Closing another chapter

It's book parade season around here, baby!

Brace yourself for the cuteness

I mean, seriously?

Don't you think this boy wanted to actually

wear his underpants but his mom/dad

came up with this solution?

oh, cute Harry.

There's a special place in heaven for this 1st grade teacher.

Right next to middle school band directors.

May I introduce Percy Jackson

of the Lightning Thief series?

He made his shirt and beads.

His watch figures in somehow.

I can't remember why.

I love the school's annual book parade.

The book parade and I,

we had a good ride 

but after eight years

(with the three kids and 13 costumes, 

all I can remember is

Harry Potter

Tacky the Penguin

Nancy Drew

Laura Ingalls

Madeline &

Madlenka.)

...

it's my last one.

I'm going to miss it.

Growing up is hard.

For the mom, at least.

Everything's relative

Last night, 7:30 p.m.

Maddy:  You know what bugs me?  My friend Kylie always teases me that if I cut my hair short I'd look exactly like Sam.  She tells everyone that, even though she knows it makes me feel bad.

Sam (overhearing & calling from the other room):  Hey! I think she's giving you a compliment!

photo from summer 2007

The Last Derby

^making last minute adjustments & weight addition

{G flew in from a work trip to Arizona just for this...

driving straight from the airport to the derby.}

^don't you love the one with the skier?

It didn't fare so well in the race but I think

it deserves a quirkiness award

^The first of many heats (Sam's is far left)

I'm a little sad that this phase of our life is over!

Like every other year,

Greg and Sam have spent many nights over the last few months

designing, cutting, sanding, measuring, painting, adjusting.

There's a lot wrapped up in that little car.

Winter light

After school today, the kids were watching t.v.

(their Friday afternoon tradition)

& going through their valentines

(read: eating their candy).

Flopping and fighting.

Pretty blah.

Then the afternoon sun

started glowing in our backyard, 

the ground newly exposed from the melting snow.

My heart did flipflops

and I grabbed the camera and dragged them outside. 

This boy always needs a haircut.

It grows over night.

When he saw this picture, 

even he admitted it's time to visit the barber again.

{And look! My brown-eyed genes showed up here!}

Ah, that winter light. 

It does my heart good.

So do these faces.

It feels like the scene at the end of the Selfish Giant

when winter blankets the earth

but there's a burst of hope in the corner of the garden.

Things are looking up in winter land.

You gotta love boys

The New Year's Eve celebration we attended happened to be themed "Love 2009," complete with a strong emphasis on kissing: movie clips of classic kissing scenes on the big screens, a record setting attempt for the number of people kissing at midnight, even very Italian kissing instructions and practice throughout the evening running up to midnight.

All of this was a bit much for the 10-year-old boy with us.  But he had a plan.

Sam: "I hope I can do it."

Us: "Do what?"

Sam:  "I'm going to burp for two minutes straight.  When everyone's kissing."

Well now. It's good to have a goal.