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Doing his best St. Bernard imitation...
Only that's not a brandy barrel around his neck, it's a heat register cover. He managed to get his tag stuck in there when he was lying on top of it.
And here I thought he'd been in my studio crafting something.
Up next, Brady doing his trained seal imitation.
Thank goodness they remind the children of these things on the school morning announcements--to think we almost missed out on FREE stuff! And ice cream at that.
We loaded up the car and got to our local Ben & Jerry's around 7pm. One hour of free ice cream to go. We went to the back of the very long but quick moving line. We didn't have to wait too long. And of course when it was our turn the boys still didn't know what they wanted. I'm sure the 25 people behind us really appreciated that. We figured it out though and collected our FREE stuff. I even talked Daddy out of some cash to donate to Habitat for Humanity. Since the ice cream was FREE and all.
We managed to get a table and sat down to enjoy our FREE ice cream. Apparently, free stuff is a big draw because we saw all sorts of people we know. And then our neighbor, Joe-fus as we like to call him, sauntered over with his son and their 2 FREE ice cream cones. He boasted/mentioned this was his 5th cone of the day. I'm pretty sure I saw Bob/Rob's ears perk up at that. A challenge perhaps?
Let's just put it this way, the closer it got to 8pm (the end of the FREE ice cream), the shorter the line got. Thus the quicker and easier it was to get more FREE ice cream...
Final tally: 12 FREE ice cream cones for the Bowles Family
Daddy 4
Ebby 3
Will 2
Cuyler 2
Mommy 1
Only 364 more days until FREE Cone Day 2007. Make your plans now.
At least according to the students in Ms. Snyder's kindergarten class! Here he is, the boy who sticks to it until he gets it right, the Character Education class winner for the month of April, a 'true ambassador' for his school, it's Will Bowles:
Will raked in his award this morning at the character ed assembly and both Mommy and Daddy were on hand to cheer him on. Feeling pretty proud today because: with Will's win, all 3 kids have won character awards this year in their respective classes, Ebby got her 3rd (out of 3 possible) golden dog tag for making the A honor roll, and Will and Cuyler's teachers took time to tell us what a great job the boys are doing (especially with writing) and how delightful they are in general. Aaaahhhh.
Ok, must work out the kink in my arm from patting myself on the back.
when our 1 year old house started to fall apart in a wind whipping hail rain thunder & lightning pre dawn storm.
Bob went outside to walk Jake on Saturday morning and found two separate pieces of 10ft long metal flashing from the peak of our garage strewn about our front yard.
He gathered up the pieces. I borrowed the York's ladder. At 16 feet, not tall enough. Luckily the Handsmans saw our trouble and loaned us their 25 foot extension ladder just before they headed out to Asheville for the weekend.
So, the good news, one piece of the flashing wasn't damaged too much and Bob was able to nail it back in place. The not so good news, the other piece was bent and ripped and no matter how much it was pounded with a rubber mallet, it just wasn't going to cut it. And apparently our builder doesn't buy their flashing at Home Depot or Lowe's. And they don't keep any lying around their jobsites on the other side of the lake (where we might have been today with a car big enough to fit a 10foot piece of flimsy metal in). That's why, if you look closely at the photo, we have exposed wood on the right side of our garage roof.
We've extended our lease on the Handsman's ladder and I hope to hunt down some flashing from the builder this week. I'm sure that won't be a problem. Builders are always eager to help you out after they've sold you a house. Maybe they even keep a supply in the office. Just in case.
September 1972 (Bubbe just didn't get the film developed until November. That's how it was back in the old days. Pre digital. Pre CVS 1 hour photo. Back when you'd take your film to the nice smocked girl in the Fotomat booth in some random parking lot. When you accept that job, do they give you a Fotomat jug to relieve yourself in?)
Hingham Merchants Field Day. In downtown Hingham. There I am, on my first pony ride. Sauntering along the train tracks. The building on the right is the back of what's now the Square Cafe (and used to be Arthur's Roebuck's, I believe). Further in the background is a railroad crossing sign. And a brick building that I don't think is there anymore.
There are a few things about this picture that spoke to me, chanted out, post me, post me!
First and foremost, Ebby is much cuter than I ever was. And has a much better haircut.
Next, now I see where Cuyler gets that funky tongue curling to upper lip thing.
Take a look at the pony. He doesn't look like he's enjoying this much at all. Is there some unseen force pulling back his face behind his eyes?
I think you can see that Hingham hadn't quite begun its ascent up the 'really desireable and unaffordable unless you have a ton of cash' suburb ladder yet. At least judging by the overgrown weeds and brush in the downtown anyway.
And of course, those train tracks are soon to be removed. Because who need tracks on the ground when you're building a multi million dollar tunnel under the ground. Right there. Right under my pony's path.
And now we turn to the 21st century. For better or worse.
Cuyler and Will were discussing their writing projects for school over breakfast. They had to make a sequencing caterpillar and write one sentence each about the beginning, middle and end of a book of their choosing. After reading them over to each other, Cuyler excitedly shouts out:
"We're definitely going to get into college!"
Because they're good writers he meant.
Better start upping the contributions to those 529 plans. And, might I note, while his brother is worried about knowing who he's going to marry, Cuyler is really planning for the future. Imagine how competitive the college admissions process will be 11 years from now. Maybe instead of the sports and arts camps this summer I should be sending him to a Kaplan SAT Review course...
Part 2
Further evidence that my children lead a culinarily sheltered existence...
I read the boys this book the other night : 
When I got to the part where it rains brussel sprouts, mayonnaise and peanut butter, Cuyler asked me,
"What's mayonnaise?"
Which was a real stumper for me. How do you explain mayonnaise to a kid who's only experience with condiments is dip-doo (ketchup)? I got by with the basics: it's white and it would be gross with brussels sprouts and peanut butter.
I'll tell you what it isn't. It isn't trash. I repeat, it is NOT TRASH.
{warning: yet another Will story. sometimes they just come in bunches}
So Sunday night (Easter) we put the kids to bed. I check on them before going to sleep myself and all is well. Fast forward to 2am.
Daddy hears noises downstairs. Wonders if we have an intruder on our hands. Ventures toward the stairs and sees that the kitchen light is on. Figures a burglar wouldn't turn on the lights, so it's safe to go down. And what do you think he saw? He saw Will sobbing and picking through the kitchen trash can. Niiiice and probably the last thing he expected to see. Daddy tried talking to him to figure out what he was looking for but Will ended up fleeing to the library couch--for more sobbing. Which is about the time I woke up. I came down the stairs, looked at the hubby and asked what was going on. Will. Crying. Trash Can. Oooooh. Even though I'm exhausted and in a total fog I am somehow instantly able to put the pieces together and I know what's wrong. One of those hidden mommy talents I guess. I sit down to talk to him. He tells me (through sobs. Did I mention he was sobbing?) 'You threw away the cutest thing I ever had and I want it back and I can't find it and I never get my way and you threw it awaaay' etc. etc. I replied with 'Your bunny wrapper?', 'Yes', 'It's in the trash, I'll look for it in the morning. It's not going anywhere. I'm going to bring you back to bed now', sniffle, sniffle, 'Okay'. And I brought him back to his bed and he went back to sleep. As did we.
Fast forward again to 6:30am on Monday. Daddy and Ebby have gone out to Starbucks. I am alone in the kitchen with the nearly full garbage can. I get another bag to put the trash into as I take it out. Cat food bag. Discarded school papers. Chicken bones. More chicken bones, complete with old, greasy southern fried batter skin. I'm getting near the bottom with no luck yet. But I know it's in there, because I'm the one who threw it away! I know, what was I thinking, throwing away an empty candy wrapper that was just sitting in the middle of the kitchen table?! Finally, just as I'm about to have to do a more in depth search of the garbage, I see it. The cute golden bunny wrapper. Rescued. All is right with the world again.
Epilogue: I show him the wrapper as soon as he comes down for breakfast. He's happy, hugs it, and puts it back down on the desk where I've laid it for safekeeping. And he hasn't touched it since.
The boys were having snack this afternoon and I spied this note on the table. When I asked whose it was, Will owned right up.
Me: Is this really yours Will? (in mock disbelief)
W: Yeeeessss (big grin)
Me: I love you? Who is it from?
Will: from Reilly (another big grin)
Me: (ever the record keeper) Why doesn't it have her name on it?
Will: Because I know her name and she knows my name. (Duh, Mommy) Besides, she said she's going to marry me.
Me: And how do you feel about that?
Will: Good. I'm going to marry her too!
And then, from across the room, the voice of reason.
Cuyler: You don't needa worry about who you're gonna marry until your bigger.
Will: But I want to know first. And I'm gonna marry Reilly because I love her too.
So great, 2 of the 3 kids are betrothed (Ebby to her first/second grade sweetheart in MA). I guess it'll just be us and Cuyler in 20 years or so...
Oh, in a somewhat odd development, here is Will dressed as 'Reilly Bowles' (this was Ebby's idea, she dressed as Will for the 'wedding'): 
Nothing says new bride like a Salvation Army prom dress and a faux fur trimmed animal print winter hat.
