Happy 21st Mal!!!

My little sister turns 21 today! I remember the day she was born!

See:


I was (and am) such a happy, proud sister!

You can see it:



From our wedding day...a day before she turned 16:


Graduating high school:


Holding her beloved niece!



She's a beautiful, funny woman!

I love you, Sist!

Happy Birthday!

'Versary

Five years ago today started the best of the rest of my life!

I could tell you lots and lots of things that happened that day...fantastic things - silly speeches from our siblings, a few things that didn't quite go as planned, lots of happy tears and laughter...it was all such a whirlwind!

And one of the best days of my life...I'd do it all over again and again...these five years have flown by. I hope for 50 million more!

I love!





P.S. Happy future 'Versary to our friends Lori and Jim!!! We wish you all the best!!

My daughter has a first name...

it's B-I-L-D-A...

I've hesitated using Matilda's nickname on here...and sometimes in casual conversation because it's just a little off (like me!)

Of course, I do often call her Matilda, but I always liked the name Mattie...and I really thought that would be what I called her...but, as nicknames tend to do, it just morphed on it's own.

I think it stems from our kitties' nicknames: Tuffy-Buffy, Lucky-Bucky, Aggie-Baggie...

I.e., Matilda-Bilda-Banana-Fana-Fo-Filda! BILDA. (And many, many variations thereof: Bil-der, Bil-dini, Bil-dooni, Bil-day, Bilda Bear - - another cat thing - - because Mike calls our little black kitties "bears"...and I like to joke that someday we will build Bilda a Build-A-Bear....oh, it could just go on forever...)

So, as I remember it, I called her Bilda just a couple of times as a teeny baby. Mike adopted it also and it has stuck. (Mike's nicknames have morphed, too. From: Hubband, Hubbo, Bubbo - now, Bubby - I never call him "Mike" unless I am talking about him and he never says "Marcy" - - it is always something else. And though I am a very sentimental person, I don't see it as really mushy - maybe it is, but it's just me - - - it's just us.)

I wonder if we will always call her "Bilda"...she has many other nicknames as well: Darling girl, Pie Pie (short for sweetie pie - - who shortens a nickname??? I do.)...I wouldn't be surprised if it changed or morphed again...and I wonder if she will someday be Mattie...or if maybe that's a nickname for someone else to give her...

The 4th

This was probably the first 4th we didn't visit friends or family...and it was Matilda's first 4th so we wanted to see how she would enjoy fireworks!

Our neighboring town had a little festival with fireworks on Friday night, so we went downtown, had dinner and decided to hang out and wait for the show! Matilda met a new friend...we have been curious to see what her interaction with other kids would be like and it was sooo cute for us to watch!



The fireworks started promptly at 9:00 and Matilda really liked them. Unfortunately, all the waiting around prior to the start of the show had taken it's toll and we skidaddled outta there before it ended. I LOVE fireworks and was reluctant to leave...but our little one was done.

I always seem to get a little sentimental watching fireworks...I love my country...plus I had some young wives behind me with their tiny babies and I'm pretty sure their husbands are probably in Iraq now...I heard one of them singing along with the accompanying music and got misty eyed...

I was also moved to be sharing the fireworks with Matilda for the first time. It is a wonderful way to mark the passing of another year...AND I always, always think of my very favorite place to watch fireworks - - downtown St. Louis - - and couldn't help but wish that I was there.

The next day we were out and about again to New Bern, a favorite place of ours that has a cozy downtown area with shops to visit. Mike likes walking around a verrry old church there...it has some extremely old gravestones...we weren't sure of the name of the church so Mike went over to the the plaque out front and read that George Washington and James Monroe worshiped there while in town...I found it difficult to wrap my brain around that one!

Matilda enjoyed the freedom of walking around and exploring...as we go for our daily walks, I hand her pieces of "nature" as little ways of entertaining her...she loves to explore a pine needle, or a leaf...all new and exciting to her...





We ordered our second coffee of the day, and I realized I needed a picture of my little cafe goers since I took a similar one several months back there...

(Feb '08)

These days, Matilda wants anything and everything we are eating or drinking and she demands it that very instant!!!! I used to really frown upon seeing mothers giving their children caffeine....what could they be thinking?!?!?!? How dare they????? And now, I can entirely understand, I give up and offer my daughter a taste of sweet coffee goodness. She loves it, of course...and as long as Mike can shovel the whip cream in her mouth - - she is contented.





We headed over to a little art park across the street before starting for home...




Our darling little baby has turned into a toddler overnight it seems...she's walking...climbing and starting to have temper tantrums...






All-in-all, another fun-filled weekend for the Woofs!!!!

Father Day

Father's Day was almost a week ago...but we've been a little busy here and time has gotten away from me. Mike had an appendectomy on Tuesday and had been ill for several days before that.

We did go to lunch on Father's Day and saw this sign:




I found it funny and fitting because it seems like something I would say anyway since I have my own language sometimes and love saying quirky things. (I'm also loving the "Draff" beer...and I will forever call it that, too.)

I'm awake and it's late and I'm thinking of him in the hospital and hoping he comes home tomorrow and that everything is OK because:

If there ever was a man born to be a father, it is my husband. And Matilda is the luckiest little girl in the world to have him as her father. Anyone who knows him would absolutely agree.

When I was younger, I thought of the future often. Of someday having children and worrying that I would be jealous. Because I do love being the center of attention and I knew I wouldn't want to lose that place...even so, I was also pretty sure that someday my feelings would probably become moot when a new "star" was born.

It, of course, has happened. Maybe long before now and without my noticing. But I clearly saw it last night.

We were walking the halls of the hospital as a family. Mike moving gingerly and Matilda holding my finger while wobbling along. And I saw Mike's face as he looked at her - - it took my breath away and I have filed it as a favorite memory. He was more than enthralled - - beaming and proud. She brings him such joy and I love to see him happy. We absorb her movements and milestones in awe and she is the best thing that we have done. The pleasure she brings us is in evident in our faces...and no face is more photogenic and expressive than his.

I love looking at them.

What you won't find in our kitchen...

I got this meme from my good friend, Gnightgirl...who got it from Fightin' Mad Mary's site. I had actually seen it there the other day, too...but didn't sit down to post it myself until now. Since I think we try to be pretty healthy here, I thought it would be easy! It took me a little while but, here goes!

1. Hydrogenated Oils – The Woofs won’t eat anything with hydrogenated oils in it. You probably can’t imagine the host of things this leaves off our list. (Certain cakes, ice cream, cookies, chips, coffee creamers, etc.)
2. Hot dogs – we only eat “fake meat” (vegetarian) hotdogs. I shudder to think about what’s in the real deal.
3. White bread – or any bread product that has been bleached. I prefer whole grain wheat…unless my husband really, reeeeeeally wants it!
4. Mono and di-glycerides - Mike really tries to avoid these. I’m not quite as picky…though you don’t like to see animal fat in your bread products…or ice cream…or a lot of stuff! But they put it in there for some reason!
5. Cookies…or ice cream…unless they are no fat or verrrry low fat and just FOR THE TIME BEING, I’m trying to practice: “what I buy at the store (or rather, what I don’t buy at the store) keeps me eating healthy at home!”
6. Non-organic milk – I don’t like extra hormones in my milk. When I was breastfeeding, there was a whole list of stuff I couldn’t eat or drink…why wouldn’t we regulate what “goes into” a cow?
7. Non-organic meat – our meat is either all natural or “fake” (see above).
8. Soda – we were on a soda phase very briefly. After I had Matilda, I was craving lots of sweets. Soda is waaaaaay to sugary and that was gone after a few weeks.
9. White sugar** - I am currently trying to eradicate this problem! My husband likes to put it in his coffee and doesn’t like spending more $$$ on the natural stuff…
10. Stuff with lots of sodium in it - I try to avoid high sodium stuff whenever I can (almost crazily - the doctors' office told me my blood pressure was almost low while I was pregnant!) I add a can or two of no salt added tomato sauce to pasta sauce when I make something…I buy low sodium chicken broth for my soups and add lotsa water to it…my poor husband has even been buying low salted peanuts! (I agree with Lori on the soy sauce though - if you’re going to have salt - go all out!)
    

Weekend Trips

We had a GREAT weekend. Went lots of places...ate lots of food (our usual for the weekend). I save up allllll my eating for the weekend!

Friday night at dinner, an older lady walked up and said to Mike: "I just want to say 'Thank you'." Mike was perplexed for a moment but soon realized she wanted to thank him for his military service. Mike was in the Navy and was in the first Gulf War. We are in a military town and have tons of Marines here...we usually just think of them first. I almost forgot that my husband is a veteran for a moment!

On Sunday, we toured the Battleship North Carolina in Wilmington. One of my favorite shows (One Tree Hill) is filmed in Wilmington and we came across a mural featured in the finale last week adjacent to the battleship parking lot. I was as excited as a kid in a candy store! (I am such a dork!!)

(the words are the lyrics from the Cure song - I Will Always Love You)

I had Mike take this picture of more dorks (taking pictures) as I we drove away....I'm not the only one!



The actual battleship, then:

















On Monday, more eating.

Matilda LOVED the fettuccine - - - loved it so much she just sucked the sauce right off the noodles and never ate any of them. We found a very large pile in her lap after we picked her up. I don't think she actually ate one noodle.

She's acting goofy in the picture below - - not upset at all...she kept leaning back and making strange faces.

Then it was off to a local zoo. Matilda loves looking at animals, so we knew she would enjoy it.

The owner of the zoo brought out some animals for Matilda to enjoy. You can hear him cooing in this video! He is such an enthusiastic, nice man.