POP

Thought I'd continue in the same vein as yesterday...

Easter 2007...the whole beautiful brood!

Can you tell we take it cas (that is, casual) in these parts

...quite a bit different from my coastal S.C. upbringing!

Hmmm...never noticed that leaf hanging off of Josie's head before...

...as he's the jokester in the family, that probably was not accidental  :o)

Here, let's try this one...

We were all hanging outside a bit after church, enjoying the really nice weather.

That's the cozy carriage house in the background...a nice, quaint, 2-story,

2-bedroom feature of our old home that I really miss.

While we're at it, let's call the roll of all the friends and family

who've lived there over the years:

Auntie Danise

(Job's godmother and my beautiful close friend from college)

Auntie Adriene

(Johngideon's godmother and my beautiful close friend from early adulthood)

Auntie Joanne

(Josiah's godmother...and the only real-live-actual-family auntie in the bunch

...and yes, she's the same frequently mentioned "auntie" of our blog)

Uncle Desmond

 (nobody's godfather!...just kidding Des...

...an awesome family friend from our college days)

Grandma Tee

(everyone's grandmother...Craig's mom who came to give me a hand

when I was adjusting to life with five children, just after Montgomery was born)

and

Ms. Bobbi (someone else's close family friend who came with

her vicious dog "Kujo" (not his real name but should have been) 

and her portable six-foot-high fence to keep him from killing our children

...while she went away on business trips to other cities

...needless to say, that didn't last too long...but longer than it should have!)

Craig and I used to joke that because we moved to Baltimore with no family

and knowing next to no one, we brought out "own" family village with us

through the series of carriage house residents over the years.

Maybe so, but they all enriched our lives immensely in the process

...and we like to think we've enriched theirs too!

Much Love. Take Care.

 

The Unthinkable

So, it's taken me awhile to post this one, because...it's confession time...we have done the unthinkable (but TRUST ME, we will NEVER do it again!)...we [gulp]...kinda [cold sweat]...sorta [giant throat lump]...maybe [dropping crocodile tears now]...forgot AUNTIE'S BIRTHDAY!! UGH!!!!!

Yes...I know...we are equally horrified here.

And yes, I learned earlier this week that NOBODY forgets birthdays anymore, because apparently Facebook sends reminders to all of your "friends" on your birthday, letting them know it's your birthday, so you can paste (is that even the right word) birthday messages on their boards...or is it wall? So, we are therefore now embarrassed and outed...NO, we have not joined the Facebook Nation!...yet...because now I imagine we'll have to, if for no other reason than to receive the handy birthday reminders!

However...as it's said in certain parts of the country...in certain neighborhoods (of which I, yes, have been acquainted ;o)...LET THA RECKA SHO we have NEVER (and I DO mean NEVER) forgotten Auntie's birthday before...ever...really!

I just don't know what happened! Yes, it was a very busy week. And yes I had a meeting and other running-around-stuff going on that day that I don't normally do. And yes, Craig did explode the platter of fresh-from-the-hot-oven-but-placed-on-a-cold-tile-counter fish all over the kitchen and the other uncovered dishes he had prepared for dinner that day (including a very-unusual-for-us platter of freshly fried chicken). But really, now, it is just shameful! Two weeks prior I was even discussing with my mother-in-law the fact that Joanne's birthday was on the horizon. And then I must have blanked out until this previous Wednesday (four days after her birthday, mind you), when I had this moment of cold panic (in the bathroom of course), and called Craig moaning "WHEN was the 20th??" "Did we see Joanne that day?" And poor oblivious Craig says, "that was Sunday" and "sure, she was here, for a while" rather calmly until I dropped the gut-wrenching "Craig, we missed her birthday! Sunday was her birthday!" [Stunned silence.]

Yes, so now we are doubly horrified, as I'm sure you are too, because not only did we forget her birthday, like distantly on the telephone, but we forgot her birthday sitting around...chatting with her...in person.

Fortunately, Joanne, our children's dearly beloved Auntie and our dearly beloved sister, forgave us (and can you believe never even mentioned it) and still came with Adrian (her beaux) to visit us this past weekend...

...(and with a big trunkful of the children's favorite items from Costco...how's that for unconditional love), where we had a beautiful pink strawberry cake with fresh strawberries (she likes frutti-patutti stuff) waiting...

...with a certain number of candles on it  ;o)  and a gift she'll enjoy, and Josiah (her dearly beloved Godson) had made her some chocolate-covered strawberries...and we had a nice, noisy dinner...

...and sang a nice, soulful Stevie Wonder version "Happy Birthday" song...

...and shared the love...

...and talked and laughed, and promised her and ourselves (in the words of Tiana from Princess and The Frog) to NEVER, never, never, ever, evah, NEVAH forget...her birthday...again.  [Facebook, here we come!]

We love you Auntie Jo-Jo!

Take Care. Much Love.

Again

We woke up this morning to the scene above...so much for my posts last week celebrating the 74 degree weather! Good thing we enjoyed it while it lasted!

So, since it was yet another snow day and all schools were closed again, Gommy enjoyed an invitation to visit a little friend down the street to play, and she took along the final two really-cool-heart-shaped-cookies-that-came-with-flavored-markers-for-actually-coloring-your-designs-on-them that Auntie Joanne (of course!) had given her...

 ...although it took awhile to walk there...

...because stepping off the path into the snow every 10 feet or so was just too appealing!  :o)

She eventually made it.

Take care. Much love.

I Didn't Know...

So I thought I knew the things that made my children glow with delight, but I learned something new today. Auntie Joanne walked in the door with a treat that had the younger set smiling with glee as they rushed for their handfuls...

Costco Churros!

Apparently there's even a repetitive jingle the kids sing to express their delight over these sugary cinnamony sweet twisted dough delectables!

Who knew? Auntie, of course!

Thanks Auntie!

Take care. Much love.

Josiah turns 12!

I can't believe another year has passed already...Josiah turned 12 earlier this week! And, in his classically Josiah-esque sense of humor, he informed me that this was the last year ever in his life that his age would be one syllable!

Craig and I took him to one of our favorite local breakfast spots, Cafe Hon.

 Pure "Bawlmer" baby...where else could you find a beloved giant pink flamingo gracing the front door...and wall...and roof...

..and flamingos in every window  :o)

We then grabbed Maia and went to hear Job give his senior speech at his high school. Very enjoyable experience, thought-provoking, funny yet sobering (dichotomous I know)...I was sick that I'd forgotten my real camera and had to take photos with the one on my phone. (I've gotta go through some gyrations to get the photos off the phone, so I'll add them when I can). Our good friends-like-family brothers Charity and Leon came out to support Job too.

Josiah hung out with me enjoying his day until it was time to pick up the little people from school. Montgomery was very excited about a cute jellyfish she'd made in class.

Very excited.

Really, very excited.

However, she did pause long enough to give her birthday brother a big hug...

And then it was back to new friend Jellyfish....

...which she then decided to dramatically call "dumb" and toss on the floor. Don't understand, not concerned :-)

We headed over and grabbed Johngideon from school next. He'd had a good day.

After a few errands...like to the grocery store to pick up the cake mix and frosting for the birthday cake -- oops! -- we swung into Josiah's idea of a great place for a snack, Subway! Grabbed a meatball marinara sub, his favorite item and headed home for some pure eatin' enjoyment!

Josiah REALLY likes meatball marinara subs!

No, really, I'm serious! :-)

When the entire clan made it back home, we swung into full birthday mode with Craig making a Josiah-style favorite dinner of loaded baked nachos, macaroni hamburger helper and fries and tater tots! Montgomery -- who likes to be extra very super "helpful" in the kitchen ;-) helped me decorate the double chocolate cake with chocolate chips on top. It was about then that I realized we only had 11 candles. I hadn't bought them in the store because I always keep extra at home (lots of birthdays to celebrate!). So, after a desperate and futile search we decided that twelve was such a momentous occasion that the cake needed a really big candle to mark it. It was really quite lovely...in an eclectic kind of way.

After MUCH thoughtful and lengthy wish-making (i.e. "Josiah, come on!" and  "Hurry up, hurry up, the flames are almost in the frosting!")...

...and creative Ninja cake-slicing...

...we got down to the present opening!

 

Cards and gifts from Grandmas and parents are great!

But...the highlight gift of the evening was Josiah's much-longed-for and very-long-awaited CELL PHONE! Of course that came only from his beloved and can't-help-but-spoil-the-boy godmother Auntie Joanne.

Do you think he likes it?! 

 Couldn't help getting a few stylized shots of the lovely Bedford ladies...

Including Gommy the "blur." So many photos I take of her come out this way because this little girl is in CONSTANT motion! (Aside: keep a lookout for a "BlurBlog" Entry in the future...a compilation of my Gommy the Blur photos.)

Back to the original thought at hand...couldn't resist taking a stylized photo of their handsome oldest brother either....

...before Craig helped the youngest two enjoy opening the first door on the new Advent Calendar.


Mmmm...chocolate!

Looks like this birthday partyer finally needs to hit the sack! 

Take Care. Much Love.
Happy Birthday Josiah!