Barbecue (The Only Meaning)

I have been on a barbecue kick recently. All kinds, any kind. Mostly pulled pork because I do it correctly.

(If you are calling anything besides slow-cooked and shredded/pulled meat barbecue, you are sadly wrong. Do not call steak or ribs or grilled chicken barbecue, or worse, tell me that you cooked them on a barbecue.  No. You did not. They are all delicious but they are not barbecue that is all.)

So I have been eating lots of barbecue. I have even been stuffing it into crunchy taco shells with coleslaw which is maybe my new most favorite thing ever, even though it might get me disowned by my father for being a failure of a north carolinian. (If you can get past that though, IT IS DELICIOUS.) (See? Proof I'm not a snobby purist or anything, I just want everyone to use the word correctly.)

Anyway with my recent re-infatuation it was kind of fun to see my kids all wolfing it down at my dad's house last weekend. Anneliese and Charlotte each put away two sandwiches!

No taco shells, but I'll teach them eventually. When my dad's not looking.

Vegan Feast

So my mother-in-law came to town and if you don't know her, she is very DOWN! DOWN WITH ANIMAL CRUELTY! (and if you do know her or have even met her, you definitely already know this about her).

Nathan invited her to come to his year-end choir festival (festibal, he called it) and it was also her birthday so we thought we should make a big ol' vegan feast for her. Smart, right? I am totally smart enough for that.

Okay but here's the thing: vegan food is mostly weird* and I don't even know where to begin in preparing food that will look and taste normal but is actually like 97% menu items made from various forms of soy.

So we did what any smart people would do and we had a baked potato bar. Complete with chili and real cheese for those of us in the crowd who can only handle so much soy product.

And it took approximately twelve minutes of reading about almond milk to realize the only plausible baking solution was to buy the cake. Which we did. And apparently it tasted lovely.

And Grandma was very happy because birthday cake is one of her very favorite things and she never gets to partake in other people's, or makes it for herself (such a vegan effort!) so basically I was the hero of the hour is what I'm saying. (Kidding.) (Mostly.)

The morning after our feast and before the festibal, the kids also got some Grandma time at the kids museum, so yay for that. Happy happy birthday we love you so much!!

And now we make twice-baked potatoes with our leftovers. Happy MiL's-birthday to us!

*cue comment from Grandma in 3... 2... 1...

What's Up With Nathan?

So. Blogging about Nathan is getting tricky, because the moment I knew would come someday has arrived -- he understands that I am telling people stories about him. He gets it -- that mommy can type some things and add a picture, and then people can see it.

And while the instagram and facebook likes feed his smiles like they would any budding internetter of the new millenium, he is also feeling a bit shy about it. He hates that word (and he might hate that I am telling you that he hates that word) but, the truth is he's at an age now where he does get a vote about what I tell the internet about him, which... is not everything.

And I respect his vote.

Some days he is begging me to take his picture and share something, and some days he puts on his quiet voice and asks me not to tell. It seems we have entered an era of me running it by him before I share his bizniss. Which is fair, and we're all cool with it over here, so... cool? Cool.

In that light, here are some things Nathan says it's okay to "type to the internet" about:

1.) For his last art project of the year, he made a robot. 

It likes to play the organ. Because of course it does?

2.) He was a rabbit.

The kindergarten classes put on an opera ("opera") about the billy goats gruff, but starring girls, so it was technically the Nanny Goats Gruff, and Nathan had the crucial part as a member of the rabbit family. You can't see it here, but he also had a cotton tail on the back of that t-shirt. They sang and they did the bunny hop, but not with the music, even a little bit. It was wonderful.

3.) He is playing tee ball.

Mark is predictably thrilled. Nathan is surprisingly good (at hitting) (and running) (it turns out five-year-olds are all terrible fielders). And he is unsurprisingly adorable. You should watch this and then try not to smile at the look on his face when he runs to first.


(If you can't see the embedded video, click here to view it on YouTube.)

So that is (some of) what is new with Nathan.

Twin Day (Apparently)

Last week I on my quest for play dresses for summer for Anneliese, I found a cute one that was not only available in her size, but Charlotte's too. And cheap. So I bought both.

(Suddenly am not sure why it took me almost two years of having daughters to dress them alike. My children love matching. I can't tell you how often we all end up wearing the same color on any given day because it just makes Nathan and Anneliese so happy. Nathan especially always asks to wear things like the people he loves. The orange shoelaces were just the beginning. In the last few months he has wanted blue shorts like his kindergarten teacher, a tie like Daddy, and he requests weekly for me to wear last year's vbs t-shirt on the same day he does. Anneliese regularly "picks out" outfits for Charlotte in the same colors she is already wearing. Anyway. They like to match.)

So off the girls went to mmo, all dressed alike and grinny about it.

And no sooner did Mark and I have them dropped off in their rooms at church when we ran into Another Nathan* in the hall, and oh looky:

So yeah, that happened.

We all laughed but the kids were particularly thrilled.

*(This is also on the heels of him showing up at the airport wearing the exact same shirt as the person he was picking up; apparently this is a Thing?)

Road Trip: Seen and Heard

The kids and I took a little road trip over mother's day weekend, both to celebrate my youngest brother Sean's graduation from college, and to have brunch with my mom. I was hella sick with a cold which doesn't sound that bad but basically instills all sorts of fears of p-neu and pleurisy and hmmm I wonder if I will ever have a chest cough again without feeling mildly panicky.

Oh and Nathan was kinda sick too. It was quite the road trip.

SEEN AND HEARD:

-- The thumbs. Always with the thumbs.

-- Nathan in the backseat, teaching Anneliese to snap.

-- Anneliese, singing over and over again (to the tune of twinkle twinkle) Mommy, Mommy I love you. yes I yes I yes I do. (I didn't hate it.)

-- Sneezing and coughing and nose blowing and more sneezing and coughing. My official remedy cocktail involves lots of iced coffee, cough syrup, and diet coke. 

It works, yo. (It didn't really work.)

-- But it did keep me awake through the brain-bumbing sounds of the kids watching some dumb dollar-bin DVD about dolphins named Daniel and Michael discovering their true dolphin destiny YES THIS IS A REAL MOVIE.

-- "Anneliese look at that lake! There is a lot of science in there." Big brother wisdom and stuff.

-- By the time we headed home, we were all feeling a good bit better. Better enough to make a pit stop for drinks and cookies, and take some selfies in the minivan.

First Nathan and mommy because "we have matching glasses!" (My children do love a good matching moment.)

Then Anneliese wanted in.

And then we had to get Charlotte too.

Hmmm I don't know y'all, I'm pretty sure I just won mother's day.

Baby Hipsters

Sometimes, your kids all want to try on your glasses.

And then you laugh together at your baby hipsters. And it is a good evening.

Super Charlotte

You know Charlotte has a number of super powers, right? Yeah, she totally does.

1.) Toothy grin that melts hearts in under a second.

2.) Ability to take shoes on and off more times in one day than is possible for everyday humans. (Or at least ask to have shoes taken on and off. Sooooh? Sooooh? Soooh? Repeat x1000.)

3.) Willingness to answer any question in the affirmative with a nod and a uh-huh. Special power to get people to talk to her, just because we want to ask her things to hear her sweet voice saying uh-huh. Like a question: uh-huh? (I suddenly realize this is a superpower I should video. Get on that, Mommy.)

4.) Brilliant at escapes. I open the back door to air out the house and five minutes later she is off on an adventure with her best animal buddies.

5.) Signature superhero move: the toddling run, laughing, arms outstretched, ends in best hug ever. It's her superpower way to ensure people can't wait to return to her. Because oh, the return greeting.

Yep, I think she's pretty super.

Half Our Lives

Marky and I date our relationship back to May 8, 1997. Sixteen years ago. We're thirty-two now. Which means we have been together half our lives.

I just need that to sink in for a minute.

Happy fauxniversary, darlin. I love you like whoa.

(PS. We met at band camp. I just like to mention that at every almost-relevant opportunity, because it never stops 1- making me laugh and 2- making Mark cringe.)

Catching Up: Hair, Dentist, Georgia and More

Want to know some unrelated fascinating things that have been going on over here? Of course you do.

I got my hair cut and colored a few weeks ago. After a year-ish as a brunette, I am back to blonde.

I am happy about it. (Apparently all you people are thrilled about it. Mark's reaction when I got home: awww Erin is back! #grin Then my mom had a legitimate hooray! when I texted her a pic. And one lady in my church choir spent the better part of a rehearsal literally petting my hair. Ummm really folks? Was the darker hair really so bad?)

Anyway.

Mark spent a couple days getting the pool ready for the summer, which is a lot of cleaning and skimming and  scrubbing and chem balancing and (of course) ended with pool workers (real ones, not the kids) coming over to change the sand in the pump and replace not one but two chlorinator parts.

Then he and Another Nathan spent the better part of a morning washing and waxing my car AND vacuuming/wiping the inside, and I sat on the driveway and played with the kids and drank coffee.  I didn't hate it, is what I'm saying.

We took Nathan to the dentist for his first real teeth cleaning (we took him a couple summers ago, but they didn't get far because oh man the tantrum). This time he was brave and sweet and a few tears rolled out silently but at the end he got a sticker and a dollar-bin dinosaur and really, what more could you want?

Also I started reading a book on the social and political perceptions of Jesus in each century since he died, because a sweet older lady at church sat next to me in one class long enough to decide that she wants to have coffee with me and talk about it, since she loves it and doesn't know anyone else who has read it. Which basically proves I will do anything for anyone who thinks I am smart?

Or! I just always fall prey to people who want me to read things and talk about them. Read things and talk about them! This is why I majored in English!

(If anyone else would like to read this and talk about it, the book is called Jesus Through the Centuries. But actually come to think of it, there are other things I have read that I would much rather talk to you about. So let's do that instead.) (Related: who would like to be in the book club I just now this second decided I should maybe start?)

Oh and speaking of church we did an Easter cantata this year instead of a requiem during Lent, and if you will indulge a second of liturgial nerdiness, can I just say that it was so lovely? For weeks of extra rehearsals and extra musicians and lots of logistics to put together, this year was particularly unstressful. Cheerful, even. And the worship services were all really beautiful that morning. I felt really high on it afterwards. (I needed to feel high on church. It came at a good time.)

And then I went to Georgia for a couple days! Another Nathan had some conference-planning work to do with a pastor in Macon, so I tagged along as far as Atlanta (I am excellent road trip company, everybody says it) (I probably didn't spend seven hours singing bits one bit of that aforementioned canata, at random) (he is still friends with me) and visited my college best friend David who is graduating from medical school (!!) in a few weeks.

We took barely any pictures but I did learn the proper way to fold a fitted sheet so if you still struggle with that (and who doesn't) then maybe you should go to medical school because that is apparently what you learn there.

I tried my best to teach Another Nathan to say Georgia with a southern drawl (jaaw-ja) and despite being an Iowan who is very very ept at a legit carolina accent, he couldn't quite get this one. He mostly sounded like a midwestern pirate. (Jar-ja.) (I am still friends with him.)

Also in jaaw-ja there was one moment where I was driving Another Nathan's car around downtown Atlanta with David in the passenger seat and my head almost spun off my neck and exploded my brain because worlds colliding and all that.

Oh and then I got to spend the night with Ashley on the way home (second time in just a few weeks! I did it after my haircut also) (yes I still drive to Charlotte for highlights, without shame) and we also did not take any pictures, so.

One crap thing that happened is that I had a major (MAJUH) eff-up on our Thailand trip, and we have exactly half as many miles as we needed (those things are priced each way which DUH ERIN how long did I work in the travel industry?) so despite having dates picked and tickets on hold and childcare all lined up, we were unable to actually issue said tickets, and I have been very busy over here scrambling to make the budget work and feeling heartbroken that... it won't. After ten years (ten years!) of dreaming of this big anniversary trip, I don't think it's going to happen. So now we are sitting around with a chunk of moolah that is enough for something but not enough for Thailand and even though there are lots of things we want that would feel like good anniversary presents to ourselves (a bathroom makeover, all new landscaping, a trip somewhere else, etc etc etc), none of them will be Thailand so excuse me while I go cry a few more minutes and remain spendy-immobile while we decide what to do. (Damn. It.) (Also I just re-read this and my problems sound super privileged and first-worldy and I beg forgiveness because I can hear myself and IT IS ANNOYING.)

Hm I guess that's all that's new and fascinating around here. Oh yeah there was also one delightful day where we thought it was Saturday. (It was not Saturday). Nathan was only an hour late for school. Aaaaand... scene.

Sweet Genius

Ever seen that dessert competition show on the Food Network, Sweet Genius? (Not an endorsement, it's terrible, don't watch it, but definitely go read that link about it.) I only really like the name, and the funny accent the host uses when he says "sweet genius."

Anyway.

I think about that every time Nathan wants to make treats. And he is always looking for any excuse to make some treats. (I don't know where he gets that.) This time, it was peanut butter and jelly bars for youth choir.

(Yes, we make bars in a pie pan. Clearly I am not a sweet genius.)