My Bucket List

Last night I watched "The Bucket List," about 2 cancer patients who make a list of things they want to do or accomplish before they die, or "kick the bucket." It got me thinking, which it aimed to do, and so here is my bucket list:

Accomplishments - stay active in my church and strong in my faith; successfully teach my children to live joyfully; complete a half-marathon; earn another degree; become fluent in at least 1 other language

Travel - to the bottom of the Grand Canyon; to Mayan ruins; to Alaska in the summertime; to New York City and see a musical on Broadway; to England to research my ancestors; to Germany and visit my birthplace; to St. Petersburg, Russia

Promised pictures

Here are some pictures I promised from Lisy's first birthday. Chocolate cupcakes (traditional) are much less messy without frosting (because we didn't have any).




And here she's acting coy by trying to hide from the camera. She thinks it is very funny to avoid me and often runs away laughing.






Benjamin is saying "Cheese!" while showing off his dinosaur, which he takes everywhere I'll permit it.







Sammy is excited to watch his "pet" snail. He finds a new snail almost every day.

Real Life - tagged

1) Kitchen sink - obviously I did not do any cleaning before taking the picture. Just so you know, it doesn't usually get this bad.







2) What are the kids doing now? Sleeping! Benjamin fell asleep during dinner, and the other 2 went to bed at the normal time. Even in this heat Sammy insists on wearing his sweatshirt; I don't know why.





3) Laundry room - shared with 2 other tenants in an unfinished basement. Did I mention this building was built in 1941?







4) Toilet - you can see the blue potty seat Benjamin refuses to use, and there are the lotions for my kids, who all inherited my dry skin.










5) Closet - our actual closet is small and difficult to use, so I hang my clothes and Lisy's dresses on a shelf behind the door. Not shown: pregnancy clothes piled on the floor.





6) Favorite room - more like a favorite corner of the living room, it's perfect for reading.











7) Fridge - nice and big, but it's still leaking. arg!












8) Favorite shoes - shoes?! What shoes? This is summer! (and I just painted my toenails) Ask again in 6 months when there's snow on the ground.








9) Self-portrait - my hair used to be blonde and now it's light brown. I might have to change that.








10) Dream vacation - this one is difficult for me. I know what Dominic wants to do, and I love to travel. However, the best 2-hour vacation that I want to repeat was clothes shopping without the kids; it was so peaceful and fun.

Now I tag Jen! The only person I know who's a blogger and reads my blog and hasn't already been tagged.

Busy, busy, busy

And this is why my journals are so short: I get busy and stop writing in them. But because I have an audience, I'll update you on our life.

Weeks and weeks ago (well, only 2) was Memorial day. After 6 1/2 years of marriage, we finally bought our own grill. Thus we barbecued despite the scattered showers. We finally went inside once we all ate and the rain remained constant. Then we went to see "Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull." I liked it! Sammy has been wearing hats and looking for treasure ever since.

3 days later we celebrated Elisa's first birthday! This is such a fun age. She obviously has big brothers, because she is an intrepid climber, loves to wrestle, and prefers cars to dolls. Yesterday she toddled around with a ferocious T-Rex in each hand and growled. It was especially funny because she looks so dainty. She does like getting her hair combed; she watches in the mirror and is all smiles.

We had a little scare (everyone is safe) when Sammy and the neighbor girl disappeared. The kids were playing in the apartment behind us. The woman saw the kids playing outside and invited them in. First, only scary people invite little kids in (remember Hansel and Gretel?), so what was she thinking? Second, Sammy always asks before going into his friends' home, so how could he forget this time? And third, her car was gone, so we didn't look there immediately. Neither Sammy nor his friend were allowed outside for a couple of days.

Which reminds me, does anyone need an apartment? Both the family below and the woman behind us moved, leaving us alone in the building. Bad timing for our new landlord. By the way, the building finally sold!

Finally, we went to the zoo. Our "must-see" animals: for me, the albino alligator; Sammy insisted on snakes; Benjamin asked for the bears; Lisy loves cats, so we took her to see the big kitties. The zoo only had 3 degus (we have 7), so I suggested we donate some of ours, but Dominic said no. We all had a good time and wore ourselves out. Sammy fell asleep on the way home and woke up the next morning.

Now you're all caught up. I'll post pictures later.