hold on tight

this might be the most adorable thing ever.

A puddle of tears.

There's something about those Disney and Pixar animated movies that , for the better part of 3 decades have reduced me to a sniffling, blubbery, crying mess. I distinctly remember going to see The Fox and The Hound when I was a little girl. I was inconsolable for 2 days.

The opening sequence of The Lion King, with all the animals trickling in, and that music...like a chant at first, then swelling to a crescendo as Mufasa shows off Simba for the first time. How could something made of ink and paint fill me with such emotion?

Or, when Dory begs Marlon not to leave..."I look at you...and I'm home. Please, I don't want that to go away. I don't want to forget."

We went to see WALL-e for Noah's birthday on Monday. I cried at the beginning, During the middle and at the end. I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it, so I will just say that it is very cute and funny (kids and adults will love it), but there's a couple of really deep messages in this movie that got to me in a way that a movie hasn't done in a long time. It had me digging around my purse for a Kleenex, crying a puddle of tears. Go see it. You'll love it.

We spent the day on a movie set.

It's not as exciting or glamorous as the title suggests. This vacation week, we've planned little day trips, and yesterday Noah chose to visit his perfect paradise - the Lego Store at the Burlington Mall (in MA).

We entered the mall through Macy's and it felt like a Twilight Zone episode as the realization crept up on us slowly, that everything surrounding us was dripping with Christmas Decorations. What the...!?!?!


Then we saw the sign:

It was really cool to see a little bit of Hollywood magic, even though we didn't see much action or any celebrities.

Oh, and on a health care/ diabetes note:
Look what they had on the wall in the restroom. I had never seen one outside of the doctors office, and thought it was really cool that it was available to people.
Maybe it's because I have a public bathroom phobia and try not to visit them unless it's a dire emergency, but this is new to me! (And maybe a little too exciting- I mean, I took a picture of the thing! )

I love...

I got this over at Jillians. :) The rules: Make a list of your loves. The only catch? You can’t include a single person you know on your list. No “I love the way my husband laughs” or “I love hearing my little girl call for me.” It’ll be tough, I know. But this particular little exercise is about stripping away everyone who defines you and figuring out what you (not his partner; not their mother/daughter/sister/friend) love.





I love everything about the beach.


I love lying on the floor under the Christmas tree.


I love a good cup of coffee (hot and iced).

I love consistently normal blood sugars.

I love Converse All Star sneakers.



I love maki sushi.


I love old buildings and architecture.


I love a warm cat to cuddle with.


I love learning to knit and crochet.


I love helicopter pods that fall from trees.


I love a good joke.


I love painting my toenails.


I love random acts of kindness.


I love wasabi peas.


I love singing and dancing.


I love rain on the roof at night.


I love driving with the windows down and the radio up.


I love ugg slippers.


I love flossing.


I love clean crisp sheets and down comforters.


I love baking.


I love Stephen King books.


I love Hello Kitty.


I love vintage Pyrex vessels.


I love Ireland.


I love food cooked on the grill.


I love to organize.

I love a good cry.

I love the song "Here Comes the Sun"

Dear Noah,

Thank you for my breakfast this morning! It was so thoughtful and special of you to make coffee and pick out the perfect granola bar. I'm such a lucky mom. Don't grow up, ok?
Love & Kisses,
Mom

I have a date.

My mom got us tickets!!! He's so dreamy...
I know, I sound like I'm 12.

Winter Wonderland

It went from a few flurries to near blizzard conditions in 5 minutes yesterday. I've been living in New England all my life, and never have I seen the snow accumulate so fast. More than an inch an hour.


School let out an hour early, and as soon as Noah got off the bus, he asked if he could stay out and play in the snow.

I practically had to threaten him with bodily harm to force him into the house, he was having so much fun sledding. When he came in, he said "mom, I feel like a corpse-icle, just like that guy on "Pushing Daisies". (you had to be there).

After having a nice mug of hot cocoa, he thawed right out.

Noah's Favorite Hot Cocoa made with Splenda

8 oz. milk

2 T Hershey's Cocoa Powder

3 or 4 Splenda packets (to taste)

pinch of salt

dash of vanilla

Heat milk over low heat (do not boil). You can also do this in the microwave.

Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk like crazy to remove any lumps.

Garnish with mini marshmallows and enjoy!

This was taken at about 9:30 last night, as the snow kept coming down.

We're supposed to get another foot on Sunday.

Good Morning

I'm not a morning person. I wake up early every day, and it is completely against my nature to do so. So today was no different- I opened my eyes and cursed under my breath (damn, it's cold!) and half-slid, half-fell out of bed.
I went to wake up Noah and help him pick out his outfit. He opened his eyes and beamed with his great big smile, and sprang out of bed ready to start his day.

In stark contrast, I plodded down the hallway to the kitchen, bleary eyed and sounding a bit like Ozzy as I grumbled back over my shoulder, "deodorant...don't forget to put on droderennnnt".
Over breakfast when Noah was testing his blood sugar, he flashed that smile again and then he said something that woke me right the heck up.

"I love my life".


"What did you say, Noah"? Again, he flashed that smile and said "I love my life". And then "click"! Went the lancet thing.

Immediately, my fog lifted and I was fully awake and beaming myself. "I'm so happy you feel that way, Noah - you're pretty awesome!" I slapped him a high five but in my head was going over those 4 words over and over, amazed. With all the crap he has to go through every day, the fact that he can say that, and honestly mean it is just...

...I love my son.