Visiting Seth

This past weekend, we visited our Seth, whom we have not seen since Christmas.  It was short; but it was so good to see him.  Since the weather was cold (40) and rainy, the girls stayed home with my mom.  I knew they would not be happy if there was nothing for them to do.


But, we ended up going out in the rain for a bit on Saturday.  We showed the boys where Mike and I lived as newlyweds.

We visited a maritime museum in the area.  Mike enjoyed showing Seth all the equipment he used during his time in the ancient Navy.

When all six kids lived at home, these items would have been very useful at our home.

An amazingly large soup pot.

Shake Uncle Sam's hand, and he could tell what kind of person you are.

Jack would have made a cute sailor...

...and I would not have made a lovely mermaid.  Why do they have to put these things there?

We toured a decommissioned battleship.  I was amazed at its size even though it is not very large in comparison to other ships.

Wooden ship deck. 

This particular ship, Battleship Wisconsin, served in WWII thru the Gulf War, is nearly 3 football fields long and one of the last battleships built by the US Navy.

Now, anyone who has followed my blog long enough, knows that my oldest son, Seth, is a bit wild.  He occasionally has pulled his brother along on his escapades.  This weekend was no exception.  Later that evening, in 40 degree temps and drizzling rain, my boys headed down to the beach, in their swimsuits to take a plunge in the ocean.  I don't know...but that is something I would never even consider doing.  Some people walking along the beach stopped to take videos to post on FB of the crazy young men. 

Sorry for the fuzzy pic from IPhone, but you get the picture.  After the plunge they headed in for a dip in the hot tub.

My Siblings

I am one of 4 kids.  We rarely are all together at one time.  And, as usual, we did not even get a picture of us all together when my brother was visiting last week with his sons.  But, we had a nice, loud time being together with everyone.

My brother, Michael, and his grandson.  They adore each other.

I didn't really like my brother very much when we were growing up.  Because he was forced by our dad to let me tag along on all his adventures, I received the brunt of his frustrations.  He tried to lose me during a walk in the woods, he let his friends tease me, and he would sit on me for hours while he watched TV.  To be fair, I realized by the time I was 18 years old, that he really was keeping an eye out for me all those times.  I am sure he figured that a rough life as a kid would make me a great adult.

My nephew Thomas with a cheesy smile.

It is amazing how much he looks like my brother.  But, maybe a little more handsome.  He and Seth are the same age, just days apart.  The lucky duck is currently visiting Hawaii with friends and is planning on getting together with my daughter at some point this week.  I'm jealous.

Beauties Ireland, my niece, and my sister, Melissa

As with me and my brother, so it was with me and my sister.  I wasn't the greatest sister growing up.  I did not appreciate the blessings of little sisters and the impact I could have on them at the time or in the future.  I've learned through adulthood to appreciate my siblings and their uniqueness. 

Melissa's other daughter, Aidan.  She's special and loves playing with my girls.

The baby of our bunch, Michelle.

Six years my junior, but she never treats me like an old woman.  I see Michelle a bit more often because she is the mom of Violet, whom I get to babysit every now and then. 

All the cousins had fun with their "big" cousins.  It is crazy to think of the 20 year difference in age with this gang.  I remember changing Bradley's diapers and taking him to the mall, pretending he was mine (before I had my own).

 This picture makes me wonder what kind of grandparent I'll be one day. 

New Stages of Life/New Thoughts

My two youngest girls have moved on out of the "cutesie" stage of preschool.  They've lost teeth; they wear weird clothes and do strange things.  They all have unique personalities, which, of course, got my thoughts moving.  When Eva and Joy were very young, I didn't think much about their parents.  As I see all three of them blossom, I think about their parents every single day and wonder.

Who was the reader?  Her birth mom or dad?  Did they ever sit for hours reading a pile of books from a library like she does?

Would her birth mom love adventure stories and dislike Little House on the Prairie?  Is she artistic?  Does she have beautiful handwriting?

Did they have a pet?  Was her birth dad the adventurer? Did he hate wasting his time bathing because "he would get dirty tomorrow?"  Wear the same clothes five days in a row?  Did both her parents have straight teeth?

Was her mother beautiful?  Was she happy?  Was life an adventure to her?  If so, Eva is just like her.
Who had the long fingers?  How about the tiny hands?

Could she sit for hours on her own mother's lap, enjoying the security of being wrapped in loving arms?

Which parent had the "not a care in the world" attitude?   Which one could spend an hour playing with a thread hanging from their shirt?  Who was the ragamuffin, always a mess?

Did any of their birth parents think that as they lay their child down at the orphanage gates, that their little girls would live on the other side of the world as sisters?

A Short Conversation with Jack

Jack is a picky eater.  Today he was considering what to have for lunch.  So the conversation went something like this.

Jack:  What are we having for lunch, Mom?
Me:  Well, the girls had leftover enchiladas and rice.  You should have eaten when they ate.
Jack:  I don't like the green sauce on those enchiladas.
Me:  Well, Jack, you don't have to think that every single thing you eat is the most scrumptious meal ever.  When I was a teen, I fixed my own lunches.  We didn't always have great things to eat at our house.  Sometimes it was PBJ or just plain mayo sandwiches.
Jack:  Just mayo on bread?
Me:  Yes, Jack.  Sometimes I would make cheese toast in the oven.
Jack (looking surprised):  You mean you guys had an oven back then?

Really?  My grandmother had an oven.  He obviously has no concept of the decades.  We're studying the 1950's in history, the decade of TV dinners.  Maybe he just can't piece together that I was not born in the 1800's.