Band wagon fan

Recently I finished the book, Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I wasn't going to read it, intentionally, because it had gained so much hype. I always do that. I didn't watch the show Friends until it was nearly in syndication, and then of course I realized that all of those fans were right -- it's a great show. Well, same thing with this book. The hype is right on. My Mom actually gave me the book, insisting I would love it. And I did.

Here's one of my favorite passages (which really has little to do with the story line, but I love it anyways):

"I met an old lady once, almost a hundred years old, and she told me, "There are only two questions that human beings have ever fought over in history. How much do you love me? And Who's in charge?" Everything else is somehow manageable.

Love and control. Go figure. When I reflect on the arguments of my past, these two topics sure stand out. So really I'm not fighting or arguing, I'm being historically accurate. Wouldn't want to let history down by fighting over silly things like what to eat for dinner, or how to dress the kids.

If you're not one of the 40 million (made that number up) who have already discovered the book...read it, give it as a gift, donate it, leave it on a doorstep. It's unforgettable.

Aloha cookie

My kids are really tired of the camera. They're tired of seeing Mom's face obstructed by that dreaded black piece of plastic, insisting that they look cute/don't move/act natural/or even occasionally ... say "cheese."

It's come to this: I bribe them with a cookie. I'm ashamed, I am. But I'm a sucker for trying to capture the moment. So...as seen in the above shot, I say, "Who wants a cookie?"

They're not actually saying "cheese," they're actually saying "meeee" (which consequently has the same smiling effect).

Maybe if I focused on trying to live the moment, rather than document the moment, we'd all be better off. Besides, do you know how far we had to go to find that damn cookie?

Have family: Will travel

Nostalgia and reverie are powerful things. Sitting at dinner one night on vacation, my daughter and I were talking about Hawaii. It came up that Daddy and I had been here before.
"Why?" She ALWAYS asks.
"Well, because Hawaii is a beautiful place to visit. The last time we were here..." I choke up. I tear. "The last time we were here, YOU and Chase were with me!"
She looks confused.
"Inside my tummy. You were here, with me." I point.
"Oh."
In fact, I remember exactly the first time someone actually recognized me as expecting was here. Sure, so maybe I stood a little more pregnant-looking than necessary, and yes I jumped into maternity clothes with the excitement of a prom-queen, but it was here where it first happened.




Not the most flattering shot, but here we are: Family of 4 (almost).



Here we are: Family of 4 (completely).

What are the chances? (Twice)

So...we had a fantastic time on the shores of Waikiki. The kids were fantastic beach-goers and vacationers. Everything was cruising along like a typical vacation.

Cut to Day 7 of the family Hawaii trip. I don't know which was more interesting, running into Patrick's ex-wife on the elevator of our hotel, or chatting it up with Jack Johnson's wife and kids. Hmmm... Tough call.

Although it would make for a much more exciting blog, I have neither a picture of "the ex" or of Mr. Johnson and family (darn-it).

Back to Day 3 of the trip. As we're strolling along the beach boardwalk, Patrick asked me if I ever think I'll run into my ex-husband somewhere. Maybe, I say. (We don't talk about our exes much. More out of respect for the exes than anything, so it was funny that he brought it up.) He continues..."I always think I'm bound to run into her somewhere."

So go figure -- we're standing in an elevator with her 4 days later. Consequently, we invited her to breakfast with us, she declined. Cute girl. Enough said.

Same day on our flight back home, Jack Johnson is walking the aisles trying to entertain his 15 month old son. Granted, he sat in first class, but you gotta love a guy willing to walk the aisles with all of us regular schmos. So back at baggage claim waiting forever for bags to arrive, Jack's (yes, we're on a first-name basis now) wife and I chatted it up. Her son's Moe (3) and Leo (15 months) (pronounced lay-oh) were sharing Chase's toy cars with Tatum. Put those 4 cute kids together and let's just say... I'm pretty sure we're going to be invited over for Christmas. :)

As my Dad said, on a day like that, I should have bought a lottery ticket. Stranger things have happened right?

On Holiday

Well, the family is off on a vacation. Check back next week for embarrassing stories from our travel to the islands with two 3 year olds (I'm sure we'll have a handful). We can't wait!

The Frog Prince (Revised)

You may have heard of the story of the Frog Prince. Yes, this story promises spells to be broken if only the young, innocent girl kisses the frog. What kind of lesson is that? Even though you may not really want to kiss that slimy thing with warts, go ahead, give it a try, and you might be rewarded with a life of royalty.

Well, as for our princess, she doesn't need to hear that garbage. We'll tell her: Don't kiss frogs. It's an amphibian, not a prince. And if it says it's a prince, it's lying.

And as for our Frog, well, he already is a Prince. The frog costume was just on sale and he really only cared about the candy. Can't say I blame him.