Boomboxes

Most every day after school, once I've rounded up all three tater tots from their respective schools, Emerson, Scarlet, Leo, and I rowdily sing, "House Party" by Sam Hunt. We all know at least most of the words, but we sing so loudly that you really can't tell where we mess up. It's one of my favorite parts of each day.

You know it, right?

We'll have a house party, we don't need nobody...turn that TV off, break that boombox out...we'll wake up all the neighbors, till the whole block hates us...till the cops show up, try to shut us down...if you're gonna be a homebody, we're gonna have a house party..."

After about a month of routinely singing this, a "Scarlet-ism" that emerged from the front part of that chorus, and from the back seat of my Buick...

"Ok, Mommy, but what's IN the boombox?"

:)

I'm not sure we were singing "House Party" in this pic, but I love it. So let's just say we were.

An apple pie without cheese...

Do you know the end of that phrase? If you're a Flowers, you probably do. It's what my Grandpa Flowers used to say.

"An apple pie without cheese..."

"...is like a hug, without a squeeze."

I don't know if it's a Bob original, or if he learned it from somewhere. Either way, I can't eat apple pie without thinking of it. More on this in a minute.

Fall has fallen around here, and it feels amazing. Crisp air. Cooler nights. Fresh apples!

We didn't get a chance to pick yet, but have a dear neighbor who offered to pick Honeycrisp apples for us in the very short window they are available. With two giant bowls of fresh apples, I knew just what I would make. Last weekend, included two loaves of banana apple bread. Sliced with cream cheese. Amazing. This weekend, with one giant bowl of apples remaining, I got my pie supplies, pulled out my Mom's recipe box, and got to work. 

These two pies have filled the house (and maybe the neighborhood) with the most amazing smell that a Yankee Candle could never rival. I hope they are half as delicious as they look and smell. And it was a lovely treat to see my Mom's dainty and precise handwriting (just like her) on her recipe card. 

And back to that saying...we don't serve apple pie in this house without a fresh slice of cheddar or Colby jack alongside it. 

No Cavity Club...siblings allowed!

Emerson has a growing collection of No Cavity Club t-shirts from our pediatric dentist. And now, Scarlet has started her collection! 

For the love of the game.

Em loves baseball. Seriously. Loves it. 

 

It's his third season, and he's so much fun to watch. He plays hard, works hard, and has a blast doing it. 

I don't know that he has a favorite position, but he's pretty darn good at most of them. He prefers infield, but is reliable in the outfield. And tomorrow, he's pitching for the first time! We are all a little nervous. 

When I say this kid can't get enough baseball, I mean it. After a game, he comes home and throws to the pitch back. When his friends come over, he wants to be sure they are bringing a glove. And there's not an evening that goes by that he doesn't ask one of us to throw with him. 

Did I mention the boy get the bats out? Sometimes I look at him and he seems like a little kid just smacking the hell out of the ball. 

And, I'm certainly biased, but I'm confident that he has the cutest little butt on the team. Which is enough for me. 

Emerson is third from the right. This was his good buddy Will's birthday party at the Clippers' game. 

Cheering on his big brother. (See that rumpus on first base? Ser, the cutest.)

Love his energy. Love that he has fun. Love him. 

Back to life, back to reality.

Well, summer has wound down, and back to school and work we all go! Weddings. Vacations. Lots of swimming and cookouts. Fun in the sun. Bike riding. Fishing. Sigh. 'Twas a good summer for the Zielinskis. 

Mid August, Leo and Scarlet started back at preschool and daycare. Scarlet has a hard time with departures some mornings, but is operating on cloud 9 when I pick her up. She's a bubbly ball of goodness sharing with me her drawings, new songs she learned, her favorite book, and new friends she met! And every day, she sweetly tells me she missed me. Leo is also loving the social time with the other babies. He's acclimating to new germs with a perpetually runny nose. But we very much look forward to the longer-term immunities that come with it! 

Emerson started first grade this year. We're getting back into the homework routine, and some days go from bag to bag to bag with school, baseball, and soccer, but we eventually get where we are going, and everyone eventually has dinner. Who doesn't love a ballpark hot dog? 

And somehow it's now September! Which means our littlest tater tot will soon be a year old! Ack! Just need to find that pause button. 

Emersonisms - September 2015 Edition

Emerson spent an exceptionally long time brushing his hair after his shower tonight. After walking back down the hallway to see if he was finally finished, he greeted me halfway between his room and mine. He points to his slicked back hair and tells me, "They say it's blonde. But it's really gold."

Yes. Yes it is.