Our triplets are in first grade and have begun to read books on their own. All four of our children have discovered the Diary of the Wimpy Kid series.
They all love to read. They love to be read to as well.
Recently I found these wonderful Coleman LED mini headlamps at our local Walmart store. They had them in four colors. Perfect.
Pink for Charlotte, blue for Benjamin, green for Max and black for Grant.
Grant is sick. On Wednesday the school nurse called and said she thought he had an ear infection. I drove over with the pup and picked him up. He did not look well. Dark circles under his eyes and a little green in the face. I called his pediatrician right away and thankfully they could get us right in.
On the way, he threw up in the van. We had an airsickness bag from Grandpa and Grandma so he used that for the next few times.
Poor guy, we walked into the doctor's office with him holding the partially full bag.
We didn't wait long in the waiting room but, then we waited forever in the examining room. I finally stuck my head out the door and mentioned that I would need to leave soon to be home in time to get our triplets off the school bus.
I could hear a doctor chit-chatting away in the room right next to ours. Sure enough, it was the doctor who was scheduled to see Grant. I started feeling frustrated because we had been scheduled to be seen at 2:10 and now it was 2:40!
I think the gal at the front desk said something to the doctor because she came in soon after I said I was going to have to leave.
Grant has a bad ear infection and possibly pneumonia too.
We got him on an antibiotic and thankfully he's kept the medicine down. He's been sleeping and hanging out on the sofa since Wednesday afternoon.
While we were in the doctor's office, the dog must have eaten the vomit because the van smelled a little better when we got back. Dogs are good for many reasons.
We made it home just in time for the trio to get off the bus.
Grant has been reading this book every night. You can find it here.
Here is another book worth reading!
(
Laurent Laveder ~photographer)
You can take the moon, gather up the stars
And the robins that sing merrily
Put 'em in a box
Tie 'em with a ribbon
Throw 'em in the deep blue sea
Not for me, all that stuff
The dreams that ruin your sleep
Not for me, had enough
Love is one thing you can keep
You can take the plans and the wedding bells
And whoever sings, "oh, promise me"
Put 'em in a box tie 'em with a ribbon
Throw 'em in the deep blue sea
'Cause love and I we don't agree
Hansoms through the park, kisses in the dark
All the promises made faithfully
Put 'em in a box, tie 'em with a ribbon
Throw 'em in the deep blue sea
Not for me, all that stuff
Not for me, had enough
You know what to do with good old tea for two
And the girl for you, the boy for me
Put 'em in a box, tie 'em with a ribbon
Throw 'em in the deep blue sea
'Cause love and I we don't agree
~ music written by Jule Styne ~ lyrics by Sammy Cahn
popularized by the 1948 movie Romance on the High Seas (aka It's Magic) sung by Doris Day
My mother sang to me each bedtime and this is a song she would sing. She sang many others too. I have such fond memories of her singing to me. She had the voice of an angel. I imagined putting love in a box, tying a yellow ribbon around the box and throwing it into the sea. Her singing transported me to dream-land each night and most of my dreams were sweet.
(this is a school photo of my Mother ~ Barbara)
I sing to our children each night.
They usually have sweet dreams too.
God bless you Mother, you have blessed me all these years.
"An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day." ~ Henry David Thoreau
"Farewell we call to hearth and hall! Though wind may blow and rain may fall. We must away ere the break of day. Far over wood and mountain tall." ~ J R R Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings
"There is nothing like walking to get the feel of a country. A fine landscape is like a piece of music; it must be taken at the right tempo." ~ Paul Scott Mowrer
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." ~ John Muir
"We shall not cease from exploration and in the end of all our exploring will be to arrive at where we started and know the place for the first time." ~ T S Eliot
"The place where you lose a trail is not necessarily the place where it ends." ~ Tom Brown, Jr.
"Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going too fast, you also miss the sense of where you are going and why." ~ Eddie Cantor
"The sum of the whole is this: walk and be happy; walk and be healthy. The best way to lengthen out our days is the walk steadily and with a purpose." ~ Charles Dickens
"It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end." ~ Ursula K LeGuin
"If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk." ~ Raymond Inmon
"It is good to collect things; it is better to take walks." ~ Anatole France
"It is not talking but walking that will bring us to heaven." ~ Matthew Henry
"I am a slow walker, but I never walk backwards." ~ Abraham Lincoln
"Singing the same song at a different tone, in thoughts, destined to die, unknown. Born unto a world not of our own, we walked together, walking alone." ~ Michael R Anderson
"Don't think you're on the right road just because it's a well-beaten path." ~ Unknown
"Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time." ~ Steven Wright
"Of all exercises walking is the best." ~ Thomas Jefferson
We live (well I and our four children do) in one of the most beautiful and diverse states in our country. I knew very little of Massachusetts when living in Southern California for most of my life. I had often been asked if I was from the East Coast probably because of the New York sense of style I adopted after college but, that was about it.
Nine years ago my husband was offered a promotion with the company he worked for. The promotion was only available if he was willing to relocate to the East Coast.
Our oldest was only an infant at the time and we would be leaving our family and friends and taking the only grandchild from first-time grandparents. It was a challenging decision but an overriding desire for adventure, change and a trust in God moved us forward.
In the nine years that we have lived here I have grown to love the people of New England. For the most part, they are generous, loyal, kind and very welcoming. We had been told that New England people were cold and hard to get close to. That has been far from the truth.
We have made some close friendships. Enduring friendships.
We have gotten to know our fair state, known as a Commonwealth, pretty well. We have visited the Norman Rockwell Museum nestled in the Berkshires in Stockbridge; we've traversed Concord where the beginning of the American Revolutionary War began; we have held jelly fish in our hands in Chatham ~ Cape Cod; we have walked the Freedom Trail in Boston.
A few years ago my husband found this little cove in Gloucester called Plum Cove. It looks out on Ipswich Bay and is so peaceful.
In summer we have sunbathed and snorkeled. In winter we wander collecting sea glass and the children climb the rocks in search of higher views.
The locals bring their dogs and so we do too. They stop and talk about everything from politics to the weather. They share sea glass hunting tips and correct us when we pronounce the town's name incorrectly. "It's Gloustah, like lobstah", they say. We laugh and add it to our list of frequently mis-pronounced names.
We love it here.
We wish there were more employment opportunities for my husband here so we could stay.
Minnesota calls to us. We know very little about Minnesota. We have been told by New Englanders that it is cold there. Very cold. We've watched a few movies filmed in Minnesota and know they sound different than we do but, so do the natives here.
Maybe we will find that state to be just as diverse and beautiful. Maybe we will make enduring friendships there too.
Maybe we will love it and hate to leave if the time comes.
We lowered the price on our home. Our realtor tells us that the market may pick up some. We are hopeful but, we are also thankful for the extended time we have had here.
I didn't think I'd see Plum Cove again. I had said, "goodbye" six months ago. What a gift to be here again and find sea glass and watch as our children explore the rocks along the edge of the cove and see our Pup play with his new found furry friends Georgia and Picasso and Palin.
We were also able to introduce our little cove to David's parents and they began searching for sea glass too.
In small moments like these, life is sweet.
We had David's parents visiting from California recently. It was somewhat of an unexpected visit. When they last visited, back in June, we thought that would be their last visit to our home here in Massachusetts. We thought our home would be sold by now and we'd see them again in Saint Paul. They can't bear to be without their four grandchildren too long.
Some friends of ours loaned us blankets and pillows and we made do with what we have remaining in our "empty" home. It was good to see them. Grandma Sonnie seems to end up doing surgery on fluffy lovies and Charlotte loves her stuffed bunny. Thankfully, I had some thread and a needle.
Charlotte loves her Grandma Sonnie. They had the cutest conversation in the bathroom. Grandma Sonnie was combing her hair and uses a lot of hairspray to give it some lift and keep it in place. Charlotte noticed some white flakes on the comb and shook her head and said, very matter of fact, "Hmm, hmm, Grandma Sonnie it's lice. Yes, lice."
Grandma Sonnie laughed and told Charlotte that is was just her dried hairspray on the comb. Charlotte, thankfully believed her.
