Double Lotus... Double What ?!?!

This afternoon, I opened my e-mail and read about a 7 year old boy, born in Thailand, now living in Austin, TX, who collects and hands out food to the homeless, raises money for orphans and impoverished schools, reads about the world's religions and listens to public radio. He believes life is good... we're all equal... we can help people... hate is a cause for love... people should not give up... love is everywhere... it is okay to die but not to kill... war should stop... we can make peace... And as I read this unbelievably, beautiful list written by a 7 year old little boy, my own son, now 8 years old, repeatedly taps me on the shoulder and tugs at my shirt, begging and pleading with me...

"Please momma, Please!!", he begs for me to come downstairs to the playroom, strap on a Velcro vest and don safety goggles so he can pummel me with Nerf darts! I try to suggest he hang the vest on the doorknob to practice his aim... but my suggestion falls on deaf ears. He continues to beg... he really wants a moving target. I shrug... try to make excuses, but he musters up the sweetest most innocent face and asks me one more time adding... "Please... I'll give you a hundred hugs and kisses".... I guess there is hope after all.

So, I steal one last glance at the photos of the sweet little boy on screen... he is meditating in a double lotus pose, gingerly holding a caterpillar in his hands.... Look back at my own sweet, albeit mischievous, little boy and head down to strap the bulls eye across my chest....



















Okay... so it's no double lotus, but here's MY boy... he calls this the double booger sucker... I am so proud.

Happy 2009! and New Year's Resolutions....

Rabbit, rabbit... and Happy 2009! I had a quiet night at home with the kids, happy to stay off the roads, given the fresh snowfall, heavy winds, plummeting temperatures and I'm sure many drivers out there who likely had bit too much of the bubbly.

Every year I make a few resolutions, but admittedly... never keep them for long. I have not completely given up hope, so here it goes... My 2009 Resolutions:

1. After a blogging hiatus (I haven't blogged since the summer!), I resolve to post regularly... and by that I'm striving for twice a month (I do have to keep these realistic, afterall. It was quite an ordeal just to get logged on to this account again. I had forgotten my gmail address and password, but with a little help from a friend, here I am again.... Thanks, Steph).

2. I resolve to walk a minimum of 2 miles a day at least 5 times a week (which, due to inclement weather, will have to be on a treadmill and I'm waiting for a few strong men to deliver one from my parents' basement to mine, so I am quickly in danger of breaking this one already).

3. I resolve to reconnect with two old friends (yet to be named), friends I have not seen or spoken to in at least 10 years. This one might be tricky... after losing touch with someone for over a decade, it might be hard to track someone down, but the internet should expedite my search.

...And I will leave it at those 3. Any more than that and I will set myself up for failure (unless, of course, I make them easy as pie...like 'Must consume chocolate daily).

Sparklers...

We went to a cookout this past weekend... good food, good conversation, and the kids had good fun running around with sparklers (Thanks for hosting the wonderful evening Carons!)...

All the Grandkids...

My brother, his wife and kids were up from Arizona and we were finally able to get all the kids together at Mammaw and Pawpaw's house. We quickly snapped as many photos as possible and just hoped we would have one where they all had their eyes open and were looking in the general vacinity of the camera. Well, this is the best I could come up with...

Brave Little Kitty Meets Bert & Trudy

Okay, so this probably comes as no surprise to those of you that really know me... Peyton, the brave little kitty, is now residing in our home. I just couldn't believe there weren't people lining up at the pound waiting for a chance to give this little guy a good home. When I heard no one had expressed any interest in adopting him, it broke my heart. Officially, we are just fostering him. Unofficially, we are just making sure the rest of the family, the four legged ones, accept Peyton into the fold before we sign adoption papers.

At first Peyton hissed at Bert (our big, lovable greyhound), but he quickly learned that Bert is just a big softy. Peyton even decided Bert's bed looked quite comfortable and cozied up to Bert for a nap... and he used one of Bert's big paws as a pillow! Later, the brave little kitty reclined against Bert and gave himself a bath (he even gave Bert a few licks). Bert was motionless during the whole interaction. I think he is actually a little scared of the wee kitty... perhaps because Trudy (our rather unsociable Calico) has shown Bert that cats can be very 'pointy' when they want to be. Which brings us to the next hurdle... Trudy. It will be harder to win her over. So far, she has not offered Peyton HER bed... only numerous hisses and growls.

A Very Brave Kitty

At the request of my friend AnnMarie, also the South Kingstown Pound manager, the kids and I ventured over to the pound to photograph one very brave little kitten. His name is 'Peyton' and at just 6 weeks old he journeyed from Woonsocket to Narragansett ON THE UNDERSIDE OF A TRUCK! He must have clung on for dear life as his head was being severely burned. His wounds are being treated at the pound and he has come a long way. We are hoping he finds a very good home (which, if my daughter has her way, will be with us). I would love to take him home. I'm not sure how our cat 'Trudy' would take to another cat in the house.

Lazy Days on Larkin's Pond

It has become a summer tradition... lazy days on Larkin's Pond. We pack a picnic lunch, but the kids are so eager to jump in the pond, I often think I should have had them eat before leaving the house. A PB&J and carrot sticks just can't compete with splashing around in the pond with friends. Hunter loves to swim and hunt for various pond creatures (which have included frogs, fish, water bugs, salamanders, crawfish, snails, and mussels). Marky likes to swim out to the floating platform with the older kids. Hunter has yet to pass the swim test to venture out with the big kids. He was close last year, so THIS might be the year. Not sure how big sister will feel about having her little brother tag along. We shall see.

Marky surprised me as she spent most of the day sitting next to me, quietly reading. She is an avid reader, so it doesn't surprise me that she plowed through an entire book ('Tiger, Tiger') and a couple of magazines. I just didn't think she would chose reading over swimming with her friends. I, on the other hand, was not as successful in my literary endeavors. I always have good intentions to tackle my stack of summer reading, but end up chatting with other moms and set my books aside for another day. I started David Sedaris's new book, 'When You Are Engulfed In Flames'. He is one of the few authors who consistently makes me laugh out loud. After just a few chapters, I had set down Sedaris and drifted off into conversation with a few friends. Oh well, there's always tomorrow...