lunch break

...weekend

...thank you for your kind comments about Charmer. I always knew she was more than our dog, your comments always confirm that.

---

The last of my college friends was married on Friday afternoon. I traveled up to Philly to celebrate with some of my closest friends and couldn't quite grasp that it's been almost 16 years since we first met.

There are lots of babies, babies to come, babies babies babies. We ended the night early, our ears ringing from the band.

The next morning I woke up and met my mom at Terrain.

Ever walk in somewhere and feel so overwhelmed because you want one of everything?

Yeah, that feeling.

On the way home, I drove by my first place of employment. For those of you have heard me tell the story about how I worked at the very first Rita's water ice, here she is:

(I was stopped, don't worry). For some reason, there is no plaque commemorating my employment. Hmph.

On Sunday, we drove back up to Pennsylvania as a family to celebrate my baby cousin, Devin, graduating from college. It is hard to type those words. The day she was born is one of my first vivid memories.

And we celebrated the fact that the three of us could be together.

...her name was charmer

...and she was our dog.

Since moving, we have a lot of new people in our lives. People who wonder about our frequent references to Charmer. She's the name of our wifi. The art on our walls. The golden retriever ornaments on the Christmas tree. She's my username on Instagram. So what do I tell them?

Her name was Charmer and she was our dog.

She was obsessive about tennis balls.

She was much more into people than other dogs.

She had a light pink dot on her nose and a big black spot on her tongue.

She was the most popular guest blogger I've ever known.

She treated begging like a professional sport.

She was just starting to get to know her little boy, Charlie.

She has been gone for three years, today, and I can still remember how that clump of fur I'm grabbing felt.

She has been gone for three years, today, and this pillow sits in our new family room, in our new house, in our new town that she would not know. And we still call it the, "Charmer pillow."

Her name was Charmer and she was our dog. And we miss her, more than you'll ever know.

...team moustache

“What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.” Albert Pike

I have a really easy job. I get to ask people to give money to a really great cause. But what makes it even closer to my heart is that its a cause that has changed my child's life. (I only use italics when I'm serious, folks).

When Charlie started to babble, we heard one sound:

Last summer, we found Radcliffe Creek School in Chestertown, Maryland. The school is a special place for students with learning differences, and to our benefit also had a preschool! It has almost been a year since we made our first trip here and Charlie now not only has words, he has sentences. Yesterday, he told Clara she was, "Making a mess." (She was).

He is learning language through his peers (now his friends) and also through his sessions with one of the School’s speech therapist. I know it’s hard to believe that a word like, “Moustache,” can bring you to tears, but when you worry that your child will never talk, it does.

He still has a long way to go. His speech is different. But that is what is great about Radcliffe Creek. He is not compared. He is learning that it’s OK when people are different, and actually, it’s better.

But the School needs help. In order to continue changing children's lives, private donations are imperative.

The School has its biggest fundraiser at the end of this month, the Run for Radcliffe. It is the biggest source of income for the School's financial aid fund. I don't run (unless I'm being chased) and Ken is a retired long-distance runner, so our family set up a ghost team, basically to raise money so the education Charlie is receiving can be available to all children who need it.

Our goal is $500 but I'm not-so-secretly hoping to blow that out of the water. Would you consider helping me do this? Click on the button below to learn more or to donate today. Any amount can truly make a difference.

...charlie's fourth birthday party

I know all the four year-olds appreciated my calligraphy.

Invitation was from here (awesome to work with). I buy all my vintage stamps from Bid Start - the selection is unbeatable. And let me tell you, vintage stamps come in some of the most unique packaging you'll ever see.

The invitation was pretty much the beginning and the end of any kind of theme because we had the party at a local kid's gym, where I'm convinced all birthday parties should be held. We were in and out within two and a half hours AND I didn't have to wash the floors.

Charlie's shirt is from here. I've gotten him one every year so far. Ken asked if he will have one when he's 18. I looked at him, in all seriousness, and said, "Of course."

A lot of Charlie's new friends came, but some of his oldest too (and some of my oldest too, including Mercer and Molly Marine, babies in tow).

Oh, the train theme continued with the cupcakes, I suppose. Imagine the Island of Sodor, made out of Cool Whip. God Bless Acme.

(That's Ken's finger in the bottom right in case anyone's wondering. And my mom behind Charlie).

Clara liked the cupcakes just fine too.

The next day, we drove all the way to the Island of Sodor for a ride on Thomas with one of Charlie's friends. Charlie went last year, but this year he was mesmerized.

Hmm, or he might have been watching the police escort. It was Baltimore, not really Sodor, folks.

Sweetest girl. And yes, I'm wearing my Stitch Fix shirt.

Monday was Charlie's actual birthday (yes, it was like the Royal Wedding with events from Friday-Monday).

It was a school day for us, and so fun to be there with him as his class celebrated.

That night we had three presents for Charlie, and this was his last. We now officially own the entire Island of Sodor.

He is four!

...the one who talks

...Charlie's speech pathologist describes the feeling when your second child starts reaching "normal" speech milestones as, "bittersweet."

And it's true.

Clara did things earlier, that as a second-time-around-mom, I realized Charlie never did (blow raspberries, sleep with her mouth closed, etc.)

You realize, in a sad way, sometimes, how much you missed with your first baby, the one who tries so hard for every single word that comes out of his mouth.

She goes to school with me two full days a week and the first thing she learned in her "classroom," was, "No, mine!"

Ken and I stifle a laugh every time she says it, especially when she holds whatever it is she is claiming as her own to her chest, like taking it from her means life or death.

Her teacher was very apologetic.

She explained that there's a little girl who is a bit older who says it a lot and Clara probably picked it up from her. I told her not to apologize, that this is just different for us from Charlie, who at Clara's age had no words. He very well might have been thinking in his head, "No, mine!" but he never vocalized it. It's just something we have to get used to....words...whether we want them or not.

Both Gamma and Maddie Dog are visiting. (Or, "Mad Dog" as Charlie calls her). Here's a little peak into her and Clara's relationship:

...here

...I am. Getting ready for a new commute to work. Starting next week, I'll be commuting to Charlie's school three days a week after accepting a position in the school's administration.

Working from home can be amazing. If you have time during the day to actually work. Working every night from the second the kids went to bed until after midnight most nights is exhausting.

I'm excited to be back in an office. I am thrilled to be working at Charlie's school. A wonderful place. And he's there. And Clara will be there too.

...I gave myself a (small) budget for a new work wardrobe. Melissa helped me pull some ideas for outfits together. And then I e-mailed them to my mom for approval.

I emailed them because my mom is back in the hospital. And that's why I've been quiet. For someone who usually has no shortage of words, I sure don't know what to say about this. Some days I don't feel right being happy. Some days I don't feel right being sad. Most days I just don't feel right.

...i...love...you

And I love you, Charlie Kurz.

...a visitor

...I have been quiet because we had a visitor.

There was a lot of cuddling. A lot of resting (for mom. I don't rest). A lot of HGTV watching. There was some crying, but not a lot. It was perfect.

...christmas-a-gram

...we spent Christmas Eve at...the kid's gym. We believe Santa is a big fan of physical fitness:

Please note, Santa does not wrap presents with kraft paper and twine. He wraps it in paper the kids will recognize and love...elmo and Charlie Brown:

We got the initial coming downstairs reaction on video versus still camera, but this face from Clara pretty much sums it up:

She was even happier when she was required to taste-test momma's mint merengues at 8 a.m.:

Charlie spent a lot of the morning doing this - passing presents to Clara for her to open. Even his own. Sweet boy:

He still is pretty excited about anything that has the Thomas logo on it, but especially loved this set that came with the choo choo named Charlie (yeah, Santa didn't even realize that. Go Santa!)

Every princess needs a princess coupe:

We then headed over the river and through the woods (that really is true now) to go to gamma and poppy's and then on to our auntie's house.

A little break for some technology cuddling:

I hope you and yours had a day just as special as ours.

...merry christmas

...from our family to yours:

And my envelopes (blurry, to protect the identity of my Christmas card list), which may result in hand surgery in the new year: