Text Messaging...the new frontier

My parents received a special box in the mail the other day. It was from AT&T. Thinking it was a special gift or freebie, my mom eagerly ripped it open. Imagine her shock when that special delivery turned out to be THEIR BILL. Yes folks, my parents now get their cell phone bill in a box. And there's a reason for that. It's awfully hard to print 12,110 text messagees on less than 200 pieces of paper. And it's even harder to fit those 249 pieces of paper into a decent sized envelope.

You see, my sister has a problem. Some would call it an addiction. For some odd reason, she cannot resist texting her friends over 400 times a day. Most of these texts are one-liners, many of them are lucky to contain 5 words, and most of them contain the word "haha."

I've heard rumors that text messaging comes up in Bishopric meetings; that youth are being counseled about texting during church. In fact, they say that missionaries are less prepared to go out and communicate with people and soon teenagers won't be able to have a decent conversation because of this new phenomenon.

Back in my high school days, we had a notebook that we passed back and forth. Much more mature, right? I suppose it was the ancient form of text messaging, but I still find this baffling. And hilarious. I laughed my head off when my mom opened that box.

I shudder to think of the technology my children will partake of...

Baltimore Aquarium

We made the trek up to the National Aquarium in Baltimore last week. I wasn't thrilled about fighting the D.C. traffic to get there, but it was SO fun! We spent the afternoon looking at sea life, then walked around downtown and ate dinner while waiting out rush hour. It was a blast and I hope to go back again sometime.

What a cheesy pose! He loved the submarine painted like a shark.





The best part was watching the divers feed the stingrays, sea turtles, and sharks. We were mezmerized.





One fish, two fish...






Out on the harbor. Baltimore's such a great city -so much atmosphere. I wish we could've spent more time there.






I know, we're weird. I don't know why I keep posting these embarrassing and disgusting pictures...

And normal. If you can call us that.

Safety First

There's nothing like a visit back home to revert us back to our childhood ways. Or rather, childish ways. The educational degrees, marriages, children and other attempts at maturation are forgotten the moment you step through the front door. Instead, there's wrestling with siblings, the pressing of parents' buttons, bathroom jokes (only between brothers, of course), and the debate over "who's the favorite" (it's always someone else).

My family's classic example of this is a ride in the car. Throughout my childhood, the moment everyone piled into the minivan my dad would immediately call out, "Seatbelts!!!" Some of us would put our seatbelts on, some of us wouldn't. And sure enough, approximately 2 minutes later we would hear, "Kristen? Seatbelt? Ruth?" Over and over the pestering would continue until all of us were sufficiently annoyed. And safe.

So flashforward 10 or 20 years. I hop in the car with dad for a drive to the grocery store. Two minutes down the road I hear, "Ruth!? Seatbelt? I'm not supporting you when you're a vegetable." Thanks, dad. Nevermind the fact that I'm a grown woman. Nevermind the fact that I always wear a seatbelt while I'm driving my car. I'm home visiting, so apparently I've reverted back.

I suppose it's nice to know that my dad still cares. Furthermore, he's in the process of turning over the "seatbelt" responsibility to my son. The moment we get in the car now, Kyle hollers, "Seatbelt, mommy!"

Tug of War

I feel like a teeny-bopper these days. I read young adult vampire books. I eagerly awaited the showing of High School Musical 2, and have watched it four times in the last 8 days. Even worse, I rushed right out to buy the soundtrack! All while managing to sneak in one or two viewings of the original. Can we say obsessed? And I furthered my Zac Efron groupie-ness by finally going to see "Hairspray" last night. It was fantastic, by the way. Amazing. I laughed the entire time and had to restrain myself from getting up and dancing.

I suppose it doesn't help that I'm spending the summer with my younger sister. I find myself jammin' to her dance team hip-hop, sitting and chatting with her friends, and gossiping about her love life. We wear the same size, so naturally I find myself wanting to wear her clothes and attempting to look as cute as she does. We've always had a close relationship, but there are 10 years between us. Come on, Ruth! You're no spring chicken anymore! And it's never been more obvious.

We may wear the same size, but her thighs don't jiggle in those cute jeans. And her hip-hop looks like...well, hip-hop. Not Elaine's jerky dance moves (okay, maybe I'm not that bad). And while I was proud of myself for staying awake through the movie until 11:30 last night, she would've been up and off to the next party.

Don't get me wrong. I love what comes with age - being a wife, a momma. I love the stability and security it provides. I love the confidence I gain as I get older. And I would NEVER wish a return to my teen years. Never. But it's nice to be reminded that "mother" is not synonymous with rules, routine, and BORING. It's okay to jam to some tunes in your livingroom. And it'll make you feel that much better if you're wearing super cute jeans while doing it. :)

So here's to teeny-bopper-ness! And here's to my sister - thanks for loving your frumpy older sister.

And the award for most embarrassing parents goes to...

Kevin and I both have siblings significantly younger than us and it's been interesting to watch them go through their teenage years and complain about mean parents and unfair rules. Occasionally we can sympathize, usually we remain objective parties. But let me tell you, nothing our parents do can compare with this lady. I saw her on Rachel Ray today and almost died laughing at the unfairness of it all! My condolences to her daughter.

Happy Birthday, Kyle!

The big day is FINALLY here! After months of waiting and weeks of counting down (we had a paper chain with at least 35 links on it), Kyle's 4th birthday has finally arrived! With so many cousins and friends having birthdays this summer, Kyle thought it would never be his turn. In fact, we made him wait to open presents until Grandpa Russell was home from work and it almost put him over the edge. At one point, he threw himself on the bed and hysterically cried, "This is so HORRIBLE! This is horrible! I always have to wait! I am TIRED of waiting!" Luckily, the moment the presents were opened, all of agony was a distant memory.

Kyle decorating his cake. Given my controlling tendencies, I'm sure you're all surprised I let him have a hand in the decorating. However, I'd already destroyed the thing so I figured he couldn't make it any worse. And he LOVED decorating.

Family tradition: Hide & Seek with the presents. You don't get them until you find them!

Each and every present was met with delight. Among the exclamations were heard:

"Oh wow! I always wanted one of these!"

"Oh my gosh! I've never had one of these before in my whole entire life!"

"You knew just what I wanted!"

Probably the last time in his life he'll proudly show off new underwear...

In case you couldn't tell, there was an unplanned theme to this birthday: All things Spiderman! Perhaps it has something to do with his complete obsession with super heroes.

One satisfied dude, sitting in the middle of his goods.

The finished product. Like I said, pretty ugly, but Kyle was happy and that's all that matters. He even told me, "Wow, that looks like a pretty yummy cake, mommy." And isn't the taste all that matters?

It's almost beyond comprehension that our little guy is 4-years-old. Each and every day I think to myself how I lucky I am to have him. And as much fun as his birthday was, he turned to me today and said, "I don't want to to turn 5, mom, because then I'll have to go to Kindergarten and I won't be with you." Yup, we just won't think about that right now.

Splish, Splash

What do siblings do at 11:00 on a Friday night when they're bored?

Go slip & sliding, of course!

Notice how the poor Nemo slip & slide is ripping in the corner? The box says it holds up to 70 lbs. It's a close call, but somehow I think that poor slide will never be the same again...

And neither will my poor body. I'm getting way too old for this.

(I can't believe I released these pictures of my own free will and choice...)

Freedom!

We went to a luau the other night and they had a swimming pool. Unfortunately, I forgot my swimming suit, so Kyle was forced to stay on the stairs where I could keep a close eye on him. Notice the expression of absolute disgust:

Luckily for Kyle, rescue came in the form of a life-jacket and floaties. He'd never tried either before and between the two, there wasn't a chance that marshmallow boy was going underwater. He relished his freedom as he swam back and forth across the pool and did cannonballs into the pool. We're definitely going to have to invest in some floatation devices...

A hiking we will go...

As we were driving along in the car the other day, Kyle turned and said to my mom, "Grandma, you have a lot of 'forestes' in Virginia." He's fascinated with the fact that we're surrounded by trees. Even the neighborhood playground is in the 'forest.' So today we decided to explore those groves of trees and took him on a hike.

It was a difficult decision whether to take the red trail or the yellow. We finally decided on yellow (but gave the red one a try afterwards).

Kyle was careful to look for trailmarkers to ensure that we stayed on the path.

Grandma knew all kinds of interesting facts about the plantlife (thanks to a trail brochure).

He takes after his daddy. He's never happier than when he's climbing a tree...

We kept getting attacked by invisible spiderwebs strewn across the trail. Luckily, Kyle pointed this amazing one out before we ruined it. But we couldn't decide if the creature in the middle was the spider or his innocent prey.

Ready or Not...

Kyle and I tend to have our most meaningful conversations at bedtime. It's here that I catch a glimpse of what's going through my little guy's head and what really matters the most. And sometimes it catches me off guard.

It happened during our teeth-brushing routine last night. As he finished gargling and slurping, he turned to me in all seriousness and said, "I'm sorry I hurt your tummy, Mom."

Me: "What? When did you hurt my tummy?"

Kyle: "When I was a baby. I'm sorry I hurt your tummy when I came out of you."

Looking back, I probably should've left it at that point. But no. Instead I said, "You didn't hurt my tummy."

Kyle: "But I'm sorry they had to cut your tummy open when I came out."

Ruth: "They didn't cut my tummy open."

And here comes the golden question:

Kyle: "Then how did I come out?"

And here's when there was a long p-a-u-s-e and I weakly said, " Ummm, magic?"

Magic?!?!? Come on, Ruth! You can do better than that! I couldn't help it. I froze! I wasn't the slightest big ready to get into that whole conversation. And believe me, my guy wouldn't have accepted a one-sentence explanation. I would've been bombarded with questions.

I've heard that parents need to be prepared for that "birds & the bees" conversation a whole lot earlier these days. And it looks like I've received an "F" in preparation. So does anybody have any advice? A good "birds & the bees" book? Anybody, anybody??

A Little Of Everything

Transition's a funny thing. A church leader once told us that Satan's power is increased during times of transition. I took special note of this statement when I heard it, knowing that our lives were about to be turned upside down for a few months. And while I can't deny that I haven't felt the evil influence, I think this time of transition has had the opposite effect on me. I've tried a little bit hard to be a little bit better. And I'm sure grateful for a lot more.

• I've kind of been a single mom of sorts. Not really, but there isn't anybody to take over when I've had it "up to here." But I think I've also been a little more patient, a little more kind, and definitely more in tune with my boy's needs.
• I feel this absolute drive to be self-sufficient, to get our house in order. You know, food storage, etc. It's only been in the last year or two that we've even had a 72-hour kit. And we always joked that as long as we had a tank of gas, we could get to the Turner's. That's not the case anymore. And there's something satisfying about being prepared and taking care of your family. Now, if we only had a house to "get in order..."
• Speaking of which, it looks like we're actually going to get base housing, which we think is a fabulous thing. Two-minute drive to work. Less gas and time on the freeway. Free gym membership and other fabulous perks. PLUS, we could possibly walk into a brand-new house (they're just finishing up construction). The only downside? Because we only have one child, they could possibly stick us in a two-bedroom. We're just hoping there aren't any available when we move in...
• Family is such a tremendous blessing. They've all really stepped up this summer and I appreciate it more than I can express. Their love and support means a lot. There is no doubt in my mind that Family is the basic unit of the church and that therein lies the greatest happiness. I'm grateful for mine.
• Less than 4 weeks until I see my honey and my little family is FINALLY reunited!!!
• And on a completely different note, "Eclipse" comes out today!!! Kyle and I are heading to Borders Books at 10 a.m. today and I just about can't wait. I'm sure I'll devour this book is less than a day or two. The only trick will be waiting until my little guy's in bed tonight.

We Are a Happy Family

We're missing a few people in the photo, but I sure had fun with my family this weekend. We're missing the in-laws, but it was the first time the four siblings and my parents had all been together in quite some time and it was a blast. Love them.

PS: My mom will KILL me for putting this picture on...

Day at the Museum

Today we spent the day at the National Gallery of Art with some other moms and kids. Now, this wasn't my idea. I was simply invited along for the ride, and grateful for the invitation at that. But inside, I'm thinking, "We're taking toddlers and kids where??? It sounded like a recipe for disaster. But surprisingly, it wasn't. We had such a great time and I think I've underestimated my boy's abilities (to behave and appreciate a more adult world).

The architecture was breathtaking, as I'm sure you can imagine. The fountains were Kyle's favorite, but the whole building just exuded this peacefulness about it. Even the kids felt it a little.

Someone came up with this great "I Spy" game. They copied pictures of some of the more prominent paintings in the gallery and handed them out for kids to go find. It was a smashing success and probably the reason for the day's success. And excellent idea. Here's Kyle "pondering" a painting.

But even little ones get tired. Luckily they have these couches placed throughout the gallery. Most patrons probably use them to meditate upon the greatness surrounding them, but we used them for naps. Hey, it worked!

Extra Sweet

Look at the mess those mosquitos made of my little guy's leg. I mean, seriously. Two little bites and we've got deformities going on! I don't know if it's an allergy or what, but it's annoying.

Mosquitoes seem to have the same effect on me. One little bite and all of a sudden I've got a golf ball-sized lump on my leg. One time, I got a mosquito bite near my eye and both of them swelled shut. I had to go to church like that! But that's another story...

My grandma always said it was because my blood must be extra sweet. I think we're going to go with that theory. And in the meantime, Kyle and I are going to be extra stinky because sunscreen and bug repellent are our new best friends.

Animal Control

Kevin and I have a serious problem on our hands. Kyle LOVES animals. Dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, frogs...it doesn't matter the animal. He loves them. The problem? Kevin and I don't. The even bigger problem? Because we love our little guy so much, I foresee the day when we'll actually break down and bring a pet into our home. Oh, even the thought of it makes me shudder.

Today Grandma helped him catch a frog out in the yard. Oh, the excitement that raced through that little boy's body! He could barely contain himself. He placed him in a jar, punched holes in the lid, and gave Mr. Frog some grass and water. A perfectly luxurious spa for an amphibian, don't you think?

But most of all, he was excited to introduce Mr. Frog to Ponch (Grandma's dog, who Kyle absolutely adores. If only the adoration was returned. But that's another story...). Ecstactic, he turned to me and said, "Ponch will be so excited to have another pet! Now we'll have two pets!"

Could a little boy's life possibly get more exciting?

Future Engineer?

You are witnessing Kyle's first attempt at making a model car. Granted, it's a cheap wood one, but it's a model car nonetheless. I found these treasures at Michaels and they're a goldmine! One dollar will buy you at least an hour or two of enjoyment. Little ones might need your help glueing, but if you don't necessarily care about the end product, you can just turn them loose on their own!

Extra bonuses:

• The paint is completely washable so they can at least do that part on their own.


• They have several other models: boats, birdhouses, planes, etc. Start a new collection!