Colin was born on Dave's birthday. I remember joking with Dave when I was a few days overdue that he was waiting to come for his dad's birthday. And that he did. Dave told everyone at the hospital that day that it was his birthday and his son was his gift.
We celebrated their birthdays on Wednesday this week. Colin had been excited for weeks for his birthday to come. One Saturday I took Colin to the store to point out things he might want as gifts. We ended up getting him some new art supplies (drawing paper, new pens, paints and brushes and paint paper) and a book called Wonkenstein. He LOVED the book. He said it was the best gift ever. The author, Obert Skye, came and visited the school and Colin loved every minute of it. He came home and started writing and illustrating his own books. He drew pictures of Wonkenstein. They read the book at school but he was still excited to get to read it at home. It's a funny book and I love sitting there reading and laughing with the kids, Colin excited because he knows a good part is coming up. It's so fun seeing these boys grow up and noticing how they change year after year. It's fun seeing them developing their talents and wondering what they will be like 5 or 10 years from now. I know Dave doesn't get his own special day anymore, but I don't think he minds sharing with his son.
I read an article the other day that talked about how to "refresh" your home. I thought it was going to give some recipes for homemade air fresheners, but it was all about getting things organized and clean. I decided I was going to work on my bedroom and bathroom. It seems that those two always get neglected and my room turns into a dumping ground for everything: half-filled laundry baskets, library books, stuffed animals, kids' blankets, socks, shoes, church clothes, Lego guys and bath toys. I cleaned everything out of my room that didn't belong and put away anything that I don't use on a daily basis. I took the bookshelf out and put it in my closet where I filled it with all of the bathroom stuff that was taking over my bathroom drawers and cabinets. My bedroom and bathroom have stayed clean the entire week, clutter-free, neat and organized. I love it. I was so pleased with the results that I cleaned out the junk cabinets in my kitchen, and after throwing away a bunch of stuff I didn't need I had two empty shelves. I used that for my water storage and we now have an empty shelf in the garage for the boys' newly-purchased bike helmets. The longer I live here the more I love this house. We may not have all of the fancy upgrades I wish we had, but when everything is clean and put in its place there is a sweet peace that makes me feel so happy to be home..JPG)
