Thumbprints

Tatum has been in art for years and we are simply amazed at the gift she has and the talent she comes home with.

Her last project at school was to duplicate a picture with just ink and thumbprints. This was all done in thumbprints.

I am asking her to make one of each of the children's baby pictures now, seeing how very cool it turned out!

Say

I had a friend from my teenage years get a hold of me.

She and I lived through some times, I'll tell ya. She knew me like no one did at that time of my life, and loved me still. We had heartache and coming of age. Raw learning of life and laughter and tears. We worked together and shared toothbrushes and clothes. We dated guys and snuck out of windows, pushing unstarted cars down moonlit roads. We did stuff that would make my Mama cringe, and as a Mom makes me cringe now, but oh it was fun.

We kept it up through my evolution of marriage and a baby and even to the point of her having her first child, but for me it grew hard. I felt torn being a young teenage mom, and at some point wanted, a clean break into a new life? How can I put that graceful. I guess I can't. But, I didn't fit in with my old definitions, and she almost made me fell guilty of my new ones.

I clunked into trying to keep house and be a wife and as the kids and responsibilities grew, I did to. I had...I had to turn a blind eye to all of the other kids my age. They were living at home, or in college, or living with guys. They were smoking pot and going to parties, and going to concerts, and SURE, I could of too, but I wanted to make a niche into the new life I was trying to live, and I guess somehow, she made me feel bad. I remember she would say "oh my gosh, you're like Martha Stewart now!", and that probably was MEANT to be a compliment, but a part of me felt like a betraying to the cool Becky. I just felt misplaced and bad, and therefore....moved on with my life without her :(

It wasn't really her, I guess it was how I felt about me...or how she made me feel about me, or how lame I handled the whole transition...

Apparently, it still is.

I've been afraid of getting back together with her. I haven't wanted to. I wanted to a}} know how special a time it was then, and b}} be okay with where I am now. What I need to learn to do, and what she is asking me to do it combine the two.

We Are The Griswalds

{{My music player and I are in a fight at the moment...this blog is NOT worthy of reading unless you read it while being serenaded by the Chevy Chase vacation theme song "Holiday Road". Please scroll to the bottom and click on the arrow to PLAY and then you may proceed. Thank you....}}

We are baaaaccckkk.

From Disney. And I am going to tell you, not only the state of Florida has GOT to be relieved...but they CANNOT be as relieved as I am.

We bonded. We had fun. We trudged waist high in the muck called teenage angst, and family turmoil...but mainly we did the mandatory princess trip and awesome togetherness, that only we can pull together.

Jake at one point did grab the hand of someone **ELSE"S** preschooler and try to take her in to the seating of the The Little Mermaid, thinking it was Summer, only to be boxed in the head by her mother. (rightfully so! We laughed hard about that one)

Summer did get to attend a princess breakfast (well we ALL did, but the boys were not impressed ) only to FREAKOUT when Sleeping Beauty came up to table and then proceeded to cry. Luckily, she pulled it together for Snow White, Belle, and Cinderella. Oh! and Mary Poppins...who is NOT a princess at all, and who is INTIMIDATING as heck! She told us to "spit spot!" and to "stand up straight!"

We lost Matthew for a moment in the Orlando International Airport, only to find him way ahead, standing upon the the luggage carousal, throwing our suitcases out onto the floor one by one. Heart attack, followed by relief, followed by irritation, followed by pride. Typical Matthew.

At one point we all kind of fell apart with the heat and Mike got like a flu, and Jake had a pulled muscle in his stomach, and Matt had an infected hand, and blah, blah, blah, so we left to go back to the resort to sleep some during the day, in which it seemed unfair to Tate. I encouraged her to stay at Epcot! She was almost 18 and could pretend she was an exchange student or something. Go explore! She had her phone. Be Brave! She was worried to be alone and have to ride rides alone, but she did! I'm so glad! What adventures she must have had!

We had alot we saw and did, still hand down...HANDS DOWN.. Soaring is my favorite ride. Love that feeling. Flying free. Siiighhh. Wish I could do that ride over and over. Matt's was Tower of Terror. Mike...the Arrowsmith RollarCoaster.

Definitely BEST place to eat was the Japanese place Tepan Edo. Really good. Oh my. Really good. Never had such awesome noodles.

Love Disney. Think we are Beach people though. Frozen Drinks. Sun. Lounge. No agenda. Sleep. Salty air. Breeze. Kids Laughing. Oy...I need a vacation...LOL!

The Ball Dropped

All this time.

I have sat and silently waited.

For the other ball to drop.

I didn't know how or when. How badly or whom.

But I knew it would come, and it would someday drop.

And I knew I would feel something more.

Relief? Bring up old wounds?

But it Would come, and now it has.



I'm so sorry for any who got hurt. I'm so thankful for the future hurt this will now prevent.


(I have just learned that one of the remaining dogs left in the house that was part of pack of dogs in our neighborhood that attacked Matthew last year and tore open his arm and punctured his head, has now attacked again. This time a neighbors dog. This is the 3rd time they have been involved in an incident where their dogs have hurt others. This dog will be gone, I have heard. I am so grateful that it was not a child, and that it could mean that these dogs will finally be gone. I have been sick living next to this. I hope that this is finally what it takes...)

Don't Call CPS on Me!

This week we have been batting zero in safety class. Above is the result of a underwater collide between Jake and Matt at the pool. Matthew, my brute, doesn't have a mark on him, go figure. Poor Jake looks he has been in a street fight.


I guess Summer felt a bit left out of the whole black eye bit.

Just in time for Preschool graduation, and Disney, she fell off the outside playset onto the wood part underneath. With her face.

Every day it changes new colors. Oh man did she cry. Oh boy, do I have grey hair now.
Summer break doesn't even officially start till next week! Hooowww am I going to make it through alive with these four! Lol...did I just say break!

I'm So Cool I Can Hardly Stand It

On a day where your teenager can tear your self esteem down in a milla-second. (when doesn't that seem to be anymore???) And Now that my house seems to be filling up with many of these WISE, wise souls.... I am getting outnumbered. And pretty battered.

But I'm okay...

I did a little sun therapy, and music therapy in the car.

And THEN, I did a little retail therapy. How silly is it that a simple trip to the grocery store, and a splurge on laterns, can make me feel like I should design for Pottery Barn.

I can make myself smile easy enough. ( they are Solar :)

I think I'll just sit back here and hide..er enjoy my laterns a little longer.... Ahhh..

Photo Class Assignment

This is the one I chose to turn is for our assignment. The main reason it makes me nervous is because the class is going to be critiquing the photos {{anonymously, thank goodness!}} We each have to chose one we like and one we don't of each other's work and following the critiquing guidelines, telling why.

I chose this picture for it's strong leading lines.

Homework this week has been rough trying to learn Fstops and Shutter speeds, Exposure and settings.

I will do this. I can do this. Why MUST this technical stuff be so hard for me!

Gah. One thing at a time. I'm banking on it all coming together!

We Belong

Many times I've tried to tell you Many times I've cried alone Always I'm surprised how well you Cut my feelings to the bone Don't want to leave you really I've invested too much time To give you up that easy To the doubts that complicate your mind We Belong to the light We Belong to the thunder We Belong to the sound of the words We've both fallen under Whatever we deny or embrace For worse or for better We Belong, We Belong We Belong together Maybe it's a sign of weakness When I don't know what to say Maybe I just wouldn't know What to do with my strength anyway Have we become a habit Do we distort the facts Now there's no looking forward Now there's no turning back When you say Close your eyes and try to sleep now Close your eyes and try to dream Clear your mind and do your best To try and wash the palette clean We can't begin to know it How much we really care I hear your voice inside me I see your face everywhere Still you say ~Pat Benatar

Tatum's Prom

Here are just some of my favorites. I went a little overboard and ended up with 70 pictures! Agh! I need to get ahold of myself! Lol! She was simply beautiful....





We totally had to re-create the Sound of Music Scene of Leeza doing "I am 16 going on 17". I'm so glad that Tatum humors me!

Rain

I did NOT take this picture...I got it from the Cincinnati Enquirer.. the online newspaper. But it is just a chance to show you the WET that is here. In Ohio.

This picture sums it up pretty good. Grey. Overwhelming. Cold. This is suppose to be a soccer field. The calender also tells me it is suppose to be May.

It is almost unbelievable as March and April and the weeks go by that it won't get warm! And that it is STILL raining outside. After such a long winter, I think everyone was SO ready for spring that it just makes it even harder for us to digest that it. is. not. happening. quicker.

So here in my diary it is noted...46 degrees. May 3rd. Sweaters and jeans not even close to being packed away yet.

In August I will look back in a humid puddle and laugh at myself. Silly silly Ohio girl.