The Fabulous B@ker Blog

I am just catching up from our busy, fun weekend visiting Mom Shiao in DC. The laundry is done, the house is picked up, and awwww, I'm sitting down! We left fairly early on Friday morning (8:30 or so) as we had to wait for Annalisse to attend her first period bio lab before going. Cam ended up staying home so it was a relief not to have to take the dog to the kennel before leaving, and soon enough we were on our way. (Although that came with it's own set of anxieties.) Although it's a long trip (approx. 8 hours) I do like the trip to Northern Virginia. There is a lot to see, and, as I've raved before, I love to stop for lunch (and some calorie-laden comfort food) at the Country Cupboard in Lewisburg, PA. We got to the hotel around 5:30pm, and were greeted by an endless array of motorcycles. It turns out this was a huge weekend in DC for bikers, with the "Rolling Thunder" ride and "Ride for the Wall" in town. In a way it's very touching to s...

Another milestone alert: last night was the last high school dance for the Bakers. Since Cam did not really do any of that formal dance stuff, we had to get the best bang for our buck out of the second child, and she definitely delivered. It's been four years of fancy dresses, updos and makeup, and walking the dog last night came the realization that "it's over." Here's a retrospective of the "worn only once" dress club: The Long Awaited Much Anticipated Freshman Dance Fall Dance 2011  (Weekend Update) 10th Grade Dance  (Mother's Day Recap) We Survived: Prom 2012 Fall Dance 2012   (It's Hip to be (a) Square (Root)) Cheeky Monkeys Annalisse and her date and great friend, Blake, looked so cute together and were happy to be hanging out for the night. After pictures at our house, we met the kids at a GINORMOUS (and a little bit tacky, truth be told) house outside of Fairport for group pictures. This year certainly featured a lot of ...

Whew! Another stressful week is coming to an end. Annalisse made it through her three tests and thinks she did ok/good. We got her five week grades, and she's sitting at between an 80-84 in Bio (even though I think we're in week six or seven by now), so that was a great end to a stressful week. Cam came home from RIT yesterday and it's a laundry/stuff-o-thon in the basement. I'm trying to clear out the piles of clothes, towels, sheets that need to be washed and packed back up, and at some point this summer I will run all his kitchen stuff through the dishwasher. I've got some time (even though we all know how fast the summer goes). I think it was a pretty good year for him and he's ending on a high note. Not all his grades are in yet, but it he thinks he'll end up with B's in everything except Sociology, where he's expecting an A. The "B" in Discrete Math II will replace the "D" from winter quarter, so we'll have to see how ...

The choice is made. Decision Day is here! This is the day for which we bought all those college t-shirts during our campus visits last year, most of which will never be worn again. (I got smart after a while and just bought the cheapest tee during a lot of the visits. If she chose the college we would get a better shirt later!) Today at school all the kids (and teachers) wear a t-shirt from the college of their choice and there is a little reception to celebrate the next leg of their journey. It's been an intense week with test and it's not over yet. Today is definitely a bright spot and I know the kids will all have fun seeing where all their friends are going. We're coming down to the wire, now!

Everyday is Mother's Day, isn't that what they say? It's about three hours into Mother's Day 2013. I was feeling pretty good about the state of motherhood until a couple of minutes ago, when, having designated this as a study day for three upcoming tests this week (one of which is a cumulative final for the much maligned AP Bio), I was faced with an apathetic daughter who has totally checked out of caring about her schoolwork this year. Will this little tiff ruin my day? It's too early to tell, although I am a little pissed at the moment. Otherwise, all I have planned for the day is pulling weeds with my faithful companion (Jasper, of course!) following behind me as I make my way around the yard. Last night we gave our beloved Mother (one of three!), Pat, a surprise 70th birthday party at a local restaurant. I was so happy we pulled it off without her knowing it - it was a lot of fun! Happy, happy birthday tomorrow, Pat! Happy Mother's Day to mothers...

Here we are again, coming down to the wire with five weeks left of another senior year...if we make it that long. It's been a tense time of trying to keep Annalisse focused on finishing up her coursework (AND PASSING), and it's not been fun. (Who ever said parenthood is fun? Those baby showers and all that cooing over how cute they are in the beginning is definitely a fantasy.) I distinctly remember this same stress two years ago, except that with Cam it began at the beginning of his senior year (and got worse with his early acceptance to RIT), and with Annalisse it's taken a while for senioritis to really take her into its steely grip. Keeping my "eye on the prize," I remember how all my cares dropped away as Cameron walked across that stage at graduation - "we" had made it through! (Although the anxiety started again soon enough when August rolled around). I cannot wait until June 20 when Annalisse does the same. I hope she has a restful and fun ...