Things That Grow and Change Over Time

1. Moles...and/or birthmarks.



When Maryn (i.e. the little 5 lb. chicken baby) was born, she had a tiny little freckle on the tip-top of her bum. It was cute and we affectionately considered it the birthmark that would help identify our baby amidst a sea of other little babies in the hospital nursery. Ours was the one with the freckle on her bum. Anyway, that little freckle has grown as Maryn has grown...they're tight like that. She actually named her bff birthmark, "bob"...as in "big bob, the mole"...Maryn's funny like that. What one does the other has to copy I guess. Anyway it has gotten pretty big. And just this year has become more unseemly...mostly for Maryn. Her friends were starting to notice it when she would reach high or bend over..."ewww!! what's THAT?!?", the evil little Tonican monsters would say in their whiny, impolite way. :-) Anyway, so as to not arm them with one more piece of verbal weaponry against our fragile little 9 year old, we took her to the Dermatoligist to see about getting it removed. He couldn't handle it in his office, so he referred us to an outpatient surgery center in Peoria!! This was becoming a bigger deal than we bargained for. We drove down there last week and as you can imagine Maryn was stressing/ freaking/ worrying/ stressing/ freaking out!! We went into the operating room, and it took 3 shots of the anesthetic for her bum to go numb. And you know how those shots are the worst part, right? Well, there was much crying and panicking, and more stressing and freaking out until the Doc was even able to remove anything. After all was said and done he left her with a stitched up scar that is now about 2 inches wide. It's big. But I think she's glad it's gone. We are waiting on biopsy results, but it should be fine...most congenital moles are I guess.

2. Parker Faye



Parker is not only crawling all over creation, she is now pulling herself up on things. The most dramatic moment was when we went into her room to get her up from a nap and she had pulled her self up on the edge of her crib and was about ready to dive out head first. We had to lower the mattress that day...another milestone on the way out of infant/newborn-ness...sigh. It's going so fast. I've loved this year, but I must say, it goes so quickly. Sigh...(this time a little heavier, and more melancholy).

3. Avery lost her first tooth!



Because Avery is literally almost as tall as both of her Grandma's at this point, we tend to forget that she is only 7. Avery got her teeth late as a baby. Not until 10 months I think. She gummed everything like an old man who lost his dentures. Because the teeth came in late, they are now late in falling out. She has had a loose one on the bottom for a few months now, and it finally popped out while she was at school. She brought it home in a ziploc...a bloodly stump of white. Lucky for her the tooth fairy was on her tippy-toes and delivered on time...she had been waiting for this milestone for a long time!! "Maybe this little tooth will go to your baby sister" is what the note from the Fairy said to Miss Avery. Maybe indeed.

Pretty Little May

I remember when I was a kid, I learned a song in choir...it was called "June is busting out all over" or something like that. It left quite an impression on me cause every March I start singing it and don't stop until June.

It goes like this:

March came in like a lion, a whippin' up the waters in the bay.
Then April sighed, and stepped aside;
and along came pretty little May.
June was full of promises, but she didn't keep 'em quick enough for some.
And a crowd of doubtin' Thomas's was predictin' that the summer'd never come!!
But it's comin' by gum, I can feel it come;
I can feel it in the wind,
I can see it in the sun,
LOOK AROUND, LOOK AROUND, LOOK AROUND!!!!
Oh June is bustin' out ALL OVER!!
All over the meadows and the hills.
Buds are bustin' out of bushes, and the rompin' river pushes,
every little wheel that wheels beside the mill.
Because it's JUNE!!
June, June, June!
Just because it's JUNE, (pause) JUNE, (pause) JUUUUUNNNNNE!!!!!!!

Impressive, eh? That's my uncanny memory for weird stuff in full force y'all...it is a force to be reckoned with at times!!

ANYWAY, the reason I bring it up is cause I'm in love with "pretty little May" right now. Isn't it gorgeous outside?!? April was just as lovely, I must say. And I wanted to post some scrumptious pictures of Spring!! 2010!! So I can look back and remember...and, as ever, for your viewing pleasure.

SING!!

Maryn has been participating in the Illinois Valley Youth Choir since school began. It is a group of 3rd-5th graders from all over the area. They have to audition and once accepted, they have weekly rehearsals for the culminating "Spring Show"!! This past weekend was the much anticipated show, and Maryn did great!! I could tell she was singing her little heart out and really enjoying the fruits of her labors (all those rehearsals and lyric memorization!!).

I was impressed with the whole thing and happy that Maryn could be a part of it. And (knock on wood) this is finally something she has tried this year that she is excited to do again next year! (Unlike the soccer debacle of '09!) Even Avery wants to audition next year as well!! Maybe we're onto something for these girls?!?



(Maryn is far left, two heads up from the piano.)



(Do you remember that YouTube video where those preschoolers are singing and the kid sneezes and white snot covers his face and is hanging off of him...the camera person zooms in on the little girl standing next to him, and this is her exact expression...Maryn's face in reaction to the girl next to her...I think she was afraid she was going to puke or something...HA!!)

All My "FantaSEAS" Came True!!

We went to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago for my birthday. It was awesome!! The show called "Fantasea" was definitely the highlight. It included a beluga whale and baby, dolphins, penguins, hawks, and a sea lion. Very exciting.



Other highlights included lunch over looking Lake Michigan...eating real, fancy food with cloth napkins again...:-)!!!



The whole day was a great memory maker for our little family...something we will always remember...that in and of itself was a great birthday treat!

How the Past Can Come Back to Haunt You or Bless You as the Case May Be...

Carriage Cleaners was my 2nd job. My 1st job was the Miami Bake Shoppe on 5 mile and Merriman. I sold bread...and cookies...and pies...and all manner of delicious baked goodness. The cash register reminded me of a Fisher Price model I had as a kid. I had to do the math in my head and hated the humiliation of it. It always took me forever, I always got flustered, I was always usually wrong...ugh!! But that wasn't the worst part of that job...it was the onions. Chopping bags and bags of stinky, sweet yellow onions that made my eyes water and swell to red balls of fire...all for the onion rolls, which were disgusting anyway. Blah! They left it for "the night girl", and giggled at me as they left the shoppe, knowing how much I hated it and how bad I was going to reak the next day at school. I'd sit on my hands in 4th hour cuz I knew that Caroline Klein could smell them and was the only girl rude enough to call me out on it. But ANYWAY...I digress!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My 2nd job was Carriage Cleaners at 6 mile and Newburgh. I was the evening counter girl. I'd come in at 3 or so and sort and bag the clothes and place them on the cool conveyor belt. It was mellow. I was rarely busy. After I got done bagging the orders I'd just chill at the counter and do my homework. Run the cash register when customers came in to pick up their clothes, tag clothes when orders came in, empty the cash register, turn off the lights, and lock the doors when 7 pm rolled around. Pretty sweet gig. There were moments though, oh yes indeedy!!

Like the times when customers were unhappy with their press jobs...oh the fury!! Or other moments when that darn stain didn't come out...oh the horror!! A couple times I was sure I was going to be held up at gun point...yes, even in a Livonia strip mall!! (ha ha!) Once I not only forgot to lock the back door, I actually forgot to close the back door. Ooooh, I thought I was done fer that time. But no...the owner and manager seemed to like me and the work I did...go figure. I actually remember getting a couple raises there over the years. I worked there from my Junior year until my 2nd year of college...I was part of the "Carriage Cleaners family"!! I remember they told me that when I (finally) got married, I could bring my dress back to get cleaned and preserved. Unfort, it (the marriage thing) took awhile and by the time it happened, there were new owners. Bah humbug! So much for "family"!! (ha ha!)

Anyway, I digress!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here's the part where my past comes back to haunt me, or bless me as the case may be. Our home teacher owns a dry cleaner/laundromat called "Sparkle" in Oglesby. He's a great guy...we really like he and his wife. They helped us out a ton when Miss P was born. He was on my speed dial for when labor ensued...and he was the one who showed up at the hospital to take the girls when my water broke. Good people...nuff said. Anyway, he was recently diagnosed with cancer. Blah, boo, hiss!!! Anyway, he is still positive and proactive. Treating his impending surgery like a long vacation from work. Except he was planning on just shutting down his business for the month or so of recup time and follow-ups. He was talking all of this over with Mark at Church one Sunday, when a little light bulb pops up over Mark's head and he says to him, "ya know, Suzy did a little dry cleaning a long time ago...she could probably help you out if you're interested." Only trouble is that this business is his baby...his blood, sweat, tears...he takes a lot of pride in his work and has built a loyal clientele for a reason. He likes the fact that he runs the whole show, he has nobody to blame for mistakes but himself. I think it took him a minute (or twenty) to consider the offer. Ultimately, I think he realized that this is part of his journey...letting go and letting God provide and direct. He asked me if the offer was still good and I said, "absolutely, when do I start?!?"

So that's the reason I've been MIA on the blog front lately folks. I've been brushing up my pressing skills...pants, shirts, some prom dresses, some drapes...it's all good. It came right back...like riding a bike I guess!! I'll probably just work part time summer hours until he can get back on his feet. It's actually kind of fun...perfect work for this nit picky control freak!! Boo-yah!!

Scaredy-Cat

So it's been a couple weeks since we got Charlie. So far so good. He's a very mellow cat for the most part. The only thing we have to compare his behavior to is our other cat Jack and the cat I had growing up, Grace. Both of which were CRAZY!! Grace was actually diagnosed as a "neurotic" cat. What?!? Is that even possible? I remember her not liking us kids much. She would hide under the beds when we were around, and only come out to sit at my Mom's feet when the house was quiet. She was declawed, yet was still able to hunt. She would bring home birds, mice, and once a baby rabbit?!?...dropped at the front or back door. I thought it was disgusting and didn't really want to spend a lot of time with her as a result. Although, she was truly our family pet because when the time came that she needed to be "put down", it was really hard for everyone.

Jack was a different story. A family in our Ward was giving away free kittens. We thought getting him as a kitten would be to our benefit. We were young and naive. We didn't realize the tremendous costs of getting a brand spanking new pet...shots, getting them neutered/fixed, declawing him, having to buy all the equipment starting out, medicine and vet costs, etc. Not to mention the fact that their personality hasn't really developed...that's definitely what happened with Jack. As he grew he got more and more "playful" and active. Everyone said that getting him "fixed" would help alleviate some of his energy. It didn't...it made it worse!! We had him declawed because of the young age of the girls when we got him, and the fact that he started destroying our furniture and bedding. We had wanted him to be a nice indoor playmate for the girls. We were forced to let him outdoors because he was tearing our house up...literally!! After letting him out, he rarely wanted to come in and would use our neighbors yards as his personal litter box. When it came time for us to move from Idaho, we decided to find another family for our pet. I was actually quite relieved to be honest with you. But the girls couldn't forget his so easily. They would continue to talk about him and ask about when we would be able to get another pet. I knew it wasn't over in terms of being pet owners.

While we were in MI., I blamed it on the fact that we were renting. It bought me some time. But when we bought our house here, I knew it was coming. I couldn't decide if we would get a dog or a cat though. When we started to discuss it, we decided that having a dog for us would be difficult. We have a huge yard, but we have no fence and we live pretty close to 2 major roads in town...the one behind us is a county road, and the one in front of us is a major street in town. Also, it was a lot of area to have to police poop for when the girls would go out and play. And I knew I didn't want an indoor dog...especially with a crawling baby. When a friend from the Ward was moving recently and not taking her kitties, the opportunity presented itself again. This cat had shots, was litter box trained, was used to baby noises, knew how to share (because of other cats), and was generally very mellow and affectionate. We took the plunge.

And I must say I feel pretty good about this cat. He's very affectionate, especially towards me. I don't think he's used to having a man in the house, because he runs for the hills when Mark walks through the door. He is slowly warming up to him though. He likes the girls and the baby...doesn't really give them as much attention as me though. He is my little shadow, follows me around all day (sometimes too closely though, I've tripped over him several times and about had a heart attack!!), and wants/begs me to pet him constantly!! If I had anything negative to say about Charlie, it's that he's a little needy...he just wants love and attention all. the. time!! So I've gotten him a scratching pad and I sprinkle some cat nip on it and that seems to tide him over for awhile. I didn't think I was getting a cat for me...I thought I was getting a cat for the kids...to teach them responsibility, compassion for animals, etc. Hopefully he will figure this out before he drives me crazy!!

It's All In the Ears!

Did you guys catch Easter this year? I barely did, by the hair on my chinny-chin chin (which is growing more and more these days by the way...something they don't tell you when you're a fresh-faced 20 something...p.s. when you turn 30 something, your face will start to sprout grotesque wiry hairs seemingly overnight...ewwwww!!)

ANYWAY, I digress!! Let's talk Easter. It came and went in a blink this year. The last week of March I realized that it was the first Sunday in April. EEK!! I only put up the bare minimum of bunnies and festive decor because, hello!, I'm going to have to take it down a week later...or just leave it up through April (maybe that's what I'll do). Hmmm...are you starting to get dizzy from all of my digressions yet?!? Sheesh!!

Anyway, I threw an Easter together to make a llloooonnnnnggg story short. And it was just that...short and sweet.

The End.

Hope you guys had a fun one too!!!!!