Bestie Birthday Wish

While she has been mentioned before in a few blogs, I have one friend who has never had one completely devoted to her. Today, on her birthday, I want to rectify that.

As we get older, memories tend to fade. Details can get lost. We may remember things a bit differently than they actual happened. That’s one of the reasons I try to put things down here on my blog, to preserve those memories. Earlier this week, I focused on music from 1982, which is where we have to go for the beginning of my friendship with Margaret.

In our school district, there were like seven or eight elementary schools. So when we merged together in 7th grade, we met a whole lot of new people and made many new friends. I am sure that Margaret and I had more than just one class together in 7th grade, but I just don’t really remember anything but band class.

I can almost bet that I was the one who started talking to her. I remember thinking that she was pretty and so I bugged her a lot. I know that I drove her crazy. I was a pest. FYI – junior high Keith was a real dork. Yet, she was sweet and talked to me. Before the summer, we swapped phone numbers. I spent a lot of time on the phone talking to her in 7th and 8th grade. This was in the days before “call-waiting” and it drove my mom crazy that I tied up the phone. I’m sure her folks felt the same way.

I remember passing notes in the hallway in school. Recently she sent me a picture of one that I wrote her. It was folded and read “To: A sexy girl I just happened to see walking down the hall and is my bestest friend. From: Some Goon.” I laughed. It was totally something I would write. I’m sure there was little or no content in the letter, more than likely it read, “This class sucks. What are you doing later? Steve broke my trumpet today,” or something like that.

Our friendship grew throughout high school. We became very close. I think her folks, my folks, and certainly my grandparents wanted us to date, but we had a very special friendship and that was fine with us. We never dated, but went on dates, if that makes sense. We went to a few dances together in school (Homecoming, Snowball Dance). After one of those dances, I remember we were sitting in her driveway and ready to wrap up the evening. We had been talking and knowing that she was going to go in the house, we both sat there for a minute. I’m pretty sure I was the one who moved in for a kiss, and as we got close to each other, we both started laughing. We just knew that we’d never be more than friends.

We both had Ford Escorts our senior year of high school. She tried to teach me how to drive a stick shift in hers in the school parking lot. I just wasn’t getting it and most likely burned out her clutch. She got me back one day, though. I was in the band room early, as I always was. She came busting through the band room doors and said, “Where’s Keith!!??” I came out of the band library and she was crying saying, “I hit your car!” The parking lot was icy and she slid into the bumper of my car and caused it to dent in. It was really nothing and we both laugh about that to this day.

Margaret was always smarter than me. She was in the higher math and English classes. She was always getting her homework done (unlike me). She did like to cause trouble occasionally. I am sure that I blogged about this before, but Margaret, Ronnie and I all went out to TP our friend Steve’s house for his birthday. After the job, we stood on his front lawn and looked up at his bedroom window and sang “Happy Birthday.” As we turned to run away, the three of us were grabbed by a couple policemen who threw us in the back of their police cruiser. I think we all thought we were going to jail! Graduation wasn’t too far away and I remember freaking out! Steve’s mom smoothed it over for us and we were all let go – to clean up our mess.

After high school, she was off to college and would go on to become a nurse. She got married and had children before I did. At this point, let me quote from an earlier blog (1/1/2020):

When her daughter, Marissa, was born she asked me to be her Godfather. I was honored to do it. A Godfather is a very important role for an Italian. When I got married the first time, sadly, I saw less and less of Margaret and my Goddaughter. Whenever I was supposed to get together with them, I was always informed that we couldn’t go or we had something to do with my ex’s family. (If you have followed this blog for any length of time, you are well aware of the narcissism that I dealt with and how miserable my life had become.)

After the divorce, Margaret was one of the first to reach out to me. She completely understood what was going on. Her forgiveness meant everything to me. I hurt her. I was hurt, too. I lost many years of our friendship, and I lost so many moments with my Goddaughter. After all of that, Margaret (and many other friends) had every right to just stop talking to me, but our friendship meant so much, that we have picked up where we left off.

When I attended my Goddaughter’s 21st birthday party, I pulled her aside and apologized for missing so many important things in her life. How do you explain that to someone? As I looked back on the past, my stomach was in knots. I was sickened to think of how I must have made so many people feel. She didn’t bat an eye, however, and told me she loved me and we all enjoyed a great evening! I remember driving home from her party crying my eyes out. It wasn’t fair to her that I missed so many things. It makes me angry to know that I missed so much, but I am also happy that I can try to make up for lost time with her!

From that party – two of my favorite pictures:

Shortly before our daughter was born, Sam and I went to lunch/drinks with Margaret and her husband Walt. We really had a great time. We laughed a lot and shared some stories (like the ones above) that our spouses were hearing for the first time). Much like Sam, Margaret was also a very important part of my post-divorce life. Reconnecting with her was so special to me. Again, from that earlier blog:

During lunch, Margaret said something that struck a chord. It was something that made me sad, and happy at the same time. She said, “I have seen you more and talked to you more in the past two years, than the entire time you were married.” This made me sad, because of what I touched on early – a great friendship almost destroyed, as well as the relationship between my Goddaughter and me, all because of the stupidity of someone else. It made me happy to know that our friendship remains and will grow even stronger in the years ahead.

It has certainly done that! She and Walt brought us food at the hospital the night Ella was born. She has become the most amazing aunt to Ella and Andrew! She loves them so much and spoils them rotten. What a blessing she is to me and my family.

Margaret,

I can’t help but think back on the incredible and amazing journey of our friendship. I am reminded of the countless moments that have brought so much joy and meaning to my life. From the day we met, I knew there was something special about you, beside you being Italian! I am so grateful for your genuine kindness, your support and advice, and of course, your infectious laughter. Throughout it all, your constant support has been a source of comfort and inspiration for me.

On your birthday, I want to tell you how much you mean to me. For years, you have been a rock through thick and thin, always there to listen and offer non-biased advice and counsel. You’ve celebrated my successes as if they were your own and offered me an ear during my toughest times. Our friendship is a treasure that I cherish deeply.

I read something recently that I can easily apply to you and me: “Everyone has ‘a friend’ for each stage of life, but only lucky ones have that ‘same friend’ in all stages of life.” THANK YOU for being that ‘same friend” to me!

Today, I wish you happiness, love, and laughter. I thank you for all the wonderful memories of the past and look ahead to many more in the future. I love you, my friend.

Fun At The County Fair

I got a call last Friday from my friend Margaret. She told me that the county fair was going on up by her and that Saturday was the last day. She asked if maybe we’d like to go. My wife had to work that night, so she was unable to go, but the kids and I drove up to join her. I felt bad that my wife couldn’t be there for their first fair experience, but I made sure to take a lot of pictures to send her.

The kids were so excited to go and Margaret road with me so I knew where I was going. Her husband Walt and his daughter Maddie followed us there. Right from the get go, there were plenty of animals to see. The kids were fascinated by the ducks and chickens. One set of ducks kept quacking at Andrew! They also loved seeing all of the bunnies. There were some big ones!

Inside, there were bigger animals and I loved seeing the excitement on the kids faces. Andrew kept saying hello to them all. “Hello, goat!” “Hello, cow!” “Hello, pig!” Ella was loving it too!

There were some big smiles as we walked through and looked at the animals. Just like the ducks who were quacking, there was one goat who wouldn’t stop talking. They stood by the goat and kept talking back to it. Every time it made a noise, they’d crack up!

At the fair, there were plenty of cows! The smaller ones were just hanging around and people could go up and pet them. Andrew was standing in the hay and said, “Can I take my shoes off, Daddy?” Uh…. no! The cow Ella is with actually started eating her dress and Ella had to play tug of war to get it back!

Naturally, they had to get up on just about every tractor and vehicle that was available to them. There were so many things to do and we hadn’t even gone out on the midway yet!

They saw the carousel from the parking lot when we arrived and that is where they wanted to go first. Aunt Margaret spoiled them by getting them wristbands so they could ride whatever they wanted. I chuckled at this because I do not ride carnival rides. What is funnier is that neither does she! Maddie, however, said she’d ride whatever rides they wanted to.

First stop, and my ONLY ride of the day, was the carousel. I have to be careful, because if I don’t focus, my benign positional vertigo can kick in. LOL.

Andrew wanted to ride on the bench, which surprised me. Maddie joined him. I was so glad to catch this beautiful shot of Ella patiently waiting for the ride to start.

This ride was tame compared to some of the ones they were on. They rode that pirate ship thing that goes back and forth. They did that bear/dragon that you sit in and it spins around and then you can make it spin by turning the wheel inside it. They rode that caterpillar rollercoaster. They also rode on that one that goes up high and low while it spins…. I love how excited Ella looks in this picture.

It was pretty warm that day and it showed. So we made sure to stop and get them something to drink. Andrew is all about pop right now. I figured they’d both get one, but Ella saw someone with a snow cone and she had to try one! She loved it. Eventually, when the flavor was gone, she let Andrew try it!

Shortly after this, we found the bounce house and that was where they spent a good chunk of the day. They kept going in and out and being silly. Andrew was sweating like crazy and came out and asked if we could go home. Both were pretty tuckered out. We missed Uncle Walk going up in that crazy cage thing that goes around and around and people in the cages can make it go upside down and such (no thank you!). I would have loved to watch that!

On the way out that thanked Aunt Margaret and had to get a picture. You can really see how tired they were by this time.

On the way out I promised them one more thing. There were ponies that you could ride as we walked in, so I kept my promise and they each got to do a pony ride. They each got a cowboy hat and wore them home.

It was almost bedtime when we got home, but they had to call and fill mommy in on all the fun they had. I can’t wait until our county fair comes to town next month. I’m sure they will be ready for more rides. I just gotta figure out who is going to ride with them!!

A Much Needed Break

I had a few days off over this past weekend and I got some much needed family time. The time started on a sad note, as Thursday morning, my wife’s family gathered at the National Cemetery where there was a small service for her grandma. They chose her grandfather’s birthday to go and have her ashes placed inside the wall with him. After the service, her dad said a prayer and everyone left.

Her grandparents are buried at the same cemetery as my mother, and my daughter asked to go see grandma. Last time we were there, she placed a heart shaped rock on the headstone. It was not there this time and she said, “Grandma must have liked it so much that she took it.” Who am I to argue with my daughter?

Friday afternoon, we loaded up the car, the kids, and the dog and made the two hour drive to my father-in-law’s place up north. I had been there once with him, but it was only a few hours. This time, we were all going to spend a couple days there. We were all looking forward to it.

The Michigan scenery on the drive up was so nice. I love those farm houses on the side of the road, the horses and cows in the fields, and the beauty of tall green trees. I love when you have to go from 55 mph down to 30 mph because you are driving through a small town. It takes me back to those drives up to Caseville with my parents when I was a kid.

We arrived at the cabin around 7pm on Friday night and we just relaxed for a while. It is just the way a cabin should be, cozy and peaceful.

We were all up early Saturday and the view from out the front window was exactly what I needed to see as I stood with a cup of hot coffee.

My mother-in-law made biscuits and gravy for breakfast. They were delicious! After breakfast, my father-in-law and I went to work. He has about 18 acres of property. He doesn’t mow it all, but there is quite a bit to mow. I hopped on the zero turn and he grabbed the weed whacker and we went to work on the yard.

I never saw the family leave while we were out, but after we finished I went inside to get some water and my phone rang. It was my wife. She said, “I need you and dad to bring the truck up to the merchandise outlet to get something.” I said ok and told my father-in-law. His response was, “What did they buy that won’t fit in your car?!” Well, I found out soon enough – and my son couldn’t be happier.

He got a Mustang long before I ever did! These things are like $200-$250 online and she got it (brand new) for $30! Yeah, what a deal!! There was a sale going on and there was also a 50% off sticker on it, so by the time the thing was rung up – $30! He was so mad that it had to charge before he could drive it. (The thing has a working radio in it!!!) Ella wanted to ride, too, so we went to the barn and got them one of the cars that were there.

We had hot dogs for lunch and then the fun began. My father-in-law brought out the four wheeler! To say that the kids were excited was an understatement.

I had never rode on one, so my father-in-law gave me a quick lesson in where the gas and brakes were, he placed Andrew in front of me and I was off on the trails and into the property with him.

Naturally, I went a lot slower than I would have liked, because I didn’t want him to fall off. He was so content to just sit there and ride. I’d ask if he was ok and he’d say he was and ask for more.

When I came back, Ella was raring to go. I really thought that she would be the one who was too scared to ride on it, but I was wrong. She hopped up and off we went. As we drove down the trail to the open area on the property she yelled, “Whoo-hoo! This is amazing!!” This filled my heart more than I can explain. Once we got to where the trail opened into the large open area, I drove her around and made little jumps on hills and such. She kept yelling, “Faster, daddy! Faster!!” She was a true daredevil.

As we were out in the field, we heard another four wheeler. Papa had pulled out the other one and had Andrew in front of him. Then it became a game. The two of us “chasing” each other, “racing” each other, and laughing the entire time! “Daddy, they are chasing us! Don’t let them catch us!” What a hoot!!

Daisy, our dog, was chasing us as we rode around, too. It was so hot and I can’t believe that she kept running after us. As soon as we’d pull away from the house, she’d be right on our tail. Running and chasing and occasionally barking at us. It was ridiculous.

As it got closer to dinner, Sam and I ordered pizzas from a place in town. It was expensive, but worth every cent. It was so cheesy and you could tell it was hand tossed and made fresh. They had these bread sticks, which were more like rolls, that had garlic and cheese on them. Oh, man! They were sinfully good.

It was a day full of fun. So much fun that we called it a night early. The kids were out like a light almost immediately. There was a huge car show in town that night, but there was absolutely no energy to go see it.

We woke up Sunday, Father’s Day, and coffee was already made. My mother-in-law made up some eggs and sausage. I was drinking my coffee on the porch and could smell the sausage from outside. This took me back to those days at my grandma’s place in Caseville. We’d be outside and we could smell the bacon or sausage from outside.

After breakfast, my father-in-law and I went out and finished up the weed whacking we didn’t get to on Saturday. After that we had to take apart some bunk beds that he was bringing home when we left. He had a rototiller that I needed to borrow and we loaded that up on the trailer, too.

While we were doing that, my wife was packing up and loading the car. My mother-in-law wasn’t going to let us leave hungry, so she made up some turkey burgers and we all had another meal together. When they were in town the day before, they had picked up a chocolate cake for the “dads” for Father’s Day. Before we could even slice it, Ella was eating sprinkles off the top of it!

We had promised the kids another ride on the four wheelers before we left, and they couldn’t wait! Each kid got a few turns riding with me and Papa. Before I put it away, I just had to go and take it for a spin by myself – so I could see just how fast it would go. Man, this one I was on really clipped! I can see how easy it would be to get hurt on one of them. It was extra fun for me to just let loose and be a kid again for a few minutes.

Just before we left, it began to sprinkle. There was a storm on the way and we wanted to head out before it hit. The kids kept asking all the way home when we would be heading up to the cabin again. After the fun we had there, I would imagine the answer is “Soon. Very soon.”

Next trip, however, I will be sure to wear sunscreen!

Songs From The Backseat

I had a day off this week and had a chance to see my daughter play T-ball. Before the game, we had to take a drive down to get my son’s leg braces looked at. The whole family was in the car and Ella asked my wife to play “I am a C” song. I had no idea what that was. She proceeded to pull up a YouTube video of a Christian song for kids. Ella knew all the words.

Sam was surprised I had never heard this one before. I’d been in Vacation Bible School and certainly had sung many of the familiar Christian kid songs, but never this one. It warmed my heart a bunch to hear her singing along.

She did pretty good at T-ball, too, this week! I snapped this one and love it.

She’s all SASS!

Meanwhile, my son Andrew is learning all about house repairs with my father in law. My brother in law bought a house recently and they are working on all kinds of repairs and updates. Andrew is in heaven because “Pa” is letting him help!

He’s right at home with tools! I will have a helper for life!

Mother’s Day Recap

This was the first Mother’s Day since becoming a mom that Sam had the day off. I was so glad that she was able to take the day and spend it with us. She worked the night before and on the way home, she called and told me to make sure the kids were dressed. We were heading out somewhere when she got home.

I hurried and got the kids dressed, got myself dressed and was ready when she got home. She came in and changed clothes before we left, so I just assumed we were all going to go out to breakfast. Instead, she drove to the cemetery where my mom is buried. She told me she wasn’t going to let Mother’s Day go by without taking me there.

The innocence of my kids always chokes me up. As we walked up, Sam said, “We have to see grandma on Mother’s Day. She was daddy’s mommy.” When we got to her headstone, Andrew said, “I can’t see grandma.” That was the first choke up. Then Ella had found what she called a “heart shaped rock” and wanted to put it on her headstone. “I want grandma to have it.” Choke up number two. In the car, on the way out, Andrew starts to get upset. Sam asked why and he said, “Grandma can’t hold me.” Choke up number three.

When we got home, Sam got to see the gifts that the kids got for her.

They each drew her a picture/card and we placed a paint handprint inside. We bought her some hair stuff (hair ties, clips, a mirror, and stuff she uses to get ready). The kids also picked out a beautiful dozen roses for her. Finally, we made sure she got a delicious cake!

When our Head Start friend came over, we made feet flowers for her with her favorite colors.

After we opened her presents, she got to laid down and nap since she worked the night before. Then the kids and I went outside and we detailed her car.

We debated doing a BBQ for dinner, but she said she was really craving some Chinese food, so that’s what we got! By 7pm, the entire family was just exhausted and we were all in bed and asleep by 8! LOL

I am so happy that we got to celebrate her for mother’s day!! She is so special to all of us!

Practice Makes Perfect

We signed Ella up for T-ball a few weeks back. We got her a helmet, a glove, a bat, some practice balls, shoes and a bag to carry it all. She’s been pretty pumped up about it. She finally had her first practice today.

The worst thing about working when I do is that a lot of the activities happen when I am at work. I have rearranged my schedule a bit so that I can see a game a week (they play 2) and not have to use personal time off. Sam went with her to practice.

The first thing she texted me was that she is the only girl on the team. I really hope that this won’t bother her. She can be anyone’s friend, but I also know how cruel some kids can be. We hope that this will be a sport she likes to play and will continue in the future.

I coached my two older boys with both T-ball and baseball for as long as they played. I was not a good coach, but I certainly enjoyed being there with them. They seemed to have fun, even though they didn’t play long.

This week, I will be playing catch with her and helping her with batting. I am excited for the first game in a couple weeks…

Morning Silliness

Ella was up before everyone today. She came into my room and woke me up. We went out into the living room and she sat on my lap.

This morning was odd in that she didn’t ask to turn on the TV. Instead she told me about her dreams from last night and said we should play a game.

I asked her what game we should play and she suggested the “Guess the Animal” game. I asked her how to play and she said that you have to whisper an animal sound in the other player’s ear and they have to guess what it is.

I told her that the game sounded fun and she told me I had to go first. So I whispered “Moo” in her ear. She immediately said, “That’s a cow! Now it is my turn.”

She whispers into my ear, “Quack-Meow.” So I said, “It sounds like there are two animals there, a duck and a cat.”

“Daddy! It’s a Duck-cow!” she informs me. I immediately start laughing.

Following her lead, I whisper, “Baa-buzz” to her and she guesses, “A sheep-bee! Now you got it, Daddy!”

What followed was utter silliness:

“Cock-a-doodle-Moo” (Rooster-Cow)

“Oink-Quack-Baa” (Pig-Duck-Sheep)

“Gobble-Neigh” (Turkey-Horse)

And my favorite, “Ribbit-Quack-A-Doodle-Boing” which left me scratching my head.

“What animal is that, Sissy?”

“Oh Daddy, haven’t you ever seen a Froggy-Duck-Rooster-Bunny before?!?!”

No, I have not … but I can’t help but wonder what one might look like!

For what it’s worth …. I did find a Duck-Cow

Brief Life Update

This week, while it has been nice to have some new features to post here, I feel like I haven’t really told you what’s been up our way. It’s been a pretty busy week or so.

I had the chance to spend the day with my daughter this week. We went to lunch at McDonald’s (her choice). We went to one of the big public libraries that we had never been to before. They had all kinds of cool things for the kids to play with there. I could hardly get her to leave so we could go to the Children’s Museum.

At the Children’s museum, we did our normal stuff: the big water table, the indoor treehouse, played on the indoor ambulance, and went down the big slide. We took a detour and walked through another part of the museum which has old cars, old uniforms, an army tank, and other neat stuff. She was really fascinated by the cars, an old sled, and the old logging stuff.

We had a couple nice days where we got to sit outside and play. Both kids were excited to get on their scooters.

Daisy was loving playing fetch with her ball. I swear, she could play this all day. The school kids who play ball on the baseball diamond behind our house must have fouled a couple into our yard, because Daisy was chewing the cover off a couple of them.

She eats everything! Sam made the mistake of leaving one of the canvas laundry bags that hangs on our hamper on top of Daisy’s cage while we were gone the other day. We came home and that dog pulled the whole thing (including the metal rods) into her cage and chewed/ate it! Urgh!

It was actually nice enough last weekend that I was able to mow the grass for the first time. I am overdue to change the oil on my riding mower, so I hope to be able to do that before the next mow. It’s probably a guy thing, but I love the look of a fresh mowed lawn (even if there are spots because of the moles!).

The kids and I got to sit down and watch the new Bluey episodes. There were three of them – the third one being a “bonus” that no one said anything about. This little cartoon is something that I absolutely love. The extended 28 minute episode was to be the Season 3 finale and it was just amazing. It was so well done.

My buddy from work has a little girl and I was asking him how she was doing. He was talking about how they watched the new Bluey together and before we knew it, there we were – two grown men – talking about how great the show is. We joked and said that the show is an adult cartoon that kids can watch, too. It isn’t odd for my wife and I also find ourselves talking about the show.

The biggest thing from this week is that we took Andrew in to get more genetic testing. He is still having some issues and they wanted to dig a bit deeper. They are thinking there is a possibility of Muscular Dystrophy. Nothing is 100% yet, and we are certainly praying about it. We’re hoping that the results will help give us a few more answers and some direction.

I guess that brings you up to speed. Thanks for reading.

Weekend Shenanigans

I saw many folks posting photos on social media yesterday for St. Patrick’s Day with shirts saying “Let the Shenanigans Begin!” Why is it that we only seem to hear this word around March 17th? It’s a great word that can be used in so many situations outside of an Irish “holiday.” I encourage you to use it at some point in the next two weeks!

Anyway, rather than going out and whooping it up with green beer and dancing a jig, I stayed home. I posted on my Facebook:

Today I will be doing the Wearin’ O’ the green, watching the Silence O’ the Lambs, and doing the Cuttin’ O’ the cheese …. (A line I used on our morning show more than once!)

I also found a hilarious filter to make me look like a Leprechaun

I got the kids dressed in their green shirts and tried to get some of them both smiling. I ended up having to get creative. I took two pictures and combined them so that they could both be smiling in it! LOL

We spent the morning with my long time friend Margaret.

She came with loads of stuff for the kids, as always! She brought them a very cool reusable sticker book. The stickers can be moved around and used again. They loved it! She also brought them some coloring books and a pillow for each of them.

You can bet your next paycheck that they had to be sure they slept on them last night!

Andrew has been potty training and yesterday, he went #2 on the toilet! It was a pretty big deal for sure! We promised that if he did that we would go to the store and he could pick out a toy. He made his Pa proud when he picked out a new took box! LOL

We had fun without any green beer!!

Tomorrow is my anniversary. More on that later ….

The Weekly Adventures of My Kids

There is never a dull moment at our house! The other day my wife and I are in our room. We hear Ella from the bathroom “We’re playing dentist. The pink kitty has a cavity and having a tooth pulled”. Sam looks at me and says, “You better check on that, I’m not sure what they are doing is dentistry!”

I walk in and the patient is in the “chair.” The flashlight is there to provide light. Andrew’s wearing medical gloves. Ella has a timer she is using as a thermometer. And the drill is on the ground, ready to prepare for cavities.

Looks like dentistry to me …..

We went back to Meijer to swap out bikes for Ella. The one we had came with two left pedals. Rather than just let me grab a right pedal from a box, I had to swap out the whole thing. On the way out, the kids see the penny horse ride. Someone was nice enough to leave a bunch of pennies on the base for kids who wanted to ride. Ella got right up and loved every minute. Andrew lasted about 3 seconds and wanted off. Naturally, Ella got to finish out his ride. (Yes, she is wearing unicorn slippers!)

It didn’t take long for our photos from the kid’s Spring Mini Session to come back. The kids love doing these because they get to pose with a live bunny! Our photographer, Beth, at Enjoy the View always amazes us. The kids were so out of control during the session, we really thought there wouldn’t be any good ones. We were wrong! She was really able to catch some fantastic shots.

After we downloaded the photos, we once again said to each other, “we really need to get these printed so we can hang them on the wall.” Seriously, the last photos that we hung on our wall was when we did family photos at Andrew’s newborn session! So today, Sam and I finally sat down and went through almost four years of pictures to have some printed. We ordered some canvases, and some 8 X 10 prints that we’ll be hanging in the living room.

Andrew was watching me upload pictures on my computer. He wanted to play on his own computer. He opened up the DVD player I use for my classes and I had to stop him. It is the only one I have and cannot afford to have that break. So I went downstairs and grabbed this old laptop my dad had given me a few years back. He was elated.

Because it is old, it is bulky. But it opens and he can bang on the keyboard. He was carrying it everywhere. I took the dog outside earlier and when I turned around, there was Andrew in the yard … with his laptop!

These kids bring me so much joy! There truly is never a dull moment.