A Hodge-Podge

Of course life's been chuggin' along at our house... The biggest upcoming event is our annual summer week get-together with the Cortes clan from Maine. We're all convening at a cool little camp on Lake Honeoye (pronounced Honey-oy, an Iroquois word translated as "a lying finger," or "where the finger lies."), one of the lesser finger lakes. Dad's graciously helped make this all happen, pontoon boat rental included! He loves this week together and i love that he's a part of it. This year Shirley will be joining us as well, which will be nice too. I do hope we have great fishin' and swimmin' weather (read: warm and sunny!). Pics from that are sure to come in a gigantic blog entry in a couple weeks.

For fun, and to tide us over, let's run down the members of the family:

Me: I guess the biggest recent focus/news in my life is my ditching of shampoo. This is a big deal, folks. And no, that does not mean that i've turned into a greasy hippie slob with dredded hair. It means that i've read up on alternative methods of washing my tresses sans chemicals and toxins that are just 'thrown into' conventional mainstream shampoos. The term "natural" on a bottle of shampoo means literally NOTHING; it's legal to just toss the term on there. Nice, huh? So i've gone the most natural route (aside from using water only, which is a choice for many) and begun using baking soda to wash it, and an apple cider vinegar rinse for conditioner. It's been 2 weeks already, and I've been more than pleased with the results. I never really experienced the 2-6 week 'greasy transition' period i read would happen. It probably 'helps' that my hair is mostly grey, and i'm older, which both means less sebum production. I've been letting my bangs grow as well, and the result is a wavy, even MORE full, natural youthful look. Ron really digs it (rr-owww!).

Ron: Ron been into jigsaw puzzles lately. He took over our kitchen table once again with a puzzle, which sometimes can bug me, but it was this scene from "It's a Wonderful Life," so it was impossible to be upset. Every time we'd walk thru the kitchen, we'd try to get at least a piece, if we weren't sitting there working on it. This puzzle's pieces were the CRAZIEST, most unconventional shapes, which made it doubly challenging. And because we get 99% of our puzzles from yard sales or the Sal Val, we're never sure if it's going to all be there. Sure enough, there were 13 pieces missing!!! Ron had an awesome idea of putting our family's faces behind all the holes, because, afterall, *WE* have a Wonderful Life! ~ ~ ~ Ron's also got an exciting music video endeavor in the works. As some of you know, he's produced an album of original songs, entitled "Purplebrown - Up & Down," and one of the songs is named "Robots." His childhood friend from Candor, Paul Beladeau, is working with Ron in figuring out how to make a music video from his studios in Hollywood. This is super exciting, Ron is pumped, and i cannot wait to see the final outcome!!!

Sam: Well Sam... where to start. I should walk around with a pencil and paper at this point, due to the constant stream of "Sammyisms" that come out of that kid's mouth! And the expressions and body talk that goes along with them - - hoo EEY! That bugger keeps me on my toes, for sure. Sam's been enjoying summer day camp, 5 days a week, all day long, at the local Salvation Army. It is free to children in the community and they have a full schedule! Swimming at the Y twice a week, the library, the Corning Museum of Glass, and his favorite, Denison park. And every Friday is Field Trip day, which i've had the pleasure of partaking as a chaperone on two of the trips (Watkins Glen gorge and Roseland Water Park). Both times i've come home with a slew of stories, which makes life wicked exciting! ~ ~ ~ Sam's also rockin' out in the swimming department. Just this summer alone, he's learned to put his head underwater, jump in with Mommy, jump in solo, doggie paddle solo, (all with a vest) and has an overall amazing confidence in the water; it's just a matter of time before he is swimming in the deep end, solo, with smiles. Sam is growing up so fast, quite literally and figuratively. Before i know it, he'll be towering over me and kissing the top of my head - - by age 12!!! ;-)

Thom: Thom is a constant chatterbox. There should have never been concern for speech delays. He knows a ton of alphabet letters, randomly, and is constantly coming out with more words and phrases. Even his little behaviors are hysterical, to match his never-ending smile. He likes to 'pretend' to be knocked down by Sam as he falls to the floor and rolls around like he's in pain. It's so funny! He and Sam have been wrestling more which either ends with giggles or tears - as THAT'LL go. But i love it. I love being a mom to BOYS!

And last, but certainly not least, Henry: Henry is SIX MONTHS OLD TODAY!!!! Our little Buggy has been home for over a month and getting stronger and more active and more expressive. He often smiles completely on his own or when i come up to him for lovins. He kicks and moves like a madman when lounging in his bouncy seat. Early Intervention evaluators came to the house yesterday to 'score' Henry. While he is doing quite well in many areas, he is definitely delayed in others, which only gives us a base on which to start and focus. My continuing challenge is keeping Henry's taping on his nubbin. Some days i can go the whole day, and others i'm having to replace it twice or more; his little hands move around his mouth so much, i guess it's just LUCK when it does stay on. His next appointment in relation to fixing his cleft is this coming Wednesday, during our vacation, with the cardiologist in Rochester, who works with the craniofacial team there. I will be asking what our next step is and for a rough timeline.

There's T5 in a nutshell. This summer is proving to be so fun and wonderful. I love my family more than words can describe. Life truly is Wonderful...