A Picture for the Memory Box

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A story by Jack, July 2015

Jack's Zip-line Video

This should have been part of my post about Jack's birthday but it didn't happen that way. Sometimes I'm too buried in stuff to see to everything. So anyway, this will probably go down in history as one of his favorite birthdays ever. It was cheap-ish, he loved it, I got to sit down. What's not to love.



ZipliningSmall July 2015 from Pam on Vimeo.

June-July 1 Second a Day

JULY2015Tinkle from Pam on Vimeo.

Leanne on my Mind

It was Leanne's birthday last Monday and this week marked one year since she visited us. In the last 12 months she has been in daily contact with her dad (I join in sometimes but like to sit back and let them have their time) and we send lots of support & love back & forth. We can't wait to see her in 3 weeks - 3 weeks!!! She's a gorgeous girl inside and out and I can't wait to introduce her to my huge, mad as a hatter family :)

When I post pictures on Facebook of us at the pool, or celebrating something or just having fun I always feel a big pang of sorrow that she's not here with us. The conundrum sometimes is whether to "tag" her on Facebook posts because I want her to know that she's part of this family but I also don't want to make it obvious that she's not here with us. It sounds like a little thing but I struggle with it a lot.  I hope she knows we love her and wish she was here.

4 Boys in a Car = Time Well Spent.

I spent time with the 4 boys again this week and I have to say, my favorite time with them is car time. It usually involved very loud pop music, open windows and sunroof, dancing, laughing, farting and rude words.  As a particular treat this week they compared nipples and asked each other what they'd do in order to drink the bottle of old milk that rolled out from under a seat and looked like cottage cheese floating in water ("what would make you eat the cheese?"). One said he'd eat the cheese if he could have nipples that looked like little dogs that barked.

All the while they laugh hysterically and I just sit, driving, grinning, and hoping I get to have more time with them like that this summer. They are FUNNY.

Party Putdown

I took my boys to a party today. The purpose of the party was to celebrate the two kid's birthdays (one in Daniel's class, one a grade below Jack) and also for the family to just have one big party in the summer for family, friends and neighbours.

There was:
Abundant food and drink for kids & adults (yes beer & wine too)
A face painter
Two balloon artists
An ice cream truck that parked for 2 hours and let kids get whatever they wanted, for free, the whole time
A bouncy castle
A play-set

I leaned over and whispered to a friend of mine "your kid's birthday party was shit compared to this".  Hahaha!

Brit Yard Sale

I love the fact that I have so many expats in my life here in Ohio and that we are good friends who meet regularly. We recently did a bake and yard sale to raise money for the club's Christmas dinner and I hosted it at my house. It was hot and a LOT of work and I don't think I'd do it again, but it was ok.

The usual madness of yard sales ensued: people haggling over 25c (take a chance, seriously!), people coming half an hour before we official started and rummaging through boxes we were trying to unload (how rude!), and people doing ridiculous low-balls ("will you take a dollar, even though it's priced at $25?") but overall it was great.

People loved the Brit food: Cornish and cheese & onion pasties, sausage rolls, Scotch eggs, Victoria sponges, scones, lemon triangles, mini trifles, pork pies, gala pie to name a few.

Maybe next year we just do a bake sale. I never learn.

Dad's 80th Birthday Party

Yesterday was my dad's 80th birthday and of course I missed it. Thankfully I got to see lots of pictures on Facebook & Instagram and I rang him for a chat. My step-mum, sister & family and my cousin Kay and her mum and dad and daughter were all there. But you know what? I'll see them in four and a half weeks and we can celebrate all over again!

My dad

AJ, Gemma, Dennon, my dad, Abby & Summer

My sister Jenny & cousin Kay

Brother-in-law Kev, Kay and her daughter Megan

Gemma, dad & Abby

Jenny and dad

More Pix by Erika

I totally stole these pictures from my friend's Tumblr account. She's capturing our summer much better than I am!

Happy 4th!

Friends invited us to their family July 4th celebration tonight. It was 20 mins outside of Columbus but felt like we were really in the countryside. We didn't know anyone and I was designated driver and the England:Germany game was happening at the same time so I wasn't really sold but when we got there it was fab! They had recorded the England game for us (we won!), the food was amazing, people were really friendly and they made a big fuss of us, even inviting us to light the first firework to celebrate our citizenship. It was a really great night and I'm hoping they meant it when they said they want us back next year.

My friend Lyn invited us. I have porch envy.  

Smores

Beer + countryside + fireworks = man porn

Look how happy this man is  (see above)

Me & the birthday boy

Craig lights the first firework in honor of our citizenship & they chant USA! It was a cool moment.  

Taken purely to show how close the fireworks were. The actual firework display was amazing! 

Jack's 9th Birthday

How did he get to be NINE? Those first couple of years were documented and every minute savored and then we did a crazy fast-forward seven years to today. At nine he's a boy to be proud of. He has great manners and an empathetic heart (ok yes, he's evil to his younger brother sometimes) and a great sense of humour. He loves WWE and Minecraft and his friends and sports.  His sensitivity sometimes surprises me because he's so rambunctious. At the first day of camp it was Jack, and not Danny, that was nervous and timid. He's also a complete drama queen when it comes to injury, especially if blood's involved. A bloody graze on the knee brings about screaming and yelling worthy of an Oscar.  I love this boy so much. He's very much a mum's boy and just looking at him makes my heart ache. So Happy Birthday Jack Sparrow. We are very proud of the young man you are becoming.

Cupcakes and ice-cream with his neighbor friends

Feeding his graffiti obsession

Zip lining in Hocking Hills with his friend Mario & Danny

Looking at the 1 year mark and comparing it to the 9 year mark made me cry