Right now I'm waiting for my friend to swing by after work so he can open a can of Tung Oil for me since my strapping husband is not here to do it. I've got my heart set on shining up our counter tops and wood stove pad with it. I tried about 30 times to get the damn thing open and I think I may have actually pulled a muscle in my shoulder.
Success! My 180 lb martial arts teacher friend needed pliers and all his strength to get it open, I don't feel so badly now.
My nephew's bar mitzvah was wonderful. It is hard to believe that he is 13. He has turned into such a lovely young man. And it was so great to see both close and extended family. I did, however, get a bit overcooked by the whole weekend. I am the sensitive sort and too much stimulation can easily put me over the edge. There was a parade of people to meet, visitors to see, dinners, luncheons, photos, presentations, meetings, etc. what felt like every second. Don't get me wrong, it was great to see everyone but W-H-E-W was it insane. The little one did just great. It's tough though, knowing that he's so easy going that his signs of stress are not apparent to friends, family, etc and that it is my/our responsibility to read his sometimes subtle cues that he needs a break, doesn't want to be picked up etc.
Here are a few of the weekend highlights.
(More photos to come when hubby gets home with the camera. These are from brother Mike.)
Highlight #1. Tess.
Tess (the adorable blond in my husband's arms) will be 3 in June and is Julian's cousin. She is a tiny little pixie, and smart as a whip.
Julian was enamored.
On our last morning I arrived at the table and sat with Julian, Tess, and a mess of Jon's family while Jon went to get some fruit for Julian. I announced with my typical snarky humor that Julian had fallen off of the bed that morning and I was pretty sure that Jon threw him.
When Jon came to the table Tess called out in her tiny voice..."Jon, Jon, Jon?" I pointed out to Jon that Tess was speaking to him and everyone quieted down and Tess with furrowed brow asked, "Jon, did you throw Julian off of the bed?" her high estimation of Jon plummeting by the second. I have to keep reminding myself that I'll need to be careful with the literal minds of toddlers.
Among other fabulous Tess comments was to my cousin's S.O.
"Norman," she proclaimed "you don't have very much hair." I missed that one...much to my chagrin.
Highlight #2. The cousins.
Cousin Amy is Jon's first cousin's daughter which makes her his first cousin once removed. Amy is a riot. Her parents are a riot. Her siblings are a riot. We had the privilege of joining their family for a ski trip to Vail about 3 years ago and with the exception of Jon fracturing and dislocating his shoulder, it was one of the best vacations I've ever had.
Amy's son Kevin loves his Nana soooo much that he has decided that his favorite new discovery, his balls, should be shared with his Nana. During the bar mitzvah his father Brian took him to go potty and when he was done he refused to pull his pants up and had a melt down yelling "Show Nana balls, show Nana balls!" Retrospectively, Brian was relieved that Kevin's request wasn't audible to the celebrants, and Nana was relieved that Kevin's father was able to assuage him and she didn't need to excuse herself from the ceremony to actually view said balls.
Highlight #3. Throwing away the bread crumbs from my mother-in-law's cupboard.
I love organizing. I love making room. I love throwing stuff out. I was able to convince my M-I-L to throw away a container of bread crumbs dated 1992, and also the Italian spice mix that smelled like cardboard and had a price stamp of 39 cents. I told her that the best present she could ever give me was to let me clean out her cupboards. No go so far, but as doing this at my own mother's house was one of my fondest memories, I am hoping she'll give it a second thought for our next visit.
Highlight #4. Visiting with my parents.
My mom and dad took a 2 hour drive to visit with us for a few hours. I miss them so much. I seriously never laugh as hard as when I am with my family. If anyone out there has any influence over them, please encourage them to come out to visit soon.
Highlight #5. Connecting.
Although it may have been overwhelming, it was such a lovely gift to get to be with Jon's whole family. There is so much love and support there. I feel lucky to be part of the family.
A few photos more photos from Mike. We'll see what we have on our camera when Jon gets home tomorrow.
My father-in -law mocks me mercilessly because I can't seem to keep my mouth closed when I feed the baby.
Emma and her ear to ear smile. She's entertaining the idea of becoming an actor. I think she'll be great.
3 comments:
It sounds like we might be sisters from a previous life! I LOVE to organize, clean out, and throw away! So glad you had a good time away from home and I hope your boys get back to you soon so you don't get too lonely : )
Hi Samantha,
I have been busy and haven't read blogs in awhile.
More similarities--we grew up in NJ and all our family is still there and our niece is going to be 13 in February, but they don't really practice Judiasm (except holidays), so she is not having a Bat Mitzvah.
Julian is getting so big and is still SOOOO handsome!
Hope all is well!
Wooooow it sounds like a dream! :) The damage I could do around here with a few days of mommy R&R! :) The pictures are adorable. Julian is a DOLL as always and getting so big!
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