We shot a rocket today…what did you do?

The following video was shot during the rocket’s maiden voyage.  Please note my panic and instant camera-drop in the moments following lift-off when I was 95% certain that the rocket was going to come crashing down on my daughter’s head.  Moments later, however, the parachute dislodged and the rocket drifted gracefully, and harmlessly, to the ground.  My triumphant “WHOA!” is when I realized we were in the clear.

Nerdy.

]]> http://allthingsboles.com/2010/03/05/3-2-1/feed/ 1 juicifroot RocketStoryboard http://allthingsboles.com/2010/02/24/home-is-where-the-_______-is/ http://allthingsboles.com/2010/02/24/home-is-where-the-_______-is/#comments Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:00:00 +0000 juicifroot http://janicabolesphotography.com/blog/?p=3232 ]]> So it’s decision time.

I’ve been trying to push all of this to the back of my mind, telling myself that we still have MONTHS before we have to really deal with the concept of Matt moving to Los Angeles.  But the truth is, it’s now.

Matt is moving to L.A. in less than a month.  Matt is MOVING to LOS ANGELES in less than a MONTH!  This is no out-of-town trial that lasts a couple weeks.  This is no pack a carry-on and a toothbrush kind of trip.  This is no GAH I need a break from my kids thank goodness Matt will be home in a few days type of situation.  The man is moving out.  For a year.

The king bed will swallow me.  I will have to get my own glass of water before bed.  The kids will have to settle for Mom as a wrestling partner.  I will have to take out the trash.  No, wait.  Scratch that one.  I already do that anyway.

Point is, our home sweet home in Spring, Texas will be Matt-less for 12 months.  That fact was starting to make me very, very sad – until I realized that maybe our home wasn’t in Spring, Texas after all.  Certainly, we have our lovely house here, but how can it really be home if 1/4 of our family unit is 1,556 miles away?  (thank you, GoogleMaps)  Home, as you’ve heard, is where the heart is.  For Team Boles, the direct translation would be home is where the MATT is.

And so we’re going.

This summer, Parker, Bailey and I will give our cozy house in Spring, Texas a see you later high-five, and head into the waiting arms of our sweet Daddy Matt and a 2-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles, California.  I don’t know exactly how long we’ll stay.  At this point, there’s just no way to know what this adventure will be like.  I never dreamed that Parker would start kindergarten on the west coast!  There are so many questions left to answer and details to freak out over, but I am beginning to feel the sheer excitement of the situation creeeeep up inside of me.   I know one thing for sure…

We’re going to Disneyland!!

]]> http://allthingsboles.com/2010/02/24/home-is-where-the-_______-is/feed/ 8 juicifroot IMG_0013 http://allthingsboles.com/2010/02/15/busted-2/ http://allthingsboles.com/2010/02/15/busted-2/#comments Mon, 15 Feb 2010 23:58:17 +0000 juicifroot http://janicabolesphotography.com/blog/?p=3214 ]]>

If you’re a parent, you know the sound.  It is unfailingly prefaced by an unexpected crash and the anxious moment of silence that follows.  You instinctually cringe and mutter to yourself, “they’re OK, they’re OK, they’re OK…” but then it happens.  The stomach-twisting wail of legitimate pain – made infinitely unbearable because it is in the frantic voice of your own child.

I was emptying the dishwasher last night, admittedly grateful for the peaceful moment of solitude while Matt took the kids upstairs to get ready for baths.  There was the familiar thunder of playful steps above me…but then came the thud.  The silence.   And then THAT sound.  I flew upstairs to find Bailey huddled in Matt’s arms, her muffled sobs causing her little body to quake.  Matt quickly explained that she tripped in the bathroom and hit the wooden step stool.  My slight relief was quickly stripped away when she pulled her head from Matt’s chest and turned to reach for me.  Oh, the BLOOD.  It was more than a little bit gruesome and I’m pretty sure I saw Matt’s eyes bug out of their sockets, Large-Marge style, for the briefest of moments.  Miraculously, my inner stomach-of-steel Super Mom emerged from deep within, and I did my best to assess the situation and bark out an order or two.

In the end, it wasn’t much more than a significantly busted lip.  With the help of the “cold thing” (rag-wrapped piece of ice), and a long spell of singing songs in the rocking chair, we were able to pull through.  It was undoubtedly much more difficult for Matt and me than it was for my tough little lady.

It truly gives you pause.   The desperate feeling of helplessness that grips us when our children are experiencing pain or fear.  Knowing that we can only do so much to take the hurt away…  I am unspeakably thankful for the health and happiness of my children.  It is my greatest gift.

.

.

It’s been almost 24 hours.  Don’t be fooled by the mock-sadness.

It takes a lot to keep this girl down.

And it didn’t curb the appetite.  Not one bit.

]]> http://allthingsboles.com/2010/02/15/busted-2/feed/ 6 juicifroot IMG_0403 IMG_0441 IMG_0426 IMG_0404 http://allthingsboles.com/2010/01/10/we-call-her-billy-and-shes-our-bailey/ http://allthingsboles.com/2010/01/10/we-call-her-billy-and-shes-our-bailey/#comments Mon, 11 Jan 2010 03:33:21 +0000 juicifroot http://janicabolesphotography.com/blog/?p=2684 ]]> Happy 2nd birthday, my perfect little one.

Again.

]]> http://allthingsboles.com/2009/12/16/it-snowed/feed/ 2 juicifroot tounges IMG_9229 IMG_9246 IMG_9223 IMG_9217 IMG_9219 IMG_9242 http://allthingsboles.com/2009/12/02/book-fair/ http://allthingsboles.com/2009/12/02/book-fair/#comments Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:21:33 +0000 juicifroot http://janicabolesphotography.com/blog/?p=2583 ]]> Last night was the annual Holiday Book Fair at Parker and Bailey’s school. This is a cleverly crafted event where dozens of adorably-dressed children are plunked on the stage to sing for less than 3 minutes.  Meanwhile, there are approximately 17 available seats for the 2,000 eager camera-clutching parents. I’ve never seen such polite elbow-throwing in my life.   I was lucky enough to claim an 8-inch square in the kneeling-room-only section for Bailey and I.  My knees will never be the same.

At any rate, it was, as expected, painfully adorable to watch. Bailey loved seeing Parker up on stage singing. When the songs were finished, the children were released into the sea of waiting parents and there is only one way out…through the BOOK FAIR. Admittedly, there is something about a book fair that still sends little shivers of excitement through me. (and book orders, too! were book order days at school not AMAZING?) I was eager to see which of the beautifully illustrated and poetically versed classics would enchant my children. Imagine my dismay when we left with Parker all a-twitter about his new 2009 Bakugan Battle Brawler Ultimate Guidebook and Bailey with a death grip on a pad-locked diary with a googly-eyed kitten on the front.

Sigh. There is always next year. And maybe then I’ll remember to bring kneepads.

~

~

Parker is in very serious excitement mode in preparation for the upcoming performance.

(the young blonde on the left, however…not so much. heehee!)

Anxiously scanning the crowd for her big brother…

Superstar.

Best buddy Cooper!

(do these boys look sharp or what?)

Parker and Allison.  (Brady, too!)

This little love triangle will have to be the subject of a whole other post.  We are SO in for it.

Jesus was Born

Away in a Manger

Jingle Bells

We WISH you a Merry Christmas

]]> http://allthingsboles.com/2009/12/02/book-fair/feed/ 3 juicifroot IMG_9170 IMG_9166 IMG_9187 ParkerCooper IMG_9204 http://allthingsboles.com/2009/11/05/just-because/ http://allthingsboles.com/2009/11/05/just-because/#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:33:42 +0000 juicifroot http://janicabolesphotography.com/blog/?p=2389 ]]>

…and you’ll see them again!

What can I say?  I’m glad she’s mine.

Heck, I’ll claim them both.

(most days)

Wishing you the happiest of birthdays, John!  We hate that you have to be so far away this year, but we can’t WAIT for our visit!  Leipzig, watch out…we’re heading your way soon!

]]> http://allthingsboles.com/2009/10/20/happy-birthday-icky/feed/ 3 juicifroot http://allthingsboles.com/2009/10/15/watch-out-world/ http://allthingsboles.com/2009/10/15/watch-out-world/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:47:23 +0000 juicifroot http://janicabolesphotography.com/blog/?p=2284 ]]> Literally.

They’re legal.