Superman

My Dear Sweet Boys,

Ryan, today you're 4 and Liam, you're 2. You will not understand until later in your life, (Light years away for you, but a quick blink for me.) but this is important. It could save your life.

You are not invincible. I'll say it again. YOU. ARE. NOT. INVINCIBLE.

Remember those words. One day, you're going to feel larger than life; like even a million grown men can't knock you off the pedestal you're standing on. You're Superman. It's ok. I felt like that too.

Do yourself a favor and don't listen to your ego or your friends. Listen to me. You are not indestructible. Your life is precious. Fragile. Don't take it for granted.

Yes, you are special. No one can do YOU like you do. You are strong, capable, smart, young men. You might be the popular one in school, you might be the bookworm, or the jock. Regardless of what mold you fit in to, do not allow a momentary lapse in judgement to change your life (or your family's life) forever.

Within the past two days, I have learned of two deaths that did not have to happen. Tragic deaths of a 30-year-old man, and a 16-year-old boy in two separate car accidents caused by excessive speed. Speed. Their families are devastated. Over the past 2 days, Ryan, I have quizzed you one the very first thing you do when you get in a vehicle and your answer is always consistent, "Put on your seat belt." Don't forget it. One day, God willing, you will both drive. I want you to enjoy and appreciate your privilege to drive. (Consider yourself lucky if your overly-paranoid mother allows you to acquire this privilege at 16.) The vehicle that you drive is not a toy. It is a weapon. A lethal weapon. Respect it and respect other drivers around you.

Too many lives are taken too soon due to preventable car accidents. The statistics are staggering. Don't be a statistic.

It's ok for you to feel like you're standing on top of the world. It feels good and is great for the soul. But don't get cocky. God is in control. Not you.

Canon in D

My evening yesterday was rather “spirited” to put it lightly. Now-a-days, arriving home is a race between the boys and I. We have made it into a game to see how far into dinner preparation I can get before Ryan asks for a piece of candy, to take a walk or to build a fort in the living room and before Liam starts his irrational, almost-2-year-old fits of pure rage.

We like to dance in the kitchen. This is our latest nightly routine since it’s been either scorching outside or pouring rain. So I turn the music on; we usually choose between Jack Johnson, Glee, or Cee Lo Green stations on Pandora as they offer a good mix for us. Last night we chose Jack Johnson. The noodles were cooking, the spaghetti sauce was simmering and the boys and I were fully involved in Dipp Dance Fest 2012 in the kitchen. All was well until Liam noticed the candy bin on the top of the fridge. **Note to self – Move it! The race was over. Mommy lost, Liam won some M&Ms and Ryan came in second by asking for a bowl of Doritos immediately after Liam asked for demanded candy.

Thankfully, my children are half Italian and pasta makes everything better. Well, usually. While Liam was scaling my left leg and screaming, I successfully loaded up each of their plates, poured drinks and we finally made it to the table and sat down… all the while, Pandora is still playing in the background.

Technically, I’m the only one who actually sits to eat. Ryan makes eating an Olympic sport. The child can’t sit still and eat for anything, and Liam… well, he’s almost 2. So while I sit, I have one child throwing noodles up in the air and catching them in his hair, ears, and occasionally his mouth and another who appears to be leading an aerobics class from his chair. The dogs are in their ready positions to catch whatever becomes available to them.

All of a sudden I notice that Canon in D is playing on Pandora; On my Jack Johnson station. Canon in D isn’t exactly “indie rock” or “adult alternative”, but whatever, I go with it as it happens to be one of my favorites. It took me back to my wedding day. I had our wedding party walk in to the song, played beautifully by our very talented organist. I thought about what I had wished for on our wedding day… a beautiful life with my wonderful husband and how ever many little ones we would have. I thought about where we started, where we’ve been and how our marriage has evolved and what it is now. I thought about how I’ve always wanted children and how blessed we are to have 2 healthy, vibrant and “spirited” little boys who are more perfect than I ever imagined. After I was finished daydreaming and reminiscing I came back to earth and to my dinner table. Ryan was begging to get up and Liam had turned his face, hands, belly and half of the table red. He had noodles in his ear, hair and nose. He looks at me and says, “ALL DONE!” and throws his plate across the table.

Pandora reminded me that I have exactly what I want and I am grateful for that. Bring it on boys… Mommy’s got this!

Circ de Dipp

Tonight the circus spent a little time out on the town. We went to Outback for dinner and then visited Gander Mountain. The occasion was brought to us by an Outback gift certificate that has been in my wallet for a few months now and a Gander Mountain gift card that Brett received by trading an old golf club he no longer wanted on Craigslist.
Now, when Circ de Dipp goes out to dinner, it is always sure fire entertainment... for everyone else but Mommy and Daddy Dipp! Upon opening the front doors of the restaurant, Ryan announces to the hostess with such excitement, "Tonight, we're eating at a restaurant!" As if this was his first time ever, even though it's only been about 2 weeks since we've eaten out. The boys and I sit down at our booth and wait for the hostess to bring us a booster seat for Liam, and wait for Brett to meet us since he drove straight from work. I told the hostess that Brett would be arriving behind us and that he would be wearing a Lafayette Ford shirt. Before she could register my statement, Ryan blurted out, "He's bald!" Poor Brett. :) However, there was no need for any of us to make the hostess aware of Brett's impending arrival because as soon as Brett walks in the door, Liam spots him and screams, "DADDY!!!!!!!!" at the top of his lungs. At least the others in the restaurant new who he was (and that he was there)!
So there we sit, table scattered with crayons, kids menus, and action figures to keep our little loves busy long enough to give our drink orders. Then we get the inevitable announcement that we get each and every time we sit down to eat, whether at home or out..."I have to go to the bathroom." I think Ryan is on a mission to explore every public rest room we come across. He certainly doesn't get this from me, as I have a phobia of any public rest room regardless of how clean it is.
We are eventually able to place our order and after a longer than normal wait, our food came. Of course by this time, the boys had already consumed two loaves of Outback bread, including the mini bowl of butter. My dear sweet Liam, butter is to be used sparingly. It is not considered a dip for your bread, but rather a "taste enhancer". We will continue to focus on this issue.
In lieu of eating their entrees, Ryan spent most of his time testing how long he could stay under the table without us noticing and Liam spent most of his time attempting to see how far he could throw his broccoli. I had a quick vision of Liam's half-chewed broccoli floret landing in the fancy hair do of the lady sitting in the booth next to us. The outcome of my mini daydream was not pleasant. I don't even remember savoring my meal. As a matter of fact, Brett suggested I may have early onset Alzheimers because I brought up the same subject three different times during dinner. Yay!! Family outings!!! In an effort to look at the glass half full, the boys will be the only kids at school tomorrow with Outback lunches. I can't wait until next time. Anyone have a suggestion for a manners tutor? :)

To my children, Love!

5 months later... I'm still here! Just busy! I do want to take some time to record my thoughts and feelings on yesterday's passing of Amendment One, which makes any union other than that of a man and a woman illegal in the state of North Carolina. Yes, it's politics and religion, so if you don't want to read or will be offended, stop now.
Even though I speak openly to my children about love and acceptance of those who are different than our family of four, my hope is that one day they will read this blog. I want Ryan, Liam, and any other children we may have to remember exactly what our family values are and what we stand for. If they think differently from me and their father, fine, but they will know what we stand for during this turbulent time in US and NC history. My hope is when they grow up, they will look back on today, just as I look back at the issue of racism during the civil rights movement, and ask me, "Mama, did that really happen? Because it's not like that now!"
I stand for freedom and equality. I try my best to live by the Golden Rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated. Or, if I were to quote the Bible, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." My parents and my grandparents taught me this through their words, actions and leadership. I am grateful for that. They also taught me to think freely and be confident in my words and actions. However, my mother would tell you that I have an issue with word vomit. My father is famous for giving me "the look" when I speak my mind. Other members of my family and some friends have been known to censor my outspokenness to prevent arguments and uneasiness within the family.
Yesterday I was told that I need to "suck it up and deal with the political crap like we all have to deal with it...life goes on."
Yes, life does go on, you are correct. However, sucking it up and dealing with it is not the answer. Think about history. If America sucked up terrorism, would Osama bin Laden be ruling our country? If America sucked up racism and dealt with it, where would we as a nation be today? If founders of this country sucked up the religious crap they were dealing with in "the old world", would America even be here?
There are some people that were born and bred to suck it up and deal with it. I was not. I will continue to voice my opinion until I'm blue. If we continue to do what we have always done, we will never move forward as a nation; there will always be hate. This nation is not made of 100% Christian, heterosexuals that marry within their race, live a wealthy lifestyle and breed perfect, athletic, scholarship earning children. We are diverse. We will continue to become more diverse. A union or marriage between a couple that is unlike my marriage poses zero threat to the sanctity of my relationship with my husband.
One day, I'm willing to bet, we'll have a gay president, or perhaps a Jewish president, or maybe Hindu, Asian, Greek Orthodox or Jehovah's Witness. [You may replace "president" with any other political position if you'd like]. What if these 'non-traditional' and/or non-Christian leaders were to make it illegal for you to praise Christ in public, cheat on your spouse, or anything else you do on a regular basis? They are bringing their religious views into the equation while running the United States of America. This is dangerous.
It saddens me that so many people who have no issues preaching Christianity, do not lead by example. The Bible tells us to love God, love others and love ourselves. The Bible also tells us not to judge. I am far from perfect and I have never claimed to be, but I do try to live a moral life. I love love and everyone else should love love too. Judging others is not the Christian thing to do. Telling others the way they should live their lives is not your right.
So, to my children... Love. Treat others who are different than you with respect. "Normal" is relative, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Stand for what you believe in and don't back down. If you do this, you will go far. Mama will always love you!

Many reasons for being MIA

Ok folks, so it's been a while. A LOOOONG while! There are many reasons for me being MIA. First and foremost, my circus. It truly is an act straight out of Barnum and Bailey around here. If reality TV didn't involve exploiting my children and potentially harming my marriage, I think we could quite possibly build a nice little nest egg with a show. TLC wouldn't know what hit them with the Dipp crowd.

So, there is a lot to share and I could write all night about it. However, I'm just going to get back into my blogging habits by posting my favorite pictures from 2011. I've always enjoyed photography, however, for whatever reason, 2011 really got me going. Maybe because I have good subjects, or maybe because so many people have shared such amazing comments about my real life style, but I just love it. I was able to take some shots of a good friend/our babysitter and her small family and I'm very excited (yet a bit nervous) to have been asked to be the photographer at my sister-in-law's wedding in two weeks! I would really like to upgrade to a newer camera, but what I have my eye on is not in my budget at the moment, so I'll stick with old faithful.

So here are some of my favorites...

Classic Ryan picture! He was not happy to be in front of the camera on this day. We were in Downtown Durham in the historic Tobacco District. Liam was in his classic "Go with the flow" mood here. Perfect capture of personality from my lovelies.

My man. Simply gorgeous. Taken at Carolina Lakes on July 4th on his friend Sean's boat.

Ryan got a new slip 'n slide and loved the sprinkler feature. Taken in our backyard on Southview.

Liam taken after his Daddy with the love of the course. Carolina Lakes over July 4th weekend on #6 green.

Ryan and his friend 'George' on our deck on Southview. George was a green caterpillar that mesmerized Ryan for hours. George even went on a walk with us and sadly he did not survive the adventure. Too much for such a small creature to handle!

Liam following Ryan on the beach in Salter Path in June. Matching outfits were purchased before Liam was born and unfortunately this was the first and last time Liam's fit, hence the 'slight' wedgie.

Easter in the backyard at Mimi's house. Ryan was blowing bubbles he received in his Easter basket that morning. Liam was intently watching and I was able to capture this awesome shot that I think shows their relationship to the T; Ryan does, Liam watches (and now quickly copies).

The 5 Dippolito grandsons. No girls allowed!! From L-R: Liam, Dawson, Noah, Ryan, & Riley. This was the product of a combined 3 hours of trying to get a picture of all 5 boys for Grandma's birthday present. This picture was blown up, framed and is hanging in her office. SUCCESS!

Another taken in Downtown Durham in the historic tobacco district. I just love this picture. Both of their personalities once again are shining.

Salter Path, NC on the beach. I asked Ryan to show me his guns and this is what I got.

Ryan in the backyard on Southview with he beloved motorcycle. This was not staged. He was just sitting there watching his brother and I was lucky enough to catch him.

Car troubles... not really, but Ryan wanted a reason to "fix" his monster truck. Liam coached him through it and after about 5 minutes they rode off into the sunset.

For Ryan's 4th birthday we decided to give him the gift of an experience rather than another toy, since he's rotten and pretty much has everything a 4 year old would want. So we rode the train from Durham to Raleigh. I caught this image while Ryan was anxiously awaiting the train to pull up.

So excited! I'M FOUR and today I will ride a train!!! Durham train station. (Taken about 25 minutes prior to the picture above)

Fun in the leaves in the backyard at Southview.

Fun in the leaves in the backyard at Southview

I can't believe I caught this. This was taken in the backyard of my parents house on Brenrose just after Thanksgiving lunch. Ryan was pushing Liam in the push car and suddenly pulled back on the handle, lifting Liam up in the air. Liam was not amused, Ryan laughed and I got the best Christmas card picture I've ever had!

My dad, 'DeeDee', and the boys at the Campbell Family reunion in early December in Raleigh. We were on the front porch attempting to get some shots of the boys in their matching Christmas outfits and cowboy hats that Nonna, my mom, got them in Texas. The end result was a bunch of goofy outtakes, but this was one of my favorites.

Easter Sunday in the backyard at Mimi's house. One of my favorites of Liam.

Peace out Mama, I'm going swimming! Unlike Ryan, Liam has no fear of the ocean. On the beach at Salter Path, NC in July.

From L-R: Thomas Brooks, Ryan and Liam. Thomas is the son of my best friend from college. He and Liam are about 7.5 weeks apart in age and they met for the first time at the beach in Salter Path in July. My mom saw this photo idea online and purchased all three of them chairs. Success!

Ryan loves to dig! Salter Path, NC in July

Liam (left) and Thomas Brooks with their toes in the water and butts in the sand. Living out the words of the Zack Brown Band!

We took the boys to Downtown Fayetteville and Festival Park to get some 1 year shots of Liam and some general brother shots as well. I have lots of favorites from that day, this being one of them. Yes, my son is barefooted. Liam refused shoes for a long time. Taken on Hay St. in Downtown Fayetteville.

Another favorite of Liam taken up on the banks of Cross Creek in Linear Park in downtown Fayetteville.

Same rock, same Cross Creek, same Linear Park. I could really go broke printing all these pictures to hang in my house.

This is my cousin Caitlin just after she married Bradley in Durham on July 9th. I caught this image as they were walking away from the photographer. I was standing beside him. I love that Bradley was being playful in this one and her dress is just beautiful.

Ryan the ring bearer at Caitlin and Bradley's wedding. During our outdoor photo shoot with the photographer. While the photographer was snapping pics of the bride and groom, Ryan wanted to look at the geese in the pond in front of the church. He has his hands up over his eye to block the sun. July 9, 2011 at Ridgecrest Baptist Church in Durham.

Life and Big Dreams

I'm really starting to suck at this blogging thing. I started with the intent of tracking my life so that I wouldn't have to remember so much later... That hasn't worked out very well. I think about things I want to write all the time, but never get around to actually sitting down and typing it.

Anyway, since my last entry, lots has happened. Liam is now 10 MONTHS OLD! WHOA! Where did the time go? A few quick stats:

He weighs 22lbs
He's approximately 28 inches long
He's wearing 18-24 month clothes
He has 2 teeth that he didn't get until about 3 weeks ago. We can no longer call him our "Toothless Wonder".
He's waving bye bye, clapping, cruising the furniture, beating up his brother, attempting to stand alone, and eating "real" food
Things he loves: HIS DADDY (apparently I equate to chopped liver, or something of the like), bath time (or anytime he can play in the water), stacking blocks and knocking them down, his bottles, his monkey lovey, drumming on everything and anything, watching Ryan.
Things he hates: getting out of the bath tub, diaper changes and anything else that requires him to sit still for any length of time.
He officially answers to "Blue" or "Blue Blues"

Liam is a whole different ball of fun than Ryan was. Liam doesn't sit still EVER. Always on the move getting into anything and everything he can. He puts a new meaning to baby proofing the house. Don't get me wrong, Ryan was a ball of energy too, but Liam just takes it to a whole new level.

As for Ryan, he's moved up to the Montessori 3-4 year old class at school. He's rapidly learning letter and number recognition and beginning to learn to write his letters as well. He's been able to recognize and spell his name for a long while now, but in order to land that scholarship we have in mind he needs to learn the other 22 letters of the alphabet. :)

Ryan has always been very independent and stubborn. He continues to amaze me with all the things he says and does. He associates everything, and I do mean everything. He can reason his way into anything he wants, which is so incredibly dangerous for my will power to be a strong, stand-firm mother.

It's so interesting to watch how Brett and my personalities and appearances come out in our children. Ryan is a spitting image and personality of me. Liam is just like Brett, looks and personality. It is just so amazing how together we created these 2 little men, they came from the same 2 people and are soooo different!

Ok, now onto my true #6. If I would have done what I said I was going to do, I would have been done by now. Nonetheless, here you go...

Truth #6: My lottery list...

I. AM. GOING. TO. WIN. ... one day. And when I do, these are the things I will do with my multi millions.

1. Purchase breasts. Yes friends, I will buy myself a new rack. I guess God left me out of the whole boob thing. Maybe he thought I didn't need them. Perhaps I would misuse them... or quite possibly he thought I wouldn't know what to do with them. Who knows.

2. Pay off debt. DUH! The responsible adult part of my brain has to type this. I would pay off all my debt. House, car, student loans, credit cards, etc. After it's paid off, I will NEVER have another credit card again. Unless it is for work... wait, I just won the lotto, what's work? (And yes, I would buy the boobs before I paid off my debt.)

3. Put $350K away for each of my boys for college. If they don't use it for school, they won't get it until their 30th birthdays. Maybe then they will be responsible enough not to blow it like I would.

4. Put another $250K in trust funds for each child. Again, they will not have access to it until their 30th birthday. They need to learn the meaning of work.

5. Purchase each set of parents a retirement home of their choice. I don't think I need to explain this one. They are our parents, enough said.

6. Built my dream house with all the bells and whistles, but not too over the top. I have a "dream house wish list" that I will go by. No crazy stuff like an elevator or a "packing room". But I would like granite countertops, stainless steal appliances, front load washer and dryer, a pool, a party deck, 5 bedrooms, walk-in closets, a massive master bath with jetted tub and double shower, a mud room large enough for my dogs to have their own space, a media room, play room, a golf simulator room, surround sound throughout the entire house, a laundry room large enough to fold my clothes and iron in, a big rocking chair front porch and a 4 car garage... oh, and I want it all on one level. I hate stairs.

7. A condo at the beach. I used to want a house, but that's too much to keep up. I want a simple place large enough for my family to grow into. I don't want to have to worry about keeping the house or yard up. I just want a place to go to and enjoy.

8. Toys. I group these into one, because I would appear to be too greedy if I didn't. :) The toys I would purchase for my family to enjoy: a boat, 2 jet skis, a motorcycle, a golf cart and a blow up obstacle course. You can never be too old for a huge blow up toy in your back yard.

9. Various donations: My home church would get a big pay day, the pet adoption agency we adopted Dakoda from would get another large chunk of change. Each of our family members would get a piece of our winnings as well.

10. Finally, I would invest the rest. I'd be an idiot not too. After all the crap I just bought, I'm going to have to invest something for my retirement. HA!

Mommies & truth #5

By now you know a few things about me. Among them, I'm a horrible blogger, I love my family and I speak my mind...sometimes too freely. With that said, I will not promise to improve the timeliness of my blogs and I will not stop speaking my mind because that makes me who I am, however, I will continue to profess my love for my family.
My mother is amazing. I'm not the only one who thinks this. Aside from all the folks who tell me she's fantabulous, my kids think she hung the moon. When I say, "let's go see Nonna," their faces light up. Even Liam, at such a young age, knows just how special she is. We have a special relationship. She loves me unconditionally, tells me I'm beautiful, listens when I'm upset, comes to my rescue, prays for me, likes spending time with me (most of the time) and even gives me a proverbial kick in the ass when I am in need of one. That's just a sampling of why she's awesome. My mothering habits stem largely from her. She has an astounding faith in God. Through my personal struggles with life, she has been there for every milestone, every tragedy with love in her heart, and for that I am forever grateful. If I can be half the mother to my boys as she has been to me, I'm doing pretty well.

Mama, I love you.

Truth #4
In keeping with the theme of mothers, I'd like to share that I have two angels rocking in the arms of Jesus and my loved ones that have gone before me. I have shared about one of them, but due to the lack of public acceptance of children out of wed lock, the other has slowly drifted into silence. We don't speak of it often and that causes guilt in my heart. Our second angel is no more worthy of my heart than our first. So, here I sit and tell you that I am the mother of 4, not 2.

Watching Ryan and Liam grow makes me wonder what the other two would be like at 5 and 3. I am comforted through the realization that God blessed me with them. They were tiny beings that taught me the true miracle of conception and life and to never take either one for granted.