9/21/11

Ordinary Days

My dear sweet Andrew, I just want to rescue him.  He is running cross country this year, not because he wants to but because we decided he is.  He really wanted to play soccer, but only if his father coached, and then Matthew wanted to run cross country and Abbey is in crew, and Isaac is playing soccer and that makes for busy Saturdays.  So we "talked him into" running cross country with Matt just to cut down on one less place to be.  He has been such a good sport about it and really tries so hard.  2 years ago he never noticed if he came in towards the end-this year he does darn it, and there is no way to make that feel better-other than to tell him there are millions of kids who are sitting on their duffs watching Saturday cartoons instead of running miles.  It doesn't really bring him solace but it's my best shot so there you go.

Jeff and Andrew roped me into playing Guess Who Mix and Mash.  It is a cute game.  I am awful at it.  I am 42 and lose at kid's games constantly.  I have no logic/deduction/deceit/stradegy skills. 

Here is Jeff telling a story. From dog chasing, to bumper sledding, to pool hopping at night, to braces getting stuck together, the stories go on and on and on.

Patrick only eats the tops.  Isn't he nice to leave the rest for the next person?  

Abbey loves making Resurrection Rolls.  Do you know what those are?  It's basically a marshmallow dipped in butter and then in cinnamon sugar, with a Pillsbury crescent roll wrapped tightly around it, which is then dipped in butter and cinnamon sugar again and baked.  They are delicious I must say. Heavenly, I just can't resist that word. It is a Easter type of dessert that symbolizes, because the marshmallow is supposed to "disappear", the resurrection of Jesus.  It seems sort of sacrilegious to symbolize Jesus with a marshmallow I think, and pretty far-fetched and weird.  Here Abbey is using her religious teacher voice to describe it all to me and we have a bad case of the giggles.  Besides I told her, as you can see, her marshmallows didn't disappear so major fail on that fancy lesson.

By the end of this post you must think all I feed my kids are sugar.  We had to make one last run to Mr. Freeze.

Crew!  A new sport for us.  I am always up for a new sport. :)  I thought we tried them all, but apparently not...
That is Abbey second to last.  And my niece Hayley, first, the coxswain, and a darn good one (and cute one) I might add.  That is a hard job-all the pressure is on you. 



 Abbey is loving it. I missed her first regatta, but my sister took great pictures for me.  I was home with the little boys because they had cross country, and Jeff went to the regatta because it was in a city where Isaac is also looking at a college, and Jeff hadn't visited yet and really needed to.  So they went to the regatta for awhile, went on a college tour, and came back to the regatta.  It also happens that this all took place in my hometown, which I was desperately in the mood to visit.  Darn!  If you don't live in your hometown, don't you ever just still get a little homesick for it?  I don't often but during fall and then again at Christmastime I just do.

19 comments:

  1. Love that Patrick only eats the top! We have the same problem around here when I make banana bread muffins. Addie only eats the bottom of the muffin. Which is especially hilarious since it tastes the exact same as the top. Kids!

    Also loved the picture of Jeff telling his story. Too funny!!

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  2. I'm glad I'm not the only one who talks her kids into things. You gotta do what you gotta do. Right?

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  3. Jeff cracks me up! And yeah Abby!!! I hope she enjoys rowing!! The regattas are so fun! Maybe she'll come out here and row for BU? :)

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  4. Love the family stories! Andrew is really a good sport. Must try the rolls, sound yummy. Good for her for trying crew. Our friends daughter is rowing at Alabama on a scholarship. Love the stories from the "olden days"...LOL

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  5. Oh my! Because of following your blog for a while I do know you feed your kids lots of other good stuff besides sugar! I haven't thought of resurrection rolls in ages.

    I have lived in my hometown of Fort Worth, TX my entire life sans the 3 years away at college which was only 4 hours away and still in Texas! We topped 100 degrees 70 days this year and I seriously thought about moving for the 1st time!

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  6. I crewed on that same river!! That brings back some great memories, hope they enjoyed themselves ;)

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  7. I love the way Abbey stands like a flamingo! I used to make those resurrection rolls when I was a kid....but I an fairly certain that is not what we called them. I thought the whole braces getting stuck together thing was an urban myth...who knew?

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  8. My husband too tells TONS of stories of his childhood...

    I miss my hometown often. I miss being close to family (we have none where we live), I miss the beauty of the place and I miss my kids being around cousins/grandparents!

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  9. Abbey's standing in my kitchen pose again! That's really funny to me ... sorry if you think it's weird I notice how your kids stand. It's just my husband and dad make fun of me, my sisters, and mom for standing that way. A flamingo, they say.

    I live in Minnesota and my hometown is far far away near Princeton, New Jersey. I miss it too, but usually in the summer. I miss the ocean!

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  10. I think you should do a week of Jeff's stories, guest posts maybe? I am very intrigued!

    I know you won't believe me but I swear you have the cleanest kitchen, all the time. How the heck do you do that?!

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  11. I'm lovin' your ordinary days posts! Makes me want to take pics of my ordinary days. Crew sounds like a lot of fun! Do your boys get into ice hockey around there?

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  12. I grew up in a quaint little town in NJ. I only live 20 minutes from there now and my brothers still live at home with my mom there so I often take advantage and take the drive to have a cup of coffee outside or go to a lacrosse game. I still feel more identified with that town than any other. It is still "home."

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  13. Gooooo Abbey!!!! My hubby and I took rowing lessons the past two weekends....something new to learn together...and I needed to use my brain to learn something new soooo badly :) It is a TON of information!!! You should be so proud of Abbey!!!! Our boys can't WAIT to be on crew!!!

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  14. That town with the river is so pretty it makes me want to join a crew team (but I am not athletic at all, so I will spare myself!) Love your pictures!

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  15. I agree how lucky we are to have active children even though the pick up and drop offs needs logistic management. Emm.......... I think I forgot to pick some of mine up from venues from time to time and then drove like a maniac in a panic when the realisation of a lost child would be more than I could bear. Thank goodness I never lost any of them.
    I live on the other side of the world from where I grew up having married an Australian. Shame London to Melbourne is not closer!

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  16. How can you make cupcakes for your family and still be on a no-sugar kick? Don't you taste the frosting? I guess it's all about will power, right?

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  17. this post is so fun! i love the mr. freeze run. and the story time in the kitchen!
    i also like the picture at the regatta. GO EAGLES!

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  18. Please do a post on how you can go without sugar for so long?! I keep trying that and the most I've lasted was 10 days. If I go for too long (like more than a couple of days) without baking something the kids complain that there's nothing good to eat. But when I bake then I eat, too. Sigh.

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  19. Okay, how in the world do you have all of that sugar around you and not eat it??? It would kill me! If I gave up sugar that is. Which I haven't.

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