Life and Times of the Acklin Army

Kevin and I are so lucky to have friends like this.

Thank you Holly, Brian and our absolute biggest supporter - Ro!

Here we are with our little pierogies at the Carrick Halloween Parade.

Column from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette;  Wednesday, October 28, 2009:

Vote for My Nephew,  by Dan Acklin

"Kevin Acklin is my nephew. He’s a good man, and I love him like a son, so there was never any doubt about who I would support for mayor of Pittsburgh. But even if he wasn’t a part of my family — even if I’d met him just a few days ago — he’d still get my vote.

I’m a firefighter from Overbrook. A union member. A lifelong Democrat. I’ve lived and worked in this city my whole life — long enough to know that we need a mayor who cares about the neighborhoods. A mayor who cares about working people. A mayor who cares more about public service than he does about politics.

When Kevin was growing up, he always wanted to be a fireman. His grandfather, Chuck Harris, was a battalion chief for the City of Pittsburgh. Kevin wanted to emulate him. He wanted to grow up and give of himself and help other people just like his Pap did. And that’s just what he’s done.

After he graduated from Central Catholic, Kevin put himself through Harvard and then on to law school at Georgetown. He worked in Boston, and he did quite well for himself. But I always knew Kevin was coming back to Pittsburgh. That was all he ever wanted.

This is his home.

That’s why Kevin co-founded and became executive director of Renew Pittsburgh, a volunteer organization that helps clean up and rebuild neighborhoods all over the city. He helped clean and repaint the Boulevard Cannon in Brookline. He helped clean up Broadway Avenue in Beechview. He helped clean up Volunteer Field in Carrick, so kids in the neighborhood would have a place to play baseball again. He worked on the August Wilson Home in the Hill, the Holy Rosary School in Homewood and the Armstrong Memorial on the North Side.

He’s gone to neighborhoods all across Pittsburgh, rolled up his sleeves and gotten his hands dirty to help people where they live. He didn’t do it for fame or for press coverage. He did it because he cares. And because he knows that helping each other is what Pittsburghers do.

When Kevin was young, he had it rough. His mom raised him and his two brothers by herself, and they didn’t always have a lot. Kevin understands what it’s like for a family to live paycheck to paycheck, and to worry that you won’t have enough money to pay the bills or put food on the table. He knows what it’s like to struggle, and to work and scrape for everything you’ve ever gotten in your life.

Kevin understands the problems we have in Pittsburgh because he’s lived through a lot of them and worked hard to overcome them in his own life. He didn’t get to where he got by being lazy. Or by letting other people do work for him. Or by getting other people to prop him up.

His family isn’t famous. His friends don’t own corporations. He’s just a hard-working family man, born in South Oakland and raised in Banksville, who’s dedicated himself to helping his family and his neighbors in the community.

For Kevin, that’s what being mayor is all about: trying to make a better life for all of us.

He has a plan to reinvest in our neighborhoods and business districts. He has a plan to put more officers on our streets and make our communities safer. He has a plan to save the libraries and the pension fund. He has a plan to bring a renaissance not just to Downtown or along the shores, but to our own homes.

Kevin Acklin has a passion for Pittsburgh and for its people. He has the working-class, Democratic values we need in our mayor. He has the life and the work experience it takes to lead the city and to serve all of its citizens.

Kevin understands the value of humility and the importance of public service. If we elect him mayor on Nov. 3, I know he’ll be the hardest-working and caring mayor in America. I know he’ll put Pittsburgh first again. And I know he’ll make us all proud.

 

And it’s an honor to have it.  

Click here to read the article in support of Kevin written by Louis “Hop” Kendrick, Pittsburgh Courier.

 

While driving down Parkview Avenue in Oakland the other day I was so touched by what I saw - yard after yard of Acklin for Pittsburgh signs.  These are the good folks who know Kevin best; especially Grandma "Nunny" Harris.  It was a beautiful day today so I took a couple pictures of the street.  Our boys are especially excited about the support they see for their daddy, and very aware of Kevin’s signs.  As soon as they see one they exclaim from their car seats, "Look, Mommy!  More Daddy signs!"

(story by Dan Majors, photo by Rebecca Droke; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Acklin takes mayoral bid to city’s porches - Monday, October 19, 2009

Kevin Acklin wants to talk to you about his family.

It’s one of the ways the independent candidate for mayor starts conversations with prospective voters.

"You can’t win without connecting to the people," he said during a recent door-to-door campaign swing in Banksville. "Standing outside someone’s home, we rarely get into deep discussions about pensions or other issues that are really big in the city. People just want a mayor who cares."

Mr. Acklin, 33, has roots that run deep through South Oakland, where his grandmother still lives. He has stories of his firefighting grandfather, who was battalion chief at the firehouse on McKee Place. He shares memories of his mother, his brothers, the relatives and friends who shaped his youth.

"[Voters] might not know me, but a lot of them know my mother, they remember my grandpap," he said. "It’s what Mark DeSantis didn’t have [when he ran for mayor in 2007]. He almost got 40 percent of the vote without having that family network in the city.

"I think people want to know you’re one of them. I’m not looking to brainwash people. I’m out to introduce myself. Then I find out what’s on their minds."

Mr. Acklin, a business attorney, is one of two independent candidates challenging Democratic Mayor Luke Ravenstahl in next month’s election. The other is Franco Dok Harris.

"But I’m not living off my father’s name," Mr. Acklin said.

How could he? Mr. Ravenstahl is the son of a local magistrate, and Mr. Harris is the son of a Hall of Fame Steelers running back.

Mr. Acklin’s father is a convicted felon.

Mr. Acklin was 3 when his father, Timothy Acklin, a man already caught up in drugs and crime, was arrested for the 1979 armed robbery of a store in North Carolina. Sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison, family members successfully petitioned to have him transferred to Western Penitentiary along the Ohio River on the North Side, so they could visit him.

"I still remember his number," Mr. Acklin said during a recent visit to the medium-security facility now called the State Correctional Institution-Pittsburgh. "Prisoner 4833."

Because Mr. Acklin and his father share the same birthdate — May 22 — some of his earliest memories are of his mother carting him and his two brothers to share birthday cake with their father in the prison yard. He chokes up as he talks about it, he said, because of what his mother went through.

"It was tough. But it was my mom who struggled," he said. "I remember when my dad was released in 1986, she tied ribbons around the tree outside the house. But he fell back into trouble. And there was domestic violence."

His mother, Candee, a nurse at UPMC Presbyterian, divorced his father and has remarried.

"These things happen to people. I hear the stories every day. I get it," said Mr. Acklin, who has dedicated time to pro bono work on behalf of victims of domestic violence. "I had family members who helped me deal with it. I had that support, and now I try to give back."

A graduate of Central Catholic High School, Mr. Acklin studied law at Harvard and Georgetown universities. As a young Republican, he worked for former Gov. Tom Ridge in Washington, D.C., before returning to Pittsburgh five years ago as a business attorney with Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, negotiating with lawyers, unions, businesses and politicians.

"I come from a strong Democratic background, but when I was growing up, the GOP was the party of reform, the ones looking to make government more efficient," Mr. Acklin said. "The trouble with the Republican Party is that it doesn’t have an urban agenda. Besides, there isn’t a Democratic way to solve a problem or a Republican way to solve a problem. There’s the right way to solve a problem."

Two years ago, Mr. Acklin launched his first political bid, as a Republican, running against Chuck McCullough for an at-large seat on Allegheny County Council. He lost the race with 43 percent of the vote to Mr. McCullough’s 56 percent.

Married and the father of two boys, Mr. Acklin lives in Squirrel Hill. He chose to run for mayor this year as an independent, he said, because "partisan politics have held this city back."

"I envision this as a coalition candidacy," he said. "This mayor has never had a real job, and that’s why city government is in the mess it’s in. The mayor must be a constant negotiator for the sake of the people in the city, whether he’s dealing with City Council, the local unions or people in Harrisburg. I have that background as a negotiator."

Mr. DeSantis said he got to know Mr. Acklin when Mr. Acklin was an attorney with Apangea Learning, where Mr. DeSantis is chief executive officer. The former Republican candidate for mayor said he finds no fault in Mr. Acklin running as an independent.

"I give him the benefit of the doubt," said Mr. DeSantis, who has endorsed Mr. Acklin. "His simple message is, ‘Being mayor is not about party affiliation. Look, don’t prejudge me out of some narrow political bias. Judge me as a person and as a professional.’ I think he’s sending a message."

Mr. DeSantis said Mr. Acklin’s background in business dealings suits him for the mayor’s job.

"That’s his skill as an attorney, particularly in dealing with financial and business transactions," Mr. DeSantis said. "He was at my elbow during negotiations with investors, other business people, big companies. Those things get very complicated and very contentious very fast. If you’re not careful, they can get very emotional. For somebody his age, he has the maturity and poise and wisdom. And he’s the old man in the race."

"That’s one of the first things that I noticed about him," said Paul Ellis Jr., a Hill District attorney who has known Mr. Acklin for a couple years. "Kevin has a very hands-on approach when it comes to identifying issues in the community, respecting others’ opinions and listening to things that matter to people. He has a common-sense approach when it comes to conflict resolution."

Mr. Ellis, the nephew of the late playwright August Wilson and a longtime Democrat, said he voted for Mr. Ravenstahl in the past.

"But I’m not entirely comfortable with the direction the city is going," Mr. Ellis said. "I don’t blame Mr. Ravenstahl for every single thing that’s wrong. But I do know the importance of leadership."

Mr. Acklin has modeled his campaign after former Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, who swept to the presidency last year on the strength of local organization. Mr. Acklin is focusing his precious political time and resources on front porches where the door is likely to be opened by a registered voter willing to speak with him.

Campaign aides armed with computer printouts from past elections have accompanied him as he has canvassed one neighborhood after another. They skip houses where his message is unlikely to be received.

His goals include neighborhood redevelopment, a larger police force and restoration of the city’s pension fund. He said he encounters people who aren’t happy with the current administration but willing to put up with it.

"The attitude is that things are going well enough," he said. "Are you kidding? Go to Homewood. Go to Lincoln-Lemington, Brookline or Beechview. See the neighborhoods that are falling further and further behind."

Mr. Acklin is counting on what he perceives as a growing anti-Ravenstahl sentiment. By Mr. Acklin’s math, if he can get the votes that Mr. DeSantis got in 2007 "and flip another 18,000 or 19,000" from Mr. Ravenstahl, he could win.

"It’s a matter of motivating voters who want change," he said. "If everyone who knows we can do better shows up and votes, we’re going to win."

Kevin just got his third set of soles of the campaign.  Here is a picture of the second set, casualties of Pittsburgh’s sidewalks!

Cold day,

warm brownies,

clean beaters,

messy boy.

Public library funding is a tough issue currently facing Pittsburghers with the possible closing of several Carnegie library branches.  We are not alone.  The financial strain of these institutions is being felt nationwide - including Iowa and Georgia where a community-based public awareness campaign is highlighting the vital role of our public libraries and raising awareness about the critical funding issues they face.  Funded in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the campaign, "introduces the word geek as a verb and draws attention to the fact every individual is passionate about something and anyone can learn more about what they geek—what they are passionate about—at the public library."  Check it out at www.geekthelibrary.org.  Also, check out the Geek the Library Channel on YouTube.com to see some real "geeks" in action.  Here is my favorite video - Maddie, at my little hometown library in Roland, Iowa.  (Click on the thumbnail below.)  The girl geeks guinea pigs.  Love it.  What do you geek?

I just love this picture taken of Kevin in front of our wonderful neighbors’ home.

Novelist David Benedictus and illustrator Mark Burgess are hoping to delight a new generation of children with a sequel to the Winnie the Pooh stories, Return to the Hundred Acre Wood, set to be published on October 5th (today).  I wonder what A.A. Milne and E.H. Shepard would think of the addition of a new character - the apparently snobby Lottie the Otter?  I have a precious Winnie book which was published in 1964.  Although the illustrations in the new book appear very similar to the old, you just can’t beat an original (musty smell and all).

News article from NPR here.

Photo essay from Time here.

Photo entitled:  Cardinal on backyard fence taken by crappy camera through window.

Is it October already?  This recipe comes from the Trax Farms Market.  I thought this would be fun to try.  Let me know if you try it too.  (Send me pictures!)

Dinner-in-a-Pumpkin

• 1 pumpkin (8-10 pds)
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp Italian herbs
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 4 cups tomato juice
• 1 cup rice, uncooked
• 3 cups cabbage
• 1/2 pound green beans

Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Wash pumpkin, cut off top, scrape seeds and discard.  (Kevin likes to bake pumpkin seeds with garlic, butter and salt.  So I’ll save mine.)  Brown ground beef slightly; drain fat.  Add onion and garlic and saute slightly.  Add seasonings and tomato juice and heat.  Mix with uncooked rice.  Shred cabbage and cut green beans.

Layer 1/3 each of the cabbage, green beans, rice and meat mixture into the pumpkin.  Repeat layers and replace pumpkin "lid".

Place in the oven and bake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until done.  The pumpkin is done when it is soft when pierced with a fork.  Serve with salad and cornbread.  Makes 6-8 servings.

My dad cooks one thing and one thing only - chili.  And it’s sooo good.  If it’s the weekend and it’s cool outside my dad is in the kitchen chopping and stirring.  The season of home cooked, simmering-in-the-pot-all-day soups is upon us, and here is a good place to start.

Tim "Daddo" Hanson’s Chili (in his own words)

• one pound of ground beef
• one small can of tomato paste
• one jalapeno pepper
• one 40 oz. can chili beans
• one 20 oz. can chopped tomatoes
• one chopped onion
• 1/4 chopped green pepper
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• Tabasco to taste
• 1/2 can o’ beer (other 1/2 reserved for chef)

Brown meat, throw everything in a pot and simmer all day.  Serve with shredded cheese along with peanut butter on crackers.  Leftovers taste even better.  (And yes, dad, I’ll point out that there is no tomato soup or tomato juice in this recipe because we all know that you think tomato soup or tomato juice in chili should be an illegal practice punishable to the fullest extent of the law.)

Hey, kids, check this out!  Did you know that together we can further our country’s lag behind the rest of civilization in math skills?  Who needs hands-on manipulatives like blocks when you can just nag your parents for their iPhone.  You can pretend to grasp even the most basic math concepts by simply tapping your fingers on an irrelevant little screen with useless efficiency!  Be sure to spread the word to all your friends who have no interest in learning how to balance a budget, build a house or fly to the moon!  Woo hoo!

Coming soon to a yard near you!

Click here to view Kevin’s first campaign commercial now airing in Pittsburgh!

I think I may have found my next hobby.  Polaroid ended production of their instant film products a couple years ago but recently a group called The Impossible Project purchased some of the company’s old film equipment.  TIP plans to re-start production of analog instant film for vintage Polaroid cameras in 2010.  Hum . . . I’m thinking now might be a good time to buy one of those old cameras on eBay.  A pack of the new film will cost around $25.  Hobby-worthy?

*Update:  Just bought a Polaroid camera on eBay for a whopping $3.90.  I can’t wait to get the new film!

Our garden was a curious thing this summer.  Half of our bazillion tomato plants appeared to suffer from blight, and remarkably the other half did just fine.  I don’t have enough to freeze, but enough to make things like homemade salsa.  Yum, yum, yum.  I’ve also been making and freezing pesto from my basil plants.  Recipes to follow.

Garden Tomato Salsa

• a bunch of tomatoes
• one giant red onion
• one jalapeno pepper
• two handfuls of corn (Iowans are always pushing the corn, right?)
• one package of cilantro (very, very important this cilantro)
• 3 or 4 cloves of garlic
• a couple tablespoons of lime juice
• cumin (not too much)
• kosher salt
• pepper

Pesto To-Go

• Lots of basil leaves stuffed into a food processor
• 2-3 cloves of garlic
• 2-3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
• handful of pine nuts
• kosher salt
• olive oil (keep adding while processing until you get the consistancy that you want)

Then spoon the pesto into ice cube trays, freeze, pop them out, store in a freezer bag and use in sauces all winter!  Presto!

Grandma Wirth sent me a letter last week and included this picture of her taken before her brother’s wedding in 1938.  She was 16 years old.  She says the dress was blue, which I love and would absolutely wear today.  I don’t know how women did their hair like that but it’s so pretty.  What a lady!

Water play room at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh - lots of Crocs and dryers to be found there.

We finally got to see the robotics exhibit at the Science Center.  The picture below was taken of us by a mechanical robotic thingy and then emailed to us.  Also, George is seen below with C-3PO.  He’s not too enthusiastic because he didn’t understand why I was so excited to see him.  He kept saying, "Mom, what?  C-3-What?"  (Many years have passed since I was George’s age and wore the Princess Leia braided loops in my hair to preschool!)  On our way out the boys wanted to jump on the trampoline.  Teddy was very proud of himself because this was the first time he had worked up the courage to do it.  And not only did he jump but he did a flip!  He was proud and yelled to me, "Hey, Mom!  I did it!"  Too precious.

. . . for at least the next month.  I picked up these three from the bookstore today.  The boys have some catching up to do before the movies for two of them come out!  (Pickles to Pittsburgh is the sequel to Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and for obvious reasons we had to have that book too.)  And from what I can tell, I think the 30s and 40s crowd is just as excited (if not more) about Where the Wild Things Are as is the kiddie crowd.  Spike Jonze + classic story + good music = Kevin might stay awake for this one!

*** 9/20/09:  We saw Meatballs a couple days ago.  It was very cute, but the book leaves so much more to the imagination.  The movie went to great lengths to explain things in techy-scientific ways.  Actually, the only similarity between the book and the movie was that food did, in fact, fall from the sky.  The movie included a villian too - the town’s Mayor!

We have about two months to go until Election Day!  Time has just flown by these past several months.  The only tough part has been the evenings.  Here is a picture of a typical scene at our house after dinner.  The boys are used their dad being out the door early in the mornings, it’s all they’ve ever known.  Night, though, is tough.  So often they will think they hear something and they’ll run to our front door screaming, "Daddy’s here!"  Up on their tippy toes they’ll look out of the window and scan the vacant front porch.  Kevin has been knocking on doors every evening for the past several months and will continue to until Election Day.  This is hard to explain to a 3 and 4 year old, though!  I am seeing first hand the sacrifice it takes for someone to run for political office.  It makes me appreciate and respect the process even more.  Well, 59 days to go!  (Not that I’m counting . . .)

1.  New backpack (check)

2.  School supplies (check)

3.  New shoes (check)

4.  Hair cut (check)

5.  Three days of mommy crying (check, check, check)

I had been dreading this day for a very long time.  4 1/2 years to be exact.  However, as to be expected, the day did arrive and George went away on his first day of school.  Okay, so it’s only pre-school, and it’s only part-time, but it was so hard to let him go.  That morning when Kevin and I walked George into his new classroom he immediately hid behind my legs.  I promised myself beforehand that I wouldn’t cry, but I soon as I saw his apprehension my eyes started to get that burning feeling.  His teacher noticed this and came over to us, reached out her hand and he (very) hesitantly took it.  I watched my little boy as he followed his new teacher over to a group of kids sitting on the floor playing with blocks.  Then the flood gates opened and the burning was replaced by all out tears.  Kevin hung around a minute to make sure George was okay but I couldn’t get out of the building and into our car fast enough.  I buckled Teddy into his car seat and fumbled around in my purse until Kevin re-joined us.  (Then just as we were pulling away Kevin stopped the car and suggested taking a second look to make sure George was doubley okay, which he did.)  So we drowned our tears in pancakes at Pamela’s (good cure all) and bought back-to-school cookies at Prantl’s (string-tied bakery boxes make me smile).  If I had any doubts about George going to pre-school they vanished when several hours later and on the way home after picking him up he said to me, "Mom, this was the best day of my life."  (Of course the dollar store surprise waiting for him in his car seat certainly helped.)  Either way I was so relieved as I, well, merely survived it.

Blogging and reading blogs - definitely a hobby of mine.  However, I appear to be in a super minority with this extra-curricular.  I have noticed that among, at least, my family, friends and acquaintences it’s not a popular pasttime at all.  So I recently joined Facebook and was stunned to discover how vastly popular it is among well, EVERYONE!  It appears that over the course of the past almost 2 years that I’ve been ranting (and raving) on my blog about my kids - everyone else has been "facebooking", "friending" and "poking" each other at furiously efficient lightning speed.  When I started blogging, to be honest, I thought of it as a weak replacement for journaling.  You know, on actual paper with a pen.  Now I’m learning that blogging is the new "slow" only to be replaced by those faster media forms.  Slow movement guru Carl Honore recently wrote one those old-fashioned blog posts on this topic titled, "To Tweet or Not to Tweet." (Click here to read.)  He discusses his recent use of Twitter, but stresses the importance of balance and continued use of more traditional forms of communication.  Honore also sites an article by Charles Arthur from The Guardian called, "The Long Tail of Blogging is Dying."  (Click here to read.)  A blogger himself, Arthur provides evidence of the decrease in activity within the blogosphere.  All of this reminds me that it has been a few weeks since I’ve written a letter to my grandparents in Iowa.  I love getting Grandma’s responses in the mail.  I keep every single letter and put them in a box for the boys to read someday.  Now that is what I call slow.

I grew up sitting on bright orange molded fiberglass chairs (surrounding a speckled formica and metal table).  I was surprised to discover that remarkably (and never in a million years did I ever think) this design is cool again.  The fight for these chairs between the 4 Hanson sisters is so on.  Oh, wait . . . I just learned that I’m already too late.  Darn.  Check it out at www.style-files.com.

Gull Lake, Brainerd, Minnesota; circa 1985

Summer is almost over and someone will go to their first day of school!

My friend Rebecca and I live (sadly) 5 hours apart so recently we decided to find a place halfway between us for a day trip with our kids.  We decided on Tipton, PA and we met up at the Del Grosso Amusement Park.  You know, Del Grosso pasta sauce?  It was very cute, very small and had just enough for the kids to do to kill an afternoon and let Rebecca and I have some mommy gab.  Anna is so beautiful and Beck inspires me in more ways then she could ever know.  I am looking forward to our next meet-up this fall!

The kids rode the "fishy ride" maybe a dozen times!

(click to enlarge)

It’s fun to photograph the seemingly mundane.  It’s those little things that go unnoticed today, that tomorrow I’ll miss; like shadows of little boys in the hallway at night.  Here is Teddy peeking out of his door after I had put him to bed.  He didn’t know that I was listening to him as he quietly crept back and forth from his bed to his door.  His curious little shadow on the wall was so precious.  I grabbed my camera and quietly parked myself in the hallway to get it on film.  I took several pictures when he finally stuck his head out of his door far enough to see me sitting there.  Got it!  (Now go back to bed little man.)

I don’t know how this happened but a month after bringing home our fish, we discovered a baby fish in the tank; a tiny speck of a thing that barely caught my eye one afternoon.  It is now around 2 months old and close to half the size of the other two fish.  Our miracle fish that I just can’t explain.  I mean, how did this happen in the first place, and why just one?  As they say in New England, it’s wicked bizarre.

(click to enlarge)

I like to take the boys to the Carnegie museums in Oakland to wander around every couple of months.  Each time we visit it’s a new experience for them.  They notice more things, ask more questions, spend more time investigating . . . require fewer necessities in my bag!  A year ago they were terrified because they thought the dinosaurs were alive.  Today there was no fear.  In fact, George was curious enough that he noticed that while the T-Rex was significantly smaller in size to the other dinos on display, its head and jaw were much larger.  He decided that T-Rex was a meat-eater and therefore needed the huge jaw and those enormous teeth.  Sounds logical to me?!  Eventually we made our way to the exhibit about life in the Arctic.  In visits past they sat in their stroller and passively looked around.  Today George marched around grumbling and just when I decided that he was either hungry or tired, he looked up at me with his arms folded across his chest and said, "Mom, I want to go.  This place is rude."  "Rude?" I said.  "Yes, mom, it is very rude to kill animals."  I looked around and okay, so there was a display with a dead fox hanging from a hook, and a fisherman spearing a seal, and another man in a kayak preparing to harpoon a walrus.  Utterly atrocious to a 4 year old.  However, I tried to talk to him about hunting in terms of culture and survival, but he wasn’t buying any of it.  He was very confident in this moral objection so we decided to move on to other things. 

The last stop on our excursion was the Scaife Gallery.  Once again, instead of having two babies securely strapped into a stroller, today I had two preschoolers threatening with every turn that they may fall into a piece of art.  I tried to safely and efficiently swing through a couple rooms as fast as I could; soaking up whatever inspiration I could quickly capture.  The boys were fairly understanding of my threats that "the man" (whoever that may be; doesn’t really matter), but "the man" will be furious if all children are not standing next to their mommies.  They didn’t want to meet "the man" and stayed with me pretty well.  As we were heading out I saw a sign for a new instillation that looked interesting.  So I peaked my head into the pitch blackness and saw something I couldn’t quite decipher in the middle of the room.  I started to walk inside, and with my eyes squinting I couldn’t figure out what I was supposed to be doing or looking at or anything.  So I hesitated and took a step back towards the door.  I looked at a woman standing at the doorway and before I could think twice about how to politely inquire about it, out came the words, "Okay, so this you have to explain to me."  I gulped with shock at my carelessness, but thankfully she gave me a huge grin, brought us inside and gave me a little background information on the curious collection.  Fascinating stuff.  I could have sat there and looked at that bizarre creation all day.  So back to the boys.  Sure the installation was in the middle of a large, dark room, and yes unusual music and sounds were blaring through various speakers, and lights were flashing, and yes at one point the sound of a train could be heard and the entire contraption started to shake.  (I couldn’t possibly make this up if I tried.)  Ask George and Teddy what they thought of the instillation and they will tell you that it was the most frightening damn experience they’ve ever had in their lives.  We finally left after the twentieth, "Mommy, this is scary!  I want to go!"  I was actually captivated, but that’s another story. 

I look forward to the day when they’re grown and we can quietly walk around and discuss what we see.  Until then I’ll take what I can get.  Like this moment I captured on camera when Teddy asked George, "Georgie, is that a snake?"  George said, "Hum . . . I think it does look like a snake.  I think someone painted that Teddy."  I kid you not . . . I think I might be on to something here.

Also, I wonder if this is the same bugger that was in our backyard earlier this summer?  The poor thing, now stuffed and on display in the Discovery Room.  I hope the holes you dug up in my yard were worth it little guy.

. . . you visit a girlfriend’s (beautiful) house and at some point your child gets thirsty and asks for a drink of water.  Your friend opens her cupboard and pulls out a glass.  A GLASS glass.  You notice the glass-glass, and eyeing the beautiful slate floor you say, "Oh, you can just give him plastic, I don’t want him to break it, or the floor."  Your friend hesitates, not sure what you mean and you clarify by saying, "You, know . . . a plastic cup."  Her response?  "Oh, gosh, I don’t think I have any cups that are plastic!  He’s fine."  She then continues with your original conversation without thinking twice.  You interrupt her and with a slight gasp say, "Whoa, you don’t think you have any plastic cups?"  NO PLASTIC CUPS!?  You ask her if you could trade lives, even for just a couple days.  A life void of dingy plasticware.  Ah, simply lovely.  By the way, I saw her utensil drawer - no plastic in there either! 

(Sorry, Lauren . . . this was just too darn funny.  Someday when you and Bob have a baby, I will stock you up on these essentials.  And . . . sigh . . . you will miss that beautiful glassware.)

George said to me today, "Mom, if you were an octopus you could do alot of things at the same time.  You could push me on the swing, push Teddy on his bike, read the newspaper.  You could do stuff like that."  Brilliant idea my dear child.  Let’s see how this might look in a more practical setting.  Here is a picture of me with the young lads on a weekend morning.  One child screaming, the other bothering the dog, my hair still a mess and my coffee getting cold.  Very typical.  If I had 8 arms, however:

I could have two arms around the screamer, one hand on the dog, and another on George.  I could also be fixing my hair, straightening books, drinking coffee and washing the filth off of the windows, all at the same time.  I really need to look into this.

After completing a floor puzzle, several games of Hungry, Hungry Hippos and a couple rounds of Go, Fish! this afternoon, George says to me, "Mommy, you’re fun.  I like playing with you.  I think when I grow up I’m going to marry you."  It goes without saying the comment bought him another round of cards, and he even won too.

I think the boys ate as many strawberries in the field as we actually brought home.  However, we did end up with enough to make Grandma Wirth’s strawberry-rhubarb jam.  Yummo!

Chez Acklin was open for business Wednesday evening for a BBQ for Kevin’s campaign staff and families.  Based upon the amount of dirt and grime covering the boys at the end of the evening, I will call it a success.  Thank goodness our boys are still little enough to stick into the kitchen sink, and thank goodness for husbands who wash dishes.  I just love my boys!

You may have heard the phrase - where two or more are gathered in Pittsburgh there shall be fireworks.  I don’t know what it is about Pittsburghers and fireworks, but this town really knows how to put on a show.  We enjoyed them from Pittsburgh’s best kept secret, the Elliott Overlook, and we had great company too - Kevin’s grandma, Nunny.

George and great-grandma Nunny

The view of Pittsburgh from the Elliott Overlook.

This isn’t a particularly good picture of us, but I can’t get over how fake the boys’ smiles are.  Cracks me up!

The show was spectacular.  In fact, it had one of the best grand finales I’ve ever seen.

More pictures from Elayna’s wedding.  So gorgeous! 

(Photos by Sarah’s Signature Photography in Ames, Iowa.)

The new Mr. and Mrs. walking down the aisle. 

This is the same church Kevin and I got married in as well as my parents and grandparents.

Lesley and I giving our "big sisters" speeches.  Of course mine was way better.

The reception was held at Prairie Moon Winery.

So beautiful!

George and his cousins rockin’ out with the band.

The trip home was great and it was so nice to see the family - especially my 93 year old grandpa who reminded me of things that I had long forgotten!  George and Teddy were so excited to play with their cousins I could barely keep up with their boundless energy.  I had to take their mid-afternoon naps right along with them!  I was exhausted by the end of the week, but a good exhaustion to have.  Elayna’s wedding was absolutely beautiful - I am so proud of her.  Many things fluttered through my mind as I stood at the front of the church to witness my little sister walk down the aisle.  I almost completely lost it just thinking about all of the years and all of the memories.  In fact, the day before the wedding I found a picture that Kevin had taken of Elayna and me posing in her freshman year college dorm room before her first day of school.  It was the same dorm I lived in 6 years prior.  The only difference was she was so excited and confident and ready to take on the world.  So different than me - I was almost sick to my stomach with fear!  It was the same for her wedding - she was excited, confident and ready with only a few minor butterflies.  But that is Elayna.  Always that famously huge grin and can-do, positive attitude.  Just a few of the many things that I admire and love about her.  Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs.!

Click on the image below to view Kevin’s wonderful bio film. 

Yesterday was a big day for the Acklin Army.  The boys and I watched in awe as Kevin proudly announced his candidacy for mayor of Pittsburgh.  Our friends keep asking, "How does Kevin do it?  Does he ever sleep?"  Well, we all know that behind every great man, is a great, no crazy, uh, okay, so there’s a woman.  And here I am!  The biggest cheerleader Kevin could ever imagine.  Although, I’m not expecting my wife-of-the-year award in the mail anytime soon because I woke up this morning and realized that on one of the most important days of his life I didn’t take ONE PICTURE!  I’ll have that darn camera glued to my hand for the next five months for sure!  What can I say about yesterday.  I watched my best friend realize his childhood dream.  I’m just full to the brim with pride.  My cup runneth over.  My only wish is that our boys were just a tad bit older so they could fully understand the fearlessness in their father.  They will someday.  (For now they just think that daddy has lots of friends who like to celebrate his birthday over and over.  I told them last night that we were going to another birthday party for daddy.  George of course asked if there would be a cake.)  Although I have to point out that our boys have picked up on the word "campaign" but they say it in two words - camp pain.  Hysterical.  The first time George asked us about it he said, "Does ‘camp pain’ hurt?"  Ha!  Does it hurt . . . well, not for us.  It will be hard work but very exciting.  So I will continue to do what I’ve been doing for the past 4 years - being a mom and a wife.  But maybe with a little extra dose of pride, if that is even possible.  And I’ll leave the politics to the experts.

We went camping for two nights over the Memorial Day weekend.  Earlier that I week I Googled "dog-friendly camping" and found a place, called them and thankfully they still had a couple of spots available.  We loaded up the tent, air mattress, piles and piles of blankets and pillows, bags of clothes and gear and toys and food, food, food.  The van was so packed we couldn’t have possibly squeezed in one more thing.  The truth is, camping is a TON of work, but so worth it.  And despite having arrived much later than we had anticipated, and after a brief and uncomfortable staredown with a motorcycle gang whom we politely drove around, we found our assigned spot which was cozily nestled underneath another group.  So we re-negotiated another, more spacious spot nearby and spent the next two days watching cars pull in and immediately out of our original spot.  I don’t know why this provided so much humor for me, but it did.  Wilson was quick to make our campsite home.  He immediately popped the air mattress, and within minutes constructed his own doggy door in the side of the tent.  Once again, very humorous.  We hiked, ate, rested, played, threw rocks, picked up sticks, lost a shoe, got filthy dirty, made smores, woke up to the sounds of birds, had a brief encounter with a raccoon and . . . yep, that pretty much sums it up.  It was an awesome, awesome weekend.  We just relaxed and occasionally said to each other, "What do you want to do now?"  I mean really, how often do parents get to say that?  Not often enough.  One last piece of humor awaited us on our way back home . . . could someone, anyone, please explain to me the meaning of "far" wood?  Is it better than "near" wood?  I don’t get it.  (See picture below.)

I thought I should get a picture of George’s little piggy toes before they touch the floor.  It will be soon . . . I know.

So George sprints into the kitchen to rummage through the junk drawer loudly announcing to the universe that he’s looking for tape and scissors.  He finds them and while running out the back door he yells, "Is it okay, mom?  Can I take this outside?"  I chuckle to myself over the notion that play is a child’s work.  And George takes his work very, very seriously.  (Especially when it involves tape.)  After several minutes of quiet bliss, I peek out of the window into the backyard and see him taping a small broom to the back of a big wheel.  George looks up at me and says, "Mom, you know how at the baseball field [PNC Park] they clean up the field with the tractor and make the dirt look nice?  That’s what this is.  See look at me," he says as he proudly wheels around the driveway in his homemade contraption.

Our response to the swine flu - play outside.  Besides, where else can you fill up (and bring home) a container full of tadpoles and snails?  George sloshed this little bucket in his paws all the way home from the Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve.  No need to be concerned, however.  They were released back into the wild after a day or two of curious inspection.  And it should be of no surprise that of all the things George could have drawn for me on my Mother’s Day card he settled on a picture of a frog sticking out his tongue eating a bug.  I’m honored.

Here is a picture of our Teddy Bear after a morning running through a sprinkler.  Playing outside just wipes out little guys!

So I’m ready to get my tomato and basil seedlings into the ground.  In fact, last weekend Kevin tilled up an even bigger plot for us than we had last year.  We want to grow around 20 plants; LOTS of tomatoes!  You say toe-may-toe, I say ta-ma-toe, tomato, tomato, potato, potato, let’s call the whole thing off.  Seriously, though, the planting won’t happen until I figure out how to relocate this filthy rodent groundhog who has decided to take up residence in our garage.  Yes, our garage!  Yesterday I saw the little bugger sprawled out on the driveway sunbathing.  In fact, I even saw him yawn as he was laying there; as though it was just another beautiful day in paradise.  Bugger.

We like to go Carnegie library hopping, and I’ve decided that the Mt. Washington branch has to have the best scenic view.  Maybe even the best of any library - anywhere.  Here is a picture of the library, followed by a picture of the view you see when you walk out of their front door.   Wow!  We like to wave to daddy at work from the overlook across the street, and although we can’t actually see him - he can see us!  Nearby is the Monongahela Incline which has been in operation since the 1870s. 

Clearly Pittsburgh is in our sons’ blood, because (clearly) every pirate is adorned with a baseball bat.  At least, according to Teddy who pointed this out to me today (see picture).  Very logical reasoning if you ask me.  And speaking of the Pittsburgh Pirates we had the chance to meet two of our pitchers last weekend - Jeff Karstens and Sean Burnett.  It was fun!  They signed the boys’ Pirates hats and gave them signed cards.  (Poor guys probably smiled for 100 pictures, and yet still so very gracious and sweet to the boys.)  We also walked away with parrot webkinz dolls and new t-shirts.  It felt like Christmas.  We did manage to watch a bit of the game, but as usual gravitated toward the kiddie baseball field.  I have a feeling we will spend many hours this summer watching little tykes baseball at the big league ballpark.  Go Bucs!

Here are a few pictures from Easter morning.  This was the first year they both understood the whole egg hunt business.  They ran around looking for and collecting their eggs.  George was particularly excited about the stash of money the bunny so generously hid inside a few of them.

   

And for the moment we’ve all been waiting for . . . it is now time to introduce Mickey, Greenie and Black Eyes!  This was George’s birthday present from us and we decorated it with shells courtesy of Nonnie and Papa’s beach.  I have to say how cute it is that every morning Kevin lets out the dog, feeds the fish and then looks over our seedlings on his way out the door.  What a good husband.  George is very excited about his new fish.

(Sadly, and God bless their little souls, we also had a "Speedy" and a "Snacks" but unfortunately they didn’t survive more than 6 hours.  The boys got their first - and very tearful - lesson in the circle of life.  The discussion included answering questions like, "How can the fish be in heaven with God if you flushed them down the toilet, mom?")

We ate alot of cake between Easter and George’s birthday.  Here’s the Easter/birthday cake he shared with his Aunt Maggie on Easter (the ears had their names on them):

Here is the fish-themed cake we ate on his birthday:

Slow Parenting.  I have heard of the "Slow Food" movement, but here’s a new one to me - Slow Parenting.  Click here to read a New York Times blog about a new book by Carl Honore.  It might be nice to read something that affirms the old notion that slow is okay and, in fact, good for children.  This is not slow as in moving-at-a-snail’s-pace-slow, but slow as in striving for quality over quantity.  I will add this to my reading list.  Oh wait, I don’t have a reading list.  You see - I need to slow down!

 

Translucent Art.  Coffee filters, string, straws, tape and glue.  We made these at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh.  Clearly I see art in everything, otherwise . . . uh . . .

Pittsburgh sites.  While sitting in traffic in Pittsburgh you can spot the neatest things.  Here are the stacks from the old Heinz plant.

And urban neighborhoods neatly built into the sides of mountains is still amazing to this midwestern girl.  The views of downtown from these homes must be spectacular.

Military Weaponry.  When children work with Play Dough you expect to find little creations resembling snakes and snowmen, etc . . . but lately in our house you find cannons.  Yes, heavy artillery.  Darn you History Channel.

Jackson Pollock.  Check out www.jacksonpollock.org.  (I came across it via the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh kids’ site.)  You can create your own online masterpiece in minutes.  Wa-la!

A few highlights from March 2009:

We watched Daddy on TV!  Woot!  Woot!

George took a few classes at the Science Center on "messy mixtures".   Kevin thought this would be a good opportunity to enhance George’s learning with a little science experiment of his own by mixing vinegar and baking soda.  However, the biggest lesson was for daddy who learned what happens when mommy hands him a bucket of her favorite "mixture" - Murphy’s Oil soap and water.  Daddy did lots of cleaning!

We had a wonderful time with Nonnie and Papa in South Carolina.

We ran around the beach, chased birds, collected seashells . . .

. . . and wiggled our toes in the sand.

We also canoed through a real swamp!  We were in awe of the beautiful cypress trees . . .

. . . and some rather interesting little creatures.

George fed a pig at a children’s festival.  (This gave mommy some ideas for future pets.  Just look at that little face.)

I couldn’t let March go by without creating something.  A picture from a magazine (on right) gave me some inspiration.  Etsy worthy, maybe?  Okay, maybe not but Teddy loves his new owl.

We started seedlings for this summer’s garden.  Tomatoes, basil and mint.  And lots of it!

And finally we can’t wait to get this little packet of happiness in the dirt!

We took the boys to see the movie Monsters vs Aliens (DreamWorks).  I enjoyed it.  I only looked at the time on my cell phone maybe 3 times . . . ha, ha.  I most appreciated that the lead female character aspired to become something other than a princess (try saving the planet from total annihilation from aliens for a little girl power).  However, the biggest entertainment was the trailer for a new Spike Jonze film, Where the Wild Things Are - an adaptation of the classic children’s book from Maurice Sendak.  Remember that story? 

We were so captivated by what we saw - the music, the mood, the boy, the costumes - George and Teddy got out of their seats and started dancing!  When it was over George yelled, "Mom, why is the movie over already?!  I want to watch it!"  I had to explain to him that it was only a commercial.  Unfortunately we will have to wait until mid-October.  It looks wonderful - a movie for everyone.  Here is a link to watch it:

As much as I love winter, I am really no fan of February.  By this time of the year the novelty of snow, hot chocolate and fuzzy sweaters have completely worn off.  I am so over all of it - especially the cold.  There have been days so frigid that I didn’t want to leave the confines of my down comforter let alone the house.  I’ve also awoke many nights to a little voice that says, "Mommy, snuggle me."  (In a 104 year old house in February there is more than the usual amount of snuggling going on at night.)  So we’ve had to get creative on these days indoors, and here’s a sample of what we came up with to pass the time until we can get our hands dirty in the garden and let the warm sun shine on our faces once again.

 

Hidden in this picture is Teddy who fell asleep one afternoon behind the cushions in the couch.

One last thing . . . I stumbled into the sunroom one afternoon to find George hiding this dish of water with a plastic fish laying inside.  When I asked him what he was up to he said, "I wanted to pretend that I had a fish so I got a bowl and went into the bathroom and put water in it, and then put my [plastic] fish inside."  My heart just melted.  I asked what the fish’s name was and he said without hesitation, "Speedy."  My inner voice immediately said to me, "Good Lord, Erica, you have to buy the boy a darn fish."  I suppose this means that the child is ready for a real Speedy.  You can just imagine my next blog post.  Yuck, yuck, yuck. 

 

"And God made all the animals . . . and God saw that it was good."  (Genesis 1:25)

And God love little Willy who had 4 teeth removed in addition to a minor surgery.  He was not happy when I took this picture.

This is what happens in the Acklin house when you spill paint in the garage on a lazy Friday night a cable music channel is turned up loud, the young boys jump up on the coffee table to do their best air guitar routines, and mommy and daddy polish off a bottle of wine . . .  

A few pictures we took at today’s Super Bowl parade here in downtown Sixburgh!

And finally . . . our Lombardi Trophy!  (Handcrafted entirely of silver by Tiffany & Co., ladies!)

 

Happy Birthday, Matt!  (Weren’t we cute?)

Love you!

(Photo by Ruth Hendricks)

Another Christmas has come and gone in the blink of an eye!  On Christmas Eve we went to church and came home to an electrical outage.  Kevin thought it was just great and decorated every square inch of our kitchen and sunroom in tea lights.  The boys were thrilled to be within inches of all that FIRE!  Soon after lighting the last candle the electricity came back on, and we were oddly disappointed!  (And I got put away Kevin’s 101 candles.)  Then Candee and Al came over with dinner and gifts.  And somewhere in there Kevin got his finger stuck in a beer bottle.  After our Christmas Eve festivities were over we got the boys ready for bed, but not before setting out some cookies and milk for Santa, and sprinkling oatmeal in the front yard for the reindeer.  And as every parent knows, Christmas Eve night is spent running around the house drinking, pigging out, uh, wrapping, staging, documenting, stocking stuffing and Kevin’s favorite - assembling. 

Christmas morning was just as sweet as can be.  What can I say.  Kevin and I got to relive our childhood.  The boys’ "big gifts" were scooters, and they were thrilled.  George had written Santa about the scooters, and that good old St. Nick came through.  I also made a breakfast casserole and we had some yummy eats.  Then of course I have to carry on the Hanson family obsessive compulsive tendencies tradition of frantically cleaning up all that paper and bows and packaging and everything else because that big old mess can’t just sit there all day. 

Christmas evening we went to Dan, Maggie, Trooper and Bump’s house for dinner.  Kevin proudly wore his holiday gear that I so lovingly made for him.  (Maggie and I made the sweaters for Dan, Kevin and Tim two years ago in one night of binge sewing, puffy painting and delirium.)  We did run late on our way there as something - some nastly little thing of unknown origin - managed to wedge itself in my eye.  I twitched and rubbed and blinked my eyes into 45 minutes of misery.  By the time we arrived I looked like a hot mess, with a splitting headache and that THING still in my eye.  Talk about the Griswalds.  Thankfully my medically knowledgeable mother-in-law (who received a diamond ring from Al for Christmas!) did some magic and got it out.  Dan and Maggie’s dinner was fabulous! 

The next day we woke up at 5am, and by 5:50am we were on the road for the 10 hour drive to South Carolina to see Nonnie, Papa and Aunt Moe.  The boys were outstanding the entire day.  We even met up with Uncle Tim, Kiernan and Trey outside Charlotte for lunch.  They were on their way to Pittsburgh and our timing just coincidentally worked out that we passed each other on the road right at about lunch time.  George and Teddy just love their Kiernan and Trey. 

We safely made it to South Carolina and stayed for 5 days.  We had an absolute blast.  I realized, however, after arriving that I packed horribly.  I had wool coats, hats, gloves, ski coats, sweaters and sweatshirts . . . such a northerner!  And the thought of swimming suits never entered my mind.  Thankfully Target stores in the south seem to always have beach gear on hand.  On Saturday we went to the beach and it was almost 80 degrees!  The temperature and sunshine were perfect, and that day on the beach was honestly the best beach experience I’ve ever had.  And I wish I could remember how many, "Ya’ll are so cute!" comments George and Teddy got running around in the sand in just swim trunks and Santa hats.  We also went to the old market in downtown Charleston, visited the Magnolia Cemetery where we saw the graves for the Hunley submarine civil war soldiers, and ate and shopped.  Kevin and I especially appreciated the date nights while the boys had time alone with Nonnie and Papa.  The boys loved being around their Aunt Moe too and although Maureen won’t admit it, the daily wake up calls of little fists banging on her door screaming, "Aunt Moe, Aunt Moe, open your door!" had to get old.

We left SC on New Years Eve and drove to Abingdon, Virginia where Kevin can trace back his Acklin family roots to the days of George Washington.  We actually stayed in a historic hotel called the Martha Washington Inn and Spa.  It was absolutely lovely.  We pulled out those new swimsuits again and rang in the new year in a beautiful outdoor stone jacuzzi.  As we stood outside pulling off our robes Teddy freaked because it was freezing outside, and I had to literally drag him into the warm water as he didn’t understand what we were doing.  As soon as he got in he looked at me with an immediate smile and said, "Oh . . . this is nice!"  Kevin and I shared a bottle of champagne while the boys splashed around under the stars.

The next day we drove straight to Candee and Al’s for dinner.  Another delicious feast.  We had a nice evening with Nunny, Tim, Sue and the boys and Maggie and Bump.  Now we are getting back into the swing of things, and unpacking, trying to find places for all of the new toys and looking forward to all that 2009 will offer us.

I haven’t been blogging much at all lately, and I won’t say it’s because I’ve been busy.  We’re all busy, right?  So I guess the blog just hasn’t been at the top of the list, and now it’s time to catch up a bit.  Thanksgiving Day was very nice, and again we hosted dinner at our house.  Al cooked us a marvelous feast and the only thing Kevin and I had to do was set a lovely table.  We also celebrated with the two matriarchs of the Harris side of our family - Kevin’s grandmother and great aunt.  However, the holiday was bitter sweet as we lost a dear member of our family to a long and difficult battle with ALS.  It is a devasting loss as Jim was as wonderful a cousin, husband, father and grandpa as one could be.  Two years ago Jim (the family historian) and Cookie traveled with us to Ireland, and we feel so blessed to have those special memories of him.

After Thanksgiving we made our annual trip out to Indiana County, Pennsylvania to cut down our Christmas tree.  We brought it home and decorated it.  George was especially intrigued by the ornaments, wanting to know where each of them came from, and who gave them to us.  Teddy is at the age where he keeps ripping them off of the tree and running around the house with them.  So I feel like I’m re-decorating the thing every day!

I turned another year old recently and Kevin and I went to a Penguins game.  Kevin caught a puck and apparently we were on the jumbotron.  I didn’t notice at the time as I had slumped down in my chair trying to hide from all the attention this caused!  Would you believe that two people came up to us and asked if they could take a picture of it (one being for a scrapbook)?  Like I’ve said before, the hockey moms in Alaska have nothing on us.  So anyway, displayed in our kitchen next to Kevin’s 40 Under 40 award, is an official NHL hockey puck.  You can come over to take a picture for a small fee.

Mom spent a week with us recently and we had so much fun with NONNIE!  We chased two small boys around stores Christmas shopped, drove out to the Festival of Lights show, and one afternoon we took the boys to the zoo for a couple classes.  We also enjoyed a nice afternoon at Nunny’s (yes, there is a Nunny and Nonnie).  We laughed so hard at Brandon and George’s renditions of some Christmas tunes.  Oh, I could cry just thinking about it.  If only I had it on video!

In the meantime we are working on a few fun projects (one of which is an ice rink in the back yard . . . yes, AN ICE RINK!), and looking forward to Santa’s arrival soon!

Last weekend Kevin received his award from Pittsburgh Magazine . . . here are a few pictures of the event.  Congratulations, honey!

Happy Halloween from the Pittsburgh Pirates Pierogies - Oliver Onion and Sauerkraut Saul!

George discovered cheerleaders for the first time at Kiernan’s game in Atlanta.  Super big highlight for him.

Teddy was really interested in carving Halloween pumpkins this year . . . even more than George.  We’ve also realized that in addition to sherbet ice cream, Teddy is really interested in animals.  He loved feeding these goats at a pumpkin farm.

Here are a couple other pictures of the boys at the pumpkin farm.  This was our third year going to this particular farm.  There was also a haunted house, hay ride and tons of other activites.  The boys did not care for the scary house at all!  And yes, as you can see in the pictures we drove all the way out to a farm and we didn’t even bother with actually cutting our own pumpkins!

The finished product.  George drew the face on the pumpkin on the left and Kevin carved it out.  It turned out so cute!  I just love the mouth.

Each year Pittsburgh Magazine recognizes 40 people under the age of 40 who are making a positive impact on the region’s development.  Guess who is on this year’s list?

This is what Kevin’s bio says (you probably can’t read it from the picture):

Kevin Acklin.  Neighborhood activist and lawyer.  32.

Kevin Acklin is an associate with law firm Morgan, Lewis and Bockius LLP where he practices corporate law and coordinates the firm’s pro-bono representation of domestic violence victims.  Acklin is also co-founder and executive director of RenewPittsburgh.  There, he tackles clean-up and community-based projects in city neighborhoods.  One highlight:  working to revitilize the childhood home of the late literary lion August Wilson in the Hill District.  "Our primary goal is to light a spark in neighborhoods across the city for residents to take an active role in renewing their community," he says.

 

I came across this picture of George on his first Halloween.  He was 6 months old. 

They grow too fast!

 

 

 

Here is Teddy last year as Thomas the Train.

 

 

Now that baseball is behind us (for us Pirates fans, anyway) the Acklin boys can now fully emerse themselves in hockey.  Kevin took George to his first game of the season last week.  George is strangely intrigued by the brutality of the sport, and today on the playground I caught him teaching one of his little girlfriends how to throw a good punch.  (George received in the mail today a little tykes hockey magazine with . . . and I swear it . . . a whole article devoted to the fighting aspect of the sport with pictures of players throwing punches.  Lord help me.)  The boys have also been stomping around the house yelling, "Let’s Go Pens!" in Kiernan and Trey’s old snow boots calling them their "hockey skates".  We will get George back out on the ice again for lessons soon . . . and we’ll probably wait until next year for Mr. Ted.  Anyway, at last week’s game Kevin said that every time George heard music he jumped in the aisle, turned around to face the crowd and did a little air guitar routine.  This child is SO NOT his mother!

Recently we took a drive out to a local, organic family-operated farm to pick up an order of beef (to last us all year).  We’ve done this twice now and really like buying not just organically, but buying locally.  While we were there the owner showed the boys the "feeder" cattle.  I couldn’t help but ask if they name them, and of course they don’t!  (Remember, I didn’t eat meat for two years because of a book I read . . . so I can’t help but ask lots of questions!)  Teddy was mad at us because we wouldn’t let him pet the cows.  I had to explain that they weren’t dogs, and then remembered that two days prior we were at the zoo petting sheep, goats, kangaroos and deer (yes, kangaroos and deer).  So I had to explain that cows aren’t any of those animals either.  Kevin took this picture of us near the cows, but what you can’t see is my CITY BOY husband’s ridiculous stance as he was preparing himself to tackle any of those wild beasts who came too close to either of his sons.

If you’re a nerd like me you will enjoy this decent but totally random Sudoku website hosted by a radio station in Rochester.  This site doesn’t require you to sign-up for anything, and these puzzles I can actually complete without cheating.  I became addicted to Sudoku when one day I was sitting on my couch and realized that on my lap was a newborn baby and next to him a 13 1/2 month old, ah, baby.  I quickly decided that I needed some mental bliss, and then I found sudoku.

I thought I would post a few pictures we took at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, PA.  It was incredibly humbling to be there and think about the passengers and crew on that flight.  The information from the cockpit voice recorder as well as the cell phone calls made from passengers sheds light on the unfathomable decisions that were made.  After realizing their fate, it is known that a vote was taken which led to the final decision to revolt against the hijackers.  One passenger even said during a call that they were waiting for a remote location to act on their plan.  The crash took place in a rural area about an hour from Pittsburgh.  A group of local residents have organized to staff the current temporary memorial with the help of the National Park Service.  I know that most Americans will probably never have the opportunity to visit this little field in rural Pennsylvania, but to be there is to realize the abounding greatness that exists in our beautiful country.

So there has been quite a bit of naptime and bedtime drama in the Acklin household as of lately.  There have been a couple of disruptions in my very routine-loving children which I attribute this to:  our trip home to Iowa and Kevin’s home improvement.  In Iowa, I let Teddy sleep in his own room with a door open.  He would receive the occasional wave and smile from a passerby which he thoroughly enjoyed.  Now that we’re home he demands that his door is always open.  The first night back home from our trip he cried so hard when I closed his door that he stood in his bed screaming and crying and gagging until I opened it.  So I opened it.  And every night it’s remained open.  The problem is that his crib is next to the door and he can stand there and play with it and peek his head down the hallway to see what exciting things are happening without him (nothing).  As I’m roaming the hallway at night doing my own evening routine I really don’t want to hear my 2 year old yelling, "Hi, Mommy!  What doing?"  But I have no choice . . . that gagging really gets me.  So my days of laying my baby down, turning on his music and night light and kissing him goodnight are over.  Now it’s putting him to bed and begging him to be quiet and lay down and not stand and play with the door.  Yes, I am raising a little KEVIN!

Speaking of Kevin, while we were away he completed a home improvement project - his bedroom closet.  To make the very long story short, our room is now connected to George’s room through Kevin’s closet, and connected to Teddy’s room through my closet.  We didn’t necessarily want all of our rooms connected, it just worked out that way to maximize the little closet space there is available in this 103 year old house.  And it is a HUGE novelty right now that I’m hoping will wear away.  The boys can run a huge circle through all of our rooms (lots of screaming and yelling . . . much more than the usual screaming and yelling).  George is so fascinated by the fact that beyond his closet door and daddy’s dress shirts lies a secret land - the Land of Mommy and Daddy Desperately Trying to Sleep.  So he will meander back and forth and at odd hours.  This morning I awoke at 5AM to George slipping through the closet to inform me that he had misplaced his "ducky" (a sleeping necessity) and I must find him immediately.  And, like his little brother, I get the old, "Mommy, would you please leave the door open?"  You’d think he was referring to his bedroom door, but no, it’s the closet.

All of this jibber-jabber brings me to one little silver lining in my realization that the boys aren’t little babies anymore, and instead active little boys.  (Remember, I had SLEEPING CHAMPIONS for babies.  My kids could sleep!)  I set a kitchen timer in George’s room for his "naptime".  I shouldn’t call it that, though.  He really doesn’t nap anymore and instead stares blankly at Sponge Bob and Flap Jack for longer than I’d like to admit.  So when the alarm goes off he is allowed to leave his room.  His instructions used to be to quietly (b/c Teddy DOES sleep) come downstairs and find me.  Well, with all of this naptime and bedtime hoopla George has been slipping his way through various closets to find his brother.  I guess it’s okay with me . . . why fight it, right?  They are brothers.  So Kevin and I have been listening to the silliest conversations between the two of them during this time.  (One time last weekend Kevin scared the living Bajeezes out them and they still talk about it.)  Here’s is today’s transcript.  I think George woke Teddy up because he was a little cranky today, but this is still so comical.

The boys playing some kind of game with a ball that I can hear bouncing back and forth . . .
 
Teddy:  Ball!  Ball!  (scream)  Oh, was that loud?  Go to bed, Georgie.  Mommy?  Mommy!  Georgie, Mommy!
 
Then George starts giggling about something that all boys giggle about I’m not proud of.

Teddy:  Georgie, where’s Mommy?  Mommy!  Mommy!
 
Teddy and George both screaming MOMMY!  MOM-MEEEEEE!   MOM-MEEEEEE!
 
Teddy now crying b/c George is so loud. 

George says it quietly and asks, "Is that better, Teddy?"
 
George:  Do you want to play now?  Do you feel better now, Teddy?
 
Teddy:  Uh, huh . . .
 
George:  Do you feel better?  What’s wrong, Teddy?
 
Teddy:  I want to see mommy.
 
George starts giggling again about God knows what . . . 
 
Teddy:  Where’s my ball?
 
George:  Oh, I’ll get your ball.
 
Teddy:  My ball . . . get my ball.
 
George:  Alright, Teddy?  Alright?  Throw it like this.  I’ll show you.  I’ll show you how to throw a ball.  Throw it like this.  Yeah, Teddy . . . alright?  Can you do that?  Throw it like this.  Oh!  Throw like this and it bounces like this.  On your mark, get set, go and throw and do it like this.
 
Teddy:  Where’s my ball?
 
George:  Teddy, no, you have to throw it at the wall.  Oh, that was a good throw!  Throw it hard. 
 
Teddy:  No, I don’t want to.  Mommy!  Mommy!
 
Both screaming MOMMY!  MOMMY!  MOMMY!
 
Teddy:  Where’s Mommy?
 
George:  MOMMY!
 
Teddy:  I want to see mommy.  I want to see mommy.
 
George:  Teddy, don’t cry.
 
Teddy:  I want out.  I want out.  Where’s Mommy?
 
George:  Teddy, do you want a different toy?
 
Teddy:  I like toys.
 
George:  Do you want a book?
 
Teddy:  That - I want that!
 
George:  What’s "that"?
 
Teddy:  I want that book.
 
George:  What I’m going to do is . . . Teddy, Teddy . . . mommy is downstairs.

Then I came upstairs and George ran into his room expecting to get in trouble.  He started to argue his case before I said a word.  "But Mommy, my alarm went on [yes, when the alarm went ‘on’ because an alarm going ‘off’ doesn’t make any sense according to Mr. George] and I waited and is that okay?"  3 years old.  3 years old!  And yes, it’s okay.

This will be my last baseball-themed post, I promise.  (I’m a "Pittsburgh Mom" . . . Sarah Palin’s hockey moms don’t even come close to the mamas in Western PA . . .)  I took the boys on a behind-the-scenes tour of PNC Park and we got to see the batting cages, dugout and press box.  Holy cow do you have it made in life if you are a professional athlete.  Is it too late for me?  I can throw a mean bowling ball . . .  Oh, I should mention that while on the tour George asked where the parrot (the mascot) lives.  The tour guide pointed to a door and told all the kids that the parrot’s nest was in that room.  Ha!  Teddy said, "Parrot goes night-night in there?"

Later that afternoon during naptime I heard some unusual noises upstairs and found this naughty little scene in Teddy’s room:

Forget a delicious soup this fall, the Acklin boys would like to offer this as their top pick of the season:  Jello Jiggler football molds. 

If your team helmet is black, two purples and a green will do the trick.  (I’m serious . . .)

I hate losing . . . but here are a couple pictures from the Iowa game.

The word is Fight! Fight! Fight! for IOWA,

Let every loyal Hawkeye sing;

The word is Fight! Fight! Fight! for IOWA,

Until the walls and rafters ring (Go Hawks!)

Come on and cheer, cheer, cheer, for IOWA

Come on and cheer until you hear the final gun.

The word is Fight! Fight! Fight! for IOWA,

Until the game is won!

 

How cool are these drawings?  Our dear friend (and soon-to-be daddy) Brian drew these especially for George and Teddy.  Thank you, Brian - you are officially their superhero!  Holly, I’m trying to think of something that Kevin could draw for the baby . . . hum . . . a barn mural in the nursery, perhaps?

 

 

We took our first ride on Amtrak last weekend to Pennsylvania’s capital city.  We met up with our good friends the Colemans and their daughter Anna.  (Happy Birthday, Anna!)  George and Anna enjoyed a romantic stroll on Saturday night.  Click here for pictures from Rebecca’s blog.  It’s too cute!

No, it was Iowa and the boys and I were there for about a week and half recently.  So before you get any ideas to build a baseball field in your backyard, here is my list of top 10 things that we most loved about our visit to the Hawkeye state:

10.  Hanging out with Aunt Moe and Aunt Elayna at the Prarie Moon vineyard.

9.  Not cooking or cleaning or grocery shopping for 10 days.

8.  Helping Elayna pick out her wedding dress. 

7.  Catching up with childhood friends Jolene and Stephanie.  (Click here for a blog on our visit from Stephanie’s site!)

6.  Spending time with Grandma and Grandpa Wirth.

5.  Picking up Will from his first three days of pre-school.  (George and I took him out for ice cream after his first day.)

4.  Nonnie teaching the boys the basic techniques for making kringla.

3.  Papa teaching George the basic techniques for catching the big one.

2.  Eating mom’s food (and the kringla).

And our #1 highlight for our trip was (drum roll, please!):

1.  At the end of our Labor Day picnic laughing all the way up a mile-long hike to our car after realizing that the 5 bags of clothes Elayna shlepped around the Ledges all day was supposed to stay in the trunk of mom’s car to be delivered to a Salvation Army drop box.

 

Shawn did it!  She did it!  She did it!  A gold on the beam!

(Des Moines Register article here.)

It’s hard to believe that summer is almost over, and looking back I think the theme for us this season has become baseball.  Last week we went to 3 Pirates games in 6 days (George actually went to FOUR).  George and Teddy discovered a play area in one corner of PNC Park where Kevin and I spent most of our week.  There is a little baseball field for kids to pretend play and George jumped right in every time.  We noticed that he often took over as the catcher.  Kevin and I would crack up watching him squat down and put up his hand in front of his face ready for the ball.  Any day now I’m expecting to see him giving signals to the "pitcher".  Teddy liked playing on some nearby slides.  After Sunday’s game the boys were given the opportunity to go onto THE field and run the bases.  Of all of our baseball highlights, this has to be #1.  It was awesome.  Although, I have to say that it was one of those parenting moments that you do for your children despite your own personal inner turmoil.  While waiting in a line of hundreds for probably 30 minutes it was a constant battle in my head, "We have to go . . . I can’t stand here any longer . . . Holy crap Teddy is heavy . . . this is nuts . . . okay, no, I can do this for the boys . . . they will love it."  Anyone with me on this?  From the look on Kevin’s eyes he was having the same battle.  Well, we survived (ha, ha) and it was totally worth it.  This was one of those new experiences that I had right along with the boys as I had never set foot on a major league field either.  (Kevin actually played a game at Fenway Park!)  It was so cute to see Kevin run the bases holding the little man, with the big man running like he was in the big leagues.

George had his first visit to the dentist!  It’s not so scary when the dentist is one of mommy’s very good friends.  Shannon showed him all of her cool equipment that had names like "the tickle bug machine" and the "funny string".  She also took his picture for her wall and let him pick out a toy from a treasure chest.  He was given a clean bill of health, and afterwards he got to spend some of his piggy bank money at a toy store.  He selected - and this is shocking - baseball equipment.  He picked out a t-ball set (because one t-ball set is not enough) that came with bases and 2 balls to add to the 105 balls we already have in our garage.  We also went to a book store where I found some vintage-looking hardback Dick and Jane books and immediately fell in love with them, while George found some books about John Deere tractors.  I reminded him that we already have a nice collection of John Deere books at home, and how fun it would be to have something new like Dick and Jane.  My enthusiasm didn’t work.  So we settled on Green Eggs and Ham and The Cat in the Hat.  George is such a funny kid, and we had a very special morning just the two of us.

Kevin and a team of volunteers from his group spent all day Saturday working on a special project in Pittsburgh’s Hill District. 

Read about it here and here.

 

 

(Above:  2-time Pulitzer Prize winning playwright August Wilson standing in front of his boyhood home.)

I am so excited to watch the Olympics and cheer on gymnast Shawn Johnson, a fellow Iowan.  This little scrub from Des Moines was born scoring a 0 on the APGAR test, and just 16 years later is eyeing the Olympic gold.  When I was a girl I watched in awe Mary Lou do her acrobatic magic.  Oh, I wanted to be her!  I can remember in 1988 being asked by a teacher to name a hero.  I said without hesitation Phoebe Mills.  All the boys laughed.  It was easy for those boys to laugh, I guess.  They were surrounded year-round by multitudes of professional "heroes" in every season, in every sport.  Little girls just have their gymnasts who come around for just a few short weeks every 4 years.  So keep your fingers crossed for Shawn!  In the meantime, I need to hunt down my Chinese takeout menus . . .

Update:  Ok, so the Olympics is making me totally sleep deprived but I can’t help myself.  It was almost 1AM last night and I realized that I was so into watching the athletes that I was actually holding my breath for the swimmers and tensing up every muscle for the gymnasts (b/c this might help them out, right?)

Kevin’s grandmother once told me that when Kevin was little and in her hair she would send him off to wash her porch.  That little chore always kept him occupied, out of trouble and productive.  Such is the goal with boys!  George was sent off to his first porch scrubbing duty today.  He seemed to really enjoy this little ploy of mine to get a few extra moments of peace.  I’m glad he liked it . . . maybe this winter I’ll get him out there with a shovel.  Oh, and yes, George had his head shaved this week.  He says that he looks like an "Army man". 

I just love age 3.  What a funny, silly time.  If only I could freeze George where he is right now and have him three years old forever.  His questions just crack me up.  Questions, questions, questions.  At times I can’t even begin to answer them, and I just hate to make up answers and fill his brain with my nonsensical reasoning.  I mean, I don’t know why deer have antlers, or how silkworms produce silk.  Not a clue.  And on the subject of insects (one of George’s latest favorites), I don’t know how bees make honey, and I haven’t the foggiest idea why or how fireflies glow.  At times my response is, "That is an excellent question my smart boy.  Let’s remember to ask daddy when he comes home.  He knows everything."  (Annoyingly true I might add . . . Kevin the walking encyclopedia.)  I thought I would start keeping a list of the funny things that come out of the boys’ mouths.  I know someday I’ll forget all of these silly things if I don’t write it (or type it) down somewhere.

8/2/08:  George woke me up this morning with the following three questions (in this order):  Why did God make people?  Why does God not like it when we say bad things?  Can I have a black bike for Christmas?  Later in the afternoon it was:  Does God live with Santa at the North Pole?  Can we do Christmas again?  Can girls pee too?

8/6/08:  Maybe I’m raising a priest here because this was on George’s mind this morning (while I didn’t quite yet have both eyes open):  "Mom, why can’t God play baseball with us?"  Now, how in the world do you answer this stuff?  I just said something about how God wants us to be happy, and we’re happy when we play baseball and God is always around us.  He looked at me like I had officially lost my marbles.  Teddy had a funny comment today.  They spent the morning at what I call "school" and when I picked them up Teddy looked at me from across the room, gave me a huge smile, and exclaimed, "Mommy!  All done now?"

This is one of Kevin’s all time favorite questions.  One night we were flipping around the TV and we came across a game that caught George’s attention.  I noticed he had a funny look on his face and he asked, "Why are those guys waving around mops?"  It was lacrosse!

8/19/08:  Teddy asked, "[Do] snakes poop?"

8/21/08:  George asked, "Why when I’m good you’re happy, and when I’m bad you’re mad?"

8/27/08:  George and Teddy were playing at our train table when mysteriously a train was launched at Ted’s head.  I asked George what happened and his response was, "Wilson [the dog] was playing with the trains and he picked up one of the trains and threw it at Teddy."  If lying is a sign of intellectual growth, George is a genius.

9/7/08:  While flying home from Iowa with the boys George was really interested in listening to the safety instructions before takeoff.  He followed along while looking at his placard and asked me (rather loudly), "Mommy, why is there a picture of an airplane in the water?"  Worrying that someone with even the slightest flying phobia was nearby I told him that it was just a picture of an airplane in a swimming pool and the people are practicing getting out.  So he said, "But why would an airplane be in a pool?  Planes don’t fly into pools."  You got me, George.

9/10/08:  This morning I overheard George say to his brother, "No, Teddy.  Stop whining.  You are a man."  Teddy replied, "I’m not a man!  I’m a boy!"  I laughed outloud.

9/15/08:  I pulled down one of my pots from my hanging rack in the kitchen this morning to find a small ball inside.  I asked George, "Hum . . . how did this get in there?"  George said, "Well, I guess I threw the ball up to the sky and it just plopped right inside the pot."  Ha!  Plopped . . .

9/19/08:  So George asked me today while checking out of Target if the cashier was a girl or a boy.  LOUDLY . . . and 3 TIMES!  I literary bent down and fiddled with the cart to hide.  Elayna says I have entered the age of the embarrassing questions.

11/10/08:  This isn’t so much a question, but a librarian suggested that I write this down somewhere, and this seems like a good enough place . . . while at the library today George kept himself busy in the sports section while I tried to keep Teddy from destroying every last DVD that he kept sticking into the computer disc drives.  At one point I turned to look for George and found him . . . alone . . . in the storytime room . . . sitting on the little stool reserved for the librarian . . . holding up a book to all of his imaginary friends and "reading."  My heart just aches for this little man.  So precious.

11/13/08:  During dinner George asked me, "Mommy, when you get a little bit older do you want to be a fashion model?"  WHAT?  I asked him where in the world did he hear the term "fashion model" and he said he didn’t know.  He must have heard it on TV.  How funny is that!  The things they come up with . . .

1/15/09:  For the past year and a half, George hasn’t managed to spend one entire evening in his own bed.  When midnight strikes, our little guy manages to quietly wiggle his little self into our bed for the night.  I always tuck him into his own bed every night, and every night George asks the same question, "Mommy, can I sleep in your bed?"  And I always have the same response, "No, George, you need to sleep in your own bed."  It’s a joke, though, because we both know that by midnight he will in fact, be in our bed.  Last night we had the same exchange, but this time he followed it up with a question, "But why?  Why can’t I sleep in your bed?"  I gave him my reasons, one of which is daddy and I get uncomfortable supporting one child and one dog between us every night.  So George very logically replied, "Well mommy, why don’t we just get a bigger bed?"  Oh, okay small boy . . . problem solved I guess!

3/20/08:  George, being interested in how our kitchen table was once a tree, decided that ultimately, therefore, the table was made by God.  He then asked me, "Mommy, could we look on the computer [internet] to find out what else God made?"  THE COMPUTER?

 

What else do boys need?  Thanks for a great night at the cabin, Kekes and Pap!

 

Here are a couple pictures of the newest pachyderm, Angelina, to join the herd at the Pittsburgh Zoo.  Isn’t she adorable?  She is 15 days old here and was such a sight to see!  She kept very close to her mama (you can see Angelina hiding behind mama’s big legs), and it’s hard to see in the pictures but she is covered with fluffy hair like a baby chick.  Too cute!  

 

 

Here is another picture of her with a zoo keeper to give you an idea of her size . . . and by the way, I think that guy officially has the coolest job on the planet. 

Teddy had the honor of being the ringbearer in his Godmother’s wedding on Friday.  Lauren, my girlfriend from graduate school, was a beautiful bride - beyond stunning.  She was perfection!  Teddy looked quite handsome too . . . handsome, handsome, handsome in his tux and tie.  (Watch out ladies for this little man!  Whew!)  The pressure was completely off for Teddy to make the walk down the aisle.  Lauren is a kindergarten teacher, and she knows little ones.  She told me many times before the wedding not to make him walk if he got upset.  She didn’t want little Teddy to be sad on her special day, and that she would be thrilled just to have him in a few pictures if nothing else.  And as any two year old probably would, my guy choked!  He didn’t make the walk.  However, he more than made up for his non-appearance down the aisle by flaunting his skills on the dance floor later in the evening.  George was more than happy to assist with his little brother’s ringbearer duties by squeezing himself into Ted’s tuxedo jacket and joining in on the rump shakin’.  Although I would have been so ecstatic to see my little boy walk down the aisle, I was just relieved to get through the evening without him or his brother knocking over the cake table.

MAKE-BELIEVE, PA - King Friday XIII, Monarch of the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, said today that PBS’ decision to eliminate Mr. Rogers from its daily schedule will have a “catastrophic effect” on the municipality’s finances.

“The neighborhood has been designated as blighted, and we may soon be forced to file for bankruptcy protection,” the King said. Maintenance of the neighborhood’s iconic trolley has been cut back and, according to Friday, passengers are being told to “ride at their own risk.”

In the wake of PBS’ announcement, crime has spiked and unemployment is expected to rise to 100%. Several Wall Street firms have announced that unless the Neighborhood institutes a 10% Milk and Juice tax, they will be forced to downgrade its bond rating to rock-bottom levels.

Of course this is only a joke (according to CarbolicSmoke.com), well, sort of.  The sad truth is starting this fall PBS will no longer nationally broadcast daily episodes of Mr. Rogers, and instead, beam one episode a week to each member station.  Member stations will have control over how to fit Mr. Rogers into their children’s programming block, if at all.  Fortunately, the Pittsburgh station is expected to continue with the daily episodes, as WQED was home to the show and Fred Rogers.  (I like to tell my boys that we actually do live in Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood as his house was just around the corner from us.  The station itself where the episodes were taped is located next to Kevin’s high school.  He has memories of seeing Fred in the parking lot with a smile, big wave and always a "Hello, boys!")  However, this new programming does not bode well for the almost 80% of American televisions that currently air The Neighborhood.  Recently I met a television reporter for the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette.  I asked for his thoughts on this and he pointed out that while there are several decent children’s programs on air, the special thing about Mr. Rogers was that the show was very simply - quiet.  Try watching the Doodlebops for an hour and your ears will ring for the rest of the day.  Mr. Rogers was a calm and gentle man, and those qualities are reflected in his show.  Our kids need that - they need Mr. Rogers!  Here is a link to a story on this subject.  Also, thanks Lesley for this CNN link to another great story on Fred.

It was Fireworks Night at PNC Park last Friday after the game.  The boys loved it.  When it comes to fireworks little ones either love them or hate them . . . and the boys love them.  10 minutes after the game the stadium lights went down, we counted down from 10 and the show began set to music.  The company that did the show was Zambelli, which is a family-owned Pittsburgh company and one of only a few in the country.  Kevin watched a documentary on the company recently and learned that the color blue is very difficult to create in fireworks (looking more like purple).  Zambelli says you can judge a company by it’s blue.  So the next time you see a fireworks show and the blue color really stands out, maybe it’s from Zambelli!

This is the funniest blog post I’ve ever read . . . if you need a laugh, click here.  (I hope you don’t mind, Steph.)  Stephanie is my dearest childhood friend.  My memories with her go back as far as 1st grade.  It’s so fun to share our mommyhood trials just as we did our childhood ones.  But seriously, this Barbie business is a riot!

What a lovely homecoming to discover this in our backyard after our trip.  I planted the lily bulbs this spring - completely guessing (experimenting) on how to do it.  Apparently I guessed correctly!  I have some beautiful pink and pale yellow ones.  I also planted some clematis under a decorative trellis in the front yard, and came home to it in bloom.  I haven’t managed to kill the tomato plants either.  They are growing like weeds.  I already have some green tomatoes cookin’ and the plants are just full of flowers.  I’m looking forward to the endless supply of BLTs!  I’m amazed . . . and I am really enjoying gardening this year.  It’s fun to see hard work pay off! 

Here are a few pictures of our annual trip to the Isle of Palms, South Carolina to see Nonnie, Papa and Aunt Moe.  We had a great trip . . . the only problem was that it was a week too short!  We built sandcastles on the beach, splashed in the ocean, went to the pool, enjoyed a leisurely harbor cruise around Charleston, and for the 4th we watched from a bridge a fireworks display off the deck of the USS Yorktown.  (Well, I should say that Kevin, Aunt Moe, Teddy and I saw it . . . George slept through the whole show!)  I probably most enjoyed the special time alone with mom getting pedicures.  

I have to mention something pretty neat about dad.  At about the time we arrived in South Carolina, dad was flying home to Iowa from a business trip in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  He made it home, spent less then 24 hours there, had barely a wink of sleep, and then got back on a plane (went through 2 connections) to Charleston just to see the grandsons for a couple days.  All of that traveling seemed like just too much effort to me, but when I watched smiling Papa lighting sparklers with the boys, and going on quiet walks around the pond, and watching Nascar (talking man-to-man with George about all things race car) I totally got it.  These are precious times not to be missed for the world.  Even if it means traveling half way across the world!  We had such a relaxing time, and of course it all went by way too fast.

Oh, and about our anniversary . . . I should mention that Kevin gave me the most romantic gift I’ve ever received.  (Of course I’m only kidding . . . but this gift did cause me to plant a giant kiss on my husband.)  We went to the beach that day, and for little ‘ol me he decided to leave his Crackberry Blackberry at my parents’ house while we were out.  This was a huge a step towards his recovery, AND I had an entire afternoon with Kevin alone (well, at least without the evil, life-intruding device.)  I just love that man.

8/7/08 - Update:  I just want to personally thank Kevin’s law firm for providing him with yet another Blackberry upgrade.  Just wonderful.  Now I am the receiver of goofy pictures taken by said device.  Now if Blackberry could come up with a upgrade that included doing dishes and laundry I might be convinced of it’s value to society.  Right now I’m not sold.  

Happy 4th Anniversary, Kevin!

I wanted to do a brief slideshow of pictures of us over the past 12 years, but after flipping through our albums I decided that for me to broadcast over the internet my choices in fashion during the 1990s would be just plain wrong.  Our wedding pictures, however, I will always be proud of . . . it was a perfect day and we were so happy.  4 years ago today George Davis from a little blues band in Iowa called Sumpin’ Doo played a song just for us - Sam Cooke’s 1957 #1 hit "You Send Me."  Here is Sam singing it himself on Dick Clark’s The Best of Bandstand.  I just love our song . . . and I loved that you sang along while were dancing our first dance . . . but honestly, we really should keep those ’90s pics to ourselves, don’t you think?

P.S. - Happy 20th Anniversary to Uncle Hal and Aunt Julie!

Kevin’s firm treated us to a day at Kennywood on Saturday.  We always look forward to this day, especially the endless lunch buffet and chocolate chip cookies.  Although this year we also had a huge craving for one of those fried things with all the whipped cream and strawberries on top.  Heavenly.  More important than the food, though, were the rides.  Teddy had his first solo ride - on a motorcycle!  As always his big brother was right there beside him.  They also rode on a little helicopter ride and we took a spin on the antique carousel.  We had a blast.  As we were leaving the park we decided to do one more ride before calling it a day.  While waiting in line for this last bit of fun I noticed the sky looking a little eerie.  "The sky is looking really dark over there, Kevin," I said.  "What?" Kevin replied.  "The sky is looking really dark."  "The ride looks dark?"  "No, Kevin, the sky looks dark."  "What?" he said one more time, and I said, "Nevermind."  3 minutes later it was as though God turned off the lights and Kevin said, "The sky looks really dark.  Maybe we should go."  "You think?" I said.  So just as we were doing the shimmy underneath the fencing to get out of line, the sky opened up and every drop of water on planet Earth landed on Kennywood.  The kids didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.  Of course we could only laugh.  The funniest part of the whole thing was our sad attempt at staying dry with a broken umbrella.  I wish I had a picture of that!

What a game!  We took the boys to see the Pirates play the Yankees last night.  Can we call this a historic event?  It had been nearly 48 years since the Yanks last played in Pittsburgh - and that game certainly met historic criteria.  It was the 1960 World Series and Bill Mazeroski hit the game winning home run in Game 7 to win the series.  One of the first Pittsburgh "sites" Kevin showed to me when I came to Pittsburgh was a small brick wall on Pitt campus, the only remaining piece of the old Forbes Field.  It was there that Maz’s homer cleared the wall to win the game, and it has been preserved as little monument for any baseball enthusiast to enjoy.  And 48 years later Bill Mazeroski returned to the game to throw out the first pitch.  It was exciting for all of us to watch him.  Cameras flashed and fans cheered for one of the biggest heroes in Bucco history.  He must have been a lucky charm as the Pirates won 12-5.

I actually considered pulling out my old "Yankees Su##" t-shirt from my days living near Fenway Park, but I decided that a woman with two toddlers should wear something a little more tasteful while enjoying America’s national pasttime.  Instead I took a picture of the boys holding my t-shirt before we left for the game.  (I told them it said "Pirates Rule".)  George and Teddy had such a great time.  They waited so patiently for the 7th inning stretch when they could sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."  I kid you not, George and Teddy know every word.  (The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette just printed an in-depth article about the history of that song.  Click here to read it.)  Also, just a little side note . . . guess where the wife of pitcher Tom Gorzelanny is from?  A little town in central Iowa you may have heard of . . . Roland!  She’s quite a bit younger than me so I don’t know her, but she graduated from high school with Elayna.  Roland’s population has now been reduced to 998 as two of us have moved to the ’Burgh.  Let’s Go Bucs!

It’s true that your children can be little reflections of you.  While changing one of Teddy’s diapers today George came into the room and exclaimed, "Uff da, Ted!"  I thought to myself, "Uff da?  Did I just hear him speak Norwegian?"  I wasn’t even really aware that I still used that phrase - one that I heard a million times as a child.  All midwestern Scandinavian kids grow up hearing their grandparents and parents saying "Uff da".  Uff da, that smells . . . uff da, it’s hot . . . uff da, I’m sorry to hear that . . . uff da, that was quite a story.  My grandparents even had a little cross-stitched "Uff da" sign in their kitchen.  And now I guess I have my little Pittsburgh mutts (Norwegian, Danish, German, Irish . . . what am I forgetting?) carrying on the "Uff da" tradition.  And no, Kevin, I will beat you to your comment - I promise that I won’t sign up the boys to participate in any lawn chair marches . . . so don’t worry.  Ha, ha.  Anyway, the next time you want to say an exclamation just let out a little "Uff da," Nordic-style.  Oh, and here’s what Wikipedia (thank you, Michael Scott) has to say about the word.

My cousin, Jeffrey Hanson, is a such an inspirational, talented and generous boy.  Please check out his website to find out why.

To read even more about this super-cool kid, click here and here.  And here is a recent TV spot on Jeff.

The weather has been unseasonably cool - just plain gorgeous - and perfect for a trip back to our zoo this week.  We hadn’t been there since George’s birthday party and it was time to say hello again to all of our animal friends.  I just love the Pittsburgh Zoo.  I really appreciate being able to take the boys to places like this.  Teddy’s first visit to the zoo took place inside a Baby Bjorn at one week old.  When I was their age I only went to zoos on vacations or for really special occasions as the nearest zoo was a bit of a drive . . . and there were a bunch of us Hanson kids to haul around!   

The PPG Aquarium at the zoo is my favorite . . . the penguins . . . the stingrays they let us touch . . . the huge, ugly fish-of-some-kind . . . the cute, little colorful ones . . . and of course those two breathtaking polar bears - Koda Rogers and Nuka McFeely.  (You can check them out on this Zoo Cam!) 

The boys would probably vote on the petting zoo as their #1 favorite spot.  Teddy could barely contain himself when he got near the goat (pictured above).  He was so excited that I had to warn him to be gentle and not scare the poor goat who looked like he was sleeping.  You can just see in his face and the way he’s holding his hands that he is trying with all of his might to keep himself under control and not slap the little sleepy thing.  The boys also like the Kids Kingdom play area where they can play on a big spider web made of rope, and climb into a big maze of little tunnels and slides. 

We are really excited about the new baby tiger cub who will be out for viewing soon, the sand tiger sharks debuting in July, and two of the elephant moms due any day now too.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a brand new elephant before, so I’ll be sure to take pictures and post them.

 

Thank you to everyone who has checked in on the Hanson clan in Iowa.  Fortunately no one in my family has been affected or suffered any damage from the devasting floods.  The seriously flooded areas are in Cedar Rapids/Iowa City.  Keep all of those families in your thoughts and prayers - many of whom have lost their homes.

(Downtown, Cedar Rapids, Iowa)

Happy 37th Anniversary Mom and Dad!  We love you!

(Mom, don’t you think Dad should bring back this hair style?  Simply gorgeous, Daddo.)

This blog entry is for Aunt Darlene who pointed out that we’ve neglected to write anything about our first born son -

Wilson Milhous Hanson Acklin. 

Our Wilson turns 10 YEARS OLD this July - We can’t believe it!  Although when I think back to the day Kevin and I drove to Deliverance, Virginia to get him, it seems like 20 years ago.  If Wilson could write a book about the past 10 years of his life it would be surprisingly interesting.  He is well traveled.  According to his breeding papers he was born in Missouri (a Midwesterner like his mama), then picked up by a breeder in Virginia from whom we rescued purchased him.  He then spent the first few months of life peeing all over an English basement on Capitol Hill, and then spent the next couple years sleeping on a couch in a condo in the same neighborhood.  Later he moved to the Fenway neighborhood in Boston where he lifted legs on things called "paHked caHs", and finally to Pittsburgh where he roams his backyard and has a sunroom all to his own, all the while pondering the question, "How much longer are these two loud children staying with us?"  

Wilson has had an exciting 10 years.  Would you believe that Wilson once even managed to sneak onto a flight to Iowa?  He also spent many Friday afternoons hanging out in the Rayburn Building on Capitol Hill.  Our computer systems guy, Xavier, was Wilson’s favorite in the office.  I think it had something to do with Xav’s chocolate cake.  Although it was our Chief of Staff, Lisa, who loved him most.  Lisa sent us a note a couple years ago asking why "Willy" wasn’t part of our Christmas card family picture.  Wilson’s days roaming the flag-lined marble hallways of Capitol Hill were memorable.   

Everyone loves Wilson.  We really couldn’t have a better dog.  The boys love him, and we like that they are learning kindness toward all things - even furry, little dogs.  So anyway, Wilson is currently working on his memoirs, unofficially titled, I Come from the Land of the Ice and Snow.  We will keep you all updated about the release date and book signing party.

Pittsburgh has so many really special opportunities for kids.  I took my little paleontologists to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History this week to dig for dinosaur bones at the Bonehunter’s Quarry.  The museum also has one of the largest collections of dinosaur bones in the country.  George needed lots of reassurance that the dinos were all good and dead.  The boys also got to hold in their little hands an elephant toenail and tooth, and fossilized animal droppings (their favorite, of course).

George "accidentally" destroyed 4 unusual flowers in our front yard today.  I don’t even know what they were, but they were 4 feet tall with perfectly round purple blooms.  Here’s a picture of them taken a couple weeks ago.  (And yes, in case you’re wondering, George dresses himself now.  No outfit is complete without Pittsburgh Pirates wrist bands and a John Deere cap.)  So . . . I was really disappointed when George knocked them all over to the ground.  After I realized what happened we came into the house to call Daddy.  However, after THIS conversation I decided to spare him (as if Kevin would say anything to him other than laugh anyway!):

George:  No, Mommy I don’t want Daddy to see them (the flowers).

Me:  Don’t you think he’ll notice what happened?

George:  I will cover it with a pillow.

Me:  Don’t you think Daddy will notice a pillow in our front yard?

George:  I will say Teddy did it.

Me:  No, because then I will tell Daddy that Teddy did not do it.

George:  I will say that squirrels did it.

Me:  No, the squirrels did not do it.  We will tell Daddy that George did it.

George:  No, a squirrel wrecked the flowers.

Me:  No, I saw you do it.  You have to tell Daddy that you did it.

George:  Sorry I wrecked the flowers.  Daddy will say that he wrecked the flowers too.  (See, George is just soooo afraid of the daddy factor.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

George emerged from his room after his nap this afternoon and joined me at the kitchen table.  I was going through mail and bills and he was interested in my calculator and calendar, asking question after question.  My calendar has pictures of Ronald Reagan and for the month of June the picture is of the President standing before the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin, Germany on June 12, 1987.  This is our conversation:

George:  Mommy, who is that man?

Me:  Ronald Reagan.  He was the President of the United States when I was a little girl.

George:  What is that building?

Me:  That is a gate.  It was part of a big wall that separated people from each other.

George:  What is that man doing?

Me:  He is talking to the people about tearing down the gate and the wall because it isn’t nice to separate people.  He said, "Mr.  Gorbachev, tear down this wall!"

George:  Who are those other people?

Me:  Those are his friends.  They thought President Reagan had great ideas.

George:  How did they get the wall down?

Me:  Bulldozers, cranes, hammers and hands.

George:  What did they do with the bricks?

Me:  Some of them are in special places like museums.  Some people probably took some of "bricks" home with them.

George:  Why?

Me:  So when we look at the "bricks" we will remember that people should be free.

George:  I like that.

Pretty neat conversation with a 3 year old, don’t you think?  Then I pulled out my laptop and looked up the speech on YouTube.com.  I found this clip.  George listened and when Reagan said, "Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate!"  George said, "And tear down this wall!"  It doesn’t take much to butter-up a mommy (and daddy) who studied government in college.  Yet another proud moment in the life of the Acklin Army.

George took his first "tots" skating lesson on Saturday at the Robert Morris University Island Sports Center.  He was a little hesitant at first, but by the end of his lesson he put on a very brave face.  He learned how to fall and get up, balance, take small steps, and of course knock around a hockey puck.  He was determined to do a good job.  We were so proud of him. 

Watch out Sidney Crosby!

 

 

 

UPDATE:  Here is a picture of George at his 2nd lesson . . . He is in the middle wearing the gray jogging pants.  Apparently George stole a puck from another child at around the time I snapped this picture.  I didn’t exactly notice the power move, but was very much alarmed to witness my husband banging his fists on the glass and screaming.  Kevin literally said to me, "Honey, are you sure you are ready for all of this?"  I’m afraid . . . very afraid.

Ok, so our giant urban garden project at the community garden in my neighborhood has been downscaled significantly . . . to an 8′ by 2′ raised bed in our BACKYARD.  I know . . . start laughing . . . we are!  My big idea gone down the tubes.  Three things happened that made me realize that I am no farmer in the Dell.  First, one of our neighbors was so kind to offer me three of her heirloom tomato seedlings.  When she handed them to me I thought they looked like small trees.  My seedlings were started before Easter and they looked like wilted pieces of cilantro.  Hum . . . Secondly, I stopped by THE plot (20 ‘ x 20′ mind you) and saw nothing but knee high weeds.  True, I hadn’t planted anything yet . . . but how in the world was I supposed to clear a forest before doing so?  The surrounding plots, of course, were looking lovely, productive, organized and fruitful.  I decided that whoever those folks were they must really hate me.  So I got in touch with the person who organizes the gardens and he informed me that there were 40 people on the waiting list for plots.  Remembering my mom’s concern (this is the third issue) for how I would find enough time to attend to the garden without the kids, I decided (sadly) to let someone else have it.  My luck . . . first my pieorgie dreams spoiled by someone willing to bid more than I, and now this  . . . someone else will enjoy the fruits of plot number 81. 

Seriously, I must admit that it was actually a relief to let it all go.  It was beginning to look like alot of work.  I think Kevin knew I was still a little disappointed, though, so my dear husband went into full Bob Villa mode on Memorial Day and constructed a raised bed for us.  We took the boys to Home Depot (which by the way we’ve been in and out of so much lately that George asked me this morning, "Are we going to Home Depot today?") bought all of our supplies and Kevin and George spent the entire afternoon building it.  It was so much fun.  I stood my post nearby because, as all women know, if you want a man to finish a project you must be there to quickly locate various tools, serve as a morale-boosting cheerleader, and most importantly feed and hydrate said man.  The result is I have a GARDEN!  Thank you, Kevin!

I have everything planted.  I decided to go with a little of a lot.  I have basil, cilantro, green onions, radishes, spinach, pole beans, cherry tomatoes, eggplant and the three awesome heirloom tomato plants.  It will be interesting to see what works and what doesn’t.  After 24 hours in the ground, I noticed the green onion and spinach have already started to sprout.  WOW!  Here are some pictures of Kevin, George and the garden:

Garden Week Three:

Garden Week Five:

Garden Week Twelve:

Some of the fruits of our labor:

George has been my trusty landscaping assistant for the past couple weeks as we have managed to unload 28 bags of mulch around the yard.  (Yes, 28 bags . . . and there are still two spots that need more attention . . . or maybe it’s just the OCD creeping up on me again.)  Anyway, while outside yesterday afternoon George’s patience with my constant reminders to stay away from the bottom of the driveway, the sidewalk and the street got to him.  You know what my little guy had the nerve to call me?  A sandwich!  He was serious!  After he let out a long sigh I got the old, "Mom, you’re a sandwich!"  I guess I’ve been called worse.  God love him.

Just a little note about my other most-prized possession, Theodore is driving me nuts with baseball and basketball and hockey.  If the boy doesn’t become a professional athlete of some kind, then Kevin and I failed him because he is OBSESSED.  Our newest routine in the morning and after naptime is to pull Teddy out of his crib and look out his window facing the neighbor’s yard.  They have a basketball hoop.  And Teddy doesn’t let me forget it.

George’s version of Grace . . .

Bless us our Lord,

And these thy gifts,

Which we are about to receive,

Through thy BOUNCY Christ,

Our Lord.  Amen.

My 3rd Mother’s Day was sa-weeet!  We went to a Pirates game, the stadium was empty, and we took full advantage!  We had great seats (behind 1st base), we met the Pirate mascot and the Parrot mascot, George caught a pop fly (you can see the ball in his hand in the parrot picture), I spotted a totally random "celebrity" and the kicker of the afternoon was George’s high five with the Sauerkraut Saul pierogie.  Life doesn’t get any better than this!  Here’s the proof (click on the pictures to enlarge them):

(I love the enthusiasm of the Atlanta fan for our pierogie race in the far left picture.  I’m right there with him.  The guy in the bright blue jacket in the middle picture is Anthony Bourdain from the Travel Channel show "No Reservations". 

An appropriate caption for his picture would be "Anthony Bourdain asks, ‘What in the hell is that?’"

Teddy and George enjoying the river views from PNC Park.

I have to share this picture too.  George and Teddy gave me the most adorable Mother’s Day gifts they made at school.  Their teachers had them paint little pots of geraniums and they attached pictures of the boys wearing little halos with the caption "Garden Angel".  My heart was full . . . especially being the lucky mom who always gets TWO of all the precious things they make at school.  Kevin also thought it was adorable but was quick to pose the question, "Why does Teddy’s picture look like a police mug shot?"  George’s picture is so typical George - happy little goof ball.  Teddy’s picture is so typical Teddy - analyzing the situation and asking himself why am I wearing a darn ring around my head and being asked to smile.  I think not.  Ha!

Michelle, Charlotte and I had a wonderful time in Nassau, Bahamas! 

Here is a picture of our highlight - a chance to swim with a dolphin at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island.

The trip was a blast.  The air was warm, the skies were blue (not one drop of rain), and twice I fell asleep on the beach lying under a cabana.  We shopped, we ate, we wandered aimlessly, we played the slots, we shared some drinks, and of course, swam with the those adorable dolphins.  I missed all of my boys, but it was so exciting to come home to them.  George asked me, "Mom, where did you go?  And where did you sleep?"  Teddy’s little face was more lit up then I had ever seen when he saw me at the airport.  And my dear Kevin told me, "Honey, I don’t know how you do it.  I had help and it was still tough."  He couldn’t have possibly given me a bigger compliment.  I’m a lucky mama.  Although I already miss the little evening routines that the girls and I had . . . we sorta resembled an old couple by the end of the trip.  We also shared an elevator one afternoon with three women about 15-20 years our senior who clearly spent the morning at the beach bar, and weren’t exactly sure on what floor their room was located.  When they stepped off the elevator, we looked at each other and said, "That’s US in 15 years!". . . Well, I can only HOPE!  Here are a few pictures of the trip.

Are you a "helicopter mom" or do you believe in "free-range parenting"?  Read this article.  I hover, hover, hover over my boys.  They are with me almost all of the time, and I could not have it any other way.  I call them my "little buddies" . . . and when I left the house today on a rare outing with a girlfriend, Kevin told me upon my return that George was confused by how I could be out with a friend – because HE is my friend!  George says the most precious things to me.  Teddy is very stinky about giving me kisses and my joke is that he is saving them for his girlfriends.  When I say that (at least once a day) George often responds with, "Well, mommy you are my girlfriend so I kiss you."  (And I should mention that after George’s kiss, Teddy swopes in with his courtesy smooch for yours truly which I love, love, love.)  George has even told me that he won’t get married someday because he has me.  Oh, my BOYS!  Kevin and I are so lucky.  I am overprotective . . . a helicopter mom . . . I am not thrilled about ever leaving them . . . when I do I’m not 100% comfortable . . . I am petrified of traffic and drivers and the boys being driven by anyone other me or Kevin.  I never take anything for granted.  For example, at the grocery store I debate in my mind, "Should I put the boys in the van first, and then load the groceries?  Or put the groceries in first and then the boys?  Which would make me less of a target for a carjacking?"  (This happened to a Pittsburgh mom last year and she suffered a horrific nightmare of an ordeal.)  I also remind myself that childhood is so short, and as parents we have an enormous responsibility to give them a happy, peaceful, healthy one.  There are no do-overs with childhood.  So I hover and hover and hover.  Recently I sat next to a very interesting woman at a political dinner.  She was single, in her 40s, no children.  We had a great conversation about my life as a mom, and her life as a corporate executive.  Towards the end of our conversation she put her hand on my arm, looked right into my eyes and said, "Can you please do me a favor?  When your boys are grown - don’t hover over them?  Those men are impossible to date."  I laughed and said, "Oh, God, yes!  I promise!"  (My fingers were firmly crossed . . .)

This picture from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review caught my attention . . . of two local men as they rig in favor of Hillary Clinton prep and pack a few hundred of the over 4,000 voting machines used in Tuesday’s primary throughout Allegheny County.

On a related note, Primary Election day was exciting in the Acklin household.  George awoke convinced that he was going "boating" with daddy.  When he returned from his walk with daddy to the firestation around the corner to perform their civic duty, and the trip did not involve a spin on a riverboat, let’s just say that our little man was none too pleased. 

This is also the same boy who thinks he lives in Picksbird.

Here is the detailed story copied from an email Kevin sent:

"Early on Tuesday morning, I was getting ready for work and announced to my 3-year old son George to get ready to go voting with daddy.  He jumped out of bed with great excitement, and got dressed with such haste, that he emerged from his room with mismatched clothes (red sweatpants, and a bright white dress shirt).  As a political activist, I beamed proudly to my wife that our son was taking such an interest in the political process at such a young age!  We left home, walked around the corner to the firehouse on Northumberland in Squirrel Hill, just the two of us.  George was so excited that he couldn’t contain himself.  When we entered the garage, I lifted him up and let him touch the voting screen to select the candidates (which wasn’t very difficult, as there were so few choices in the GOP primary).  As we walked back home, dad still beaming proudly at his son’s new interest in politics, George looked up at me and said, "daddy, when are we going boating?"  Tears streamed down his cheeks as I explained.  My heart sank.  It was a bright Tuesday morning, and the little guy thought he was going on a riverboat, and all I could offer him was a touch screen voting booth."

The boys’ great-grandmother, Nunny, spent a week with us recently, and during that time Miss Theodora found Nunny’s wig.  Isn’t she a beauty?  I think we should start signing her up for beauty scholarship pagents.  To wear one of Nun’s wigs has been a rite of passage for generations in the Harris family . . . somewhere we have a picture of Kevin wearing one of them when he was a little guy.  Ya know, the more I look at this picture Teddy looks a bit like Andy Warhol!  Didn’t he wear wigs too?  Ok, so if I’m going to compare my son to Pittsburgh’s own Andy Warhol, let’s just do this Pop Culture thing right . . . how’s this?

UPDATE:  Here is the picture of Kevin with Dan both wearing Nunny’s wigs!

George has reached another birthday milestone and celebrated his special day at one of our favorite places on the planet - the Pittsburgh Zoo.  He had so much fun!  Nonnie took this picture of George with his zoo cake.  Birthday parties to George are all about one thing and one thing only - cake.  He could take or leave everything else as long as there is frosting somewhere in the room.  He has already asked me to do a cake for Teddy’s birthday.  What he doesn’t know yet is HE is going to do the cake for Teddy’s special day.  It is going to be hysterical.  Anyway, I don’t want to get overly dramatic but I have to say that in my stressful quests of trying to make things like birthday parties so huge and over-the-top I forget that it’s just the little things that the boys will remember.  George really isn’t interested in anything fancy . . . and I’m sure that is true for all children.  They just want a couple things to open up and a birthday cake and lots of smiles.  Children really do have their way of reminding you what is important.

There was a PBS cartoon in the 70s/80s called Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings (I think it was on Captain Kangaroo).  I loved it.  The jingle was so cute . . . "Well, you know my name is Simon and the things I draw come true."  I’m not sure if I was intrigued as much by the little boy’s imagination, as I was with the British accent, but I loved Simon’s "draw-rings".  George has spent many chilly spring afternoons lately drawing with chalk on the driveway.  My little Simon.  His drawings are so purposeful . . . there is nothing random or nonsense about them, but only if I knew what was on his mind as his imagination took over that little piece of chalk.  Here a few pictures of his important work.  When I asked him what he drew he said that they were roads, monsters and diggers.  (Of course diggers . . . nothing is better then a piece of heavy machinery in George’s Land of Chalk Drawings.)

Kevin is on the board of the Economic Club of Pittsburgh and today he introduced the new President of the Pittsburgh Pirates at their monthly meeting.  Kevin amazes me (in a good way this time - ha, ha) . . .  If I had to make such an introduction I wouldn’t sleep for days, and would probably spend most of that morning praying to the porcelin gods.  Well, Kevin didn’t mention it all this morning when he left to take the bus into work.  Although Kevin won’t admit it, I know him well enough that I am sure that it was while on that ride he remembered the luncheon and the speech.  He probably at that moment pulled out his Blackberry and starting writing something to say.  Here’s his remarks.  (And although I didn’t hear his speech myself, I can imagine that he knocked it out of the ballpark.  Hum . . . I wonder if Kevin remembered to say anything to him about my obsession with the pierogies . . .)

Good afternoon - My name is Kevin Acklin, and I’m Vice President of the Economic Club of Pittsburgh.  I’m a corporate attorney with Morgan Lewis and Bockius, and I thank you all for attending today.  I’m honored to introduce today’s speaker.

Like many young Pittsburghers, I grew up playing little league baseball in the City ward baseball league.  My neighborhood of South Oakland was in the 4th Ward in the City, which comprised players from Oakland, Greenfield and sections of Hazelwood.  Our home ball field was this little patch of dirt and gravel just across the street from Hillman Library at the edge of Pitt’s campus, and it was called Mazeroski field.  Still standing next that field, even today, is a section of the outfield wall of Forbes Field, the same wall (albeit not the same section) over which Bill Mazeroski hit that famous shot to beat the unbeatable Yankees that afternoon in the 1960 World Series.  I cannot think of a better place in the world to learn the ins and outs of America’s past-time.

Like many Pittsburgh families, my family and the Pirates have been linked for generations.  Soon after World War II, both of my grandparents worked at Forbes Field, a tradition in my family that continued to Three Rivers and continues to this day at PNC Park.  My grandmother sold hot dogs, or “red hots” as she called them, and my pap worked part time at the firehouse and part time as an usher.  Frank, if the Pirates have had any economic trouble over the years, I’m sure it’s due in part to all those FREE Pirates games I attended as a kid.  I’ll be sure to pay you back some day.

Some say that Pittsburgh is a football town, and that may be true, but Pittsburghers love their Pirates.  We remember the good years in the 1970s and the early 1990s, but it HAS been awhile since we have had a Pirates championship in the City of Champions.  Well, folks, if I were a betting man, I’d bet that this is all about to change.  

With us today is Frank Coonelly, the new President of the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Frank brings a new vitality and a sense of purpose that the Pirates organization has not seen for some time.   On behalf of the Economic Club, we are excited to have him with us here today, and even more excited that he’s going to lead our beloved Buccos to the Promised Land.

Before joining the Pirates, Frank served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Labor in the front offices of Major League baseball.  

Before then, he was a partner at my firm, Morgan Lewis, in our Washington office and worked in large part as outside counsel to Major League Baseball, and several other ball clubs, including the Atlanta Braves.  We’ll forgive you for that mistake, Frank.  We all remember where we were that night when Bonds fumbled that throw.  Yes, let it be known that we blame Barry, not Sid, for that one.

A native of Philadelphia, Frank and his wife Debbie have 4 children.  He is a graduate of Penn State University, and earned his JD at Catholic University in Washington.

Let us give a warm Pittsburgh welcome to the new President of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Frank Coonelly.

  George tie dyed some eggs this afternoon for the Easter bunny!

 

George (the chef-in-training) was helping me scrub potatoes this afternoon when he said, "Mommy, this looks like my buns!"

This spring we are going to embark on a new family project - a vegetable garden!  We thought about carving out a section in our backyard - like most gardeners do - but then we thought about the dog and how in the world will we keep him from peeing all over everything.  (When I see him left his leg on the kids’ toys I have a heart attack . . . so if this were to happen on something I planned to ingest I would lose my mind.)  So anyway, we recently discovered that our neighborhood has a community garden and it’s close enough that we can walk - perfect!  I remember seeing community gardens in Boston and thinking, "Who are those Croc-wearing granolas planting little gardens in the middle of the city?"  Well, here I am!  (Minus the Crocs for God’s sake.)  Now - what to grow, and how in the world to grow it.  If only I could remember how mom and dad planted that giant garden every summer.  I remember the garden at the farm too.  Oh, and how could I forget Grandpa Hanson’s MASSIVE gardens?  So I’m crossing my fingers the generations of green thumbs hasn’t skipped over me.  We will take pictures and upload as the garden grows.  Our urban garden project will make for some peaceful (is that wishful thinking?), constructive and memorable time with the boys . . . maybe someday they will have garden memories too.

Here are a couple pictures of us starting our seedlings.  The boys were very interested in the dirt.  After one week things were already starting to sprout!

Update:

It’s early April and we’ve started getting our plot ready for planting.  Man it’s a huge plot.  Often times Kevin and I just stare it and scratch our heads.  Kevin had to do alot of removal from the previous year’s garden, and we’re trying to fix up the fencing around it to keep OUT deer and keep IN toddlers.  We also spread out a layer of organic something-or-other over the whole thing.  Next we will rent a tiller from Home Depot and get to work on that.  The times we have spent in the garden have been hard for me.  It’s currently a muddy mess, which doesn’t bother Daddy or George one bit, but Teddy and I both want to fall to our knees and cry.  Wait, Teddy DOES fall to his knees and cry.  So there’s not much I can do while holding a 22 month old.  Then I start to get frantic about the mud on all of our shoes . . . I made Kevin drive home last weekend shoeless as I had ripped them off his feet before he got in the van.  So this is certainly good practice for my self-diagnosed obsessive compulsive disorder.

My heart has melted.  This afternoon I overheard Teddy in his crib singing, "Tinkle, tinkle, la, la, sta . . . tinkle, tinkle, la, la sta."  I had no idea that he ever paid one bit of attention to my singing. 

This is a first . . . in the privacy of his room lies a mysterious (and crazy-smart) little boy.

Update:  At 22 months Teddy sings "Twinkle, Twinkle" all the time, as well as his ABCs.  Both songs have the same tune, and he has it down pat.  It’s so cute because he sings with great gusto about every 5th or 6th word (or letter) and it’s absolutely hilarious.

The boys read a new book this morning called On the Moon.  We learned fun facts like it takes 4 days to get to the moon, and to walk on the moon you have to take great big, bouncy strides, and the moon is dusty so astronauts have left behind foot prints.  After reading the story George was on a mission of his own.  He ran around the house in a "space suit" (police helmet) pretending to fly in a space shuttle when I remembered that we had a big box in the basement just waiting for two little boys to be transported into the galaxy.  We found a couple American flags to adorn our shuttle and scribbled a few controls on the inside (shuttles have "on" and "off" switches, right?)  The boys also decided that the styrofoam pieces inside the box made for a great "moon buggy."  Maybe we have the next Neil Armstrong on our hands?