Little Peppard Boy

This was the year we brought back the tradition of making Gus get up to have breakfast with Trent commemorating the breakfast Trent had just ordered but didn't get to eat that morning 11 years ago when Gus came one month early.  Gus is not (as has been previously mentioned) a morning person.  He is often not an afternoon person and sometimes not an evening person.  He IS, however a NIGHT person.  A Night Owl.  I digress.  We woke him and he breakfasted on eggs and OJ with Dad.  He chatted and smiled.  Why?  Because Gus is our child of tradition.  He, more than any of the Peppards' loves tradition, celebration, ceremony.  He'd make a great Catholic, come to think of it....  The stickler here would be that he has decided that he just doesn't believe in God.  (Not that that's stopped many a Catholic from practicing.)  I'm breaking out the library of culturally sensitive, inclusive, child-friendly biblical figures.  He knows that everyone gets to decide what they believe and no one gets to tell you what you have to believe.  He also knows that not everyone has to know that he knows.  He still believes in Santa Claus. 
Again, I digress.  This boy loves celebration.  He gets it.  If there is ever an opportunity to celebrate some happening in the family... birthdays, anniversaries, dog arrival, cat birthday, (he can and will assign a date if necessary).  But there will be acknowledgement.   
He is by far our most complicated child.
Our family has more stories about Gus than about any of us.
This blog has more Gus-related stories than any of us.  (He is still a few posts ahead of slacker-CF.)
He hides nothing about his own feelings, Gus tells it like it is.  I was recently surprised to learn that he has many secrets.  We were putting Christmas stuff in the trunk of the car and I said that something was a surprise and asked if he could keep a secret.  He sighed and said (and I am not shitting you here) "Oh mom, I have SOOOOO many secrets."  What the hell am I supposed to do with THAT load?

Gus is now 11.

Bay is four!

I cannot believe that Bay is four. Neither can she apparently, because she started off her day insisting that she was NOT four... she was "free". She warmed up to the idea after the boys reminded her of her presents. The fabulous Burns family came over to make up our "party". Some day I won't be so lame and will plan an actual party...... maybe next year when she turns five. Four just seems like a time to celebrate without going over the top. If she were in preschool it might be different because she would probably have attended other little girls parties and therefore have some idea of what she should expect! We are happy for low-key. Birthdays and parties and expectations met (and not) and sophisticated social networks and elaborate wish lists won't be long coming. For now, Bay was happy to help make her cake (chocolate) and was most excited that Jimmy was coming. Jimmy is the Burns family's cute little terrier that Bay pretends is her own. Kimberly attached balloons to Jimmy and as they were leaving Bay tried to give Kimberly the balloons back saying "here are your balloons"... Four is still innocent.

Birthday Weekend

I appear to be still celebrating my birthday! We had a great weekend with the cousins in Victoria. I only had two kids with me (Trent had baseball tryouts with Neil). The weekend was so much fun. I got my wish of not moving far from the kitchen or living room. NO walks ON the beach... NO walks TO the park... No people jumping OUT OF cakes. (I HATE that!) BUT I did get lots of presents and some great cards. The O'Flynn cousins seem to have a distinctly crazy sense of humor. They each picked out a card for me and each one was funny and they each wrote funny things on them too. The O'Leary made cards (all featuring crayoned versions of me!) Truthfully, I felt very special. (Yes... "Auntie Dawa is VURY special..... ") I was feelin' the love.

Trent's Birthday

The boys have NEVER been so excited for Trent's birthday. Gus was the most excited to see him and assail him with roars of "happy birthday"! (ROARS) Neil put much more work into the actual day... planning the food, wanting me to make a cheesecake (cause Trent loves it), taking great care and huge time to create a "funny" card. Gus made me wake him at 6a.m. to wish Trent a "happy birthday" but couldn't be woken... didn't even flinch... but Gene actually got up wished him a gravelly "happy birthday dad" (then went back to bed for an hour). With our new budget it wasn't quite an orange, a stick of peppermint candy and a bright shiny new penny, but it wasn't the gift display of yesteryear!!