Random Thoughts in No Particular Order...

A friend of mine recently referred to herself on her blog as a "phonetograher." I am adopting that title for myself as well because most of the time I am just too lazy to pull out my mediocre pocket camera instead. Thus the semi-blurry picture of my kids and I outside a bakery.

• The East coast has a reputation for being populated with people who are unkind and frigid. I have not found this to be the case. For example, just this afternoon when the older kids and I took a walk to a local bakery another of the bakery's patrons offered to take a picture of the three of us together outside. 
• I am so excited for fall, especially fall in Connecticut. I have been told there is nothing quite like it and my expectations are through the roof. Don't let me down, CT. 
• Last Autumn our family got to spend a month with Ryan's brother and his family in Colorado. Thinking about all the heavenly treats I want to bake makes me miss them. Becky and I baked ourselves sick with pumpkin desserts last year. It was awesome.
• In one week, on 9/10/11, I will celebrate my birthday. That's even cooler than a golden birthday if you ask me. I'm turning 33, so I guess that means I'm mid-thirties now, huh? I actually really like this age. Thirty-something has treated me well so far.
• Speaking of getting older, my sister and I have talked on more than one occasion about how we aren't too bothered by some of the physical signs of aging that we are starting to notice about ourselves (minus gray hairs. I pull them out whenever I spot them). She sent me a little package this last week. Included in it was some of her amazing vinyl and one of the quotes she sent me was by Mark Twain: "Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been." I'm totally hanging that one on my bathroom wall. I love it. 
• Isaac was riding his tricycle up a fairly steep hill today while we were at the park. As he pedaled his bike closer and closer to the "summit" of the hill, he started grunting loudly and yelling, "This is so hard! But I.CAN.DO.IT! Because I can do hard things!" I hope he always believes that about himself.
• I recently read about a study done on gratitude journals. Those who kept a diary of things they were grateful for were said to be more content with their lives. I don't know how scientific the study was, but it intrigued me enough to start one myself.  I don't write in in everyday like I would like to, but when I do, it only takes me five minutes and I can honestly say that it has helped me have an overall more cheerful attitude about life. Totally worth five minutes a day. Plus, it gives me a place to write down funny things my kids say that I would otherwise forget. 
• Like this: I watched the Wizard of Oz with my older kids for the first time today, but to Maddie, he was instead, "The Lizard of All."
• I deactivated my facebook account about a year ago. I think FB can be fabulous, but I was wasting way too much time on it. Until I reactivated it today, that it, so that I could open up a Pinterest account. My sisters have been raving about it and I finally decided I had to see what it's all about.  Oh, then I deleted my FB account again. I just can't trust myself... butI still peak at Ryan's more often than I should just to see what family is up to.
• We have started doing a babysitting swap with some friends that live close to us. Right now I am watching their sleeping children and next week they will watch ours so my hubby and I can go on a hot date. It's a sweet arrangement that gives us each two dates a month, sometimes more. I think everyone who has children and is on a budget (i.e. doesn't want to pay for a sitter) should do a swap-a-roo like this one.
• My 17-month old is a bully to his older siblings and I'm not sure what to do about it. Just the other day I heard Maddie shrieking (she can really ham it up) so I ran into the room to find that Davis had backed her into a corner and was turbo-hitting her with a gigantic grin on his face. As soon as he sees me he always blurts out an enthusiastic "SAAWWWEEE (sorry)!!!!"If he weren't my child I would find his actions hilariously funny. Seriously, she is a good 12 inches taller than him and he can torment her (and his older brother) like no other. One of these days they are going to retaliate and it won't be pretty.
• I am homesick for my family. So much so that I counted yesterday that Ryan only has 34 more months of his podiatry residency left. 2 down, 34 to go. I really need my Massachusetts sister back.
• I am reading Anna Karenina for book club this month. I would never in a million years choose to read that 700+ page book just for pleasure on my own, but I am enjoying it. Let's hope I can get really into it enough to read the last 400 pages in the next 10 days. Because remember, these women are serious about their books and I can't afford to show up unprepared again. I'm still a newbie. That being said, I'm off to read all about scandalous Russians.