Cause You Mom

This big guy came by our backyard to visit, where Hubby his friend and the little boys found him. Needless to say, I was a little creeped out and jumped a couple step back up to the back door when they invited me to come see. And the bugger was aggressive.

The guys, of course, thought it was the coolest thing ever.

A few minutes later, when they were all trying to figure out exactly what kind of spider it was, the little boys came into the back room to talk about it.

"You not afraid of spiders," Super Wy informed me.

"A little bit...when they're that big," I replied.

"No you not!" He looked at me like I was silly.

"Why not?"

"Cause you Mom. Mom's not 'fraid of spiders...or monsters...or anything," he explained as if it were the simplest thing to understand.

"Oooohhh," I said. "I forgot. My bad."

"Ya, it's okay."

"Well go finish helping Daddy figure out what kind of spider it is that I'm not afraid of at all."

"Kay." He pecked me a quick kiss and ran off.

Poor guy is in for a disappointment in his near future as he starts to beyond the Mom title.

Today is a Special Day

Today is a special day for me. It is both my anniversary and my youngest son's birthday. Yesterday evening my husband asked if I was excited about today. At first I didn't know what he was talking about, which I think might have hurt his feelings.

I didn't mean to, and I had to apologize again this morning for seeming so callous. There's a reason why it didn't ding with me right away. I was never a big wedding person (obviously as it took 10 years before I'd get married). So, the anniversary is not really the highlight of my year.

What is that highlight is the daily gift that my marriage brings to me. I know I don't show it well. I can write down emotions and feelings, but verbalizing them is a WHOLE other potato that doesn't bake well with me.

Every day is more important than the one day a year, because whether I've had a bad day or a good day, I know that my husband will be my champion. He'll try to fix what's wrong (even if all I need is an ear) and he'll try to make me happy when I'm sad or upset. He understands my faults and my demons and loves me anyways.

I can see that love when he's riding my waves of irritation, moodiness, or introversion. I can see that love when we're doing nothing but riding the boat up and down the river in complete silence. I can see that love when the four kids are all talking at dinner and he and I share a look across the table.

I love him.

I love him more than he'll ever understand because I can't verbalize or write it well enough. I love it when he's grouchy. I love it when he laughs and tells his stories. I love that he'd take on 3 criminals just to get a friend's bike back. I love that sense of home and place he helped teach my gypsy soul. And, I love that he'll stretch out of his comfort zone to share adventures with me. I love that we'll both geek out over late night B movies.

Most of all, I love that even when he's not around I am comforted and strengthened by his presence and the love we have for each other.

So, as I do every year (a day late sometimes), I'll get him a gift and a card that won't express enough how much I love him and inside I'll know that we'll have a lifetime of anniversaries because we were meant to be together forever.

True love really does exist.

Morning Send Off

Late (as usual these days) I rush into the living room and hurry to finish stuffing my things into my backpack.

"Hugs. Hugs. Come on guys, I'm running late!" I urge my little guys, who are slouched in just their underroos, watching some kids learning show hosted by a blue mouse. The teenagers are sleeping in. (Last days of summer vacation and I don't have the heart to wake them).

No one hurries to this urgent request, of course, because Mommy is always running behind in the morning. My battle with morning time is well known, as is the fact that I lose this battle 9 times out of 10.

Hubby walks into the hall and saunters over in a silly dance move to give me my hug. Holy Terror decides he's a bunny and proceeds to hop over for his. Super Wy slides off and stalks over to me on his "clawed feet" with his head bobbing in a terrifying raptor way and gives me his hug.

"Bye guys, love you!" I open the door to leave.

Two "byes" and a roar answers my call.

Coming Home

Okay, I'll admit it. Yesterday was a pisser of a day at work. Some days just are, I guess.

Driving home - which automatically puts me in a foul mood as I prefer walking - I held back the urge to curse and yell at the traffic, inched my way the 2 miles home at the pace I could've walked, then maneuvered into the drive so I wouldn't run over the hose nozzle that sprawled right where my tire goes.

I turned off the car and took a deep breath, then looked over into the front yard. There was Hubby talking with a friend (most likely about fishing). He glanced over and tossed me one of his crooked smiles. Added with the sparkling greens he was born with, a little weight of the day slid off my shoulders.

I piled out with my bag, rounded the car, and headed up the sidewalk. Passing them, I confirmed with an inner grin that yes, indeed, they were talking Sturgeon. Entering the house, I found it cleaned and empty of my mini peeps.

Bummer. They usually perk me up with their welcoming barrage. Oh well, I thought and drudged down the hall to change out of my work clothes.

There, welcoming me through the bedroom window were the squeals, laughs, and hollers of my children playing in the pool. The rest of the weight crumbled off my shoulders. I stood at the window and watched them for several minutes.

This is what makes those pisser days worth it, coming home to a family.

Hubby Story: Trip to the ATM

Back with another Hubby story while we're out enjoying the waves. In his point of view:

So, I'm at the bank at the outside ATM, just starting to do my thing when this guy comes running up the sidewalk, flailing his arms and yelling like an freak. At the same time, I see another dude on the other side, in my peripheral.

I'm standing there, waiting for some kind of impact as this crazy reaches the bank of ATMs and slows down, stomps his feet and then trots by to the center machine. As I'm tracking him, I see the other guy was some old man. Him and I share a look about the weirdo now in between us.

So, I go back to my thing at the ATM. All the time the weirdo is sweating, angry, and pounding his way through using the machine.

Finally I stop, turn to him and ask, 'You okay?'.

Well, this guy just turns and glares at me for the longest time, and f*%#, I stare right back. Finally we look away at the same time and finish up. This jerk stomps off, flaying his arms and making weird noises.

The old man looks at me and, shaking his head, says, "That kids on somethin'. I'm tellin' ya."

So I reply, "Yeah. Not somethin' I'd want to be on."

We share a laugh and go our separate ways. Can't even go to the ATM anymore
without some crazy bothering you.

And that's my latest Hubby story. See ya all in a couple days when we get back.

And the Winner is...

A month ago, Parkour Boy threw down a challenge. Who could draw the best and most original comic hero.

Hubby and I accepted. Drama Queen accepted until she withdrew a couple weeks later...I think due to procrastination.

So, last night was the showing and final decision. Parkour, as the challenger got to choose who showed first, and of course he picked himself (cocky little butt).

Imagine Hubby and I's big "gulp" when he unveiled this:



Dad was up next, and I must say, he put a lot of effort into it:



Okay, okay. I was last to show and really not wanting to. I used to draw (still do sometimes) but am more into nature/scene sketches. I'm horrible at forms....all right, I know. I've stalled enough. Here's mine:

It was a fun little family competition and we enjoyed a good laugh and also admiration for Parkour Boys talent.

...Oh, who won? Well, who do you think of course...the young "whipper snapper".

The Calm Moments

The first summer night, a lukewarm breeze cooling the hot air of the day. The sky watered down by city lights, allowing only the brightest and biggest stars to twinkle down. The scents of grass and pool water mix with those of the garden and concrete.

Hubby sits on a patio chair and I relax on the back stoop. With his legs crossed in that way I've only seen Norris men do, he's got his cigarette propped on his lips and is looking out at the dark. He glances over and grins, his dark green eyes sparkling even in the darkness. I smile back and nod, then look back out at the sky.

Not too much talking, just enjoying the calm moment of our house. Those moments are a rarity and reminds me that Hubby and I are more than just parents. More than just providers.

We're a couple, partners in life even when the dogs grow old and pass on. Even when the kids grow up and move on to their own life. It's nice to know that even when we have nothing much to say, we can feel completely connected.

Love of My Life

Bowling balls smashed into the pins. Teams, teens, and families either cheered or jeered. I followed my cousins along the dim, smoky viewing galley to the billiard room. There, on the other side of the pool table stood a tall young man with red hair peeking out of his hat and the brightest green eyes I'd ever seen. Those eyes looked up to smile at my cousins and met mine instead.

My heart skipped a couple beats. A slow blush rose from his neck up to his cheeks. My heart fell.

He had to be mine. I knew at that moment what it was to fall head-over-heels.

Sixteen years later and I still feel the skip of a heartbeat whenever I look at him. Every morning I look over at him and my heart falls all over again.

Today he turns 32 and we've grown a lot since that night at the bowling alley. The love I felt for him then pales in comparison to the love of today. Ash is an amazing husband and father, but most importantly in a long-term relationship, he's my best friend and fellow geek.

Geek you say? Oh yeah. He's not a sci-fi geek like me but he's got a bright big GEEK pin stuck on his heart. Besides our joint geeking of Japanese films, Transformers, and Rally Racing, his major geekdom is fishing (hence the cake).

For his birthday I let the kids have free reign to get him special stuff just they picked out. Super Wy got him a fake banana and a screwdriver. Holy Terror got him a rubber mallet. Drama Queen got him a carpenter square. Billy sketched him a fish picture and framed it.

Then the kids and I baked him a chocolate cake with chocolate pudding filling and chocolate icing. Drama Queen decorated it with, of course, Ash's favorite thing...fish.

I cannot believe the luck to find someone so great and to still feel the passionate love after so many years. My only hope is that he and I get many more birthdays together.

Happy birthday baby...love you always and forever!

Creepy

Hubby and I are talking about our day as we settle in for the evening.

"Oh, I was on YouTube and I found this really cool video," Hubby says as he cruises his fishing site.

"Really?" I reply in serious reservation. You never know where it leads when the conversation starts with this sentence...at least with Hubby you never know.

"Yeah. It's of this girl who does that..." He trails off here, thinking of the name.

"Homemade sugar rubs?" I ask.

He snaps his finger. "Yes. She does the homemade sugar rubs you want to try."

...Is it just me or is that conversation creepy? He could have been talking about anything and the beginning of the sentence gave NO indication of which direction his thoughts were going. And here I am picking the one of 50 million things it COULD'VE been.

I guess that's the result of a sixteen year relationship. *Shakes head*

Man Pretty

Hubby and I sat talking about our day and halfway through he remembered a forgotten story. Now, for anyone who knows Ash, he seems to run into some crazy situations. He's like a beacon for weirdness. I adjusted my position and got ready to hear anything from a de-scalped accident victim to a spotted dance rendition of Micheal Jackson's "Beat It".

"I headed off to work and pulled into Carl's Junior for a burger beforehand. My lips had been chapped for days due to fishing and the weather. I remembered that I'd seen your tube of chapstick in the console. Popping the cap off, I pulled up to the speaker and lathered it on while I gave my order. After, I put the cap back on and rolled forward in line towards the window."

Experience in our sixteen-year relationship kept me from saying "so what" at this point. Whereas I am a story-writer, Ash is a storyteller. To be a storyteller you have to set more of the scene and back story a bit.

"I lit a cigarette and checked how much I'd put on in the mirror because you say I put on too much."

He tosses me a chagrined looked, whereas I pass back a "well you do" look. We decide to let THAT bicker - er, discussion - go for now. He gestures towards his lips.

"And damn if they didn't look smooth and immaculate. They were real man pretty, like a magic potion. That stuff worked hella good! I continued to creep towards the window, eyeing my lips in the mirror. Something nagged at me. They looked too pretty!"

I'm starting to see where this story is heading and already building up to a snorting laugh...partly because the lip praise he's giving himself.

"By this time I reached the window. I paid for the burger and rolled into a parking spot to eat. Taking a napkin, I wiped off some of the excess chapstick and pink shade came off onto it. I proceeded to read the chapstick container and realized it was rose-tinted lip gloss."

(enter West Side Story music in my head)...sometimes I feel pretty, so pretty...

Best Story Opening

Upon coming home my hubby began telling me about an incident that happened. I knew the story was going to have a bad ending when he started it with...

"Well, we were playing and I was chasing them with the mop..."

There was then a mention of dentist and brushing teeth but truthfully I was really just laughing too hard to pay attention.

The Apple Tree

It's late in the evening and Hubby and I are catching up on each others day. Hubby relays a Holy Terror story for me.

Little man came running in excited. "Daddy, daddy, daddy! Come see!"

Daddy followed him out to the back part of the yard where Holy Terror proudly pointed to some muddy dirt.

"Look Daddy, I put my apple seed in the ground and now we'll have a great big apple tree in the back yard."

A couple hours later, Hubby's friend is over and Holy Terror showcased his first gardening endeavor.

"Cool buddy. Are you going to swing on it when it gets bigger?" he asked.

"No. When it grows up I'll have all kinds of fresh apples to eat," Holy Terror said, thrilled.

As Hubby is relaying this story to me, there's an expression of overflowing pride. He gestures with his hand. "You don't understand, honey. He's one step away from growing his own food. If keeps up with taking care of the seed, it means he can survive and provide for himself."

I chuckle and kissed him. "Okay, proud papa."

Bulletin: Candy Thief Busted

Daddy heads into the culprits room...it's 2 hours after bedtime and Holy Terror and Super Wy are still awake. Holy Terror feigns innocence, but Super Wy is too late in reaction.

Leaning up against the huge stuffed tiger, his face is covered with chocolate. His hand stills hold the half full wrapper...all around him are wrinkled candy wrappings and quickly drying chocolate smears.

Daddy, holding a stern expression in the face of Super Wy's powerful angelic smile, orders him into bed and starts to pick up the mess.

But what is this? Super Wy is moving in an odd, purposeful way. A slight roll and slide movement while dragging the blanket oh so carefully. Daddy's astute instincts are alerted as he lifts the blanket.

More wrappers!

And above Super Wy's head...two more yummy prizes he was trying to salvage for later.