meet me in the middle

I was going to write a short update on all my kids, but instead I thought I'd take it one at a time. They deserve that.

They are snowflakes - beautiful, complicated, and unique.

Today is dedicated to my middle boy, Daniel. He's only a couple of weeks away from seven years old, and I'm going to make six last as long as possible.

Last night, I took the advice of my sweet Mama and decided to take my Daniel out, just the 2 of us, for some one-on-one time. I know that each child needs undivided attention sometimes, but it's hard to make it a reality.

He was delighted. As we drove down country roads at twilight, he talked incessantly. We reminisced about summer bike rides, and reviewed what had been going on at school.

When I gave him a choice of Dairy Queen or A & W, he chose A & W. The Reese Cup Polar Swirl.

As we sat in the drive-thru, he had a clear view of the inside of the restaurant. He suddenly said,

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Oh, you're welcome, Daniel! I love being with you!" I squeezed him on the shoulder.

"I was just reading the trash cans in there," he said.

I looked inside and sure enough, 3 trash cans in a row with "thank you" on the front of each.

You kiddin' me?

Here's a classic Cosby clip that always makes me laugh.

But what I didn't know was that the last girl on the couch (who actually looks like a boy) is a 4-year old Alicia Keys! Seriously! She talked about it in a recent interview. (Fast foward to 1:33 in the video)

Girl Power

I've been thinking a lot about friends lately...friends right here, friends miles away, friends I see every week and those I see once a year (if I'm lucky).

Do you think friendship gets easier as we get older? Oh, who are we kidding - no, it never gets easier, really, but it can get more complicated. You get married, you have children, the here and now takes over and that girl who made you think or made you laugh is knee-deep in diapers and burp cloths somewhere across the country.

You'd think things like cell phones, facebook, and texting would keep friendships stronger and connections deeper, but they've only given an appearance of closeness. You can reach people quicker, yes, but you can't connect to someone with electronics.

It takes one person looking into the eyes of another person, a smirk or a wink that says, "I get you, girl. I hear you."

When I think of friends I've had over the years, friends I have now, I'm always amazed at how it sneaks up on me.

You know, you're thinking, "oh, she's so different from me" or "we don't really have anything in common" but then you share a laugh, or you maybe a sorrow somehow and you go - HUH. Didn't see that coming.

Aren't you thankful for the amazing and different personalities in your life? Aren't you richer and wiser for those who've crossed your path through different seasons? I sure am.

Women are complicated and so are our friendships. But, wow, it's worth it. It's worth making plans and getting together. Stick together, chicks!

Just one of the those sweet ordinary days

Hope is growing faster than I'd like. As she nears 2, I've been getting the camera out more often, trying to preserve the "baby" moments.

Lunchtime

The Gift of An Ordinary Day - For My Mama Friends

This was probably the best book I ever read about motherhood. Here's the author, Katrina Kenison reading from a chapter. My friend, Tricia, posted this on facebook, and I just thought it needed to live on!

Here's where Jonathan learned his cool moves -- we boogie to this at least once a day --