The Paci

Even before EJ was born I was adamant that she was going to take a pacifier. Hope refused to take any kind of pacifier and believe me, we tried EVERY kind available. Hope was a thumb sucker. I worried about what it was going to do to her teeth. I worried about all the germs going straight from everything she touched into her mouth. There was a period of time when I worried she would go to college sucking her thumb. It was right around that time that I thought, "if she only took a pacifier, it would be so much easier to get rid of than the thumb". You can just take a pacifier away, right? You can't just get rid of a thumb. So, as I said, EJ had to take a pacifier. I know pacifiers aren' t the greatest thing for teeth either, but you can just take a pacifier away. Right? We forced her to take it as a newborn, holding it in her mouth until she had no choice but to start sucking. It was great! She'd take the paci and fall asleep. If she woke up at night, we just gave it back to her and off she went, into dreamland. Up until the last couple of months, that was the only time she wanted it, when she was going to sleep. Now. . . well, um . . . I'm afraid we've created a monster . . .

She wants it in the car . . .

She wants it when she's relaxing . . .

She wants it when she's playing . . .


And though this is not a regular occurrence, it really scares me:



You can just take a pacifier away, right? Easier said than done. By the second kid, I know not to worry that she'll be taking it to college with her. And I'm way less critical when I see big kids walking around with pacifiers hanging out of their mouths and when I see kids throwing fits in public, and when I see kids with mismatched clothes and shoes on the wrong feet but that just comes with being a parent. Maybe one day she'll decide that pacis are for babies and she'll give it up. Or we can have the "Paci Fairy" come and leave a gift and take all the pacifiers away. Or the "Twiddlebugs" may come and chew holes in all of them, like they did mine years ago. But not now. For now she's still my baby and I'm glad she has something that can help her comfort herself, even if it is messing up her teeth.

For the record, Hope will not be going to college with her thumb in her mouth. When she was 5, she decided she was ready to give it up, and she did. Just like that.

Mark Twain - A Musical Biography

Sounds exciting, huh? In truth, it was a very cute musical and touching story I actually learned a lot of new and interesting facts about the man! and it has been such a big part of our summer, it's hard to believe I am only now blogging about it! Hope had roles as a whitewash girl and a flower seller and she took her parts very seriously! In addition to the many hours of rehearsals, she spent a lot of time singing the songs and saying her lines at home and in the car, and at the store. Several times I went to bed with the songs running through my head and woke up the next morning with them still there. Even though it was busy and took up a lot of Hope's summer afternoons, she thoroughly enjoyed herself. She learned a lot and made many great friends. Hope is a girl that likes to be on stage! She has a flair for the dramatic and I love that she has an outlet for that.

Saturday night was her last performance, followed by a cast party. By the time she got to bed it was after midnight. I laid down with her, and despite being exhausted, she kept talking and talking. Before I got up she said, "I just can't believe the show's actually over. I think my life is going to feel pretty empty for the next few days". I just smiled.

Flower Sellers

Still selling flowers

Cute little Whitewash Kids

The final scene - an Oxford Graduation

The Cast - kids ranged from 5 - 17 years old!

Summer Fun

What a difference 15 years makes

We had a great time at Brandon's 15 year reunion last weekend. Hobbs had changed a lot since I'd last been there 14 years ago, and even since Brandon had been there 10 years ago. There are some things that are still there, like the movie theater where Brandon and I think we had our first kiss (must have been real memorable) , and Weinerschnitzel and Taco Villa where Brandon couldn't wait to get chili cheese dogs and a combination burrito - all in one meal! But Hobbs has definitely grown - they now have a Chili's, a Home Depot, a Wal-Mart AND a casino! Brandon, too, has changed a little since high school -


Brandon is on the left with his friends Brian and Dusty and Dusty's parents

Brandon and Brian on one of the reunion nights.

It was great to have a weekend alone with my husband - our first since Ellis was born! We'll have to be sure to have another before his 20th!

Excuses, Excuses

Lots of reasons why I haven't blogged in awhile, but I won't waste time listing them. We made it through the move, mostly intact, and still alive, which is all I can really ask for when moving. Except for a big booking mess with U-Haul (who I will never use again) and a car break in, all went fairly well. Due to Brandon's dilligence, we were pretty much unpacked and settled within the week. This has meant many late nights, and not much computer time not even time for Facebook. I've also been very busy with work and Hope's swim team and Hope's rehearsals, and all the normal day to day stuff. Enough excuses . . .

We are going on a little trip tomorrow to Hobbs, NM, where Brandon and I first met, almost 20 years ago! It's his 15th high school reunion and he is really looking forward to going "home" and seeeing lots of old friends he hasn't seen in a long time. I'm looking forward to a whole weekend of just Brandon and I although I'm already missing the girls who are staying at Jill's tonight b/c of our early flight. It's been a LONG time since we've had a weekend alone!

When we get back Brandon will be starting his NEW JOB yay! yay! yay! as a financial advisor for Edward Jones. I'm so proud of him for pressing through and finding this great opportunity in such a terrible job market. I know he's going to do great!! He'll be super busy for the first few years, but we keep reminding ourselves that he'll still be around more than if he were still playing baseball.

I know there have been lots of things going on the last couple of weeks that I'll wish I would have blogged about when I can't recall them in the future. I'll just have to deal with it. Tonight there's packing to be done and sleep to be had before our early morning departure!

More next week . . .