The Boy Turns 10

 Double digits. Somehow this tiny baby is now 10 years old. I don't know how it happened but this picture does seem like a really long time ago. He was such a chubby baby. 

This year, he decided he didn't want a party but instead he wanted to have a friend sleep over. He still hasn't decided which one though so that's still sort of hanging out there. It was sort of nice and peaceful not to have to deal with planning a party. 

We usually go out to dinner on a birthday and we let him pick where to go. His favorite spot is the Lobster Shack at Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth. We went there last year for his birthday and we went there again this year. 

 The funny thing is, when we eat there, we never order seafood. We always have hot dogs and hamburgers. Its quiet there in May because the tourists haven't taken over yet. 

 Afterwards, we went down to the beach to look for shells and sea glass. Declan used some driftwood to try out surfing. This ended with soaked shoes. 

 He and Tim always climb down onto the rock ledges and scare me to death. 

After we ate, we went home to unwrap some presents. Its was a Lego's birthday again this year. He is very easy to buy for. 

 This is Taco's first experience with Declan's birthday and he made sure he was in the middle of everything so he didn't miss anything. 

Finally, we had some cake. Declan chose a yellow cake with bright blue frosting and he even helped me make it. My candles are a little wonky but I think that's because there are too many of them. The frosting turned our lips and teeth blue but it was worth it. 

Mothers Day 2013

Mothers Day 2013

I slept in a little and woke up to presents. Lately Tim has just been buying things off my Amazon wish list and that has been working out wonderfully. I now finally own the full box set of Garry Shandling. I haven't seen this show since the 80's. 

 Declan wanted to pick out something special for me but he didn't know what so Tim took him out shopping. He considered getting me some British television shows but changed his mind. Then he walked past this pillow and decided it was perfect because I love to sleep. 

 Mothers Day always involves food and this year my brunch was out on Peaks Island so we got to take a ferry ride which I love. I could just ride around the islands all day. 

 If we ever win the lottery than we are moving out here. 

 Brunch at the Inn-bacon, eggs, lobster Alfredo, shrimp bruscetta, flour less chocolate cake, cheesecake and creme brulee. 

 Then we discovered the next ferry ride back was in 1 1/2 hours so we took a walk around the island. Grace's legs got tired so she got a piggy back. 

 I told them one of my presents was a nice picture of them. This was the best one I could get. 

 Taco didn't know about Mothers Day so he didn't get me anything. His birthday is coming up soon so I'll remember this. 

A Short Film By Taco & Carly

Taco and Carly entertain the neighborhood with this song every morning while they wait to go to the dog park. Carly is on lead vocals and Taco provides back-up. 

How To Spend A Saturday

 I woke up yesterday morning knowing the house needed cleaning and I had to go to the grocery store. It seems my weekends always get used up doing things like that. I decided, that while still doing what needed to be done, I was going to make sure we did some fun stuff too. 

  The snow is finally gone and it was a sunny but not too warm day. Declan was up for walking the 3 1/2 miles with me around Back Cove. I'm ashamed to say that the last time I did this, Declan was in his stroller. 

A quick stop off at the ropes course. I might try to do it myself next time. 

3 1/2 miles is longer than it sounds. We had to take several rest breaks. I made the mistake of wearing new sneakers. I'm still lame today from them. 

Then, in the afternoon, we went to the Maine Wildlife Park in Gray. We used to go there a lot when the kids were little.  Declan had done a school report on the lynx and he wanted to see one in person. It's sleeping just over his right shoulder. 

 The moose is always a big draw and we were lucky that one of them was hanging out by the fence. It was ignoring everyone but Declan made so much noise trying to get his attention, that he finally turned and looked right at us. He did not seem amused. 

My favorite are the peacocks. They must have been confiscated from someone because they definitely are not native to Maine. They always make a lot of noise but I have never seen them spread their feathers open.
Then we went home and cleaned the house and did the grocery shopping. 

My Favorite Things

Time for another edition of my favorite things....

 For my birthday, Tim upgraded my IPhone from a 3 to a 5. I was happy with the 3 but it took terrible pictures. Part of that was probably me but the 5 is so much better at it. I've even opened an Instagram account and I am trying hard not to get addicted to it. 

My  wooden wick candle. There is a more famous maker brand of them but I found this one at AC Moore and I am in love. So much so that I bought another one before the first one was done and I might have to buy some more because I freaked myself out that they might stop making them. Instead of the traditional wax wick, there is a wide sliver of wood that burns. You can actually hear it crackle and you can pretend it's your imaginary fireplace doing it. It's plain vanilla but with cedar mixed in and the scent is heavenly. 

 The other day at work, I walked into someones office that I have been in a million times and I noticed this TV for the first time. I might have had a mini freakout because I fell in love at first sight.  She actually had two of them and she picked one up and handed it to me to keep. I miss these old wooden TV's and I would buy another one in a minute if they started making them again. This ceramic one is open at the top to use as a pencil holder but I'm just keeping it empty. The front is also a picture frame where the screen is so I have to find a picture of David Letterman to fit in there. 

 I have always wanted one of those big Keep Calm posters but I really had no place to put one.  I walked past the greeting cards at the supermarket and noticed this red glittery card one and I knew I had room for that plus it was so much cheaper. I bought a shadowbox frame for it but I still need to buy a mat for it because it's just sort of floating around in there. All for a grand total of $10. 

Don't you just love those end caps at Target where they put all their markdowns? That's where I found this huge enamel bowl that was only $4.98. It's actually a serving bowl but won't use it for that. Right now it's staying in my living room. I know I'm going to come home one day to find Taco sleeping in it. 

School Days

School conferences are a chance for us to go to the kids schools and embarrass them. The conferences themselves are always good but it freaks me out to see them getting older when it seems like I was in school not that long ago. I guess it was a million years ago though. 

 I'm embarrassed to say that I've never noticed this huge map on the wall at Declans school even though he and Grace have both had classrooms in this hallway. Our map was painted out on the playground and was way more fun. 

 Grace's conferences are a little different. The students are in charge of them and a lot of it involves them using their laptops to demonstrate. A little different than in my day. Grace didn't want us to see inside her locker. It still freaks me out that she is even old enough to have a locker. 

All in all, the teachers consensus it that they are both good kids who do their work but we already knew that. 

Getting Old Sucks

 Is there anything worse than a nursing home? My grandmother was in one for about 2 years down in New Jersey and I used to go down with my mother to visit her. It was a nice one but it still smelled like urine and the people were sad to see. It was like they had given up and you couldn't blame them. 

My father went into the hospital for pneumonia sometime in February I think. My mother said they both had been sick but his turned into something worse and she had to call the ambulance. She told me he looked so bad that she thought her next call after that would be to the funeral director. He was in the hospital for a few weeks and he got better. The problem was, he wasn't well enough to go home. He would have to go into a nursing home for a few weeks before that could happen. We've been down this route before and it infuriates him. Back before he got sick, he always told us he would rather have us shoot him in the woods then put him into a nursing home. None of us own guns so that's not an option. 

So now he has been at this home up in Farmington. It's hard to get up there to visit him between work, family and only having one car that is making a funny new noise. 

I went up to see him right before Easter. He was sitting in a wheelchair next to his bed and he was staring out the window. I will say that he has a nice view of the woods and the river. He didn't have his glasses on so I'm not sure what he was looking at. I had to find his glasses and his teeth and turn his TV to PBS so he could watch the shows he likes. It was on Lifetime when I got there. Not sure why that was. It's a good nursing home and the nurses are nice but they are short staffed like most of these places are. He and my mother had a meeting with them this week and they were very surprised when my father  spoke up and let them know exactly what he wanted to have happen. I guess he has been very quiet while he was there and he made them sit up and pay attention. The good news is that he is going to be coming home in about a week. My mother is very happy about this too because drive to see him is too much for her and she is lonely and a little scared living alone in the woods. 

I can't help looking at this picture of my father and his parents back in 1944 when he was 16. Getting old isn't even on his mind here. He probably just wants to work on his car and stay out of World War II.