Culture is a great thing to offer our little ones

All I can say again is WOW ! I saw this show 7 years ago. Kate wanted to take me to a broadway show for my birthday...it was the 1st of January and she said you should call , because for a good show it could be a 6 month wait. So I called and told the lady on the other end that I would like 2 tickets to see Lion King in June. She kind of chuckled a little chuckle and asked " What Year?"
I truly thought she was joking around with me , and I said 1998 of course. Laughing along with her. She then informed me that there were no seats available till Feb of 1999. Over a year wait to see this show. Now I had only just been to my first broadway musical in 1995. I saw Cats!! LOVED IT !! I was so hooked. I couldn't believe it took me till I was 35 years old to see my first broadway musical.
So we booked the tickets for June of 1999, we of course still wanted to go and see a play so we also booked "Rent" for that June! (that is a whole other story) what a play !!
So the point to this....well 7 years later we now have Josh and what a perfect excuse to see this musical again !! He was going to go and see his first musical at age 6 . Well he loved it ...he laughed . He asked "is it over" everytime the curtain came down , or the stage darken. Yeah that got a bit comical and annoying . He would say " Is that it?" Spoken with disappointment in his voice.
It was so great to watch this musical again . I cryed , I laughed, I watched his eyes and how glued he was to every movement on the stage.
I was so happy that Kate and I could take him to see this great play. It was also nice he knew the story so he could follow along much easier. (Less explaining on our part).
As I looked around the theatre , I also was just amazed at how many kids were there. It is wonderful to see kids getting some culture.
Well I am a bit mushy this weekend, lots of reflecting , it has been an amazing year in alot of ways. It is good to reflect on the good .
So if you can ....take your children to a play . There are lots of great local playhouses that have children plays. We love to go to the Sellersville theatre .

my little clown !

Yes he is ! he will do anything for a laugh .
He says to me today ...Mom sometimes it is hard to get you to laugh.
I said ....oh I am sorry .
He says: No mom ....I like the challenge !
(That made me laugh)
He is one character ....and everyday I see more and more of myself in him. From the emotional highs and lows . To the always thinking about the other guy. He is a true reflection of me. Which in some ways is not the best ! I can only hope he takes the best of me and makes it his own , and of course better !
I truely love him and I never want to imagine my world without him.
Even when it comes to the times you wish didn't happen. ....
oh yes we had one of those today.
Why ...why do people lie?
Well today Josh lied to me ....oh yes it was an earth shattering lie...(insert sarcastic look ) He actually lied to me and told me he washed his hands in the bathroom.
Well, not sure if this is true for all 6 year olds ...but I have never seen him completely dry his hands , after washing them.
He comes out of the bathroom with the driest hands ever.
Knowing he is lying ....I give him another chance as I pose the question for the second time. " Did you wash your hands?"
Still he can look right at me and utter the word " Yes"
Then it is the bend down look him in the face and say " Josh did you wash your hands after you just went to the bathroom"
Then the truth ! "No"
As he turns to go back to the bathroom to wash his hands....I know that I have to make sure he realizes (again) how much I don't want him to lie...even about the small things.
So the punishment is handed down for lying.
Then the other issue I usually have with Josh is it takes him about 24 hours before he will come with that heartfelt apology.
This time ..to my shock ...it took 5 mins!!!! I felt this beam of light come over me...he had learned something ....of course at this point you have that split second of lifting the sentence handed down. Then reality comes back into view and you know you have to reward the good , but still have a lesson to teach.
So I did tell Josh how proud I was of him for the apology , but that he still had to pay the consequences for lying. He understood. He also said later in the day that he really wished he hadn't lied.
So not a stellar day for Josh and I ...he knew I was upset with him , and pretty much walked on egg shells around me today . I can only hope tomorrow is a bit better , and we did go to bed with a big hug and a kiss...and of course an "I love you " !

From Chicks to tails....

Now these girls know how to sing a tune !!!
I have loved thier music for years and have alot of thier songs on my Ipod. We went to see thier concert last night and it was just 3 hours of pure music heaven. I love that these ladies sing songs that speak out about things that are true and also near and dear to them. People were on thier feet for "Goodbye Earl" .


Here is Josh sporting his new hair do ! Well what is left of it . Now I am not sure where he got this ...but I think we were somewhere where an older boy was sporting one. But this is what Josh wanted now.

Yes that is the start of a baby tail !







You seen it hear folks !!! Do you remember thinking this much about your apperance at this age? Oh I am in so much trouble !

I love living in the country ...

this is from our bedroom door. This is a view we watch almost nightly . Each night after these two were born we have had Mom and the twins in the backyard around dinner time. We have watched lately as Mom has been letting the twins wander further and further away. Tonight they all came in the yard as usual and then we looked and Mom must have gone back into the woods , but the twins were just hanging out. They were both just laying around. Even when I came and opened the back door to snap some shots. They didn't even move.
I love that we get to see these wonderful creatures up close . Josh loves when he spots them , and sneaks to tell us. We sit and just watch them.
Of course as I watched this , I was also thinking about how we as Moms do the same thing. We let our children have more and more freedom. It is a scarey thing...knowing you have to let them go so they can fend for themself.
We went to the local carnival last night as we were walking around , I was very aware of kids walking around in their little "gangs" . I turned to Kate at one point and said, " Do we really have to let him go at some point and not be here ." It scared me even as I said it. But I know there is going to be that first time he comes to me and wants to go out with his friends .
I had thought of lurking behind bushes !
Will I be ready when he is ?
I am so not ready yet, but glad I don't have to be yet!
I hope the little deers are safe today, hope I get to see them again soon.
You know Mom was lurking in the woods , watching every move !

Victory ?

Could it be ? AGAIN? No matter how many times we win the battle they keep thinking there is another war. It was a great anniversary present yesterday to know that there are quite a few intelligent people in PA ! I want to give a personal thank you to anyone that stepped up and called or wrote to your congress person. They do hear us.

On a lighter note....













I just want to say how much I LOVE these two !
They are the best reason to get up everyday and face whatever the universe has to throw at me .
Guess that wasn't as light and fluffy as I was thinking.

Happy Anniversary Baby !

WOW ! WOW! WOW! 8 years ago today we committed our lives to one another . WOW ! Cape may , 50 people, 2 hearts committed to 1 love.
One of the greatest , happiest , most wonderful days of my life.
It is quite ironic that on our 8th anniversary those idiots are trying to tell us how much we shouldn't be together . It is amazing that they think they know what "God" wants for everyone. I know our God shines his love on us everyday . The God I know , loves us and blesses us everyday , our love could not be as strong or as wonderful without God in our lifes. So no matter what those people in Harrisburg think is right or how they vote today , they can't take away what we have. They may never recongnize what we have , but we already know what we have. So to my dearest , most wonderful , amazing life partner .....Happy Anniversary !!

Joshism for today :
J: Mom I think I speak French .
M: Why do you think that ?
J: Because sometimes no one understands what I am saying. Sometimes I don't even understand what I am saying ....so it must be french.

How can you not crack up over that? He actually just comes up with this stuff....I have to find a shirt for him..." I make stuff up " !

Went and saw the movie "Click" WOW ! Great story, worth seeing . Nothing earthshattering in acting , but the whole concept is just amazing. We are all rushing thru life , this will give you a little different insight.

When they stop .....I will rejoice !

Tuesday, the House of Representatives will vote on the Federal Marriage Amendment to ban marriage between same sex couples and write discrimination into the Constitution. Help us fight back -- tell your Representative to vote no today.
Just last month, the Senate held its own vote on the FMA. We asked fair-minded Americans to stand up for equality by contacting their Senators and urging them to vote no. The result? Hundreds of thousands of letters poured in to the Senate, and the extremist Senators pushing the FMA were unable to get a majority of their colleagues to support their agenda. You helped us keep discrimination out of the Constitution before -- now we need your help again to stop the FMA in the House.
Here’s what you can do:
1. Flood your Representative's inbox with email Write your Representative to let them know you strongly oppose the FMA. Tell your Representative that discrimination has no place in the Constitution. Click here to send your message now!
2. Overwhelm the House switchboard with calls. Call 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected to your Representative’s office. Tell your Representative you strongly oppose the FMA. A sample script is below:
I am calling to urge you to vote no on the Federal Marriage Amendment.
Throughout American history, the Constitution has been amended to expandand protect the rights and liberties of the American people - it should notbe used to single out some Americans for discrimination.
The Federal Marriage Amendment would single out GLBT Americans for separate and unequal treatment in the U.S. Constitution, the very document that is supposed to guarantee Americans' equality.
Do not write discrimination into the Constitution; vote NO on the FederalMarriage Amendment.

Kate , Josh and I thank everyone for thier support ! We can't fight this alone!

Defunk the funk

Ahhhh feeling a bit more myself today. Had a great weekend !
Saturday night we went and watched Bonnie Raitt at the Mann. What a great preformer she is . I just love her soulful music and that she loves sharing it .
Sunday was a total family day . We slept in ...which is rare. Went to breakfast , then did some outside chores. Josh played in the pool for a bit while I blew up some of the pool floats.
Lunch , some scrapping (kate napped) , then it was back in the pool. I got this awesome lounger for my birthday ...maybe some pics will come soon. Then it was a late supper and a great day ! I am working on a layout that is coming together nice. I hope to finish it today . Had some ink problems...I got messy!
It is so frigin hot here . today is suppose to be 101!!!
So we are hiding out in the rooms with the air units. The bedroom and the living room. I am sure we will be in the pool for a while today too. Sounds like a good day for the movies also .
Can't wait to see what August has to offer !! whew what a summer.

Family is just got to be the best thing ever created...

and if you had said that to me in my 20's I would have laughed at you and asked what planet you were from. So much has changed in the past 20 years. So much for the good ! I have two of the most wonderful people in my life that you could ever ask for . Kate accepts me for who I am . She might not like everything about me , but never tries to change me no matter how much she would probably like me to sometimes. I love her for that ! She is absolutely the one person I can depend on to be there if everyone else wasn't . ( no pressure or anything !)
Josh...well I just can't remember much of my life before him. I remember aching so bad because I wanted him in my life. Much before he was even here I had dreams of him daily. I wanted to be the best Mom ever. Now knowing that just isn't going to happen. You can only do the best you can do. I try to give Josh all the love I can on a daily basis, and some days I wish I could give him more...but must admit his demands on me somedays are more then I can give. Those times when he won't give me 5 minutes to myself. Those days when he has done everything possible to make my hair stand up and clench my fist . Those are the days , at the end when all are quiet that I sometimes just lay in bed and cry because I feel I have failed as "the best mom" . Then the next days come and he is telling me he loves me, telling me I am the best mom in the whole wide world. He says thank you for everything and please.
I have to be honest , I cherish all those days , because if I didn't have both kinds I am not sure I would grow as a Mom. I just love having him with me everyday so much . I miss him when he is gone even for a couple hours.
These are my thoughts today . Still in a bit of a funk and trying to figure things out. I think sometimes funks help me sort out all that I have consumed and gives me reason to sort some thoughts , that need sorting.
Take some pics of the everyday today !

My happiness today....

this has to be my favorite time of the morning in my favorite spot.
I would love to see this each and every morning for the rest of my life.
But *slap* back to reality! I am lucky to see this for a week in RB , loved having that.
I am not sure what today will bring . It didn't start with a beautiful sunrise , but it did start with a great sonrise. Here is a little bit of it.

J: Mom when I was at Nick's yesterday , his brother Zach said he loved ice cream sandwiches more then his mom. You shouldn't love anything more then your Mom! I don't !!

Now is there anyway better to start your day then that?

So even tho I don't have a beautiful sunrise each day to watch , I am even more blessed that I have my own personal "sonrise" to witness each and every day.

I am not feeling to much like getting out of bed....I would love to just lay around today and do just about nothing to put it plain and simple. But that just isn't possible today . So I am hoping to find motivation in a great cup of coffee . Lots to get done today , some of it might get done , some might not. It is all ok !!

home sweet home....

I love this photo ! I often watch people at the
ocean and wonder , what are they thinking,
what do they see? I just love the water and
I often think about what a great power water
is. I have been in the water lifeguarding or
teaching swimming since my teenage years
and always find such peace at the beach .

This is one of my favorite pics from the week-
end. Just to boys having a great time playing.
Uncle Steve was a bit sore the next day. Josh
gave him a workout!



Josh again rode his bike . It took a few days for the con-
fidence to build but in no time we were riding every
where. Oh also learning how to make skid marks !

The boardwalk games are a big part of going to rehoboth. Josh was just beaming as he won this fish. He also scored 260 on skee ball and just jumped up and down in joy. It was a big moment for him.

It was a great week once again. I can't believe Kate and I have been going here for 8 years now. The "gang" celebrated thier 4th year as a group going down. That says alot to something we all look forward to every year. We have already signed up for next year . Josh just says he LOVES rehoboth , and I just love that he will have these wonderful summer memories to take thru his life.