Meredith Carson... Across the Pond and Back Again...

Eleven years isn't so very long, but I am now a different person than I was then.  Eleven years ago I was twenty four years old, and I had rainbows in my eyes.  The future that I pictured was a perfect continuation of the fairy tale that had begun to blossom in my imagination.  Perfect fairy tales, however, are rather boring, and we learn very little when everything is perfect . Superficially I didn't have any wrinkles or stretch marks eleven years ago.  I had never spent a sleepless night taking care of someone else.  The girl in the picture above didn't know a whole lot about selfless giving.  For the record the girl sitting at the keyboard typing still has quite a bit to learn on that topic. When I looked, mesmerized, into my brand new husband's face eleven years ago, I never imagined that I could gaze upon him and feel anything less than euphoria.  Eleven years ago I was well-rested, and his pranks were always adorable.  His raggedy Ba...

Because he lives with me all of the time, I sometimes forget what a joy my husband is.  I'm not even being sarcastic.  Sometimes I just get the tired George who has been at work all day, who comes home and feels compelled to carry out various construction projects around the house.  That guy is lovely, but he isn't the life of the party... so sometimes I forget that "the life of the party" is who my guy naturally is. I am not the life of the party typically.  I am the girl who makes a quiet witty comment in the corner at the party.  In the beginning our differences drew us together, and these differences have continued to serve us well through the years.  He appreciates my unusual sense of humor, and I very much appreciate the fact that he can help me take myself less seriously.  But I still often forget how positively fabulous he is.  It is nice to be reminded.  It is nice to see my husband through someone else's eyes and to remember why h...

Last Friday Lili and I took my husband to the medical center to have a "little procedure."  This procedure will ensure that Lili is the last Carson girly to spring from our loins.  I've done my mourning, but honestly after the post-birth experience I had with Lili, I knew I was finished.  George states, for all of you trembling, scalpel-fearing dudes out there, that it would be "nuts" (pun possibly intended) for me to have a surgical tubal ligation.  The procedure for a man is much simpler and carries almost no risks, while tubal ligation carries a very slim chance of significant health issues.  It should be a no-brainer, and for the record, my body has been through enough with carrying, giving birth to, and feeding these wonderful children. That being said, since it was such a simple procedure, Lili and I actually sat in the room with George while the extremely jovial Doctor Pheninger did his thing.  Dr. P apparently really enjoys his job.  He told ...

Over the weekend, George and the girls bought a griddle, some fancy food coloring and a big ole box of Bisquick.  Breakfast will never be the same.   The breakfast of clever little champions? A good breakfast can improve your observational skills.  "Did you see that giant squirrel, Lili?" *British friends, these are obviously American style flapjacks, also known as pancakes.

What a great weekend we had!  On Thursday we were joined by Pawpaw, Barbara and Uncle David, and we were all geared up to help George ring in his fourth glorious decade on this earth.  But, first things must come first... Lili enjoyed meeting her Pawpaw for the first time ever.  She agreed with the rest of us.  That Pawpaw is one funny guy. On Friday, George had the day off, and the gang spent a sunny afternoon playing softball and croquet in our big old Michigan yard.   At some point I sneaked inside and decorated the house with giant posters that the kids and I had made earlier in the week.  They looked something like this... ...and here is one created by Sophie... Somehow I managed to successfully deceive my husband, and he was completely caught by surprise when about 15 of his friends showed up to help with the celebrating.  Yay me!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GEORGE!!! Uncle David and I did a little cuttin' up and attempted some sal...