Cutie Patootie

Here's Hope with her first hair clippie. Her hair is just barely long enough to support the clip.

And here she is wearing her new Reebok activewear. We got this as a gift when she was born and Kris put it on her for the first time today. So cute!

Toy Swap?

Here's what I SHOULD be doing right now: brushing my teeth and herding the boys together to leave the house. But I'm in a blogging mood. So I have an idea--does anyone out there want to participate in a toy swap? My kids are tired of their same old toys, and frankly, so am I. We've got baby toys, toddler/preschooler toys, and games and older kid building toys. If any of you would like, we could meet at my house (or I could come to you) with a laundry basket and swap some toys. Of course, we would return toys to the original family after a particular time frame, but in the meantime our kids would get to play with perfectly good, "new to them" toys without anyone having to pay a dime! Okay, gotta run--full day ahead for all of you, I'm sure!

What's on your nightstand?

Wow, it's been forever since I posted...a combination of being sick, busy at work, and not really having much to say. I just read Bonnie's post about possibly giving up Grandpa Wayne's "medicine" (i.e. candy) for Lent (as a family), and I think it's a great idea. I'll have to talk to Kris to see what he thinks. I know it would be really, and I mean REALLY, hard for all of us. Pretty sad, I know. I can already hear the whining from the boys.

How do you unwind? For me, it's reading celebrity biographies. I recently finished Tom Cruise's unauthorized biography by Andrew Morton (the same biographer who worked with Princess Diana to write My Story back in the early 90s), and wow, did I learn a lot about Scientology. What an odd and bizarre cult. Now I'm reading Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher--SOO FUNNY! Her style is to talk right to you as if you were hanging out together. It's hilarious. I'm also in the middle of Here's the Story, the autobiography of Maureen McCormick, who played Marcia Brady. Next up after those two is SToriTelling, by Tori Spelling. I know, impressive, right? I can't remember the last time I read a work of fiction--I just don't stay interested in a novel unless it's really compelling. I'd much rather read about real people, and when I don't want to think too hard, a celeb bio seems to be what I'm drawn to. I remember reading bios about Cary Grant and Marilyn Monroe in high school; the OJ Simpson trial when we went on a cruise years ago, Motley Crue's autobiography (yes, the band actually wrote their story--and what a vivid, sometimes stomach-churning story it is), and even one about Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco. I suppose my colleagues are all keeping up on their professional reading while I deepen my knowledge of pop culture.

So, I'm curious...what's on your nightstand?

Making it all better

Yesterday was one of those crappy days at work...back to back meetings, complex issues that take time to resolve--but there literally isn't enough time in everyone's schedules to work on the issues, economic dire straits, and to top it off I have a raging sinus infection that was leaving me feeling clogged up and exhausted. So when I got downstairs to pick up Ross from his classroom it was such a relief to see his smile. I told him, "Mommy's had a really yucky day. I need a hug." Ross gave me a big hug. "May I have a kiss, too?" I asked. He kissed me on the cheek, and then I said, "Is there anywhere else I get a kiss?" I figured he would give me a peck on the lips and we would get coats on and go. As I kneeled in front of him, Ross did kiss me on the lips...then he took my face in his hands and said, "The other cheek (kiss), your chin (kiss), your eyes (kiss), your eyebrow (kiss), your nose, (kiss)." In his gesture of affection, my sweet little boy calmed me down, warmed me up, and made everything all better. Thank you, Ross. I love you, too.