Blurry Days

Just got back from three weeks at RVR. (What?!? It was only four days? Yikes. That helps explain my fatigue. Fit an awful lot into those weeks. I mean days.)

I WILL catch up here. I must. My sanity has become somewhat dependent upon it. Some of you may question whether I have any sanity at all, as I spent those days at RVR sleeping in a tent, and the last night was spent w/my kids in there, too. We did this last summer, but last summer was cooler and my tent was pitched in a breezy spot right next to a delightful, gurgling stream under a huge shade tree. Unfortunately, since that particular spot was under seven feet of water during last August's flash flood at RVR, we decided I should find myself another spot.

So I did. Barbara and Kevin are RVR staff & have a wonderfully secluded spot most folks would never find while visiting RVR. However, their property has nary a flat spot that is also shaded, so I picked the least sloping place I could find and went for it. This was decent when I was sleeping alone, but was like sleeping on a ship tossed on a stormy sea while sleeping w/two sweaty girls in their underwear. It was also ridiculously hot, so I whipped off the rainfly at about 10pm Sunday night to cool it off. This was nice, but when I saw lightening about 2 am, I decided I should probably put it back on. I'd almost forgotten what piece-meal sleep was like. You w/little babies are smiling and nodding.

One gets fairly dirty at RVR, and kids get downright filthy. And I forgot to bring shampoo. It was after midnight my second day (Saturday), that I was trying to wash my hair w/a bar of soap and wondering when I am going to learn to be a better planner. I need my own intern. I didn't even bother to bathe the kids when they were up there Sunday and Monday, just let them play in the stream.

Now I'm home. Feels great. I know I'll look forward to my upcoming weeks at RVR in a tent, but right now I'm looking forward to catching up on my rest, using shampoo, and sleeping completely horizontally.

And, for those who read the last post, I should mention that I actually own, listen to, and enjoy CDs by Nora Jones and Harry Connick, Jr. ;0

Confessions of a Plagiarist (OR: Death of a Nickname)

Every now and then I get a hearty belly laugh out of reading a blog by a city journalist who met a cowboy in a bar, got married, and now lives in the middle of nowhere homeschooling four kids on a ranch. (No mystery her appeal to me!) She's hilarious and has great recipes. You can find her here.

Anyway, she always calls her husband, "Marlboro Man," and I got this great idea that I would call MY husband something cool, too, so I spent a few of my own posts calling Alan "Jazzman." I thought I was clever and funny, which only made me write more words for the six of you to wade through as you looked for cute pictures and anecdotes about my kids.

Problem is, I never actually asked Alan if I could call him "Jazzman," and since he is one of the six people who reads the blog, I probably should have done so simply out of respect for his position as a shareholder, not to mention his role in creating and maintaining the lives of the two little people we started the blog in the first place to share.

"Jazzman" might conjure up in your minds a misleading idea of what Alan's music sounds like. Most of the artists you find in the "Jazz" section of Barnes & Noble make Alan wince. (Chris Botti, Nora Jones, Harry Conick, Jr., and--worst of all--Kenny G, to name a few.) If you want to hear music that Alan finds inspirational, just go to the website of the record label, ECM, and take a listen to pretty much anyone there.

The best way, of course, to find out what Alan's music is like is to listen to it. I think his website is really cool, as is his music. And, I think it is really interesting being married to someone whose circles of people include Icelandic musicians, NYC artists, and that many of them log time as our house guests.

So, that is why Alan is back to being Alan and I am back to failing to be concise as I record these snippets of life so that I don't forget them. I just have to remember to put it on a thumb drive now and then! (And thanks for keeping up with us here--it's nice to have you paging through our photo album together!)

"Baby Brain"

That's what Alan calls what has happened to him in the years since having children. This morning's example: he poured cereal into his coffee mug.

Indigestion inspires Inspiration

Overheard in the back seat yesterday: Amelia sang her own lyrics to the tune of "Jesus Loves the Little Children."

I am burping all the ti-ime
I am burping all the time!
I am burping all the time, I am burping all the time,
I am burping, I am burping all the time.


The pictures have nothing to do w/the song. I just stuck them here because we love the hand-me-down chiminea from Aunt Barbara & Uncle Diego. And I love the pics of the girls. We discovered that mini-marshmallows toast in a very toddler-friendly time span, & the smoke keeps the insects at bay.

Memorial Day

We did a lot of yard work Memorial Day weekend, and Alan and I even slipped in a date night to see "Robin Hood." I love going to the movies, and going as rarely as we do makes me that much more giddy about it. We had gift cards, and I ordered popcorn AND pretzel nuggets. I'm such a hog. And we liked the movie--we have a penchant for period pieces.

On Monday, Alan was inspired to go fishing, so we headed out to Loch Raven Reservoir.

It was pretty hot, and the girls and I hiked for over an hour in the woods (I know, I am ridiculously pale. Why can't I be like a piece of wood and get darker w/age?? Instead, I'm FADING.) We had a blast, and then we cooled our feet in the reservoir while Alan fished.

AND, he caught a blue gill, which was about the most fascinating thing in Evelyn's life to that point. We wrapped it in tin foil and cooked it on the grill when we got home, and all of us stood around it, simultaneously eating its meat and exploring its insides in a rather unscientific dissection. Neither girl was bothered at all by what happens to a fish's eyeballs when you cook it, or by having to decapitate it, or by splitting it open and dumping out the guts. I was very proud.

We cooked the rest of our dinner on the grill, too, and ate al fresco. We have to do that as much as possible before the mosquitoes form ranks and invade. But, on this Memorial Day, the humans had control of the back yard and celebrated fittingly.

A Weekend at Bucknell

The Kennedy Fam had so much fun celebrating Lindsy's graduation! The wee cousins frolicked at a local playground, and then at an evening party at Lindsy's house, where they spent hours creating their own line of green fashions out of weeds from the back yard.

The next day, we opted for the playground during the ceremony itself and fellowshipped afterward at a nice luncheon. Bucknell hosted us all quite nicely--the dorm rooms were kind of fun (the girls slept on the floor & we slept in twin beds) and I was reminded of camping by having to walk the hall to the bathroom. I did forget, however, that there is definitely an art to having your toiletries perfectly assembled and portable.

I include some pics Evelyn took--just love the closeups of Meme and Uncle Diego! Congrats Lindsy!! Can't wait to see what's next for you, cousin.

Cousin Time

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On face book a while back I joked that I only have two first cousins left on either side of my family who've not stayed overnight at our house. That post was inspired by an overnight stay by cousin Stacey and her husband, Brad, who made their last cross-country stop on their move from CA to NJ for his military job.

They had their dogs with them, which was a THRILL for the girls. All of us even walked Evelyn to school the next morning (in spite of drizzly weather), which prepped us well for the following weekend at Bucknell. (To be continued!)

This is what happens when...

...you don't finish asking the question, "Mommy, is this hot?" before you touch her in-use hair straightening iron on the bathroom counter.

The Kitty Party!

Kitty games, kitty beds, kitties keeping their remarkable balance on all fours on lines on the sidewalk, kitties eating Captain Crunch Cat Food out of bowls on the porch, kitties devouring kitty desserts, and Aunt Lisa with her kitty gift to Amelia (which purrs & meows & walks--and does NOT make Alan sneeze!)

Thanks to all who came & stroked one very happy birthday kitty's virtual fur.