The Next Big Thing . . .

We just finished a nine day visit from the Anderson Family of the much loved Anderson Zoo fame. The highlights included:

• Blueberry picking at Bob's Produce and Blueberry Buckle by Shar
• Great food (cooked by me, but I'm not bragging)
• Late night chats every single night
• Girls night out to dinner and watching a fabulous movie (Mom, Audrey, Shar, Sam)
• All Star Baseball
• Swimming at Audrey & Chris' pool
• Water Games
• Pedicures
• Shopping at the Outlets
• Air & Space Museum
• Tour of DC Monuments by my dad
• Crime and Punishment Museum
• Chick Flicks
• Blog Stalking with Shar (so much more fun with someone else who loves to blog!)
• Awesome 4th of July and great fireworks
• Dinner with Amy & Eric Carlson (Shar's sis-in-law)
• Dinner at my parents
• Kid Crafts

It was so fun for me to spend time with one of my oldest friends. To see her strength as she manages alone while her husband is deployed in Iraq. To realize she is still just as hilarious as ever. To have one of my long lost sisters around. To put it simply, we had a blast. And now I am tired. Very, very tired.

It's too bad I'm pooped because whether I like it or not, I'm getting on a plane tomorrow to go to the next big thing - the Hubby's family reunion out in smokin' hot Phoenix, AZ. I feel like so far this summer has been a sprint from one big thing to the next - which has been a blight on my bloggy life (sorry for the random lame posts) - but in a good way.

In case you don't know what I mean, let me remind you: Three days of joyful sleeping-in-playing-all-day-with-kids-summer and then BOOM! Girl's Camp. One day to recover and BOOM! Grandpa's Funeral. No day to recover and BOOM! Anderson's visit. One day to recover and BOOM! Leave for Family Reunion. I don't think I've been to bed before 12:30 since before Girl's Camp. And that doesn't bode well for a girl who needs her eight hours of "princess sleep" each night.

I have loved and treasured each of the big events listed above, but each has required a lot from me emotionally. When morning rolls around I can barely lift a hand to wave goodbye to the Hubby as he skips off to work and my head pounds and I want to lay in bed in my jammies all day long. I'm sure I can do that some day, but not tomorrow, because tomorrow is the next big thing. And yeah, I'm gonna do it.

(Enjoy pictures from the visit)

Love You Australia! . . .

Came across this promo picture for the movie "Australia" and just wanted to thank Australia for giving us this deliciously beautiful man. It is no secret that I heart Hugh Jackman. So here's some eye candy to jump start your hearts and your day. Wink! Will post in detail about the Anderson Zoo visit after we're done partying and having endless fun!

Of Daughters and Fathers . . .

I haven't blogged for over a week! I'm feeling the dreaded blogger's backlog - where you know you have too much to write about to try and catch up, so you don't write at all, but then it sort of haunts you and you finally give in. Today I have to write. And it's going to be deep stuff, so sit down and grab a hankie.

The women in the picture are some of my favorite people in the world! One is my mom. One is my aunt. They are sisters to each other. They are daughters of Victor J. Nelson, my grandfather, who passed away at the age of 90 last Thursday. I would love to spend this entire post writing about my grandpa and his life, but my father and cousin have both done that so beautifully on their blogs, that I won't do that here. Instead, I'm going to take just a moment to talk about his legacy and then share a few photographs from the day and a half I spent in Utah attending his funeral.

My grandfather's legacy lies within his seven children. They are all amazing people, but all for very different reasons. One of the best decisions I've ever made was to buy a plane ticket at the very last moment to go to his funeral, where I got to spend time with these seven children all gathered together, which is a very rare occurrence. It was such an honor for me to be a silent witness to the remarkable posterity my grandfather created with his wife Louise. I can honestly say that I truly enjoy and love my aunts and uncles. I could write an entire post about each sibling and why they are so fantastic! But I don't have time - so today I'm focusing on just one.

I think the moment that touched my heart the deepest during my quick visit was watching the funeral director give my Aunt Laura the flag that had draped my grandfather's casket. I feel such a debt of gratitude to this aunt, who has lived closest to my grandfather for the past five years and has borne the largest part of the burden of caring for him in his decline. I hold a great reverence for the example she has set as a daughter towards her father. I am thankful that she was willing to do what many of her other siblings could not do because of distance and other obligations. I hope to be that kind of daughter to my father - devoted to the very end. She is a humble and sweet woman and I will treasure the moment captured in this picture forever. Written on her face is the love of a daughter for her father.

I can't really put to words many of the feelings I had over the two days I was with my extended family. I am so very glad I could be there with and for my mother. She has also been a great example to me of a daughter who loves her father. She left Virginia and some pretty heavy commitments at a moment's notice when she heard her father had taken a turn for the worse. She spent the last week of his life by his side, caring for him, comforting him and watching him finish his journey. That was a brave and hard thing to do, but I know she will not regret the decision for the rest of her life. My love for her grew as I watched the graceful and sincere way that she dealt with the passing of her father. It cemented in my mind a deep love and respect that she has for him. It changed me - in a good way.

With all the emotions I've encountered this year with my dad's cancer, I know that I am not ready to say goodbye to my parents. I do not feel that I have yet done all I can to be a good daughter to them - to bring honor to their names. But I do recognize that with the passing of my last grandparent, I need to do all that I can now, so when that day does come, I will feel no regret and will know that my mother and my father felt all the love a daughter could give.

Time To Reconnect . . .

With the great outdoors, that is.

And while I'm reconnecting with nature, I'll be disconnecting from my life and all electronics as I spend the next four days and nights camping - as in sleeping on the ground in a tent - with thirty young women ages 12 - 17 (and five brave women my age). How crazy fun does that sound? Don't answer that if you are shaking your head right now!

I'll be back on Saturday with stories and pictures to share! It is going to be a BLAST!

Growing Up Before Our Eyes . . .

There are days as a parent you hope never to see, and then there are days like we had this weekend - days that you wish and hope will come, but when they do, make you realize that your kids are growing up too fast, time is hurdling forward and there is nothing you can do to stop it!

My buddy "C" mowed the lawn by himself for the first time on Saturday! I was actually surprised to see him up at 7:45 AM since we'd stayed up til 10 PM the night before to watch "Camp Rock" as a family (hee hee), but he wanted to go out and help his dad, so I didn't make him go back to bed. It is pretty exciting to think that I may not have to mow the lawn again for awhile. Now I've just got to get over the fact that he's not going to do it in perfect diagonals . . . until he's been trained by the master. (Insert wink here.)


Later the same day we headed over to the ball field one last time to hear the announcements for the All Star Baseball Teams. Here's "C" as the announcements are being made (I shot this right after I made him quit biting his fingernails out of nervousness).

And here's "C" after they announced his name as an All Star and gave him his new hat. He may have been on a team this season that only won ONE game, but we're really proud of the fact that his hard work, ability to be a leader/team player and love of baseball were recognized by others. He really is growing up before our eyes and is such a fine young fellow! Love ya buddy!

Is It Mantle or Mantel?

I have always struggled with decorating my mantle! Today I found a decorating blog (it's a total weakness for me) that asked you to share a picture of your mantle for others to see and get ideas from. So, here it is! I change it about once a month - and only one thing stays the same every time. The painting "Rescue of the Lost Lamb" by Minerva Teichert was a gift to me from The Hubby for our anniversary last year and I love it, even when nothing else seems to look right up there! Thanks Kariandkijsa for the challenge!

Summer Fun - Day Two: Poked and Prodded

Today we had to put aside some of our fun and take the RedDog to his Kindergarten check-up with the doctor. He charmed both her and the nurse with his witty remarks and cute smiles. They asked him lots of questions, like how to get out of his house if there is a fire and what he should do if he a stranger tries to talk to him. I was glad he knew the answers - I feel like I passed the test too!

He braved the "arm hug" (above), lots of looking in and at things and a finger prick that would have made the big kids at our house cry. RedDog was really just interested in what kind of band-aid he would get afterwards. Lucky for us, he was up to date on all his shots.

I'm happy to say he is tall, skinny and healthy. And he was willing to pose like this for the doctor when she said she had come in to check out all his big muscles. Niiiicccce!

Summer Fun - Day One: One Still Life, Four Perspectives

I've armed myself for the summer with activities for my kids when the come to me with the universal cry of "I'm bored!". I didn't think I would have to use my ammunition as early as the first day of summer vacation, but as it turns out, none of the regular neighborhood buddies could play - which amounts to sheer torture for my kids!

So today we had our first art lesson. The fact that they didn't bolt when I said "art lesson" was a really good sign. I threw together a still life using some fruit and a wooden plate I had. First I explained to the kids what a still life was. Then we talked about perspective and objects in relationship to eachother. We recognized that since each person was sitting in a different seat in relation to the still life, each picture would look different.

I did a drawing too! The older kids watercolored their pencil sketches, while the RedDog used colored pencils and I used oil pastels (not a good choice because all we had was watercolor paper.) It was really fun and I think the paintings turned out great! We're starting a summer art gallery today. What do you think?

Slippety, Poppity, Wahoo!

Last year we started a tradition of having a last day of school party with our neighborhood friends. This year we kept the icecream sundae bar, but added a few new elements, including a slip n' slide, squirt gun war, wet trampoline and water balloon games. The kids had a really great time and so did I! We'll definitely be doing this again next year . . . let me know if you have any great ideas that I can stock up on!

(Did anybody catch my punny title? Gold star to the reader who tells me what it's a take on.)

Yesss!

This totally unchoreographed moment is brought to you by my kiddoes who finally, finally got out of school yesterday. Could the looks on their faces be any more perfect? I really do love the last day of school! That's true for about three weeks. Then I start thinking about how much I love the first day of school. :) Actually, I'm pretty hopeful about this summer and have some really great plans in store. You'll have to stay tuned for more . . . until then - enjoy the face of childhood on the last day of school.

LYLAS! (Love Ya Like A Sis)

It's late. I'm tired. But before I go to bed, I have to say something about the girl in this picture with me (circa 1993). She is the head zoo keeper over at the Anderson Zoo. She is genius level smart and my go to girl for all things politics. She is a real live (not scumbag at all) lawyer who drafted up wills for the Hubby and I. She is an honest to goodness gourmet cook. She's been known to crank out a tune on the violin. She was a competive fencer, cool mask, weird uniform and "it's not a sword, it's a foil" and all. She introduced me to country music. She picks up hobbies that everyone has (stamping, card making, sewing), but the difference is she is actually really, really good at them. She is the mother to three charming little kids, all very close in age and she's really good at that too. She is the devoted wife to one very hard working Army husband, currently stationed in Iraq. She is funny bone tickling, side splitting funny and I could talk to her for hours. She is one of my oldest friends - we go back a whole 21 years now. She was my college roommate, a bridesmaid at my wedding, there to hold my newborn children, and hasn't stopped coming to see me yet. She is the sister I had until my brothers got married. She is the friend I can always count on. And today she is 34 years old. Happy Birthday Sharbe . . . You Never Cease To AMAZE Me.

ps. I do feel really happy around you, as the picture proves. Ouch, that smile is so big it hurts.

A Birthday Wish For RedDog . . .

Here's to you little guy, for changing our lives five years ago today. For still snuggling your momma every single morning. For loving your blankie for five whole years and giving it a squeeze and a kiss before you put it away for the day. For being afraid of the dark. For asking me if I'm going to come pick you up again whenever we are separated. For scooching closer to me when you meet someone new and acting like you're a shy boy. For running into my arms if you get hurt. For wanting to sit by me every evening at dinner and kneel by me every night at family prayer. Thank you for all these little signs that tell me it's okay that you turned five today, because you are still my baby and my buddy. I love you RedDog!

Seriously? Seriously! (But, but, Butt!)

I don't even know how to write this post because it is actually unreal to me. At the same time, I've got to get it off my chest, so for the first time ever, I'm actually going to use the blog to vent about something that has frustrated, shocked and truly disturbed me. I usually try to steer clear of the political and the controversial -- I leave that up to my dad and my good friend over at The Anderson Zoo. But today you're gonna get an earful!

Yesterday I found out that my oldest child's school teacher (4th grade) is reading a book aloud to the class. Perfectly normal occurrence. No big deal, right? Except that the title of the book is "The Day My Butt Went Psycho". Yes, that's correct, I said butt - as in the slang for behind, rear end, tushie or bottom. I thought surely my boy was mistaken about the title. But he was insistent and restated the title for me (in front our two younger kiddoes) two more times.

The next logical question, of course was "Well, what's this book about?" Said oldest child proceeds to give a far too specific narrative of the book's plot - including details about the "Laxative Launchers" and the "Great White Butt". You've gotta know that we just don't use that kind of language in our house. B-U-T-T is a four letter word here. We've made a conscious effort to discourage irreverent potty humor at all times. It's just isn't allowed. Now I know you're just dying to hear more about this captivating read, so I've pasted a direct copy of the book's description into the blog for your reading enjoyment:

Zack Freeman's butt is constantly detaching itself from his body and running off. One night, when he follows his butt, he learns that there is a plot by butts to take over the world. Specifically, the butts plan to create a huge, world-wide fart by building up a massive quantity of methane gas in the "Buttcano". When the Buttcano blows, all humans will be unconscious. While they are unconscious, the butts will seize their chance and switch places with their heads.

Fortunately, Zack meets the "Butthunter" and his daughter, Eleanor, and is introduced to the realities of life in a world where butts are constantly a threat. To prevent the "Buttpocalypse", the friends enlist the help of the Kisser, the Kicker, the Smacker and Ned Smelly. The characters encounter a variety of butt-related places and things, including the "Great Windy Desert", "flying butt squadrons", Stenchgantor The Unwiped Butt and the Great White Butt.

It goes without saying that I almost fell off my chair when I read this synopsis on the internet. Almost. Fell. Off. Chair. I was seething. In fact, I'm pretty sure there was smoke coming out of both my ears and my face was all smooshed up and red like you see in cartoons. I immediately told the sweet oldest child that I would be having a talk with his teacher. He responded in horror and embarrassment, but after I posed the question "Would you feel comfortable reading this book if Jesus were in the room?" he relented and said he knew what I had to do.

I didn't mention to my son that parents across the country had actually praised this AWARD WINNING book - seriously, had given it five out of five stars - for helping their "reluctant reader" sons to finally get interested in books. They didn't mention, however, that now they have to find more books for their sons that stoop to the lowest levels of vulgarity just to keep them reading. Yay for them, there's a sequel that has something to do with 'Zombies from Uranus'. No, I'm not kidding.

I am so disappointed. Disappointed in the teacher's choice to read this book to the class. Disappointed in the stinkin' author who's making money off this trash. Disappointed that this book actually won an award - which probably means parents will buy it for that reason alone. Disappointed that kids think this is great reading material when there are some truly amazing books out there for kids, and especially boys, right now. Disappointed as an English teacher and book lover that we've gotten to a point in our society where we willingly pass of the crass and private as public domain for children to mock and laugh at. Disappointed that my kid actually thought it was funny and paid close attention to what was being read. And really, really disappointed in myself for not asking more questions sooner about what kind of books the 4th grade teachers are reading to their students.

We Northern Virginians pride ourselves on our excellent school systems. This is actually the first time I've had to "take a stand" on behalf of my children in the educational arena. I was pretty freaked out last night when I realized I was going to have to "take on the system" to some extent. But regardless of that fact, I went ahead and sent a very direct email to my son's teacher at about 1:00 AM, not knowing how it would be received or if it would even make a difference.

I am relieved to say that his response to me was completely apologetic in every way and included phrases such as "lapse in judgement", "no intention to cause offense" and "great desire to enforce and enhance parental teachings". He immediately ceased reading the book to the class and thanked me profusely for coming forward with this concern.

Moral of the story: Stand up for your kids and for what you believe to be right. Be an advocate for your children and their education. And keep your finger on the pulse of the classroom so you can say that you actually know what is going there.

Before I get off my big bad soapbox, I wanted to provide the ONE negative reaction I found to this book on the internet last night. It was written by an educator who was substituting in a FIRST GRADE California classroom where a teacher had left "The Day My Butt Went Psycho" to be read to the class. Please read it - it is exactly how I feel about this entire situation. (I know this post is long, but if you've read this far, you can read just a little bit more.)

I'm done now. I promise I won't blog about anything controversial for a really long time. Maybe tomorrow I will post pictures of my hydrangea bush that's blooming out of control. Because that's happy, and normal and has nothing to do with butts.