On Father's Day...

To my awesome Dad, on Father's Day~

There are a many things I'm grateful for, but a few thoughts come to mind today.

Thank you for...

1. Flying out immediately once you heard your first grandchild was born, despite all my protests not to have ANY visitors during the days immediately after his birth. I'll say it again, You were right.

1a. Following all my bizarre NewMom rules on that visit like "No talking in the car on the way home from the hospital." Dad, I said no talking. Shhhhh...you're going to wake him up.

2. Saving all my 'letters home' from the Air Force Academy. What I once thought was a waste of drawer space, I'm now excited to read some day...although probably not before my children are grown and my house is clean.

3. Answering the phone at 6am every morning I rang in those dark days that followed September 11th, 2001...for a few weeks that was the brightest part of my day.

5. Thinking I'm the best photographer in the world, and making me feel like it's as important ("or more") than being a pilot.

6. And most of all, dear Dad, thanks for teaching me how to brew the perfect cup of English tea. I would truly be lost in life without the lesson that all things get better over a cup of tea...as long as it is strong and brewed with love.

Yellow Belt Brothers

When I lost my 4 Gigs of photos over 2 months ago, there was one shot I pined for.

Thanks to PhotoRecovery, I don't have to pine any longer...

"For every beauty..."

For every beauty there is an eye somewhere to see it.

For every truth there is an ear somewhere to hear it.

For every love there is a heart somewhere to receive it.

-Ivan Panin

The Barbershop: Just Do it

The last time we took our boys to get their hair cuts at the "kid cutter" place it dawned on me...this was not a place where children's hair was cut. This was a toy store, a DVD preview store, and, oh by the way, they happen to have a few people equipped with scissors. Those wearing aprons would cut your kids hair in 30 seconds after enticing them with some random movie--one that you'd probably rather they not watch in the first place.

And let's be clear...no parent, not even on their best parenting-game-day, would be seen walking out of those specialty kid-cutters without a plastic toy that would be lucky to stay intact long enough to make the drive home without breaking.

So on our recent vacation, we were more than pleased to take our boys to a real Barbershop. You might remember those types of establishments...they are staffed with pleasant gentlemen who will treat your lad like a prince. They will not entice them into the seat with multi-media props. They will, however, talk with them. They'll engaged them in conversation and in the process, give them a marvelous hair-cut.

This gave me pause for thought on how much I really do prefer the Barbershop experience.

Reason #1.

Instead of looking at a DVD the whole time, they actually admire their "before" locks because they are looking into a mirror instead of a t.v. screen.

After...

What makes a hair cut complete? The lollipop, of course. But that's not all at a Barbershop...

Reason #2. At a Barbershop, the finishing touch is the soft brush of the talcum powder...instead of the requisite toy purchase.

Reason #3. Who doesn't like to get their hair cut from cool guys from New Jersey?

When all is said and done--wet and combed, cut and brushed--I still find myself admiring their locks scattered on the ground beneath them. At ages 7 and 4, I no longer save them in tiny ziploc bags like those first precious curls, but I do find that I still have to take a quick shot. Our Barbers understood. They are parents, too.

The rite of passage of a grown-up hair cut and the ritual of becoming little men...well, in a Barbershop you actually have the quiet to appreciate these moments--instead of battling over whether to buy the plastic tadpole or the styrofoam sword as you are trying to check-out.

Two haircuts, 52 photos, and zero meltdowns. Sounds like a new tradition in the making.

Give a Girl the Right Shoes...

"Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world." - Marilyn Monroe

I grew up barefoot living on a sail boat, but I always remember the pair of black patent leather 'dress shoes' that my mom gave me. I didn't conquer the world, but I sure learned to dance.

Pilgrims, Precious Gift, and Pumpkin Pie

Dateline: T's Classroom.

Continent: North America

Country: USA

Why: Thanksgiving

What: Gratitude Bowl.

Introduced our family tradition of naming something you are grateful for, writing it down, and placing it in the gratitude bowl. We read these before meals during this season of the Great Feast.

What they said:

"I'm thankful for my Mom giving me money when I clean up my room."

"I'm thankful for hockey."

"I'm thankful for Max."

What we said:

Native Americans were the first Americans to greet the Pilgrims. Lloyd read his illustrator-sister, Woodleigh's book (The Precious Gift). Navaho myth that kept the children entertained and amazingly attentive. I sliced thick, velvety pumpkin pie and delicately placed tiny slices on small plates with sporks. Wished my camera was completely silent so I could take more photos. Put the camera down in the name of no distractions.

What they left:

Not a crumb.

Smiles.

Pleas for "seconds."

We left:

Giving thanks for the children in our midst. All of them. These little beings keep us in the present. Each is truly, a Precious Gift.

Rain, Rain Go Away

Don't you know it's party day?

Preparations

Ingredients

Show time!

27 kids, 36 cupcakes, 64 slices of pizza = 1 hugely happy halloweeny crowd.