Tom is my Ken Doll

Tom has made it clear: he needs (wants) new clothes for Christmas. He wants to update his look for work which in the past has been jeans and a company logo golf shirt (he works for a software company where the dress is "wear anything you want").

I haven't shopped for him in a while and don't feel current with male trends, so I've turned to the internet for advice. And found there is little to help.

But I like this look. Tom would say "I don't like v-necks" and "I don't like t-shirts under sweaters which hang out the bottom."

But I say "Get used to it, because I like this look and you gave me the job."

He is my Ken doll. Pictures to follow.

Through Grayson's Eyes

I sometimes download pictures and discover Grayson has taken a few on his own. It's always fun to look at the world through his eyes.

I especially love that the pumpkin one reveals the little sneak himself!

Help! New Template Needed

I seem to be using the old "classic" blog template. I need advice on how to convert my blog to the new template (xml??) to give my blog a new look. Anyone gone through this process already who can give me some help?

It's Official

Elijah is officially a "big boy." He is potty trained day and night, #1 and #2. I really didn't even get the game going until a week before school started. We bought the Elmo pants and a bag of Skittles and we were good to go. As you can see, he's very comfortable in his Elmo's--he ran outside with a piece of sidewalk chalk and laid down to trace himself on the front driveway. I just had to let him enjoy his freedom!

Redd up the Dishes

My mother's family always used an odd phrase when it was time to clean up after a meal: let's redd up the dishes.

This is not a phrase I've tried to pass along. All right, I'll admit I assumed it was some hillbilly cluster of words which unexplainedly ended up in our family line. Tonight I decided to research the origins and found this:

redd (v.)
c.1425, "to clear" (a space, etc.), from O.E. hreddan "to save, to deliver, recover, rescue," from P.Gmc. *hradjan. Sense evolution tended to merge with unrelated rid. Also possibly infl. by O.E. rædan "to arrange," related to O.E. geræde, source of ready. A dialect word in Scotland and northern England, where it has had senses of "to fix" (boundaries), "to comb" (hair), "to separate" (combatants), "to settle" (a quarrel). The exception to the limited use is the meaning "to put in order, to make neat or trim" (1718), especially in redd up, which is in general use in England and the U.S. Use of the same phrase, in the same sense, in Pennsylvania Dutch may be from cognate Low Ger. and Du. redden, obviously connected historically to the Eng. word, "but the origin and relationship of the forms is no clear" [OED].

Now that I know "redd up" is actually from Old English and must have been brought over from a Scottish great-grandmother, I find the phrase acceptable. Quaint, even.

It's time for me to redd up my face and go to bed.

Blanding: Basecamp to Adventure

We spent the past week in Blanding, UT, where my dad grew up. He and mom live there each summer and we love to visit. Dad grows an awesome garden . . .

We rented ATVs and drove up to Mom and Dad's 40 acres on the mesa north of town.

A few of the brave, hardworking ones spent an afternoon picking four bushels of free peaches from an orchard Dad heard about in Colorado. The rest went home and played card games. Slackers!

One the way home from picking peaches we saw five beautiful bucks, like this one.

Grayson's sharp eyes saw this horned toad while we were out hiking.

Tired boys at the hotel on the way home. Notice the pillows between them to ensure each stayed on their own side.

We made so many memories this summer. Still, we're glad to be home . . . our own "basecamp to adventure!"

Encapsulation

We were lucky to get Curt and Carly in Texas for a few days in July. Of course, we had to take advantage and get a family picture.

You'd never know this was taken on a sweltering July morning, that Elijah screamed the first time we tried (this is day 2), or that we're standing at the vacant lot across the street from our house.

Family pictures catch those rare moments when you're smiling together and everyone's eyes are opened. What we should do is have the video camera running to show the mayhem which proceeds the picture. The true essence of a family at its best and its craziest lies in those moments getting ready for the camera.

Yet, the moment is captured and now all I can see is Grayson's exhuberant smile, Elijah's hand on Bryce, Carly and Curt looking like their own family, and Tom, as always, by my side.

True Grit

This is my younger brother, Greg. He has cerebal palsy, and the past few years his balance has been growing more unsteady. He's had quite a few falls and now often freezes up in fear when he walks. It's hard to see this progression, because he's very social and has always enjoyed getting out and going places. We were at the park last week and as I pushed Grayson and Elijah on the swing I offered to push him as well, but he was very nervous. He actually sat down and tried, but couldn't do it. I then witnessed a moment of true grit--he clenched his teeth and made himself sit down again and he was able to enjoy freely gliding through the air. Greg's example makes me want to try when I tell myself I can't, try again when I've already given up, and keep trying no matter how old I am.