The Red Wagon

We got a red wagon in anticipation of taking the kids to Disney World for the first time.
If you are thinking the same.... don't. Buy it for another reason. About any other reason.


I'll tell you why. The van with 6 people in it can only hold so much. That wagon took up the trunk pretty effectively.

Imagine arriving at the park with 4 excited kids, 8, 5, 3, 2 who had never been, whose minds might literally e  x  p  l  o  d  e in the anticipation and getting that red wagon all loaded up with snacks, rain coats, lunch, sippy cups etc. Hauling the kids up to the Tram in the wagon and being told you can't take your pretty red wagon.

So we'd have to go back to the van, figure out how to carry all our stuff... and thinking ahead to tired feet and tired legs and tired bodies who would want to be carried, who wouldn't want to carry their own coats by wearing them and who would have no care for how much Mom and Dad were carrying already or how badly the bum-wheeled shopping cart messed up Mom's back the day before. All while the kids are asking WHY? and When can we go? and a myriad of other questions; so it makes it nearly impossible for Mom and Dad to think of solutions.

And imagine, because it would totally happen that the 2 year old would start wandering off in between cars and make a game of hiding... and inevitably someone (Dad) would raise his voice and some "concerned citizen" would call DCFS because Mom was hauling a screaming child away from a car door that he was desperately clinging too.

Then imagine that someone (Dad) threatens the kids that if they don't stop asking questions we are going to load back up in the van and go home. Of course they wouldn't stop asking questions and since Mom and Dad still don't have a solution and now are worn out already and are trying to stick to their resolve on following through on "threats".... They load the screamer, the crier and the angry and disbelieving kids in the van and try to then decide if they really go home or if they go buy ANOTHER stroller....

Hope you got a pretty good picture there. I sure did.

Thankfully, I did just imagine all this because Disney World does not allow wagons.

We discovered this the night before we left. Like 11pm.

What a blessing.

Staying up late deciding which to take (Stroller or pram) made for a much better day than if we had showed up at the gates with our shiny, new, red wagon, personalized and everything.

We ended up taking the pram and then for spring break the next week did buy a double/ sit and stand stroller. If Giddy could share the pram would have been great, but he's a super jealous youngest child and it wasn't happening.

The Red Wagon (Part 2)

So here we have this nonreturnable personalized wagon. Which, let's be honest, I've always wanted for my kids. So we let them play with it in the yard, and we go on walks with it.

Sunday evening we went on a walk with it after General Conference.

We turned down a street we never have before. Neither of us brought any electronic devices, and finding ourselves in a dead end had to turn around. By this time the kids were tired and had switched in and out of the wagon walking or riding and Giddy was getting all jealous of Mom holding hands with Dad so the middle two were in the wagon. Olea trailed with us.

I watched the middle two and listened to their laughter as they leaned over the side of the wagon trailing sticks in the white shell-sand road. I soaked in the feeling of Giddy clutching tightly around my neck as I held him on my chest. I wanted a picture, but didn't have one so took a snapshot with my heart.

Life at it's best.


The Red Wagon

Daddy pulls the red wagon 
In a winding path
Creating soft ruts in the fragmented shells
Their two heads jostle 
each on a soft arm resting over the side
Their other arms drag a stick pressed into the ground
Like sparklers in the sandy road
leaving snakelike wiggles behind them for the length of our travel
Giggles at the simple joy peak and die
as they watch the sand spray
and listen to it grind and fall
In harmony with the wagon wheels
She wanders behind
skipping back and forth in the lines
as Daddy pulls the red wagon.


Hold
 
His arms clutch 
warm and squishy 
solid in his resolve 
to hang on
to Mommy
I wrap my arms
snug against him 
creating a seat
hanging on to my hips to anchor it
as I walk with him
carried against me
his sweet curls catch
in my eyes 
his kisses saturate my cheek 
his little hands pat my back
renew and tighten his grip 

A new chin

Nope. Not plastic surgery.

I haven't seen my husband's chin for 8 years except a short lived appearance in about 2008. I am hoping the appearance will be at least as shortly lived this time around. But that's selfish and conceited of me. Both appearances were dictated by his obedience to a clean shaven recommendation to participate in church callings. So since I encouraged his latest one... I will probably be seeing his chin reappear and slowly disappear over and over. I guess that's okay. It is just SO different. He's half Irish so facial hair doesn't come in large quantity or quick growth.

Engagement:
Newlywed:

after College Graduation:

The mustache was briefly introduced in 2008:

 I did not approve:

But it came back in 2011:

Pirate:

Recent:

This Past week The Before and After:

 The process:

He was going to see what he had in way of a beard, but it was looking pretty patchy and while I was searching for pictures he was upstairs shaving everything but the goatee.

Looking back to find these pictures has been fun. Makes me appreciate my husband's looks more. We're coming up on 10 years. 

And this one, because it is one of my favorites, but not of me. :0) The date on the picture is SO off.

Giddy Grows and grows

For the past two years I have taken a picture of my baby boy on the same (or close to the same) day each month. When the alarm when off mid day I did my best to put him in the chair covered by the blanket my best friend made him and took a picture. Some times he was playing with a toy, sometimes he was grumpy, messy faced, covered in bug bites, usually his hair was messed up and his hands were dirty. He was often uncooperative but somehow I managed a picture every month. I even went through a period where I considered changing out the backdrop due to sad life events but I am glad I decided not to.

I could have made it a lot of stress or cost by getting him all handsome and taking him somewhere to get his picture taken or even setting up the perfect lighting at home etc, but I function on "get it done" and I am so glad I didn't let things get in the way of taking a simple picture each month.

I have compiled some of the shots as they are and a version of his sweet face close up, which is fun to look at in order and see the change.

 

I should have done it with all my kids. I think I was too stressed about making them look perfect for a picture that I let that excuse get in the way. Shame on me.

24  months. Holy wow. 2 years of my life with this boy. This amazing spirited miracle. I could write a big ode to him, but you still wouldn't get how special he is, how witty and coy, how full of expression and how smart. And that's okay. Someday some special girl will be his lucky wife and she'll know all about it.

One day after we passed the 1 year mark Gary asked me how long are you going to do that? (speaking of taking a monthly picture).
I don't know. Maybe till that day when he moves out... :)

Gary and Giddy's birthday's are a day apart so we celebrated them the same day with their own personalized cake. No one else appreciates carrot cake so Gary got his little square and Giddy got a lego cake. Nothing too fancy but full of love.

Merry Christmas!

Daytona Bike Week

Living near Daytona, it was fitting, especially since Gary and I had just bought a new motorcycle, that we attend in some fashion Daytona Bike week. Last year while we were here for our house closing we had Giddy with us and as a newborn we just took him along with Gary's co-worker. Giddy garnered a lot of attention.
"Training him up right."
"You brought a BABY to bike week?"
"That's how you do it."
"Oh look! a baby!"

This year we took in some of the day time fair things to see at the Speedway. And then meandered over to the beach.

There were lots of pretty bikes and a few of these sorts of oddities:

 I thought these were cool

 This was for my friend, Brenda

 We test drove a Raider, which was Gary's dream bike... after riding it we sure do think our current bike is best. He has no more romantic notions of the Raider. :)

 Our bike, however, after going to Bike week he had his eye on Mustang Seats...

 ugh V8 bikes are SO ugly and ridiculous IMHO

 that's colorful

 Parking on the main street

 The OCC Wild West bike.

 Daytona Beach

 And just for the fun of it some Temporary Tats.

 and because we are sooo refined and serious about it: monkeys

 oddities

Riding down the main street

 and off home!

Nev and Daddy

Zurich accidentally bonked Nev on their way up the stairs to bed. Nev came down to us, I had to translate for Gary as she was talking to him and he didn't understand. She wanted a bandaid (didn't need one). So he pulled out his imaginary bandaids and went through a whole charade picking one out (princess) unwrapping it and putting it on her. She was very interested but when it was all said and done she said desperately, "No dad, I want a bandaid."

So Gary took her upstairs and put a monster bandaid on her (because we have a ton of them). She was all proud as she came to show me but as her face moved in excitement and the bandaid caused issue she was sad,"it doesn't fit!" and turned around in panic/ embarrassment.
She decided she didn't need a bandaid anymore.

Gary was helping her brush her teeth and alerted me to the fact that she had a fairy in her mouth. We all got a look at the cute fairy and then she washed it down with a drink of water. Her tongue has healed up nicely from when she pretty much bit through it.

Gary and Nev have a very sweet relationship. Mutual adoration. She can melt his heart so fast. Gary often comments on the fact that one of his favorite things is hearing Nev sing. She sings in a sweet soft falsetto while she plays. Most of the time her dollies are in a musical. Gary will even take a part in her musical with her and the dollies. It is so sweet.

Coretta

Sent from my iPod touch

baseball hat

My husband isn't a fan of baseball, but he sure likes the hats.

The first glimpse my kids got of their dad, he was wearing a baseball hat.
#1
#2
#3
#4
So it's no surprise that they associate a baseball cap with dad.

After washing Gideon off after a meal I found a baseball cap that someone had left on the bathroom shelf. I put it on Giddy while he was looking in the mirror. He said, "Hi, Dad." Yup, you must be dad if you are wearing a baseball cap.