Samuel's Dyed Eggs

Four used to be the jilted number when Samuel counted, but now it's five that gets the shaft.

Once in a Blue Moon...A Tax Refund!

We sent off our taxes today. Joseph filled out all the schedules and I plugged the numbers into the 1040. Joseph proposed splitting our refund three ways - $800 each for Samuel, him and me. I spent about 30 minutes shopping online for an enameled dutch oven pan like the one I admired at Kari Hansen's. I found a deal on ebay, but then realized that I could get free shipping on Amazon and that made it cheaper. Bad news for small business that Super Saver Shipping is. In the end, I decided against it. I don't have anywhere to store it and we are postponing most decisions until after we decide if we are going back to grad school. But in true "less is more" fashion here's a picture to admire in all its blue heat-preserving splendor.

Speaking of blue, I am listening to Round of Blues by Shawn Colvin. Many of my favorite tunes have blue in the title, Blue Moon being my favorite. I first heard the Marcels doo wop version in elementary school. As a direct result, I like about any song that has any kind of ding dong shoo bop shoo bop, even Mariah Carey's- "Always be My Baby." Another fun blue song with ding dong shoo bop is "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" by Eiffel 65. Back to Blue Moon though - Melanie Morrow choreographed a dance to it in Orchesis in high school and I since then I was hooked. I should collect all that I can find (like dad's "Nessun Dorma" collection, only not so regal). I also have Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Torme, and Rod Stewart singing it, even though I can't stand his raspy voice. I can also play it on the piano, but that's not collection worthy - just fun. Dad also introduced me to Nanci Griffiths, a folk singer in Austin who has a lovely song called "Once in a Very Blue Moon." This song inspired me to copy Laurie Oldroyd's Blue Moon party in the Timpview 10th ward. That was a really special party for me. We were just married, new in the ward and the only people at the party who didn't have kids. Laurie was probably the closest in age to Joseph and me, and she is in my high school year book as a teacher! There were also people at the party who were our parents age. It was a fun mix and a killer party. Ever since I haven't hesitated about having friends and guests that weren't close to my age. I started planning my own blue moon party last year, but I got the month wrong and missed it altogether. (The projected blue moon date I found was based on Greenwich time putting the blue moon in June, but it should have been May in the Western Hemisphere. I learned this on June 1st. Charming.) I started collecting any songs that had the words blue moon in them for the party and found Patsy Cline's "Blue Moon of Kentucky" and Van Morrison's "Once in a Blue Moon." I always perk up when I hear the words "blue moon." When I read "Winter of Enchantment" in February, I noticed that the author repeatedly refered to a blue moon but defined it improperly as the lack of a moon - which should have been called a new moon.

That's all I've got on Blue Moon.

Uncle Paul's Birthday

While Mumsie was in town to help out with Ethan (because he's starting chemo again), we had a birthday party for Uncle Paul. We had pizza, wrestled Paul, played duck, duck, goose and Samuel would get up and run around the circle when anyone was the goose. But when Samuel was the goose, he was angry that someone took his seat and burst into tears more than once. Paul got a monster truck so that he could bring his own over when he comes to play. He also got a picture frame from Ethan "to remember me by" but we hope that won't come to fruition.


Nate Samuel & Ethan on Paul; Ethan, Nate & Samuel eating cheese pizza

Uncle Paul being "it"

Nate's House

Samuel is obsessed with his cousin Nate. And not just Nate. Also Nate's house and we think this translates most literally to Nate and Ethan's toys. Nate's closer in age, and his name is easier to say, so he tends to get more credit than Ethan. If we so much as get on the freeway, he asks "Nate house?" And "Nate's house" gets top billing in many of his prayers. In our limited square footage we haven't invested in toys much (less is more, right?), so Nate's monster trucks, train set, and sandbox are divine when we go to visit. Thanks Nate! I did just buy a bag of sand and put it in a tub on the balcony. But nothing beats the contents of this tub.

Samuel, Nate and Ethan and three little ducks that went out to play.

Intense focus on that dump truck and track

Easter Egg Hunt

While Joseph and I played soccer, Grandma Mumsie took Samuel with his cousins to meet the Easter Bunny. Results below.





Here's a close up of the bunnicula-induced terror.






The egg hunt was much better. He's at the age where greed plays no part, and it's just a delightfully strange sight to have colored eggs all over the grass. Only later did we discover there were lollypops with sawed off sticks in the eggs. Later he lined up the eggs into a train.

Zoo with Mumsie and cousins

I tried to back out of the zoo excursion at the last minute because I am so far behind with G&A work, but then G&A had a power outage and I couldn't access the network. I regret that such a drastic sign was needed to get me to go to the zoo.

It was idyllic. The children all got along without any tantrums or tears and Samuel actually ate a PB&J sandwich. Bill's brother Jared and family and his sister Melissa drove out from VA for spring break so there were 6 children and 7 adults. We all rode the carousel twice and generally had a lovely time.

Samuel looking at the okapi (Ethan's favorite animal) and Samuel attending Charlotte's meal.

Mumsie, Samuel and Nate

Me, Samuel, Nate, and Sarah Brown holding hands.