Oh, the games we play...

These Kennedy sisters--Shelley, Kristina, Kaitlin, and Sarah--and I were up until nearly 3 am playing "Guesstures." Kristina, from now on whenever I choke, I will think "I've got something stuck in my drainpipe!"

And a gathering would NOT be complete without dancing. Uncle Paul, I have NO idea what you and I are doing, but I think you have lovely hand positions. (Evelyn may have taken that picture.)

The video captures a little more of the traditional aspect of the dance. Perhaps the little cousins will aspire to this!

Cousin Kaitlin--you're on my LIST!

When I turned 40, I decided to keep a list for a year compiling 40 things I'd never done before. Well, when the Kennedy cousins visited, I got to add MEETING COUSIN KAITLIN (#32)! Here we are at the MD Science Center, standing next to the imprints of our faces (Seen better in next photo's angle. They look like something out of Star Wars.) We also stained bacteria in the Wet Lab--but my camera was dead. (Not that stained bacteria make great blog photos, but we did look pretty cool in our lab coats and protective eye wear.)

Here she helps Kristina entertain Amelia, and below, a clip of Kaitlin back at the Science Center using a pulley to raise herself off the ground. So good to meet you, Cuz!

The ND farm comes to MD!

My mom's grandparents were immigrants who homesteaded in ND, & their farm--still in the family--has been sort of a Mecca ever since, w/folks visiting on & off through most every summer.

However, last week Maryland had a little farm flavor when Uncle Paul visited from AZ w/3 of his daughters--Kristina & Kaitlin from TX (not only teenage sisters, but best friends) & Sarah from NJ (getting her PhD in Literature from Rutgers). It was great to see Shelley with 3 of her sisters! Aunt Barbara joined us as well, dropping off cousin Kelby for 4 weeks of volunteer work at RVR.

The Ranch was the setting for our belated celebration of Mom's birthday, followed by a refreshing dip in the pool. (Thank you, Jon, for marrying Courtney & adding some COLOR to this bunch!) Love the shots of Sarah w/Anna, and Aidan & Courtney w/their COOL goggles!

Jon was delighted to be in the company of fellow red heads Kristina & Kaitlin, respectively, & below is the birthday girl w/some grandkids amongst the teepees of Arrowhead Woods.
There are 2 versions of "Happy Birthday" because I wanted the most footage of the most people. One is the singing version, and the other our attempt to play it on dollar-store party blowers, which is basically an a-tonal screech-fest. You may want your mute button handy.

Finally, Uncle Paul's back flip--mighty impressive!

Thank you, Uncle Paul, & Kennedy cousins, for coming to MD to make memories and deepen our connections with one another! There will be more posts to come with other pictures from your visit. :)

Some Evelyn Stories

We've had a few days with our Kennedy cousins (pictures to come!) doing a lot of fun things. Thursday we rode the Water Taxi around the harbor, and my mom was trying to encourage Evelyn to SIT in her seat by the railing. Mom added a little fear factor by telling her that if she didn't sit down she could fall out of the boat. Evelyn's response? "Oh, that's ok. Mommy will save me." (I admit I was sweetly flattered!)

We all met my dad and Shelley at the Rusty Scupper later that day, where we sat near the piano player. Amelia & Evelyn danced so energetically that Evelyn's pants fell down, & when the enthusiasm didn't wane, I had to remove her to a quiet spot for a few minutes. I had her by the hand as we walked past a large, African American man leaning on a railing talking on his phone. Just as we passed him, Evelyn reached up and popped him right on his back side. I was so shocked I didn't even really respond, just sped up and bee-lined for the bathroom. (I might leap overboard in an instant to save you, but I'll just run away if you need a mature, socially acceptable apology.)

Yesterday, eleven of us went to lunch at Bertucci's. I'd strapped Amelia into a high chair when I realized Evelyn was gone. Courtney and I circled the restaurant and she was nowhere. Fending off panic, we headed back towards our table when I heard Uncle Paul say, "Here she is!" She was coming out of the men's room. Fortunately the restaurant was virtually empty & the men's room had been unoccupied.

I am currently searching for techniques to keep my curious, energetic, and un-shy children by my side and in my sight in public. Do share! I'd prefer to do this without leashes, although I have much less disdain now for people who use them. :)

A work in progress...

When Jen was here in May she did some background vocals for one of Tim's songs--it sounds GOOD. No, the CD isn't done yet...but the anticipation is building, and it will be worth it! It's so great to have such talented friends.

More Birthdays!

Tim and Maddie celebrated on the 11th and 13th respectively, and I think this picture captures an older-looking Maddie (it was taken by 2 year old Amelia, which is why it is askant and the top of Maddie's head is shaved off.) The picture of Tim was taken at Top Floor Studios (a.k.a. our very cool attic, guest room, and office space)--who cares if you're getting older if you write great music and record it in a studio?

Happy birthday to two people who've contributed so much "topia" to Hamiltopia!

Growing up...

There are just some pictures that you take as a parent, and when you look at them, your children look, well, different...older. Maybe it's because we aren't usually fortunate enough to capture Amelia's smile that these struck us...or maybe she really is TWO and she'll never be a baby again. Sigh.

She is talking so much ("I wahn doot my by self!" is my current favorite) and is silently mischievous. She's a snuggler, and loves when we sing "In God's Green Pastures" or "Rock A-Bye Baby" or "Jesus Loves Me."


And thank you, cousin Darcy, for saying Evelyn has "Joie de Vivre!" It fits her perfectly, and puts the positive spin on things when we are trying to channel those wild tendencies into the right choices. Here she is (on the table, of course--one of the things I say most when we are "doing school" is, "Evelyn, get off the table") building a tower out of magic markers. Nice to see the JOY instead of the potential disaster, since markers cannot become a tower unless their caps are OFF and ready to dive onto the carpet...that's where blogging is so good...helps me to dwell on the good...(Philippians 4 is coming to mind!)

Thank you, Aunt Cari, for calling last night in tears to say you couldn't believe how much they were growing up (thanks to the blog, again!), because it made me sit down and reflect--two things of which I do not get enough!

Thank you, Lord, for these beautiful girls! They ARE growing up, and it is a delight to watch, participate, and enjoy.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Our family has a tradition of calling each other on our birthdays and singing Happy Birthday over the phone. In the spirit of blogging, we video taped them leaving my mom her birthday message. It is not at all perfect, but because Mom lives her life with joy and contentment even when things do not go as planned, it is a good launching point for some reflections on her.

If you met her on the street, you would not guess she'd battled three types of cancer (including chemo & radiation for breast cancer), Typhoid fever (contracted on a "second honeymoon" she & dad had in Mexico 25 years ago), and has a pacemaker. She works out, walks, and does a lot of things for others. She has this hilarious habit of leaving a funny story incomplete because she is laughing too uncontrollably to finish telling it. She is not the person who will tell you that you look great when you don't, nor is she the person who will gush over you until you are tired of yourself. She is, instead, someone who will just do the stuff of life WITH you, whether it is outrageous or normal, and she is a good friend. She accompanied all my college and graduate voice recitals (wowing the faculty) and went with me to the birthing classes when I was pregnant with Evelyn since Alan had to work. She encouraged me to think for myself and to make sure that I was "rightly dividing the Word of Truth," and not just taking someone else's word for it (including hers.) May we teach our girls that, too.

Happy Birthday, Mom. We love you.

THIS is the CITY?

At heart, I am a country girl. So there are times, in the practice of contentment, I remind myself of the ways my urban life can reflect the simple joys of rural life.

1. Our Hamiltopia weekly meals, where deep connections are nurtured through the fellowship that happens naturally around food. (That is a black bean on Andy's teeth, not a gap--a rural/urban joke could fit here if I was clever. And click on the picture to discover even more of the deep, sophisticated level on which we are all connected.)

2. Our porch swing (seen here when cousin Lindsy visited) is a huge, personal taste of rural serenity.
3. Good neighbors--like our friends up the street (yes, this is their back yard--in the CITY!) who invited us to their children's HUGE pirate-themed birthday party--are always willing to lend a hand, visit, or share in some good, old-fashioned fun.













4. Our clothesline, where I not only hang clothes (really!), but homemade, finger-paint wrapping paper (yes, I braved mess to make art!)

5. Local parks, like Herring Run, where Shelley, the girls & I hiked recently (walking distance from our house!) They loved this meadow, & here's Evelyn swinging on her first vine!













6. Good friends, like Vicky, who lives only a few miles from us in the Inner Harbor, who include us in the simple yet profound experiences of each day, like sharing a morning at her condominium's lovely pool.

Yes, I LOVE living in the city.

"...be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" (Hebrews 13:5)

"But godliness with contentment is great gain." (I Timothy 6:6)

A Laid-Back 4th of July

(So laid back, in fact, that I'm posting 3 days later.) We went to my parents' house & had a simple, help-yourself meal on their back porch (the Hamiltopia vibe!), then sat on their lawn hoping for a neighborhood fireworks display. There wasn't much, so we fed the girls freezie-pops in the tub (which they LOVED) while Alan and Opah watched the Orioles game. (And check out Evelyn--we're growing out her bangs, which is much more an exercise in leaving the barrette IN her hair. I think this cute ponytail lasted about 15 minutes--a record!) Thanks, Mom and Dad, for a relaxing Independence Day!

More Kees, please!

This is Henry. He loves trash. Well, he loves trash REMOVAL. And recycling. (Click here to see his unique 5th birthday party.) His dad is my cousin, & when they visited last week, he immediately noticed our cans on the street for pickup. He was intrigued to learn that, unlike his state of FL, where trash trucks have arms in front that pick up the cans, in Baltimore actual MEN pick them up, & they HANG off the BACK of the TRUCKS as they DRIVE!

Well, Henry waited. And waited. The girls played around him as he waited & took pictures of him as he waited. He requested a turn with the camera and took pictures of--you guessed it--our trash cans. Alyson says he gets his patience from Patrick.

Poor Henry. Baltimore trash trucks don't really have ETAs. We ran out of time. He dealt amazingly with this disappointment. (We were very impressed overall with how well behaved Henry & Ceci are. FL Kees, you are doing a GREAT job. I'm sure Patrick's patience comes in handy!)

We couldn't wait any longer because we had to go to IKEA. Yes, I WENT SHOPPING. Alyson inspired me. We dropped the 3 big kids off at the play area (nice feature) and the perusal & purchase of goods was, I admit, fun. We ended with lunch in the IKEA cafeteria (another nice feature). It was awesome to fellowship with the cousins!!

Florida Kees, we hope you had a safe (and SMOOTH!) drive home. Hope to see you at Christmas. Oh, and I found one of Malcolm's bottles. I will try to mail it back before he is too old to drink from it anymore. I once had an out-of-town friend's Bible for a year. (And she was a friend who really read her Bible.) Fortunately for me, the Bible encourages repentance and forgiveness, and she and I are still friends. :)

"...but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another..." (I John 1:7)

God answers prayer

Yesterday Evelyn and I were in the car when I heard her say enthusiastically, "I'm painting with my water bottle!" At the next red light I turned to see that she had poured its entire contents on the cloth back seat. I can't remember exactly the sounds/words that came out of my mouth (let's just say it was not a stellar moment for me), but Evelyn immediately closed her eyes and said, "Dear Jesus, thank you for the Lord and for everyone. Please help Mommy not be grumpy."

"Let your gentleness be evident to all...Do not be anxious for anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace that transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." (Phil.4:5-7)

"A wise man's heart guides his mouth, & his lips promote instruction. Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul & healing to the bones." Pr.16:23-24