Foot to Hand

This is baby Atticus’ foot on Kevin’s hand.

Yep, way back when he was a wee newborn. (Atticus, not Kevin. 😉

I took the picture with my old phone, so it’s pretty grainy, but I love it.

Now, Attie’s in school and headed toward his 5th birthday on the 25th…It’s crazy how fast time goes by!

As Gretchen says, “The days are long, but the years are short.”

A Piece of Time

We spent some time at my parents’ house yesterday afternoon.

While Kevin and my mom talked, Lucas played his DS, and Atticus watched TV, my dad showed me how to use the census search engine to look up some of Kevin’s ancestors, and he showed me this watch.

It was my great-grandmother’s sister’s watch. Her name was Ethel, and the engraving underneath says “1924.”

The watch band is so small; it’s about two-thirds the size of mine! And the face cover is made of pre-plastic celluloid, which is why it’s so scratched, my dad said.

Bye-Bye, Tooth

Not only did Lukie Luke lose one of his front teeth today in school, but he also had his second smiley-face day in a row!! Awesome news!!!

Notice the smiley his teacher Mr. Monge drew is missing a tooth, too.

The little red chest had his tooth in it. He said Mr. Monge gave it to him to put his tooth in, after it came all the way out during class.

Over there is Lucas favorite picture, “the mean look.” 😛

When the Mountain Laughs

When the mountain laughs,
maybe it’s time to trek down a bit,
blisters and aches.

It’s easier going
where you’ve already been.

The snow’s no more shallow,
no less in your face;
the sun’s glare, no less blinding.

But the holes you trampled
on your first go up
remain to guide you.

So get yourself to a lower altitude,
where you can breathe a little easier.

But don’t sit down.
Don’t loosen your boots.
Don’t turn your back
even for a second.

Wait for the mountain
to nod off again.
And get back at it.

~Jo R. Hawke

Originally published in The Ninety-Eight Poets, edited by W. Scott.

Parking Epidemic

What is UP with all the bad parking lately??

This is just one of the many bad scenes I’ve seen of late, and it’s definitely a no-go. That Ford SUV is clearly over the line.

Some aren’t so flagrant, but in narrow parking lots like this one at Coleman Marketplace, there’s no room for error. Just pulling your vehicle inside the lines isn’t enough. Centering is essential.

Oh, and see that cup below the driver’s-side door of the Mitsubishi?

Yeah, we actually saw that woman open her door to drop the cup in the parking lot.

Real classy, lady. 🙁

~+~

And Kevin reiterates his latest motto: “Pray, don’t say.”

And I hit “publish” anyway… 🙁

Open House

Maybe Atticus was a little too weary from a very long day to be excited about taking a picture in his kindergarten seat. But he sure got a second wind after he got up and decided to walk around and read every single one of his classmates’ names on the other 23 seats…

In Search of Balance

I posted on Twitter last week that I could probably work 24 hours a day and still not feel caught up.

It’s not that I don’t love my job. I do. I’m where I need to be, right where God wants me.

But it’s way too easy to sink back under all that paperwork, that grading, that mountain of work-work-work, until I’m drowning in it, losing sight of the important things in favor of the tedious.

Let’s just say that keeping a healthy balance is not my strong suit.

Lord, help me to do the best I can and let the rest go.