Flashback Friday- This & That

Things have been weird lately. Usually I make blogging a priority- its kind of like my therapy. I sit down, I type, I release. But recently, it kind of feels like a chore? ...am I getting burnt out?

Ever since Christopher started working the night shift, I feel like I've kinda traded in some of my freedom for an extra work load. And its not his fault, even though sometimes I know he could leave work a few minutes earlier than he does, its just how it is.

So by the end of the night, when the kids are finally in bed and my me-time surfaces- I'm just exhausted. The last thing that I want to do is sit down at the computer and put my mind to work. Besides, I've still got toy trains to pick up, and dirty sippy cups to wash. Sometimes the floor needs to be steam mopped, and then when all thats done, and its 11:30, the baby wakes up for another round of milk, because shes still stricly breastfed (her choice, not mine), and-

...wait, did I ever blog?
God please, give me a break.

So last night when it came time to do my flashback, I just didn't. Christopher had come home early for the first time in a billion years, and I dragged him over to the couch with me to drink tea and watch Weeds season one on instant netflix for 2 hours.

And it was a relief.

Not answering emails, and not checking my status on anything anywhere, was a relief.

And that makes me wonder if maybe I'm rounding the bend to the end of my blogging road? ...okay that sounds a bit drastic, but- I've got to make changes. I've got to figure out a better time to do it. A better way to do it.

Maybe no more picture editing? Just throw them all up there straight out of camera. Maybe try to get up a little bit earlier to do it before we start our day? But then whos going to make breakfast. Maybe in the afternoon right before hubby goes to work? But he needs the computer for his homework around that same time.

I'll find my balance.
It'll all work out.

After all, even though I feel like I'm talking to myself most of the time, I do write the things that I write for my children, and their children, and their children (okay, and sometimes other moms, assuming that they're reading from time to time), with the hopes that all of these entries publish up nicely into cute little books that will float from family bookshelf to bookshelf until the end of time.

...Um. Its Flashback Friday, isn't it?



What if I just post a bunch of random pictures? No real theme today, no real stories, just- photos. Because my brain is still kind of on empty from that awful macrobid reaction, and as I'm browsing through my Flickr account, there are just so many things that I want to share with everyone today.



This is a picture that Christopher took during our first week or so of dating. I was laying on his couch at his house in the Portland ghetto, and his kitten, or his roomates kitten rather, had fallen asleep on my chest.

Christopher used to take pictures with film cameras. Remember those? Hes still got a few cameras out in the garage. I think he said that he had gotten them from his Mom? Maybe he should clean them up and put them to good use.

This is one of the few pictures thats hes ever taken of me, where I didn't command him to pick up the camera, point and shoot. Maybe thats why I love it so much. Because its organic.



A picture of the sunset from our first Texas fair. It was hot that day, I was pregnant with Charlie, but by night fall- it was gorgeous, and totally worth the smell of cow dung and fried foods that we sadly couldn't eat. We did get to drink freshly squeezed lemonade though, loaded with sugar. And it was sooo good.



There were a couple of summers where I spent a lot of time standing on the side of the stage, dodging flying drumsticks. I never got hit, but I remember a very specific time where I thought someone was going to take my head off with one of the dang things (Kalii, Cyrus, remember?).

Going to shows was a way of existance. Summers and music were basically the same thing. Maybe those days won't be behind me forever? I'll gladly be the crazy old lady thats desperately trying to be young again, taking up space and dancing like a hippie, embarrassing the crap out of my kids.



Me and my friend Katie. Eating babaganoush, listening to playmate of the year, and drinking enough beer to flood our houses with.



Getting my last tattoo, 4 years ago. That script was read at our wedding. Christopher and I both had it tattood on ourselves for our one year anniversary.

I've been pregnant/breastfeeding ever since.



A picture of me and chubby baby Charlie, playing at the park. Awww, look at his 3 chins. I miss them.



Aaaand last but not least, one of the most awkward and badly timed family portraits that we've ever taken one handed.

*************************** So heres what we do. Every week we dig through our memories- old cell phone pictures, polaroids from 1986, something that you pulled out of a dirty shoe box- and we flashback to it. We show it off, and we write about it. We take ourselves back to that place, with as little or as much detail as our hearts are willing to share. Scan it, upload it, copy and paste it from your livejournal (remember those?)- display your memories in whatever way works for you. And then grab out button way down at the bottom of the page there (or link back old fashioned text style), add it to your flashback, add your link to our flashback, and if you've got an extra minute- maybe browse around and read some of the flashbacks left by others. Its just for fun. And really- memories are too precious to be left in an old dirty shoe box.




This is a comment-free blog. Thank you :)

A Visit From The H-Men (part 4: the final chapter)

Christopher and his Dad aren't very close. Or, weren't very close. Or, aren't. Or... well its not my relationship so I really can't say. I have watched it go from what it was to what it is though, and I can see that the two have gotten closer as time has gone on. And especially lately, since they now have a common ground.

Motorcycles.

Now I know that Christopher's bike isn't technically a motorcycle, its a scooter, but- with all of the custom work that hes done to it, we call it "Daddy's motorcycle". It might as well be. It totally counts.

Anyways, so him and his dad have that to talk about. To bond over. To- whatever. And while Dave was in town, they spent plenty of time out in our mess of a garage putting pieces together and pulling them apart. He helped Christopher put together his new handlebars, and blah blah blah bike bike bikebikebike.



The babies were out there helping, of course. They love to "build things" with Daddy. ...ya know, hitting the ground with a screw driver, or sticking something plastic inside of the motorcycle when nobody is looking? Its no wonder the dang thing isn't running right now.

And I took a picture of mine and Evelyn's feet. Because I felt like it :)

Later that night, after the guys had tinkered around with tools for long enough, we took another trip down to the basketball courts, where the men trampled all over each other awkwardly, and played silly brotherly games of who can jump higher to touch the rim of the net. The kids stomped around in puddles that had formed in the center of the court from a brief burst of rain earlier in the day, and I stood back, camera free for once, taking it all in.

After their friendly game of ball, we all packed up and headed off for dinner at Red Robin, the one place in town that we feel safe eating out at. I wish I would have taken pictures during dinner, but it was somewhat chaotic with the hungry children bouncing about, and a camera crew filming our every move (well, only in the beginning, and- more about that later).

Once our bellies were filled with all sorts of warm and yummy foods, we headed home, and as soon as the babies were in bed, the H-men got to work putting together the greatest of great surprises.

Christopher and his Dad had taken off to Sams Club, got there just as they were closing, and brought home a giant box of awesomeness...



They put the base of the trampoline together in the front driveway, while I made a batch of biscuit-like chocolate chip cookies in the kitchen. All of the good light was in the front, which is why they did it there, so putting it together was soon followed by tilting the trampoline up on its giant side, and rolling it through the tiny gate in our fence, into the back.

If anybody was watching from a window, it was probably pretty entertaining.

Once it got into the back, the guys spent awhile putting the net up in the dark. There isn't any light back there, so they all talked about how handy it would be if they had headlamps (Christopher has been bugging me to let him get one for years), but instead made do with handhelds. And when it was all over with and finalized- we jumped.

And then said goodnight.



The kids had gotten balloons the night before, at Red Robin, and Eleanore and hers instantly bonded as best friends. While Grandpa Dave drank his morning coffee, and Elie sat beside him at the breakfast table, they had a little bit of a balloon fight.

It was adorable.

This was their last morning with us though, so while watching Grandpa hit Elie over the head with a yellow ball of air was fun, it was also kind of sad.



The guys sat together and ate their bacon and potatoes. I tried to weasel my way in long enough to take a picture, before the crowd broke for refills of coffee.



I caught a glimpse of Eleanore sitting on the ground beside the couch, reading a book just like her uncle Josh.

She loves to be loved. She made a connection with him when they played memory together. And then when he showed her how to play the guitar. And when they looked at fish together at the zoo. I could tell that she'd miss him. If only her balloon hadn't blown away in the wind just minutes before they had to leave, maybe he would have gotten a better goodbye from her.



The farewell was kind of short. We took some instax pictures, gave some hugs, and at the very last minute, Eleanore ran out of the house, just as they were getting into their car to drive to Dallas, and hugged them whole heartedly, realizing that they weren't just going to the store, but instead they were going home.

The visit was nice. It was nice having family here. It was nice having a full house. It was nice cooking big meals and baking banana breads and watching movies together. It was all just, nice.

And when they left, our house seemed empty for a day or two. Extra quiet, and bigger than it had been before they came. So until next time....

The End.