Don't pass Go.. don't collect..

Happy Mother's Day.. I hope all the Moms had a restful, enjoyable day... cause tomorrow(today) it is back to the grind. Breakfast in bed will be replaced with making breakfast for your broods... Cards will be replaced with permission notes and post school scrambles and those flowers will be pushed aside to make room for homework and projects. As a Dad and a Son, I am thankful for all the Moms in my life... Given the load and the sacrifices moms do and the pure fact that they always put us first.. warrants the thought that everyday is mother's day... because with out Moms the day wouldn't start right and the end would be missing the attention to detail that makes each day flow from one to the next. This one was a special one for us.. Dot's early arrival made Toots and the kiddos the center of attention, the family and friends that spent time with us and those that were miles away all contributed to a day that was fun, relaxing and non-eventful.

If there is one thing I have learned about Toots over the years is that I should never ever play Monopoly with her. Big Sis begged for a game tonight... So Toots and her mom along with Big Sis sat down for a "fun" game... Little Guy and I knew better.. so we decided to stay clear of the house for awhile... The game went on for sometime.. when Toots announced she needed to go upstairs... I was forced into playing... Figuring that in the absence of Toots,, the game wouldn't be that bad, I agreed.. Man was I wrong... I see where she gets her drive to win this darn game.. I also see that Big Sis has acquired the same passion of winning... so what I thought was going to be a easy wrap up of an on-going game now has turned into a multi day event... I am sure I will hear something about what I did to Toot's growing empire and be nicely asked to let her finish what she started... I will gladly give up my trustee role and search for a quiet spot in the house tomorrow when their battle to secure the streets of Monopoly continues. I am sure Toot and Big Sis are plotting their individual battle plans, mounting the elephants and ready their trips to reclaim or conquer the precious pieces of paper that make up the property.

A little over a week since Dot made her arrival.. in that time our lives haven't changed all that much... Dot is really the perfect baby... sleeping and eating on a schedule... when awake.. she is content to be held and watch her world come to her... I will say that for someone so tiny it is amazing how her arrival has impacted or influenced so many major changes on our space.... the Dot dowry continues to grow with more clothes, gifts and stuff that I have no idea what purpose they serve. There is a struggle between Big Sis and Little Guy to see who gets to hold her...it is a great struggle as the picture of the Big Brother and Sister holding Dot is precious. Little Guy is jealous not of his new sister but of her name... he wants a name as long as Big Sis and Dot.. so he announced today he will not longer go by his two letter initial name and now prefers to be call the same name as his grandfather... He is reacting to this in the same manner I did when I tired of my childhood nickname... We will see how long it lasts and how determined he is to demand we call him by his long name... It is a good thing he doesn't have stationary...

I am amazed at how easily our lives adjust to change... I guess good change is easier than hard change when it comes to impacting our mindset. Regardless of the change, we morph our thoughts, routines and lives to embrace and face the challenge of change... Good change is a welcome path that leads us to new and exciting findings... Bad change or distributive change takes us down the same path... the difference is that on the good path you look for those nuggets... on the bad path we are to focused on changing the course... the old adage of taking time to smell the roses applies to good and bad change... Not to fear.. there is nothing bad on our road.. I am just musing about life's little curve balls... When the news of Dot was first communicated, I thought my god... what are we going to do... the Arrival of Dot changed my thought process and has me thinking my god look at all we can do... "I was so much older than... I'm younger than that now(Bob Dylan)" sums up how I am changing with the good...

I set a goal of 2,000 hits on this blog before the old counter hit zero... while we all know Dot decided to screw with the math... we are still on track to hit 2,000 by the 18th... hope you still find this entertaining... Cause I find it relaxing and therapeutic..

Good night... Keep those cards and letters coming...