Remember When? Ode to Carena

I came across some old videos of my kidlets and thought I'd let them (the videos) see the light of day. Today we're featuring Carena.




At about 24 seconds in she totally biffs Uncle Scott in the face:

Deb and Donna - Beat This!

So, recently two of my friends have displayed their cake making and decorating talents on their blogs. The results of their endeavors have been gorgeous beautifully decorated cakes. Well, I thought it only fair that I get in on this and so below are my two most recent cakes.

For Jonathan's birthday - guess how old he is?



And, for Colt's birthday - guess how old he is? (notice the messed up 5 in the middle - the orange coloring didn't work, so I went over it with the white. pretty huh?)

Introducing "Allergic to Nuts"

Colt is not so good with names. A few times every day he asks me what the new kitten's name is. When I remind him that it's Tessa, he'll then say, "I can't remember that name. Can we name her something else?" "Sure," I say. So, then he changes her name. A few minutes later: "What's the kitten's name again?" He's not good with names.

So, with the start of school Colt has made a new friend. A girl friend, to be exact. He sits with her on the bus. They hold hands so that neither of them gets lost. Totally cute. But, he can't remember her name. However, there is something identifying about his new friend. She's allergic to nuts. Colt is aware of her allergy. For some reason this is ingrained in him. And this is a conversation I had with Colt the other day:

Colt: Mom you need to check your email.
Me: Why?
Colt: Because Allergic to Nuts said she was going to send me an email.

Random Pictures

Proof that miracles do happen: Colt wearing a suit - and he wanted to!

Look! Jonathan's curls are coming back!!

Just a cool picture:

Another miracle: Colt's shirt is tucked in!

Jonathan was so proud to be holding Tess all by himself:

More miracles! I made cinnamon rolls and they turned out! I have NEVER made bread that has turned out well. These were delicious!!

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Speedtest

The Shining - A Feel-Good Movie

Have you ever seen The Shining? I still have nightmares about it. Anyway . . . this trailer is awesome! Makes you want to watch it again . . .

The BIG Day

First day of school. My children were officially sucked into the bowels of the public school system. I do not enjoy sending my kids off to school. I'd much rather they stay home. But, alas, I see the positive to school and so each year I suffer through the first day of school and every day thereafter until summer vacation.

This year was twice as hard since Colt was starting kindergarten. I was so worried about him. It is his first experience with school and I stressed. But, I was brave. Colt did fine. He played on the playground with his good buddy and as soon as the teacher blew the whistle to line them up, he was the first in line and off they tromped to class. Who knows what happened after that point. But somehow, at 2:55 pm he was spit out of a yellow school bus happy as a clam! Later he told me, "I like kindergarten. It's fun!"

Both kids had a great first day and I'm so proud of them both.



Their big day didn't end there, however. Turns out we decided to add another family member to our clan and here's her first picture (her name is Tessa):

World's Strongest Dad By Rick Reilly

I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay For their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots.

But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.

Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in Marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a Wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and Pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day.

Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back Mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. On a bike. Makes Taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?

And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life.
This love story began in Winchester , Mass. , 43 years ago, when Rick Was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him Brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.

"He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life;'' Dick says doctors told him And his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. ``Put him in an Institution.''

But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes Followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the Engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was Anything to help the boy communicate. ``No way,'' Dick says he was told. ``There's nothing going on in his brain.''

"Tell him a joke,'' Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a Lot was going on in his brain. Rigged up with a computer that allowed Him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his Head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? ``Go Bruins!'' And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the School organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, ``Dad, I want To do that.''

Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described ``porker'' who never ran More than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he Tried. ``Then it was me who was handicapped,'' Dick says. ``I was sore For two weeks.''

That day changed Rick's life. ``Dad,'' he typed, ``when we were running, It felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!''

And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly Shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.

``No way,'' Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a Single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few Years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then They found a way to get into the race Officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the Qualifying time for Boston the following year.

Then somebody said, ``Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?''

How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he Was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick Tried.

Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii . It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud Getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you Think?

Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? ``No way,'' he says. Dick does it purely for ``the awesome feeling'' he gets seeing Rick with A cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.

This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best Time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world Record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to Be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the Time.

``No question about it,'' Rick types. ``My dad is the Father of the Century.''

And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a Mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries Was 95% clogged. ``If you hadn't been in such great shape,'' One doctor told him, ``you probably would've died 15 years ago.'' So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.

Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass. , always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day.

That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.

``The thing I'd most like,'' Rick types, ``is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once.''

My Favorite Movies

I thought it would be nice to list my favorite movies - and most of these I've seen over and over.

These are in no particular order (summaries are from amazon.com):

1. Dirty Dancing
The summer of 1963 innocent 17-year-old Baby (Grey) vacations with her parents at a Catskill's resort. One evening she is drawn to the staff quarters by stirring music. There she meets Johnny the hotel dance instructor who is as experienced as Baby is naive. Baby soon becomes Johnny's pupil in dance and love. (ooh-la-la)

2. Their Eyes Were Watching God - a made for tv movie starring Halle Berry.
Oprah Winfrey Presents THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD, the story of a remarkable and resilient woman's quest for love and fulfillment based on the best-selling book by Zora Neale Hurston. Academy Award winner Halle Berry stars as the beautiful Janie Crawford, who embarks on an emotional and dramatic journey of self-discovery. Refusing to compromise in spite of society's expectations, Janie endures two stifling marriages until finally finding love in a passionate romance with a much younger man. In one of the greatest, most lyrical love stories ever written, Janie experiences all that life has to offer, from unbelievable triumph to unspeakable heartbreak. Be inspired again and again by this timeless story of passion, romance, and the spirit of true love.

3. August Rush
There's music in the wind and sky. Can you hear it? And there's hope. Can you feel it? The boy called August Rush can. The music mysteriously draws him penniless and alone to New York City in a quest to find somehow someway the parents separated from him years earlier. And along the way he may also find the musical genius hidden within him. Experience the magic of this rhapsodic epic of the heart starring Freddie Highmore (as August) Keri Russell Jonathan Rhys Meyers Terrence Howard and Robin Williams. "I believe in music the way some people believe in fairy tales" August says. Open your heart and listen. You'll believe too.

4. Hope Floats
Cute-as-a-button Sandra Bullock is a homemaker who learns that her husband and best friend are having an affair. The so-called best friend reveals this information on a national chat show, leaving Bullock devastated and disgraced. Heading back to her small hometown in Texas, she seeks refuge with her eccentric mother. Laconic Harry Connick Jr., a former high-school classmate, attempts to bring Bullock out of her depression and win her heart. He has, you see, been carrying a torch for her since they were kids.

5. Dead Man Walking
Inspired by the true story of a nun's relationship with a condemned man, this provocative examination of crime, punishment and redemption earned Susan Sarandon the 1995 Oscar for Best Actress and Sean Penn an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Dead Man Walking is a "fast-moving and absorbing" film filled with "genuine suspense" that will leave you awe-struck from beginning to end. Sister Helen Prejean (Sarandon), a compassionate New Orleans nun, is the spiritual adviser to Matthew Poncelet (Penn), a vicious, angry and complex murderer awaiting execution. Her dedication is to help others, like Matthew, find salvation. But as she attempts to navigate Matthew's dark soul, she encounters a depth of evil that makes her question how far redemption can really go. Can she stave off the fateful day of execution long enough to save Matthew, or will she discover a truth that will rock the very foundation by which she lives her life?

6. The Holiday
As a pleasant dose of holiday cheer, The Holiday is a lovable love story with all the Christmas trimmings. It all begins when two successful yet unhappy women connect through a home-swapping website, and decide to trade houses for the Christmas holiday in a mutual effort to forget their man troubles. Iris (Kate Winslet) is a London-based journalist who lives in a picture-postcard cottage in Surrey, and Amanda (Cameron Diaz) owns a movie-trailer production company and lives in a posh mansion in Beverly Hills. Iris is heartbroken from unrequited love with a cad of a colleague, and Amanda has just broken up with her cheating boyfriend, so their home-swapping offers mutual downtime to reassess their love lives. Amanda hooks up with Iris's charming brother Graham (Jude Law), and Iris is unexpectedly smitten with Miles, a super-nice film composer on the downside of a failing relationship.

7. The Bourne Series - Identity, Supremacy, and Ultimatum
Get ready for non-stop action, edge-of-your-seat suspense and spectacular chase sequences with everyone's favorite assassin in The Jason Bourne Collection! Matt Damon is Jason Bourne, an elite government agent determined to outwit and outmaneuver anyone who stands in the way of his finding out the secrets of his mysterious past. Follow his explosive, action-packed adventures in three blockbuster films from one of the most popular series of all time: The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum. Loaded with hours of bonus features, The Jason Bourne Collection is the ultimate Bourne experience for movie fans everywhere!

8. Miss Potter
The story of Beatrix Potter, the author of the beloved and best-selling children's book, "The Tale of Peter Rabbit", and her struggle for love, happiness and success.

9. Little Women
Winona Ryder and Academy Award winner Susan Sarandon (1995 Best Actress Dead Man Walking) star in this "affectionate superbly acted" family favorite.With her husband off at war Marmee (Sarandon) is left alone to raise their four daughters her "little women." There is the spirited Jo, conservative Meg, fragile Beth, and romantic Amy, and Samantha Mathis. As the years pass the sisters share some of the most cherished and painful memories of self-discovery as Marmee and Aunt March guide them through issues of independence romance and virtue.

10. Sabrina (1995 version)
Remake of the 1954 film about a modern-day Cinderella who is the daughter of a wealthy family's chauffeur. When she is transformed into a graceful woman, she captures the attention of the sons of the family.

11. The Notebook
Behind every great love is a great story. Two teenagers from opposite sides of the tracks fall in love during one summer together but are tragically forced apart. When they reunite 7 years later their passionate romance is rekindled forcing one of them to choose between true love and class order.

12. Shawshank Redemption
A prominent banker unjustly convicted of murder spends many years in the Shawshank prison. He is befriended by a convict who knows the ropes and helps him to cope with the frightening realities of prison life. (But it's so much more than this piddly description!)

Movie Review: Definitely, Maybe

We've gotten a Netflix subscription. Yay! This past weekend we watched Definitely, Maybe.



Now, it says that it is a romantic comedy. However, I beg to differ. I could have cried throughout the entire movie. There were a few funny one-liners - maybe two at the most. But not the laugh out loud lines you would expect from a romantic comedy - just the chuckle to yourself kind of lines. So, to tout this movie as a romantic comedy is misleading.

I like the delivery of the story. The main character (William Hayes) played by Ryan Reynolds (yes, he's kinda cute) tells his 11-year old daughter about how he met her mother (they are now going through a divorce and Maya - his daughter - thinks that by knowing the story of how they met and fell in love would help her through this familial transition). So, Will Hayes relays the story to her. This story includes three women - but who is Maya's mother? Will has changed the names of the characters in the story so that Maya (and the audience) doesn't know until the very end who her mother is in the story. Is that confusing?

Anyway . . . a romantic story - yes, a comedy - definitely, maybe NOT. Really it should have been labeled as a tear-jerker or a tug-at-your-heartstrings movie.

I'm on the fence with this one. Do I give it thumbs up or down? I initially gave it thumbs down because it made me cry. To me being entertained does NOT include tears. I'd also give it a thumbs down because it was not funny (did I mention the tears?). But truthfully, the story was sweet and I enjoyed its delivery.

One thumb up and one thumb down.

The Cure for Boredom - Part 3 (Boredom Series)

If boredom is such a great thing, then why do we need a cure for it? Boredom occasionally is a good thing. Being bored all the time is not. By allowing ourselves that down time or unscheduled time that may lead to a state of boredom often leads to "a ha!" moments just due to not being overscheduled and burdened by what's on your plate. Instead you can look at your empty plate and think, "How can I fill this plate?" It's not necessarily the bored moments that are so important -- instead it is the moment that we reach within ourselves and use our creativity to pull us out of boredom. But, you cannot get to that point without first going through the state of boredom.

I think somewhere along the way we have been duped into thinking that relief from boredom must surely come from external sources when, in reality, the sweetest relief from boredom comes from within. What joy and pride are ours if we just dig a little deeper and find ourselves at the beginning of a great idea . . . one that would not have come if we weren't a little bored.

Have faith in yourself and your children that you will find something worthwhile and creative to do to pull yourself out of the doldrums. You have it WITHIN yourself to be great, to come up with wonderful and creative and fulfilling ideas. You don't need the external stimulation that today's world throws at us. TV, internet, and those distracting digital technologies are a band-aid fix for boredom. By indulging in them more than you should and turning to them when you are bored will only leave you more bored and less fulfilled in the long run.

Be bored. Be great!