Call It What You Want...

Today was a glorious morning, and despite a late night for Mom and Dad -- yes, an evening out with real FRIENDS even -- we were up bright and early for pancakes for breakfast with Grandma and Grandpa. Then we said goodbye to Grandpa, who went off to the garage sales, and Grandma joined us for a trip to the orchard!

Stuckey's is our favorite, and it's not far away, so off we went! Unfortunately, due to a late freeze, there weren't apples to pick, but last year we didn't go to the pumpkin patch, so this year we did. Mark and Daddy wandered through the pumpkins to find one to meet Mark's approval. They met with success! Mark's pumpkin is tall and thin, uniformly orange with a slightly flat face, perfect for carving!

In the meantime, Adam was riding in the backpack, but pretty soon he was leaning over the side, saying, "Good! Good!" It didn't take me long to figure out that he wanted to see the pumpkins up close, so I took him out, and he made a beeline for the biggest pumpkin he could find. When he got there, he patted it and said, "Good!" about a hundred more times.

Daddy was good-natured enough to buy the one that Adam picked out, too, so both boys got the pumpkins of their choice.

Then we went back and bought pumpkins and a bag of apples and cider slushies (which Adam couldn't get enough of, and with which Adam proved that he is indeed quite adept at the art of drinking through a straw when getting cider slushie depends on it!) and then we rode the wagon out to the pumpkin patch and back again just for fun. And it was -- fun that is -- for everyone except Adam, who was by now realizing that he was hungry AND that he hadn't had a nap. Oh well. It was a general success.

Hey gang, just in case you wondered, Mark's THREE now!

We spent the day celebrating his "birfday"...

Havin' some birthday cake (new birthday skid steer close at hand)...

Got a new tractor with disc attachment and wagon.

Got a car carrier. Got some books. Got a steam roller and a Bob the Builder and some puzzles and a tent...

Grandma Sarah and Grandpa Larry and Brian and Tara and Jonathan and Andrew were here. Daddy took a vacation day from work. It was a good time for all. Now the cousins are gone home, the boys are in bed, the dad and grandpa went off for a haircut, and I have a minute to blog. Sigh. Tired out. But happy birthday to the boy!

Mrs. Dunce was apparently disappointed that the photo I included showed none of her finery.

Of course I did it to spare her feelings, and to avoid pointing out that, though the Dunce says that her sister might have had an unusual smile as a child, we wouldn't know about the future Mrs. Dunce, since she chose not to smile for her photos. And so I offer you, the future Mrs. Dunce in her finery:

(my apologies for the photo quality; the scanner isn't hooked up, so I had to use the photograph-the-photo method.)

Sorry also for getting distract by this post and following the link it provided. Now back to my commentary.

And so. Now the photographic evidence of Mrs. Dunce's fashion at a young age...

Please weigh in on what this railroad-related item is. Clues: it is parked on the inactive train tracks on the south side of town. It has long "arms" that reach out in front and behind with extra train-track-type wheels on it.

We see it every time we go south on Eighth Street and Mark always asks, "What is it?" or "What does THAT do?" and I am NO HELP.

Thank you.

Now I need to know what I owe Roberta-in-law (mother of Mrs. Dunce).

Amanda gets the big house...

While Heather-in-law is relegated to the hard life of a pioneer.

Even then, the future Mrs. Dunce was no fool. "She always did have champagne tastes!" says her mother. Which, of course, is why she hooked up with the Dunce in the end.

It may not be my fabulous silk -- gee, Roberta, what were you thinking in depriving your daughters??? ha ha -- but the pictures were a hoot, and the Noblesvillian and I agree the young ladies in question grew up just fine despite the shocking upbringing. Taking them to an olde tyme place! Dressing them in old clothes! SHOCKING!

I used to pride myself in being weird. Those of you who knew me when... (yeah, that's most of you) can attest to this.

Apparently, my kids are following in their mommy's footsteps.

This is baby Adam's mouth. Well, the side of it. I know, it looks brutal; I promise he wasn't as miserable as he looks.

If you look carefully on the left side of his mouth (top) -- his right -- you'll see a tooth. This, my friends, is Adam's first tooth. I thought when it emerged (started emerging, so it now seems) that is was the canine, or cuspid, tooth.

No. It has further emerged over the last month. I have located it on the chart (below) (borrowed from here). It corresponds with the letter B. Yup. That's the first molar.

He's working really hard on his top front teeth ("Central incisors"); one is all the way through, though still a sliver, and the other is mostly through. You can only see the edges of them.

Yeah. My kid's first tooth was his molar.

The Big Boy is off to school today, and Adam's in his nap, and I thought I'd document the moment:

Mark, with backpack and lunchbox, ready for a day of excitement!

Gee, Mom, can't you hurry up?

Finding the spot for his backpack.

What should I do first? Hmm. I think I see a car to play with!

Naturally, he was totally excited, though he told me on the way that if he missed mommy to "tell Mrs. 'Nita and Nicole." :) I'm am sure if he tells them, "I miss Mommy," they'll fall over in shock. (I will too.)

Now I'm waiting for the concrete mixer to arrive with the concrete for our new porch (same as the old one, except not sagging toward the house and without the monster front step). I have to document that so the boy who's at school can see all about it...

If you've never read anything by Madeline L'Engle, my favorite author of all time, pick up one of her books this week to read. Besides the obvious Newberry Award-winning A Wrinkle in Time, I recommend A Circle of Quiet (memoir), A Swiftly Tiltling Planet (science-fiction, I guess), and A Ring of Endless Light as three of my favorites, though I haven't read one yet that I didn't like.

We 'll have to finish the stories of the Murrys and the Austins for ourselves...

Thank you, Madeline, for the best writing I have ever read. And I hope you and Hugh have a great time exploring Heaven together. :)

November 29, 1918 - September 6, 2007

On our recent weekend trip to Grandma's House and Grandpa's House (as Mark calls it), Adam decided to butter up the ol' grandparents by doing something notable at their house. Besides getting two new front teeth (almost)...

and then...

.

Yup. That was by himself. And once he took a couple steps (from Grandpa to Mommy and back again), he suddenly took off, walking all over the living room and around behind the chairs so he could get to the electronic keyboard.

Yep. Adam can walk.