Abbey: 2008 in pictures

Maggie-isms

Maggie and I were walking around the neighborhood selling Girl Scout cookies (she's up to 91 boxes thanks to all of the family members we pressured into ordering), and she looks at the form and says - for at least the fifth time - "I wonder who Frail Mollie is."

And for at least the fifth time I explain to her that the form asks for your last name first. So who do you think it is?

"I bet it's Aunt Mollie. And I bet Oberle Kim is Aunt Kim. And that one's Grandma."

Suddenly it all clicked. Until the next day, when we had the same conversation again.

* * *

"Mom, can we listen to 'Shake Your Goofy' "? (As opposed to "Shake Your Groove Thing" - sung by the Chipmunks.)

Maggie: 2008 in pictures

The universe is good again

All is right with the universe today. The kids are back at school, and I am back at work. I realize that there are moms and dads who stay at home with the kids all day, every day. I do not. I crave the interaction with adults who have gotten through puberty, even if it is only for a few hours in the morning. I could not watch another movie on a rainy day, make another meal or do another load of laundry. I am sure that the only thing that got me through was playing Tiger Woods '09 on the Wii after they went to bed. In eleven years, I have not looked forward to any day more. I honestly started marking off the days on the calender like one of the kids looking forward to summer break. The kids were sick of me, and I was sick of them.

Conner: 2008 in pictures

Here are some of my favorite photos of Conner from this year. I'll do the same for the girls in the next few days. There are a lot of photos to sort through!