sAy AnYtHiNg

Behind the Eight Ball

Yes, it is the 6th day of 2009 and I haven't even finished my "Greatest Hits" of 2008 posts.  Such seems to be my schedule these days.  Therefore, today, you will be getting a mega post to finish out "Greatest Hits" volumes 3, 4, 5, and 6.  Then I will comfortably be able to launch into the adventure that will be 2009.

Greatest Hits of 2008, Volume 3

Volume 3, is kind of a combo of two events from the year, and I have actually already written about them previously.

Click here to read about my son, the rock star, as he competed in his first triathlon.

   

Click here to read about the first 5K run for both my son and me.  We have since run in two more.  He continues to beat me in every race, but at least both of us have improved our time with each race and have managed to cross the finish line running.  I am looking forward to seeing what we (especially my son) can accomplish this year.

Greatest Hits of 2008, Volume 4

Every year for Labor Day weekend we travel to my cousin's lake house in Monticello Indiana.  It is a highlight of the summer to be sure.

Here is a picture of me wakeboarding last year.  We didn't bother with pictures this year, as it would have looked exactly the same.

   

My son on the other hand, seems to have mastered surfing behind the boat.

     

As you may be able to guess from this picture of Mr. New Diva's spectacular bruise (the picture doesn't really to it justice...it was quite something), he shares my wakeboarding prowess.  Although to be fair, he was actually doing really well, almost jumping from wake to wake, etc. (o.k. so he might be a tad better than me) until he got into a tussle with the rope and the rope won.  Suffice it to say, the kids in the boat heard enough "F Bombs" to last them a lifetime.

 

Three little monkeys climbing up a pole.  Luckily, no little monkeys fell off.

A truly wonderful time with family, laughter and memories.  We are blessed!

Greatest Hits of 2008, Volume 5

First day of all day Kindergarten.

 

First day of 5th grade at a new school.

Both handled this big day with grace and confidence.  I am a proud mommy.

Greatest Hits of 2008, Volume 6

In early November we celebrated the marriage of my husband's brother.  We traveled to sunny Florida on a whirlwind weekend celebrating love and family.  My daughter was the flower girl, my son was the ring bearer, and my husband was the best man.  It was a beautiful wedding and we wish them many years of happiness, health, and joy toghether.

 

  

Whew!  It was a year packed with many happy moments, and maybe a rollercoaster or two.  It reminds me of how truly thankful I should be and am when I look back at how blessed my life really is.  I am looking forward to another exciting and wonderful adventure in 2009, and I wish the same to all of you!  Happy New Year! 

Greatest Hits of 2008 Volume 2

This summer marked the opportunity for some of our family to gather in Jamaica for a week of sun, fun, and relaxation.  Nineteen of us traveled from all over the states, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Utah, and South Carolina to be exact, to Montego Bay and the lovely Spyglass Hill.

    

One of the views we got to enjoy while dining...fresh mango, papaya, pineapple, 2 lb. freshly caught lobsters, jerk chicken, etc. etc. etc.

 

the other view we had while dining.

 

The gazebo where we had massages.  Pretty wonderful to say the least.

 

Denham our butler, Marvin, our driver, and Kingston the grounds-keeper.

       

Vincent, Kingston's assistant, Linnette the chef, and Joan our housekeeper and laundress.  They were all wonderful and spoiled us rotten!

   

The ocean was crystal clear even at 30 plus feet.  Great for snorkeling!

   

The Margaritaville slide, and my son after a successful run down said slide.  No easy feat I might add as this is no "kiddie" slide.  In fact, yours truly still had water coming out of my nose a full three hours after my ride down!

 

Many a wicked match of pool volley ball were played.  The competition was fierce, but the laughter never stopped.

 

Mr. New Diva, aka Lobster Boy.  I am certain that one day he will heed my warnings about sunscreen, but you never know.

 

Pilates in paradise.  Yes, it is a rather small picture, but as our nether regions are somewhat in the air, I thought you would understand.

 

Obviously, we had no fun at all, so it is a true mystery as to why it made the greatest hits. ;)

Greatest Hits of 2008 Volume 1

How does the time go so quickly?  I can't believe I haven't posted since, well several days ago anyway.  I hope all of you had a magical Christmas filled with laughter and love and all the goodies you asked Santa to bring you!  Christmas here at the Diva household was lovely indeed!

I have decided to offer my personal rendition of the "Greatest Hits of 2008" as a way to wrap up the year and launch into the new one.

So without further ado, I bring you Greatest Hits of 2008 Volume 1:

In July, my son went to sleepaway camp for the first time.  He had the time of his life, and can't wait to go back again this summer.  I missed him like CRAZY, so the time of my life was had the day we got to pick him up from camp and bring him home where he belongs!

   

 

 

The Welcome Home celebration was so much fun, I might be o.k. with letting him go again. ;)

Separation Anxiety

 

Have you ever read this book?  It is one of my favorites.  It is about a little raccoon who is afraid to go to school.  His mommy kisses his hand so that he will be able to take her love to school with him.  It is a very sweet book and I highly recommend it.

When my daughter first started pre-school she had a really hard time letting me go, so we started giving each other kisses in our hands every morning just like in the book.  I think it made both of us feel better.  Last year in pre-school we continued the tradition even though she was very comfortable going in to class each day.  This year she started full day Kindergarten and the transition was a little tough for her, and we had many tears the first week.  Of course our "Kissing Hand" tradition continued.  She has become confident about school now and really enjoys it, but we still give and get our kisses each morning.

Here is the kicker...both my kids have outgrown their separation anxiety, which is as it should be and I am happy they are confident kids.  However, my separation anxiety in leaving them seems to be growing by leaps and bounds.  More mornings than not, I feel myself get choked up when I have to leave them at school.  I love them so much and really just wish they could be with me all the time.

Good thing I have those kisses in my hand to get me through the day!

I'm Late I'm Late for a Very Important Post...Happy Birthday My Little Girl

October 9 at approximately 4am I notice that my 4 and half year old son has crawled in with us sometime during the night,  I give him a kiss and get up to go to the bathroom.  On my way back to bed I feel a small "pop".  I think to myself, "could my water have just broken?"  There was no large gush of water and I still had three weeks to go, but something told me this was it.  (My water never broke on its own with my son, so I didn't have a lot to go on).  I went back into the bedroom, looked at my son and thought "his little world is about to drastically change", and walked to my husband's side of the bed.  I shook him gently and said, "honey, I think my water might have just broken."  He was fully awake quickly at this comment.  "Really?!"  "But we are supposed to have another three weeks."  "I know, I am going to lay back down for a little bit and see what happens."  (He told me later that as we were laying there is was sending up silent prayers..."I promise I will get the crib put together, and the room finished, please just give us a little more time, etc.") No extra time would be forth coming.  I called my mom in South Carolina, you know the lady that had plane tickets already booked three weeks from now to give her the news.  My step-dad answered  the phone, "I think my water just broke".  He repeated my words out loud, at which point I hear my mom in the background saying "oh no, oh no, oh no".  "Oh yes."  I showered, packed a bag, got dressed, fed my son breakfast, and got him dressed for pre-school (all with the help of my husband, of course)  When we got to pre-school I whispered to his teacher..."I'm in labor, and a friend will be picking him up after school today."   Very big eyes from his teacher, a lot of nodding and "good lucks" and off we went to the hospital.  I asked my husband to stop at Walgreen's so I could get a few magazines.  As I stepped out of the car to go in to Walgreen's,  WHOOSH, there was no longer any doubt that my water had in fact broken.  Good thing the hospital is right next door to Walgreen's.

At 11:51 am our daughter arrived, all 6 pounds 13 ounces of her.  It seems like yesterday, but it was six years ago!  Now she is a big kindergartner that has a whole day of school, and she still does things on her own timetable...not what anyone else thinks her timetable should be!  She is a constant source of joy for me, her daddy and her now 10 and a half year old brother. I am so grateful to be her mommy.  Happy 6th birthday pumpkin pie...I love you with all my heart!

So Much to Celebrate

Thirteen years ago today we looked like this

This is what we look like today

It has been an amazing journey so far and I am excited to see what the next decade and beyond brings.  I am blessed with a wonderful husband and wonderful kids.

We have the privilege of sharing this day with my grandmother's birthday.  She was an incredibly special lady and I am honored to have been her granddaughter.  I miss her everyday, but am so very grateful for all the memories I have of wonderful times with her.  This picture is the two of us the last time I saw her before she went to be with my grandfather her husband of 71 years.  I can only hope that my husband and I are lucky enough to have that many years together and that I look half as elegant and beautiful as she did at 97 years old.  I love you grandma and Happy Birthday.

 

 

He Rocked Out Loud!

I have many a topic to share with you, but I am going to keep it very current for today, because today our family had a truly amazing experience.  My son competed in a kid's triathlon being hosted by our health club.  It was his first triathlon.  It consisted of 2 lengths in the pool, a 2.5 mile bike ride, and a half mile run.  It has been pouring rain here for at least 48 hours straight...I am actually thinking about starting to build an Ark.  The rain did not stop for the competition and the competition didn't stop for the rain.

My son rocked, I mean in every sense of the word.  He was focused, excited, totally positive, composed and the personification of grace under pressure.  It was quite clear that many of the kids had previous experience, but he was not intimidated, he put his head down and raced his race.  Watching him compete through the whole thing was so exciting it is hard to describe the feeling.  Watching him sprint across the finish line, and I really do mean sprint...he didn't let up one bit and just went for it with his whole heart was exhilarating.  I, of course ,was whooping and hollering and screaming like a crazy woman was totally composed as he crossed the line.  He came in 3rd in his wave and 10th out of 43, 9 and 10 year old boys overall.  He can't wait to do the next one, and I can't wait to be there to cheer him on!  He truly inspired me, and being inspired by your child is quite magical. 

The Things We Do

As an average sans nanny mom, I often find myself in rather odd and awkward situations.  I wonder how many of you can relate.

When my son was 18 months old, he broke the big toe on my right foot.  No, it was not an act of early aggression, just a little mishap with a snow globe.  One evening at the end of November.  I know it was the end of the month because our business at the time closed each month of business on the last day of  and it was always someone's job to make a mad dash to the UPS box to get our business in on time.  This particular evening was my turn for the mad dash, and like all moms with little ones are want to do...I was running late.  Of course, before leaving the house, I needed to change the little guy's diaper.  As he was laying on his changing table, I handed him a very harmless looking snow globe to keep him occupied.  When I was finished with the change I scooped him up and carried him into my bathroom for my pit stop (too much info. probably, but it is what happened).  He was still carrying the snow globe.  Upon entering my bathroom and its lovely tiled floor, my son accidentally dropped the snow globe on to my sock clad foot.  Now at this point I need to mention a little moment of pride for myself, because I DID NOT scream, or swear out loud.  Instead I uttered a somewhat smothered grunt and continued on my way, although somewhat more slowly.  Getting a shoe on was not the most fun, but it was on my way to the UPS box that the pain really started to get in.  I dropped our envelope and immediately headed to a friends house that lived near the UPS box.  Luckily she was home and let me in, because at this point I was nauseous, shaky, and having the cold sweats from the pain.  She took me in, gave me a sweatshirt, and we let our kids play together, so I didn't have to move too much.  Shortly after arriving, my cell phone rang...it was my husband.

I pause now for a brief "he said, she said moment"...

Me:  Hello...not extremely vibrantly I might add.

My Husband:  Where are you?!

Me:  I am at K and C's.  Bubba dropped a snow globe on my foot and I think my toe is broken, I am in excruciating pain.

My Husband:  Really, wow, o.k. so anyway did you get the package to UPS on time?

(o.k. so anyway?!!!...whatever!)

I was vindicated a few days later when I went to the doctor, as it was, in fact, broken. 

The doctor's appointment was, of course, at a time when my husband couldn't be with my son, so guess who got to go with me to the appointment.  I will never forget sitting in the big chair with my foot up, my son on my lap facing me while the doctor gave me about 10 shots of Novocaine in my big toe and then proceeded to use a scalpel to cut around my toenail to release the pressure from the bleeding underneath the nail, and then wrapped it with tape to keep it in place all the while making goofy faces and singing "She'll be comin' round the mountain when she comes" to my son to keep him entertained.

It is now approximately nine years later, and I just had another similar experience.  (It is by no means the only one since then, but this post is already longer than my arm as it is!)  The other day I went to the dermatologist for a "mole check".  My husband had to be in a conference all day and couldn't help with the kids, so guess who got to go with me to the appointment?  Only this time it was both my son and daughter!  Sure enough, I had a couple of moles that needed to be removed, so in front of an audience of my two kids, I got two shots, had two moles removed with a scalpel, and then burned to stop the bleeding, all with a smile on my face and a song in my heart so they wouldn't freak out.  I did get a "oh mom that is so gross", when the nurse showed them my mole in a jar.  A standing ovation it was not, but, hey I'll take what I can get!

Happy Birthday Grandpa

August 20, 1910 was the day my maternal grandfather was born.  Today he would have been 98 years old.  He left us 3 years ago, but it is still hard for me to believe he is gone.  In fact, just the other day I had an occasion where I wanted to pick up the phone to call him and my grandma to tell them something about the kids.  Then it hit me that they weren't there to call anymore, but I smiled because I believe they knew the story already, as they had watched it happening from above.

My grandfather was the best.  He was always smiling and quick to laugh and loved to make other people laugh.  He had the knack for putting people at ease and making them comfortable in his presence.  He was the first person I heard call someone " buddy" and have it sound totally natural and sincere, even if he was just meeting them for the first time.  All the pictures I carry of him in my heart and head are of him smiling.

When I was little his hands seemed so big, so I used to just hold his finger instead of his whole hand.

He was extremely creative.  He made a doll house for me from scratch complete with a "Tiffany" chandelier made out of a ping pong ball.  He also used to make real stained glass creations, which I am still lucky enough to have a beautiful set of angels that he made that I use as part of our Christmas decorations.   He also created a special musical verse that he would whistle to me, although he never sang the words just whistled the tune, the meaning was "this means grandpa loves you".  He had a gold necklace made for me that had a small gold pendant on it. On one side of the pendent are the musical notes that he would whistle, and on the back the words "this means grandpa loves you."  He said once to me, "I suppose someday you will be too embarrassed to wear this necklace."  I'm not sure why he thought that, but I adamantly told him I would never be embarrassed by my necklace and I never have been or ever will be, and, yes, I still have it and still wear it sometimes.  Even though I can hear it in my head, I wish sometimes he was hear to whistle it to me.

As I have been contemplating this post over the last several days trying to decide what I wanted to write, each time I found myself crying, and I am crying now.  My grandfather was truly one of the most special people I have ever known, and I could go on and on and on and on with stories all the way from when he was a mischievous youth to the last years of his life.  They all make me smile and make my heart ache at the same time.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa.  I hope you know how much you were and are loved by me.  I know I will always know that "grandpa loves me." 

A Mother's Moment

When I got home from the office the other day, my daughter was down the street playing with a friend, and my son and my husband were at home.  As I walked through the door my son said to me, "mom, she (my almost 6 year old daughter) can ride her two wheeler!"  I looked at my husband and said, "no way, really?"  "Yep."  My eyes immediately filled with tears and I whispered, "I missed it".

A short time later my daughter came home.  When she saw me, she got very excited, got the biggest smile on her face I have ever seen and said, "mommy, I can ride my bike with no training wheels" in the excited squeal that she has mastered.  I did not let on that I had already been given this piece of information, and my son and husband did not let on either.  "No way", I said, "show me".  We went outside and sure enough the little peanut hopped on her bike and off she rode down the sidewalk!  I laughed and clapped and cheered.  She rode and laughed and smiled and yelled "look at me mommy"!  It was a truly magical and heartwarming moment.  She was so very proud of herself and I was so very proud of her too.  When we went back inside she called her grandma to share the news.  The smiles and giggles and squeals were priceless, and we got the whole thing on video.

I had tears in my eyes once again, because I realized I hadn't "missed it" at all, it had been given to me as a wonderful, happy gift.