Saturday, January 17, 2009
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Bed...
I got off the phone and poured John some juice and poured some cereal into a Snack Trap. We all went back to the "campfire" that Kayla had built where she was making everyone s'mores - of course James and John's had rice milk marshmallows she said. All of a sudden the door bell rings. Immediately I knew who was at the door. I open the door and standing on the stoop is a First Aid Squad member. He was responding to a call about a baby swallowing hand sanitizer. Ugh! He then informs us that dispatch thought the squad should follow up in person. He tells us that he lives about a hundred yards away and so he came over on foot but that a bus would be there shortly. Man, did I feel like a bad parent! He took a look at John and realized that he was really fine. He called dispatch and told them they didn't need to have an officer (yes, a police officer) dispatched. Double ugh! About a minute later lights start flashing and swirling up the street and an ambulance pulls up in front of the house. (The twins thought this was GREAT!) A second later an officer appears at the door! He too lives around the corner in the other direction and has a newborn so he felt he had to respond. Next came the Rescue member who had to take our official information and have us sign something saying that we refused medical attention.
So long, crazy story short... John is fine. We think he probably didn't eat much if any at all. On another note, it was a good feeling to know that our Emergency Responders have such a quick response time! Thank you to the Kendall Park First Aid Squad and Police Dept.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Light the Night
Friday, August 8, 2008
The R-Word
Why is it that the N word has been inexcusable for years (don't get me wrong I completely agree with that social more), yet the R word is still encouraged as the thread on which so many jokes are spun? Someone recently referred to my son as R and I saw red for weeks. But I had to realize that this person is ignorant and obviously knows nothing about my son (even though she is family). My son at the age of 4 is reading at the 2nd grade level, has memorized all 50 states and their capitols and is teaching himself Spanish. Yes, he may not be able to have a coherent conversation but that's fine with me. I have learned so much more from him than from most adults.
I will admit that as a teenager I made jokes about these things. You know how funny we thought it was to joke about the length of the bus someone rode or the speed at which they could finish an assignment. But as an adult I have seen the error of my adolescent ways. And while I don't condone this behavior I can also see that this was a child's behavior and as children we need our parents and other trusted adults around to guide our actions. However, as adults (which is what I thought the people running Dreamworks are) we have a responsibility to use and promote informed and respectful speech. Just as a person cannot choose their ethnic background (and therefore should not be ridiculed or disrespected for it) so it is true for our disabled family, friends and neighbors. They did not choose to have these obstacles placed before them. (Though as a result they often work harder than you and I ever will.) Instead let us look up to them for not giving up in the face of trial and adversity, let us cheer them on and let us come along side to run the race with them.
Won't you join me and the millions of others that have already said I will not support such ignorance and bigotry. Tell others that you won't go see this movie and let Hollywood know that this ISN'T funny! You can click on the box to the right to let your voice be heard.
Summer Musings
d I planted them late in the season thinking I wouldn't see any blooms until next summer but...
I also think that I failed to mention that we had a new driveway and front sidewalk put in. When they were digging to put in the new asphalt they moved a bunch of dirt. We used some of that dirt to fill in some empty spots. After a couple of weeks we found that we had something that resembled a pumpkin or squash plant growing in the front beds. Well, after a few more weeks we now have lots of these... But after much searching I can't figure out exactly what kind of squash these are. Anyone know??? We have already picked 5 and have at least another dozen that will need to be picked soon...
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Walking on Sunshine
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Some recent pictures
James loved the otters!
It was possibly the only time he was actually engaged in observing the animals...
But for the most part this is what he did all day!
And this is beautiful Olivia! Our friends Nicki and Adam brought her home from Guatemala and she couldn't be any more perfect!
Oh, yeah and then there was John. Could he be a more perfect baby?
He was an absolute angel the entire day!
The happy 4 year olds!
The happy 9 month old!
The happy grandparents with the grandkids!
Monday, June 9, 2008
Birthday Bash, Gater Style
Fast forward to this year... Who would have know that we would have a heat wave the first weekend in June? It's a really good thing that we had planned to have lots of water fun available. That is, of course, until our daughter and a few of her cohorts decided to dump sand from the sand table into the kiddy pool (!) at which point the water turned very dark and all the
Dinner... Well, in years past we have always grilled burgers and dogs. This always seemed easiest and most convenient. Except, Dave always spent like an hour grilling and sweating and basically not enjoying the party. So we decided that this year I would make something that could be made ahead in the slow cooker. Well, my math must be really bad because I ended up making enough pulled pork and BBQ beans for about 50 people. (There were maybe 18 adults and the kids all ate hot dogs.) I have no idea what happened. I do know however that I had 5 crock pots going and that could have been a mess had we lost power like so many others in NJ!
Everyone seemed to have a really good time. It was so great that Stephanie and Brian made the 3 hour trek with Luke and Shelby. We miss you guys and can't wait for you to move back to Jersey!
What always befuddles me though is present time. So, the twins know they are getting presents (I think they are born with this knowledge or something). When it came time to open I was kind of excited because there weren't so many that I had to actually keep notes on who gave what to whom. (Thanks Stephanie for the great idea of having just a kids party.) But the thing that always gets me is that they open a great present (for example, their new FP3 players which they absolutely love) but they can't really enjoy it yet because coming down the pike is another great gift. Then the madness ends and they are left amongst this haze of wrapping paper shreds, gift bags and clouds of tissue paper and no real idea of what they have been given. I always feel bad because no one knows if the kids actually liked their gifts because there isn't enough time to show genuine appreciation before the next gift is thrust into their hands to be opened. What to do?
We were exhausted when the night ended and are still really exhausted. But one more funny story to share before I am done. That night I was doing a little bit of clean up in the kitchen and Gran was holding John sitting in the kitchen chatting with me. Dave and Grandpop were outside bringing in all the chairs and tables onto the porch. At about 7:30 I realized that I hadn't heard or seen the twins in a LONG time (at least 20 minutes). I was a little concerned as this NEVER happens. I started looking in their bedrooms, "Kayla, James, where are you?" Then the living room and then the play room. This is where I found them. Sitting quietly (and I mean in absolute silence) side by side on the couch in the playroom listening to their "ipods" (as they call them). I have never been so happy in my whole life! (Okay, maybe that is a bit extreme, but you catch my drift.)
Thanks again to everyone who came and made this such a fun day for the Big J and Princess!


