I found some more Michel(l)e Edelmans this weekend. And all of them look like fine contributing members of society. Well, except French Michele, and that's only because I can't figure out what the articles actually say about her.
When I run across a couple more, I am going to contact Socialite Michelle and see if she will host all the Michelles at her place in the Hamptons... it looks nice, and it looks like Heidi Klum (the real one) hangs out there.
Sarah and Katie dig a hole to China
Eric and Linda kick back on Moonlight Beach (it was kinda cold that day!)Message on the machine tonight.
"This is Tony, Rebecca's camp counselor." (uh oh...)
"I am just calling to say how much we are enjoying having Rebecca in cooking camp this week." (nothing has happened that would cause OSHA to reinspect the YMCA kitchen)
"She really enjoys all the activities." (there have not been incidents that require band-aids)
"Thanks for choosing the Y camps!" (thank God it's Wednesday!)
I found a CD among the piles of rumpled paper, bits of pencil lead, and other crapola that came home with Sarah on the last day of school. Someone was inspired enough to burn all the class pictures from all the parties and class events onto a CD for the parents. What a treat for someone like me, who can only imagine the inner workings of the 4th grade parties and field trips!
I found Sarah's transformation this year to be breathtaking. She started out as this chubby-cheeked little sweetie kid, and I can see that in the 10 months, she has really changed. I think her neck has gotten longer, her face thinner, and she just has an elegance to her. It's really hard to get the big picture when you see your own kid every day, so it sort of took me by surprise.
(click on the photos so you can see up close....)
The baby and his weenie are fine. The bris was more traumatic for onlookers than the patient, in perfect keeping with 5000+ years of tradition. The baby was named in part after my grandfather who passed away in April. Let's hope this means he grows up with my grandfather's unending charm and gregarious nature.
Don's sister and her family are here in San Diego. They're staying at a campground near SeaWorld. They've been to the Zoo and the Midway, and we're going to the beach today. The cousins are reacquainting. Yay, pictures later.
Becca survived her first week of camp, and the camp also survived. When I asked the counselor how she was doing, he said, "Becca really loves sunscreen." That didn't actually answer my question, and I really don't even want to know what that meant (though I can imagine).
Sarah survived her last week of 4th grade. Actually they didn't do piss-all in class. And now we have a year's worth of desk contents to go through. And camp next week, hooray!
My dear friend Laura's mom passed away last night, after on-again-off-again bouts of cancer. I'm going to see how I can help...
My little nephew had his bris yesterday and I had to miss it. Foo. I feel so left out. Why isn't anyone calling me back over there? Are they in Weenie Intensive Care? Is it all okay?
I love when Esther cleans our house because then it's... so clean.
But there's someone who secretly does not like Esther, I found out. Wednesday night, after Esther had been here, I went to check on Sarah to see if she had fallen asleep. She hadn't. She was sitting on her desk, rearranging her shelves. When I expressed my surprise and asked her what she was doing, she said,
"Mom! I just hate when Esther comes. She moves around all my things on my shelves! Why can't she dust around my things! See, my nutcracker should be BEHIND the nesting dolls because he's taller. And she has all my other things just CLUMPED together. CLUMPED!! Can't she see how bad that looks?"
I left without saying anything. Because it's depressing when you realize that you've given birth to your own mother.
They raised $125,000 for Unicef this year, which got them a cameo on a Cartoon Network ad!
http://www.unicefusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=hkIXLdMRJtE&b=1886435
Of course, they also raised $140,000+ for the school this year at the fundraiser. I have never experienced a public school that has its own fundraisers... I thought that was called "taxes," but not in California. So many programs that we used to take for granted in the Midwest (music teacher, science teacher!, PE, technology lab, the list goes on) would not exist at the school if it were not for parent donations.
You're so vain... you probably thought that this post was about YOU.
Nicknames: Edwin, Eddibald
Special Talents: sleeping. Sometimes sleeping like a person with head on pillow and body stretched out like a human. Begging with his eyes. Farting and blaming it on others. Smiling when scratched. Tolerating Becca, who overcuddles him. Finding rodents in the yard (bleh).
Fun Fact: Eddie is not a morning person; in fact, he will crawl back in bed several times in the morning.
We heard this morning that his name is Jacob! That's nice, don't you think?
My hope for Jacob is that he is docile and easygoing. First of all, when there are 2 kids age 2 or under in the house, that's a lot of demands. Having one that's less demanding would be a good thing for my brother and his wife's sanity.
As well, I am speaking from experience. I have two strong personalities in the house. Sarah and Rebecca, 2 matriarchs, as my sister reminded me this morning. Two people who feel they know better than the other and want to control their own destiny.
In other words, two people who ultimately will not be successful playing together.
Add that to Becca's occasional spontaneous deafness because of her ear infections, and you have a potentially explosive situation.
Here's how it typically goes.
Sarah: Becca, sweetie! Time to come play Barbies with me. You can be the boy and I will be the girl and we will go to the Prom and go dancing.
Becca: OK! (Takes Sarah's favorite Barbie girl out of the pile. This is NOT a random act... she knows full well that this is annoying, that she is violating the "rules" of the game, and there are by the way at least 47 other Barbies in that pile)
Sarah: BECCA! THAT'S MY BARBIE! HAND IT OVER!
(A word here about "mine". The girls know full well that toys that are kept in their room are not to be touched by the other, but any toy that's in a public play area can be played with by anyone. The 47 Barbies are in the playroom. So if she doesn't want this particular doll touched, it's her own fault.)
Becca: No! (Smack)
Sarah: DON'T HIT ME! GIVE ME MY BARBIE!
Becca: (Whack, scratch)
Sarah: (crying) EVERY TIME I TRY TO PLAY WITH YOU, YOU RUIN IT!
Parent: What's going on in here?
Sarah: (crying) BECCA TOOK MY BARBIE! AND SHE SMACKED, WHACKED, AND SCRATCHED ME!
Becca: I don't know.
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
So Jacob, here's what I have to say. BE THE BOY BARBIE AND PLAY PROM, DAMN IT! WILL IT KILL YOU TO DO WHAT NORA WANTS? JUST THIS ONCE?
Of course, I am senile so I forgot to mention that Don turned 51 last week... his second birthday in San Diego! I think this one was much better... at least our living conditions are better and we don't feel confused about where we are anymore and things like that. And I took him out for a nice steak and some cocktails, so what could be bad about it.
My new nephew arrived at around noon EST... he's nearly 9 pounds, so *respect* to my sister-in-law. Dang that's like delivering 2 Sarah's glued together, almost. I cannot imagine.
There is much speculation as to the name. My sister has suggested De'Andre. Hm we do not have anyone in the family with an apostrophe in their name. I am thinking that my brother will need to name the kid after a famous St. Louis Cardinal, like Ozzie or Brock or something. Brock Edelman is kind of nice, it sounds like a real estate agent.
Welcome to the family, Brock!
My sister-in-law's due date was today! And the baby is just hanging out doing nothin'. Eating and getting bigger and in no hurry to leave. So clearly, it's a BOY.
She's inducing on Monday if he's still loitering...
All of you guys are very far away, so you can't come to Sarah's piano recitals. So I will continue to regale you with the highlights whenever I can.
She is 70% sweet adorable and smart, and 30% snarky angry weepy preteen. In this clip, I believe you are getting part A. (If not, she has a good stage presence.) Though before we left she shot tears at me (really! literally, they shot out of her eyes at me like daggers!) because she could not assemble the right outfit and I was not helping, I made her look like an old man. Ahhhhh I am a dorky MOM now, she is 2cool4me.
However, I did get smart after the last recital and figured out what to do to keep Becca quiet... so 2 points for me.