Small town parades

It's the same thing every year. On a muggy Saturday in September at high noon a parade marches down Main Street in My Small Town, USA. Honestly, I don't look forward to it. I don't like getting hot & sticky and seeing as though I'm not from around these parts, I lack nostalgic feelings for the high school marching band & local football team, the Miss Tiny Tot winner, and the pee wee football league.

But, there are a few things I've grown fond of over the last five years.

• The Red Hat Society ladies - very cool. I should really google them because beyond wearing cool purple clothes and gorgeous red hats and looking like hip old ladies, I don't know what they do.







• The library float. We are now card carrying members of My Small Town, USA library, just beginning to explore the children's section with Boo.






• The local politicians. Marrying a hometown guy means I get the inside scoop on what these folks were like in high school.
  
• Seeing my neighbors. I finally feel like a part of this community because I run into people who actually know me. Although I must confess, way more people know Boo than me.
  
• Watching Boo's face light up when she hears the police siren kicking off the parade, the energy she has scrambling around for candy thrown from the floats, and the joy she feels when someone in the parade smiles directly at her and waves.

This year was really no different than the last. It was a muggy day, the parade started promptly at high noon, and we returned home with enough candy to last a year. And no parade outing would be complete without the traditional toddler meltdown, followed by the post-parade nap. It's time for mine.

Fall Festival

It's cooling down at night. The air conditioner is off - hopefully for the season - and when we sleep with the windows open at night, we wake up bundled under a pile of heavy covers surrounding by cats.

Tonight was the kick off of the annual Fall Festival in our small town... You know, cheap rides, silly games, local politicians out shaking hands & kissing babies, fundraising booths for the high school marching band & athletic teams, fresh corn on the cob dripping in butter, walking tacos, and, my personal favorite, homemade carmel corn.

We picked up Boo and her best friend from school this afternoon. I call her Giggles. Boo and Giggles lived it up tonight. They skipped and twirled down the street, spun themselves dizzy on rides, boogied on stage with a local singer, and hugged one another with all the giddiness of two thrilled four-year-olds. Boo loves Giggles. They are upstairs now, curled up in the bottom bunk together like little kittens - freshly bathed, bellies full, and completely worn out.

Reading Charlotte's Web

About a month ago Boo and I started reading a chapter of Charlotte's Web every night before bed. She's seen the movie countless times, but reading this book - without many pictures - was quite a different experience.

There were numerous occasions when I felt like she wasn't listening and would rather read a little picture book, but the beauty of Charlotte's Web is that Wilbur, like Boo, asks a lot of questions. Just when I thought I'd lost her attention, she'd perk up when Wilbur would ask because Boo wanted to hear Charlotte's wise answer.

The night we read the second to the last chapter of the book, something unexpected happened. I started to cry. The thought of poor, selfless Charlotte withering away & dying all alone in a pig stall at the empty county fairgrounds was just too much to bear. She had done so much for Wilbur and at the end of her life she deserved have her best friend by her side. Never mind the fact that she would never meet her 514 babies - her "magnum opus".

I tried to hide my tears and keep my voice steady. I kept reading and then made the mistake of making eye contact with Boo. Her bottom lip quivered, her eyes filled up with tears. She was looking for a sign from me that it was OK to let-er-rip. What the heck. We let the floodgates open and little Boo & I had ourselves a good long cry.

Hubby came upstairs to find two blubbering females who could only manage to choke out the words, "Charlotte DIEEEEEEED."

Thank goodness the final chapter, read the following evening, lent itself to a happy ending. But that cry, shared between mother and daughter, was a special bonding moment. And I knew that she really was listening and caring about each word I read.

From one year to the next

Just marveling out how fast Boo grows - May 2007 & September 2008.

Going to the zoo

The weather this weekend was amazing... high 70s, slight breeze, blue skies. These are the days we live for in the Midwest. We took Boo to the Zoo to enjoy a beautiful day with the animals.

I wish that I could still see the world through fresh eyes and enjoy living in each exciting moment that comes my way. Some days I wish that I could be Boo.

Explaining "laid off" to Boo

Boo: Mommy, why are you in play clothes?

Mom: I don't go to work anymore so I don't have to dress up. (Or change out of my pj's.)

Boo: Why? You don't like [Company Name] anymore?

Mom: No, I do. I like it a lot, but [Former Boss] doesn't like me. I'm not allowed to go over there and play anymore.

Boo: I don't like [Former Boss]. She's not nice.

Never let it be said that children are too young to understand. I put it in pre-K terms and she nailed it.

Because they had to take the mommy parts out.

Lily was spayed today. Not an easy thing to explain to a 4-year-old, but Hubby is a total genius. The title says it all. Boo took great pleasure in relaying this tidbit of information to her teacher, the lunch lady, and most of the kids at school.

I wonder what he'll say when Boo asks, "Daddy, what are mommy parts?"

A Girl Called Boo

On Friday the 13th in August of 2004, at 11:03 p.m. I delivered the most beautiful baby girl. Yes, I know all parents think their kids are gorgeous, blah, blah, blah, but MY girl was pure magic. (Mostly because I thought pregnancy sucked wind and I was thrilled to get her OUT!) She was born during the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics, and weighed in at nine pounds (thank God for pain meds) with huge, round eyes full of curiosity.

We named her Erin Kathryn, but quickly began calling her Boo. No worries, we reserved her full given name for the onset of the toddler years; you know, for hollering at her to stop breaking stuff or running out into traffic.

Besides, Boo is such a cute nickname, and it comes in handy when convincing a small child that scary monsters are afraid of girls named Boo. (Monsters Inc., anyone?)

On this my inaugural blog post, I have to tell you about my girl called Boo. Check out the pic below. Compare one Boo with the other. This nickname was no accident. (Yes, it was.)