Project 365 - Fabulous 40 - Feb 24 to Mar 1

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• Feb 24, 2017 - An evening in my (local) happy place, sans child.
• Feb 25, 2017 - The boys, looking much more like each other than usual. L: Kylo, R: Finn
• Feb 26, 2017 - A beautiful tree in bloom. It's awfully "springy" for only February!
• Feb 27, 2017 - I was literally only out of my chair for 3 minutes. (Why are they so big?)
• Feb 28, 2017 - A wonderful (school!) night on the town in Atlanta. First Phantom for Luke.
• Mar 1, 2017 - Not where I planned to be today. Luke rolled his foot yesterday, so we're having it checked out. What we thought might be a twisted ankle turned out to be a possibly fractured foot bone! If it's not better by Friday, he'll have to have x-rays.

Project 365 - Fabulous 40 - Nov 8 to Nov 13

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• Nov 8, 2016 - I voted today, for the first time ever!
• Nov 9, 2016 - Beautiful fall colors. No idea what tree this is, but it is a brilliant yellow.
• Nov 10, 2016 - Because today absolutely needed some glitter.
• Nov 11, 2016 - The child is off camping, so we're heading to the movies to see Dr. Strange.
• Nov 12, 2016 - Getting caught up. Yes, four movies in one weekend (including yesterday).
• Nov 13, 2016 - Everyone is doing their homework, even Rey, who is "helping" me.

Project 365 - Fabulous 40 - Oct 15 to Oct 20

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• Oct 15, 2016 - Pre-dinner battles often yield multiple casualties.
• Oct 16, 2016 - Kitty want a basket ride? (She's not too sure about this.)
• Oct 17, 2016 - Not his first time in the front, but it is *my* first time driving him. So weird!
• Oct 18, 2016 - Couldn't figure out the red thing on my plate. (Breast Cancer Awareness ribbon)
• Oct 19, 2016 - This reverse vampire had 3 baby teeth removed. He did very well!
• Oct 20, 2016 - Cake experiment for Birthday Party #2. Not sure if this will work.

Project 365 - Fabulous 40 - Sept 22 to Sept 26

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• Sept 22, 2016 - Sitting at his desk in his homeroom, waiting for our parent-teacher conference.
• Sept 23, 2016 - Happy kid, happy kitten!
• Sept 24, 2016 - Kylo got me right on my knuckle today. Owie! Claws = tiny razor blades
• Sept 25, 2016 - Not bad for a $5 10-minute fix. I can't believe this Duct Tape matches so well.
• Sept 26, 2016 - Old - Normally, I would post only one photo a day for Project 365, but given the years of service of our 1999 Camry, I really felt like it needed to be featured in addition to the second picture. Bought in October 1998, 3 months after we got married. 198,000 miles, a tape deck that no longer works, a cracked windshield, a driver's side window that would roll down but not up without repeated attempts, and (as of last week) a leaking radiator, as in needed refilling daily kind of leaking. Any radiator repair would have cost more than the car was worth. So just shy of her 18th birthday, we said goodbye.
• Sept 26, 2016 - New - Meet our new 2016 Honda CRV. I still can't believe we bought an SUV. Luke even got his wish. "I want a blue car!"

Luke's First Football Game

Luke attended his first Atlanta Falcon's game tonight. Actually, it was his first football game of any kind. The Falcons were hosing a "Scout Night" for a pre-season game, where packs and troops could get discounted tickets and a special patch. Decent seats at a decent price? We'll take it!

He liked it for about the first half, then started losing interest. We're just not a big football family. Too bad, since we would definitely go to more baseball games if they were indoors! LOL Still, there was popcorn, funnel cake, and Dippin' Dots, so it was worth the trip.
Currently feeling: celebrating another first

April 2015 Reflections

From the 2011 Year of Memories Brag Book by Dani Mogstad

Click pictures to biggify!

Read, Listened, Watched

Didn't do much reading; I think I finished one Sherlock Holmes short story (still working my way through those). Still hooked on listening to 40s on my satellite radio when I'm home alone (the boys don't seem to have the same appreciation for it that I do).

photo from Facebook

We tried watching Daredevil, but it is incredibly violent (more so than I am generally comfortable with; that is my issue, not the show's problem), and we're not really loving it (or even liking it much, which is a show issue, IMO). The characters are interesting, but I don't like any of them very much. I'll watch "bad" TV if I care about the characters, but I really don't yet after 3 episodes, and I'm not sure I want to sit through any more of it. It makes me sad. I really wanted to like it.


(affiliate links)

New Movies:

• The Rocketeer (new for Luke) - he really liked it! Also his first real experience with Nazis, which made for some "fun" explaining
• Poseidon - not bad for a remake
• The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones - interesting, not bad, but not good really; at least I liked (most) of these characters!
• Living With Lincoln - very interesting HBO documentary about family of scholars who followed/studied Lincoln, starting with the great-great grandfather who was a Union soldier.
• I tried to watch Bridget Jones's Diary, but I didn't make it more than about 20-30 minutes in. I just could not get into it. I never really experienced that kind of single life, I didn't relate to anyone, and I didn't find any of the characters likable. I tried, I really did. I just found it blah and boring and not worth my time.

Old Favorites: Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Marvel's The Avengers (to prepare for Age of Ultron in May), Thor: The Dark World (not really needed for Ultron), Ender's Game, Edge of Tomorrow, X-Men: Days of Future Past, The LEGO Movie, Die Hard With a Vengeance, Fallen, Pleasantville, Big Hero Six, Up

Fun with Family and Friends

Always fun to visit with BIL and family in NC. I even snuck in a visit with my friend Leah as well, though I don't have a single picture to prove it! SIL managed to take one that has one of hers, one of Leah's, and my one and only in it. Does that count as proof? LOL

Milestones, Holidays, Special Events

Low key Easter spent with BIL and family. Luke also got to spend a whole day with his best friend over spring break (with the friend's mom graciously hosting so I could get some work done in peace; she earned cupcakes for her trouble).

The Everyday and Routine

Rain has certainly become a near-everyday occurrence. I know they say "April showers bring May flowers." If that's true, then all of Atlanta should be carpeted in flowers come May! I shouldn't complain, though, because the rain is helping a lot with my allergies. (Not sure the May flowers will help much, though.)

The Good, The Bad, The Unusual

So, this is new....

Wasn't sure where to put those ("unusual" or "special event"). Definitely good! He looks so cute. And grown up. Yes, clearly, you can do both at the same time! (Because I'm the mom and I said so.)

Luke also caught his first kid-pitched game.

And pitched his first ever game. Walked four straight (I think having an actual batter at the plate really threw him). We'll see if that gets any better. It's hard, though, when both practice and games keep getting rained out!

The discovery that Luke hadn't been turning in homework (that we had taken the time, pain, and agony to do, just couldn't be bothered to turn it in!) was very not good. Nor was the C on his progress report, the second one in a row. We've got to figure out how to nip that in the bud.

Filed under bad for me is allergies. I didn't think it was possible, but they actually got *worse* at the beginning of the month, and even worse when we went to NC, which I truly thought was out of the question. (BTW, 24-hour Allegra only lasts about 22 hours.) I think it was the dogwoods, but I'm not positive. Whatever it was, the several days on either side of Easter were horrid.

Progress on Goals

Goals? What goals? Who said anything about goals? I have no idea what you're talking about.... There was some birthday party planning progress, and I did do a touch of stitching (more on that in the WIPocalypse update in a few days). That's about it.

Prompts by Katie the Scrapbook Lady.

Currently feeling: a bit damp

Pill Popper

Image from 123RF Stock Photo

I've heard tons of stories about raising kids from my friends with older children. One story that seems particularly common is the (typical) nightmare of teaching them to swallow pills. I actually have fairly vivid memories of the first time I tried. I was staying with a lady from our church, and it seems like I was running a fever. She wanted to give me some Tylenol, but she only had the capsules (remember those, the kind with powder inside that you could pull apart? I'm dating myself). I couldn't swallow it; I'd never tried a non-chewable pill before, and the fact that it floated triggered my gag reflex. She ended up pulling it apart and mixing half the powder in a spoonful of applesauce. I don't really remember learning to swallow a pill later, but that particular experience stuck with me.

Anyway, I realized several months ago that Luke is getting old enough that he will age (weight!) out of children's meds fairly soon, so we should probably start practicing the swallowing thing now, before it comes up. I'm good at swallowing them (I can take 4 Advil/Tylenol sized pills at once), but my husband nearly chokes on them one at a time. I wasn't sure which one of us Luke would take after. I literally have (had!) "teach L to swallow pills" written on our summer to-do list, using the suggestions from various friends to start with mini M&Ms and work up to the regular size, adding in applesauce or pudding if needed.

Turns out, all my fretting was for naught. Luke is having bad trouble with allergies this year (as are most people I know, including myself!), so I bought him kids' chewable allergy pills, but he didn't like the flavor. All on his own, he asked if he could just swallow it whole (followed by plenty of water, don't worry). I said sure. He did it fine, no problem. "That was easy." Whew! Thank goodness he takes after his mom.
Currently feeling: relieved

Happy Ultimate Pi Day!

The once in a century event is here! You'll just have to take my word for it that I took this picture at the right time.



This picture was supposed to include all of us, but it was so bad of both DH and me that I cropped it. Luke looks cute, even if the sign isn't straight and he's making the "I'm just humoring you" face. Maybe he'll appreciate it one day.

Currently feeling: geeky

Dominoes: The Fifth Generation

Happy Thanksgiving! We were having such a good time that we took almost zero pictures. Except this one, because it is a truly historic moment.



We taught Luke how to play dominoes this weekend (for points, or in this family, for blood!). We broke him in easy on the double sixes, but he's ready for the double nines next time around after scoring 20 points twice in the same hand!

These green dominoes are a family heirloom from the late 1930s. Luke is now at least the fifth generation of Warren to play with them. Many a Thanksgiving was spent gathered around my grandparents' table (this very same table, for a few years), playing dominoes for hours. We're very proud to be carrying on the tradition.

I hope your Thanksgiving was also full of family, food, and fun!
Currently feeling: nostalgic

First Baseball Game

We survived our first baseball game! It almost didn't happen, since Luke was sick yesterday evening. We think something he ate didn't agree with him, because it was only one "incident," and he was fine by the time he woke up this morning. Play ball!



Fielding: played center, 3rd, and 1st. Stopped a grounder and tagged a runner out at 3rd.



Hitting: got a single in his only at bat, made it to 3rd on the next single and a fielding error. Picture above is a practice swing.



But this is him actually legging out his single. He had a big goofy grin on his face the whole time! So glad he is enjoying himself.



I, however, need to work on my manual focus skills with the camera. The fence was causing more trouble today with autofocus than it did at practice, even though I was sitting in essentially the same place. Maybe I'll get it figured out by the last game.
Currently feeling: play ball!

Trip to The Fox: Blue Man Group

This weekend, it was my privilege to do one of those things I've dreamed of doing with Luke since he was born. We've done three already: first trip to Disney, first ride on a roller coaster, and first Cirque du Soleil show. This weekend was: take him to The Fox Theatre here in Atlanta.



We went to see Blue Man Group,which was a new experience for all of us. I've known about them for many years, probably close to when they first started, but it just never worked out for us to see them. I started scanning The Fox schedule a couple of years ago to find the right thing to take him to, but everything appropriate was either at a time we could not attend, or arrived when I was unemployed (so we couldn't afford it). When I saw the signs for Blue Man Group in December, I knew we'd finally found the right confluence of event and timing.

The show itself was great, but of course, pictures of the performance were not permitted. For years, photos inside The Fox were also not permitted, but I guess they decided it wasn't worth the time and effort of policing people anymore with all the cell phone cameras. So I took some pictures while we waited!



It actually was not Luke's first visit to The Fox; he went with his school sometime last year. I was very disappointed that his first visit would not be with me, but I wasn't going to say he couldn't go on the field trip, either. And they didn't go to the balcony, which is way more awesome, in my opinion! LOL A few pictures to demonstrate:



I'm sure you've heard me say it before, but The Fox Theatre is truly one of my most favorite places in the world. Building was completed in 1929, and was saved from demolition at the last minute in the 1970s. Thank goodness! I can't imagine Atlanta without this beautiful downtown jewel in its crown. The attention to detail is amazing; it reminds me a bit of Disney in that way. You are totally immersed in an exotic atmosphere, complete with tent canopy and twinkling stars in the twilight sky. The number of children who ask "are we outside?" as the arrive on the balcony always makes me smile. Some more detail shots:



For a sense of scale, those lights are at least 4 feet long (1.2 m), and the arches in the balcony (second picture immediately above) are 8-ish feet tall (2.4 m). You can't actually watch anything from that balcony area. #1: They wouldn't be very good seats, since they face the audience more than the stage. And #2: They were never meant for anyone to sit there. They're actually hiding the pipes for the Might Mo organ, which we did not get to see this trip. Guess we'll just have to take Luke back to see a movie this summer, when they have a sing-a-long with the organ before the show starts. Can't wait!
Currently feeling: so excited to finally get to use this emoticon that I've been saving for *years* just for this moment (and yes, we got to see them do this)

Quoted for Truth

Yes, yes we are. (See what I did there? Though technically that is a television quote.) Speaking in movie/television quotes is a way of life in my family. In fact, I didn't realize that several of my father's favorite sayings when I was growing up were movie quotes (from films I hadn't seen) until I got older. I'm not sure if DH and his family did it much when he was growing up, but he sure did pick it up like a pro when we started dating. I promise you, not a day goes by that something isn't quoted some how, some way, in this house.

I've had a few people ask me why we do it. I guess it's like shorthand. It's just a quick and easy way of conveying much more information and emotion than "just the words" actually mean. In fact, sometimes the actual words of the quote don't make any sense in the context of the conversation, but the situation and emotion carried by the quote say all that needs to be said. The mental image imparted by the few words of the quote cover the proverbial thousand words and more. It also reminds me of one of my favorite Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes called "Darmok." Very similar kind of idea.

So why am I bringing this up now? Luke used his first quote in the course of a conversation back in July, but I had forgotten about it until today. Now, he wasn't just mimicking us, saying a quote we had said in a similar context. He's been doing that since he was about four. No, I mean he picked his very own quote based on something someone else said, a quote none of us had ever used before.

It was during our staycation back in July (still need to write about that). We were in Cartersville with my parents (all 5 of us in one car), trying to find a Zaxby's for lunch. The GPS didn't have it in the database, so we were trying to use Google maps to find it based on the address. Let's just say that method was rather imprecise. As we rounded a corner, around the back side of a mall parking lot, we expected it to be right in front of us. Instead, we were staring at an old building that had clearly been closed for quite some time. I commented that I didn't think Zaxby's would be in an abandoned building, and Luke pipes up from the back seat: "Yeah, it's not the old abandoned Old Abandoned Zaxby's."

We had to stop the car because we were all laughing so hard. That's an "almost-quote" reference to one of our favorite Phineas and Ferb episodes, where Isabella and the Fireside Girls have to go get sap from a tree at the old abandoned Old Abandoned Amusement Park. As Isabella explains, "it was called the Old Abandoned Amusement Park, and now it's old and abandoned."And he used it appropriately *all* by himself. We were so proud!! Our little baby's all grown up and saving China. ::sniff, sniff::  ;-)

Currently feeling: that he's finally been fully assimilated

The Lost Tooth

Luke quite literally lost his tooth today at school. He was terribly concerned, so he wrote the Tooth Fairy a note explaining the situation. Hopefully, she will be understanding. I imagine it's not her first time encountering this situation.



Before someone asks, the thing under the bed is one of those flat under-bed storage boxes. It holds out of season clothing that might still fit the following year. He's had one under his bed as long as he's had a bed, but it still amuses me that he felt like he had to draw it there. (It also never occurred to me that the Tooth Fairy is an actual tooth!)

Currently feeling: toothless (literally)