100 Years Young

Grandma is 100!!

Some highlights from the Bash:

*My cousin (she was Police Chief of Arlington) contacted Gma's old student (she taught at Washington and Lee), Warren Beatty and he sent her a picture and a note.
*DVD of photos of her life by my sis, Mary
*Delicious food
*Stories
*Crossword puzzle about her
*Boo singing "My Favorite things" (she only practiced for 2 days before!!)


Gma always taught me when you celebrate birthdays in your aging years you just switch the numbers: i.e. 63=36, 93=39. You can't do that with 100 so, Grandma, you're going to have to accept that you've made it to a century!

Hopefully some day I can be the type of anchor she is to my own family.

Why I love my kids Reason #157

Because when they see a cool toy they say, "I think I might like that." Instead of, "I want that! I want that!" in a loud, whiny voice like a little girl I took recently to Target.

And I think I might like these:



I really want to do the crazy colored tights-look. I think yellow or blue would work with this dress (above)...








Sad thing is, I'm sure the calf-size is too big for me. Why do they not make knee-high boots for skinny-legs?!?!?!

I love me some Anthro.

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

Recycling costumes:

Little Man=Flying Monkey: Homemade, hand-me down monkey costume from my sis-in-law, + Boo wore it three years ago, +fairy wings from Boo's 4 year-old b-day party, + red vest from Oakton Stake's Gifts of the Heart=Free

Boo=Dorothy: Dress from Consignment shop in Reston (S.'s childhood friend's mom's) Wig=free. hahaha. One of Boo's friends asked if she was wearing a wig!

Nay=Lion:okay, okay, so I was going to make her lion costume, but got too busy so I bought one for $9 at Kmart.

Me=Glinda: My mom's prom dress circa 1962. Boo's crown from cousin's Libby Lu party 2 years ago.

S=Scarecrow: Jeans, plus old shirt+old plaid material and raffia.

Maybe I'll recycle the candy for next year's Halloween.

Halloween events:




Church Trunk or Treat



Town Parade--SSSOOOOO COLD!


Trick or Treating the night of Halloween+Charlie Brown (so don't like it for my kids' ages. Too many "stupids.")

Jack 'o Lanterns designed by the kids.

I don't think so

Recently Boo told me she likes school days better than Saturday and Sunday. WHAT?!?!?! I asked her why and her reply was that "We do more fun stuff."

I'll show her.

I took her out of school last Friday after her only being there for 1 hour. We went to Cox Farm with Gma/pa Mud and cousins. That will teach her to say I'm not fun.

Saturday we went to Fall Days at Mt. Vernon. Have you ever tried roasted apples (over a fire--like s'mores)? Delicious.

And leave it up to Uncle S. to use all of our Annie's Honey Bunny's to bring the seagulls to the back of the boat.

Little Man and his cousin, Noah looked like fraternal twins running around. And "No, they're not all mine."

C-ville Mini Reunion

The Brintons came to town which gave us all an excuse to get together. We opted for a picnic by the WWII memorial instead of causing a scene at a restaurant with 7 children and 1 pregnant mama (not me). It was so fun to catch up and for the kids to be reunited. Two and a half babies have been born in those 2 years since we left. We ain't slow.

Shabby Apple Code

So, I hosted a Shabby Apple party tonight. Good food, good friends, a couple of flaky friends, who RSVP'd and didn't come (Looks like I'm picking up some of Emily Post's Etiquette books for Christmas presents...), but so it goes. The last ones to leave the party got to take the leftovers (mmmm, Chicken Empanadas with Corn Salsa and Cilantro-Avocado Sauce, Mini Apple Crostatas, Flourless Chocolate Cake, Lemon Curd-stuffed Strawberries, Black-bottom Cupcakes).

If any of you too far away to come want to get a dress (or a dress for a baby girl), shoes (the green bow ones are mine. Dude, I totally found the same ones at Anthropologie for $32 more!) use this coupon code for free shipping for three days (the 19th, I think is the last day).

www.shabbyapple.com

CODE: MudrickNeedsDress


ps--email me if you do purchase something.

To go or not to go

To the E.R.--that is the question.

Luke was at a friend's house, tripped and cut his eyelid open on their coffee table. After consulting with Dr. Moms I didn't take him to the E.R. We put a butterfly stitch on and I found some steri-strips from when he busted his other eye-lid open 2 years ago on Gma/pa Mud's rocking chair. When we got home he told me he couldn't shut his eye to pray because he had a band-aid on it. Just an excuse? I think so.

Oh well, Chicks dig scars, right?

Well, fast forward a week and two days. I had a fabulous birthday (later post on that). I was getting ready to go to my first PTA meeting, I put Nay down on her play mat and go into the kitchen (20 feet away) to start getting dinner ready. I hear a weird cough-cough, run in and she is fine. I look at her head and something is missing.

I question Little Man, "Did you take her barrette out?"
"No."
"Did you see her barrette fall out of her hair, did she put it in her mouth?"

I look around, but of course the floor is clean. Meanwhile, Nay is just laughing and acting completely normal. I called S.

"I'm 99% sure your daughter just swallowed a barrette."

I called the pediatrician and they told me since it was metal I needed to take her to the E.R.

I called S. and told him I had to go to the E.R.

"Do you want me to come home?"

Seriously? SERIOUSLY? Do I want to go to the E.R. with three children at 6:30pm on a Friday night, a hospital that I have to travel on 66 West, again... ON A FRIDAY NIGHT?!

So, he headed home and my mom came over to watch the kids till he got home.

After hanging in the E.R. for 3 hours...
Diagonsis: A barrette in her stomach.
Dig through poop.
Find barrette.
If it doesn't come out in 72 hours? Call.

Success. It was found just under 45 hours later. The kids thought it was pretty funny.

On the Things to Do List: Put away ANYTHING smaller than a toilet paper roll.

Oh, and I guess I will have to deal with people calling my baby girl "He" for a little longer. (The nurse in the E.R. was taking us back to take the x-ray and she kept saying how cute "He" was. Finally she looked down at the chart and saw it was a girl--purple and flowers didn't give it away) and apologized. I wanted to say, "Lady, it's because of people like you that got us in this mess in the first place!" Okay, not really, but COME ON!



A boy? Really (say it like Jason Bateman does on Arrested Development)?



See how small it was?!?! If I hadn't been a "good" mom it could have just passed and I would be $100 richer (stinking E.R. copay!).