Miss Sophia Grace and Lambey

I just can't believe Sophie is seven today! I wrote once that Sophie for me embodies the quote about your heart living outside your body. There is something just so indefinably special about Sophie. She's kind, generous, loving, and has a quick and quirky sense of humor. She always has a twinkle in her eye and I think that, combined with her long hair and permanent semi-wink because of her eyelid surgeries, make her seem like she's part fairy. She's bright, inquisitive, and quick to have flashes of temper or to run up and kiss you. One of the things I love most about her is her absolute belief in herself. She likes what she likes, and she doesn't give two hoots what anyone else thinks. Right now, she is enamored with Norway, especially the city of Hammerfest, which lays claim to being the northernmost town in the world. She draws the flag, she studies the globe, she gets out Paul's iPod to check what time the sun will rise and set there today. She loves drawing and writing her own books, and has a back story for each character she draws (we call those pictures "the cast of thousands"). Lately she's been reading "So You Want to be President" every night before she goes to sleep. She's kind of brilliant, and as next year is the year kids get tested at her school for advanced classes we've been concentrating on cleaning up her messy printing and on how to take tests (i.e., reading directions before jumping right in, reading all the answers before you jump right in, etc). So far, she's wanted to be an astronaut, an author, a composer, a baker, a filmmaker, a doctor, and a "traveller" so she can see the world. I am so enjoying watching her grow up and her take on the world.

We love you, Sophie! God bless you on your birthday and always.

I'm fighting off a nasty sinus infection while preparing for BIRTHDAY WEEK - where all three of my kids have their birthdays within a week of each other (but thankfully, not their parties!) Sophie's party has a woodland theme and we're all going to make terrariums this weekend! I will be posting how-to pics and links soon. (as soon as I get over this @#*$&(*@#&$ infection and can get some sleep!)

Do you know what love is? It's not flowers and candy and dinner out and all that. This week, Paul and I were supposed to have a date night that never materialized, due to poor planning on our part and getting thoroughly sick on my part. Then I was up half the night thinking about all the things I had to do in the next week for respective birthdays, presents, baking, crafts, reading in the classrooms... Paul listened to me, and then drove all of us to the craft store and Home Depot because I was too dizzy to drive but too upset to put it off for later in the week. He made decisions about what to get when I was way too fuzzy-headed to make a clear choice (or multiply). He ordered out and cooked so I didn't have to make dinner. He did the laundry - and I am still not certain how he did this part - got each of the kids to fold their own clothes and put them away. He took over the weekly food shopping trip so I could relax and rest (and says he's taking it over from now on). Dinner out is nice, but laundry is love.

Hello, toasty ones!

It's Friday... let's have a listening party! Please leave me a note in the comments either about music that you really like, or music you think I would really like, and why. Do you have a theme song? A favorite artist nobody knows about? Your own band? What's the best song you know?

I'm always interested in hearing music of all kinds, and I'm pretty much open to anything. If there's a link available to hear a song (youtube clips are great!), you can include that too for easy listening.

Stuff I like:
* Beatles, natch
* Vocal/a cappella/choral music
* Anyone who can really sing
* Anyone who can't sing well but makes up for it with soul
* Classical/acoustic guitar
* Humor is always good
* Ambient/electronica
* Rock/pop/anything catchy
* Classic country
* Folk
* American Popular Standards


Stuff I don't like:
* Songs with rude/demeaning lyrics
* People who can't sing and are slick/overproduced packages of a corporate machine (aka Disney teen fluff, unless you can convince me otherwise)
* Heavy metal for some reason just makes me laugh because they try so hard to be scary and take themselves too seriously


Okay, let's get this party started!

Fast from judging others; feast on the Christ dwelling in them.
Fast from emphasis on differences; feast on the unity of life.
Fast from apparent darkness; feast on the reality of life.
Fast from thoughts of illness; feast on the healing power of God.
Fast from words that pollute; feast on phrases that purify.
Fast from discontent; feast on gratitude.
Fast from anger; feast on patience.
Fast from pessimism; feast on optimism.
Fast from worry; feast on divine order.
Fast from complaining; feast on appreciation.
Fast from negatives; feast on affirmatives.
Fast from unrelenting pressures; feast on unceasing prayer.
Fast from hostility; feast on non-resistance.
Fast from bitterness; feast on forgiveness.
Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.
Fast from personal anxiety; feast on eternal truth.
Fast from discouragement; feast on hope.
Fast from facts that depress; feast on verities that uplift.
Fast from lethargy; feast on enthusiasm.
Fast from thoughts that weaken; feast on promises that inspire.
Fast from shadows of sorrow; feast on the sunlight of serenity.
Fast from idle gossip; feast on purposeful silence.
Fast from problems that overwhelm; feast on prayer that undergirds.
~ William Arthur Ward
from a card my mom faxes to me every Ash Wednesday

All you need is love, love. It's easy!


(Note the Norwegian house slippers on Sophie!)

As promised.... the annual Nazzaro family valentine! For reference, Sophie is 6 and the twins are 5. Waaaay back in the day, I used to have to do three separate photo shoots and photoshop them all together so that I could have just ONE picture where those babies were all even looking in the right direction. At least they've stopped eating the hearts. How fun are these going to be when they're in high school?

Watch them grow up....


(2009)


(2008)


(2007)


(2006)


(2005)

Remember when Sophie had her surgery this summer and my mom made us a prayer shawl? She wanted to do something similar for my brother and sister, so for 'Toine's version, she knit him a Tom Baker Dr. Who scarf. But at the same time, little did he know... that I found a pattern for an amigurumi Dalek! Of course I was going to make one for him!

Mine came out a bit like a weeble, but he's very pleased with it (once he stopped laughing). And for those not in the know, what's a Dalek, you ask?

This weekend our elementary school had their fundraiser - a play written by, directed by, starring, choreographed by (you get the picture) the parents. It is THE social event of the year, and everyone involved looked like they were having the time of their lives. And what did I contribute?

The logo design, of course!

These are the roughs I did initially to get a feel for what everyone wanted... it was clear that it was going to be a logotype, but with a little extra something. The one we went with was an homage to "Slumdog Millionaire" using the broken type, lowercase letters, and uneven baseline. (The plot echoes some of the movie, so there was a reason for it.)



Is that your final logo?



It brought back good memories from high school of seeing people wearing the shirts in the play - although I've been also seeing them around town, on kids at school, even at church. Trust me, it's not the design, it's the message.



The cast in their believe shirts while singing "Don't Stop Believing" (of course).



Paul lent his considerable talents to the pit band! Here he is warming up while Angela (fluffy head in front) looks on.

One of the coolest things was that at the finale - again, in homage to Slumdog Millionaire, the entire cast, including the teachers and principal, and all the students in the audience - got up and did the "Jai Ho" dance from the end of the movie. It was just fabulous. The kids practiced it at the end of classes, and even at a Girl Scout meeting!