Hawley Happ'nins

If you don't have anything nice to say....

2011-12-09T10:45:00.001-08:00

Recent conversation between me and the almost 5 year old:

Leah: Mom, is Bowser *stupid*?

Mom: I don't know, honey. I don't like to use words like that.

Leah: Yes, Mom, Bowser *is* stupid.

{30 seconds of intense DS playing commences}

Leah: Ha! Gotcha!... I was right, Bowser *is* stupid.

Mom's most recent attempt to influence the children for good is once again refuted by logic.

I'm digging 4.5!

2011-09-12T16:59:00.000-07:00

A day in the life of our 4.5 year old:

1) Name change, again. From "Leah" to "Ally." We have the preschool teacher to thank for helping to orchestrate this. Yay fabulous preschool teacher!

2) Walked up to Julia's entire field hockey team (never seen them before), and announces, "Everyone!" Of course, all the girls looked up, to which Ally emoted: "I *love* you!" and ran away. The girls were ecstatic, proclaiming her the cutest thing ever.

3) After a brief rain shower, the seesaw seats were wet. No matter to a 4.5 year old. "I dried it off with my big. fat. BOOMBY!" she announced.

Playing with our food

2011-02-28T12:32:00.000-08:00

Sharon got Allison a super cool plate for her birthday. We've had fun with it,
and it has inspired other creations. Following are the things caught on film

(well, sort of; more like 'caught on gigabytes').

Thanks, Sharon, for inspiring creativity!

Seventeen

2011-02-24T05:34:00.001-08:00

Flying through the air with the greatest of ease, that daring young man - it's SUP.ER Pickle!! This is a song I used to sing to Nik while I was pushing him on a swing or 'flying' him on my feet in the living room. He doesn't like it as much now as he used to. But that's because that 'boy' is now 17!! I can't believe he's so *old*. I remember dressing him up as a train engineer for our first Halloween party together and I used mascara to make little cute smudges on his cheeks (for that authentic look), and a little boy at church said, "Why's your face all dirty?" (It was Antonio for those of you who know him.) Nik thought that was so funny;
he tells that story every Halloween.

I thoroughly enjoyed making Nik's cake this year. This was the 2nd outing for my fancy cake decorating supplies. (I might have gone a little overboard.) Decorating for a boy is a bit trickier than for a girl. It has to be fancy without being froofy. And with limited colors. I think it turned out a bit garish but in a fun way.

Nik has soooooo many candles now, it takes two to light them.

The worst part about Nik's birthday this year was that it was on a busy Friday. We couldn't get all the kids together at one time. I made an Italian meal that he requested and *tried* to have it ready before Julia's swim practice, but she had to leave before it was ready and Melanie wasn't home from school yet, so Chuck, Nik, Allison and I sat down together and then Allison left the table after one bite, so poor Nik was stuck with just the old people to eat with. Meanwhile, Melanie came home in time for cake, so he did get some sisterly love on his special day. And look at that *blaze* on his cake! There's ice cream under that - good thing heat rises!

Nik *finally* blew out all the candles and we took the traditional "all the kids gather round the birthday kid" picture. Boy, our numbers have dwindled! Andrea and Chris have moved out, and Julia was at swim practice. Nik doesn't show any signs of missing out, though.
That boy is LOVED!

Poor Nik - he didn't get any Unicorn games on his special day. Maybe next year, Pickle.

Mmm.... cake!

2011-02-23T11:26:00.000-08:00

Remember the thick frosting I mentioned in the previous post? Well take a look at this! The frosting on the side should only be consumed by a professional, as it is a serious choking hazard. But oh so delicious. Thank you, Allison, for having a birthday. Thank you, Mama Doris, for your delicious fabulous chocolate cake recipe!

Birthday fun!

2011-02-23T11:05:00.001-08:00

Oh how great it is to be four!!
Feeling so much older, lovin' the celebration, and excited for whatever the day brings.
Allison turned four in January.
All the kids had the day off so we decided to really party.
Allison's favorite people are her brothers and sisters and the Goodsons,
so everyone was there to make a sweet girl feel *awesome!*
Of course, a sparkle shirt and sparkly, twirly skirt are *essential* for the birthday girl.
Nik and Julia gave me some cake decorating tools for Christmas, and this was my first opportunity to try them out. I used as many different tips as I could. This poor cake really needed some 'dressing up' as the frosting was just wacky and wouldn't stick to the cake. The result, though, was voted a positive by everybody. The frosting didn't *look* good, but because it wouldn't stick, it went on really really thick. Everyone thought the super thick frosting was alllllllll right.

No Hawley celebration is complete without some cheese....

We had a horse and unicorn theme. Unicorn party items are difficult to find so we had to be creative. We made horns for everyone and the girls colored big sparkly pictures.

Pin the Horn on the Unicorn was super fun.
Allison thought pin the horn on Allison sounded like fun, too.

Not everyone had very good aim...

And of course, the annual beating of a defenseless animal was enjoyed by all. Partying in January has it's challenges; we had to make some impromtu rules for taller people in order to preserve household fixtures, thus Julia on her knees.

And big brothers seem to avoid leaving evidence that they played Unicorn games with girls and had fun. While there's no Nik in these pictures, we know the truth!

Mmmm.....chocolate!

2011-02-23T05:37:00.000-08:00

I *love* helping Mom get ready for my birthday!!

It's all fun and games...

2011-01-26T17:22:00.000-08:00

Just moments before the bo staff breaks...

OOPS!

Christmas traditions in Drexel Hill

2011-01-01T06:08:00.000-08:00

The annual lighting of the Christmas tree...

One of my favorite Drexel Hill traditions...

just a little reminder that the big guy is keeping watch.

Macy's (formerly something else and formerly Wanamaker's) carries on the tradition of the light show, music and pipe organ performance during December (going on since the 1950's). I get excited for this every year, and now Macy's owns a Dickens village that is another Philadelphia tradition that was almost lost. I told my kids of the great fun we were going to have watching the light show, walking through the village and seeing Santa. After two days of telling me how boring it sounded, I dragged them out of the house in the early morning of their first day of Christmas vacation (I'm so cruel!). And the kids loved it - all of it.

The Christmas morning tradition in our house is that the kids have to wait on the stairs while the parents go downstairs and turn on the Christmas tree lights, get the cameras ready, and secure the best seats for viewing the ensuing mayhem. It's been said that the wait on the stairs is the worst part about Christmas. Heh heh heh! They look cute, though, don't they? A rather bright bunch!

Hope your holiday was as merry and bright as ours!

Nightmare before Christmas

2011-01-01T06:03:00.001-08:00

3.9

2011-01-01T05:58:00.001-08:00

When did this happen?
Big enough to climb trees?
Knows that Jesus was born in Bethlehem?
Counting to twenty?
Uses the mouse to play computer games without help?
Fiesty, fresh and fun... fun... fun!
Almost 4!

Where are the carrots?

2011-01-01T05:40:00.000-08:00

Bunny would like to take this opportunity to say,
"Merry Christmas and all,
but it would have been much better if the
reindeer didn't eat all the carrots!"

F-L-Y-E-R-S, goooooOOOOO FLYERS!

2010-11-15T19:45:00.001-08:00

We interupt the ongoing thread for an exciting update: we were invited to the Flyers game tonight, seats 4th row from the *ice*!!!!!! Ya, so this was our view (just a few minutes ago!), there was an empty seat after most people left their seats to watch the Eagles vs. Redskins (McNabb starting for the 'Skins), so there was an empty seat, then the woman who invited us to the game (check out the jersey name: Knapp; know any Amish hockey players?), then some corporate looking people, and then the ice, the game! Wow. It was so way fun; the Flyers scored twice in the first period and we got to see two goals scored right in front of us!!

Check out the new goalie:Me? That looks like me in all that goalie gear? Yeah, the score was 5-1 (Flyers, of course), so I asked the coach and he let me get some ice time.

We noticed a guy holding up a sign about 10 seats away from us. It looked like the sign was well done, but had seen several games (personally, I think he saw Chuck about to take his picture and posed). And by "well done", the signs are obviously hand made, like he has over the years used hundreds of Sharpies and spent many nights at home coloring.

Yeah, this guy is definitely posing; see that smile? (I think this sign is for short-handed goals numbers 4&5.).

I looked over and saw this guy *filing* his signs - he carries a filing box to every game, with his signs alphabetized, and he has this like 6th hockey sense about what sign to hold up and when. I mean, he wouldn't just hold up a sign that says, "You stink." His signs are more cerebral than that. I saw at least six different signs and this game wasn't even very exciting. He had signs to heckle the opposing goalie, the refs, signs to celebrate...there were dozens in his box. I think the Flyers organization should put this box in the Hall of Fame one day.

Side bonus: we stepped into Chickie and Pete's for more crab fries (big bucket, yum x 2), and watched the Flyers on a dozen TVs and the Eagles' complete routing of the Redskins on another dozen. It's so much fun to celebrate with Philadelphia fans (until they start burning stuff).

Back to Cali

2010-11-14T18:11:00.000-08:00

So back to our crazy huge gonzo day of fun (during our Out West vacation, if you remember where we left off the last post). August 12th some of us Hawleys started off at Cousin Jimmy's in west Phx-ish (really, his house is most of the way to California so it made sense to spend the night there before heading for the 'other' coast.), so of course the kids went swimming at Jimmy's before breakfast. After breakfast, we pointed the car West and headed for San Diego (including a geology and geography lesson along the way - does that count for homeschooling?). We left off in Snoozeville, and will pick up the story when everyone woke up.

Our quest for the Left Coast ended at Coronado Island, a sweet spot for Chuck and I because we honeymooned in the palatial Hotel del Coronado (seen in the background of this picture, behind the two beauties. You probably didn't notice there was anything else in the picture - those girls really are quite stunning.)
The girls were first onto the beach and immediately noticed the shimmering glitter of some gold-ish specks in the sand. It was sparkly and magical. The girls really thought they were somewhere special. I don't know if you can see the sparkle on their feet but this was about the only way we could capture it in a photograph (click on the pic and maybe it will show up better in a bigger version).

This is the place, although Chuck and I don't look quite like I remembered the last time we were here (10 years ago!). This place really*is* magical, and we were lucky enough to get married in December when the entire town was dimly a-glow with twinkle lights and there was a huge and beautifully decorated Christmas tree rising several stories in the Hotel del. We received a Christmas ornament as a little gift while we were there and every Christmas it goes near the top of our tree.

I was thrilled to be back on Coronado Island and remember all the things that were special about the last time I was there - twinkle lights all over the town, Chuck and I flew a kite on Coronado beach and almost got arrested (seems the Navy pilots from the nearby airbase might be disturbed as they tried to land their multi-million dollar planes - oh dear, I've just given away a military secret, haven't I? Now our Navy pilots will be in serious danger on their missions as kids around the world fly kites to confuse them. Rats. Well, continuing the list...), there's a great breakfast place just around the corner from the hotel where you can get an extra helping of grits if you tell them you are from the South (they acted like my lack of accent was no big deal!), and the hotel itself was extravagant and ornate inside. A great reminder of my immense luck and happiness in this life!

Anyways, the beauty of the beach is a true wonder here. These rocks were coated with some kind of little creature that if pressed slightly would squirt a little stream of water...

...(okay, you must take away our homeschooling points since we didn't even bother to find out what kind of creatures were on the rocks or what was in the sand.... so....I've been sufficiently shamed and just found out on nationalgeographic.com that there is mica in the sand on Coronado Island, a mineral my kids love, but they seriously wanted to mine the beach while we were there - collect all those gold flecks and get rich; I'm sure they were thinking the adults were nuts for not cashing in on this obvious bounty, another reason to doubt that we know anything about running their world.).

Well, there is *still* more to this day; afterall, the Hawleys really like to eat. More on that later!

Goin' back to Cali

2010-11-09T11:24:00.001-08:00

And thus begins our road trip to San Diego - in total style!

Along the way, Melanie wanted to see what those dark lumps were all over the ground, so they got out, and Chuck confirmed that - Yep, those are rocks.

As we were driving along, someone in the car who was old enough to know better (who definitely should have known that we were headed WEST from AZ to CA) looked out to the right (facing North), over the mountains and said, "Is that Mexico over there?" So we pointed to the left (facing South) and said, "That's Mexico, on the other side of that wall." That person wanted a picture to remember that he/she had officially looked at Mexico.

Somewhere between Yuma and.... whatever is beyond Yuma before San Diego (mostly nothing), we went through Snoozeville, where all road trip excitement wore off.

Lucky me!

2010-11-09T11:12:00.000-08:00

More affirmation that I am indeed a lucky woman -
I am surrounded by beauty every day.

Beauty, beauty and more beauty...

And a side of cheese...

Another day in AZ

2010-11-09T10:50:00.001-08:00

We visited Chuck's cousin Jimmy in AZ. His poor wife wasn't even informed of our visit. We showed up to her house as she was unloading twins from her minivan, and she didn't even flinch - she laughed! We could tell it was at Jimmy and his knuckleheadedness; this wasn't the first time she was surprised by unannounced guests.

Jimmy was a good sport, playing with the kids while chatting with us and trying to make things up to his wife (I don't suppose there's any real "making it up" -
he's in the hole too deep, and probably just digging!).

Jimmy has a pool in his huge backyard, and has built up some rocks on one side, about 5 feet high. The girls *all* loved jumping from the rocks and making a big splash. Here's Melanie, soakin' in the bliss.

Here's that daredevil Allison. She wasn't a bit intimidated by jumping from something twice her height. She jumped right in and swam (somehow) to the side over and over and over.

More daring feats by our 3.5 y.o. - a jump with a twist.

In my mind I'm goin' to Arizona...

2010-11-09T10:43:00.001-08:00

And we went there in a plane, too!

Chuck was excited to get back to his homeland.

Check out this cool house we saw while cruisin' around.
What an awesome mural painting. It was really well done - the colors perfectly match the landscape there.

Chuck's old house! Can you believe it's still standing? After all it had to put up with - housing Chuck as a kid?? can you imagine? - it should be given a pardon and allowed to rest.

Tree Monkey

2010-11-09T10:24:00.000-08:00

Allison called to me from outside. I came running out because her voice had that little note of desperation that sends my heart into a slight panic. I looked all around for her and finally looked up. I don't know if you can tell or not from this picture, but way up in the tree, is a little climbing monkey, who was only 3 and a half years old when this picture was taken. That's me, standing on the ground, and she is about 5 feet above me in the tree. I couldn't reach her. And the limbs aren't strong enough to hold someone my size (or so they appear). Finally she climbed down, but my goodness - that girl is amazing! She climbs that high or higher to this day, striking fear in the heart of her mama, and thoroughly pleasing her papa.

Happy Beach time!

2010-11-09T10:15:00.000-08:00

Going all the way back to June to find some sunshine and warmth (I've been cold since about mid-September). We took a trip to Ocean City NJ with a couple of the Goodsons. They were great fun to have about. Emma and Melanie boogie boarded for several hours straight. Allison likes to play in the waves with her Poppy Bear holding her but mostly she's a Sand Piper, digging and collecting aallll day.

This is obviously a feigned snarl - who snarls at the beach? Certainly not a Hawley;
beach time is all happiness.
Check out the freckles on this girl - so dang cute!

Here are the buds - they had so much fun together. We will miss Ems if her wicked parents make her move!

Running in Lancaster (last one, I promise!)

2010-11-09T09:36:00.000-08:00

I just got these photos from a friend -

I was reminded of the bright vivid colors surrounding us as we ran.
Isn't this gorgeous?

And while I ran (but mostly afterwards) I was surrounded by these gorgeous women!

Women - hide your passwords!

2010-11-06T17:25:00.000-07:00

To all my married friends - beware of husbands hijacking your blogs! They are unscrupulous posters of entirely unapproved material. Honestly, isn't naptime one of those "off the record" deals??

Running is tiring!

2010-11-06T11:58:00.001-07:00

Whew! Its hard to run in the cold! (Don't worry, I'm not ACTUALLY dead, my lungs just feel that way ;)

Marathon runner!

2010-11-05T11:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, yeah, well, some people are running a 1/2 marathon, and I'm running a 5k. But still, it's the first race I'm running, so it's pretty exciting for us!

Wish me luck, temp at start time is supposed to be near freezing, eek!

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-states/pa/ronks/195128756885228058"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Nov 6 BirdInHand 5k&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Allison's scripture reading

2010-09-15T14:39:00.000-07:00

Today we sat down to read scriptures together, and Allison took a turn (for the first time). She opened her Book of Mormon, and while turning pages, related the following: "Tigger bounced to the Nephites. They went here, and they went there, and they went through the chapel. Then grumpy Rabbit killed *all* the Nephites. The end."

And there you have it, the Book of Mormon's central message: Be good or beware of grumpy Rabbit.

Can barely remember this!

2010-09-14T03:55:00.000-07:00

I was looking back through our picture archives to see what pictures still need to be posted and found this, from February.

We just got through (hopefully 'through' as in completely done) the 2nd hottest summer on record (8 heat waves = 3 or more days of 90+, of course the accompanying 90% or more humidity; several days in the 100s), and when I saw this picture my mind could hardly comprehend our little street covered in this cold white fluff. What a difference a few months makes.

(This is Nikolas working on a humongous snow fort the size of our front yard.).

CHRIS!!

2010-09-12T18:20:00.000-07:00

What a year for Chris - he graduated high school, started college, and turns 18 soon. Oh yeah, and he moved to AZ to live with his grandparents. Andrea moved out, and that same day, Chris moved in to take her place as the most spoiled Hawley kid on the planet.

We weren't too thrilled with Chris' senior portraits taken by a professional, so we decided this is Chris' official senior portrait, taken by a good friend on a great day in the woods.

Note the changes: hair, glasses - this is the way we remember Chris his senior year, the year he found 'style'.

Hawaiian entertainment

2010-08-02T15:29:00.000-07:00

At the beach today, Allison and I were sitting on big rocks, which were actually boats we were driving to Hawaii. I asked Allison, "What do you think we'll see in Hawaii?" Quick as a flash, no pause, she said, "Chickens dancing!" Of course! Doesn't everyone know that???

Church fun with Allison

2010-05-18T07:24:00.001-07:00

President Monson perfectly described Allison when he said, "Great big spirit, little tiny body."

One Sunday for the Sacrament, a yummy rosemary bread was used. When Allison ate a piece during that quiet, reverent time, she yelled, "YUCK! That bread is YUCKY!" It seriously reverberated off the walls. Subsequent announcement from the Stake President (visiting our ward that day, of course): we will only use plain white bread for the sacrament.

At the beginning of the year when the kids switched primary classes, I asked Allison about her new Primary teacher. She said, "She was grumpy and naughty. I captured her and I tied her up with a rope!" I guess they aren't getting along so well?

There are a couple of older women in our ward who usually sit together in Sacrament meeting. This past Sunday we sat directly in front of them. During the announcements, Allison looked back and called out to me, "Mommy, LOOK! There are 2 Ursalas!!"

Preliminary pix from the recent snowfall

2010-02-11T04:40:00.000-08:00

This is the view from our front door. Can barely see to any neighbors across the street. Our tree is just gorgeous in this heavy snow. Unfortunately, we lost a big branch to the heavy snow. Probably needed to be trimmed anyways.
This is the view from our porch. Dontcha love it? It was a beautiful day. The snow dampens sound. No cars driving, just peaceful and quiet. Everyone is mellow - no expectations, nowhere to go, no deadlines or appointments. Just gorgeous.

3 down, 3 to go

2010-01-27T09:10:00.000-08:00

Nikolas is the latest in a string of Hawleys to reach the 16th birthday!! We are half way there!! What did Nik do on his birthday? Well, he woke up early to go to the local middle school and recruit kids to join Civil Air Patrol. His squadron has recently made some positive changes and Nik feels like it's something other kids would really like. He has taken it upon himself to spend several of his days off school recruiting. Yea, Nik! I really am not worried about what this kid does when he's not at home!
Allison and I made a Hawley favorite for Nik's birthday - Dump Cake. Found the recipe in a "Toddler Busy Book". We all love it and it earned Runner Up in a dessert contest. I can't understand that because it has no frosting. But Nik loves it.
And we love Nik. He is a crazy good kid who's biggest problem in life is trying to do too many things super well. Oh yeah, he can get a little wild with his siblings, he of course likes to torture and tease the little ones (a rite of passage, I guess), but he's our 'go to guy'. We can always count on him. Turning 16, he is now eligible for his Learner's Permit, and dating. Fortunately, he has declared that he hasn't met anyone he's overly interested in. For now, we get to concentrate on his Eagle Scout project and more CAP (and try to avoid the DMV). Happy mama!!

Happy Birthday, Baby! Allison is 3!!

2010-01-25T09:54:00.000-08:00

My sweet little baby isn't a baby any longer - she is a full blown preschooler! Although she tells me "Beeb (Melanie) is big; I am little." What a wonderful little girl we've been given.
This is a Hawley tradition dating back a few years - squirting whipped cream straight out of the bottle into little mouths. Allison's head jerks back in surprise every time but she keeps asking for more! (Sorry for the blurry picture; it's an action sport.)

Allison got paint for her birthday, which was probably her favorite gift. Our birthday celebration immediately turned into a painting party and a lot of beautiful finger painting commenced.

Allison seemed thrilled at the feel of the paint (she is so texture oriented), and the fact that I would let her get so messy.

What a wonderful day. At 6am, Allison came into our room (as usual) and when we said, "Happy Birthday!!" she said, "The Goodsons are coming over?" I said yes, and then she said we had to go downstairs and clean the house for the Goodsons. That family room was perfectly tidy by 6:30am, waiting for those Goodsons who weren't coming over until 7pm. Allison's version of cleaning meant shoving everything that was in the family room into the dining room, which was fine since we had a couple of hours to fill until the party started.

Allison's birthday consisted of going to Ikea to play and going swimming at the YMCA, with pizza for dinner.

My favorite things about Allison right now:
She says prayers all by herself, and always includes her list of friends: Minta, Reese, Kyler and Caleb. Every night in her prayers, she says, "Please bless Daddy can get a job so Beeb and I can get a pretzel at the Y, and Mommy can drive us there."

She loves to be held. And every time I come home from activity, she says, "Hi Mom! How was your exercise class (or wherever I was)?" And then, "Were your friends there?"

She loves textures, loves to explore through touch. One day we were driving by City Hall and there is a big fountain outside with water flowing down it. She said, "Ooooooo, I want to *taste* it!"

She knows how to say things like, "Melanie and I" when it's appropriate. She knows the letters of the alphabet. She knows how to count (finally!) by pointing at each object and giving it only one number. She still gets stuck after 11, counting like this: "...8, 9, 10, 11, 8, 9, 10!"

When we got a new and fuzzy rug in the family room, she fell to the floor and just rolled and rolled on the carpet, rubbing her face and any exposed skin on it. She does the same thing in the sand at the beach.

She is tremendous at expressing her big feelings - a huge wonderful smile, loud raucous laughter, and big loud screams. Recently at preschool there was a yelling contest (not at my house, of course) and the mom was surprised at how loud Allison was. I wasn't, but I'm glad that she reserves that for home.

Allison is a great big spirit in a little tiny body, and it will be exciting to witness her growing up. I'm so lucky!!

Pennsylvania in May '09

2010-01-16T18:03:00.000-08:00

This is one of my all-time favorite trees. Actually, it's not just a tree - it's a tree and a vine; each alone is beautiful, together magnificent. Dogwood and wisteria - the image is much more powerful than the names. I was just driving down the street on the way to the grocery store, such a mundane task, when I looked out my car window and saw this, so extraordinary. We are abundantly blessed to have such lush beauty surrounding us in the Spring. Such vibrant colors.

Happy Birthday Julia!!!

2010-01-14T09:36:00.000-08:00

Julia turned 13 this year, at the beach! What a lucky girl to celebrate her favorite day in one of her favorite places!! Again, couldn't get all the Hawleys together - the boys are visiting friends and relatives in AZ.
Happy girl!

13 things I love about Juicy:
1) That smile! She has one of the biggest and most genuinely happy smiles - ever since she was a little thing! A smile that stays with you long after you can't see it anymore.
2) She likes to sit on my lap (even now) and run her fingers across my knees until I can't stand the tickles any more. This makes her smile.
3) She *loves* kids, all shapes and sizes. She is a favorite babysitter among many of my friends' kids and I love that she enjoys making them smile so much.
4) She loves the beach! (me too!)
5) She is dedicated to helping. One day at the beach, Melanie lost her flippers in the surf and we figured they were gone. Julia combed up and down in the water, just like an official CAP Search and Rescue mission, until she found them.
6) She will clean up the basement all on her own, without being asked! She *loves* to be helpful.
7) She loves to sing! One day, I was upstairs and she and Nik were in the basement - Nik played "Let It Be" on his keyboard, and Julia sang that song at the top of her voice, with wild abandon. I love that she can give up her inhibitions like that.
8) She always (almost) does a good job at her chores. I can count on her to get them done every week. So consistent.
9) She splattered painted her room with her friends, then had the idea to paint their hands and put handprints in the middle of the splatters. Frankly, it looks awesome. I love her room b/c it is such a great expression of her colorful and sometimes scattered personality (scattered in a fun and good-natured way, of course!)
10) She talks to me about problems with her friends. She really thinks about and tries to solve problems and be a good friend (to me and her peers! Lucky me!).
11) She loves to read! (me too!) We read a lot of the same books!
12) She loves to help anyone at any time. Sometimes, she jumps in and helps without finding out if the person wants help, which doesn't usually produce the results she's hoping for, but she's always willing!
13) Her testimony - her testimony of the importance of loving others and connecting with them is so strong, she is a great example to us all!

Birthday Catch-up

2010-01-14T08:56:00.001-08:00

Chris' 17th birthday, and possibly the last one he'll celebrate in our house for at least the next few years, so a very important birthday!We have a hard time getting all the Hawleys together at one time. My guess is that Nik was at marching band practice (where he spent the entire fall, after spending a huge part of his summer there). But we love to celebrate with whomever we've got, and it's not so bad to be a 17 year old boy surrounded by such beauty!
Nothing says "Happy Birthday" like a smiling monkey cake! Chris loves cupcakes, so I formed a rough monkey shape with them, and then piled on the frosting!

A little about Chris, since I slack off at Christmas and didn't get a letter out:
Chris wants to attend either the Air Force Academy (1st choice) or West Point. He has had a lot of training in military protocol, advancement and duties during his 5 years in the Civil Air Patrol - any moms and dads who haven't checked out this wonderful program should look into it. Great opportunities to develop leadership skills, learn practical skills - like actually flying planes, earning an FCC communications degree and interning at a radio station, etc etc. - and gain maturity. Chris has learned a ton of things, in many different areas, not the least of which are his search and rescue practical skills. He has amazing knowledge of things like survival skills - what plants are edible and which ones are poisonous, shelter making, in some ways like Boy Scouts on steroids.

This is an excerpt from a college application he's writing: As a member of the Hawk Mountain Ranger School cadet staff cadre I regularly lead squadrons of cadets varying in size from 10 to 40 cadets on search and rescue exercises and training sorties in a woodland environment.

Wow - Chris can really *do* that? Yep, he's good, even though he chooses when to turn it on and when to turn it off, he's that good. And that's why I think college will do so much for him. He has the skills and there I think he'll learn how to incorporate that maturity into everyday life.

Chris loves to sing, participating in the highest level of choir at his school. He has participated in plays and musicals there; you should have seen him in "Crazy For You" last Spring. All those years of goofing around with his brother, speaking in a British accent and parading around the neighborhood in a Pith helmet finally paid off, as he was selected for the part of Mr. Fodor - he was wonderful! Currently he's practicing for the musical "All Shook Up". He loves to play lacrosse, pick on his siblings, and teach me about all kinds of hip things that I'd have no idea about if it weren't the kindness of our kids 'cluing me in'.

October continues

2010-01-13T11:06:00.000-08:00

Word Girl! Continuing with our October pictures, we spotted Word Girl at a local elementary school parade! Quite exciting as we watch her on TV almost daily. She has a vocabulary a mile wide and is from the planet Lexicon, so we're lucky to have spotted her.
I realize this little picture of Pooh is of poor quality, but still irresistible!! We have a similar picture of Melanie; they could be twins!
This is the entire Trick-or-Treating crew: Minnie Mouse (a little punked out), Word Girl, a lion and a zebra friend we lassoed along the way. It was wet, literally raining a good part of the time, and there was a Phillies World Series game on that night (Allison didn't last long, only about 8 houses; then she came home and answered the door with me, yelling "Go Phillies!" to everyone.). There were not many kids out, but our crew made the usual rounds, and ended up with about.... 6 lbs each. Crazy nuts.

Stripling Warrior-ette (from Oct 09)

2010-01-11T05:53:00.000-08:00

Going back in time again to capture highlights of aught nine, this is Melanie, our Stripling Warrior-ette, fighting for truth, justice and self-defense (although in sparring, it looks like the best defense is a good offense). This is during her test for her Advanced Yellow belt (yeah, she really is going for a kick to the head; she can kick short adults in the head and can kick her dad in the shoulder - yikes).After successfully, completing her test, this is Melanie's karate master tying her new belt on her. She's a toughie - true dat!

The end

2010-01-07T09:02:00.000-08:00

These are the last of the beach pictures. Gotta end on a good note, and these are the best! Is this an awesome smush of people or what?
Melanie is 7.
Julia is 13 (almost, two days from the picture is her birthday).

And Ally-baby is 2! A terrific, wonderful, energetic, challenging, laugh every minute, two!And this is why we go to Oak Island. Because we have a million of these smiley, fun, playful, sometimes crazy moments every day when we are there. The sun is bright, the sand is soft, the water is warm, and it is the natural and preferred habitat of the Hawleys.

Pioneers at the beach?

2010-01-07T04:54:00.000-08:00

I had no idea what a beach pioneer looked like until Allison donned this costume. I think the pioneers would have liked the bright colors.

Remarkable things at the beach

2010-01-06T05:10:00.000-08:00

Remarkable thing #1: can you believe that Julia can do a handstand on the beach? Can you believe that she can hold herself up at this angle?Remarkable thing #2: These two people are just remarkable!
Remarkable thing #3: the sand castle is still standing with a toddler so close! Not many castles last this long (and you might be able to see that this is a super cool drip castle).
Remarkable thing #4: This is *ocean*, not a lake as you might guess from the lack of waves.
And finally, Remarkable thing #5: Boundless optimism. That's what I call this picture. What other reason would there be for sitting on a surfboard in this flat water?

Time out for celebrating

2010-01-04T11:05:00.000-08:00

I have officially posted as many blog updates *this* year, as I did *last* year. Yippeee!! This year, I plan not to wait as long in between posts as I did last year, although it is way fun to look at all these beach pictures in the middle of winter. I have hope that I'll be warm again!!

Kayaking

2010-01-04T10:14:00.000-08:00

Kayaking through the Davis Canal on Oak Island NC. This is one of our favorite activities at the beach. Okay, we *love* the beach; we love to spend all day on the beach. That's our most favorite thing about our vacation, but we do a couple of extra things each year, and kayaking is one of them. This year Andrea graciously agreed to babysit Allison (because Allison was napping) while the rest of us went kayaking. Most of the Hawleys love to get out and paddle, see cool wildlife and have fun races. I am just amazed at how beautiful all the colors are! Everything is perfect.
Is this one of the cutest kayakers you've seen? And don't be fooled - she can paddle furiously and for a long long time. More than one of us have been exhausted trying to outrun her. Chuck frequently sits back with the paddle up and just coasts while Melanie pulls him along.The old man and the sea ("The old man and the canal" just doesn't sound as good.). I personally like the beard but more than one friend has directly said, "Lose it - it makes you look old!"
And this is another one of the cutest kayakers EV-er. She is always game for paddling, is strong AND looks good. Those boys on Oak Island don't know what to do with themselves when Julia's around.

Wakeboarding

2010-01-04T06:03:00.000-08:00

We were so lucky to meet some great people at the branch in Southport NC, near my mom's beach house. One guy took us out on his boat, named "Come Follow Me" (cute, huh?). This memory does NOT make me warm as it was raining and chilly the entire time we were out. Rain drops were pelting our faces as we sat in the boat, cruising around the lake, but wakeboarding was so much fun, it was worth it. Chuck gets air - same story when Chuck is playing with any of his toys.Andrea surprised us with her ease of getting up and riding back and forth across the wake. She looks like a pro!
I was just lucky to haul my big butt out of the water for a few seconds before busting, big time.
The younger ones had a great time skimming around on the tube. This is Julia and Melanie. Melanie got airborne a few times on turns and we thought we might lose her but she held on tight to the handles and always landed in the tube.

Beach bloggin', part deux

2010-01-04T05:21:00.001-08:00

Aren't these pictures just delicious?? Did you ever see a kid so in love with her Buster Bar? (Did you ever read the 'Nutrition Facts' on a Buster Bar? Yikes!) I *love* the little pink beach face, the beach hair, the drips on the belly.... ooo, delicious!

New Bed for Allison!!

2010-01-03T14:40:00.000-08:00

The new year is already bringing changes to our house. Allison got a big girl bed and for the first time last night, she went to bed not in a little baby crib, but in her big girl bed. Staying in bed however.... was not in her plan. I heard her get up 4 times, which wasn't too bad, I thought. I have watched Super Nanny enough to at least have a plan of how to handle kids getting out of bed. So I implemented. And then after 4 times, Melanie and I finally settled into a card game uninterupted.
Then Melanie went to bed and promptly came back down to report that Allison had not fallen asleep in her bed as we originally thought. She found Allison asleep in the hallway outside their door. Evidently, she fell alseep mid-party with two dogs, and right on top of her little green plate.

Beach!!!

2010-01-03T11:28:00.000-08:00

Today I need something to warm me up! It's freezing here in Drexel Hill! Actually, not even freezing - it's somewhere in the 20's. Julia and I are looking at beach pictures to help us remember the sunshine and warm sand! This is one of my favorite days from our beach trip. We were in Wrightsville Beach, just outside of Wilmington NC. The water is clear enough to see your toes, the waves are big and fun, there are little pools of water near the edge where kids (big and little) can play. And some of my most favorite pictures came from that day. Here's the start and end of that day:I couldn't upload all the pictures to this post, so more in the next batch!

Stuffed animals (cluster blogging, part 3)

2010-01-02T16:35:00.001-08:00

I was cleaning up stuffed animals with Allison and I turned around to pitch a few into the bin, and saw THIS! Bet I could get a bundle for that one on eBay!

2010-01-02T15:09:00.000-08:00

The weekend before Christmas, we got so much snow, it was up to Snoopy's shoulders! Many of you know that we rarely get snow before Christmas. It was great fun with lots of great sledding.

This guy's just so good lookin', I had to include this picture.Nik made an awesome snow cave from the driveway shoveling pile. It was a great respite from the neighborhood snowball fight.

One of my snow babies!

Doesn't it just look like so much fun fun fun??

The other kids weren't interested in the snow. Allison spent about 5 minutes outside eating snow, took off her mittens because they were in her way, and then realized why mittens are a good idea. Her hands turned bright red with cold, and she quickly went inside to spend some quality time with Curious George and her other PBS friends. Julia was out early shoveling, but then decided to join Allison, and Chris slept through it! What a great last day of Fall!!

December in review (cluster blogging)

2010-01-02T11:13:00.001-08:00

A few Christmas pictures. Dr. Mommy checks out Allison's new baby.
Nik got a cricket bat from Santa.Games are a big part of our lives. Are we a bit competitive maybe? Nik got a new one called "Ligretto" that is fast and fun and hyper competitive. Everyone loves it. This is the first game of the day and Andrea is explaining the rules to Melanie who prides herself on being able to compete at grown-up games. Usually she is easily as good as the rest of us at games like "Settlers of Catan" and the Train game, but Ligretto requires a lot of coordination and keeping track of many things at one time, moves really fast, and she's going up against people who have played a lot. A seven-year-old doesn't stand a chance in this crowd. No mercy at card games.
Melanie's new portable chair. It's the most used item from Christmas, fo' sho'.

We are a bit crowded, with Santa's loot for 6 kids in a twin house, but 'togetherness' is a way of life for these PA raised kids - it was a merry Christmas full of fun and smiles and laughter!!

Christmas Pictures (almost!)

2010-01-02T04:43:00.000-08:00

What our Christmas pictures might have looked like if we had taken the picture before Christmas (hard to do when Andrea doesn't come home from school until Dec 23 - big ol' awesomely fun snowstorm sorta changed her plans) and IF she had been home earlier, supposing that I would have pulled everything together and gotten a picture and/or letter sent out.... yeah, too much to hope for! Anyways.... Happiest New Year from the Hawleys. We are excited to see what new adventures this year brings for us!! Chuck's job search is wide open geographically. We will go anywhere and are excited to see what plans are in store for us!!

Happy New Year!! Breakfast in bed

2010-01-01T14:02:00.000-08:00

This morning when Allison woke up Melanie (who slept until 10am after staying up until almost 2am; we were playing Ligretto (card game) and Milles Bournes and Uno with friends last night. We did actually take a break at 11:59:47 to celebrate the new year for about 20 seconds before returning to our card game - in a room full of competitive people, Ligretto can be rather intense (and fun!).).... Anyways, Melanie announced that she wasn't going to come downstairs all day; would I please bring her breakfast in bed. I took breakfast up (confetti colored cereal, two oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, and an orange = good way to start the New Year) and the light was awesome and I took this fuzzy picture.

Then Allison wanted breakfast in *her* bed, and this is her most awesome squinty faced super smile while she eats confetti cereal and "mars-i-mo's" ("marshmallows"; I love the 2/almost 3 y.o. speech!!). It was a great morning.

I have loved reading so many blogs this year and keeping up with all your fun activities. During these slow winter months I will try to fill in the gap from when I last blogged over the summer. Keep posting, all you Superwomen, b/c your posts are greatly enjoyed!! Happy New Year! May peace and blessings and fun and frivolity and sunshine abound in your lives this year!!

Crocodiles for dinner

2009-06-09T13:07:00.000-07:00

Melanie, Allison and I were leaving my mom's house to come home to Drexel Hill (about a 2 hour drive). We said a little prayer, I asked if everyone was ready, and then I yelled, "LET'S GO!!"

Allison immediately followed up with, "...EAT A CROCODILE!!" I've never even heard her say the word 'crocodile' and she's ready to eat one?

That kid puts E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G in her mouth.

May 8 in two parts

2009-05-07T13:19:00.000-07:00

Part One
My great friends Christina and Baby Isaac accompanied us on a trip to Longwood Gardens, one of my favorite places in the world. When I'm there, I forget that the world isn't entirely beautiful, I forget there are places where nature's beauty isn't allowed to flourish, and I completely lose myself in the beauty of a carefully ordered and painstakingly but lovingly tended world.

Highlights:
These two beautiful people!! (so beautiful, they are in here twice - which I can't fix tho I even tried to edit the HTML; sorry!)

These flowers were amazing close up. Two different colors, several different kinds of petals on each flower.

The color of brand new leaves in Spring is so cool, so much lighter than Summer green. This is the view from the deck of my favorite treehouse. Notice the cheeseball slightly to the left.

The children's garden area is amazing. There are several fountains and lots of water play. Kids are encouraged to play in the fountains as long as they don't get in. We got plenty wet without getting in anything.

Total cheeseball. I love that scrunchy faced smile! This time, sticking her finger in the mouth of a lizard. I've no doubt if a real one would hold that still, she'd try the same thing.

One of my favorite stained glass windows.

Allison blowing the 'smoke'.

This is what's hanging over the 'smoke'. Kind of a dark but way cool little corner in the garden.

Longwood gives out a kids map with instructions for the Children's Garden and it says kids can pick the flowers in here. I've never seen anyone do it and I've never been brave enough to tell one of my kids to do it. Would you?

End of the trip: We dropped off the Howdens at their house and on the way home, Allison said the following:

Bye Bye Ki-tina (Christina).

Bye Bye Baby I-yick (Isaac)

Bye Bye Baby I-yick brmmm brmm (car)

Bye Bye Baby I-yick toys.

Bye Bye Baby I-yick rattle.

Bye Bye Baby I-yick blanket.

Bye Bye Baby I-yick mouse.

Bye Bye Baby I-yick mouth.

Bye Bye Baby I-yick nose.

and then she sang "I love Christina, she loves me. I love I-yick, he loves me. We happy fam-i-ly. We happy fam-i-ly. Happy Birthday I-yick. Happy Birthday Ki-tina."

It was a great (first part of the) day.

Part Deux:

o Instead of napping, Allison took off her diaper and wet her crib.

o Chris' disciplinarian/asst. principal at school called to tell me Chris is suspended tomorrow because he's been late 12 times this semester (that's since Jan 21st).

o The paperwork for a food order I did got lost.

There is definitely opposition in all things, and there's nothing like teenagers and toddlers to make you appreciate the good times.

March in PA and DE

2009-03-26T11:26:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while, so thought I'd take a few minutes and post some random things from the past month.

March started out COLD. We were ankle deep in snow. Many headlines read, "March comes in like a lion" but I find the snow so peaceful. We Hawleys can't resist romping around until our fingers and toes are numb. My little snow bunny.

And what do you think this tire swing reminded me of? Donuts, of course! (My mind is never far from them, though).

I just LOVE this constantly crumb-encrusted face. So full of life and joy, all the time!

A week after the snow, it was warm enough to go to the beach! (b/n 60 and 70 degrees) We stayed at my mom's in Lewes DE for a coupla weeks . I just LOVE kids on the beach. And I discovered that I love going in March when I'm covered in clothes and can't feel the sand all over me! I could roll all around, sit and play with the kids with no discomfort. And yes, those little black dots in the water are SURFERS. The air was warm but the water wasn't - 38 degrees! Yikes.

Someone in our family believes that a Leprechaun visits houses the night before St. Patrick's Day (product of Catholic pre-school) so low and behold, someone came to our house and left a confetti trail from the bedroom into the family room and to a pile of cookies. Good leprechaun (another favorite moment in the St. Pat's excitement: Melanie made a card for the Leprechaun, only she spelled it "Lepercon" like it was for some diseased convict.).

The Sage

2009-03-04T10:05:00.001-08:00

Every once in a while when I've had a particularly challenging day or week (or month) with Allison, I'll call my mom and complain a bit, and I follow it by telling her I'm trying hard not to wish away this precious time because I'm sure when Allison is older I'll miss these days.

And without missing a beat, with wisdom and a smile in her voice, my mom knowingly replies, "Or not."

Spring is coming!

2009-02-12T11:06:00.000-08:00

The First Day of Spring: we look forward to this all winter long! Of course, the first day of Spring in PA is usually really cold and rainy, but that doesn't deter a Hawley from FREE WATER ICE AT RITA'S!! It's one of our favorite days of the year. We sit huddled in our car, lips turning blue from a cold treat on a cold day, and loving it.

http://www.fishbowl.com/clt/ritas/pc/200902/1/jmp/jump.htm

To all of you living way out west, remember the creamy cool sensation of a gelato?? Mmmmm.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-12T10:57:00.000-08:00

A little homemade love from the Hawleys. Allison's first fingerpainting foray made great Valentines. Isn't homemade love the best??

Bored this winter?

2009-02-12T10:39:00.000-08:00

Are you tired of the cold weather keeping you and your kids stuck inside? Looking for something new to spice up your life? Try a new hairstyle. Chris did! What do you think?

We thought it was a great joke and encouraged Chris to wear it to school for a day or two. Unfortunately, as time for church approached, Chris' attachment to the fuzz stripe adorning his head grew, and was quite reluctant to remove it. His better judgment finally won out (considering he rather enjoys having a bed and hot meals) and we are happy to report that the Halloween Parade of Feb '09 is over.

Snow in SE Pennsylvania

2009-02-12T10:20:00.000-08:00

In light of Pennsylvania's lack of snowfall in the past few years, we have adopted Elder Wirthlin's counsel "Come What May And Love It!" We are learning to love our sparse little amounts of snow. Things we enjoy: Little ones can walk in the snow without getting snow in their boots. We don't lose any little ones due to high snow drifts. We don't have to work very hard to shovel the driveway (correction: Nik and Chris don't have to work very hard to shovel the driveway). We don't waste away our whole day making big giant snowballs for a snowman (see pics). And most importantly, the kids still go to school.

Ol' One Eyed Jack: this is about all we could do with the snow. It was surprisingly un-sticky. Chuck said it looked like most of the snowman was underground, some sort of Calvin-ist snowman trick (of Calvin and Hobbes).

The little pink thing is Allison. She is not sure why snow has to be so cold. If it weren't for the cold, she'd like it much better. Though it was a sad little amount of snow, it was beautiful. Stuck to the trees and coated everything beautifully. I love waking up to the pure white.

From Mushy Molly to Hannah Hardbody (I hope)

2009-01-14T09:53:00.000-08:00

I've been doing Super Hula Hoop on Wii Fit for a few days and it's kicking my butt. I have unlocked the 10 minute Hula and it is so stinkin' hard. The first day I did it, afterwards I took the kids to the pet store to get food for our guinea pig and I could hardly carry the 11 lb bag of food through the store. I was shaking just carrying that thing up to the cash register. From Hula Hoop? How embarrassing.

Every day after I Hula Hoop I do the boxing game b/c they say I'm burning a lot of calories and it doesn't feel like work. Of course I also have two teenage boys and a pre-teen girl in my house - who wouldn't love boxing? That punching bags takes on many different forms.

Another failed attempt to imitate Michelle Burk

2009-01-13T10:16:00.000-08:00

What a charming picture I saw on Michelle Burk's blog of her cute little daughter sitting on the counter unwrapping Hershey Kisses, participating already at such a young age in the holiday baking. I thought my toddler and I could have such a moment, and today, I tried to create that. I am baking chocolate chocolate chip cookies (nothing could go wrong with this as the start, right?) and wanted to put candy cane kisses on them. I got the bag of kisses out, primed my toddler by asking if she wanted to help Mommy, and we both settled on the kitchen floor with a plate full of wrapped kisses and an empty bowl. Handing the first kiss to my daughter, I instructed her to unwrap the kiss and put it in the bowl. Then I looked at her other hand and DOH! I totally forgot that her right hand is wrapped in gauze - a "magic mitten" helping her hand to heal from burns sustained on Saturday. There's no way this kid can unwrap kisses. Never fear, I rally my spirits, not willing to let the moment be lost, and tell her I will unwrap, and she can put them in the bowl. She promptly popped the first one in her mouth. To be expected, I thought; she's almost 2. The next two went in the bowl, and the fourth kiss went straight into her mouth. Having only a two year old mouth, there's not a lot of room for kisses, so now the candy cane colored drool starts rolling out of her mouth and onto her sweater. She jumps up and runs across the house. Now my two year old, who previously was yawning, is now, after licking a beater and maybe a bite or two of cookie dough and two candy cane kisses, streaking back and forth across the house, candy cane drool flying, having ingested - right before naptime - enough sugar to fuel a small jet in a cross country flight. I foolishly put her in her crib where she is now yelling "Mooooooooommmmm, oh MOOOOOOOooooooooommm" at the top of her lungs. The legend of Michelle lives on in Philadelphia First Ward, and I am settling comfortably in as Mediocre Molly. I am, however, at the very least, highly entertained.

Latest at Longwood

2008-11-04T11:30:00.001-08:00

Grandmothers, these pictures are mainly for you. Mom, remember when we went to Longwood and all we saw were buds on the mums? Well check this out:

And this is one of the 1000 bloom mums. Amazing, it's all from one plant.

Sharon, the hibiscus blooms were gorgeous, so many colors and varieties. You'll have to come see for yourself!

Baby Care Advice

2008-11-04T11:14:00.001-08:00

Step One: When baby is upset, gently insert binky. (Look closely, you can see the left hand getting ready for Step Two.)

Step Two: If baby is struggling with binky, use both hands and really CRAM it in there.

Step Three: Check to see if baby and binky are happy.

High Schooler on Halloween

2008-11-04T10:52:00.000-08:00

Do high school kids still trick-or-treat? When is the appropriate time to give up trick-or-treating? Andrea didn't go at all in high school, but Chris did his first two years. Nik is a freshman, and is beginning to think he's too old, but the allure of the candy was too strong. I remember that time in my life, trying to judge whether the embarrassment of trick-or-treating while towering over the little kids at the neighbor's door would outweigh the enjoyment of the delicious bites of candy. And I remember the year that the embarrassment was finally so bad, that the candy wasn't worth it. Sometimes I just don't know when to give up, but standing at someone's house when a group of little kids walked up and asked if I was the Mom who was giving out candy was the turning point.

Nik's costume came together at the last minute. His Spanish teacher gave him the mask during school on Halloween, and he colored it after school. I bought the fancy cool sombrero in Nogales in the 70's and it hasn't been worn for any event until this year (good foresight on my part, I know). The sheet is recycled from last year. Altogether, makes quite a striking and very unique costume for this part of the world. We get a good share of Star Wars characters, princesses, and skeletons, but I think this might be the first time many people in Drexel Hill have seen something like this knocking at their door.

Ward Halloween Party

2008-11-03T19:30:00.000-08:00

We had your usual showing of rabble rousers, but thought these stole the show. First, a coupla cowpokes. Notice Allison's sleeve. Not quite sure if that's dirt from working so hard on the range rustling steer, or just a little chocolate from wrestling a brownie. Either way, you can tell who won - Allison's a toughie.
Next our two cats - Melanie as a spooky black cat, and Julia as the Cat in the Hat. Our two gorgeous, whiskered, feline fatales.

Halloween Parade

2008-11-03T18:54:00.000-08:00

Lots of excitement here for Halloween. Melanie counted down the days as if Santa was coming. During the day, Garrettford had a parade of students, and the local middle school band (for whom many famous musicians have played, most notably Chris and Nik Hawley). Currently, it's Julia's turn to flaunt her stuff in a purple wool suit.
Melanie's big appearance came near the end of the parade; this is after the marching is done. She is one cute cat.

Longwood Gardens

2008-11-03T18:26:00.001-08:00

One of the most beautiful places I've been. Fills my soul with beauty and joy. Some parts make me feel like I'm in a Jane Austen novel. This trip, we came to see the pumpkins. Mostly we were excited to see the glass ones, but we were surprised by this gigantic whopper. 1070 lbs - and that was second place. Woah. I guess first place was off for a victory parade or something.
And so excited to go somewhere with my mom - here are 3 generations of McGinnis women.

These are the glass pumpkins - hand-blown. Amazing. You can check out Longwood's website for more details. Some of these are illuminated from within, some are not.
Check out the cornucopia built for the display. It is mostly grapevine wrapped around a form, but everything is made from things found naturally in the area. Beautiful.
And these are two of my favorite people! Aren't they cute together?

More pumkins, these colors are beautiful, and fanciful. Looks like they from a real Cinderella's garden.

I think I'm being threatened!

2008-11-03T18:18:00.000-08:00

Julia took on a new sport this fall. She played field hockey and showed no mercy, on or off the field. This is a picture of her threatening me with bodily harm if I don't let her hang out with her friends later that evening.

Punk rock girl

2008-11-03T18:09:00.000-08:00

Hey, we're finally into the October pictures (but not Halloween). Julia has been given some tshirts that she likes a lot and I have a bit of problem with their size, or lack of it. To illustrate my point, I put one on Allison one day and transformed her into our punk rock grrrrl. Julia didn't quite get the point, though, and now likes the shirt even more. (A tired punk rock girl, but it's hard work being so cool!)
And I just couldn't resist adding this one. I love love LOVE that smile!

Rare appearance

2008-11-03T18:02:00.000-08:00

One handsome dude putting in a rare appearance on the blog. Sitting, as usual, in his favorite spot - at the computer, where else? Even Allison knows where to look for Chuck when we need him. She heads right to the computer chair, calling "Daddun! Daddun!" (tranlates loosely to "Daddy" or "guy who's butt print is in the computer chair"). Melanie took this picture - pretty good for a pipsqueak.

That SMILE!

2008-11-03T17:57:00.000-08:00

You know that smile that just infuses your whole day with joy? Is this what you were thinking of?

Cluster Bloggin'

2008-11-03T17:33:00.000-08:00

That's what I'm going to call this post b/c it will be a HUGE random assortment of stuff I should have posted over the past... month or more? It's been a long time, but well worth the wait. Let's start with just one of my favorite pictures ever.

When I look at pictures like this, I wonder how I could ever be upset or ill-tempered with any of the kids (from September).

Okay, so this isn't the best picture of us, but it represents a fun day we had just goofin' off together, wrestling and laughing and probably being really immature.
Oh yeah, here's Chris. He's always a big help with making sure Nik doesn't go too long without being tortured.

One day Julia and I went somewhere together and someone said, "You guys look SO much alike. I can just tell you are mother and daughter." Julia and I looked at each other, and just laughed and laughed.

FREAKED OUT!!

2008-10-09T10:36:00.000-07:00

There are times when being a SAHM is WONderful and rewarding. And there are times when I never want to walk through the door of my house without another adult there to hold things together. This is one of those days. I got home from grocery shopping with Allison and was unloading groceries from the van, turned around to open the side door, and this is what I saw:

AAAUUUUUUUUGH!

This thing is at least as big as the end of my thumb. But ultimately, a BEAUTIFUL creature, so amazing, so many details on each articulated part. After a mini photo shoot, I took a stick and (no, I didn't whack the spider) I broke the silk where the spider was hanging so I could gently move the spider away from the threshold to my home, but the spider ran up that silk towards my stick like lightening, so I ended up chucking the stick far away from me. Back to AAAAUUUUUUUGH! (Hope you're okay, Spiderella.)

Surfer girls

2008-09-18T09:57:00.000-07:00

So I promised more from this summer. One of the highlights of the summer for me was watching Julia and Melanie learn how to surf.

Julia's got it. She's got the stance and everything. Now if she could just drop the dorky parents, she might be able to have some kind of a life.....
(Excuse the bad photography, but you gotta remember the photographer is out in the gnarly surf, getting thrashed all around by the epic swell....)

Here's Melanie standing up on that stick like it's nothing. She yells out "COWABUNGA" every time she catches a wave."Little surfer, little one, Made my heart come all undone...." My teeny wahines!!

Bloggin' again

2008-09-12T10:25:00.000-07:00

Hey, I'm finally taking a few minutes and posting a few of my favorite pix from the summer. Apologies to the boys, but we didn't seem to run in similar circles this summer. Nik and Chris spent a good deal of time at camps this summer, learning things like search and rescue skills, earning merit badges, and just generally being hapless with a good mixture of mischief and charm. The girls and I spent more time together, which I hadn't thought about before just now, but might be the reason I lamented the start of school for the first time this year. Our house is quiet these days, and Allison and I haven't quite adjusted yet. She roams through the house during the day calling out for her siblings, and I marvel that the food I put in the 'frig now STAYS in the 'frig (not so in the summer). Anyways, a few pix:

Allison at the zoo yesterday. She is so grateful for a dad who works hard to provide her with so many blessings. Mom is, too. Mom is truly blessed to have such marvelous times with the kids.

First day of school. Julia wanted this year's theme to center on Pink Hi-tops. The boys wouldn't go for it, but look how cute all these pink shoes are. Julia started 7th grade this year, and has again signed up for an enormous amount of activities. She handles it well, and only asks that we read her mind to know her schedule. Melanie started 1st grade and loves it. I've never met a first grader with more confidence. She handles being at school all day much better than her mom, who is sad about missing so much of her DoodleBug's life. Allison would LOVE to start school, any grade will do, but is stuck at home with Mom going to SongTime at the library, Gym class and swimming at the Y. She has spent so much time with me running errands that she knows just when to hand the cashier the credit card.

Look at these gorgeous girls! Such good friends!! We are so lucky everyone gets along well in our family. Many different combinations of siblings this summer made for lots of interesting and fun times. Many times over my prayers for more love in our family were answered abundantly!

I just love this picture and can't leave it out.
It captures so much of what we strived for this summer: tranquil, abundant, exuberant, transcendent fun.

Okay, that takes us from Sept back thru the beginning of Aug. Hopefully more time will surface soon and I'll post more from the rest of the summer. When I look back over the summer, I realize how truly blessed and rich my life is.

Miracle cure

2008-08-01T11:22:00.000-07:00

You know you're in Philly when the pediatrician recommends WATER ICE as part of your kid's treatment. Allison has coxsackie (aka foot, hand, mouth disease) (which by the way is nasty; she is covered in sores - mouth, hands and feet (go figure) AND diaper area - I can't imagine how the poor thing functions.). Anyways, the doctor said heat will exacerbate her misery and don't expect her to eat much - give her ice pops, ice cream, and water ice!! Hilarious, but so of course the first place we stopped on the way home from the doctor's office was Rita's (not the Howden's dog, but the Water Ice place, THE water ice place) and Allison downed at least half of a watermelon water ice. We were sitting in the car on a 90 degree with the air conditioning on and she smiled a lot for the first time in a while and got goose bumps so I considered the treatment a success.

Beach Party Aug 07

2007-08-26T13:41:00.000-07:00

Hey - we were able to round up some people willing to call us friends for the day - at least long enough to glean some ocean goin' knowledge from our vast years of experience seeking solace at water's edge. We had a grand ol' time although the day ended too early, as all good ones do, and friends departed long before we were willing to bid farewell to the peace and exuberance we find oceanside. Just as well for them - you might notice from some of the photos the extreme degree of whiteness of some of our friends, and we all know that things that start out white at the beginning of a sunny day at the beach, usually don't go home the same color. Despite warning and advice from more experienced sun-seekers, and despite our own knowledge, none were spared the effects of sun overdose, none that is excepting Nik, whose dramatic change in color this summer leads me to believe he's an entirely different race than the rest of us. In light of the wisdom of the adage "Learn something new every day," here's a brief list of lessons learned at Corson's Inlet State Park: sunscreen does *not* migrate - you must cover all exposed skin for protection from the sun (e.g. Christina's thighs), 13 Cheetos equals one serving, surfboards are hard (check the goose egg on Chris Hamatake's noggin).