Family Traditions

If you have been reading my blog from the beginning you have heard the term "hoinken doiken" and know what "Kayla Persone" means. Many of you who are my friends and family have played the "Get Rich Quick Game"and have probably inherited a lot of junk. But you know what they say, "one person's junk is another person's treasure." Okay, yes, I know, the prizes in the Get Rich Quick Game definitely lack monetary value but did you have a good time? Okay, I rest my case. I digress. These are just a few of my family traditions inherited to me by my Cafiero family (my dad's side). Or the Farkles, the more appropriate and descriptive name we have dubbed ourselves. What I haven't revealed, which is really something of a dark secret, is another family tradition, one that I intend to perpetuate despite my husband's protest and downright groaning.

Every time I cook zucchini Nick, my husband, disappears. He knows that once I start chopping anyone within arm's reach, okay, not true...anyone on the premises will be slapped on the head with a cold zucchini butt and instructed NOT to touch it. (Maybe my quest to keep this tradition going is starting to lose it's charm...NAH!) The fun part is seeing who can hold it on their head longest while laughing at how ridiculous the other person looks with a big, green, rhinoceros horn prominently displayed on their forehead.

As you can see I meant what I said about anyone on the premises. You don't have to be a Farkle to enjoy this tradition. Jay's friends seem to really be amused...don't you think?

More victims in North Carolina
Cassady is like family to me...and it shows the way she seems to fit right in with that zucchini on her forehead.
Some traditions die hard.
I'll win him over one of these days.

He's Not Perfect...

...but, he is perfect for me!

Yesterday morning I casually mentioned that I love receiving cards for no reason. Yesterday afternoon when I stepped out of the shower (yes, it takes me a good part of the day to get my shower in) I saw an envelope sitting on the counter top, "Gina" written in Nick's distinct handwriting was on the front. My heart melted. I immediately opened the card. There on the front was bold red and black graphics of some sort of weird alien geek, doing Mork from Ork's "NA-NU, NA-NU" sign. It had robots in the background and space crafts in the sky...meteors flying through space. And it read "Just like a nerd loves Sci-Fi..." (open) "that's how much I love you." I love it! I am still smiling! A card from the love of my life, for no reason...just to tell me he loves me! Those of you who know Nick, know that although he looks cool he really is just a nerd at heart...and he absolutely LOVES sci-fi! So, that card said a lot...but what spoke loudest of his love for me, was seeing it unopened on the sink.

Sometimes, okay, I'll be honest here, OFTEN, I take Nick for granted. But lately, I have been looking at him through a new lense. I had to refocus to see clearly what has been there all along; the man I fell in love with nearly fourteen years ago. He isn't perfect, none of us are, but he was definitely made for me. He is the voice of reason when I have lost my mind. Next to the Bible, he is my most reliable moral compass. I often tease him for being unyielding...sometimes downright stubborn, and he gently reminds me that trait is what drew me to him to begin with. He is trustworthy, steadfast and loyal as the day is long. When he gets his mind set on something or when he makes a commitment he ALWAYS follows through. He is kind and gentle and I know that as long as he is around everything will be okay. He keeps me grounded and he is my biggest fan. He accepts me for who I am, a complete package of flaws! Like him, I am not perfect but I would like to think that I am perfect for him.

Remember When

Do you remember Atari? How about having to sit 2 feet away from the television because the cord didn't reach very far?

The joystick was quite simple, it had a button and a knob. I'm not sure what the button did but the knob moved the paddle up and down to hit the ball that bounced back and forth and that was it. I remember playing for as long as my mom would let me...which wasn't very long. In case you aren't familiar...the dash is the paddle and the dot is the ball. It actually kept score! Or maybe we had to input the scores...maybe that is what the button did...hmmm...

Santa brought Jay a Wii. Here it is...we have come a long way from the Atari I used to play!

But the expressions while playing remain the same...tongue out, head tilted and that blank, zombie-like, far off, wide-eyed stare.
Luke is starting to copy his big brother.

Tongue out...check.

Head tilted...yup!

Zombie?...working on it.
He thinks he is playing too. What he doesn't know, is he has the remote to the DVD player. Speaking of...do you remember when VCRs were the big thing? Remember that big knob on the television? We actually had to get off our lazy hineys to change the channel to one of four options. I can't wait to see what kind of games my grandkids will be playing.

Actually, I think I can wait...for now, I just want to enjoy my kids enjoying their games.

Okay, boys, its time to go outside!

Happy 1st Birthday Luke!

Back to reality.
I love you Luke.

Happy Birthday!

YE-HAW!!!

Friday was the best day of school...EVER! Why, you may ask? Because Jay had to dress like a cowboy for the school Ho-Down!!!! The Ho-Down is the progam his music class has been working on all year. One tough cowboy!

Jay walking into the auditorium.

Singing "Beef Jerky"

"you can't cut it or chew it or beat it. Beef jerky, beef jerky, there's no possible way you can eat it!"
Proud moms on the side taking pictures...
dads too...

and baby brothers...

Square dancing.
Here is Jay, taking a bow.
Check out those naughty third-graders in the background making faces.
I just noticed Jay is the only one bowing.
I'll post the video later.

MOTHERHOOD...It's Not for Wusses!!!

As a mom, you know that when the school calls and the first words spoken are "Mrs. Radovcich? Nick is O-KAY...but" ...it's not good. Brace yourself..."he has had a little accident and lost a couple of teeth...we think you should come get him and take him to the dentist...right away." Exhale. Okay, no big deal...I know one was loose and probably the other too. So, I take Luke to a friend's and call the dentist on my way to school. As I walk through the door I see the principal pacing...obviously waiting for me. My heart stops...this is NOT good.

"Are you Mrs. Radovcich?"

"Yes."

"Nick has had a pretty bad accident...he has lost several teeth."

"What? Several? Exactly how many?"

"Well, we have three in milk...and the roots too...we are pretty sure one is an adult tooth..."

"Okay" breathe...

So, I walk in and there is my baby sucking on a bloody, wet, paper towel, whimpering...my heart breaks. He is so brave though...I think I would be screaming on the floor. So, I give him a big hug, tell him everything will be okay, collect his teeth in the bag of milk and off we go to the dentist.

No sooner do we sit down in the waiting room and he, still bleeding from the mouth, decides to play with the waiting room toys. I guess not even a busted mouth can over rule the draw of toys. All the other kids waiting decide those toys don't look so appealing after all, they sit back and stare at Nick instead. Yes, it was awkward and thankfully, we didn't have to wait long. (Don't worry, he didn't bleed on the toys...no, I wouldn't let that happen. He had a paper towel in his mouth.)

The dentist was wonderful. She re-implanted his lower front adult tooth, which is now splinted to his other tooth and gave us the other two for the Tooth Fairy. We had a consultation with an endodontist to see if we can save the tooth and will see a orthodontist this week to see if it really needs to be saved.

On our way out the door Nick acts like nothing ever happened...he proceeds to run on the ice and play in the snow like it is any ordinary day. My heart is still beating rapidly and all I want is to wrap him up in bubble wrap and make him sit on the sofa...and never move again, ever.

So, today, he is better. His mouth his a little swollen but he is back to school and with a great story tell and two teeth to show. Coinicidentally, his class started a lesson on teeth yesterday. As for me, my heart has returned to a normal rhythm but a part of me still wants to keep him locked up inside for a while. I realized last night that you have to be tough to be a mom...it definitely isn't for wusses!!!

In case you were wondering, no, he didn't slip on ice. He was in P.E. playing a game. Apparently the kids had to use motion, rather than their hands to keep a scarf on their bodies. They had to move fast enough so it wouldn't fall off. He had his eyes on the scarf and ran into a podium. I think maybe they won't do that exercise for a while. The good news is, he is going to make out quite well from the Tooth Fairy. Rumor has it she loves teeth with the roots in tact.