Jaleel White

I don't remember too many of my birthdays distinctly, but my eighth birthday party stands out.  It's the only family party I can recall where we ate dinner out.  We met at Ryan's which delighted me beyond measure primarily because there was an all you can eat buffet and soft serve ice cream.  I'm pretty sure I only consumed dinner rolls, pepperoni, olives, and chocolate ice cream~ ah, the unsophisticated palate and free will of a child.  I felt terribly spoiled on this birthday as well because I relished the opportunity to have happy birthday sung to me and to open presents before an audience of other diners.  It made me feel important.  I think because it was such a unique event in my childhood, I have such strong memories of the gifts I received.  My most treasured present was a doll.  I'm sure all girls my age had special dolls but not like this one.  It was the greatest doll ever fabricated in the 1990s.  It was the Talking Urkel doll...

He said humorous catch phrases like "Did I do that?" and "Got any cheese?".  I played with Urkel so much that one of his suspenders broke off and his pull-string no longer made him speak.  For a season he was my favorite, but it didn't last.  The popularity of Family Matters faded, and I outgrew my toy.  My Steve Urkel doll was tossed into the old donation pile and exiled from our happy home.  Did I just give a synopsis for the Toy Story movies?  The Urkel doll & Woody bear some uncanny similarities...

Years later when I was a freshman in high school, something totally unexpected happened.  I was invited by a friend to have brunch with his family at the Ritz Carlton in Buckhead.  In my mind it was the height of elegance and by far the fanciest event of my young life.  I wanted to look my best, but I had one major problem.  I was plagued by bad vision and had to wear glasses.  Of all the deplorable enemies of femininity, prescription spectacles were the worst.  So while preparing I chose my most beautiful skirt and headband for my hair.  I selected chunky platform shoes because ladies where shoes that boost their height.  And I tucked my loathsome glasses in their case and left them on my nightstand.  After all, what if someone were to have a camera?  I didn't want to be immortalized on film at the fanciest place ever looking like a nerd.

Well, the Ritz brunch exceeded every expectation I had.  There was a chef preparing specialty omelets.  Every kind of pastry imaginable filled a beautiful table~ croissants, scones, muffins, danishes~ all glorious.  You could eat sausage, bacon, and eggs to your heart's content.  And there, at the caviar table (yes, a whole table dedicated to caviar) was Jaleel White.  Or so I was told.  Sure, I saw the figure of a young and slender black man, but he could have been anybody.  O curs'd spite!  Having left my glasses at home, I missed the possibility of seeing not only a real life celebrity, but one I had actually cherished.  Why had I not just packed my glasses in my purse?  Certainly the Steve Urkel would not have thought me a dork if I wore corrective eye wear.  I was urged by my friend to greet Jaleel White, but I felt such tremendous chagrin for not being able to see him that I was only persuaded to stroll past his table on my way to refill my plate.

While reflecting on these two Urkel anecdotes, a word kept coming into my mind.  Vanity.  It's like King Solomon was in my head reciting Ecclesiastes from his King James Bible, "Vanity of vanities; all is vanity..." (that's how he kicks off the book in chapter 1 verse 2, and yes Solomon owning a KJV is anachronistically impossible).  At two different times in my life, I was consumed with vanity.  The first I think is common for children and adults alike; we all desire to be celebrated especially by those we love.  Perhaps it was innocent enough at the time, but in my memory it is a top shelf momento.  It is my pride of special birthday nostalgia.  Maybe there is no danger in boasting about my eighth birthday. 

On the other hand, being embarrassed by wearing glasses was a silly thing.  Pretty much without exception, teenage girls are vain.  On that day it cost me something.  It could have been an episode of Family Matters (and likely was) where Steve removes his glasses to be cool but has some misadventure leading to property damage and an unhappy Carl Winslow.  I know for a fact that Stephanie Tanner struggled with glasses insecurity.  If I hadn't been so consumed with appearing a certain way, I wouldn't have missed a neat opportunity (or fibbed to many of you about how I've actually seen Jaleel White in person).

Steve giving Stephanie a pep talk about wearing glasses (Source) (VIDEO)

Stephanie Tanner & I had the same stylist~ floral dresses with lace collars and glasses

I wish at both those times in my life Solomon could have been in my head (or rather, heart) and imparted some of his wisdom.  I was too proud for my own good and attributed the good things in my life (particularly my eighth birthday party) to some inherent greatness in me.  On the other occasion, I was figuratively (and literally) blind to how shallow I was until there were consequences for my vanity.  Perhaps if I hadn't been so self involved, I could have had a little more gratitude for my family and friends treating me to nice meals and for having parents who provided glasses for me.  Who knows?  I might have even had the courage to introduce myself to Jaleel White and share with him that I always identified more with bespeckled and humble Steve than too-cool-for-school Stefan...

Why I Run: I Get To Run With Him

Kyle and I had a conversation at some point about giving some quality yearbook-style smiles for the photographers during our last race.  The photographers are spread throughout the course and capture lots of photos that end up being as much a trophy to a racer as the finisher's medal.  Well, you might say that I received quite a reward when looking at my sweet hubbies race photos...

I love how he spots the photographer, totally commits to his crazy face, and gets more demented with each frame.  Thank you Lord for these; I laugh out loud every time I look at them.

 Oh how I love him!

It's like I'm married to Calvin.

A House Elf

Though he is a muggle raised by muggles, Bennett has been a very helpful house elf today.  Once we put on his cozy elf outfit, he was ready to tackle a little of holiday to-dos.  I'll let him show you how he got jolly...

Though it may look like I'm sleeping on the job, my mom loves when I'm snoozing through check-out at the grocery store.  We picked up lots of dairy products and 10 pounds of flour for my dad's baking projects.  We got the good stuff~ King Arthur APF.

I helped seal and stamp dozens of envelops so that the Ham fam could spread some holiday cheer snail-mail style.  I picked up an admirer at the post office who nearly followed us to the car~ quite alarming for my mother, but I just smiled.

Playtime!

I held glitter sticks and helped my mom with some top secret craft projects.  My hat is the coolest.

So much wrapping paper~ I thought I'd end up in a box under the tree (and I'm sure I have some grandmothers who would love to have me as a Christmas gift). 

I'm allowed to hold this present because it is a gift box with no wrapping paper.  My gift holding privileges were revoked the moment I started to gnaw on the corners (sorry Aunt Foo~ hopefully it won't be soggy when I give it to you).

I played with a felt snowflake.  It'll have to do until real snow comes, and I can play in it.

We enjoyed some pictures from a classic festive book.  I'm not literate nor do I speak English so I'm still a little fuzzy about this story's plot...

Since I haven't mastered any spoken language, I may as well learn how to wish you merry Christmas en français!

Alright, a year ago if you had told me I'd be transcribing blog posts for my 16 week old tot, I think I would have gagged a little.  Maybe when he stops being so cute, I'll get back to not doing so many cutesie entries.  It's bad enough that I derive so much pleasure from dressing him up, but one day he may grow up and learn that I propped and photographed him doing silly things.  He may not appreciate it as much as others... Until I grow in the self-control department, forgive my goofy Christmas baby entries.

Feeling Festive

Bennett dressed up today after helping me shop for presents and wrap them.  You might say he's getting into the Christmoose spirit....

No shame in making up silly holiday-inspired vocab.  Hope you are having a lovely time preparing for Christmas, too!

One Month Already?

So it feels like forever since I've blogged, but on the flip side, I am stunned that Bennett is already over a month old.  People say it all the time~ they grow up so fast.  I guess it is true.  We had our visit to the pediatrician today.  Little buddy gained 2 pounds and 3 ounces and grew a whopping 2.25 inches.  He is a little smaller than the average baby but totally normal and totally healthy (he may have small person genes; his mom is only 5'1'').  In the realm of accomplishments and defying all odds, our little Hamiltot has rolled over from his stomach to his back 3 times.  His doctor says that doesn't normally happen until 2 to 4 months old!  He also has slept through the night for the past 5 nights; Kyle and I have a whole new lease on life!  Check out my strong little man~

Looking crazy good in spots & dots!

 While each day the baby does something new, Kyle managed to get a new activity this month.  He has bonding time with his co-workers every now and then.  Typically they go bowling on a Friday afternoon, but last week they played WhirlyBall.  Kyle had to forgo the opportunity to play with the young married couples group at church this summer because a third-trimester wife would not have had any fun.  Thankfully the opportunity arose again.  Here is he in action...

This looks goofy...

...and this is even goofier!

So Kyle's co-workers fashioned this cap as a trophy of sorts.  Kyle was the only one who received a foul during the game thus he was "awarded" this special treat~ ridiculous!

As for me?  I'm feeling really good these days.  My body feels healthy again (except all the junk food I have been eating~ oops!).  My midwife gave me the green light on running again.  Now to just find the time and muster the energy....  I'm starting slow with walks around the neighborhoods before I hit the treadmill (Bennett won't get to roll out in his fancy jogging stroller for another few months~ he'd be all shook up!).  I think I'm going to keep up my mile counter because it is a good motivator for me.

I miss blogging a bunch, but I always opt on the side of taking a nap or shower over writing a new post.  I'm sure I'll get the swing of things at some point, but until then, see you back here in October?  Only time will tell on this matter...

Funny Story....

So last month Kyle and I went to North Carolina to visit his family for the 4th of July.  We had a really fun time playing in the sun with friends.  It's always good to be there and enjoy time on boats (I skipped the ski boat this trip and only boarded the very smooth riding pontoon boat).  Boat time always leads to a little recreational activity.  Some of you may know that Kyle is exceptional at wakeboarding.  Here's a sampling of his skills...

...that is, his skills about 5 years ago.  Not to say he's not a fit and athletic fella now; he's just more of a runner & weightlifter these days.  He just hasn't be tugged behind a boat very much the last couple of years.  Well, he went out on the water with a few friends to see what he could still do while I opted for a mid-afternoon nap (sun + pregnancy = one highly fatigued lady).  As Kyle was heading out, I asked him to be careful and jokingly said, "Don't break your leg."

Four weeks later, what does this story have to do with anything?  Kyle had a sore ankle after his day of wakeboarding, but it didn't seem serious.  He's been training for a half-marathon with some co-workers running several times a week (he's hardcore~ tempo runs, hill sprints, 8 mile runs in summer heat, etc).  That little ankle has just been giving him trouble on and off for the whole month of July.  After some encouragement/nudging by a few folks, he finally went to the doctor to see what was going on last Friday.  My sweet husband discovered he has a fractured ankle.

Check out that boot and those crutches...

So now neither Hamilton is functioning at 100%.  Now I certainly thought at 38 weeks Kyle would be waiting on me hand and foot, but as Michael Scott says, "Oh how the turn tables...."  So if yall are the praying types, we could use it for fast healing for Kyle.  He gets MRI results on Wednesday, and I'll keep you posted on how we weather the next couple of weeks as Ham #3 joins us.

Kyle was a bit bummed that he got hurt wakeboarding since he was once so strong and good at it.  His spirits were boosted though by an impressed co-worker who couldn't believe Kyle was doing long distance runs on a broken ankle.  This man bowed to Kyle's manly testosterone.  I just hope this doesn't encourage him to get too manly before he has fully recovered.

Show And Tell Returns (Part III)

After much anticipation, the final installment of SHOW & TELL is here!  Why did it take so long to post this?  I have been a huge slacker this week (although I did finish the book I've been reading for the last month, baby and I reached our goal of moving 300 miles by foot, and the nursery is finally complete).  These last few items from my French students are a combination of drawings, odd items, and silly written notes.  Let's waste no more time....

Yes!  One child loves English (and not "englais" as I spotted on more than one occasion~ I believe it's a combo of english & francais).  Also Leha~ it's an epidemic.

You may be thinking cute stationary or what does this note say, but I'd like you to enjoy how Lisa Frank-style stationary is not just for the girls anymore.  Thank you Quentin for your decorative handwritten note.

I'm not sure what this is, but this heart face with wing ears showed up on a great number of drawings by students in different classes and different schools.  Should I be thinking this is the French Sponge Bob or looking into alternative manifestations of crop circles? 

In case I forgot somewhere down the road, Florent wanted to ensure that he was always remembered as a "Good boy :)".  It's true~ he is a very good boy and perhaps the brightest in one of my 3rd grade classes.

This poor student was unable to complete their flag of the Union Jack in time.  He did successfully depict the flag of the Belarusian Christian-Democratic Union...

Curse you Lily Allen and Black Eyed Peas for confusing and corrupting the children!  Edgar surely doesn't know what this means.  How does the worst of anglophone culture find its way to young impressionable french children?  We're talking WWF wrestling, Playboy clothing & accessories, KFC, and Michael Jackson.  No wonder they grow up into a whole nation of America haters; I'd hate it too if these were my ideas of American culture.

Oh no!  I love Leak?  Thankfully a friend with a blue pen was able to intervene with the correct spelling of my name.  This makes me giggle every time I see it.

There you have it.  The final chapter of the ad-FRENCH-ure is at a close.  I hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane.  It'll only be another year or two before I start shamelessly showing & telling about the Hamiltot's art.  Until then, we'll return to 3H@H like normal.  Au revoir!

Show And Tell Returns (Part II)

We are continuing our three part series today of SHOW & TELL!  Today I'd like to share with you several funny responses I received on an "About Me" style worksheet.  As you will note, the worksheet uses British English inserting the letter "u" where no American would.  Without tons of resources available, this girl exploited every ESL teaching tool I could get my hands on.  Students were asked about their favorite color, food, number, sport, and animal.  I hope you'll be delighted by this selection of student responses.

See Answer 4~ My favorite sport is bowling (appropriate), computer (well... not exactly sporty), and tractor (where did you learn this word, child?)

See last answer~ This one is for Miss Foo, my sister, who has pet robo dwarf hamsters.

See Answer 2 & 5~ The French are fancier than Americans enjoying the finer things in life such as caviar and blue eyed white dragons.  This particularly refined student won't even be limited by selecting a singular number, but opted for the ever classy and impressive infinity.

See Answer 2~ Maybe I spoke too soon about French refinement...  I think this child would thrive in America (sans kebabs which I believe may be our greatest culinary weakness).

See Answer 2~ I can't believe my eyes!  Frog legs as a favorite food reinforces about a dozen stereotypes I had been trying to keep at bay about the French.  Visions pop into my mind of beret capped, mustache sporting, striped shirt wearing, cigarette smoking, baguette toting Frenchmen smooching up ladies' arms and shouting "Sacré bleu!" at the Eiffel Tower.  Probably not what this little one intended.  Also, the interest in sausage segues quite well into our final picture...

See Answer 1~ Dear Solene, I also love the colors gold, blue, purple, silver, and sausage.  This is the most charming answer in the history of time.  Love, Leah

This little stroll down memory lane really made me miss teaching and being around so many bright and wonderful children.  I love how all the children write in cursive and have multicolored pens for every occasion.  Each child had a pencil case that represented their interests.  When they got excited their exuberant "oui!" would sound more like "waaayyy!!"  I really loved singing and dancing with the kids.  I liked playing games a little less~ they are so competitive at times and conflict escalated quickly.  It still makes me sad when I recall the handful of times a child broke down in tears during my class; I still surge with joy when I think of the number of times a little one grabbed my hand in the hallway or the times I was required to lean over to receive greeting kisses on my cheeks.  Perhaps I would be a little less sentimental about it had I taught for more than one year.  I imagine a different batch of students every year may make one a little less attached to the children year in and year out.  I'd like to think, though, if I had continued to teach I'd keep the same attitude.  Without really knowing, all I can really say is that I miss them and hope their families and teachers value them more than I did or could during the 9 months I was with them.

Merciful heavens, this was supposed to be a funny entry.  Just leave it to a hormonal pregnant lady to get weepy over frog legs and tractors~ Hope you were amused by their interests.  One more show & tell to go before we return to all the Ham fam happenings.  À bientôt!

Show And Tell Returns (Part I)

 As many of you know (and as I constantly remind you in my writing), Kyle and I lived in Metz, France for 13 months shortly after getting married.  While we were there I worked as an English language teaching assistant in two elementary schools.  What this meant was that I was responsible for instructing 7 English classes for students ranging from 2nd to 5th graders 4 days a week.  Having never taught before and receiving only a bit of training before diving in, it presented challenges to me most days even after I got into my routine.  The greatest challenge I faced was the level of professionalism I felt needed to be maintained as French school teachers happen to be a bit more stern than the American variety (the star sticker business is a struggling industry in France).  Deep down I wanted to learn all about these little precious ones' lives and hug them each time I saw them.  They were all very dear to me.  As a testament to that, I often spent recess sitting with children in the library over taking a coffee break with my colleagues.

A brief aside about my true sentiments on teaching~  My real hope for my students is that they remember having a likable sort of teacher from America which fuels an interest for them to travel to this country some day.  In truth, I wish I had the boldness and ability to share more of my faith with them (a good many knew I was Protestant because I wore a "croix de Jesus" and they were curious about me not being Catholic).  I prayed then and still pray that if they are inspired to visit this country, they'll meet Christians who can teach them about Jesus and invite them to have a relationship with him.  In the meantime, I happily accept their friend requests on FB, but worry some are growing up too fast by their photos & status updates (middle school is the worst no matter what part of the world you're in). 

I knew I would really miss my little French students and came up with a fun way to remember them.  On the last two days of school it was clear learning would be out the window.  I came equipped with worksheets, colored paper, and a large collection of paper hearts (unfortunately not used on Valentine's day because I had a migraine & stayed home).  Since the school year ended on July 2nd, it seemed appropriate to celebrate American Independence day with a little School House Rock as well.  It was fun for all since the children were commencing a season of liberty from teachers and books and homework.  Armed with a variety of diversions, my (perhaps thinly veiled) plot began to take off; I intended to collect art and English handouts at the end of class to prepare a time capsule for myself.  Sneaky....

Fast forward a year~I had tucked away each classes' collection of paper goods in my accordion folder ever so careful to not steal a premature glance at my spoils.  I toted my heavy folder from Metz to Paris then over the Atlantic to Atlanta where my treasure spent some time in Marietta before settling in the guest/nursery closet here in our apartment in Norcross.  Without the flare of digging a hole in the ground for some ancient buried memories like we see so often in television (here I think of Kate on LOST unearthing the lunchbox she stole), I pulled the folder rather casually out of the closet last Friday night to see what there was to see.  My heart swelled to see their little handwritten names, strange sorts of drawings, and of course humorous corruptions of the English language.  To make this last a bit for our enjoyment, I've reinstated the ad-FRENCH-ure SHOW & TELL section!!!!  Tonight I give you Les Portraits d'une étrangère (or student renditions of me).  Enjoy....

Ah, the French spelling of my name~ I missed it!  I also miss having one pencil leg and one marker leg.  And always remember to wink when your rocking the side pony.

This student made sure to specify my nationality to the viewer lest we confuse me for a Brit or German.  Little known fact:  The French believe all Americans have 2 left hands and no pinkies.

In the arctic tundra that is the Lorraine region, I'm sure my lips never looked so good and healthy.  I can assure that I showed up to work nearly daily with hair like that after having capped and hooded my crown for warmth on the journey.

Oh... the other French spelling of my name.  That "h" always tripped them up.  This child seemed to be channeling something Godfather-esque since there is a horse's head next to my armless body.  Yikes!

The circle with arrow says "Ces toi Léa".  I make a note of this because "ces" should actually be "c'est" in proper French grammar (this kid used their phonetic skills sounding it out).  This grammar error helps me tell myself that teaching a second language to little ones who haven't mastered the basics of their first language is difficult.  This is for the days I came home and felt like they learned nothing from me.

Well, I'm not sure what to say about this one.  Ali was keeping it simple with the black & white color scheme.

This one makes me smile a lot.  On the mitten hands, see Arctic Tundra comment on drawing #3.  Overall I hope there was a lot of smiling and fun when I was teaching these kiddos~ if this is how this one student saw me (with a big grin and smiling eyes), what a blessing.  I'll take it.

Alright~ I hope you've enjoyed Part I of III show & tell installments.  If you want to see vintage art I collected at school last year (and currently have preserved in that same accordion folder), please venture over to the sidebar and select the "Show and Tell" link under "Hot Topigs".  Up next: humorous responses the little ones wrote on their profile worksheets and a mishmash of funny things both drawn and written.  For now, bonsoir!

Why We Can't Have Nice Things (reprise)

It seems my pregnancy clumsiness is as effective as malicious, hungry squirrels...

The inaugural use of this dish was a bust~ Ha!

I'll let you in on a secret~ I'm going nuts in the kitchen today (and yesterday).  So far I've made banana nut bread for Kyle to take in to work to share with his co-workers and (gluten free) Chex Mix (or as we call it: Chex Mix a la KHud).  This dish was for a fancy French clafoutis.  No worries~ we have substitute dishes on standby so I'll reveal those results and maybe even what I'm making Kyle for dinner here later.  For now I'm just sad that I never used this dish before I broke it (with heat on the stove~ not dropping it).  Pregnancy brain made me a little careless I suppose... 

Why We Can't Have Nice Things

Kyle and I were thrilled to complete our porch updates recently so that we could enjoy a nice shady outdoor living space.  Between the super heat and crazy summer storms, we haven't been doing much porch sitting.  Perhaps our presence would have prevented some of the catastrophes my poor little bird feeder has endured recently.  Lame as it is, I have already blogged about squirrels attacking the homestead and squandering our birdseed on reckless living (or at least stealing it from our intended recipients).

Back in happier days, there was order and a perfect little bird feeder and patriotic drapeau.

Today I looked out my window and didn't see our feeder.  I thought Kyle may have taken it down since we had sporty weather last night.  Sometimes we take our flag down to prevent the wind from tearing it up.  Well, the feeder was nowhere to be found~ until I peered over our railing.  Lo and behold, it was in pieces on the ground below. *tear* I had hoped it had been the result of crazy storms, but deep down I already knew who was responsible...

A damaged little roof

The cruel critters tried to chew their way into the seed store.

They damaged a great deal of the house before they dropped it from the porch.

Less damage on the other side, but they still made their mark.

Aha!  Somebody chewed right through the cord causing my little bird feeder to smash to the ground.  This must be their revenge for me squirting them with a water bottle when I spot those crafty scavengers (yes, I'm the nut who runs outside spraying jumpy rodents who pillage from my porch).

WANTED:  Nasty squirrels who ate & broke my bird feeder

Free food has been revoked from all Norcross wildlife chez les Hamiltons until we can come up with an appropriate response...