20+1+1

22 years ago, Michael became my husband and I became his ball and chain, the nagging in his ear, the one who stifles his desire to purchase every roll of 3D filament ever produced and to own the largest TV ever constructed. Fooey.

BUT.

I also feed him and wash his undies.

Man, he's lucky.

Our anniversary fell on Friday this year. Friday! You can't plan this stuff.  (Well, I guess the calendar is pretty cyclical so you can) but...I didn't plan this stuff! I had big dreams for our 22nd year of wedded bliss. A weekend away. Chocolate. No diapers to change. No crying baby in my bedroom.

Sounds wonderful.

Instead, we stayed home. 

Sissy had a swim meet the night before AND a theater performance the night after.  Our weekend away was a weekend here. 

It's alright though.  It doesn't matter what we do as long as it's special.  And there's nothing more special than Phillip's chocolate and love notes.

Well, if you're Michael, there is one thing more special.

Breakfast at Waffle House.

Michael had the day off from work so it actually was wonderful. We leisurely hung around, wandered through our favorite home store to look at all the exciting wares, and then had an early dinner of wings and burgers while Sissy was at dress rehearsal.  Baby especially enjoyed it.

That evening was our regularly-scheduled Friday movie night, so popcorn was naturally on the menu.

I guess I really just want to celebrate every special occasion by eating.

22 years of marriage makes me shake my head in wonder.  Wonder that I found Michael and love him with remarkable deepness, wonder that I have 2 beautiful and miraculous girls, wonder that age lines have crept onto my face so suddenly, and wonder that the years are increasingly swift.

I try to enjoy the moments but most days it's just a repetitive slog.  But I must admit that there is immense comfort in the slog.

It's where my people live.

Happy anniversary! 

Renaissance Faire

Finally the day arrived! It was time for the Renaissance Faire. In preparation, Mykey spent many hours 3D printing himself a staff, which he also wired with lights - color changing lights. Sissy spent many hours staring at the costume in her closet and wishing it was time for the faire already.

And then it was. She made a golden potion for her belt and off they went to find their nerd cluster.

Find them, they did.

And what a spectacular day it was.  The weather was nice, the events were entertaining, and they had wood-fired pizza for lunch.  What could be better?

Sissy's favorite event was the Stoopid Human Tricks.  The guy set his tongue on fire, swallowed a sword, snapped his tongue in a mousetrap, ate fire, and told plenty of funny jokes.  He was delightful in every way.

They knew they were among friends when they spotted a directional sign pointing to all things nerd.

They also enjoyed a jousting match.

And purchased a lovely dragon eye necklace for Sissy and a Princess Bride magnet souvenir for me.

It was a successful day and they can't wait for next year!  (I might even attend with them.  Maybe. We'll see. I can't promise anything.)

Halloween

Our Halloween this year in one word:

Stressful

Let's just say that Sissy had play rehearsal (LAME. It's Halloween), and that threw everything off.  In addition, the town where the theater is located was having a Halloween extravaganza. Streets were closed, traffic was crawling, and Michael's blood pressure was climbing faster than a squirrel being chased up a tree as we tried to pick up Sissy in time to go trick-or-treating with her friends. 

We were late and had to park blocks away from the theater. I ran through the crowds to get to Sissy. She was sitting on a bench all alone and terrified that we weren't coming for her.  This terror erupted into an angry freak-out in the car.

Stressful.

After more traffic, yelling, and threats of, "I'm going to turn this car around and cancel Halloween!" we arrived nearly half an hour late to our trick-or-treating meeting spot and searched for Sissy's friends.  We were sweaty and rattled.  

I decided that I would still enjoy myself since it was Baby's first real Halloween excursion.  Mykey had a hard time letting go of his turmoil.  Can you tell?

Regardless, we had a successful evening. It was fun to walk with Baby to the doors.  She loved it.  The weather was a little warm, especially since I was Mr. Rogers and had on a sweater, but it was good nonetheless.  Mykey wore his Renaissance Faire costume, Sissy was Zelda, and Baby was a unicorn. (Because I purchased the costume last year on clearance.)

Side note: only one person knew who I was.  Surprisingly, it was a 12-year-old boy.  Who doesn't know who Mr. Rogers is?! More people than you think. 

By the time we made it home with our haul of candy, we were exhausted. But it was nothing scarfing a few candy bars couldn't fix.  Let's hope for better luck next year.

Happy (stressful) Halloween!

A Dozen

Sissy turned 12.

Did you hear me?

I said, "SISSY TURNED 12!"

All she wanted for her birthday was the new Lego Zelda set. Unbeknownst to Sissy, I had pre-ordered the set many months before she asked.  She wasn't aware the set existed and I was going to save it for Christmas. But then she read about the set on one of her fan sites and my plan was foiled. Nerds ruin everything. 

I told Sissy it was far too expensive and to come up with a different idea. She begged and begged, tried making bargains, begged and begged some more, and wouldn't stop yammering about how much she wanted the set.  And there I was, making her suffer while I was already in possession of the thing. It was diabolical of me.

I was in a pickle though.  We have always had extravagant parties for Sissy because...well...Sissy planned extravagant parties and she was my only child.  This year I didn't want to pay for both an extravagant party and an expensive Lego set.  But how to tell her that without telling her I already had the Lego set?

Here's how.

I told her I had the Lego set and she couldn't have an extravagant party.

Surprise!

Telling her was also diabolical because now she had to wait for the Lego set for weeks, knowing it was in the house somewhere.

What can I say?  I'm a butt.

It was still a wonderful birthday despite by buttox-ery shenanigans. A couple of weeks before her birthday, Sissy had her bestie for a sleepover.

They played games.

And played kazoos late into the evening.

We went to the trampoline park where Baby had a smashing good time.

When her actual birthday arrived I made a Dune sandworm cake.  It was enormous.

We also gave her a couple of surprise gifts. You always need a surprise.  This one was a pixel art kit and Cow Tales.

And then the big kahuna arrived.  Wrapped in 2 boxes.  

What? You already know I'm a butt.

After her favorite meal of carbs, Sissy went straight to work on building.

The next day she had this beauty.

Pure joy.

Happy birthday to Sissy!

Anatomy of an Afternoon Walk

Baby loves to be outside.  If the weather is nice, I take her out every afternoon around our little section of condo road to let her explore. She has a specific route and routine that goes like this:

Stop at the Halloween sign. There's also a skeleton on the porch she converses with.

Choose out the perfect stick. Or rock. Or both.

And give it to Booney.

Say hello to the No-pooping-in-my-flower-bed sign.

Give Buddha a pat on the head.

Boop the lady's nose.

Pet the bunny.

And boop its nose.

Talk to the owl and say, "Hoo-Hoo."

Touch the garden flag - it's quite a stretch.

Repeat.

Eventually we have to stop to go pick Sissy up from school. (Baby does not appreciate this part.)

But don't worry...we'll be back at it again tomorrow.

It's always a fun time strolling around with my babe!

They Were...Dancing!

Well, friends, we have arrived.  

Sissy attended her very first middle school dance.

When I saw the announcement for the dance I felt a little queasy.  And then Sissy declared that she wanted to attend.  My stomach was agitating like a top-loading washing machine.

"Why so on edge?" you might ask.

Because it's a middle school dance! I was worried Sissy wouldn't have anyone to hang out with.  I was worried it would be a terrible time.  I was worried she'd feel awkward.  I was worried about the obnoxious pre-teen boys. Okay. Fine. I was worried about everything. I'm her mom and that's what I do.

It was a Halloween dance and costumes were allowed. Mykey and Sissy are planning on attending a Renaissance Faire in November.  The costumes have already arrived from China and Sissy has been dying to wear hers.  So instead of donning her actual Zelda Halloween costume, she went with the Renaissance Faire outfit.  

She looked so pretty!  She even made her own potion out of mineral oil and mica powder.  She also filled the belt pouch with 3D printed coins - and 10 actual dollars from me.  I didn't think she needed money but Sissy pointed out that there would be snacks for purchase and she needed to purchase snacks. My mistake.

She spent weeks thinking about how she would wear her hair, what friends she would go with, and what to do once she arrived at the dance.  She wrote it all down in a special notebook for reference.  This girl was serious about the dance.

When I picked her and her friend up at the end, they were wild with excitement.  They apparently had a wonderful time jumping around in a "mosh pit" and spending my 10 dollars on chips and soda.

I was glad she had fun.

And if that wasn't enough, we then went to a pumpkin patch with her church friends.  We had a great time despite the cold and Sissy even rode a mechanical bull.

It was a long and exciting day.  Booney was tired at the end.  All that adrenaline from worrying really wears a person out.  

Hooray for our first successful middle school dance!

Look

Look at Sissy earning a blue ribbon for her Social Studies poster, which included a 3D printed Cuneiform tablet.

Look at Baby getting her own lunch of dried pasta.

Look at Sissy trying on new dentures.

Look at Baby helping with chores.

Look at the nerds drawing Baby into their web.

Aw, man! Come on!