Who Cares What Day It is, You People Love This Stuff

Another post filled with old-school cell phone pics...have at it.

On the way to Joseph's indoor soccer game this winter, there was super wicked weird weather and then here's the double rainbow. If you look closely that's a church at the end of the bright rainbow. My intentions were to print the picture and drop it off at the church. Never did. And that's okay.

 Snowmagoodnessthatsalotofsnow 2016. I believe our neck of the woods received round 3 feet? Felt like 4 yeeeeears of snow. Kids had fun AND they are old enough to shlep ON their snow gear, shlep OFF their snow gear AND put it all in the dryer (yes Colleen, without washing it first, THAT'S how I roll).

 Swimming off the dock down the street from Grandma Mac's house, summer 2015. These monkeys love themselves some water, be it a bay, a pool, a sprinkler, a mud puddle...these fishies will be in it. Reminds me when Joe was about 2 we lived in a townhouse community. I walked the kids to the playground after the area received a lot of rain. Joe had his rain boots on, splashing in small puddles along the paved path as I pushed Julie in the stroller. We came up to the common area where lots of people seemed to be mingling enjoying the sunshine after all that rain. I distinctly remember a father holding his skinny-legged daughter on his hip. He was pointing to this huge, long puddle and talking to her. She just kept shaking her head to whatever words her father was saying. I lost track of Joe as I was observing the two. Next thing I know, I leave the stroller behind as I run in slow motion, hands held out in front of me and I'm yelling "noooooooooooooooooooo" as Joe literally does a swan dive - arms out-stretched, chin held up - into the huge, long puddle in front of the father and daughter. Joe looked around, kind-of surprised with himself, then proceeded to splash his limbs around, belly down, in a way that might tell someone watching "I meant to do that". Many people gasped, laughed, pointed, shook their heads. Well, that father with the skinny-legged daughter on his hip laughed a belly laugh, turning to his shocked horrified daughter, saying in a language that I don't understand something like "Look at him! He loves the water!" She buried her head in Dad's shoulder. Dad looked at me as he dangled his daughter over the puddle (Joe still "swimming" in it). Her legging-covered toothpick legs jerked up to her belly, like a frog. He took her away from the puddle, her legs relaxed. He did this a few more times - leg retract, legs relax - making eye contact with me as if to say "she can't stand the water" in this universal language of frog reactions. That Dad and I laughed a bit...then I marched that boy home. He didn't care about missing the playground, to the delight of many, most of all him, he got to SWIM that day.

We rented our last apartment from some delightful people (shout out to RadonWorx.com)! At some point early on, Wendy presented Joseph and Julie with their first-ever packs of Hubba Bubba bubble gum. Don't get me wrong, these jokers had had gum before but never anything with which you could actually blow a bubble. Well. On that day our lives changed for the better (in more ways than one but I'll only discuss the mega gum extravaganza here). These buster browns worked and blew and chewed and blew and cried and blew and voila! Joe's first blown bubble. Since then they have both become experts, if I do say so myself, so proud. So happy that a small gift from Wendy will always remind me of the joy on this boy's face...you were a part of his first bubble, Sister. Thanks Wendy.

Oh my word. I have never looked at the Radonworx website...look at you all! My People! My landlords! Johnny? Why so serious? Wendy, you are stunningly gorgeous in such a way that no one would believe how well you can handle, well, THOSE people in such a I-won't-take-that-stuff-you-are-trying-to-pull-on-me way. Pops! What a Dapper Dan you clean up to be! Three amazingly giving, thoughtful, understanding, funny and good-natured people. Seeing you all brings a smile to my face. Okay. On with this show.

Oh my. Isn't she sweet? On the wagon ride at Christmas on the Square in Leonardtown circa 2015? A McAloon holiday tradition that started, well, around when the first grandchild/nephew could support his own head, perhaps 10 years ago? Look at that smile, People. Look at the joy. Well. Mike's sister Karyn texted me this pic to show me how happy Julie was because at some point in the few hours before Christmas on the Square...well, Julie did not look like this. She was miserable. Crying, ranting, hitting, puddle-on-the-floor raging over, well, I don't recollect why it happened that time. Perhaps other extended family members do because this almost-everyday-experience-in-parenting-hell was not the norm for them. Me? Just another day in paradise. Anyway, I was delighted to see a smile on my lil-bit's face...in a text...as I sat on the warm couch...while Aunt Karyn and Auntie Lisa braved the December cold on the square in Leonardtown...so I could have some peace on my Earth. Thanks Sisters.

We were playing on the sandy-beachy spot down the street from Grandma Mac (perhaps fall 2015)  when a couple came walking their grand-dog. This feisty guy was kicking up the sand and spinning around...just like Julie likes to do...these two really hit it off playing with each other. Julie would flick sand up between her legs and the dog would do the same. The dog would race around and sliiiiide into the sand and Julie would do the same. The ?dogma? asked if she could take a picture of the two of them playing, I asked her to text it to me. Pure joy, People.

Let us find some joy today, People.
Joy.