15 Years Ago Today.....

Sasha, you are 15 years old today!!!  It hardly seems possible, but you are growing so fast.  Literally, as in the past few months you have been growing UP and are now @ 3 inches taller than me.  And in many others ways as you mature through your teenage years.

Hope you enjoy these memories of 15 years ago....

• Christmas, 1996 had been very nice, though I was not especially interested in it.  I was already on leave from work, and remember going to Boscov's to look for after-Christmas bargains on Dec. 26th.  I was very large by that time, and though I hate to admit it was probably at the waddling stage.
• Grandma, Aunt Pam, Dad and I went out to dinner on Dec. 28th.  I was sure labor was imminent and as evening approached I remember saying something like, "If we're going to go, we better hurry up and leave".  At the restaurant, my water broke....  it was pretty alarming and on the messy side (luckily we were toting a towel around in the car, so Dad went out and got it).  Think Dad asked whether he could order desert - can you imagine what my answer was?
• We went home, got the rest of my things together as I was mostly packed to go to the hospital, and Dad took a picture of me with my stomach out to HERE.  Dad drove us to Nesbitt Hospital (then the "baby" hospital), and I got settled for the night as absolutely Nothing else seemed to be happening.  He went home to get some sleep.
• Early in the morning @ 6 a.m., the hospital people decided I needed some help to start the delivery.  So I got a medication called pitocin to induce contractions.  Dad arrived about this time, and brought me flowers.  The nurse thought the flowers were just lovely, but to his disappointment I was in no mood for flowers as I was excited, anxious, and focused on having my first baby.  By this time, after 9 months, I could not wait to meet you.
• You arrived @ 11:30 am. weighing 7 lbs. 11 1/2 ozs., after a very difficult time.....  thankfully, Dr. Ferraro (who is still one of my doctors) was determined to get us through.  You were born "blue" as you hadn't gotten enough oxygen at the end of delivery.  The nurse cleaned you up a bit and put you under the baby heat lamp to stay warm.  Dad went over and held your hand, while you stared up at him.  After a bit, you were swaddled i.e, wrapped up nice-n-tight in a blanket, and I got to hold you for the first time.  I remember you looking at me with firm concentration as if to say "Do I know you?"

• Aunt Pam came over after church (at that time, she was music director at Central United Methodist in Wilkes-Barre), while we were still in the delivery room.  She was thrilled to hold you.
• After a bit, the nurse took you off to the newborn room while I rested.  Once you had started fusing because you were hungry, you were brought back to my room in a "newborn push-cart" complete with all kinds of supplies.  So then you got to experiment with eating - you were only semi-adept at nursing.  But you figured it out enough, and were happy to be cuddled.  Don't know if I ever told you this, but the tip of your right ear was folded down and I was focused on straightening it as much as possible.  Meanwhile, Dad and I had to figure out how to change your diaper.....  Later in the day, you had lots of company including Grandma and Grandnana.  There are quite a few pictures I can show you, including your newborn picture taken in the hospital - I carry it in my wallet.
• Dad went home to make phone calls to family and friends about our good news.  As you know, your first name was our favorite "boy" name (and historical too); your middle name is for Dad's great uncle.  The next day, we got a demonstration on how to give you a bath and how to clean out your nose with a nasal aspirator (I called it the "squiggy" ).  You didn't like either process.  You got more visitors, including Aunt Di, Aunt Julie, Meagan, and Nicky as well as Uncle George and Aunt Rebecca.  It became clear that you needed to eat @ every 2 hours - yikes!! 
• On Dec. 30th, we brought you home - New Year's Eve!  I remember bringing you all snug in your baby/car seat into Grandma's TV room.  We stayed for a bit, then spent your first night at our house.  Well, I was pretty tired - but incredibly happy too.  Then it was on to 1997!  You were a sweet, alert and very social baby.

So, early today you are spending time at Lake Jean with Aunt Julie & Mark (hope you get to fish, though perhaps not too long given winter temps.).  Then Robby and I will meet you to go bowling with Kyra and Lucy.  Should be lots o' fun! 

Remember, you are loved by all of us.  Am looking forward to seeing you in a few hours, and wish you a Wonderful, Happy Birthday!!!

Christmas Eve

Sasha and Brock.....  It's Christmas Eve!  I love the anticipation and the cozy feeling of being home - baking holiday treats, looking at the Christmas tree, and spending time with the people I love.

Here are two Christmas videos I hope you enjoy.

First, "Sleigh Ride" - great percussion!



This song was written in the early 1800's in Austria.  I love choral music - and think boys' choirs are hauntingly beautiful.  So second, "Silent Night" in traditional German sung by the St. Thomas Boys Choir from Leipzig, Germany.

Christmas Is Coming.....

Did you ever hear this nursery rhyme?

"Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat!  Please do put a penny in the old man's hat.  If you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do.  If you haven't got a ha'penny, then God Bless You!!"

As a quick aside, I might have told you that once Grandad went goose hunting.  He was successful so we had roast goose for Christmas dinner (or perhaps Thanksgsiving, I'm not sure....). Well, it was all dark meat, tough, greasy and a great disappointment.  One good thing - wild geese are much smaller than domestic turkey, so there were no leftovers!!  Sasha, you might consider duck hunting instead - although try to avoid what these local hunters experienced:  Susquehanna River Rescue

So, Christmas is 8 days away.... although our Sharpe Street snowman count has been permanently set at "98 Days Till Christmas" thanks to Brock.  I woke up with the Christmas Is Coming rhyme in my head, and decided that we need seasonal inspiration.  So to make the holiday even more wonderful and fun, some Christmas jokes for you:


What's a good holiday tip?

• Never catch snowflakes with your tongue until all the birds have gone south for the winter.

What do you get if you cross mistletoe and a duck? 

• A Christmas Quacker.

What did the ghost say to Santa Claus?

• I'll have a boo Christmas without you....

Which elf was the best singer? 

• ELFis Presley.

Best of all (connected to themes in the last two jokes), Steve introduced me to this delightful rendition of "Blue Christmas" by Porky Pig.  Enjoy!!

"Carroll Boys" - The First Month

Well, this journal is now about 1 month old.  It went very quickly for me, how about you?  I do enjoy thinking about what I'm going to write, doing a little research, and sitting at the keyboard creating each post.  A few thoughts to share with you, Sasha and Brock:

Being Thankful:  I was driving home from Newark yesterday thinking about how good life can be.  It is so easy to take things for granted, especially as well-to-do Americans.  Remember, most people around the world can only dream about the life style we have.  Since we have access to computers and the Internet, it's possible for us to play games on-line, communicate easily, find information quickly, and for me to write to you boys via "Carroll Boys".  Some other things that I'm especially thankful for:

• The two of you.  As a young girl, I didn't know what I wanted be when I grew up except that I wanted to be a Mom.  I intentionally planned and tried to direct my career so that I could work part-time when I had children......  and luckily, that wish has become a reality.  It makes me very happy to have time with you, help each other out (homework, school projects, household jobs) and be together for "fun" time like your sports & other activities, holidays and vacations.
• Being healthy.  It means I can be physically active with you, work to provide what we need, and fully enjoy being just being alive.
• Family and friends.  There are many special people in our lives - people who help us in difficult times, who make us laugh, who make us happy.

My "Blogger Support" Network:  To my knowledge, only the three of us and Steve know about this blog.  I am very grateful for Steve's interest, willingness to answer questions, and his help with the technical stuff (although even I have to admit it's not complicated!).  And you will notice that "Carroll Boys" borrows heavily from the format of "NCFE"....  Thank you, Steve!  Brock, I really appreciate your interest in checking out new posts and revisiting YouTube videos from older ones.

More Favorite Songs:  Brock has mentioned two of his favorite songs "Nightrain" (although for some reason I keep thinking it should be "Soul Train") and "What I've Done".  And I know Sasha is a huge Guns N' Roses fan.  So, in keeping with tradition of the past month - here they are:



Unfortunately, embedding is disabled for this "What I've Done" video by Linkin Park.  But you can link to it on YouTube here:

     What I've Done

Winter Has Arrived

I was born in Allentown and I'm sure we had snowy winters - but I don't remember that....  Because when I was 3 years old Grandad became a missionary and we left Pennsylvania.  Grammie, Grandad, Aunt Julie and I lived briefly in Mexico and then moved to the Dominican Republic (in the Caribbean where it is hot) from 1968-1971.  I will write more about this later.  Then we ended up in Philadelphia when I was 7 years old.  So my winters really  started in the early 1970's.  What are some of those memories?

• The Lucia Fest at Gloria Dei (Old Swedes) Church where Grandad was the minister.  My first year, I was the second candle girl (I'm sure I was adorable!!).  Unlike both you boys, I was not a tomte.  As an aside, you might be interested in more information about troublesome tomte.
• Christmas including Aunt Julie's birthday, which meant going to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day church services and of course presents!!!!!
• New Year's Day including my birthday and of course more presents!!!!!  New Year's Day also meant going to the Mummers Parade.  I just learned that Swedish settlers in the Philadelphia area contributed to the Mummers tradition.
• Very Long walks back and forth from school. .... pretty awful on bitter, windy days.
• Occasional major snow storms (school closings!), and shoveling out church walkways afterwards.  Occasional ice storms and dangerous slippery sidewalks afterwards.  Dirty snow lingering too long on city streets.
• Warmer weather arriving in late March, with purple crocuses peaking through the ground and Easter around the corner.

Brock has said that winter is his favorite season of the year as he loves, loves, loves to go sledding.  He has even threatened to move away to Russia.  Sasha is equally enthusiastic about sledding, but favors living at a lake/creek side location with readily available fishing.  As I get older, I am finding it harder to appreciate the cold, ice & snow but will stay as cheerful as I can.  I do think winter scenery is lovely, as in this lake picture my friend Susan took from her back porch early Thursday morning:

Well, in keeping with the upcoming Christmas season and on the theme of staying warm and well-fed, here's a song I'm sure you will enjoy:

Is Sylvester a "Kitler" ?

There are many important questions in life that one MUST answer.  One of them is whether your kitty at Dad's house, Sylvester S., could be considered a "Kitler".

Background Information:  What is a Kitler?  

As explained on the Cats That Look Like Hitler website, Kitler :  "Most cats possess that typically feline facial expression that implies a secret longing for world domination. All cats want to rule the world, that's part of the nature of the species, but to be a genuine Kitler there has to be some other similarity when compared to that ever popular German/Austrian dictator."

The website also points out the following:  "Hitler was a disgusting, pus-ridden lump of excrement from the devil's own anus. Before we go any further, let's just reiterate that. As such, it's entirely appropriate to reduce him to an object of ridicule by comparing his physical appearance and styling to a bunch of fluffy, cute moggies."

Question of the Day:  Which of the following Kitlers (pictures borrowed from the website) does Sylvester most closely resemble? 

Bobje:

MISSAYYY:

Charlie:

Sindy:

What To Do Next?   Vote!!  You can pick the Kitler kitty that Sylvester resembles best!  To do this, click on "comments" below, then tell me whether Sylvester looks most like Bobje, MISSAYYY, Charlie or Sindy in the "Post a Comment" box. 

Hope all Carroll kitties (downstairs and upstairs) are doing well !!  Be sure to pet one for me.

Exceedingly, Exceptionally DREADFUL Jokes Corner #1

As you know, jokes are not my speciality.  But I am determined to improve upon my joke-telling skills.  Here's a first installment.....  you can let me know how I'm doing anytime.... 

Why did the chicken cross the road?   

• Colonel Sanders Response: "What, I missed one?"

What is black, white and red all over?

• A penguin holding its breath or  A sunburned zebra.

Do zombies eat popcorn with their fingers?

• No, they eat their fingers separately.

Sometimes I even make myself laugh !!!  (I know that's hard to believe.)

"Whatcha gunna be when you grow up?"

I imagine someone has already asked what you'd like to do when you grow up.  For a time, Brock was interested in becoming a doctor.  Sasha has mentioned weapons design, and also working at a fish hatchery.  By the way, I found very interesting information published by the US Fish & Wildlife Service here:  National Fish Hatchery System

Hope you are imagining what it might be like to work in various jobs, and exploring your interests while you're going through school.  I think Sasha would be quite happy if his work involves design and possibly art work, interacting with people on a regular basis, and especially spending time outdoors.  I think Brock may be interested in a career in one of the sciences, as he is great at math and enjoys learning about the world around him (especially astronomy).

Remember, day dreaming is important!!  You have plenty of time to consider your best options.

Not long ago Sasha and I talked about the death of Steve Jobs, a phenomenally successful entrepreneur and the founder of Apple Computer.  Read this quote from the commencement address he delivered at Stanford University in 2005:

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. "  

Favorite Songs

I know you both love listening to music.  I do too, and thank goodness we don't like the same types of music - it would be SO boring if we did !! 

One of my favorite songs is Over the Rainbow.  I first heard it as a kid watching "The Wizard of Oz", a movie from 1939. 

                     

In the 1970's, family movies were usually on Sunday nights......  And "Wizard of Oz" was one of the few movies that Grammie would let us see all the way through even though it meant watching more than 1 hour of TV that day.  This story really captures the imagination - excitement of the Kansas tornado, colorful characters & scenery in the Land of Oz, plus the scary witch's castle scene toward the end of the movie.  Over the Rainbow  is performed by Judy Garland, who was only 16 when the movie was filmed.  Judy Garland was an actress and remains one of the best-known American vocalists.  You can read about her here:  Judy Garland   Meanwhile, humor me and watch this beautiful clip from "The Wizard of Oz":



And Brock recently played this music video for me.  He says it's one of your favorites.....  so for your viewing (including odd-looking old man) & listening pleasure, it's 3 Doors Down performing Kryptonite:

Choices We Make

Sasha and Brock, today I was thinking about the choices we make in how we treat people in our lives.  I decided to read about military codes of honor, particularly since your grandfather was an army officer.  I found interesting information about the history and substance of the US Armed Forces code of conduct here:  Code of Conduct

Well, we're not in the army.  But we make decisions every day about what we say and do.  Remember that the way we treat others is a reflection on ourselves - because it's important to consider how others feel and to absolutely avoid acting like a bully.  And because people notice our behaviors and develop opinions about the kind of people we are.  So, here are a few basic rules to consider as you spend time with kids and grown-ups:

• Don't call anyone names.
• Don't be intentionally mean (such as tease kids at school or anywhere else, talk about them, put them down).
• Always be polite, with people you like and also with people you don't especially like.

Remember you are the next generation of Carroll boys and should try to make your grandfather proud.

Why I'm Doing This

This blog by Christine Elizabeth is intended to be a journal for my sons, who are now ages 14 and 9. I don't spend as much time with you as I'd like, and so now.... I have a cool place to write "stuff" I'd like to share with you. 

Beginning On..... November 11, 2011 otherwise known as 11-11-11. A fortuitous date (you can look that up in a dictionary), a Friday, and also Veteran's Day. You can read more about it here:   NPR Story

How the "CarrollBoysWyoming" blog came into existence:   You might be interested to know how this blog was created. Yesterday I said to my friend Steve that I wanted to start a journal for my sons and wanted it to be on-line (mentioned backing it up to a flash drive). His eyes lit up - well, figuratively speaking, not like a zombie or Superman - and told me it could be a blog and I wouldn't even have to pay $10/year for a URL. So, Steve sat at the computer with the monitor tilted up (as he is Tall) where he set up hotmail and blogspot accounts, almost messed it up, fixed it up, said "Aarghh" a few times and 20 minutes later it was done. AMAZING!! He is very good at all things "computer" and now in addition to being our Helpdesk for when the printer doesn't work or the screen is accidentally minimized to 10% so we'd need a magnifying glass to use it, Steve can be my blog administration and writing advisor.

Disney Vacation exactly 1 year ago:   On this date in November 2010, we were on vacation at Disney World in Florida.  I had a wonderful time.  Do you remember?  Port Orleans Riverside which included fishing, Animal Kingdom (Kali River Rapids!), Blizard Beach, and taking the ferry to Downtown Disney.  At Epcot, we went on Test Trak, Spaceship Earth, and I was dizzy for an hour after spinning on the Mission Space ride. We had a hibachi lunch in Japan.....  afterwards at the Mitsukoshi shop, Sasha picked out an oyster so I could have a pearl (had it set in a pendant).  And Brock picked out a beyblade set (tops), a favorite toy.  

Summer memory and a great song:   In June this year, we went to see the movie "Cars 2".... also, Brock you happen to be watching the Cars 2 DVD while I'm writing today.  This evokes nice memories of summer 2011, on our way home from New Hampshire.  Sasha, hope you like the guitar shots in this video featuring Brad Paisley & Robbie Williams - Collision Of Worlds:

You already know lots about me. For example, you probably realize I am a "No Drama Mama" as in I prefer life to be on the predictable, calmer side without too many surprises. But did you know that I like to write and am reasonably good at it? This is a legacy of reading a lot as a kid, but also practicing a lot in school and at work. It will be interesting to see what I do with this journal.

So I'll conclude this first entry with a quote about beginnings from Harry Emerson Fosdick. If you're interested, you can read about Mr. Fosdick here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Emerson_Fosdick

"He who chooses the beginning of a road chooses the place it leads to. It is the means that determines the end."

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