Need a Laugh?

So much for the shy dog!  This is what happens every time I take out my camera to take Toccoa's picture!

Too Late

The trees have leaves, the flowers have buds and the natural areas around the house are covered in honeysuckle.  The birds wake us each morning and the air smells like honey and lilacs.  Sure signs of Spring, right?  Not quite so fast.  If you live in Northern Cincinnati, you know there is only one sure to way to know when Spring has sprung....opening weekend at Kings Island.  It was 10 o'clock on the nose last night when the familiar boom sounded.  Those fireworks are how we will tell time until the leaves begin to fall again.  

And just like every opening weekend, Jeff and I take a trip past the park to see the first rides starting and the parking lot full of kids of all ages.  This time, we took also took detour...a trip to the beach.

Unfortunately, this park was not quite as joyous.  There were no cars, no kids, no rides running.  The dilapidated flags showed the only signs of movement in the park.  The gate was locked.  Adjoining fields were littered with "parts" being prepared for sale.  

Twenty seven years..and this was my first trip to The Beach.  It seems I was a season too late.  

Something You Believe In

I've never been one to "get involved".   There are so many great charities and causes out there, it can be overwhelming.  I love animals, children, trees...how does one choose how to donate their time?  And how do you know you're making a difference?

Long story short, sometimes an incredibly special person stumbles into your life and you no longer need to choose.  You know that you want to do everything you can to help.  That's how we all felt when Team DOT was formed.  From that day on, the Down Syndrome Association became not just a cause, but a mission.  Over the last few months, I've be honored to meet dozens of families with loved ones diagnosed with Down syndrome and I am moved by each of them.  

So if I can tell the boys one thing, it's find something you believe in and give.  Not your money, but your time.  It's more fulfilling than you can imagine and you can make a difference.  

So here's a very big THANK YOU to the Zumba instructors that gave their time, the participants that gave their money (and lots of sweat!), the CA employees that manned the tables and the vendors that donated their time and merchandise to help us raise money and awareness.  Some things are just worth getting up at 6:30am on a Saturday morning.

days until until I have the sun on my face, toes in the lake, surrounded by family.  Another day like today and I may leave immediately.

Puppy Love

Isn't puppy love grand?  It is when you have a scared puppy that needs to socialize.   So when Bev came over and brought Emma...we knew it would be a test.  How well did puppy class work?  Beautifully.  The girls had a wonderful time and Bev and I got some girl time ourselves.  Progress is a beautiful thing!

My Princess...

Do you want to know what happens when you fall asleep in class?  Please call and ask my princess...Will.  Thankfully, it was study hall.  And yes, we had a very long talk about it!

Oh, Yippee!

Look who finally was brave enough to make it up the stairs!  None of us will get a moment of rest now.  I should be thrilled that she's conquered her fears....but since I've had to go get her down (she's chasing the cat) four times in the last 2 minutes, I'm not so sure.

It's Party Time!

Finally, a purchase for the graduation party that didn't include tons of rock, yards of dirt, landscape bricks or weed control spray.  

Now that the yard is looking almost complete, it's time to focus on the fun stuff.  Decorations, food and entertainment.  Since Hunter gets out of school one month from today, we need to get a move on.  Guess I need more than just a card box, huh?

Someone Once Said....

Sometimes, other people can just say it better than you can.  So I've been spending time on Pinterest over the last few months, putting together a collection of "thoughts" for the boys.  I would love to call it my words of wisdom...but it's more a collection of other peoples lessons.  I'll continue to add to it, but I thought I would share a few.

Have any you'd like to add?

Tweet!

I've mastered Facebook.  I can IM, PM, email, text and tether.  I couldn't live without 4G.  My smartphone has smart moves and I can operate it with my eyes closed.  But ask me to send a tweet...and I'm lost. 

It's not that new, it's not that hard.  It's 140 characters.  Oh wait, that seems to be the problem.  How to sum up a thought with only 140 characters.  If you've read my blog more than once, you'd know that I just can't sum up anything in just 140 characters.  I've been trying to tweet for months.  Actually, I've been on twitter for months, but I've only managed to send two tweets.  I follow the boys, I laugh at Will's witty remarks but I just can't seem to condense my thoughts into such few words.  

Maybe one day, I'll get it.  One day when I don't have much to say.  But then again, maybe not.  In the meantime, you can follow my very quiet twitter feed at @jchaw32.

A Charm

The third time was a charm.  Mom, Hunter and I got to spend our day touring Ohio State for the third time.  But this time, he got all the answers that he was looking for.  His questions included how to transfer credits, requirements for becoming a tour guide and RA next year, several "what would you change" questions for the student representatives...oh, I'm sure there were lots more.  

His advisor loved him, he made a few friends...and he's now counting the days until he can move his clothes in.

The Crazy Bird Lady

Before Hunter and I take off today for the Scholars visit, I thought I would spend some time outside with the birds.  Jeff thinks I'm turning into the crazy bird lady, but I just love them.  Here's a few....

Senior-itis!

And just when I thought Hunter had Senior-itis, he sends me this from school today!  Way to go, Hunter!  And in AP Government, no less.  Thankfully, he hasn't checked out yet.  Only 43 more days to go.

First Graduation of the Year

We did it!

Tonight was our final night of "Puppy" school and Toccoa went out in style.  She jumped on a stranger (I know that's not good, but for a scaredy cat, it was great!), her tail was up and wagging during play time and she licked one of the teachers!  None of these may be sound like huge measures to most puppy owners, but to us...it means Graduation!  Next week, we'll start Family Manners class just to keep our good luck going.

Doesn't she look cute in her bandanna?

Family Night

This is what family night looks like in our house!  Just kidding, but on a school night when I force them to spend a few minutes with us, it normally involves Big Bang Theory (currently on), a laptop, a cell phone and a time limit.

Maybe I should plan a tech free night?

The Shoot Out

There's nothing like sending your child in front of the firing squad.  That's how I felt today when I took Will to the shoot out for Dart Wars.  In the event of a tie between teams, there's a sudden death shoot out.  Both teams, chasing each other around a field with an artillery of nerf darts strapped to them.  The problem was that Will and Alex were the only two who could make it for their team.  5 to 2 makes for an uneven match up.  I'm very sorry they lost, I'm very happy that I got to see it!

Book vs. Movie

Ah, the joys of a rainy day!  The weather forecast for the week promised rain today and just this once, Mother Nature delivered.  While we could have used yet another sun shiny day to work in the yard, the grass seed needed the rain so no complaints here.

Thankfully, Jeff had a ready made plan for the day and it included an afternoon showing of the must see movie of the season.  Popcorn in hand, we settled into our front row seats.  I just knew that Jeff and Will would love Katniss and Peeta as much as I did.  After all, I'd read the Hunger Games (and the other two books in the series) in about a week.  In hindsight, my expectations may have been a little high.

The company was wonderful, the popcorn was buttery but the movie was just OK.  They had 2.5 hours to get in three hundred pages...would would have thought they could leave so much out.  But as I started to think about it and discuss it with Jeff...when was the last time you heard someone say the movie was better than the book?

So as we left dinner, I vowed to pass up movies that I'd already read.  To bad it'll be a short lived resolution....Breaking Dawn comes out in November.

Tuxedos for Everyone!

Hot pink tie, paisley vest, flat front pants, pearl cuff links and shiny black shoes.  That was our mission for the day.  The last day of spring break was spent at the Mens Warehouse getting the boys all set for prom.  Can you believe they're both going?  If today was any indication, they're both looking forward to it and will have a great time together!  

Storage Wars

Being a photographer is one of the most rewarding jobs in the world.  Capturing the first days of a little ones life, first steps and touching family moments...really, does it get much better?

The only down side is that little nagging voice that wants a store front.  It's been my dream since I was a teen.  A little consignment store selling someone else's treasures.  Maineville seems like the perfect place for it.  I had resigned myself to the fact it wouldn't happen...until today.

Storage Wars.  My new TV addiction..and the perfect way to get my little store stocked.  If you haven't seen it, make sure to catch an episode.  It's very unique and cool.  Now all I have to do is convince Jeff, lol.  So far, no luck.

Already?

Can you believe we just scheduled college orientation?  I know that I can't.  June is looking to be the busiest month on record in the Thomas household.

The Kindness of Strangers

As parents, it's our job to teach our kids about the world around them.  More to the point, to make sure they recognize there is a world around them.  It's easy (for all of us) to get wrapped up in the day to day chaos of our lives, forgetting that everyone has ups and downs, tragedies and triumphs.  So I want to share our story to remind us all what a simple act of kindness can mean to someone else.

Last evening, we all stood in the parking lot saying our goodbyes.  While saying goodbye to Austin is always tear-filled and sad, this goodbye was just that much more painful.  410 days is a long time.  In true mom form, I cried straight through the lobby and all the way to the room.  Hunter and Will took the opportunity to hang out with the gentleman working the front desk, telling our story and explaining the tearful goodbye.  

After a few minutes, Hunter determined his best course of action for cheering me up was finding a package of Twinkies.  Let's be honest, nothing is more comforting than a Twinkie.  So he returned to the front desk empty handed, after scouring the vending machines, to see if the same nice gentleman could point him the direction of the nearest convenience store.  With directions (and an offer to take him when his shift ended), Hunter walked to the store, again to be disappointed that he couldn't find them.  So with a smorgasbord of other goodies, Hunter returned to our room and spent the next hour making Jeff and I laugh.  It wasn't until Hunter was leaving and we were heading to bed that we found the package outside our door.  A box of Twinkies, a package of Kleenex, a gift card for coffee and doughnuts and a simple note that read "Attention Army family, thank you for your many sacrifices."

So first, let me say thank you to Adam, the firefighter (and part time front desk clerk) that took time and money out of his day to make ours a little brighter.  Second, let me say that the the biggest thank you belongs to Austin.  He's the one out fighting for us.  Our sacrifice is so small compared to his.  Lastly, I want the boys to always remember how they felt about a strangers random act of kindness.  We'll spend the next 410 days  paying it forward.

Army Strong

I took a lot of pictures today.  Some at the mall, some of the mall and lots of the boys.  Funny, my most cherished picture won't be the ones I took, but the one that Kelsey was kind enough to capture for us.

Stay Army strong.  Those are the words that Austin left me with and I promise to make sure we do.  He promised to stay safe and meet us in Blue Ridge next summer.  I'll be counting down the days.

Happy Easter

What a great Easter Sunday!  I was lucky enough to spend it with all of my favorite "peeps"!  

I'm fairly certain we'll all sleep well tonight after such a jam packed, exhausting day.  It started with breakfast at Shoneys - one of the top ten things I miss about the south!  Following brunch, we set out on a 3 mile hike up (and down!) Kennesaw Mountain.  Note to self, plan ahead and don't hike in flip flops!  The remainder of the day was spent at Andretti's, cart racing and filling our bellies again.  Someone, please ask Hunter about his dinner!

I'm so tired I can't stand it, but feeling blessed for such an outstanding day with the boys and Kelsey.  Did I mention how nice it was to have another girl in the group?  But before I fall into bed, I wanted to share a few more pictures of our day....

One of Those Days

It's been one of those day.  One of those few precious days that I will tuck away in my memory and reflect on often.  It will get us through the days ahead, the ones that will be long and daunting.  It was the kind of day you wish would never end.  I'm sure that the sweetest sound I've ever heard was all four of the boys laughing....and they did a lot of that.  The day started at the target range with the boys playing with guns (I know, but they're boys!) and it ended with 3.2 lbs of ice cream at Menchies.  I won't bore you with every minute in between, but I will tell you that I enjoyed each and every minute of it.  And even though I dragged the boys through a couple of museums, I think they would agree.  I could fill a scrapbook with all of the pictures we took, but here are a few....

Road Trip!

Dinner with all three of the boys makes the 8.5 hour drive so worth it.  A rock slide in Tennessee slowed us down a little, but the Georgia sunshine made the remainder of the trip wonderful.  Georgia clay, mile high pine trees and Krystal's...just a few of the reasons I miss the south.  I'm off to visit, but here's some of the days highlights.....

Opening Day

Happy Opening Day of Baseball everyone!  If you live in Cincinnati, you know that the Red's opening day is a city wide holiday.  The entire city crowds into Fountain Square to watch the Opening Day parade...following Rosie Red and Mr. Redlegs directly to the stadium to see the first pitch of the season.  Even those of us that aren't baseball fans can't help but get sucked into the celebration.  

For the second year in a row, the Marching Panther Band was invited to march in the parade.  Will thought it was cool, Hunter was sad it was his last time marching.  I thought it was great that they were both on television.  Nothing beats watching them march across your tv set.

A first for Will and a last for Hunter.  But at least they let him keep his "chicken".  The plume has officially been retired and will live with Hunter for eternity (he's a pack rat, so I do mean an eternity!).  

PS.  Happy Birthday Mom!  I know you had a good day and we can't wait to celebrate with you next week!