One Cool Dude

Video of the day!

Always Playing Catch-up

Obviously, I've been a little out of touch lately, so for those of you not on Facebook, here's a quick recap:

I was admitted to the hospital four weeks ago in pre-term labor and have been on bed rest since.  Brian has stepped up to the role of Mr. Mom (his ego may never recover) and Joseph has been so sweet and understanding.  I have spent many nights crying over all the things I can't do-- take him to school, play soccer, go to the park, even sit on the floor and play cars-- but he handles these limitations with such maturity and grace.  We are so grateful for our friends and family who bring us meals, come over and play, and even take Joseph for the day or weekend.  When we're home together, Joseph has begun putting on short shows for me and I've had my trusty iPhone handy to capture most of them.  New videos will be posted soon!

The Big Reveal

Since I'm so behind with my posts, here's a little video to bring you all up to date on our latest family news!

Heart-breaker in the Making

Here's the video of the week!  I asked Joseph what he should say when a pretty girl kisses him on the cheek and this was his response.

(Please pardon my appearance...and the low lighting.  :-))

The Ultimate Apology

This is the video that started it all.  It was commissioned by my new brother-in-law, whom Joseph calls "Hooty" (short for Houston).  Hooty ate my sister's leftover pasta and knew he would be in big trouble so he asked for Joseph to make an apology video for him to present to my sister when he got home.  Who could be mad after seeing this?

New year, new post, new idea

Sooo.... it's been a while since I've posted anything.  The truth is, there are just too many cute sayings and stories to keep up with.  Lately, I've become addicted to the video feature on my iPhone and have managed to capture some of the cutest moments on video.  At the urging of friends and family, I am going to attempt to post a video of the week.  Just a little something to make you smile!

Miss Manners

This post has nothing to do with the sweet baby boy who now calls me "mom."  This post is about a major pet peeve.  Manners!

Not to toot my own horn, but I think I have pretty good manners.   I shudder to think of a time when email and Facebook correspondence takes the place of a hand-written note.  I guess for some people this has already happened.  Personally, I LOVE stationary and am constantly coming up with excuses to use it.  If you're reading this and think you should improve your manners, here are some tips.  If you're reading this and share my complaints, please feel free to comment below!

• If someone performs an act of service for you or gives you a gift, you should WRITE them a thank-you note.  It does not have to be on fancy monogrammed stationary (although that is nice).  Just drop them a few lines to say that you appreciate what they did for you or gave you.  Sending a Facebook message or email is NOT the same thing!  My son, who is not quite three, does this already.  We send thank you notes to the grandparents and even to his friends who cannot yet read, after his birthday party every year. 
• If you have dinner at someone's home, it is nice to send them a thank you note expressing gratitude for their hospitality (especially if you didn't have to cook) and alluding to future gatherings.  Even nicer, keep some stationary in the car and leave the note in their mailbox as you leave.  They'll get it the next day when they check their mail and will be even more impressed with your thoughtfulness and good manners!
• Wedding gifts should actually be sent BEFORE the wedding.  It is a major pain for the parents of the bride and groom to load all those gifts into their vehicles after a long day, and it's also an inconvenience for the bride and groom to have to make special trips home to pick up gifts.  If you're a stickler for receiving thank you notes, then you should definitely send you gift beforehand to ensure that your name card does not get misplaced when gifts are haphazardly loaded.
• Wedding guests and guests of guests:  Wedding invitations typically have inner envelopes and outer envelopes.  The outer envelope is the one bearing the proper name and address of the invitee (i.e. Mr. and Mrs. John Smith).  The inner envelope lists the exact names of those invited by the bride and groom (Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Caroline and John Jr.)  It is very rude to bring guests to a wedding whose names are not listed on the invitation.  It is even more rude to call the bride, groom, or their parents and ask why your children were not invited.  They should not have to explain to you that it is an adult wedding/reception.  Use your MANNERS and some common sense.  
• RSVP-- The term RSVP is an abbreviation for a French phrase that translates to "Please respond."  This generally means that the host or hostess would like for you to call (or write) and tell them that you can come to their party.  If you do not respond, they may think you are not able to come and will therefore not have enough food, beverages, etc. for you.  Think of this as "reserving your spot" on the guest list.
• REGRETS-- Some invitations will say "Regrets only" and list a name and number to call.  If this is the case, you should call the host and let them know if you are UNABLE to attend the party.  This is very polite and will prevent the host from spending excess money on food and beverages for guests who are not attending.  Put yourself in the host's shoes... would you want to buy food for 50 guests when only 30 show up?
• A note on RSVPs and REGRETs-- it is exceptionally rude to RSVP to an event and then not show up.  There are always extenuating circumstances, such as death or illness, but those are the only acceptable reasons.  If you REGRET to a party, don't surprise the host by showing up, lest you be surprised by not having a seat at the dinner table!

As with all rules, there are exceptions.  I would not send a thank note to my oldest and dearest friend after having a family cook-out at her house.  However, I would probably call her the next day and reiterate what a great time we had and make plans to get together again soon.  Again, it's just POLITE!