Tuesday, April 29, 2008

I hereby vent

We spent the day with mom and dad yesterday. Major fun- outside, inside, playing, resting etc. I had a chance to investigate a funny bump on the inside of my mouth. I went to visit mom and dad's fancy dentist, Dr. Patterson. Turns out that a root canal I had almost 2 years ago has abcessed. It has to be redone- by a root canal specialist. We met with a specialist for a consultation and now I am ready to get it done- when we win the lottery. After getting the van fixed we landed back at 585 Chilhoe Drive for dinner. I figured that the rest of my night would be easy- drive home, kids in bed etc.
Robert developed a case of pinkeye on the drive home and HATES the drops that I have to put in his eyes. No school for him today. And Esther was coughing with congestion so bad last night that it made her throw up- many times. So we were up til midnight and then more.
Did I mention that I am recording for a new Music Class cd this morning? And that the air conditioner is broken? Thank God for the cool weather.
Such is the life of a mother sometimes- down to the basics- bodily fluids, illnesses and laundry. Here's a gross but funny quote-
"I have a little bit of boogers in my throat this morning. But they are mouth boogers that went through my nose and into my throat. It doesn't feel very nice."- Robert

Sunday, April 27, 2008

He said she said

"When we go to York Beach maybe Pop will come out of the sky and see us!"- Esther
"If you don't let me do it I will get a blue crayon and write all over your body!!!"- Robert
"I like Granny. She is just a little bit mean."- Esther

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

CC smiles

Last Monday I had the pleasure of wedding dress shopping with Glo and mom. Gloria had a very clear idea of what she wanted and guess what- she found it. She bought it that day! No more wedding dress shopping for her! Naturally, I will post no pics of Glo in dresses. We will have to wait for the big day.:)


On Friday All Saints' hosted a Habitat for Humanity auction at Mason Murer's huge gallery in town. I enjoyed socializing without the baby while parishioners passed her around (with dad's supervision) all night. She truly worked the crowd. Naturally, she was decked out in her finest, complete with baby booties that were crocheted for me when I was but a wee one.


In the past week I have been taken with the beauty of CC. She is now smiling and interacting with us. What fun! Pictures with the bow in her hair are from today. Outfit courtesy of our friends from Omaha, the O'Donnells. We had a lovely morning/lunch with mom and Glo. I am suffering from allergies so they helped the day along-thank you from behind the 10 inches of pollen in my heart.

Monday, April 21, 2008

The Music Class rocks Glenwood Park








Last Sunday I sang with other Music Class musicians in a live concert at Glenwood Park. Rob brought the kids and Glo and Scott made an appearance. Thanks for coming guys! The concerts are great for kids- they can run around, play on the playground, sing, dance and try instruments. CC was strapped to me the whole time-major baby trooper.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Spring Break Chapter 4- really the last thing



On Tuesday we drove to Lynchburg to spend time with the Mortemousque family. Esther had her first real manicure that afternoon :) We dined happily that night on crepes that Paul and Robert had made. Yum! I stayed up swapping mom stories with Kelly that night til midnight. Good times.
On Wednesday morning we drove to Roanoke to see the Burnett clan. Their girls were in school while we at lunch so we had Thom and Michelle all to ourselves- NICE! After lunch, we ventured off to a park to let all the kids play together. They have 3, we have 3. I kept counting to 6 to make sure we hadn't lost anyone. All the kids had fun, but Robert and Stella seemed to form a special bond- Robert pushed Stella on the swing for a long time. . . FYI Robert, having the Burnetts as my son's in-laws will be okay by me, if that is what you wanna do some day. Finally, we landed at the cabin on Wednesday night joining Gloria, mom and dad for dinner. Ahh. The redbuds in Tennessee are breathtaking. Gloria handcrafted a Cajun style du-bosh (phonetic spelling) cake while we were there. She balanced chocolate and almond flavors beautifully in the best confection to hit my lips in 2008. Thanks Glo!
Ladies who lunch in Newport:
CC enjoyed her first trip to the cabin.On Friday, Donna and David came for lunch and to meet CC. It was great to see y'all!After that blog, I am tired.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Spring Break Chapter 3- the rest of the trip

We moved into the rectory on Sunday morning and headed to church. Uncle Dickie celebrated his last mass at St. James that morning and a party followed to reflect on his career. Party photos:


Robert jams on the organ during the party- look out Chenaults!


After such a huge and draining day, Patty and Dickie extended an invitation for us to join them for dinner, on Sunday and Monday- yahoo!
Chillin' at the Downings

We had the chance to spend one-on-one time with both of them, such a treat. The kids had Noggin, we had champagne. :) The evening took an exciting turn when Robert yelled from upstairs, "Esther has so much lotion on her body that she is leaving tracks!!%^*&%^&$*^$" My precocious little Bean had managed to smear Burt's Bees Farmer's Hand Salve in thick globs all over her face, tummy, arms, legs and FEET. Indeed, her feet were slick with it and she was leaving tracks of lavender-scented beeswax all over the hardwood floor. I could hardly walk on the floor where she had been. Patty and Dickie just laughed.

On Monday morning Robert awoke in his dad's bed because his own bed "was going up and down" in the wee hours of the night. Kinda strange considering that his bed "was going up and down" during naptime the day before. Uncle Dickie explained that a ghost has been seen in the room where the kids stayed. The rectory is a mysterious and magnificent building. Complete with grand staircase, servant stairs, servant quarters and the creepiest cellar ever, the Burlington kids (Steph, JP, Jen and Rob) grew up staying there with their godfather. The walls are embedded with memories.

We stepped out as tourists on Monday morning. It was fun to bop through the Air and Space museum and the Native American museum and see what interested the kids there. I spotted some beautiful cherry blossoms. Robert took a lot of photos of his own: