Flashback Friday

Today would have been my dad's 91st birthday. Here he is with my mom and our kids in Winchester, California in the summer of 2003. This was kinda close to their house. I think this was the day we went to a cheese factory. Out by where we took these pictures there were some cows and sheep. Don't ask me why zero of the five of them were wearing sunglasses.
 

Flashback Friday

Lloyd's become fascinated by trains. So today's Flashback is for you, Lloyd. Exactly 21 years ago today, on November 8, 2003, your dad was 13 years old and standing in front of the Shinkansen (bullet train) on a trip we took while we were living in Japan. You can see that your dad John is wearing a Cubs hat. This is because he loved the Cubs when he was a boy. Also notice his headphones. They don't look too out-of-date. But what you can't see is that those headphones were attached to a Walkman, and inside the Walkman was a CD. If you don't know what any of that means, ask your dad and he'll fill you in.

Bright Spots in a Dark Week

I started this blog in 2008 as a way to share photos and stories for the boys - who were by then in college - and for our parents. This was before social media really monopolized the sharing of photos and stories. In the beginning my blog felt kind of cutting edge (oops, editing error, that should have read "cutting edge") and then after facebook and Instagram took off, the blog started to feel tired and behind the times. Now lately I feel like what's old is new again. I love the privacy of this space and I love that it's a record of so many photos and stories. My hope is that it will always be. (Note to self: I really need to work on figuring a way to host this somewhere safer than blogspot.) My focus in the 2024 era of the blog is the grandkids. I write this is in great part so they'll have a journal of their grandparents, themselves, their parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, etc. And so today is a day I need to remind Lloyd, Rosie, Freddie, and unborn baby Harrison-Phelps, that this was a grim and dark week. Not just in history but in the hearts and souls of your parents, your grandparents, family, and friends. Not just grim and dark because the wrong candidate got elected to run our country, but oh so grim and oh so dark because of what the selection says about our fellow citizens and how we treat and respect (or don't respect) each other. I feel a sense of loss, sadness, grief, and doom like I've never felt before. And I'm not alone in my feelings. Talking to you three little cutie-pies yesterday and today really lifted my spirits. And so for today's post I wanted to share some of your specialness as a reminder that there's hope and there's love and there's you - all three (and a half) of you. Just writing these words I feel lighter. I love you and your parents very much and having you all in my life has made this week so much easier to bear. In the picture above we have Lloyd - about to turn two years old at the end of the month - showing us the joy of riding a bike on a brisk fall day.

And here's 17-month-old Rosie trudging through the dry November leaves of Warsaw. I love that she has a leaf in each hand too. I'm told that she carried one all the way home.

And little Freddie, who's about to turn four months old, has found that all he has to do is look to his left and he can gaze upon the most interesting and adorable baby in the room. I think his is a good lesson to me and to all of us, which is to say that the best things in life are right in front of us.

Flashback Friday

In today's edition of "who wore it best" we have an old favorite, the pumpkin costume. On the left is the original wearer, Peter, at age 2. And on the right we have the adopted wearer (she's worn it off and on since middle school), Mary, at age 32. Yes ladies and gentlemen, it's the SAME costume. In Mary's defense, she's fit not only herself but also her unborn child into this costume that was, literally, built for a child. I recently realized I still have the pattern for this classic, so I've promised to make Mary an adult version of the pumpkin costume for next year. A mother's work is never done. (Peter and John, I'll make you and/or your children one too if you'll wear it.)

October Wrap-Up

The cutest little avocado made his Halloween debut in Denver. Freddie is learning young that it's fun to be festive.

Even though I don't have a Halloween photo of Lloyd (he was Batman), he was excited after getting to watch some real-life construction equipment working in his neighborhood.

Meanwhile in Budapest, Rosie and her parents saw some sights and took a selfie.

Rosie's On the Road, and other news

This week I'm starting with Freddie, who's growing big quickly. He's getting out and about and starting to realize the world is bigger than he was led to believe.

Last weekend Lloyd visited the airplane museum and found his own way to expand his world. If only he could reach the pedals.

Meanwhile today at home, the brothers are being awfully sweet and Freddie's being awfully festive.

Speaking of festive, Rosie celebrated an early Halloween last weekend. This is because Peter's on fall break over Halloween and they'll be out of town. They went to a trick-or-treat event with some other teachers.

Then last night they took an overnight train to Budapest for their fall break in Hungary. Here's Rosie showing you how much better she has it than her dad. Back when he was a kid in Poland he had to share a bathroom with everybody else on the train. She and her parents got this nice clean bathroom all to themselves.

After a nine-hour sleep on the train, Rosie was ready to explore Budapest.

 

Flashback Friday

As I write this, Peter, Jessa, and Rosie are on an overnight train en route to their fall break in Hungary. After boarding, they sent some pictures of their sleeping berth. I must say, it's a gigantic upgrade from the trains we used to take overnight when we lived in Poland. (And which we thought were pretty great.) At the same time, over in Denver we have Lloyd, who's become fascinated with trains. So, I'm combining these two situations to bring you this week's train-themed Flashback. Above is John in November of 2001, boarding a train on a snowy night in Zakopane, Poland, bound for Warsaw.