Some of this...some of that

Since this is MK's 8th grade year, and the last year at her middle school, the yearbook staff sells ads to the 8th grade parents that we can personalize with pictures and words. This is supposed to be a surprise. And it was, until the yearbook staff returned the pictures in an envelope addressed to MK!!!! She, of course, opened it, then texted me as soon as she got home letting me know that she knew which pictures I had chosen. I had one of her as a toddler, one of her with T. Willy as a baby, one of her and me recently, and our most favorite picture ever...one of her and the Big Man kissing when she was a toddler. The last picture was her only request, and if you are on my Facebook or really know me at all, you've seen it...but I like it so much that it bears repeating.
















Although T. Willy is older, I thought I'd like a similar one of him. We tried it tonight, and this is what we ended up with. You can absolutely see that he's posing, but we tried.

























The Big Man worked tonight and wasn't here for dinner. So, I took the kids to the Hot Dog Shoppe. MK didn't want to go out, but she was a great sport, and I think she ended up having fun. She played several songs for me during the ride, and it's fun to hear her music. She seems to know all of the backgrounds on the songs and singers, so it's great to spend that time with her. Here are some pictures of our evening starring the photogenic MK and the uncooperative T. Willy.




















If you know me in real life, you'll also know that I am fascinated by accents. The Hot Dog Shoppe is very tiny, so it's hard not to hear conversations around you. An older couple sat near us, and the owner knew them and talked to them the whole time. I heard the woman talking to the owner and said to MK, "I bet she is from Pittsburgh." It was like hearing the Big Man's grandmothers talk. MK sort of dared me to ask her, and I hesitated, because sometimes it's better not to know and think you're right than to find out that you really know nothing. But I did ask, and she was from Pittsburgh. Vindication. Actually, she seemed really happy to talk to me about it, and once we started talking Steelers, it was like meeting an old friend.

I was hoping to do something nice for MK because I'm feeling a little bad about something. At the Open House before the school year, the teachers talked about a trip they were planning. They were trying something for the first time, an 8th grade trip to Washington, D.C. I grew up just a couple of hours from D.C. and completely took the proximity for granted. We would get bored because it seemed like we went there so often. Then I moved this far away and finally realized what an amazing gift that was. So for them to go, it was a really big deal. I was very excited about this opportunity (although MK has been there,) but reality set in that I didn't have a job, and it would be very costly. So, MK didn't get to go. She is very understanding and realizes that she's been there before, but I know she would have liked to have gone. Her one disappointment is that they are going to the Holocaust Museum, and she hasn't been there. Hopefully we'll get a chance to go to it soon. Anyway, they're there right now. Some of her friends went and have been texting her, and she is being a real trooper about it. She's happy for them, but I know she would like to be there too.

Okay...that's what has been on my mind. Have a great night!