kissy... kissy..... kiss kiss kiss!

The first thing you have to know is that Eric has this "thing" with the kids called "Kissy, kissy, kiss kiss."  It's where he, like a predator comes up and says "uh oh!  Do you know time it is?  It's time for kissy.... kissy.... kiss kiss kiss kiss" which is followed by kisses all over their face and neck.  It never fails to get them giggling and shrieking.  This has been a "thing" for at least a few years now.  It ALWAYs is a way to get Aron in a good mood.  He loves affection.  

The second thing you have to know is that Aron and Jordan read every night to one of us.  It's their homework.  Often they read from little copied books that they bring home.  One that they've had for a couple months is entitled "Slap Hello!"  It tells of different ways people say hello.  The cover has two soccer players giving a hi-five.

Aron decided to read this book to Eric last night.  Throughout the book Aron and Eric would act out the various ways they say "hello" in the book.  If they describe friends giving a hi-five, Aron and Eric would hi-five.

Aron reads" The pals will not hug and kiss. But they will shake hands." Eric and Aron shook hands.

Finally Aron turned the page and read aloud "Kiss, kiss ki..." and without missing a beat he said "Oh crap" and Eric would have done his kissy.... kissy... but Aron's response was just too much and HE dissolved into laughter for about 5 minutes. 

It was priceless, and just one of the many things that make 7 year olds endearing.  

More fish tales

When I got out of bed this morning (really only about 20 minutes after I'd been woken by my children) there was a bit of a crisis.

The fish tank looked.... different.

The big plant thingy was gone, the alligator and the statue were moved and there was definitely less fish.

Eric was so very very very upset. He was ready to give all the fish away.

We also noticed that the scale was moved from "safe" to "caution".

So I took some water and some questions to PetSmart to find out if I could learn what needed to be done.

The gist of it was that "your tank is cycling. you need fish to cycle a tank. some fish will die."

Ultimately we are left with 3 sword tails (Eric got two females Friday to replace the one female we lost); 1 neon tetra (3 died); 4 algae eaters and 2 blood fin tetras. We are going to leave it that for a little while and see if we can keep the fish we have.

It was an interesting weekend, but I don't know yet if Aron understands how close he is to losing his fish.

Everybody Not Got Brains!

My daughter was telling her grandmother how she got a scratch on her arm. I wasn't actually privy to the story telling but this is how Gramma Judi Relayed it to me:

Jordan: When I was 7 a shark bit me. I killed the sharks by going "HiYAA!" (which she illustrated with a karate chop).

As she's telling this story we are driving somewhere with the kids in the back seat and naturally Aron perks up at the mention on Sharks.

Aron: Who killed a shark?

Gramma Judi: 7-year-old Jordan killed the shark that bit her.

Aron: Is that real or pretend? (a common question lately)

Me: It's real in Jordan's brain.

Jordan: I not got a brain! Not everyone gots brains!

MS Walk 2007

Like the 5 years previously, I participated in the MS Walk this year. And like the 3 years previously, my children were with me. In addition, this year my Dad joined us (for the second year) and Eric joined us (who's only missed one year).

It wasn't a particularly sunny day, but it was pleasent and dry. We walked 3 miles around the East Race of downtown South Bend. We started and finished at the College Football Hall of Fame. And we were provided with snacks when we arrived and pizza and sandwhiches when we finished.

Our team (The Healy Group) was probably around 50 strong, lead by our fearless leader (and reason for our participation), Leslie Myers. Leslie is a co-worker of mine and was diagnosed about 7 years ago. Our company has participated in the walk every year since.

With the support of many of my friends and family members, I was able to raise $758.50 as of now, but I actually expect a few more checks in the mail, so I'll give a final total next weekend. This is a huge success and I couldn't have done it without many of you.

Our office had a Jeans Day for MS which raised quite a bit for our team.

And last weekend my girlfriends and I had a joint garage sale. I collected donations for MS as well as donated the proceeds for my tables to the fight.

Next year I'll have to start a little sooner and set my goal a little higher!

Thank you all for your help and support.

And, because I can't help it, if you'd really like to contribute and haven't yet, you can still do so online:
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/goto/StewartWalkers

or by sending me a check made payable to National MS Society and mail it to:
2312 Foxfire Drive
South Bend, IN 46628

I will try to post another post next weekend. I have a busy week this week and would love to share the details with all of you.... but I'll leave this post dedicated to MS.

Here is an album of some pictures I took today:

MS Walk 2007

A Little Gender Bending - Never Hurt Anyone!

I love my children. This week they are wearing each other's underwear. But I found this recent display of "Princess Dancing" quite precious, so I thought I would share!



I'm really enjoying this YouTube way of sharing videos!

An Adventurous Weekend

This past weekend was the kids’ recital for their Rhythm and Movement Class through Suzuki. Jordan did VERY well. Aron is a little shy when it comes to bunches of people he doesn’t know. But it was entertaining, all the same.

I've attempted to add upload this video using YouTube.com. But I'm not sure it will work...