Mother and Son

Robert (as his mother always calls him, while everyday people tend to call him "Bob") is showing his mom some videos on his phone.

This picture resonates with me because:

1. I am also a mother of sons (Six Best Boys Ever!)

~ and ~

2. These are two of my favorite people. (Mother-in-law jokes do not apply.) Ann is a wonderful lady who loves me, and I love her.

I posted it because even though Robert doesn't particularly like me to broadcast his birthday, (I won't give the exact date, but Facebook might) he and his mom both have birthdays this lovely month of May. I also don't know if Ann minds if I mention how old she'll be...so I won't! It's an impressive age, though, and she still lives in her own home.

Happy, Happy Birthday, to mother and son!

Do you share your birthday month with someone you know?

Like Father Like Son

It's my oldest son's birthday this week. He likes to have fun, and also sets the example for his own oldest son. 

We like to laugh.

Happy birthday, Andy.

Photo Op Cop

As a passenger in my car while my son drove, I took the opportunity to take a picture of an interesting patch of trees on an otherwise bare hillside. I wondered, "Why is there a thick patch of trees there? Did a fire burn all around it and skip over that part? That would have been cool to see. Is the rest of the hill diseased? What kind of disease? Is that the only place where there's enough ground water to grow trees? Or is that where an alien spacecraft landed and unloaded their potties, making the soil particularly rich?"

As I took the fascinating picture, the car window rolled up into view. (See the window line in the photo above, cutting through the grove?)

Since that startling event strengthened the alien theory, which could result in my car being controlled by forces outside myself, I looked around for a reason.

That's when I saw that my teenage son had a smirk on his face and his finger on the buttons that control all the windows.

Ah-ha!

Well, I'm a speedy camera girl, so I took another picture, but I STILL got a window in the frame from the guy trying to police my photo opportunity. (The window is a little lower, underlining the trees as if separating them from the green field, but it's still there!)

So as the window spazzed up and down with my teen's twitchy fingers, I clicked and clicked until I GOT ONE! Above is a nice, clear picture of the strange grove along the west side of I-15, north of Beaver, (yes, there really is a town by that name) Utah.

I think my teenager is pretty funny in his own, strange teenage way. He's kind of quirky, like this unusual patch of trees.

So, do you "get" teenage humor? Or would you rather wait until a teenager is no longer a teenager before you talk to one? 

A Bright Boy

My youngest son, Monkey, is the last of my children who still doesn't look down on me. But he just had a birthday, and his short term goal is to become taller than me. (No fair using a ladder!) May I just say, boys are great? I love being a mother of sons.

A good day for smiling

Here's my sassy sister Rebecca with a cool fashion tip for you: when you wear glamorous scarf like she does (she pulls it off so well, don't you think?) then PIN the scarf to your shirt so it doesn't flop around like an octopus tentacle when you're trying to get some work done. Look how classy! (Rebecca is a classy lady.)

It's fun to smile when your sister Loraine (in the green) makes you laugh. Of course she would do it on a day when I (in red) was without my waterproof mascara on! (Now that's funny!)

But the best reason of all to smile today is because it's my son Zack's birthday. I don't care how big he gets, he'll always be my boy. 

What is it that makes you smile today? If you haven't smiled yet, go out and do a smiley thing, then come back and tell us what you did. Happy people want to know, and sad people need to know!

Happy Pink Shirt

by Shirley Bahlmann
In one single week I overheard three different people say what a wonderful Deseret Industries St. George, Utah had. "The best in the state," "the best in the country," "the best ANYWHERE."
So when I made the 4-hour drive to visit my son in St. George, I decided to visit the thrift store paved with gold. Hm. Well, it turns out is was not gold paved, gold gilded, or gold anything, unless you count the cheap paint on the velvet Elvis painting. In fact, it looked like a regular old DI to me; some trash, some treasures. I actually thought the one in Provo was better because it was bigger.
But then I started leafing through the racks, and I found a few treasures of my own. I always pick about thirty things to try on, and usually only 3 or 4 fit well enough to consider buying. I had a promising-looking pink t-shirt among my treasures, but when I put it on, the neckline plunged so low I was afraid it would end up in Antarctica.
"Mommy, that's so pretty!" my youngest son said, staring up at me as I tugged the V-neck up and up and up.
"The neckline is too low," I said.
"But, Mommy, you can wear a shirt under it," he said.
"I don't know..."
Then came the line that made me know he was a plant, a miniature D.I. salesman, "But, Mommy, it makes you look young again."
Sold.

Miss Utah Danced With My Boy

Kayla Barclay, Miss Utah 2009, (see pix) danced with my son in Show Choir last year. The song was "Accidentally in Love," from the movie "Shrek." When the choir director told Zack he didn't look like he was in love, Kayla spoke up. "I can teach him!"
That's just what Utah needs, a representative who's not only talented, but helpful, too!
She really is a sweet girl. She said "Hi!" to me in the store the other day, just because she saw me. She knew I didn't get a vote in the Miss Utah thing, but that didn't matter. That's just the kind of girl she is.