Y’all . . . that is one super old taco. Once again, this has been a year of changes for Lydia. The physical changes have not been quite so dramatic as last year, but they are visible just the same. The slow but inexorable turn towards teenagerdom has been at the forefront, especially the past […]
Category Archives: family
June 23rd, 2018
Well, we’ve gone from this:  . . . and from this: to this: Happy Tenth, my Lydia Jane.
sputnik; 96 months in orbit
A little over a week ago Sam turned eight years old. Old Man Sam! Sam’s birthday falls right on the cusp of changes: his birthday heralds in the beginning of Kid Summertm and our annual changeover from one grade to the next. Now, Kid Summertm doesn’t really mean much in this household — we keep […]
fly you fools
So I forgot to do my little dinky birthday post cat meme thing last week. First time I’ve missed it in years. Whoops! Well, I was a bit busy that day. Starting when Lydia turned five, Steven and I began a tradition: we would take the birthday kid out all day on their actual birthday, […]
kitchen complaints, episode ten
Sam is not a fan of the Imperial system, but this isn’t really so much a complaint as a cross examination. It was discussed over dinner, though, so work with me here. Sam: “Mom, how high does a plane fly? Is it close to the tallest building?” Me: “Planes fly at 39,000 feet, baby.” Sam: […]
call me maybe
This morning I was teaching the last day of a three-day class when my phone rings. “Whoops, sorry about that,” I apologize as I silence my ringer. Thirty seconds later I see my phone flashing silently — it’s the same number, trying again. It’s a local number but I don’t recognize it, so I let […]
kitchen complaints, episode nine
For dinner tonight we were all sitting down to a lovely spread of pork tenderloin and rice, one of the few dinners the kids will actually eat for the most part. Sam still isn’t a fan of rice since the whole FPIES thing. As Sam is thoughtfully chewing, it begins: “Mom, did you . . […]
christmas eve update
Sam is having an Arthur moment. _________________________________________________ Times the cat has eaten the tree and barfed: 0! This count is just no fun without Renton. Times the cat has launched off the tree skirt and irritated the stew out of Mom: 26 How many ornaments the kids have broken: 1 How many ornaments Mom has […]
the tree + two, 2017
And now I present to you The Tree, 2017: Lydia is in charge of the smaller tree and Sam is supposed to be in charge of the smallest tree . . . but he would rather me do it. Total lights on the tree: 2,880; surprisingly less than last year. Total number of incandescent lights: […]
parental supervision
During dinner last night Sam slowly chewed on his hot dog while staring into space. I wave my hand in front of him until I catch his attention. “What’re you thinking about, buddy?” Steven asks. “Ohh, I’m just trying not to think about a video I saw,” Sam replies. “Why don’t you want to think […]