There's Always A Smile On This Boy
This picture isn't recent. And the story isn't about this shot specifically. But every time I look at this picture of the top of Bug's head, I laugh and smile. The fact that my boys are 5 years apart, with one in high school where Every. Single. Moment is driven by a hormone tsunami more powerful than anything he can possibly ever control, makes it hard sometimes for me to feel like I'm giving them equal time. Latel

Little Bits
I witnessed what might arguably (wow does that word look funny all typed out!) be one of the sweetest acts of brotherhood to come out of my oldest son the other day. There is a bully in our neighborhood. A bully that is just slightly older than Bug. A bully who decided that it was fine for him to talk smack, but not for Bug to talk it right back. A bully who decided that he could just haul off and punch my kid in the face for no reason other than Bug stood up to him. A bully who is very lucky that Bug didn't know where he lived, exactly, because when Bug came home sporting a bright red cheekbone.....his big brother stood up, put his shoes on, and declared he was going to "have a talk" with

Penny For Your Thoughts
Take a good look at those pennies. They might look like two ordinary pennies, but really look at them. Look at the differences, at what each penny has been through.The penny on the left has obviously been around for quite some time, right? It's helped to pay for ice cream and movies, manicures and prom dresses. It was the most necessary part of grocery store carousel rides and a c

Just.....Stop. For Just a Minute, Okay?
Lately, every time I look at one of my boys, I find myself thinking the same thing."Dude...slow down on the whole growing up thing, will ya?"I don't have babies anymore. I no longer have little boys. I'm not sure I've even got "kids" in the stereotypical sense. No, what I have is one son who is chomping at the bit to do everything his older brother does, only sooner, and a teenager who is morphing into an adult so much faster than I could possibly be ready for and so much slower than he dreams about. We once had racetracks strung across my living room, with mismatched driver/navigator pairs like the Fisher Price mom (remember her, with the blu

The One In Which I'm A Puddle Of Goo
When they're little, your children believe the sun rises and sets on mom's opinion. A good one will have them smiling for hours; a bad one will leave them in tears. As your children grow, they are so busy living and learning life that you become super busy just trying to stay a part of their life. You don't realize that they're asking for your opinion less and less. Until they ask for it again.The teenager walked into the room recently, sat (read: plopped) down next to me on the sofa, laid his head on my shoulder and asked if I could take him to a very specific store that day. There was a necklace he wanted very much to buy, and Mom... it's