It feels like we just celebrated Christmas and suddenly Easter is tomorrow--time sure does hop along!
Get it? Hoppin' along, like Easter Bunny hops? Hahahaha! One of the great things about family is that they have to put up with your humor, regardless of how 'pun'ny it is. And there's another one--hahahaha!
This week has just been beautiful and it makes me a bit nostalgic of Easters past when we'd wake up and tear through our baskets and after church tromp around in the wet grass wearing our Easter best to find brightly colored eggs. I can still almost smell the vinegar from dyeing eggs the night before and feel those chalky little tablets of color before plopping it into the mug and watching the color swirl and disperse.And who can forget the flimsy copper egg holders for dunking the eggs and we used to fight over who got to use it (because there was one in the package and definitely more than one of us!) but then the flimsy-ness just didn't hold up to good Fenn egg coloring and we all resorted to using spoons in the end. And then there's the mass of crayons we would go through drawing secret designs on our eggs that would only develop once they were dyed. Ah, Easter.
Here is rare photo documentation of us washed up, well-dressed and smiling all in the name of Easter. Or mostly smiling.
Doesn't really look natural does it? Let me see what I can find--oh, here's one:
Notice the strategic placement of eggs in front of people's faces? Classic Fenn maneuver.
On Grandma and Grandpa's deck:
And a couple from the night before:
Yup, Ken looks evil. Yup, Greg is about to hit Ken for squeezing his neck. Why is Gabe wearing a vest and no shirt? He's obviously happy so does it matter? For that matter, why is Tony wearing a tropical shirt?
Happy Easter to everyone near and far!
For the Uncles who are so far away, here's what your new niece is upto!
She's being cute.
She's eating mango.
And pea pods.
Still being cute.
She's drinking from a straw.
She's scooting under the couch.
And for something new: being cute.
And she misses her uncles!
Happy birthday...to you!
Happy birthday...to you!
Happy birthday dear Siiiiis, happy birthday to you!
Today Maureen turns 19 so it's only fitting to list 19 Nice Things about her today!
19. She's tall. Tall girls rock.
18. She's tough. Tough girls rock.
17. She's handy. Handy girls rock.
16. She's a hard worker. Hard-working girls rock.
15. She's not afraid to get out there and get 'er done! Fearless girls rock.
14. She's blonde and handles it. Smart blonde girls rock (and are hard to find!).
13. She's a groovy aunt. Aunts rock.
12. She's curious. Girls who try new things rock.
11. She has goals.
10. And is doing something about them. Girls who pursue ideals rock.
9. Did I mention she's fearless?
8. She knows her stuff. Seriously. Ask her about football. Or hunting. Or straightening her hair. She knows her stuff.
7. She's nice to animals. Kind girls rock.
6. She's funny. Girls who know how to laugh rock.
5. She's athletic. Girls who know how to run a 5K, play volleyball, and hit homers rock.
4. She has the CUTEST niece and nephew. Alana and Cyril rock.
3.She's going to start fire academy soon. Smokeaters rock.
2. She'll stick up for the little guy. Loyal girls rock.
1. And finally: she has an awesome family! Big families with Lil Sis's rock.
Happiest of happy birthdays Lil Sis--enjoy your last year as a teenager!
Growing up on a farm as we did meant that we had lots of experience with animals. Now that I live in the city we pretty much have experience with one kind: dogs. Though at times the white one makes me doubt his canine origins.
Makes me think back to other dogs in the Fenn past.
For sure the best one ever was our beloved golden retriever, Daisy. The kids would ride her, bite her, love her, yank her, pet her, fall asleep on her and she just loved it all.
We had a crazy, hyper Dalmatian named Katie. But only for a short while.
We took care of another golden retriever named Tuppany for a bit.
Then there was the Seeing Eye Guide Dog I raised, a yellow lab named Felina.
And then there was Lucky. And he was just a badass mutt.
And then Belle the Golden Retriever who birthed the CUTEST puppies on the planet.
Heidi the German Sheppard who as a puppy used to be so small she'd get caught between the bed and the wall.
And now Xena the crazy spotted yipper out at the farm.
At our house we have Copper and Bear but it is Bear that Alana loves best! What is it about kids'n'critters?
With the holiday season officially upon us (it may be 2:41 in the morning but it's still Thanksgiving!) many people anticipate gathering and celebrating with families. It's a time for rejoicing and reflecting, for remembering and relatives.
And for some people, parts of that is harder than others.
It's easy to get caught up in the haves and have nots and, in my case, the who and who nots. It's darn hard to celebrate when it feels like half the members are missing.
We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting
something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what
we do have.--Frederick Keonig
And so I remember that I'm thankful for the courage my brothers have to go out and explore the opportunities and chase the dreams that take them far away on holidays.
I'm thankful that it's hard on them to be away because it means we're a good family who cares about and genuinely likes to be around each other.
I'm thankful that we are all healthy enough to be out and about enjoying opportunities--whether it's eating turkey at Grandpa and Grandma's table or prepping to run a half Marathon in Kuwait.
I'm thankful that I have a job and that some of those tax dollars go to buying the Navy and Marine boys some turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy. In a round-about way I am feeding my brothers today.
I'm thankful for the family who are pursuing opportunities closer to home--that means I get to spend the day with them.
And when I read back through my list I realize that it truly will be a good Thanksgiving indeed and that I'm thankful for family both near and far.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
What are uncles good for?
They're good for lots of things but Cyril and Alana's uncles are good for being silly. Absolutely nutty and it doesn't matter if a camera is pointed at the silliness or not.
They are good for copying you.
They're good for smelling weird.
They can manage you AND their beverage at the same time.
And they have good laps for holding their favorite niece and nephew!
We love you Uncle Tony, have fun in Rhode Island at Officer School!
Once upon a time I had a bunch of siblings who all lived under the same roof in the same house and (somehow) in just three bedrooms. The mind boggles.
I still have a bunch of siblings but we not only don't live under the same roof in the same house anymore, but we don't even live in the same state, the same time zone, or even the same continent anymore!
Sniffle.
As autumn fully sets in and the days, nights, and afternoons are all a bit colder, the rain a bit more frequent, and the daylight a bit more scarce I can't help but think about all those times that we were under one roof and seriously driving each other C.R.A.Z.Y. I kinda miss those times. Sometimes. Okay most times. Or sometimes most of the time. See? Residual crazy.
And I think about how some of those siblings are in places with lots and lots of sand and sun and therefore may be missing a time and place where fall truly is a season.
So for you boys? Here's some fall for you.
Oh and here's some family too!
That's right...Return With Honor.
