dinner for Mom M. and me. (Ribs, corn on the cob, roasted potatoes, garlic green beans, and Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes (well, I made those).
7. I didn't have to do DISHES!!


It's going to be hard to top that! What am I going to do for Father's Day!?!?

I have started this blog because of the nagging to put more about my kids up on my food blog. It's quite funny that I will have two blogs--I used to think they were silly. But, I used to say I would never wear bell-bottoms, and I did, and I loved it. So, stop by every once in a while and see what's happening with our fam.