a jungle on the roof

our living roof is definitely alive, to say the least 

it is hard to see here, but a meadow of ox-eye daisies is a-growing up there

nearer the ground, the hula-hoops wait patiently for some hoopers to get home from school

cousins...love love love

Carmonas; Noah (15), Nimuae (11), and Gita Pi (8)

and

Loomers; Lilikoi (4) and Eliseo (2)

cousins....

love love love love love love love

Ear piercing

Gita has been asking for ever to get her ears pierced. We tried to do it while in Utah for Christmas, but they have some strict piercing rules in that crazy state. Since we did not travel with her birth certificate or other proof that she is my daughter and not some unrelated minor who I am trying to pierce, we came home from our vacation with ear lobes in tact. 

Well, when Gita and I got tickets to see her ballet teacher in the Asheville Ballet's production of Sleeping Beauty, we decided to add a trip to the tattoo parlor into the mix. So on Friday, we dressed in our piercing & ballet finest and headed to the big city. Gita picked out some beautiful bright blue studs and did not shed a tear during the actual piercing. She was such a trooper! Then onto the cupcake store to buy a mama-daughter chocolate cupcake to eat while sitting next to the fountain, and then to the ballet. 

a wonderful date with a wonderful girl!

Noah's 15th Birthday

We have very few videos of Noah as a baby or toddler. Being 15 means being born before digital cameras were the norm, and to capture video, you had to know someone who owned one of those video cameras that were carried up on the shoulder and recorded video onto some obscure tiny little tape. Lucky for us, Noah's Connecticut grandparents had one of those machines and recently sent us a few dvds of some video they had taken of Noah as a little guy. So, to help myself come to grips with the whole "15" thing, I spent his birthday morning watching those videos. Something about seeing my first apartment, my clothes, myself looking maybe 12 years old, made me see that yes, it really has been 15 years. So much has changed, so much as happened. And this guy, Noah, really has been with me forever. So, instead of going into his birthday with the feeling of "I can't believe you are 15," the sentiment was a calm. "yes."
Yes, we have spent 15 years together.
Yes, that is nearly 1/2 of my life.
Yes, this family that we know as the Five Carmonas started with you and me.

Noah made a plan to get a group of friends together in Asheville to go to the mall, to see the Avengers, and to pizza. So, we celebrated his big day as a family the night before. Noah was gracious enough to let his little cousin help unwrap his presents. The first on the list, a waffle maker!

He also was given enough money and gift cards from friends and family to purchase an ipod touch and a new skateboard. He was very excited!

After sharing his cupcakes (yellow cake with cream cheese frosting per the birthday boys request) with some neighbors, and ordering his ipod online, the happy birthday got some serious birthday sleep to rest up for his birthday celebration with friends the next day.
Happy 15th Birthday, Noah!

Noah: backyard skater boy