A Six Pack of Boys

Left to Right: Mac, Eric, Jeffrey, John, and (in front) Ethan and Bobby

One of the highlights of our Arizona trip was getting to visit with my friend, Eileen and her four boys. I met Eileen several years ago when we were both flight attendants for TWA. We met commuting between St. Louis where we were based, and Phoenix where we lived; we were instant friends.



During our long flights in between the two cities we discovered that we had many things in common, one being our birthday, and others such as baking and crafting.

We started a tradition of going to tea to celebrate our birthdays, and this is how my love for tea and tea parties blossomed. Even though we haven't lived in the same city for eleven years, we still manage to remain close and, yes, go to tea on occasion - even if it's not our birthday.

Although the kids and I visit Arizona frequently, sometimes it's difficult to meet up with Eileen. She lives about 45 minutes away from my parents, and during the school year she's just as busy as any other mother - driving her four boys to and from school and extra curricular activities. I do however, get to see her parents just about every visit because they live across the street from mine.

We introduced our parents several years ago and her parents who were living in New Hampshire at the time, fell in love with my parents' neighborhood. They bought the house across the street and became, what Phoenicians call, "snowbirds." They spend their winters in Arizona and the summers in New Hampshire.

Our parents became fast friends, especially our fathers. Eileen's dad comes over to my parents' house every morning for coffee, along with several other of my parents' neighbors. When my parents are up and the coffee is made, they open their garage door to signal the neighbors that they are up and ready to receive their guests. This tradition happens every morning. Most of my parents' neighbors are "snowbirds" so in the summertime there aren't as many coffee drinkers sitting around the table as there are in the winter months, but even so the sense of community is still present.

Ethan's Birthday

While we were in Arizona my parents and sister hosted a birthday party for Ethan. We invited all of his Arizona cousins, on both sides of the family and Ethan was very excited that most of them could attend.
The theme was a "pool" birthday party and my sister, Kristin hosted the event at her house. It was very hot the entire week that we were in AZ with the temps reaching 112 and above so being able swim helped to keep everyone a little cooler.

Grandma made Ethan a birthday cake according to his specifications - a round chocolate cake and chocolate icing with chocolate chips. And to Ethan's delight, she also added a few of her own embellishments.
Grandma even bought a pinata for the party which was a big hit with all the kids.

Pretty Baby

Yesterday we spent the day with my niece, Madelyn. She's changed quite a bit since we've last seen her, and has developed a cute little personality. She smiles all the time, and was unusually tolerant of having my camera shoved in her face for the better part of the afternoon.

Madelyn 4 Months Old

Reminiscing at a Dance Recital

Last night we attended my niece's dance recital. She looked adorable in her feathery pink costume. Her performance was darling and comical at the same time. One of the little girls lost her tap shoe early on and wasn't sure what to do with it. Although I might be biased, I definitely think Olivia was the best dancer of the group.
Yes the evening did bring back memories of the 9 plus years that I spent taking tap and ballet lessons as a child, and all the recitals and competitions. However, the most nostalgic part was that the recital was preformed in my former high school auditorium.
It felt strange returning to my old high school alma mater, especially after being absent for 20 some years. It looked mostly the same, unchanged by the thousands of students that came after me. The auditorium, the cafeteria, the football field, were all still there, taking me back in time, and making me feel as though I was 16 again.

Birthday Crown of Peanuts

Today is Ethan's 8th birthday and this morning we left for Arizona. On our flight out west the flight attendants made Ethan a crown of peanuts in celebration of his birthday. They made an announcement on the PA and I think that was the first time Ethan's ever had over a hundred people wish him Happy Birthday all at the same time.

The crown is very clever and in the 13 plus years that I've been employed by SWA, I've never seen anyone make one before. I've made birthday cakes out of rolls of toilet paper but never a crown of peanuts. There's only so many resources that you have at 40,000 feet and this was one of the most clever ideas I've seen. The bags of peanuts are held together with stir sticks.

Needless to say, Ethan loved the crown and all the attention that was bestowed upon him.

Happy Birthday, Ethan!

Knight in Shining Cardboard

Ah, the lazy days of summer! I don't have to worry about summer boredom at my house. We love the summer and welcome the unstructured days of no homework. The kids love the extra time and freedom to create and play. Their favorite thing to do is to rummage through the recycling bin to see what treasures they can make. On this particular afternoon, Ethan worked diligently cutting and taping (lots of taping) these boxes together. The end result was this coat of armor complete with (designer) shield and face mask - definitely worthy of a picture and a post.