The Face

So this is the face (actually this is a close copy, the original had much more glare and crinkled nose) Maggie unleashed on me at Target last Saturday when I wouldn't allow her to "push" the cart while I was carrying her. Imagine a Superman type hold with her arms locked out in front gripping the cart with white knuckles. I passed the cart to mom and Maggie shot me the evil eye with puckered lips!

Maggie's First Birthday

Although Maggie's actual birthDATE isn't until tomorrow - today, Saturday, is the day last year that brought us our perfect little girl. It's been an eyeblink since that day. Maggie is almost walking and Hutch is really growing into his role as a super big brother. Just the other morning he climbed in bed with Maggie and gently pulled the covers up on her and patted her tummy before curling up next to her.

We celebrated today by grilling steaks and indulging in yummy chocolate cake. We purchased a "Complete Big Brother in a Box" for Maggie (as seen in picture above). Although it is Fisher-Price, it is NOT part of the slew of toys recently recalled. We marked the day with a lovely family photo on the front porch. Out of about a dozen pictures this is the best....again with the herding cats metaphor! Maybe I'll post some of the ones that didn't make the cut- Hutch has a wide repetoire of goofy faces!

A good time was had by all. Happy Birthday, Maggie! :)

Who wants cupcakes?

I actually thought Maggie was going to jump out of the chair and rip the cupcake out of Jen's hands.......

The End

So I walked into the hotel lobby at 1 PM and grabbed the special Amazon box from the front desk. I sat down to read at 1:30. At 7:25, dipping the last bit of bread into the pasta sauce, I closed the book.

It's been almost seven years since I sat on a couch at a rental house on St. George Island and devoured Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in one day. Since then, I've reread each book at least three times, and have listened to the tales on audio CD more times than I can list.

I've looked forward to this final book since I read the first one, as has everyone gripped by JK Rowling's tale. But I've also dreaded it. Not because I was afraid that she would mess it up. Indeed, this is her tale, and if she chose to have Harry go join the Peace Corps and settle down in Namibia instead of facing Voldemort, that would be her choice (though one I would probably find less than satisfying).

I've dreaded the final book because it is just that: the final book. No one wants to see our loved ones to leave us, even if they are fictional. The emotions you pour into a story by reading it and turning the characters into living breathing beings in your mind can be just as powerful as those you attach to the people in your life.

So it was with slightly red eyes that I opened the book at 1:30. And I write this with red eyes now. But as sad as I am to close the book on Harry's last adventure (and I cannot see how it can be otherwise), I cannot wait to open the first one again, and begin to read it to our children. As they discover what worlds reading can take them to, it will remind me that our loved ones do not leave us ever, in the real or fictional world.

Thanks, JK, for a monumental achievement in storytelling, and one that will live through the ages. And thanks for reminding us, time and again, of the love that exists between a child and mother. If people remembered this love more often, I do believe our world would be a better place today.

Ouch

So, after many skirmishes today the toddler was banished to his room. The final straw being him dragging the giant stuffed pink hippo into the office and hurling at Maggie who up that point had been playing peacefully and contentedly on the floor. "GET OUT!! GO PLAY SOMEWHERE ELSE!!!" He did. Witness the Lego Explosion Zone. A little while after banishment I was stirred from the office to see why he was crying as if hurt. Sure enough, he had stepped on a Lego. Amazing that he only stepped on one.

Having been in a math workshop all week I must pose the following problem. Given the room is say, 12 x 12, is it possible to determine how many Legoes are on the floor by counting one square foot and then multiplying? Perhaps there's a probability problem here...chances that Mommy will step on a Lego tonight when checking on Hutch....99/100. What are the probabilities for stepping on a particular shape or color? Gag.

It's almost 9:00. Chances Mommy will finish Harry Potter tonight...not looking good.

The Winning Shot