And it's Not Even October

Have a great weekend!
AL

Into the Groove

I'm back; sorry again. All is well - just a little hectic. Lots of everyday, ordinary goodness and few photos to show for it.

Li and I, being the high-class travelers that we are, recently spent four nights out of eight sharing a not-quite-big-enough hotel bed. Once for a funeral/family visit in Hickory and then in Cincinnati for soccer.

During the first trip, Lilah really got her groove on (just imagine what she can do unharnessed!):



And on the second journey, Kirby and Max both got into their respective grooves, devastating opponents left and right:



"And you can dance... for inspiration" -Madonna

:)AL

Say Something Nice

Happy Friday~



Courtesy of Improv Everywhere and the Mission Amy KR blog.

AL

Chaos Managed

Course completed, badge earned, and now with two games under his whistle: Kirby is a ref.

Could there be a more perfect profession for one rule-lovin', time-watchin', soccer-obsessed twelve year old?



Don't worry, parents, Referee Kirby has everything under control.
Here he attends to a crazed fan (in pink) that rushed the field:




No crazy screaming parents yet... the only incident reported involved a tiny player who preferred to follow Kirby around making noises with his armpits than play soccer.

Oh, and Kirby's favorite: a little one on Team Jedi (how awesome?!) who sprinted down the field and intentionally did a quick somersault before popping back up to kick the ball.
No penalty for that!

AL

My Two Hours

There's lots of things I should be doing right now, but I don't plan to use my time wisely.

While my Preschool Bear is off establishing her rank in the new den, I plan to sit and enjoy the silence.

I do hope Ms. Lisa and Ms. Kathy are good listeners.




AL

Remembering

I had some homework this week.
A short essay was requested from parents or grandparents in an effort to help today's eighth graders understand the magnitude of 9/11; specifically to pass along our memories so that No One Will Ever Forget.

In discussing this as a family, we realized how very little Max knew about it. He mostly struggled to grasp the extreme hatred that one must possess in order to knowingly sacrifice their own life to kill others. It was tough to explain - hatred of that nature is unfathomable to me as well.

Incidentally, Kirby's assigning history teacher is the same man from whom this house was purchased; now a good family friend whose daughters' growth is etched in Sharpie in the boys' closet, in which we've added their own measurements.

I thought I'd share:

On September 11th, 2001 we were living in an extremely tiny house in Ormond Beach, Florida. Kirby was almost three, Max just six months, and our days’ excitement involved after-dinner walks to the beach.

We weren’t in the habit of news watching, so our first introduction to the tragedy was a phone call from my dad. “Please turn on your TV” was all he said. Jeremy had not yet left for work and I remember we watched the horror unfold together as I nursed the baby on the couch.

Honestly, my initial reaction was not as overpowering as it should have been.
I feel guilt about that now, how I spent that day.

The events on TV seemed completely unreal to me, like in a movie, or someplace very far away. It wasn’t until the hours and days that followed that I began to realize all that was lost – among thousands of precious lives, our country’s -and my own- naiveté.

Later that morning, I took my two boys to library storytime as usual, sat on the floor with them and sang the alphabet song.... while at the exact same moment, countless other American mothers were crumbling to the ground in agony.
Fellow mothers full of unimaginable grief, stemming from the worst kind of tragedy: senseless and imbued with ignorance and hate. An indiscernible hate, possibly passed down from mother to son?

It should be unfathomable.


AL

Comic Strip

Gathering laundry from the boys' room, I noticed this snipped comic on Kirby's desk.

Man, I love his sense of humor.


In case it's too tiny to read:

Get Fuzzy by Darby Conley

Satchel the dog: Hmmm... I wonder why the sky is blue...

Bucky the cat: Satchel, Satchel, Satchel. There are some questions we can never know the answer to...
Are we alone in the universe? Why do British people sing with an American accent?
...Would a bear still dump in the woods if he had access to proper sanitary facilities?
...If a tree falls in the woods, how many liberals would it take to fund the therapy for all the trees around it?
...Is the pope's hat actually funny, or is it just ironic?
...And the biggie: If a bear tries to dump in the woods but a tree falls on him with no one around, is the pope's hat still funny?

Satchel the dog: No, why is the sky blue now? It was supposed to rain.

Bucky the cat: Oh. I dunno. Wind or something. Stupid Question.

Happy Friday!
AL

And they're up!!!!!

Our long weekend by the lake was enjoyed by all! We took this opportunity to try out our new skis. Darren and I will need A LOT more practice, but the kids did great!! This is the first time both of them have gotten up on skis!!! I'm wondering if my feet will fit in these training skis, they are the way to go :) Jen

Stormy Weather

And sometimes you have to make your own rainbows.



Happy long weekend!
AL

Previously Offline

This time, my hiatus was not voluntary.
There was some form of overactive electricity in the vicinity of the Brennan household last Tuesday night.
I think what actually happened is that Jer attempted to do the dishes and then, sure enough, lightning struck!

Our modem was zapped, resulting in no internet or home phone for eight days.

The surge also took out our living room TV.
Don't worry... it was just the new flat screen. :(

And then I got a black eye.
I know that's totally unrelated, and that you're going to need an explanation but the truth is so lame (that open kitchen cabinet came out of nowhere!) that I've come up with an alternate story: I took an elbow to the face at roller derby.


In other news: the boys are mostly happy at school, Lilah loves our constant 'girl time' and soccer season is in full swing:
We played a combined 8 games last weekend at Bowling Green State University. Both boys' teams made the finals, and Max's team won the U12 A division.

I bit the bullet and made a trip to Walmart before we left, stocking up on snacks, games and Bendaroos.
Lilah led the older boys in several games of Squinkies in their downtime. In this game, if you are lucky enough to land on the 'So Cute' circle, everyone playing must say together: "So Cuuuute!"

And all the tween boys did.

It was awesome.



AL

End-of-Summer Eggs

A lovely, lazy brunch with my boys this morning to celebrate their last day of freedom.

To our crazy school/sports/music schedule: here we come!
Oh, and please take it easy on us?

AL

Man, I Wish I Could Whistle

It's tradition, of course, that we bid adieu to summer by carving veggies into canoes, racing them in a chilly but pretty creek, and ending the outing with ice cream.



We've managed to hold onto Lindsey for another year (she actually reminded me in July about the race) and also added our friend Alex to the line up.



Beginner's luck earned him the Ballroom Dancing Medal which I converted to the 'Gold Medal of Cuke' with a little green felt. Congrats on this huge achievement, Alex!



Am I overdoing it with video lately, dear readers? I think I'm watching too much 'Good Luck, Charlie'.

AL

First Day of School, First Day of School

It's that time of year again! We started school last week. I went on Monday and Tuesday and the KIDS (yes, plural this year since Chase is in KINDERGARTEN!!!) started on Wednesday. We are so lucky the Brennans came for their annual back to school visit - THANK YOU SO MUCH! Here are a few pics of the big day and a fun little clip :) Lots of love! Jen



My Kindergartener! Already saving up for the BIG gift I'm going to have to get his teacher :) Here's hoping he behaves himself, so far so good!



Ryan is in 3rd Grade! So proud of my big girl!

Jer's First Balloon Fest

I am such a trend setter... haven't I always loved hot air balloons?
It was only a matter of time before the rest of the world caught on, making this year's Balloon Fest the most heavily attended event of the year.

Granted there was a new addition to the balloon line-up this year: the Darth Vader balloon, all the way from Belgium. I guess it is possible that George Lucas is more of a trend setter than I am. Maybe.

Also new this year was the accompanying 5K run for charity, in which Jer and the boys decided to participate.


All three did amazingly well, each finishing around the 30 minute mark. I am pretty proud of these good lookin' guys...


(I expressed my concern to Jer that he might turn into one of those crazy marathoners; he paused, looked at me, and then we both had a good laugh.)


And despite the crowds, the festival itself was a great time, due in part to lovely company, amazing live music, and of course, kettle corn (thanks for sharing, Julie).



Until next year, ballooons~

AL

Fresh From Indy

...this never before seen footage:

The first piece is entitled 'Bowling Shoes are for Dancing';


followed by 'The Longest Game (of Bowling.... Ever)'.


Other highlights include: pool time, paper/cloth fashion dolls, lots of ice cream, one very prepared 5th grade language arts teacher, and two happy First Day students.







AL

Cliff Jumpers, Muscle Flexers

This is the story of how I jumped off a 15 foot cliff... which may seem ho-hum to some but is so very un-Alison-like that it deserves mention.

We went canoeing on our last day of Teck bliss.
We chose a stream we've floated before, though never before noticing the Perfect Rock Cliff.
I use the term 'perfect' loosely- as it was perfect that day, but is in all actuality not ideal; with the water being quite shallow, the rock a steep climb, etc.
On this day with the Tecks, however, we couldn't miss it thanks to the gaggle of teenage boys were hooting and hollering as they jumped into the 58 degree stream.

We grounded our canoes and scrambled up the embankment to take a closer look.
Lynn peered over the edge into the water below, then looked at me and simply said "When else are we going to be able to do this?" As I was shrugging my shoulders and looking two parts silly and two parts scared, Lynn took a running leap off the ledge right in front of me. And little Vince followed right behind her.

What could I do then, but quickly warn everyone not to tease me for holding my nose, and fling myself over?

The water was so cold that I couldn't catch my breath for approximately 8 seconds post-jump. By that time, the rest of our little group was scampering up the rock. Kirby was next, then Jer, finally Bill and Max; with the rest of us cheering them on. Lilah was the only dry/sane member of this canoe party.

I don't know if it was the cool rush of fresh water, or the mixture of friendship and fun, or maybe that we skipped lunch, but we were all deliriously happy at that moment; thus producing possibly one of my most favorite photos ever:



Which then lead to possibly my second most favorite photo ever:
(here the superheros are kissing those muscles)



And now please excuse me while I go make Kirby a sandwich (look at those ribs!).

AL

Quote from Pretty Woman

'Welcome to Hollywood! What's your dream?...'
-Happy Bum, Pretty Woman






We laughed, we danced, we slept in, and we had pancakes.

Just like movie stars.

AL

Hope Your Weekend is Just Peachy

AL

ABC, It's Easy as 123

It's called a 'Skate Mate' and it's totally worth the $5 rental.

:)
AL

New for Floors and Walls

Every once in a while it happens that I walk down into the basement -to grab a load of laundry, say- and I just don't come back up.

I ignore the curious sounds coming from the floor above and instead flip through my little yellow folder of sewing ideas and inspiration.

After such a bout yesterday, I resurfaced in the kitchen and discovered I was short one bag of Goldfish and three ChocoTacos; but I did have two new floor mats, and a little canvas dress.


I'd been meaning to work on a bath mat for a while. It's terribly simple -- just an old towel cut in two, with the layers stacked and a fabric border added. It turned out nice - though a bit plain, so I added some minor detail.


And then made one for the kitchen too.



The following project Lilah and I worked on together until she got all crazy with the Modge Podge. Here we simply cut assorted fabrics in the shape of a dress, painted them with glue and drew a tiny hanger. This idea came from a book I recently borrowed from the library, I'm sorry I can't remember the title.



Finally, this last craft shouldn't really be considered such. It's basically just a yard of mural-esque Ikea fabric (also known as Lazy Girl Art) and some punched out paint cards on a mini clothesline.
Lilah especially likes the red fox in the picture as he is now Guardian of Her Bed... "he doesn't let boys in".
For this very good reason, I like him as well.



As you may know, Lilah's nursery has always been my favorite room... which would explain why she's four and it's still pretty much a nursery. But little by little, we're adding some big girl details.

She and the bat-eared bunny, who will remain on this wall indefinitely (bottom left), seem quite content.




AL

I heart Allen

Have you two met?

Everyone, this is Allen... Allen, this is Everyone.

I swear it wasn't my idea.
Helping Lilah into the tub many months ago, I mentioned how much I loved her perfect belly. Her casual response was "Oh, you mean Allen?"

Max's friends are big fans of Allen; they say nice things to him and offer him food...

We chose this particular swimsuit in order to "show off Allen". Her words.

This week, Lilah has learned the unassisted back float. Because in addition to marshmallows and mayonnaise, Allen likes to soak up the sun.

:)AL

A Letter to Kevin Bacon

Click to enlarge

I just dropped it in the mail... fingers crossed!


And did I forget to share with you the invites?
Naturally, all credit goes to my talented designer, Jen~



My costume?
Still in the works but I will tell you that yesterday I purchased some fake bangs. They were surprisingly expensive, 100% human hair... not sure how I feel about that.

;)AL

Elvis has left the building

This photo was taken last Friday when Em and I, as well as the rest of our kids, dressed as cows in order to eat free at Chic-fil-a.

Kirby, due to his high level of tween coolness, refused to play along and instead of cow spots, donned these dark glasses in hopes that he wouldn't be recognized associating with us. The paparazzi was fooled, however I told him he'd be buying his own lunch with that rock star budget.

As soon as we walked into the restaurant though, a sweet hostess slapped a cow sticker on his shirt and pronounced him dressed and thereby free. I watched with baited breath as Kirby thanked her rather than melting down and immediately removing his now tainted shirt as I would have expected. (Kirby has a serious aversion to all things sticky- or greasy, or dirty, you get the picture)

It was one of those tiny yet huge moments -- just what the (psych) doctor ordered for this mama who was seriously concerned about the prospect of sending him to overnight soccer camp for an entire week.

So he's there now, in a college dorm in West Virginia, with a good friend and a large pack of wet wipes.
He was so very excited to go; and while we miss him terribly, we hope it'll be a great experience.

And don't worry, I packed an extra pillowcase in case a fellow camper farts on his.

AL

Lessons in Ballooning

We embark on so many things in this life, as parents specifically, with no guarantees that it will all be worth it in the end.

Sometimes it's a crapshoot -with some actual crap involved- but it's almost always worth that roll of the dice.


An hour's work, sore balloon-tying fingers and soaking wet clothes in order to watch a five minute cousin-on-cousin water balloon war?

Totally worth it.







Thanks for joining me at this quirky casino, Em!

AL

Chart-Toppers

Sorry again, guys, for the silence around here.

Since the beach trip, we Brennans have been busy with our typical summer fun: Soccer camp, swim lessons, and lots of Scrabble on the new iPhone.


Here Lilah is going for the Triple Word score.


Additionally, I've enjoyed outfitting my Moscato in summer footwear.


Yes, that's a flip flop on my wine glass.
It makes me very happy (thanks Sara).


Also on this week's Best Sellers list is a visit in progress from the Clevengers- and more specifically, Taylor's pool cover-up.


It is a pink velvet cape, naturally.

AL

Myrtle Beach 2011 Montage

What an absolutely wonderful vacation at Myrtle Beach this year. We could never thank our Aunt Jenny and Uncle Charlie enough for allowing us to stay in the most perfect beach house ever! The kids were so great this year, old enough to play in the water without a Mom or Dad right beside them - they're growing up fast. Here are a few of the almost 400 pictures taken . . . I know, I have a problem, but it's a good problem to have when you have such wonderful subjects to photograph! Enjoy! jen

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