Aunt Bear You Are An IRONMAN...LOL

Tonight we had an almost surprise party (the dingbat spotted two of our cars and ruined her own surprise) for Aunt Bear (AB) for completing her 2nd IRONMAN. For those who don't know what that entails, it's a triathlon on steroids...I never get the distances right, but it's something INSANE like SWIM 2.4 miles (Aunt Bear usually finishes this part right behind the ladies with the prosthetic legs...LOL), then bike 112 miles (she kicks butt on this part), then after all of that craziness, run a MARATHON which for fellow non-marathoners, is a mere 26.2 miles (I had to laugh when she said she wasn't really even running, but was mostly "shuffling" along through this part because her pace was a 10 min mile...which is better than I can do on my BEST day...I must be crawling along and just not realize it)...All of this took Aunt Bear 12 hours and 45 mins to complete...Sound like fun to you? Yea, my thoughts exactly...

Ahh, sorry, I digress...SO, we gathered this evening to celebrate and honestly, I had the feeling we were each celebrating something a little different...AB was definitely celebrating finishing the Ironman, WC was celebrating not having to put up with AB's INSANE training rituals, Jake and Jordan need no other reason to celebrate than having the chance to see each other, and the rest of us don't really need a reason to celebrate...if we're talking good food, good wine and good friends...count us in, no matter what the cause! But this is supposed to be about Jake, right?

Well, Jake was in his glory, because he got to spend the entire dinner with his girl, Jordan...aka, Smidgie! I know I've said it before, but I've got to say it again, these 2 just ADORE each other!!! They giggle and hug and play, and mimic each other and torment the rest of us and then giggle some more. As if that wasn't a blessing enough, they're surrounded by a group of people who also ADORE them. And to top it off, we've somehow all convinced ourselves that we are impartial enough to know, without a doubt, that we have the two smartest, cutest and most lovable kids around!! It's not as though I disagree, but I do sometimes wonder if all parents don't think this about their kids and if we're all just a little blinded by love?!?! Then I look at the two of them and think, nahhh, it's got to be true...LOL

Nights like tonight, I sometimes wonder what it must be like to observe our little Posse from afar??? There we are in this crowded restaurant and somehow, it's as though we're the only ones there. We laugh, play, take tons of pictures with major flashes going off like we've got some long lost relatives or friends visiting from far away places. And for the time that we're together, the world really does just revolve around us...and since the birth of Jake and Jordan, the kids are right at the center of that world. Which reminds me of something Aunt CC asked a couple of weeks ago...we were sitting in Aunt Bear's living room "trying" to watch the Olympics and Jakey was jumping around, arranging us on the couch in the specific places he picked out for us, playing ball in the house (which turned out to NOT be a good thing), and out of the blue, Aunt CC looked up and asked "what did we do to entertain ourselves 3 years ago?" (meaning before Jake was born) GREAT question...

So, dinner was good, the company was even better, and everyone had a great time right up until Jake did a head first slide under the next table...boy, that can put a damper on any celebration in a hurry. Not to worry, he's got a little bruise on his left cheek, but other than that, he's good to go. Of course, that should make for some interesting birthday pictures tomorrow...

All in all, it's been a good week. Jakey is feeling better and he had an INCREDIBLE first week at his new school!!! NO TEARS, not one day at drop off...which has to be a record for us!!! Looks like we're off to a good start. Only challenge we have, at least until the construction on the bridge nearby is complete, is Nanny's difficulty with finding the school and her way back to our house. Today, I attended my first board meeting for my new position at work. I was running the meeting, so I left my cell phone in my office because I knew that I would NOT be able to answer it even if it rang. Well, Nanny got completely lost on her way to pick Jake up (did I mention that she had 2 navigation systems with her at the time...the one in her mercedes and a portable one) and tried my cell and because I didn't answer, decided to call me on my blackberry. Well, NOBODY ever calls me on my bb, because NOBODY (other than my mom) has the number. So, picture this, here I am sitting in this meeting, running the presentation, I have people on video conference from various locations around the globe and my new boss sitting right across from me and as someone is presenting and is mid-sentence, my blackberry starts playing some loud, obnoxious song!!! I nearly fell out of my chair trying to find the right button to shut off the ring...LOL SO, I leave the room thinking something TERRIBLE has happened and my mom (sounding like she's about to rip off all her clothes and run willy nilly through the streets screaming in distress) proceeds to tell me that she's totally and completely lost and CAN NOT find the way to the school to pick up Jakey. Now, I know what you're thinking, oh, come on, she'll find it. Well I would have thought that as well, but there was a prior incident where she was supposed to come and pick me up at the Morristown airport and actually couldn't EVER find it and I had to call a car service to come and take me home 2 hours later.

Have you ever tried to direct a frantic person? Let me correct that statement...a frantic senior citizen with HADD (hyperactive attention deficit disorder)??? I have NO idea how (and neither does she), but she finally made it there to get him and then proceeded to get lost on the way home as well. Jakey sat in the back asking "nanny, are you lost?" I'm sure that was helpful...LOL

OK, so the big party is tomorrow and here I am typing instead of getting things ready... I'm thinking I might be addicted...LOL No, the truth is probably more like I'm just good at procrastinating! Well, here's one last wish for NO RAIN tomorrow!!!

And the Jakey quote of the day for today is...."Mama, I think you should work from home today so we can both stay in our jammies and lay in bed all day and watch Word World"...oh wouldn't my boss be happy to hear that?!?!? LOL