In the wake of the holiday..........a crazy, quiet calm.....

It wasn't the most joyous, easiest, most elegant, streamlined, Christmas we've ever had, but the food was as fabulous as it has ever been and the company couldn't have been better.

It was fabulous, and despite Dad being admitted via ER on Christmas night,
we had a holiday full of everything important!!

It's a Christmas Miracle!!!!!

Everyone got along for nearly an hour!!! Well, there was a little hair-pulling, head-flicking, elbow jabs, rabbit-ears and minor pinching, but once Chris and I got out of the frame the kids did great! j/k...Here's the first shot. More to come after I get the CD from Diane later today! I can't wait...

Grim Reaper.....with a suitcase...

Like a recurring bad dream, the discussion rolls on as to whether or not THIS house will be demolished as well. It does seem as if I am the Grim Reaper of homes, doesn't it?

A girl could develop a complex...

You could almost mistake the image for me if it wasn't for the neckline of that shroud!!

A Change of Plan...

So, Dad has become sick since September, and some of you have been looking for the blog, and found your way here...

The link is http://muckerheide.blogspot.com and is also listed below, from shortly after original diagnosis. Thanks for checking in!!

There's no *I* in TEAM.....

Hungry for it.....Go Bryan!!! #24 (Watch it again!)

ABOVE: Touchdown!!

BELOW: Pass, Diving Extra Point!!

Multiple Myeloma - Close to Home

http://muckerheide.blogspot.com/
This is the latest...

40 Beautiful Yards, Baby.....

During my journey to Washington, DC for the funeral this weekend, Joey had a game against Weymouth. Little Prince Charming, The Animal, ran the ball 40 yards in the first play of the game!!!! While it figures I missed it, Dad was there to see it for himself, which makes me feel better about not being there. However, there is enormous irony in me being the dingdong carting him to practice, keeping his practice and game stuff ready-for-trouble, and missing his first enormous drive up the field with the ball.

It doesn't matter...there are so many more plays to come, and I am lucky enough to be able to "be around" as often as I am....Just Please, God, grant me a billion more opportunities to see everything they are capable of. That's all I really Need.

Way To Go, Joe...Both boys are playing so well, fluidly & versatile positions. This is going to be a hell of a season, baby. Did I mention I LOVE my job??? There are no "days off", but the pay couldn't be better.

Sad Day...

On Monday, September 8th, Jim Slattery passed away. The world will never be the same without Jim in it, especially for his wife and children. The ultimate prankster, teaser, and crazy-wit and humor kind of guy, he will be missed...terribly, for many, many years to come.

R.I.P, BigJimmy, until you brighten our days on the other side, once again.

So, we've moved.....AGAIN!

The Palmatier Clan glided from Dedham Ave to Nehoiden Street with a weeks notice, and into a doubly-huge home! We had houseguest-teenagers for the entire balance of the summer, but overall it was a good experience, and everyone came out the other end, unscathed.

While the move into the new house seemed like (or WAS) the best move we ever made, the property is potentially going to be developed in the very near future, making another move quite possible!

Football has begun. Cheer has also started. School is in full force, and Chris' travel, which has been minimal over the 2008 summer, is going to take over again for a while...I guess we're making sure we can do-it-all, and do it well. Game On!!!! Bring it.

AAA TOWN CHAMPS!!!

Did I fail to mention that on Saturday (ie, moving day) June 14th The Needham METS won the town championship in a spectacular late-in-the-game comeback??

They won 6-4...it was AWESOME. Now they march in the parade on the 4th. REALLY cool experience all around. Oh yea, and Summer baseball has begun already! It ends a few days before football starts. Slippery slope.

Lucky Number SIX??

What was I saying?? Right, about the lucky number six....

Since that last post, we've celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary in the Bahamas, been notified that our home was nearing it's demolition date, moved somewhat suddenly but into a bigger and better home...however, we have also acquired 2 additional children for some period of time.

Like I said! Six must be a lucky number......lucky, lucky, lucky. Thank GOD we moved when we did so that we could have a DSS/Court appointed Home Inspection in it - even if that did happen before the furniture was in it!!!

Never Dull....

(Wait, did I mention that I rear ended a nun and priest leaving one of the court dates the day before I was given custody of the kids??? Must have slipped my addled mind. The nun - Sister Mary - is taking me to lunch on Tuesday because she felt so bad for me hitting her. Am I that transparent?? )

Lucky Jerseys...

So 3 of the 4 kids are playing ball this year - 2 in Little League, and 1 playing softball.

They got the uniforms which is a huge thing in our house...everyone wants to know what number they got, and I have to try and remember them from the sidelines, who-was-what. (Some days I struggle with first names, after all!)

So, why would I be surprised when the kids got the numbers Six - Six, and SIX???

You almost had to see that coming, no?? No other set of numbers would be quite as ironic and comical.

Too funny...we decided it's our lucky number. It's my bday, date and month, there are 6 of us in the family...right??? Pssh...sign of the Devil. Nah...they're just a happy bunch of six's that like to hang out together.

A Date With Mom

During my date on Friday night with Joe, he let me know that he is a masterful flirt, to which I laughed like a mom and pushed his hair aside in a "oh you silly boy" kinda way...He then cleared the dining room table, put out candles for me to light, took out the lovely china plates, and made half the meal.

As the food was nearing done, Joe asked, standing at one side of the big table that seats at least 8, where I would prefer to sit. (ok he's actually pretty good at this...how many guys ASK??) I pointed to the "head" of the table, nearest the kitchen - since I always make 22 trips in there to get whatever anyone needs anyway - and Joe makes note, placing my plate there. When I return, he has turned down the lights, and seated his chair, plate, glass, silver and napkin immediately beside mine, so that the chairs have become a little bench on the short end of a long, candle-lit table.

He said "I know most people would sit at the other end...but why would I want to sit so far away from you? This is much more fun."

Ok, he wins. The kid is a good flirt. We talked about how flirting works, and how making someone feel good about themselves always makes you memorable. The quote of the day was when he asked:

"Hey, Mom? Did you get Dad or did Dad get you?" Funny kid...

Extra Innings

Bryan's game yesterday went into a 7th - and extra - inning.

It is remarkable how climactic those repeated victories feel. It's not about winning...it really isn't, though that's fun and rewarding. It's something "going your way". Something you can contribute to. A way to make yourself believe hard work pays off. A way to believe you have some control over things. It's an aside that it's a load of hooey, since lots of teams work hard, play hard, and still lose a load (if not all) the games. Trust me. We've been on 'em.

This team of mostly 10 and 11 year olds are good, no question, but they are no "phenomenon"...they've been down by 4 and 5 runs in the beginning of the 5th or even 6th (and final) inning, and somehow just throw a few great plays, and mesh for long enough to have a triple, or a few lighting-strikes of brilliance, and they race it up.

Yesterday was no exception. They were down for the first half of an 8AM game (trust me, that's not usually when kids excel at athletics...they are barely awake). The other team was playing well. Bryan's team woke up in the 3rd, and were a few runs ahead going into the 4th. In the 5th, they started to slip with a new pitcher in, and in this, this 6th game, 6th inning, things tied up, 6-6 (uh, see 6-6-6 in other random baseball amblings) we are now headed into Baseball Magic...and the story unfolds with a Mets victory - a ball being bounced off a shoe but considered "live" by the umpire, and an undefeated season goes one game longer.

Tonight they play the 7th game of 13, and one more victory this season will assure a AAA Nat'l Div championship. The question remains: Will they lose some of the "magic" if a title/honor is attained by the half way point in the season? Will they still "fight" for every game? Will their little bodies tip over with oversized egos? I guess we will see...My Bryan turns 11 tomorrow...would be nice to turn 11 with a swelled head.

First Communion Luau

We have reached a milestone in the P'fam. The final First Communion has taken place! As with all family holidays, it wouldn't have been complete without the last minute "straightening spree", and imported food from Catering By Grandmothers...all our events are catered, or people go hungry...it's a fact of life.

Never-the-less, as we close in on the home stretch of the celebration (ie, the Beginning of the Post-Communion party), Joe and one of his cousins disappeared, off "riding bikes", but when they failed to return after 20-30 minutes, Chris and his Uncle went looking for the boys...after all, it is Joe's party n'all so people kept asking for them. And he's riding bikes in a nice dark pinstripe suit, crisp white shirt, and tie. How hard can he be to find? I mean, Needham is pretty tightly wound, but even that stands out...

Chris and Uncle B wander until they see bikes outside the local pizza place about a block away, leaning against the building. They walk down the block, and wander in to find the two boys hunkered down at a booth, eating Mike-n-Ike's. (seriously?) They get kicked back into play, and sent home.

As the story moves throughout the party, and grows increasingly comical - with incinuations of shady, young-mafia jokes are being made, Matt says "So you come to me on the day of my First Communion....and ask me for a favor??" I'd love to have been a fly on the wall to hear what the hell they were thinking, talkin about or doing...Silly weasels....

va·ca·tion [vey-key-shuhn], n :

Definition; "Freedom or release from duty, business, or activity."

Speaking as a Mom on Friday night toward the end of April "vacation"....all I gotta' say is:

PSSSSHHHHH.....Yeh, Riiiiiight. Can I call a definition do-over????? Shenanigans, perhaps?

Losing loved ones...

When I was expecting Kathryn, Chris' grandmother on his Mom's side passed away shortly after Mother's Day. She had been ill, but was far from an elderly woman, and it was, as it always is, a substantial loss.

Over the days leading up to the wake and funeral, there was much discussion about whether Maddie should attend. We agreed that she should, and so we she went through the process with us, then 5 or so yrs old. We explained and explained again exactly what was going on, what she should prepare for, with careful focus on seeing an open casket for the first time.

After the service, we returned for the collation at Chris' grandparents house, where Maddie - who had seemed to get it all SO well, that I had no concerns about confusion or limited perception of the reality we were living trough - declared:

"Hey! That puppet in the box suuuure did look like Nana, huh?"

Oh well...nice try though. Out of the mouthes of babes...

Get out and play!!

It's finally becoming NICE out again!! Too bad we're going to have to move again...and relocate the loosely defined entity known as:

This site changes locations more often than Schaeffer Sullivan Foxboro CMGI Gillette Field Stadium changes it's name!!!

No barriers

Last year Bryan's best friend at school was a shy, quiet boy who was only here for one year, from Tokyo. Bryan and Kei (Keiichiro) got along famously, and though there was a bit of a language barrier, Kei was a fast learner and it was apparent that sometimes all you need is some other 4th grade boys, and a ball, and everyone becomes Teammates, rather than American or Japanese...no matter what the sport-of-the-day was.

It had been a long time since Bryan had contacted Kei, so last night he sent him an e-mail. Bryan wasn't sure how hard it is to retain a language - especially after not having to rely on it for nearly a year - but it's worth a shot, because, well, it's his buddy Kei, and he wants to stay in touch with him for a long time.

This is Bryan's e-mail: Too cute, huh?? The response is even more precious. Makes me envious of being able to communicate this way with an old friend on the other side of the world...maybe one I kept from 4th grade on or something?

Hi Kei,

I wanted to say Hi from America! It's Bryan, from 4th grade in Mrs Mangan's class. I think about e-mailing you but never think of it when I am at the computer. This time I did!

How are you? How is it in Japan right now?

We are starting to get warmer weather and starting to play baseball now.I was thinking of you especially when Daisuke Matsuzaka and the Red Sox played in Tokyo. Did you see the game on tv?Write back sometime. I would like to keep in touch with you. You are a good friend that I will always remember.

From,Bryan

------------------

Hi Bryan,
Thank you for your e-mail. I am very glad that I have a friend in America.
I often talk about you to my classmates in Japan.

Recently, it rains every day, so we can't play baseball or soccer at school.
On March 25th, we went the Tokyo Dome to see the opening game of the Red Sox.
I saw Daisuke Matsuzaka very closely, and I shouted out "Sweet Caroline." Didn't you find me on the TV?

I am missing you very much. Please send me email. ;-)
From Kei
---------------

How cool is that? What a clever invention, the internet...we sure do have some cool sh!t that other generations didn't. Very cool.

I also think it's cool that my kids don't think to tell me if a new friend they met at achool is not American, white, english speaking, or whatever...no more than they would come home and say someone has short hair or long, is blonde, tall or a red head. They just don't care, and over time, we will force them to recognize it - sometimes out of necessity, but for now, a friend is just a friend. A good experience to have been able to live, and for all Needham's squeaky clean faux exterior, that IS one of the great, legit assets & elements.

Feeling Blue???

Imagine the Witching Hour at my house - Since few witnesses have survived to recall it personally...

Dinner time, Homework going on 2 sides of the table, 2 kids are speaking to me - oblivious to the other who is also talking. I'm loading dishes into dishwasher and making some excuse of a meal that they will hopefully consume, or AT LEAST shove into the disposal with limited effort...(ie, chicken wings...don't ask...or just picture how well those bones go down- DUH).

Kathryn chimes in, and for some reason I hear her voice, surprisingly relaxed and "chill", especially for Kathryn who was born with a real lust for Drama. Kathryn is known to boldly exclaim that a repeat of a show that she's seen 90 times "IS COMING ON NOW!!!", or will scream like she's been lowered onto a boat in Pearl Harbor at the Moment of Most Catastrophic Destruction, if someone brushes by her too close, or rolls her pencil out of her reach just to antagonize her. Simply put, everything is a Big Deal.

ANYway, She casually mentions, apparently barely looking up from her homework: "Mom, Joe's Dying..." and I, the typical mother hearing All Things (even when I'm trying to drown them ALL out into the White Noise that is my life) and I peek around the corner from the kitchen to see Joe, in a slight panic - locking eyes with me - and turning slightly blue, and silent for the first time in - well, recorded history. He's choking on something, quite well, in fact - always showing off his skillz...and he is literally slightly blue. Of course we got it out immediately and he went back off to begin a basketball game in the Indoor Court (ie, front hall with one of those over-the-door things).

Just another day, right? Hey guys, dinner is served...It's hard to choke on Ooodle of Noodles.

And it begins!! Spring Training, Little League Style

Day one was awesome...Bryan's team met for the first practice today and the difference between this year and last is mind-boggling. These kids can play the game. They GET it. They move. They fly. Bryan is "playing up" on AAA, which is cool and an honor, but the marked difference is staggering. New rules to adjust to, (stealing, etc is just coming into play) and they did fielding drills to help "shake off the winter cobwebs", but man, they did such a great job. Bryan commented when he got in the car how good it feels to RUN hard. Really Hard.

There are no more kids who just have no idea why they are there, or who are in the outfield looking longingly at the play structure wishing they didn't have to keep STANDING in left field, then becoming SHOCKED when they return from the daydream to realize that a ball has just whizzed by his head. This will be a fun season....But a little warmer would be FanTaStiC. ;o)

So Goodbye, XBox360...hopefully you see limited or no play until the snow flies again...NEXT December, God. Please, not until next December.

Today is the REAL First Day Of Spring at our house. And we love it.

Easter 2008 in Washington DC

So Easter rolls around again, so early this year that it's pretty fridgid in Boston and painful to pack the car in the horrific wind. Will be nice to get to Washington/Maryland where it's a little bit warmer...albiet, JUST a little...

We went to dinner at Jim n Val's, which was awesome. Peppered with the usual Linder-n-Jim banter, and the giggling that always ensues, we had a chance to really hang. That evening made the long ride road trip worth-while. If Greg (Christian?) hadn't flown into the wrong airport by accident, it would have been perfect. ;o)

Easter at Dotty's in Gaithersburg was also great, and brought back lots of the memories as it always does for me, being a tiny kid there with all of them and wishing I had a HUGE family with a million siblings. They are why I wanted at least 4 of my own, close togehter...I just loved it. The fact that the faces change just a little but the grandkids grow SO much and the place is still largely the same - or my memory lets me think it is - makes it as much like "home" as the home I was raised in. Now, the event is never without chaos...two years ago DT (Annie's husband) was in a crazy motorcycle crash on Good Friday. This years event ALMOST missed us, but the OTHER Maddie managed to deliver a healthy full-term baby girl, Danica Marie (dispite Dot's repeated suggestion that the baby be called Ester Bunny), late Sunday night...having no idea she was pregnant. (whoa!) Thank God everyone is well, and Danica was welcomed by all with open arms. MommyMaddie is fine too, so that's all that matters. They say it won't happen again this early for another 275 yrs...It'll be this crazy next year, I have no doubt!

Been a while...

It's been a while since the last post, and I'm just coming back since I have a new blog to follow for a family member, chronicalling an illness...but it is written so well that I smile-all-the-while, even when the content is heavy and deep. They are our family. They are not close enough by to be able to do much, but the distance is minimized by a kindred-spirit-like connection. My mother had it with her own cousin, Jimmy, shown with a handful of pie perhaps? So lucky. Through a twist of fate, I have the same connection to his oldest son - also Jimmy, but sometimes known as Tony Danza. What a blessing that is, isn't it? Even if it's a Mixed and Twisted Blessing, a blessing none-the-less...

No YOU shuddup. jerk. ;o)

Snowboarding

Snowboarding: Dec 2007/Jan 2008 A few fun pics, just because. Summary - the 6 of us, plus a friend of Maddie's, went to NY for the week after Christmas to learn to snowboard. Maddie and Carly (friend) already knew how...the rest, well, they had a blast. Just a nice romantic week in the mountains for, well, seven. ;o)

Result -

Maddie - Looks WAY too cute as a snow bunny for my taste. She's really good, but she's been doing it for a few years. She had fun showing off, since none of us had seen it before.
Bryan - Everything is methodical...planned, looks great, and stable but still really fun. All about the Form and Skill it takes to move, and move fast.

Kathryn - a Natural! She just looked like she'd been doing it forever. Takes a hit, fall, tumble...and keeps going.
Joe - remains Fearless. Went down the mountain, flying, past the crew was was resting off to one side, shouting "TALLY HO", and promptly Wiped Out off a jump he never saw coming, because, well, he wasn't Watching. Just about blew out his knee, but hey, it looked good.
Chris - Loved it, but returned to skis by the end. He's still crazy enough to do triple black diamonds, OR, worse yet, take THREE brand new snowboarders down the full mountain.