notes from my fridge

Gearing Up For A Celebration, Monsters and Robots Style

2012-02-18T09:44:00.000-06:00

In only a few days the Little Mister will be ELEVEN months old! I can not believe the time has gone by so quickly. He's still as mellow as ever (thank goodness) and gaining new skills daily. Eleven months old means we are thinking about a first birthday party! I love first birthdays, we've always done those bigger than the other birthdays. They are just such a milestone, seeing a baby grow from this adorable, little blob of do-nothing to a baby who can move about the world, has opinions about stuff, can do things by themselves, communicate. And we survived it so we should get to celebrate!

I've decided the Little Mister's theme is going to be monsters and robots. I ordered this adorable hat from Fashion Touch on Etsy for his first birthday pictures. He thought it was so funny, not sure we'll get him to keep it on his head for long, taking this picture was a bit of a chore. I'm getting all excited with plans of things to make, decorations and scrappy craft projects then I wonder how I'll even get the house clean for a party, we're a zoo these days!

My Couponing Perserverance and Pitfalls

2012-01-20T14:48:00.001-06:00

This coupon thing can be tricky tricky! I'm not a pushy, outgoing person by nature so I don't like to question the cashiers, but I've quickly learned that's just going to be part of it. On my last post about couponing, Coupon Queen in Training, I lamented my 2/$5 off formula coupons that the cashier couldn't get to work and reassured me even a manager couldn't type in by hand. It bothered me so much I just had to go back a few weeks later and try again. That cashier had problems getting them to ring too and without batting an eyelash she checked the coupon to the formula and typed it in manually! In the same purchase I discovered a pitfall...I am prone to the buy one get one free, hence the Crush sodas that I never would have purchased and could have gone back to the soda aisle and paid a ton less for a 2 liter of store brand. Lesson learned.

In spite of those little lessons and pitfalls, I'm quickly rising in the ranks towards that coveted Coupon Queen crown! Last week I saved $92.49 on groceries that should have cost me $238.52, nearly 40% savings! Today I went to Walmart after my first freebies and money makers. Learned another lesson, hit the store early in the week because the real queens have cleared the shelves by Friday. Still super excited. What I acquired should have cost $11.48 but cost me $.98 before tax, yep, that's right! And I even discovered the toothpaste deal on my own! That's why the binder must come with me always. Woohoo!

Here's the breakdown for interested coupon nerd hopefuls like myself. Toothpaste on sale for $.97 ea., $.75 off coupon, final cost to me $.22 ea., panty liners on sale for $1.24 ea, coupon for $1 off, final cost $.24 ea. Bic pens on sale for $.97, coupon for $1 off, profit $.03 Razors on sale for $1.97, coupon for $2, profit of $.03. Total $.12 profit goes toward the other purchases, sweetness! Another place where I had to be persistent and have her get a manger. She didn't think I could use a coupon for more off than the cost of the item. I am just having way too much fun with this!

Spitfire

2012-01-12T09:02:00.002-06:00

Lil' Spitfire turns 6 today! Can you tell he's excited? Ah, Spitfire, I'm so glad you were born to me. Your nickname was hard earned but as you grow the battles are few and far between and certainly less dramatic. Aside from your fiery nature you are one of the sweetest kids I know. Thoughtful, generous and loving. I think that kind of passion and love are just the kind of thing can make the world a better place.

Little 'Ole Orphan Annie

2012-01-07T09:35:00.003-06:00

My Annie cat is getting old and is starting to act it. It makes me a little sad. She's lived with me since before kids, before husband, since before husband and I were even an official "item". She is decidedly my cat, not the family's cat. She's suffered the indecency of sharing her home with other pets. 5 cats and 4 dogs to be exact. 14 years, so much has happened in those years. If she had a mouth to speak she could tell the story of the majority of my adult life. I'll count her lack a blessing! Though having a conversation with her would be incredibly cool.

Coupon Queen (in training)

2011-12-23T13:30:00.000-06:00

I feel an obsession coming on, a coupon obsession! I'm definitely taking baby steps (teehee, get it, baby steps...ok sorry) but I'm really excited about it. Above is the result of my first outing specifically for the purpose of using all of a certain coupon to get a good deal. It's no Extreme Couponing feat of savings but I did get $23.16 worth of baby food and baby cereal for $14.06! Sweetness! I was so disappointed that two of my coupons didn't scan for an unknown reason, those would have gotten me $24 in formula for $14. Still learning the rules and regs! In the pic below are some batteries from Office Depot that I will get 100% back in gift cards just by using my free rewards card when purchasing them, that made me happy!

You know the saying it takes money to make money? That would be my binder below. Not that it was hugely expensive but it was sort of hard to spend money when you're going into this thing to save. My binder makes me too happy, I'm sure it's a sickness. I keep telling my husband "everything in life should be like this binder, everything neatly in it's place, labelled, clean and tidy. Mmmmm."

My first grocery shopping trip with my binder felt like a disaster. Between store card, coupons and digital coupons I saved about $30, fine except that my total bill was about 2x's the usual, wowza! For a family of 5 with three pets you can imagine that would be a large amount. I felt a little better about it later when I took a good look at it. Turns out attention to detail equals big grocery bill...but hopefully no small trips in addition to the big one, tricking me into thinking I spend less on groceries. Ok, off to hunt some bargains and try to keep the reigns on this potential addiction, moderation in all things right?

Christmas Junkie

2011-12-19T09:00:00.000-06:00

I love Christmas, there are no two ways about it. I love everything about it and this year is turning out to be the best in awhile. Mostly because I decided this year to take a big giant chill pill before the start of the season, to know that it's supposed to be fun for all involved not stressful, and to be intentionally friendly and kind to those I run into in my daily goings about who may be dealing with extra rudeness during this season (aka any poor soul working retail and cash registers).

I also have 3 of the sweetest little boys and having kids puts a new excitement into Christmas, every year is more exciting, and filled with more interesting comments. The Little Mister is going to be 9 months old in a few days, he's loving the lights and music. He's getting new skills at the speed of light. Sitting up and pulling up all in one day, signing for food and drink, knowing that he wants to have and do things that he can't.

The big boys are starting to say fun things. Lets see, what stories do I have...

The other day someone gifted us the most gorgeous Christmas train. I was more excited than the boys, I mean really embarrassingly giddy, like a little kid. To the boys I said "You know I love Christmas but I love Christmas trains even more!!!" and Mr. Golden Curls, my little lover of trains since before he could say "Thomas" mind you, says "Mama, I think I like Christmas even more than trains because I get to celebrate Jesus' birthday." Wow, now if that's not convicting!

Hilarious things get said when you have a Fisher-Price Nativity set and several boys running around, awesomely hilarious things. Poor baby Jesus, eaten, slobbered on, trapped in little boys' stinky pits, made to converse with the likes of Lightening McQueen and Lego Harry Potter. One night on our way home from the boys' school musical we stopped to buy eggnog and ginger snaps to take home. On the way into the house Spitfire is swinging the bag of ginger snaps, trash talking "You better watch it or I will smash all your ginger snaps and turn you into a giiiirl!!!" Clearly at 5 years old he did not know the implication of his threat but I thought I'd hurt myself with laughter.

So I carry on into the season belting out Dolly Parton Christmas songs to myself, being overjoyed that it snowed the tiniest bit while I was doing some Christmas shopping and keeping a constant stock of eggnog, candy canes and peppermint ice cream and being way too excited about the little things. Then in the New Year I think I'll make it a resolution to try and keep that happiness all year. I'm too much of a sarcastic 'ole grump, it's time to spread out that Christmas spirit!

Trick-or-Treat?...I'd say Trick!

2011-10-26T11:12:00.001-05:00

Well, we have our first broken bone. In a house full of boys I suspect it will not be our last. Sunday at the church's Fall Festival, on the very last ride down the bouncy slide, Spitfire broke his skinny, 'lil, knobby kneed chicken leg. All five of us headed to the ER in Halloween garb. Spitfire was a werewolf, Golden Curls was Dracula, and the Little Mister was a skeleton. I'm hoping to make him a mummy for Halloween trick-or-treating but I hear my time being sucked out the window!

Wereman before. After they gave him a shot for pain he made this face and then immediately relaxed back into his chair like a little stoner to talk about how he was no longer a tearful smiley on the pain chart but "more like a 2...no 1...no zero, I'm a zero."

Spookiest waiting room in town! I have such good boys that the wait was painless, we all just hung out doing our thing.

Spitfire was a little upset that they ended up needed to cut the leg off his werewolf pants but I reassured him we could put them back together for Halloween.

Pappa and Golden Curls pretending to be bored.

This is our whole clan pre-broken leg.

Cutest monsters I know!

I don't know what I expected from a broken bone, I've never had one so I guess I just thought it would hurt until they had it stable. No such luck! But by yesterday afternoon he had had a visit from some sweet friends, Pappa had brought his reading basket home from school and things were looking up. Last night he didn't wake up in pain and today he's seeming much more like himself...a little spitfire...hummm, I better watch my back! It's going to be a little tricky around here for a few months. He keeps the straight leg splint and stays home with Mamma until Monday then he gets a bent leg, non-walking cast for 6-8 weeks when we'll discover if a 5 year old can work crutches or has to be wheeled around in a chair. Just another of life's little adventures!

Thank You For Making Me, Me

2011-10-04T11:57:00.000-05:00

Every night before we go to bed we say prayers with the boys. Usually my husband and I will lead it and the boys will repeat. The other night Spitfire got sent to play in his bedroom after being too distracting during stories. When it came time to get ready for bed we found he had already put himself to bed and was dead asleep (see below:).

Since it was just me and the big one I asked if he would like to lead the prayer that night and this is the beautifully simple prayer he said: "Thank you God for this day and that we got to play all day. Thank you for giving us food and hope. Thank you for making me, me. The end."

Why isn't that my genuine prayer at the end of each day? I'm so full of grumbling and discontent about what I don't have, what I "need". So full of insecurities and my own worst bully. But in reality I have this day and that alone is an incredible gift not everyone has to enjoy. I get to stay home all day with my babies in these first most awesome years of their lives. I even get to fit in a little graphic design work and crafting here and there; my own play all day. I certainly have food and hope. But the last part got me the most. "Thank you for making me, me. The end." I think it's time I start trying to reform my 'ole pessimistic, negative self into an optimist so I can start being happy that God made me, me too.

Baby In Motion...Constant Motion

2011-09-22T09:49:00.000-05:00

Today the Little Mister is 6 months old. I can not believe he is already halfway through his first year! It all goes by especially fast when there are older siblings to keep mamma busy and distracted. I've had a little trouble adjusting to having both big kids in school and only a baby home. It's so quiet, sometimes deafeningly. I'm getting into the swing of things though and starting to get excited at the prospect of keeping up and maybe adding a little scrapbooking back into my regular routine.

So, what's new in this baby's life? Motion, motion, motion! He's not crawling yet but he might as well be because he can get wherever he wants by rolling, army crawling and inch worming his way around. His personality is still mellow as ever, he'll chill out in his car seat for hours while we run around town but as soon as he hits the floor he's a tiny, wild beast! Picture taking is getting to be near impossible for me.

He absolutely loves to wrestle his giant bunny...poor slobber covered bunny.

Back To School

2011-08-15T10:12:00.007-05:00

Lil' Spitfire, can it be you're already old enough to be going to school in the big big world? You are so incredibly excited, you've been waiting patiently the whole, long two years since your big brother started.

Summer has flown by and I can't believe today is already the first day of school, and the first day ever of school for Spitfire. Last night I asked him "What is Mamma going to do without her big helper?" and he said "The baby will help you." "He doesn't know how to help yet, not like you." "Don't worry Mamma, you'll figure it out." So sweet! While getting ready this morning he kept saying "I wonder what it will be like." in the dreamy voice.

Before bed I asked the boys what they were excited about and if they were nervous about anything. When Spitfire realized he wouldn't have recess with Big Brother he had a moment but Golden Curls stepped up and was so encouraging, "It's ok, you'll have so many new friends to meet and play with." Melt a Mamma's heart!

Mr. Golden Curls was far more reserved and harder to read. Very calm about it all. He's in 2nd grade this year and was very proud to be moving to the upstairs hallway but I think he's also big enough to get a little nervous at the start of the year.

This has become his picture taking face. It makes him look mad but I think it's what he puts on when he wants to look like a big kid. I can't wait to pick them up and hear all the reports. It's awfully quiet in the house today. My Little Mister is napping and all I hear are house noises and Pug snores!

Vegas, Baby!: The Wedding Garb

2011-08-03T10:00:00.001-05:00

Here we are, in our living room, trying on our wedding attire for my honey's parents. Tomorrow morning we'll be hopping that long awaited plane and, by the end of the week, strolling down that aisle to turn my plain 'ole husband into my Vegas husband!

Vegas, Baby!: The Venue

2011-07-28T13:08:00.007-05:00

This is the entire reason we are going to Vegas next week. If we couldn't do the Elvis wedding there would be no reason for us to go. This is the spot we chose, Graceland Chapel. I was thrilled to death to find it, it's adorable! We got the "Can't Help Falling In Love" package. I crack up just reading what it comes with.

Use of chapel
Elvis will escort the bride down the aisle and give her away
Elvis will sing 3 songs
6 rose bouquet and boutonniere
Professional photography
DVD of ceremony
Certificate holder
Copy of Elvis and Priscilla's marriage certificate

So stinkin' funny! Oh, and since we're having our vows renewed Elvis will also be officiating. As the lady on the phone so perfectly stated "Elvis will take care of everything!" I squeal with excitement inside every time I think of it all. I know it's so corny but it is also just too perfectly my husband and I's kind of thing. I mean really, our honeymoon was a road trip where we made pit stops in places like Roswell, NM and random abandoned churches in the middle of the desert. Of course we want the Vegas Elvis wedding!

Vegas, Baby! vs. Baby Baby

2011-07-27T11:00:00.000-05:00

Oh, this just cracks myself up! I've always enjoyed a good photo cut and paste, I don't know why but it just makes me laugh.

Ok, enough of that. I'm so excited I don't even know where to start! It's hard to believe I have waited for our re-wedding trip for 10 years and now we're only a week away from hopping a plane to Vegas! The moment my honey and I said "I do" I decided that on our 5 year anniversary I wanted to have our vows renewed in a classic Vegas style wedding ala The King. 5 years came and went and with kids in the mix and our occupations being youth director and full time mamma/sometimes graphic designer our budget just wouldn't have it. Now the 10 year mark is upon us. In spite of our hard work and responsible use of money and credit cards we're still the broke youth director/mamma/almost never designer/parents of three so we decided for once in our life we're going to be completely irresponsible, it's now or never baby! What better way to spend money irresponsibly than on an all-out trip to Vegas? It did help that my dad offered up his hotel points and airline miles!

When you plan a trip as newly weds there is no concept of what it will be like getting ready for it when you have a 7 year old, 5 year old and a baby. It has been a hilarious mix up of two polar opposite worlds. Like when my wedding dress arrived (that really is it in the pic) and I had to try it on right away. I was home alone with the boys and the Little Mister waited until I was completely decked out before starting in on a screaming mimi fit. I was like that guy in Three Men and a Baby, picking him up and holding him out like a poisonous snake, a poisonous snake who spits up like a volcano without notice. He's also a nursing baby, and I'd like to keep him that way for awhile, which means I've spent the last few months taking on a roll similar to that of dairy cattle, filling the freezer space that used to hold ice cream with endless baggies of breast milk. The big boys however oohed and aahed at me in my dress, called me a princess, asked me to twirl over and over again and squealed every time I did. Probably more a sign of how seldom they see me in skirts and dresses!

My honey and I haven't really been on a trip alone and solely for our own fun since our honeymoon road trip. That was the absolute most fun I've ever had and it has been too long. He's my best friend and I'm ready for a little adventure with him! Now I'm glad the trip didn't happen until now. It will be a good way to mark the end of Phase I of our marriage as baby makers and caretakers of small children, and start looking forward to the adventures of phase II, whatever that may be.

Leaps and Bounds

2011-06-24T18:00:00.001-05:00

I know all I blog about is the Little Mister these days, he's just changing so fast and I know how quickly this first year goes. He's acquiring new skills at lightening speed, reaching for things, rolling over, even gave us a full on belly laugh that surprised even him. Of course he's absolute perfection and a perfect doll, and here is photographic evidence.

Giving You The Crazy Eyes

2011-06-13T13:36:00.002-05:00

So much fun can happen before even the first cup of coffee is drained.

The Adams Family Swim Lessons

2011-06-12T09:00:00.001-05:00

The color might be a teensy bit off on this photo but my children are not too far from being that white. You'd think we were vampires that never go out into daylight! But we're about to remedy that, at 5 and 7 years old my boys are finally getting their first swim lessons. They were so incredibly excited, and I have to say I was too. They're getting to the age where I remember doing all the wonderful things they are and it's so much fun!

All three of us loved the coach, he was awesome. Spitfire told him "you look cool" and Golden Curls kept saying "he's a cool dude."

The Little Mister and I soaked up the glorious shade, I wasn't quite this relaxed but it was good.

Grammy and Grandpapa's Amazing Memorial Weekend Extravaganza

2011-06-11T09:00:00.002-05:00

I'm going back in time, it bugs me that I'm blogging this out of order, I'm a very timeline oriented person. Ok I'll just say it, I'm a nit picky perfectionist and it doesn't make sense to me to post out of order. And yet, here I am, posting things from Memorial weekend because, well, because it was so much fun and I want to share pictures! Above are my parents (aka Grammy and Grandpapa) and the brothers three.

The three most gorgeous, sweet, and highly advanced children in all the land.

Yippee for Grammy getting up with the Little Mister! He is growing fast too. Here he was almost 10 weeks old and quickly growing from his little newborn lump self into a smiling, cooing, looking, grabbing baby. And he had the best seat in the house to do all those things.

There's so much more awake time in the Little Mister's day, and even more in the few weeks since.

The boys were incredibly excited to make homemade ice cream. It was a gorgeous day to be outside. We didn't exactly get ice cream but we got some tasty milkshakes!

This is Spitfire's favorite thing at Grammy's. I think this love affair started years ago when he learned big brother was incredibly frightened by it. Big brother no longer has that fear but the love is still there.

Such a good baby!

We made a trip to Branson while we were there and did all sorts of cool things. The boys got the royal spoilin' and in the process came into possession of two of the coolest bubble makers ever. Seriously, they love bubbles and these guns make tons, use any bubble solution, and they don't spill!

Bubble war!

Up, Up, And Away

2011-06-10T18:45:00.006-05:00

Mr. Golden Curls is finally done with first grade. We had about a week and a half tagged on to the end there for snow days. Wednesday was his last day and he got to ride in a hot air balloon, sweet! He's such a nervous Nelly sometimes that we weren't sure he'd want to go once he was there but he's getting braver in his old age and not only rode it but loved it.

When I saw the picture of him above he looked so big to me it broke my heart just a little bit. I know a lot of parents dread summer break and having their kids home all day every day but I eat it up, especially since Spitfire will start Kindergarten in the fall! We're already getting into the swing of summer, staying up later, sleeping later, keeping the freezer stocked with frozen treats and living in jammies and bathing suits. Even the Little Mister is getting in the spirit and has been sleeping through the night for about a week, this morning sleeping until a blissful 7am! All is feeling right and balanced in the world, it's summertime baby!

Celebrating Big Kid-ness

2011-05-25T13:27:00.005-05:00

My Lil' Spitfire isn't so little anymore. This morning he had his Kindergarten evaluations and he'll start up in the fall. He's so incredibly excited. I have to be really careful how I word things. I've psyched him out several times, unintentionally leading him to believe that it was the day he was starting Kindergarten, oops! After his eval. we headed off to Starbucks for a big kid celebration.

The Sillies

2011-05-15T16:48:00.004-05:00

We've got buckets full of the sillies! Almost 8 weeks old and we're getting smiles and sweet talking galore from the Little Mister, making the big brothers very happy...and mamma and pappa too.

Mother's Song

2011-05-08T10:39:00.001-05:00

My heart is like a fountain true
That flows and flows with love to you.
As chirps the lark unto the tree
So chirps my pretty babe to me.
And it's O! sweet, sweet! and a lullaby.

There's not a rose where'er I seek,
As comely as my baby's cheek.
There's not a comb of honey-bee,
So full of sweets as babe to me.
And it's O! sweet, sweet! and a lullaby.

There's not a star that shines on high,
Is brighter than my baby's eye.
There's not a boat upon the sea,
Can dance as baby does to me.
And it's O! sweet, sweet! and a lullaby.

No silk was ever spun so fine
As is the hair of baby mine.
My baby smells more sweet to me
Than smells in spring the elder tree.
And it's O! sweet, sweet! and a lullaby.

A little fish swims in the well,
So in my heart does baby dwell.
A little flower blows on the tree,
My baby is the flower to me.
And it's O! sweet, sweet! and a lullaby.

The Queen has sceptre, crown and ball,
You are my sceptre, crown and all.
For all her robes of royal silk,
More fair your skin, as white as milk.
And it's O! sweet, sweet! and a lullaby.

Ten thousand parks where deer do run,
Ten thousand roses in the sun,
Ten thousand pearls beneath the sea,
My babe more precious is to me.
And it's O! sweet, sweet! and a lullaby.

~~Traditional Lullaby~~

Life's A Stage...

2011-05-05T19:22:00.001-05:00

Not being angry, just being a pirate!

...lately anyway. When your kid goes to a magnet school for the arts the end of the year is all about the stage. Right now we have two after school tap rehearsals and attend two dance recitals, same with violin. Next year that doubles with Spitfire starting...along with the cost! It's completely worth it though, and honestly the price can't be beat. The whole year of dance and violin costs what one month of lessons in each would be in the real world, we could never afford it. I L.O.V.E this school!

Golden Curls is in the middle.

All the scurvy little pirates tapping away

The grand finale brings all the K-1st grade tap and ballet students up

And now he's a violinist! He did such a fantastic job! For as easily distracted as he can be he sure turns it on while on stage.

The grand finale, yep strings do them too. He's right up front, behind the music stand.

On the far left. He has terrible form but he makes it work for him. I'm so proud of all the work he's put into violin, with practices at home and after school rehearsals, it's been a lot for this first grader! And a lot for this Mamma, I'm ready for summer break!

So Much To Blog, So Little Time

2011-05-04T13:08:00.010-05:00

I'm running just as fast as my blogging legs will let me and I'm just not keeping up! I want so badly to post pictures and stories about Mr. Golden Curls' end of the year adventures, Lil' Spitfires' last months at home before going to school in the fall, and the fact that the Little Mister is 6 weeks old and doing all kinds of cute baby things. Not to mention the fact that I have an entirely other blog that hasn't seen the light of a blog post in months!

But other things are growing as well, like the stacks of laundry (up to about 2 loads/day) and a dishwasher that needs emptied and re-run once a day. Every surface in this house has turned into a stuff holder and every trash can in the house needs emptied almost daily. It's crazy to think of what my work load was when the Bohemian and I were newlyweds. Laundry was at 2-3 loads per week. Dishwasher, what's that? I did our sink full of dishes by hand but it was a small task. Trash was such a non-issue I don't even remember it being a task and I had so much time to get work done that I did freelance graphics work and there was never a mess of things lying around on any surface.

This week Spitfire is in Texas with cousins and grandparents. Golden Curls is not only in school but going to after school violin rehearsals and it's so quiet. I remember now what it's like to just have the one baby at home. Having nap times where it's so quiet I feel deaf and when I clean something it more or less stays that way. Now it feels so strange. In the fall it will be like this every day. In a way I look forward to it, mostly to knowing that I'll have that time with just the Little Mister, but also knowing I'm not boring Spitfire out of his mind. I think it will be a good way of easing out of this stay-at-home-mom-of-little ones phase of my life and on to the next who-the-hell-knows phase. What an adventure life is.

Dear Mr. Golden Curls,

2011-04-27T18:11:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it was 7 years ago today that you were born, how can it be?! 7 years is one year longer than your pappa and I dated before getting hitched. 7 years is longer than I have ever lived in one house or one town. 7 years of motherhood is worlds longer than any other job I've ever had. And yet every single day you amaze me bitty kid. Amaze me with your curiosity, creative spirit, and your humor. Every day a tiny piece of little boy is replaced with big boy. I love you birthday boy!

Time, Please Slow Down

2011-04-24T16:45:00.008-05:00

Just slow down a little tiny bit! Another Easter is here, the Little Mister's one month birthday come and gone, and my Golden Curls turning seven in a matter of days. It's too much, Time! I know how quickly it all goes, could you slow down just a smidge?

How gorgeous are these boys in their Easter duds?! Wish the photos were better, I was down to just my cell phone cam today.

Little Mister smiling in his dreams. Maybe he's dreaming about next year when he gets to hunt eggs, eat too much candy and run around like a banshee with his brothers.

The Little Mister was not into his Easter suit like his Mamma was, he especially disliked wearing shoes, so as soon as we were home he rocked the Easter casual look. Those fantastic kissy lips are what happens when someone pulls the paci plug on ya' for picture time!

Brothers Three

2011-04-12T09:00:00.001-05:00

I can't believe its been three weeks since the Little Mister arrived. It already feels like that was lifetimes ago, like he has always been here. I've been really surprised at how easily his big brothers adjusted to having him here. There really has been no adjustment at all. A few times we've been asked questions like "Why does Mama have to hold the baby all the time?" and once or twice heard statements like "Ok, it's time to put your baby down." but all in all its been a smooth and calm transition. Nothing like adding number two 20 months after the first, with all the terrible twos tantrums, double dose of diapers and general chaos that brought with it. In the picture above Three is in the background. It took about 3 hours before he could come out and meet the family, something that did not make for a happy mama!

The big boys are just so, well, big, that its made it easy to keep their routine pretty much the same. They've been doing most things by themselves already so there's no feeling that it's the baby. They are both very curious about him and count themselves baby experts. They seem especially into him when he's crying because it's a signal to them that they can interact with him. They like to be the one to calm him. Mr. Golden Curls had the hilarious insight the other day that "Right now he's the crying type but pretty soon he'll be the smiling type." I think he's ready to be the recipient of some smiles!

Three boys. Oooh boy!! Not sure I really know what I'm in for but I have a feeling it will involve a lot of noise, band-aids and the need for me to have regular, girls only vacations.

One of these things is not like the other! Ok, there is still a chance that the Little Mister will end up blond, his hair is looking lighter already and Spitfire started out dark headed and now look at the blond! But he is dark haired and darker skinned which is making his dark and handsome Pappa very happy!

Bed Rest Is OVER!

2011-03-27T15:20:00.003-05:00

The Little Mister was finally born at 5am on
Tuesday, March 22nd 2011
8lbs 14oz 20in

I say finally but, just like his big brothers, he did mamma a favor and came 2 weeks early, sparing me additional bed rest. I didn't have to be induced, yea! I avoided an epidural, I didn't want this to be my first, but I did go a new road and opted for some IV drug to take off the edge. And thank goodness for that, Little Mister was in the "Sunnyside Up" position (facing up instead of down-the easier way) making him a doozy to birth, even with the drugs. And again, just like his brothers, he was very considerate and was born swiftly. Even with trying to arrive extra early, not waiting for 5 min contractions, we were only in the hospital about 3 hours before his arrival. What a wonderful date to be born. As my good friend pointed out the numbers are 32211, super cool! And it's my maternal grandfather's birthday, making it a day with extra special meaning.

Final bed rest count: 3 weeks to the day. Thanks to my mom-in-law I survived with sanity mostly in tact and a clean and fully stocked house waiting for us when we returned from the hospital. If only those three weeks of rest could be stowed away and used during these first few exhausting months of newbornhood. Unfortunately the body does not stock pile rest and I'm blissfully exhausted.

Happily Ever After

2011-03-17T15:52:00.001-05:00

My Prince Charming took me on what he called a micro mini date after our good session of NST and BP checks this morning. Every time he goes to Starbucks he picks a new alias because he thinks it's funny to hear the barista call out a random, complicated name. Usually they are plausible names, these were his picks today.

The Bed Rest Club

2011-03-16T15:01:00.016-05:00

I have been blessed by two of my fellow book clubbers sending me books and am pretty quickly working my way through the stack. When 'Bed Rest' the novel was brought to my door it was just too fitting not to read immediately. I wasn't sure through most of it whether to feel good that I could relate or doubly depressed because I was going through my own bed rest doldrums and reading about hers!

Yesterday marked two weeks on bed rest. Two solid weeks of sitting on my butt, getting up only to pee (ok, that's quite often these days actually), to refill my water and when I just can't stand the numb feeling in my back and tingle in my legs anymore. That is an amazing amount of immobility! The highlight of my day is getting to take a shower, you know I'm dragging those out as long as the hot water heater will allow. My other daily pick-me-up: the deliveries that have started to come in of all the baby goodies I ordered online like an agoraphobic shut in since I can't venture out into the real world.

The fantastic thing is that I know the Little Mister won't be sticking in there through the entire remaining three weeks until his due date. Dr. already said if he hasn't decided to enter the world on his own within two weeks then we'll talk inducing him in the 39th week. So two weeks tops and I get to meet my little guy! I'm still hoping he comes on his own in the 38th week like his big brothers. If he does that means in mere days I could be freed from bed rest and holding him all wrapped up like a little burrito in my arms!

Are We There Yet?

2011-03-13T11:00:00.003-05:00

Are We There Yet? Ceramic Travel Mug by Lenny Mud on Etsy

Today we are 3 weeks away from our due date! That also means 1 week from when I usually have my babies and with all the craziness this pregnancy has brought who really knows. I wouldn't be surprised if this little booger made us wait until the due date.

Bed rest has been a strange experience. The days have been going very quickly, which really surprises me, and yet the feeling of being trapped can be suddenly overwhelming, especially when trapped in with a chatty five year old! My mom-in-law has been incredible though and the other morning took him on an outing to Walmart for awhile to give me some blissful quiet time. I didn't realize how desperately I needed it until the door shut behind them and it was like my whole body sighed in relief! Then yesterday she took both boys to the movies so my honey and I both could have a peaceful afternoon together.

I think one of the toughest things to let go of for me has been the fact that I will not be able to go out for the post baby shower shopping trips I like to go on before baby arrives where I stock up on anything we still need or want. It helps me get my mind on baby and get excited that he's actually on his way. Then I can meticulously place everything in the nursery and go in and out of it dreamily thinking about him being there. Without that I've felt a little stuck in pregnancy, like this is just my new state of being and there is no place where it ends in a fantastic bundle of joy. So yesterday I just bucked up and did some serious online shopping! Not instantly gratifying but I'm trying. And again, my super fantastic mom-in-law organized the shower gifts into the nursery and brought me all the clothes and things to sort and unpackage so I could feel part of the process. For a gal on bed rest I've pretty much got it made, now all I want to know is "are we there yet?"

Virtual Baby Shower

2011-03-12T13:30:00.002-06:00

My husband is a youth director and his kids had planned to surprise me with a baby shower Sunday night. Since the bed rest verdict was going to stick they decided to Skype me into the party so I wouldn't miss out! So sweet! They all sat in front of the computer and two of the girls would open the gifts and then bring them up to the webcam for me to check out. Later that evening one of the guys put a picture of the cake on Facebook for me to see, since about cake time they lost video feed, and they sent me home some pieces. Isn't technology awesome?! I also loved that when I asked if someone could take notes on who was gifting what one of the girls grabbed the gigantic dry erase board, put it across her lap and notated away. Most unique baby shower ever!

Day 9 Of Captivity

2011-03-10T13:37:00.010-06:00

Whale Tissue Holder by Gnomes Sweet Gnome on Etsy

"I feel like a beached whale waiting around for someone to shove me back into the ocean." That is the way I'm feeling about bed rest, in a nutshell. My twice a week appointments are not a nuisance, they're my salvation. We drive through town and I ooh and ahh that spring is happening in the world. I heave and huff to get myself in and out of the car, up the stairs, in and out of buildings and that's ok because I'm actually moving!

Today brought us another good report. This was the second appointment in a row where my blood pressure was back into normal range and Three passed his fetal non stress test right away so life is good and bed rest is doing what it's supposed to. My husband even took me to Starbucks for a tiny outing to celebrate. I couldn't talk him into allowing me a caffeinnated beverage so I was basically bed resting in public and it boosted my spirits with no harm done. Last appointment also brought us news that we are making some progress, I am 1cm dilated and 25% effaced. I'm feeling much relief that this baby may come on his own after all and extremely torn between wanting him to spend some more time fattening up before he enters the world and just wanting him to hurry the heck up!

Her Majesty Of Bed Rest

2011-03-05T22:32:00.012-06:00

Still in the womb and this child is already giving his mamma troubles! Tuesday's appointment brought less than stellar news...bed rest. I went in for a regular 'ole appointment at 9:15am but high blood pressure and a high fetal heart rate got me rounds of monitoring and a sonogram that kept me until about 2pm. Above is a picture of me on the morning of my second appointment where I was still hopeful to receive good news and have the sentence lifted, no such luck. So it looks like I'm doomed to finish out my pregnancy on my butt...my ever numbing butt. I actually didn't think it would be so bad because I felt I had already entered the end of pregnancy mega lazies, but man, I was really underestimating how much I was still getting done.

Now we go back in on Monday to test for Preeclampsia, oh but first another new experience, collecting a jug 'o pee in my fridge for an entire 24hrs. There's just nothing quite as humbling as pregnancy, childbirth and the embarrassments brought on by rearing children. Anywho, if I test positive then we'll be induced immediately. If I test negative then it's a waiting game. I'll go in twice a week for monitoring and I'll go with bags packed because any of those appointments could lead to the surprise news that we have to induce right away. Personally I'm saying a little prayer for negative test Monday and this baby coming on his own in a week or so!

My sentence allows me to do anything I want as long as I'm sitting or laying down, which encompasses surprisingly few activities. Thankfully I'm allowed to shower, but no housecleaning, no leaving the house and no morning cup 'o joe...gasp, no shopping for baby things, ok that one choked me up a bit. But look at my sexy help! The day before I was sentenced my fantastic husband brought me home this gorgeous apron and a rose, just because. I was really excited to wear it and get some work done, maybe even some cooking, oh well. My husband did a stellar job through the first two days of bed rest but we thought we'd better call in heavy duty reinforcements, mom-in-law! She swooped in on Thursday and by the end of the day Friday had the house back in shape. A true blessing because it was going to be torture to spend the next days or weeks glued to a chair and staring down all the things that needed picked up and cleaned!

One of the many side effects of having a giant pregnant belly and little boys is the belly is likely to be used as a ramp for cars. Hey, Spitfire is just anxious to play with Baby Brother. Actually he really really is excited and Golden Curls too. Spitfire is also my exposed belly police, he's at just the right height to be able to see my tummy peak out if my shirt rides up even the tiniest little bit. He likes to encourage me to correct this atrocity by gasping loudly, pointing at the offense, and whispering urgently "Mamma, your tummy!" A few days ago Golden Curls caught sight of my confused no longer an innie, not really an outtie belly button and disgustedly blurted out "Ewwww, that's gross!" Sweet, sweet memories.

Book Club Baby Shower

2011-03-03T16:00:00.003-06:00

Saturday was our first baby shower, put on by my beloved book club gals. The fantastic hostesses did such a great job, just look at that adorable tub full of goodies. It had blue tulle and plastic bubbles, so cute! Baby showers make me so happy, it's a signal that the end is near and it always gets me so excited to meet my little man when he has things that were given just to him. I've been sneaking lots of peaks at all those cute things now sitting in his nursery!

I was especially honored to have my mom, mom-in-law, sis-in-law and niece there with me. I just can not believe I forgot to get a picture of all of us together! My niece is 8 and it's really the first time I've gotten to hang out with her away from the 5 boys that are usually around when she is (her 3 brothers and my two boys). She's one cool little lady. She sat so sweetly with her tea cup of punch, played with the baby and came up to me and almost whispered "I'm having fun." Then my princess niece went out into the hostess' yard, threw a ball for the dogs, kicked around in the dirt and accidentally started a fire in the old burn pile. Now that's my kind of gal!

Me with the fantastic hostesses.

Paper lover that I am, you know I was loving that banner!

Opening gifts on the throne. There is one large baby bump underneath that gift bag!

One of the faves of the day: baby eating hoodie towel

Baby Bench Warmer

2011-02-28T08:00:00.002-06:00

A baby has moved into our bassinet, Annie cat. Spitfire found this hilarious. I think she's enjoying having found a safe haven where it's warm and cozy and the dogs can't see or reach her.

A Nusery Is Born

2011-02-20T10:00:00.004-06:00

Six weeks on baby countdown, but who's counting? Oh yes, that would be me! The nursery is all decorated and all we lack are some baby necessities and the Little Mister himself. I can't believe all the stuff this kid has already, guess it's bound to happen when you have two older brothers and 4 out of 5 cousins are boys. A lot of these things have been in both his brothers' nurseries but it's amazing how his still looks different. There are so many special things in this baby's room.

I'm in love with the newest special handmade thing, my baby mobile, custom made by a friend of mine. I keep saying we collaborate on them but really that's an overstatement on my part. I make her the paper parts (on this one the pinwheels and carousel) but she works her magic, bending and painting her own metal, adding clay embellishments, and stringing beads, she really has a good eye. It just turned out perfectly!

The rest of the tour: the crib, handmade by my husband's grandfather, has slept all 4 of my sis-in-law's kiddos and will all 3 of ours. The bedding was made by my husband and I, the paintings above the crib and the diaper bag on the changing table were made by me. the little blue creature on the shelf was made by Spitfire and I.

The bookshelf feels like a masterpiece of giving and makes me feel loved because it and everything on it was given to our boys over the years and it makes me overwhelmed with thankfulness that there are so many people in our lives that have helped us provide for, love, and raise our most precious babies.

Spitfire made this for the baby in Sunday School months ago. On the hearts are written all the things he loves: Mamma, Pappa, Brother, Baby and himself.

Coffee Shelf

2011-02-13T10:00:00.001-06:00

It's a perfect fit for my morning cup, but I'm glad it's temporary. We're 7 weeks away from our due date, yea! We're hoping for 2 weeks early like his brothers which means only 5 weeks, 5 weeks sounds so much better.

Office With A View

2011-02-12T14:00:00.002-06:00

Aren't I such a lucky girl to have a view like this at work every day?! Not the beautiful snow and trees but the little boy in the snow and trees, even that silly dog. As difficult as staying at home to be a full time mamma has been financially, the pay offs are immeasurable. I will never regret the things I couldn't have during this time in my life. They can be tough in the moment, especially when I see what others around me have. Then I look at what I have and that jealousy feeling passes quickly. I have been tremendously blessed.

Baby Love

2011-02-04T14:30:00.005-06:00

Lil' Spitfire pointed to my belly yesterday and asked "How long until our baby comes out?" "Well, we have mamma's birthday, Valentines Day and then he'll be born." I'm always describing large expanses of time by what holidays and birthdays we have to cross first and it made me realize how few there are left between us and baby. I look back and feel like I've been pregnant forever but this April 3rd due date doesn't seem ages away anymore, a realization that has me both incredibly excited and incredibly frightened all at the same time. Yep, I'm no rookie and I'm still frightened at the prospect of what lies ahead. Or maybe it's because I'm no rookie that I fear what lies ahead.

Lil' Spitfire is drawing a lot of family portraits these days and his depiction of me always includes a big 'ole scribbled baby belly. Everyone else usually gets a letter on the their tummy to show who they are. The picture below was drawn just after his 5th birthday so his letter was replaced with a 5 for his impressive age.

What's In A Name?

2011-01-28T13:13:00.010-06:00

I'm not sure but it took us an awfully long time to pick one for this child! We've known since we were 20 weeks along that he was a boy, immediately started the name search/debate and only last week settled on one. Really the only reason we finally picked was because we got stubborn and decided it was time.

What made it so hard? Boys names have always been hard for us, with this being our third boy it was just triply hard! We had a good list of names we just couldn't find one that stuck out more than the others. Also, once the boys had added their faves to the list it became very tough for me as a mama not to pick their names. I didn't want to disappoint them, especially Lil' Spitfire who had been talking to my belly and calling it by his favorite name! Once my honey let me off the guilty hook we were finally able to pick the name that I really liked the best, a late comer to the name list that wasn't even heard by all the family and friends who were trying to help us decide! I think that was another reason it was hard to commit to it, not wanting it to be something the family hates. Ooh, but the suspense, we don't reveal our names until we're introducing our babies to the world.

With a name picked I think my husband and I are really getting excited. He came home all giddy one day "I bought something for the baby!" *see picture at the top of this post* I love my nerd! Then we got all registered for baby stuff and we're finishing up the nursery. It's really getting pretty close, though the discomfort in my lower belly and back tell me it could be a long haul. The due date is only about 8 weeks away!

Crafty Hearted: Better Than Diamonds

2011-01-27T10:55:00.003-06:00

I am proud that my boys are so incredibly creative already, not so they can be my little drones, but because I feel like creativity is an incredibly important skill. It's something I can nurture in them that the school system can't. Whether they become artists or bean counters, it will be something they can use to express themselves or problem solve. It gives me a little reward to see their little minds at work, it's like a whisper letting me know that keeping them home with me until Kindergarten didn't damage them with my imperfection. Add creativity to the sweet generosity of a little kid and my heart is mush, especially when that kid is mine.

Mr. Golden Curls is 6 years old now and he has always been a creative spirit and a problem solver. At Christmas time with my parents we were all sitting around after having opened gifts and he was roaming around the house. He kept passing through saying "I'm looking for a bead. Do you have a bead?" It is not strange for him to be on a mission to make something but when he presented my mom with this ring made out of a twist tie from one of his new toys and a cut piece of straw for a bead we were pretty blown away. As far as I know he's never seen jewelry made like this but he had the ability to go measure Grammy's finger, create a bead, and get it twisted onto the wire just right. Then he gave it to her with the words, "I didn't have anything to give you for Christmas so I made you this."

Van Gogh: A First Grader's Account

2011-01-24T14:07:00.001-06:00

Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear by Vincent van Gogh

Conversation with my 6 year old:

"What did you do in art today?"
"Watched a movie."
"A movie, in art class?"
"Yeah. It was about an artist, I don't remember his name but he did a bunch of stuff before he was an artist. Then he was so sad he cut his ear off and sent it in the mail. Then he was friends with this other artist and he went home and got so mad at his friend that he shot himself."

My husband and I looked at each other with hugely wide eyes, my 5 year old laughed and we spent the next 5 minutes explaining why that was sad and not funny and wondering why the heck a first grader needs that much background on an artist. Then when they were in bed we howled with laughter and wondered, who's next on the list?!

Harry Potter Party! Now Say It Three Times Fast.

2011-01-16T16:15:00.008-06:00

I have no idea why, but Spitfire decided awhile back that he wanted a Harry Potter birthday party. Being only 5 he's not a reader at all, let alone one that can read Harry Potter. He's seen at least part of a movie and plays a Lego Harry Potter game on his cousins' Wii and that's about it. But the kid wants Harry Potter for his birthday, he gets Harry Potter for his birthday!

I was shocked when my mom and I couldn't find any Harry Potter themed party supplies but we ended up making a few cool things. I found the banners online and printed them on craft cardstock and my awesome husband hung them from crepe paper. My mom found Spitfire's Harry Potter garb and had the idea for the dry ice, which was a huge hit...with the kids and the dad's!

We gave the kids little blinking magic wands and they stirred up the "magic potion" until it was all done smoking.

This cake was painful for me to order, especially since I have a Sis' in law who is a brilliant cake decorator, but she lives 6 hours away so weird Harry Potter doing something only a fan would understand it was. Is it clear yet that I am not a fan and know nothing about Harry Potter? But the boy liked it so I was ok with it...I suppose.

Gift opening time is always total chaos! But it's a lot of fun to watch all the kids get excited. Spitfire loved everything he got and bounced off the walls into the evening playing with it all.

Spitfire is such a big kid now he got to get his own bicycle, no more tricycle. He has been so incredibly proud to turn 5. He's having trouble understanding he has to wait awhile for kindergarten and he's ready to pass down all of his things to the baby. The other morning he ran through the house yelling "Mama, mama, come look!!!!" he took me into his bathroom, "I can reach the sink without the stool! It's because I'm 5! Now the baby can use the stool to reach the sink!" I know this is only the beginning of so many milestones, proud moments, and growing up but he'll always be my baby boy!

Happy Birthday Spitfire

2011-01-12T10:53:00.005-06:00

My baby boy turned 5 today. Well, I suppose he's about to lose his position as baby of the family but I don't think he minds that one bit. He is so incredibly excited and proud to be moving into the realm of big kid and big brother. Since his party isn't until Saturday we went this morning for breakfast at IHOP. Big brother was even able to come along since he had a snow day today...again...for the third day in a row. The boys both got pancakes with a smiley face and ate more than ever. When we were stuffed to the gills the staff came out with more yummy stuff and sang "Happy Birthday" which Spitfire just loved.

Sonogram Says...It's A Boy!

2010-11-09T10:17:00.012-06:00

I'm pretty sure people with girls do not show off a "girl parts" sonogram pic but hey, he's a boy and he's proud!

Finally the long awaited news! Not just to answer the pink vs. blue question but, more importantly, to see that baby is healthy and perfect! And I had better invest in some earplugs and buy stock in Band-Aids because I'm gonna need them.

Spitfire and Golden Curls went with us dressed in their "Big Brother" tees and they were nearly bouncing off the walls with anticipation. They have been waiting to see this baby with about as much anticipation as we have. They were amazed at what they saw and bombarded the tech with a million questions but it was super cool to watch and listen to them. She gave both boys their own sonogram picture. Golden Curls took his to school and got to pass it around and tell all about his experience. And proud big brother Spitfire carried his all over the place and then put it up on the fridge, surrounding it by magnets, "a frame." I kept seeing him pass by it and stop to touch it. They're going to be perfect big brothers!

My absolute favorite thing is to see baby's profile on the sonogram, I can almost picture what he looks like. Three was very active during the sonogram and very stubborn. The tech was getting onto him the whole time. She would just get a good view of something and he'd roll over or put his hands up to his face. She had to jiggle my tummy (ick!) and had me roll over and back just to be able to get a good view of all his vital organs. Huh, imagine that, us having an ornery child.

The next two pics are from when she turned on the 4D ultrasound. A little horror movie to me, I think I prefer the classic sonogram, but pretty cool to look at. She could hardly get a view of him without his hands up by his face. She told the boys he was picking his nose, which they just found completely hysterical!

Alright, now it's time to get to work, there are walls to be painted, 3 years worth of baby clothes and nursery things to dig back out of the yard sale pile (read mountain) in the garage and get cleaned up, rooms to shift...whew!

Countdown To Sonogram: 2 Days!

2010-11-06T08:47:00.011-05:00

I can't believe it's almost here, sonogram day! I feel like a little kid waiting for the arrival of Christmas morning. I'm ready to lay eyes on this little peanut, see that all is well, and know what our little family will be made up of...all snips and snails or a splash of sugar and spice? I'm also ready to begin getting everything put together. We have so many things to shuffle around in our house to make room for this child, so many things to be gotten rid of.

We're almost halfway, yippee! I've been feeling pretty good. The beginning was crappy but it's going better and I feel calmer. There's also the added joy of the regular, daily gymnastics that let me know baby is there and well. Exhaustion is frustrating. If I don't get my to-do list done before lunch it's not going to get done. That seems to be my witching hour, I go from super energetic mom to couch potato. Pregnancy brain is also firmly establishing itself. I haven't exactly left the milk jug in the cupboard but it makes regular visits. Most mornings I get the coffee going just to realize 10 minutes later I did everything but turn it on.

The boys are so excited. We're taking them to the sonogram so they can be part of it all. Spitfire decided he needed a Big Brother t-shirt when we saw one in a store so today I made two. He's so proud to be a big brother! It's a lot of fun this go 'round with the boys being old enough to get excited and talk about it. Can't wait for Monday!

Halloween Part IV: Trick-or-Treat

2010-11-05T10:44:00.003-05:00

I don't have any pictures from actual Halloween yet but these are from our church's Fall Fest party and us at home. Halloween was a blast, it gets more and more fun the older the boys get, even though this was the first year our costumes didn't coordinate. So, we had a Ninja, Darth Vader, Biker man and Pregnant skeleton. The boys and I made the rounds around the neighborhood with our neighbor and her son, Spiderman, while Pappa stayed home handing out candy. It was a good 'ole Halloween.

Halloween Part III: Decorations

2010-11-05T09:00:00.002-05:00

I had so much fun making Halloween decorations with the boys last week. Spooky skulls, a stuffed spider and a ghost. The first two pics are the boys giving their best scared skull faces.

Halloween Part II: Jack-O-Lanterns

2010-10-27T08:52:00.008-05:00

The evening of our lovely trip to Family Farm we carved up some spoooooky Jack-O-Lanterns. The boys drew their own Jack-O-Lantern faces and Pappa carved them out to spare us from my clumsy pregnant hands wielding a giant knife. From left to right the Jack-O-Lanterns belong to: Spitfire, Pappa, Golden Curls, and Mamma.

Our new annual tradition, taking a timer picture of us with our Jack-O-Lanterns...this one with our scary faces on. Boo!

Spitfire loves pumpkin guts

Golden Curls, not such a fan of pumpkin guts

Pappa, looking a little like a horror movie with that knife but he got the job done!

Mamma on scraping duty. Last year our pumpkins rotted before Halloween arrived so I tried this year to get as much goo out of them as possible.

Look, Mamma's belly is the size of her pumpkin!

Halloween Part I: Family Farm

2010-10-26T14:00:00.002-05:00

I wanted to take the boys to a pumpkin patch this year rather than just getting their pumpkins at the grocery store and my husband found out about the most fantastic place, Family Farm. We thought we were just going to roam around a field for a bit, pick out pumpkins and go but this place was incredible, we were there for hours! For 5 bucks we not only got a pumpkin but canoe rides, hay rides, tractor rides, they had a zip line, puppet show, playgrounds, giant sling shots, petting zoo with zebra and camels...it was nuts!

Autumn Gift

2010-10-25T14:41:00.005-05:00

My little Jackson is the sweetest little thing I've ever known. He's always giving me little gifts of flowers and leaves and is generous with hugs and cuddles. When he gave me this beauty he was very diligent to let me know whenever it fell out of my button hole and suggested many wonderful ways I might be able to make it stay, like tape, and my favorite, just slowing down. I think I'll try to do that. As this gorgeous autumn season gives way to holiday chaos I'm going to do my best to just slow down.

Camping, Retro Style

2010-10-21T08:59:00.008-05:00

My parents, the proud new owners of a '60s camper.

Last weekend we all took my parents' new camper on its maiden voyage. It was my first camper camping experience and it was a lot of fun. Really it just stirred up my old dreams of ditching life as we know it and bumming around in a camper! This was also the first camping trip ever where we couldn't have a fire because of a burn ban, that was strange. I'm pretty sure the boys didn't really think we were camping since smores on the fire weren't involved.

The Bohemian and I

Before

After
Graham experienced a right of passage on this camping trip by ignoring his papa's calls to come back, hurling full speed down a giant hill on his bicycle, and going off road and down 10' of heavily wooden hill before coming to a crashing stop. I saw it about to happen from the camp site and was a sight to behold waddling at full speed to go retrieve him.

The boys dining in camper style

They loved the camper and treated it like their personal playhouse.

Snips and snails and puppy dog tails, that's what little boys are made of...and here's some photographic evidence.

Autumn Flowers

2010-10-13T09:20:00.006-05:00

I'm so proud of my mums this year! I'm not much of a gardener but I'm getting there one plant at a time. Trying to take it slow and really learn how to take care of a plant instead of getting over ambitious and adding too many at once that just die off because I can't keep up. I have done that before! It was hard to make myself keep cutting them down all summer, seems so counter intuitive, but that's what I read so I did it and it worked. My mums must have quadrupled in size and they are covered in blooms!

That tiny green mound on the far left is also a mum. I got it the year after the giant ones and from a different place, I can tell the difference, he's looking sad. I think it will do better next year though, the back half looks normal. My one big gardening fail was the Clematis vine I planted. Once it bloomed it was clearly not a Clematis. Not sure what the heck it was, the vine grew beautifully but the flowers, not so much. So I was heartless, ripped that sucker out and planted a new Clematis. I'm bound and determined to do it right!

Wandering Jew in the flower boxes is holding up pretty well but it's probably time to switch it out for something else. My Geraniums never did like my treatment of them! In between the mums are some boxwood plants that are doing well. I had to trim the mums back to keep them from getting swallowed whole though.

I love Gerbera Daisies, who doesn't! They're tough to keep alive in the heat of the summer down here but as soon as it cools down they are happy happy happy. It just makes me so happy to have a little pretty in the front of my house!

The Skelegant Mug

2010-10-11T08:00:00.002-05:00

Got this Halloween mug from a friend and it's my new favorite. And no, I did not make up the term skelegant that's actually what they call it. Silly as that is I think I have to agree, this is the swankiest skull themed mug I've ever seen!

Countdown To Sonogram

2010-10-10T15:43:00.009-05:00

Fine, I'll share a belly picture. I always take them just for the baby books but I'm feeling a little homesick. I don't see family as much since we've moved and I'd like to lessen the possibility that they will fall out in a faint or burst out laughing when they see I've developed quite the pooch. Baby is definitely on board!

Well, it seems there aren't many updates to make about baby from here on out. We're 16 weeks in and the countdown to sonogram stands at 4 weeks. There aren't anymore adorable fruit comparisons, everything is pretty well formed and just growing. As far as symptoms go those will be ever changing for the next 5 months, and many of them simply do not make for polite conversation. Just when I think nausea and exhaustion are gone it hits me like a ton of bricks and I'm laid out like a sick person. I have added massive heartburn, the likes of which I never see outside of pregnancy, to the list of complaints. I've heard that heavy heartburn is a sign that baby will have lots of hair. It seemed to be true with my Lil' Spitfire who gave me worse heartburn than his brother and was born needing a haircut.

I have been having the biggest urge to go out and buy something adorably girly because I'm having the realization that this really might be my last chance to buy something for a baby girl, one that might be mine, and I really want to. If I do it now then after the sonogram I can just "oh well, I'll give it to someone else" but if I wait and find out I'm having a boy I've lost the chance. Then I can have it around to daydream at because right now I'm having the hardest time wrapping my brain around the reality that there is actually going to be a baby in our household. Also, last night I had a crazy dream involving bad guys chasing us. We had to race to the house to get the baby from the sitter. Lo and behold, it was a boy. Now, I'm not a superstitious signs kind of a girl but...ok, I totally am a superstitious signs kind of a girl! But we've had some pretty bizarre signs of girl, like her possible name cropping up in strange places, pretty much everywhere, but I can't talk about that because we usually keep the name a surprise. Anyway, rambling post be done!

The Perfect Cup Of Coffee

2010-09-28T09:54:00.004-05:00

Saturday I had the most perfect morning. The privacy fence was finally finished, the weather has finally gone from the fiery, humid bowels of hell to fling open the windows and sit on the back deck wonderful. my puppies are so happy to be free to roam and it was nice to be able to just open the door, let them out and sit outside under my peaceful pergola, with my pretty little lanterns and trees and Tibetan bell. The outside of our house is really starting to come together into something I like and as much as I hated shutting out our neighbors it's also very very nice to carve out your own space when your neighbors are 2 inches away. Now I walk out and I feel like I'm not just a sardine in a suburban cookie cutter, I feel like I'm in my own personal oasis.

For Richer Or For Poorer...Emphasis On Poorer

2010-09-20T13:00:00.001-05:00

The doctor has been visited! As a result I have no cute fruit to compare baby to because they put me at 12 weeks now which is what I was guessing I was last week. I heard the baby's heartbeat, that certainly helps quell the bizarre fears that I was making all this up in my mind and I was going to find out I wasn't really pregnant. It's just such a strange experience to be pregnant, so hard to believe until there's some kind of proof...apparently 24/7 morning sickness for months on end, a rapidly expanding waste line and bizarre eating habits just don't cut it for me. I loved the staff at the doctor's office, including the doctor, loved the facility, loved it all.

I left my very first appointment with a big 'ole bag of baby magazines for me to drool and coo over and I was a happy camper...until my next appointment, to start the medicaid application process, where I ended up in tears in a strangers office over money and obsessively appologizing "I'm so sorry, I can't believe I'm crying, I never cry in front of people." She reassured me that crazy pregnant ladies frequent her office on a regular basis and it was fine. And that there was still hope that in spite of the change in life that turned us into the owners of "income" property there was still a small hope that we would have a sympathetic case worker who actually took note of the fact that the rent we collect barely covers the mortgage on a house we couldn't sell. Living on a youth director's salary in a society built around the assumption that everyone is a two income family can be trying to say the least. God has never let us drown, there's no reason he would now, so why is it so hard to go forward in life with complete and utter faith that it will all be fine?

Number Three Update

2010-09-10T19:45:00.007-05:00

Key Lime Pie Felt Food by lisajhoney on Etsy

I know my weekly updates are probably not all that exciting to anyone else but hey, since I only have about 10 readers I'm pretty ok with keepin' on with the updates! After a horrible shrimp hiatus, this week compares baby to a large lime. Ok, I'm a about a week behind on my update and there's not a comparison for this week so lets just say it's a really large lime. This week is pretty amazing, when I read the info I must admit I got a little misty eyed, "(baby) is fully formed, from tooth buds to toenails, and your baby's job now is to continue getting larger and stronger for the rest of your pregnancy." How amazing is that?! A mere 3 months in and bam, baby is formed!

The ickies and exhaustion are pretty well gone though they rear their ugly heads in the evening. To balance the evening exhaustion I can't sleep through the night anymore. And I've had a really strange symptom completely unique from my other pregnancies, this overwhelming salty taste/feeling in my mouth and throat as though I just gargled the ocean. The coolest thing is I think possibly I felt little tiny baby movements. It's pretty early so it's hard to tell at this point if it really is baby and not the pregnant woman's buffet I ate earlier or just some random muscle twitch, but it makes me excited for all those wonderful things in pregnancy like feeling baby kick. Ok, that one wonderful thing in pregnancy! Next Friday I will finally get to see my doctor at an appointment so early I'm pretty sure God will still rubbing his eyes. But hey, I'll take it! P.S. How super cute is that Key Lime Pie plushie?! Check out her shop, there are so many cute felt plush foods!

Shrimp Baby?!?!

2010-09-02T13:03:00.006-05:00

Shrimp Sushi Plush by Cornstarch on Etsy

Well, so much for adorable fruit comparisons to how big the baby has gotten. Week 10 and baby is the size of a...ewww...medium shrimp. To add to the ickies my husband talks to my belly and tells it "I know you're swimming around in there with your little shrimpy tail." Goof ball! Thankfully nausea and extreme exhaustion rode off into the sunset together this week making me a much more productive human being. Non-stop ravenous eating of strange foods, mega picky pants and the pregnancy crazies have moved in. Since those things are sort of normal for me it's survivable. Well, normal as in if my regular 'ole quirky character traits could be hyped up on crack cocaine.

Riding The Range

2010-08-30T12:30:00.001-05:00

Before the onslaught of returning to the school's schedule we visited with Bill's family for a few days at a cool resort in Oklahoma. We had a blast swimming in the pool, going to the nature center and most of all, riding horses! I love horses and haven't ridden in a million years. The boys loved it too. Mr. Golden Curls and Pappa shared a white horse in front of us and Lil' Spitfire and I rode at the end of the pack.

To Have And To Hold In Bad Fashion And In Health

2010-08-25T08:27:00.007-05:00

9 years ago today I walked down the aisle and tied the knot. But 15 years ago this Saturday I dressed in this shirt and a pair of wicked sweet red glitter vinyl Airwalks, grabbed some books and headed to the library courtyard to meet my future husband. I didn't know I was meeting my future husband, I didn't even know I was going to meet a boy, but there you have it. My freshman year, a week before classes even start and fate takes hold. It was a long and bumpy road but we made it to that aisle and I've never regretted a moment. Happy Anniversary to my Superhero!

Grape Of Wrath

2010-08-20T11:00:00.001-05:00

This week Baby Three is the size of a grape! I've been sick, sick, sick but I am finally seeing some relief from nausea in sight and this morning I actually woke feeling normal. Normal is good! It's early but I'm seeing a definite baby pooch. Other than nausea there's the overwhelming (skip this sentence boys) pain of the growing bosoms. Ouch, ouch, ouch!

I am so excited you would really think this was my first not my third. I see babies in public and want to stare, I get all dreamy and it feels so strange to know we're having one. I also have these moments where "what the heck were we thinking?!" shouts out in my head. Really, diaper bags, bottles, sleep deprivation, spit up, large amounts of money going out the window, traveling with a household worth of stuff for one little being...really, again?! I also know from experience that all of the agony is totally worth the payout.

I Have A First Grader?!

2010-08-19T15:42:00.007-05:00

What an absolutely handsome boy! Today was the first day of 1st Grade. I was a little worried about how he would do, he was not excited about going like he was last year for kindergarten. Last night at the open house he was uncharacteristically shy with his teachers. When he got home this afternoon I was chomping at the bit to know "How did it go bitty?!" "It was awesome, we got to hold real mice!" So there you have it, 1st grade is all good. Let's hope that goes for the non-mice days ahead of us as well!

While big brother was at school Lil' Spitfire is home for another year. Last year he got to pick out a new board game that just he and I could play on the first day of school. This year, thanks to my bro and sis-in-law, we've upgraded from board games to Wii, sweet! So we picked a bargain bin Wii game from Best Buy. He played that game all morning long and was in Mater-National heaven.

Raspberry Baby

2010-08-11T20:18:00.011-05:00

Summer Kissed Raspberries photograph by Amelia Kay Photography

This is week seven for tiny little Number Three and I read baby is now the size of a raspberry, cute! We've had fun over the last few weeks making announcements and getting wrapped up in everyone's excitement. "Think Pink!" has been the theme of everyone's reactions and we would love to have a girl but we've decided if it's another boy as wonderful as the two we have how could we mind?! When we visited Texas my Sis and Mom-in-law greeted me an all pink care package, so sweet!

Now it's all slowing down a bit, but life is not. I'm sure we'll be busy and distracted through the next nine months which is just fine by me. I am not one of those people who joys in the feelings of pregnancy. Don't get me wrong, I am beyond thankful and I look forward to the monumental things like heartbeats, sonograms and baby kicks, but I would be perfectly happy to hibernate through the next nine months. I prefer the birthing part over the pregnant part! I've progressed rapidly in these two weeks from no symptoms, to morning sickness, to 24/7 sickness. I'm nauseous, headachy, and exhausted. I just can't get anything done which is frustrating. I'm also frustrated that as soon as we found out our wonderful news we went on vacation and I haven't been able to go to the doctor yet, but soon. Next week ends our vacation and it's back to relative normalcy (read chaos but no more out of town trips). The baby has grown amazingly too, from the size of a grain of rice to raspberry sized in just a week, incredible!

Craft Room Eviction Notice

2010-08-01T21:12:00.002-05:00

Dear Craft Room,

It has been a delightful two years having you, my first ever craft room. It seems like only yesterday that I sat in the floor, built your shelves and obsessively, I mean, lovingly filled every nook and cranny with scrapbooking supplies. But it seems our days of shutting ourselves off from the world, blaring music, and flinging paper are coming to an end. 9 months seems like a long time but I know from experience it goes so fast. But don't worry craft room, I will still be crafting away in the future Master Bedroom/Craft Room. It will never take your place but you have a more important job to do and I look forward to trading our crafting time for time spent with sweet little baby number three. We'll still have raucous times and quiet calm times but these will be so much more rewarding! I will never forget you craft room!

Forever yours,
Sunny

The Dangerous Book For Boys And The Encyclopedia of Immaturity

2010-07-16T17:00:00.001-05:00

These are two of the most recent, and favorite, additions to our book shelf. They remind me of a big book of crafts my parents had on their book shelf when I was growing up. The Encyclopedia has all the card tricks, pranks and optical illusions that are so much fun to know and the Dangerous Book has, well, a little bit of everything from historical info to Morris Code. They actually came in handy a few weeks ago when the boys asked me how to make hats out of paper and I realized I actually didn't know. Then of course we couldn't just leave it at hat making, especially since the hats turned out to be too small for the boys, so we went on to making paper boats which can lead to nothing other than playing in the water. I think everything we do around here ends in water or mud.

Sock Monkey and Squid Tot Model their hats

Sock Monkey gets a little additional decor added to his hat. (check out Lil' Spitfire writing his letters already!)

We love a little informal experimentation in our household. How can we not? My husband and I are both super nerds and we are in possession of two curious little boys.

When floating them got boring it was time to figure out how to sink them!

2010-07-09T14:55:00.004-05:00

Maya always lets us know when our little friend has returned for his yearly visit. The first summer we lived in the house I found the teeniest, tiniest baby turtle struggling to work its way across the dirt clods that made up the lot next door. It was only about an 1" long. Every summer for the past two we've been visited by a turtle and I always wonder if it is that same little guy from the first year. I don't know why but it makes me really happy to see him each year. Maybe it makes me feel a little bit less like I'm trapped in suburbia.

Toothless Grin

2010-07-08T09:21:00.008-05:00

Mr. Golden Curls has had his first loose tooth since before the end of school. Last night Pappa gave it a tug and just like that, our first visit from the tooth fairy! Mr. Golden Curls was so incredibly excited and proud, as you can see from the napkin wielding victory dance below. Up top is him with his tooth fairy pillow that Grammy made him.

He asked me what the tooth fairy was going to bring him and I told him "pocket lint and gum wrappers." He didn't buy it and told me he thought she'd bring him a golden penny. In the morning he discovered she'd brought him a gold, dollar coin and thought that was pretty wicked sweet. Then he told me "last night I had a dream that the tooth fairy put together my thing and your joke and wrapped my gold penny in a big giant pocket lint." I almost fainted since the night before I talked Pappa out of doing exactly that when I saw him pull the lint from the dryer!

Art The Art Mannequin

2010-07-07T18:30:00.015-05:00

Mr. Golden Curls, my little budding artist. He really is amazingly creative and artistic. He is always wanting to make things, always thinking of making movies, or how he can make robots out of paper that actually move, or costumes out of paper sacks and cardboard boxes. The picture above is a blackboard at our church that he spent a good chunk of time filling up with amazing drawings while I made signs for Vacation Bible School. When he gets focused on something he's unstoppable, just don't expect him to be focused on what you want him to be!

My boys may be getting big but they're still having important (to me) firsts, like brand spankin' new real live art supplies for the first time ever! A couple of weeks ago, while Pappa was gone at camp, the boys and I were suffering from some serious cabin fever. I decided it was time for a trip to Hobby Lobby for some new markers and to look for some little project for the boys to do.When we walked into the store Mr. Golden Curls declares "I know what I want and it's little!" Turned out to be a little art mannequin, which thrilled me to no end, and led to me spending a wee bit more to get him his first sketchbook, set of pencils, eraser, and blending stumps...mmmm, art supplies.

Do you see those drawing skills?! Not bad for a first attempt by a 6 year old!

Lil' Spitfire is nipping at big brother's artistic heals. At four he's already drawing things that are recognizable and loves to act things out on paper. So what starts as a picture of a guy with a thought bubble, words and all, may be reduced to green scribble when there's an unfortunate slime explosion set off by the bad guy. He loved these double sided markers with one side marker and the other side a stamp.

If my boys grow up to be bean counters finding happiness in computers, calculators and cubicles that will be fine with me, but it is nice to see some creativity sparking in their little minds!

Kings Of The Butterfly Palace

2010-06-28T13:47:00.005-05:00

As soon as Vacation Bible School was done Friday afternoon the boys and I hit the road to Grammy and Grandpapa's house. I was ready for a visit and so were the boys. We weren't there long but we managed to go swimming and visit the Butterfly Palace in Branson, Missouri. It was very cool and I was shocked at how much the boys loved it there. It probably had just a little to do with the pith helmets and giant magnifying glasses.

High Seas Adventurers

2010-06-27T17:03:00.006-05:00

I am so thankful for Vacation Bible School, the boys love it, it's free, and it gave me 3 hours every morning for a week all to myself! It couldn't have come at a better time either since Pappa was gone all week for the second time this summer...but not the last. I got to head up decorations which meant I worked my tush off until the night before VBS started and then I got the best break ever.

What a change for Mr. Golden Curls from last year...he loved it and participated! Last year, well, not so much.

Lil' Spitfire couldn't get enough of VBS, he adored it last year too. This year he wowed his teachers with his smarts.

My beautiful boys! Who has so many beautiful boys living under one roof?! I do! And I'm loving the smirky smile Mr. Golden Curls' giving my camera these days.

My Boys

2010-06-21T10:04:00.004-05:00

My husband loves the cliche ugly Father's Day tie so this year I got he and the boys matching ugly ties tees...pretty cute for ugly ties eh?! I got them from Super Sweet Creations on Etsy. Can't go wrong with handmade!

Maesa's Miracle Militia

2010-06-08T12:43:00.002-05:00

I was very honored to be asked to design a logo for Maesa, a ray of adorable sunlight who has been fighting Cystic Fibrosis and is in need of a lung transplant. This design will be used for fundraisers, t-shirts and soon, her first run to raise money for her transplant. Please feel free to post one of these badges to your own blog and link it to Maesa's website where you can learn more about her, her disease and how you can help. If you'll be in the Tahlequa, Oklahoma area this Saturday, June 12th 2010, read the press release at the bottom of this post to join the fundraiser run!

Third Cherokee Nation Chief’s Challenge race to benefit local girl
Tahlequah Daily Press

06/04/2010

TAHLEQUAH — The Cherokee Nation will be hosting the third race in the Chief’s Challenge series during the Survivor’s Run on June 12, taking place at the Cherokee Nation complex, south of Tahlequah.

Proceeds from the race will benefit Maesa Kilpatrick, a local girl who has cystic fibrosis and is awaiting a lung transplant. Cystic fibrosis is a terminal disease that causes the body to produce thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening infections.

Registration for the Survivors Run event begins at 7 a.m., and the race begins at 8 a.m. In addition to the 5K, there will also be a 1-mile fun run/walk. There is no registration fee for participants of WINGS Activity Club and those who have signed up as part of the Cherokee Challenge. Other participants must pay a $15 registration fee. A limited number of special commemorative T-shirts highlighting the 10 Cherokee attributes will be available on a first-come basis to 300 participants who have signed up for the Cherokee Challenge or are members of the WINGS Activity Club. The attribute that will be highlighted for this race is “nidvdayosgvna,” Cherokee for “determined or persistent.”
The Chief’s Challenge series is part of the overall Cherokee Challenge, a larger campaign to get families healthy and offer activities and training tips for exercise and active living. As part of the campaign, Cherokee Nation Healthy Nation is sponsoring a series of races and fun runs and walks, with a final challenge to race with Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith in the Tulsa Run in October.
The Cherokee Nation’s Healthy Nation program will offer activities and training tips for exercise and active living, for everyone who wants to participate. The program will be hosting a series of nine races up until the Tulsa Run at the end of October. For participants who join the WINGS activity club, Cherokee Nation will pay the entry fees for each race. More than 400 participated in the first two events in Stilwell and Muskogee.

Visit http://cherokeechallenge.cherokee.org for fitness tips, suggested training schedules and a complete list of activities

in the Cherokee Challenge.

Information: Lu McGraw, 453-5260.

MC Bling

2010-06-04T15:23:00.006-05:00

Oh yea, Mr. Cash is stylin'! We went on our Friday Pug date, as we're prone to doing, and I could not resist these fantastic slide charms at Petco. There were so many but I "limited" myself to his initials and a rhinestoned jolly roger. Oh yes and a charm that says "born to nap" which was just too perfect to pass up...oh and he needed an id tag because on the way there I had to chase him around the parking lot like a silent movie slap stick which is not an uncommon occurrence with him. Now he's fashionable and findable! And I have now officially spent more on Pug jewelry than I ever have on my own.

You Know It's Summertime When...

2010-05-30T09:00:00.001-05:00

The watermelon comes out!

The Graduate

2010-05-26T14:20:00.010-05:00

Today was Mr. Golden Curl's Kindergarten graduation and I must admit, I got misty-eyed. I just can't believe he has learned and grown so much in the past year! Tomorrow is his last day of school and then he's mine all mine for the whole summer, yea!

He had a speaking line and did it perfectly and he didn't even need an entourage of little girls nudging him when it was his turn to go up :)

Mr. Golden Curls with his teacher. I'm so thankful he had such a patient, understanding teacher because he spent most of the year being pretty tough which can be easily misunderstood. It truly made the difficult task of letting him spend his days out from under my wing so much easier knowing that he was in such capable, loving hands! I also had the honor of making her baby book, which you know I love! (you can see that here)

Last night he was honored with a very special award in a ceremony that required him to don some dressy attire, snazzy. He received the DaVinci award for math, super smarty!

What a handsome couple of boys! Who makes such gorgeous boys?! Lil' Spitfire has been tagging along so nicely. None of it is about him, though he'd like it to be, and he's still been a trooper! He'll also be incredibly happy to have his brother home for the summer, Mamma just isn't very exciting!

One Dino-mite Birthday

2010-05-08T10:30:00.007-05:00

Ugh, bad dinosaur pun, bad...but we had a crazy weekend last weekend and it was so much fun! Friday night was Mr. Golden Curl's 6th birthday and we had it at the new T-Rex Mini Golf place in town. It was way cooler than I expected...I think I may have had more fun than the kids!

sand art table

Brothers tee up at the 18th hole

Grammy tries out her skills with a captive audience

Diggin' for bones at the Dino Dig

Make a wish bitty!

My husband's sweet, he let each kid pick out what part of the cake they wanted!

Legos and super heroes, doesn't get better than that for a 6 year old boy!

This is Mr. Golden Curl's "girlfriend" that he's "gonna marry some day." Except that a week before the party he informed me "We're not boyfriend and girlfriend anymore because she got a whole new life and that means she has to have a new boyfriend so now we can't get married." I told him being friends is way better anyway. How cool is she though? A pretty little girl who makes dinosaurs eat each other is cool in my book!

The course was all black lit and very dark. The kids were all pretty nervous with the animated dinosaurs and noises and I was impressed that they all made it through the entire course, though several nearly jumped out of their skin!

The boys all mini-golfed out and ready for a good nights sleep!

The next day Grammy and Grandpapa braved a day with the boys while the Bohemian and I had a fun day selling my wares at a craft show.

The Most Amazing Thing Happened To Me

2010-04-27T07:41:00.005-05:00

Six years and one hour ago the most difficult, stressful, incredible, wonderful, amazing thing happened to me, I became a mamma! It's hard to believe its been so long. To think of all the things that have happened in those six years would make my head spin right off my shoulders, but becoming a mamma was by far my favorite. Happy Birthday Bitty!

Lent N' Dust Bunnies

2010-04-11T14:00:00.001-05:00

I know, I've been gone awhile. For Lent I decided to not turn my computer on until after the noon 'o clock hour because it had slowly taken over my life under the guise of "work". 40 days under computer restriction turned out to be the best thing I've done in awhile with the side bonus of having shoulders that weren't knotted up...a pleasure I haven't experienced in some years.

Another wonderful side effect? Household beautification! We're getting things done that we should have had done a long time ago. Now that Lent is over I'm still trying to leave the computer off until after lunch but I'm finding it hard to be inspired to post at all. The thought of spending time trying to make the inane things in my life come across as clever, humorous, interesting...well, it sort of hurts my brain. Also there's the matter of Spring, which I adore and makes me feel like I'm climbing out from under a long, dark fog and all I want to do is play outside. So for awhile the words around here may be a little bland but hopefully there will be frequent pictures!

My flower boxes are exactly what I was hoping to find, thank you Hobby Lobby! I did have to use a can and a half of spray paint to turn them from white to black but it was worth it! You can also see, in the picture at the very top of this post, that we added edging. And by "we" I mean my husband and a friend!

Our handmade mailbox is probably going to need a redo soon, it's splitting down the post. But don't the flowers look lovely!

I was worried about the thingy above the garage but am so glad we put it up, I love it! Our house is starting to take on some of it's own character.

Brown Bag Special

2010-02-17T09:00:00.001-06:00

After losing four lunch boxes into the abyss that is kindergarten I finally wisened up and started sending the classic brown lunch sack. I must admit I feel little pangs of guilt every time I send him out the door with one...you know killing the earth and all. I wonder if that's a guilt that everyone in my generation suffers from? But it's either kill the earth or kill my wallet and the earth is so much bigger than my wallet! Never fear, as soon as he starts bringing these home regularly he'll earn a new lunch box. Ok, it may wait until next year.

On another skull and crossbones note, around Halloween I found these wicked sweet dishes for the kids at the dollar store, a place my tiny wallet can handle! Awesome for boys and match my black dishes, don't they look adorable next to each other? And yes, the boys really do eat salads!

Boy Cooties

2010-02-11T09:00:00.001-06:00

I tell you what, boys are gross, super duper gross no two ways about it. I notice it the most when I have to clean their bathroom. How on earth does all that toothpaste get everywhere?! There's tooth past all over the floors, the door, the stool but how on earth is it getting to the top of that big 'ole mirror, the back of the garbage can, the toilet paper roll? But it's not just the bathroom. I mean, who burps while kissing you? Puts dirty underwear on their head and runs naked through the house? Lets a dog lick them in the mouth? If you want to make their day just come up with the messiest, noisiest thing to do and they're in heaven. Multiply that by 3 and you're living in my house. Ok, I'll admit it, some of the gross things they do send me into fits of giggles. I'll just go ahead and blame my brother's mad skills at burping the entire ABC's for training me into that!

Drama King

2010-01-27T08:53:00.008-06:00

Picture from Mr. Golden Curls' first Christmas play

Oh Mr. Golden Curls. Such drama I have never seen in a 5 year old! He already loves the stage. At the school's Christmas play he started blowing kisses to the crowd as the curtain closed. Get him near a microphone or camera and he turns it on. His love of drama extends past the stage and always has. Until recently a brotherly attacked tower was the end of the world, a shirt that got stuck was his undoing and bugs, loud noises, things that move by themselves...well, forget about it.

This morning we entered a whole new realm of drama, girls. It's been a few months since I picked him up at school and he introduced me to a little red-headed girl and declared "This is my girlfriend, I'm going to marry her someday." They've been inseparable. They aren't in the same class but play on the playground and his daily complaints of so-and-so not being his friend on the playground have been completely replaced by stories of "my girlfriend." Well, tragedy has struck his tiny little heart. The school has started separating girls from boys at recess...don't really get me started on that, I'm annoyed but can't decide if it's just because my boy is disappointed. This was our conversation this morning.

Mr. Golden Curls: "Well, I'm just really sad this morning."
Me: "Why bitty?"
Mr. Golden Curls: "Because they split recess and now I can't see my girlfriend"
Me: "I'm sorry, I know that's hard."
Mr. Golden Curls: "Yea but she's just too pretty to let her get stolen away by another love."

Ugh, did I give birth to a tiny Romeo? Today he's sick over love lost, tomorrow he'll be declaring his undying love to a girl who's name he doesn't even know? And all at a mere 5 years old, I can't imagine what we'll be dealing with when he's riddled with the crazed hormones of puberty!

Happy Birthday (Not So) Lil' Spitfire

2010-01-13T12:55:00.006-06:00

Four years ago yesterday my "baby" was born. Born into this world an angelically calm infant who grew to earn nicknames like Lil' Spitfire and Payback. Four years of equal parts pull-your-hair-out-and-scream ornery and dimpled-misty-eye-inducing sweetness. Four years old has always seemed the age to me that children fully lose their babiness, completely evacuate the realm of toddlerhood and start being little kids. Welcome to kid-dom bitty, I look forward to your next year of antics!

He wanted a party with frogs and bowling so frogs and bowling it was. Grandma and Grandpa drove the long road to partake in the festivities. *WARNING* Aunt Sarah, you will want to avert your eyes...supermarket cupcake cake coming up in 3...2...1...

This was pretty much Lil' Spitfire's expression the entire evening. The mark of a successful birthday party!

Hand-Me-Downs Rock My World

2010-01-02T18:00:00.001-06:00

There was a time when I would have scoffed had someone told me a white mini van with gold trim would put such a huge smile on my face. I guess I'm just getting old because for Christmas my Grandpa passed his mini van on to me, my folks fixed it up, and I'm grinning like a Cheshire cat. Our current vehicle is a 4 door Saturn. I love it, it's been a fantastic car, it's black, it was my first purchase as a member of "the real world", and when I bought it my husband proposed to me before we drove it off the lot. But it's been increasingly lacking in one very important commodity, space. As our little family has grown so has our luggage and taking a trip or going camping is one tight squeeze. Try to add additional friends and family and we're bursting at the seems. Craft show? No problem...who's large vehicle can I borrow for the weekend? Not anymore! Bring on the camping, the craft shows, the long trips, the family, the friends...my mini van can handle it!

And look at how faaaaarrr away the boys are! Maybe we won't have to install that sound proof Limousin-esque window between the front and back of the vehicle after all!

Best Christmas Ever

2009-12-31T15:30:00.002-06:00

A few days after Christmas we saw a little kid on tv declare "this is the best Christmas ever!" to which Mr. Golden Curls responded with disappointment "I wish I had thought to say that." I must agree, it was the best Christmas ever! We didn't kill ourselves driving all over creation in the matter of a few days. We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas morning at our own house, and the boys are old enough to be fully engrossed in all the Christmas trappings. It was a blast! Santa even brought the boys the coolest Christmas train ever with track that attaches to the middle of the tree!

We were also sucked into the abyss of commercialism, though still modestly, with the purchase of Bendaroos for Golden Curls and a Pillow Pet for Lil' Spitfire. Totally worth it, they loved them!

We all love these little handmade plush robots from Ekioart. They've been the boys' constant companions since Christmas.

Even Mr. Cash got a Christmas gift this year, well sort of. Auntie Kristin sent me some Puggy Christmas tissues. Mr. Cash, being a good reader, obliged.

Boys, Get In Front Of The Christmas Tree!

2009-12-29T19:22:00.005-06:00

It looks as though I must have said this to the boys a lot this holiday season!

Holiday Postcard From Mr. Cash

2009-12-24T09:48:00.000-06:00

Mr. Cash is dreaming of a white Christmas, hitting the slopes and cuddling up by a fire in the ski lodge. But first he wanted to send out his holiday wishes for a fantastic Christmas and wonderful things to come in the New Year. May your days be merry and bright!

Christmas Tastes So Good!

2009-12-23T14:16:00.005-06:00

I'm having so much fun with the boys this Christmas! Monday it was paper robots and yesterday was chocolate chip cookies from scratch. They had so much fun making them, I got to use the gorgeous KitchenAid mixer that gets neglected most of the year, and we had some delicious treats. Strike that last part, most of us had delicious treats, Mr. Golden Curls did not agree. I know, there must be something wrong with that kid but, I felt his forehead and he's as well as can be! Even though they loved the experiece it apparently did not fill their true desire, using cookie cutters, so we're making new cookies today. Ugh...I know what my resolution's going to be!

I Am A Robot...Craft Project

2009-12-22T10:19:00.001-06:00

Introducing Skippy Bowlingball (made by Lil' Spitfire), Stella (made by me) and the robot who never ended up with a name because Mr. Golden Curls couldn't decide on the perfect one. He was, however, positive that this was "a talking baby robot."

Robot voices abounded yesterday as the boys and I made one of our coolest kid projects to date, paper robots! This idea was even sweeter because it was 100% my 5 year old's idea. He had seen my Skull and Crossbones garland on the tree, asked what held them together and you could see his wheels turning. On the way to school he told Pappa all about the robot he was going to make using brads for joints. He's home all week for Christmas break so every day we're going to do something extra fun. Yesterday was robot making day!

Silly pictures using the timer on the camera have become a tradition in our family, so here you have it, Robot style silly.

I was totally impressed with the boys. Mr. Golden Curls made his completely by himself, punching holes and all. Lil' Spitfire required very little assistance, he's almost four, I had to punch the holes for him and bend the brads but everything else was all him. He even came up with the idea of hole punching the mouth. And how could I miss out on the action? I couldn't! So I made my own robot who currently resides on the Christmas tree.

Happy "Surprise" Birthday Pappa!

2009-12-19T10:39:00.006-06:00

A few weeks ago Lil' Spitfire and I were at the grocery store and he asked if we could bake a cake for Pappa's birthday. He has become quite vigilant over Pappa's birthday ever since we had a conversation about when his own birthday was going to happen. To get him to stop talking about what he wanted for his birthday I told him he had to be patient, we still had Pappa's birthday and Christmas and then it would be his birthday. In response to his cake query I told him "Sure, and we can pick out a cake now if you can keep it a secret." He assured me that he could and I decided if he spilled the beans it wouldn't be the end of the world, so we skipped on to the next aisle where he picked out lemon cake with cream cheese frosting. Now, Spitfire is becoming quite the little chef. If someone's cooking he's right by their side wanting to smell, touch and stir. However he has yet to grasp the details involved in keeping surprises secret and when Pappa came home he promptly asked Pappa "You know why I can't tell you about your cake? Because it's a surprise!"

Since Bill's birthday was on a Wednesday, not a great night for a party when you're an employee of the church, I decided we could celebrate Tuesday night and maybe it would even be a bit of a surprise still. That afternoon Spitfire and I got to work in the kitchen baking that cake. No sooner had we plopped it in the oven then the birthday boy arrived home...in the middle of the day...unheard of! Spitfire gasped "NO!" and we rushed around hiding our mess. When Pappa opened the door the tiny baker was there to greet him with an oh-so sly "You can not go into the kitchen!" The whole time Pappa was gathering his stuff Spitfire watched him closely and when he left and the door shut behind him Spitfire's little shoulders relaxed and he sighed "Whew, that was close!" Needless to say the surprise that evening wasn't really a surprise but it was so much fun because they boys loved it. When we heard Pappa pull up we turned off the lights, rushed into the kitchen to hide, and jumped out when he walked in. I wish I could sustain the excitement the boys have in making even small moments events and remember the details are so unimportant, it's the experience that's the good stuff.

A Christmas Revelation

2009-12-17T10:48:00.005-06:00

Lil' Spitfire and I were walking hand in hand toward brother's school the other day when I learned a very interesting fact about Christmas.

Lil' Spitfire (rather matter of factly): "Santa stands next to your bed at night time and watches you sleep."

Me (A little creeped out and taken aback): "He does? Why does he do that?"

Lil' Spitfire: "So he can see you when you're sleeping."

Me: "Ah, well, naturally."

What a creepy interpretation of some common Christmas lyrics! But, in true Spitfire style, he seemed totally unfazed by the idea that there was a giant, fat, bearded and costumed man making a nightly pilgrimage to his bedside to stare at him while he slept. I'm glad he has yet to share this revelation with his brother who last year expressed some serious concerns about the fact that said bearded man was going to sneak into our house at night to deliver gifts.

Craft Show Notes

2009-12-13T14:25:00.002-06:00

The Bizarre Bazaar has come and gone making me a little wiser (that wisdom has not extended to my ability to correctly spell 'bazaar' consistently), the owner of some lovely items that I received in trade but, unfortunately, none the richer. None poorer either so that's a good thing! Note to self: don't do a small craft show unless you have a free babysitter. All that said, if I can break even and have a day with my husband hanging out with a bunch of fantastic artists it's not a loss! The Low Key Arts Building is a super cool space run by super cool people.

My sis-in-law is awesome! She made me this craft show apron from jeans and a really cute pink skulls fabric! It was a nasty, cold, misty day outside and a little chilly inside so I was all bundled up most of the day.

My husband manning The Beehive booth. We were lucky enough to have Doc Ray, the fabulous tie-dye artist, next to us again! We left with shirts for the whole family in exchange for his wife picking out some goodies, what an awesome couple. We definitely got the best end of that deal.

My most favorite thing of all is finally getting a Heather Montgomery pendant! Woo-hoo! These are not just any 'ole slapped together pendants. She crafts her pendants using vintage postage stamps, vintage poker chips and some quality craftsmanship. I had spied this pendant at the Handmade for the Holidays show and was excited to see it hadn't found a home yet. The stamp has an image of a foot painting a rainbow. Another awesome trade!

The Beehive on Etsy is back to stocked with plenty more goodies to be added daily. Until next time, Happy Handmade Holidays!

Smarty Britches

2009-11-17T22:49:00.009-06:00

Ugh, I am so behind on all the adorable little boy pictures and stories I have stacking up for this "new" blog. Recently it's been a blur of crafting, craft show prep, being sure to update my other blog and Facebook fan page regularly, it's almost become...gasp...a job. Ok, a really fun job but on top of being a mom full time it can feel like a bit much sometimes, especially when you top all that off with hacking colds all around. But I am feeling greatly in need of some bragging on my boy time so here it goes.

My Mr. Golden Curls is really super smart! I'm constantly amazed by him. He always seems so incredibly distracted but we are realizing somehow in all of that imagination, pretending and distraction he is still incredibly observant. We had his first parent/teacher conference a few weeks ago and she confirmed the suspicions we've had since his birth, he's highly advanced! I know, I sound like every parent, but really and truly she couldn't say enough about him, I think her exact words were "I see maybe one kid like him a year." And she went on to pull out examples of his work and how it's pretty amazing. Even better is the fact that he is loving school! Our little Debbie Downer who threw fits about staying at Vacation Bible school for half the day can't wait to get up and go to school!

Commencing with photographic evidence, you know I love my photos!

He brought this note in to me the other night. He had written it all by himself. It even has a picture of him in his bunk bed. He did inform me however that it was a joke and he didn't actually need to go to bed :)

Mr. Golden Curls has always learned things very quickly and once he gets it he is not at all interested in doing it over and over and over again the same way, he wants to start playing with what he knows. This has proven true with his handwritting. He got the hang of writing really quickly so it was time to move on to creating his own fonts. The first one is what he calls "robot letters" and the second one is his "fancy letters". What 5 year old does this?!

This next one might be my favorite, it stunned me. The words at the top are not bleeding through from the back of the paper. He wrote them like that, perfectly backwards and from bottom to top!

And you know I love the artwork, especially now that there are recognizable things going on in them. Below is his rendition of trick-or-treators. Adorable!

Well, that's it for now!

Craft Show Survivor

2009-11-16T08:40:00.001-06:00

Well, I'm no longer a craft show virgin! The Handmade for the Holidays show Saturday was a great success in my book. I have nothing to compare it to but all I'd hoped in a first show was to make back the money that I put in on fees and displays and to get my little craft show feet wet and I think that happened. I was also incredibly blessed to experience so much love and support from friends, family and complete and utter strangers who were all so generous and flattering.

I loved my booth but am afraid it would be way to cumbersome for me to haul anywhere out of town.

I had forgotten how wonderful it is to spend quality time with other artists. My booth neighbors were fantastic, everyone was friendly and roamed around meeting each other and I got to meet several people that I've talked to online for years but never met in person. I could just go on and on about that part of it. The people make it and this was so much fun!

It was interesting to see what sold in person that doesn't sell online and what didn't sell at the show that I expected to. I also see ways I think I can improve for the next one. Overall for a first timer I really like the way my booth turned out.

I really liked my displays, especially the front table and Christmas table. I also liked the unusual shape of my space. I was a little bit crowded on my big table though and am thinking up some ways to give the little goodies some breathing room.

My lovely assistant for the day.

Photo taken by Lisa of Golden Muses on Etsy

I thought the crowds were great for a first time show. It wasn't super jam packed but there was a steady stream of shoppers.

Photo taken by Lisa of Golden Muses on Etsy

I finally got to meet Brandy of Ekioart on Etsy, she's also on my street team, AREtsy. And I adopted two of her robots to give the boys for Christmas. So adorable and incredibly soft. You can get yours here.

Photo taken by Lisa of Golden Muses on Etsy

I made a fantastic trade for one of Briana's lovely bars of vegan eucalyptus spearmint soaps and it is divine! There's a good chance I'm now an addict! Briana was one of the gals who ran this show and you can purchase her soaps online at her shop Nest on Etsy.

Needless to say I will be doing this more in the future. Now that I've been through the process I think it won't be so all consuming like it was this time. Figuring out set-ups, how to take money etc etc really took up some time. Oh and I'm really glad I signed up for Propay to take credit cards. Those transactions added up to about 1/4th of my sales and I can see that growing in the future.

Stay tuned to my shop, The Beehive. I'll be filling it up with all the goodies that didn't sell at the show.

Happy Adoption Day Mr. Cash Pugface!

2009-11-15T09:35:00.001-06:00

One year ago today I made the 8 hour trek to get my puggie from the animal shelter. You can read all about that and see more pics here and here. In honor of this day I'm going to get on my soapbox for a minute and say please, if you're considering adding a pet to the family, adopt! There are fantastic animals in need of homes, even breed specific pets! I found Mr. Cash Pugface through Petfinder.com and he was a Pug sitting in an in-state animal shelter.

A few more encouragements from my soap box:

Read all you can about the species and breed you think you're interested in and give honest consideration to the breed characteristics, the time and the costs.
Don't ever buy a pet from someone selling on the side of the road, you don't really know what conditions these dogs are bred in and good breeders don't sell their dogs this way and you could be supporting a backyard breader.
Don't acquire a pet on the aww he's so adorable spur of the moment. (I'll admit, I'm guilty of this one!)

If you pick your pet wisely you'll enjoy each other a whole lot more, like I love my Mr. Cash Pugface! Happy One Year Pugaversary!

Happy Fall!

2009-10-13T09:25:00.003-05:00

I can hardly believe it's October not to mention a mere 2.5 weeks away from Halloween! For the first time ever we helped the boys carve jack-o-lanterns. Don't worry they haven't been 100% deprived, up to this point we've done a yearly painting of the pumpkins. Pappa wielded the knife but the designs were all boy. Mr. Golden Curls is on the far left. He got to pick it out on his very first field trip at school, they went to a farm. Lil' Spitfire is on the far right. He said he wanted his to be an angry one and I think he succeeded! The center jack-o-lantern was a group effort between the Bohemian and I. Alright, he did it all while I was busily baking apples stuffed with raisins and a sauce made of cinnamon and red wine. Mmmm did it ever smell like fall in our house. We also baked up the pumpkin seeds we some pulled out of the jack-o-lanterns into spicy pumpkin seeds. It was an easy recipe I found on Martha Stewart's website. I know it seems like an oxymoron but I promise Martha Stewart and easy recipe can co-exist in the same sentence, on occasion.

The obligatory silly timer picture.

Yet another piece of pictorial evidence of the vast differences that can exist between brothers.

Mr. Golden Curls was completely grossed out by having to dig out the pumpkin guts and made this "ewww, ew, ew" face the whole time.

Lil' Spitfire, more in a rebellion against brother than anything else, thought digging out the guts was the most glorious thing he'd ever done.

Lil' Spitfire helped with the spiced pumpkin seeds. He loves to cook and has said on several occasions he'd like to be a chef when he grows up. Like all little kids, his future occupation changes on a moment to moment basis and is often completely influenced by whatever wonderful thing he happens to be doing at that very specific point and time. Wasn't it just a few days ago that he was painting and declared "I want to be an artist superhero when I grow up."

I almost never get a good shot of Lil' Spitfire smiling at the camera, awww. Looks a smidge like his mamma don't you think?

Wake Up And Smell The Mocha

2009-10-03T09:14:00.000-05:00

Yep, we're brainwashing them young. The boys recognize Starbucks and Lil' Spitfire requests it. Last week we dropped brother off at school and headed over for a morning mocha. Ok, his is just chocolate milk but it's in that adorable tiny cup, it's hard to tell it's tiny because he is too! I think the reason he likes it so much is it's all about him and being a big kid. It was a fantastic morning.

Walking Stick Of Doom

2009-10-02T14:00:00.002-05:00

Let me make one thing perfectly clear, I despise bugs. I do not like them, no way, no how. I don't like this about myself. I like to think I'm more of a toughie than that, but alas I am not. Spiders in particular but any bug can get me squealing. There are a few tolerable versions of bug, lady bugs, butterflies, dragon flies (well all but the airplane sized chunky ones), lightening bugs. Some I can handle alright from a distance, others, well, not so much. I've gotten better with my fears. I've managed to progress enough to smash them unless they're above head level, or too big, or too chunky, or have the ability to jump, or are fast, or they look at me funny. I can also bring myself to spray pretty much anything. When we first moved into this house I found a scorpion. As a mamma I just can't ignore that kind of thing anymore even if I want to. So I frantically shewed the boys into the other room, bravely hopped up on a chair, squealed a lot and sprayed that sucker until the air in our house was more likely to harm us than the scorpion.

As careful as I've tried to be about keeping my bug related squeamishness to myself, Mr. Golden curls has acquired my feelings. Lil' Spitfire on the other hand is an animal lover, bugs included, and walks around the house picking up bugs to take them outside, flipping poor tipped beetles (Kafka's ill fated Gregor Samsa would have appreciated his presence!) and imploring me not to swat flies because "they might have a mamma who will miss them." When our sea monkeys died he was the one who was convinced that a prayer would resurrect them and was unfazed when, a month later, they did. Last week Lil' Spitfire Bug Lover Extraordinaire met his match.

It was a beautiful day and the boys and I went into the backyard to play. I sat under the pergola while the boys played in the sandbox. They were playing so quietly that I was actually able to read and was really getting immersed when Lil' Spitfire's screams pierced the air. I looked up to see him, eyes clenched tightly shut, running through the yard. He acted like he was on fire and I thought for sure sand gotten sand in his eyes...again, though the reaction seemed a little wilder than normal. He was running towards the front of the house and I hollored "I'm over hear!". Without opening his eyes he changed directions and headed straight for me. Me: "Did you get sand in your eyes?" LS: scream scream, incoherent talking/screaming... Me: "Honey you have to calm down a little or I can't help you." I'm starting to get a little nervous about what's causing this volatile reaction when he manages to get enough out that I realize he has a bug on his shoulder. "Ok, it's alright let me brush it off"

Then he turns his shoulder to me and I don't know how I held back the squeal. This was no measly little bug but a walking stick the size of my hand! This bad boy was going to require I take off my water sock and brush him off. No big deal, I'm cool as a cucumber. I calmly remove my shoe, swat at the bug to brush him off and...he doesn't budge! This sends Lil' Spitfire into full on panic and he starts running through the yard again. I swear if anyone had been watching us they'd have thought I was beating my child with my water sock! There I was brandishing it like a weapon chasing down a screaming child yelling "stop running, stop stop stop!!!" I finally get a second swipe and *ack, it gives me chills* the stupid bug not only doesn't fall off, again, but moves to higher ground, my child's face! It filled up the whole side of his head!!!! I felt like I was in that Indiana Jones movie where the chick puts her hand in the hole to open the door, pulls her hand out, thinks she's broken a nail but it's a giant bug...that looks like a walking stick! Well I didn't like it but I knew what had to be done. I threw down the shoe and pushed it off his face with my bare hand, that's right people, my bare hand. Motherhood changes you.

Game Time

2009-10-01T19:47:00.003-05:00

I promise I won't spend the rest of the season torturing everyone with Tball pictures that all look more or less the same but today was the first game and we just barely managed to dodge the rain and play a little ball. Ok, it was more like adorable chaos. On the side lines little brother made friends. He came up to me during the game and to tell me "she kissed me." Hmmm, isn't 3.5 a little young for a first kiss? :)

I Need A Ball Playa!

2009-09-29T08:51:00.001-05:00

Oh yea, it's tee ball time!!! I loved playing tee ball and softball growing up, it's one of the only things I stuck with through my fickle interests and many moves. Yesterday Mr. Golden Curls had his very first practice and oh my goodness was it adorable. There were boys running every which way, rolling around in the grass, trying to run with ball caps fallen over there eyes, so fun. Their first game is Thursday and I can hardly wait!

Mr. Golden Curls was very excited that he got to have his first baseball "outfit." Guess we need to work on the lingo! Batter Up:

We are having our suspicions that Mr. Golden Curls may be a lefty, at least for sports, he kept trying to throw the ball from his glove. We'll have to test it out.

Near the end Coach had a dad on each base to help the boys know when to run.