But when Joe saw it this weekend, he proclaimed it "the greatest commercial I've ever seen!"
It really is fun to watch, and so very BOY...
Did I mention he got a Nerf assault rifle for Christmas?
Marianna's week of summer camp set her on fire for Irish dancing. We were able to get her registered with a school just 3 minutes from home (yay!), and she's been enjoying it since the fall.
Yesterday Marianna participated in her school's feis (pronounced "fesh" I think), a sort of dance tournament. Even with over 200 participants, it was run efficiently and on time (yay again!).
Surprisingly, my outgoing girl became a bundle of nerves. She was, though, able to calm down, dance, and have fun. I'm so proud of her!
Can it be two weeks already?
Becca had her orthopedic recheck today. I'm told the x-ray looked good. In fact, the cast is scheduled to be removed in two more weeks instead of three. Hurrah!
Meanwhile, here's a bit of the hobbler doing her thing. She started walking on day 8 and just keeps getting more active.
I found this Christmas carol meme over at MacBeth's.
Christmas Carols:
1. Love 'em, hate 'em, tolerate 'em, or...? Love them!
2. Policy: none before Christmas, none before Thanksgiving, or...? None before Thanksgiving.
3. Favorite? Favorites, if you've got more than one?Wow--lots of favorites. The Andy Williams Merry Christmas cd takes me waaaaay back. The first "jing-a-ling, jing-jing-a-ling" perks me right up. Luckily my children have been brainwashed indoctrinated into the tradition.
I really like Advent and chant-type songs: O Come, O Come Emmanuel; Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence; Of the Father's Love Begotten; People Look East; What Child is This? Also Joy to the World; The Holly and the Ivy (beautiful verses); O Holy Night. Newer songs like Breath of Heaven and Mary Did You Know? Weston Priory songs. And more I can't think of right now. I love Christmas music!
4. Least favorite? Drives you batty/hate it/turn it off if it comes on the radio? Santa Baby, Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer
5. Caroling door to door in neighborhood? Ever done it/would do it? Wouldn't even consider it? Caroled some as a kid, and fortunately have a friend who hosts a caroling party every year. We'll be going on Friday!
6. Funniest kids' rendition, if any? Hmmm...
7. Most inappropriate carol ever heard in a church setting (Catholic or otherwise)? Hmmm... Guess I've been lucky (or forgetful).
8. The one foreign language carol I know (or know best) is...? Probably one verse of Silent Night in the original German.
9. Carol that perplexes you the most? Remember the adage, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all?" That's what I don't get about some secular "Christmas" songs (see #4 and their ilk)--WHY?
Too much "styling" always perplexes me, as well. A singer may want to add his or her touch to a familiar carol, but the ones that stray too far from familiar tune or tempo or instrumentation make me wonder, "Why?"
10. Carol your whole family will sing? Away in a Manger, if we start on the right note.
Mary, Did You Know? is a song I didn't hear until I was a homeschooling parent. I distinctly remember receiving the Rescue cd as an extra in a big order from Rainbow Resources one year. Here's someone else's version for you to enjoy.
We were on a hill (in the shade--yes!) far from the podium but with a clear view.
Here's a better photo showing the size of the rally.
It was more exciting/interesting than I expected to be at the rally. There was lots of enthusiasm and not too much trash-talking (certainly not from McCain or Palin).
As we were walking back to the car, the motorcade went right by us. Actually it almost went by, then stopped, then almost went by, then stopped again before finally driving past. Apparently John McCain got off his bus TWICE to mingle with the crowd--I could hear the walkie-talkies of the motorcycle escort. He didn't stop to shake our hands, but Joseph did get a shield decal from one of the police officers (who beckoned him into the street to give it to him).
The children are following this election more closely than I ever did at their age. They saw commercials for both candidates during the Olympics (we don't watch much tv) and have heard us discuss issues. Today we talked about Virginia as a battleground state and how the electoral college makes each state "all or nothing" for the candidates. They saw and heard politicians, protesters, and supporters. Some of the protesters were rude. Len told Joe that,"He who shouts loses the argument," only to hear someone on our side of the street yell something about "socialists and communists" and "voting for Muslims". Sigh. (Most people on both sides were adamant but civil.)
Altogether a day they're not likely to forget.
When I have a baby or toddler, most of my "lovey" dollars are spent on said child--nursing, hugging, kissing, snuggling. Much of my other mothering time goes to directing, driving, and disciplining. As a consequence, I don't think my children have any idea how fiercely I love them.
Lauren's off to school now. Of course she'll be back, but her life with us will never be the same. That's a good thing, and the way it should be, but mommy feelings aren't always in synch with mommy brains. I miss her.
We have a fun kid cd--Dog Train--with mostly silly songs and one mother-ballad. I've been thinking of a slide show for Lauren for nearly a year now, and have finally made an attempt. I'm not sure whether it's me or the computer (we both have technical issues), but we haven't been able to upload a song to go with pictures to post on the blog. We can, however, put up a movie from the camera, so enjoy this high/low tech tribute. Technical assistance by Len, singing by Alison Krauss.
Did you watch the men's 4 x 100 freestyle relay the other day? It was the most amazing swim I've ever seen! The boys really wanted to stay up, but we sent them to bed an hour before it began.
All night, the commentators had been talking about how the French were favored to win, and that the Australians were also very strong. Phelps swam the first leg, but the Australians finished it first. We held the lead for a short time, but by the final turn the French swimmer (Bernard) was ahead of Lezak (the US swimmer) by .8 of a second. It looked like a lot, too--about a body length, I'd say. About halfway across the pool, Lezak started pouring it on, and touched just .08 ahead of Bernard! It was almost impossible to discern, even in the replays.
The next day, it wasn't enough to say the US had won--I really wanted everyone to that amazing race. You may be able to watch it on NBC's olympic website, but for some reason we can't play their videos. After a few days, a version of the race (not just highlights or photos) showed up on YouTube. It's from a British-sounding broadcast, and the commentary is priceless, especially when you already know the outcome. If you missed seeing the whole swim, treat yourself:
If the link above doesn't work (this video has moved around a few times), try going back to YouTube. The movie's current title is "Beijing 2008 swiming men 4 x 100 m freestyle final". (Yes, swiming is spelled incorrectly.) It's 3:51 long. Good luck.
May 29th: the day my first baby became my first high school graduate. So many milestones passed, and so many more to go... Things are still so busy here (even though school is out and the pool is in) that I'm not feeling overly sentimental yet. I think it's not going to hit me fully until we drop Lauren off at VCU in August and turn around to drive home WITHOUT HER.Yes, I was fiddling with the camera menu and missed the beginning announcements--Aargh!
