I've been pinned...

This is what I found on my pincushion:

Mom I {heart} u!

Thanks, Joe.  I {heart} u 2.

 

Happy Birthday, Stinker!

Nine years old.  Wow.  I know I say this all the time, but I can't believe how fast the time has flown.

Saturday night we were sitting at Nonni's watching a special about the 9/11 attacks on the History channel.  It brought so many memories back.  September 11, 2001 was your due date.  Grammie was flying in that day, and we were just waking up when the telephone rang at 6:00 a.m.  It was your aunt Emily telling us to turn on the TV because there was something wrong in New York City.  I turned on the news, and there it was.  The north tower of the World Trade Center had a gaping hole in it and was burning.  An airplane had hit it.  Was it a freak accident?  A small plane that the pilot had somehow lost control of?

Then, still confused and watching the building on the TV screen, we see the second plane.  It looks like any other commercial airplane, only it is circling around and slams into the other tower. 

It felt so surreal, like we were in a movie, or we were watching a movie.

Then a call from Grammie at the Kansas City airport; she was just boarding her flight to California when they shut down all of the flights.  She wasn't going to be leaving.  She ended up getting the first available flight as soon as planes were able to fly again a few days later.

The next few days were full of watching and waiting, tears for the fallen and the lost, and hunkering down with family, and waiting for you to arrive.

Then in the middle of all of that chaos and sorrow, there you were.  Like a little light shining in the darkness.

Grammie arrived just minutes after you were born.  We weren't going to let those damn terrorists stop us from living life to the fullest.

So that day will forever be tangled up with the day you were born, but you were my lifeline toggling me to the present and the beautiful miracle of life.  Happy birthday.  I love you!

This is why we don't go out to eat.

We tried to go out for pizza last night.
Fundraiser for the school band.
Apparently they weren't expecting such a huge turnout, because we were turned away at the door.
No pizza for us, so we went for mexican food.
All you can eat chips and salsa.
What's not to love?
When the waitress set down the basket of chips, Joe yelled out:

"Attack!"

Oh, yeah, that's why we don't take the kids out in public.

The race.

We're not like normal families. Oh, no. And when it comes to Pinewood Derby time? What does Joe come up with?

Oh, yes, that's a school bus. A big, yellow school bus.

Joe's so cute, and he definitely has his own ideas, so that's what he made. He even won a couple of races, but it wasn't the fastest, by far.

Maybe if their bus driver was driving it. He does have a tendency to speed.

Monkey Moments

Monkey has really been saying some funny things! He's been known to do that here and there.

Here are some recent conversations:

Natalia: Monkey, are you going to sleep in my room tonight?

Monkey: Hmm, my mind says no, but my heart says yes.

Natalia: (Trying not to crack up) Which one are you going to pick?

Monkey: I'm going to have to go with my brain.

*******************************************************

Joe: (After putting his tie on for church) Dad, do I look like a missionary?

Dad: Yeah, Joe, you do!

Monkey: (Hearing their conversation) Dad, do I look like a prophet?

Dad: Like a mini-prophet!

---Later on, while getting out of the car at church and Joe was pushing Monkey out ahead of him...

Monkey: Joe, you can't shove a prophet!

Busy Bees

Well, Sedalia made the news. Too bad it was the "Strange News"!

We've been way busy, and our schedules look like they won't be slowing down any time soon. Some things we have been up to are:

1. Basketball, basketball and more basketball. Brian had three games this week, and practice on the weeknights he doesn't have a game.


2. Valentine parties! I'm room mom in Natalia's class, so I planned her party then didn't get any pictures. I did get a minute to run down to the other end of the school to Joe's class and snapped a picture of him with his Valentine frame and picture he made for me.


3. Working the farm. Dad, Grandpa and I held down the farm while Mellisa, Adam and the three muskateers took a trip to see Adam's family.