terri+jonathan

Last weekend I had the extreme pleasure of attending the wedding of  dear friend and taking some photos of the occasion. I thought I would share the little video I made using some of the photos and if you'd like to see them follow this link. It was such a beautiful day, and my hope was to capture the spirit & emotion of their special day in the photos.

The Cure is Strong With You

These new t-shirts from Stand Up to Cancer are AWESOME. And really, who better to fight cancer than Jedi's?

If I Need to Smile (or Dance)

I watch this video. My love for JT is well-known, and when you add Jimmy Fallon to the mix doing hip-hop it's a great big 'ol cute sandwich. Terri F., if you're out there, I think of you when they get to the DMX portion. I also love the guy at about 5:45 rocking a neck brace.

Current Obsession

Occasionally my mind gets fixated on an object, kinda' like a scratched CD that keeps skipping. And like the scratched CD that you continue to tolerate because you love the song, I allow the fixation to fester because there is something satisfying about it. Weird, I know. Most often the objects of my obsessive fascination are of the fashion variety, but they can often be pieces of furniture, houses, craft supplies, you name it. This week I am haunted by this dress:

WTF? Where would I wear a leather dress? In the carpool lane at preschool?? I don't know, but I can't stop looking at it.

A Little Prayer

I've written several times in years past about our love for the Indiana State Fair, and yesterday morning we debated about catching the fair train again and going for the day, but decided to try and go today instead. Last night a tragic accident happened during one of the fair concerts, and 5 people lost their lives and many others were seriously injured. I've been saying some little prayers all day for those people and their families, and also for the people who work so hard every year to organize the fair.

I Feel Your Pain, Man

A year after reconstruction surgery and I'm still having these conversations, albeit with surgeons and nurses not strangers.

Oops, I Did it Again

I did it again. I fell off the face of blogger-earth and left the blog to collect cobwebs for a few months. My apologies. A good friend called the other day after noticing my absence here and on facebook and wanted to make sure I'm still here. Which I am. Again, every so often I find myself so busy living life that I don't make the time to write about it, and I actually think that's a pretty normal and healthy thing. But if you enjoy reading about my children pooping in random places and other adventures of the Alderman gang, then I guess no posts for several months can get pretty annoying. Or perhaps I've just been driving around the Whole Foods parking lot looking for a space for the past four months.





What has kept me away from the keyboard? A little of this:

OAR concert at White River, one of several shows we've caught this summer

There was ALOT of planning and packing and traveling and walking and magic enjoying involved with this:

Our first family trip to Disney in June

And then there has been a little of this tossed in:

This is our house. Now its for sale. Please consider buying it. 

We decided to put our house on the market because we found another house that we like, and we have been subsequently bit by the new house bug, and now I'm trying to keep this place clean all the time while the kids simultaneously try to destroy it.

So, yes. We've had a little going on around here. But I'm going to try to get back to being a little more consistent here, because in all honesty, I miss it too. I like documenting all the little funny things as well as the big crazy things that happen to our family. But just to give a heads-up, I have to run to Whole Foods tomorrow, so it may be another four months before I get back here.

Springing

This has been the longest winter EVER. I know I say that every year, but I'm sitting at the end of another long week with temperatures in the 40s & 50s and gray skies every day, and I'm beginning to wonder if spring will ever get here. Maybe we'll be skipping spring this year and moving right on into summer, which I hate but if it means I can park my Uggs in the closet for 5 months then I'm in. I've even created a new verb for my spring fever, "springing", which is the act of spending endless amounts of time pouring over the internet and magazines looking at brightly colored lawn furniture, margarita recipes, and garden designs. For instance, if our city ordinances would allow it, I would order one of these:

That's right. It's a little egg shaped chicken coop where I could cultivate my own little flock for fresh eggs. These are not the thoughts of someone who is getting enough Vitamin D in her life. 

The Curious Case of Batey the Fish

A few weeks ago Rob made a horrible discovery in Casey's room at bedtime. The boys' beloved fish, Batey, was dead. Batey was the class fish at Connor's preschool last year, and at the end of the year he won Batey in a drawing. So as far as beta fish go, Batey had a pretty good run there. I knew immediately that I did not want the boys to know that Batey had headed off to the big aquarium in the sky, and so I told Rob I would hit the pet store and find an identical fish to replace Batey. The boys took Ani's death really hard, and I just couldn't stomach having that talk again. You might not think the death of a fish would be a big deal, but they are VERY attached to this fish. So I figured I'd just slip a replacement in there without anyone noticing and we'd be all good. Right? Right - as long as the fish I chose was very close in appearance to Batey. I guess I never really studied the original fish all that closely, because the replacement fish is about twice as big as Batey I, and almost a completely different color. After checking out Batey II Rob asked if I even looked at the fish before I bought it. "It looks just like him, right?" I replied. "No," Rob said between laughs, "Not even close." Oh well I concluded, the kids will never notice. Um, yes, yes they will notice. Casey came running in to my room the morning after I made the switch, "Mom! Mom! Come look at Batey! He's GROWN! LIKE ALOT!!!" Both boys were amazed at how the fish had doubled in size overnight. "How did that happen?" they asked. "Well," I explained, "you know how you have grown from last year to this year? It's the same for Batey. He's just growing up." Thank God they totally bought it. Of course now there is some concern that he will outgrow his tank and then we'll have to keep him in the bathtub, but I told them we'd cross that river if it happens.

We're still working hard on potty training Riley, and part of convincing her that she is a "big girl" who needs to use the potty instead of diapers is allowing her to pick out her clothes and dress herself. Which is great, except the results are often like this:

This morning's outfit consisted of brown tights, two bathing suits, a long sleeve t-shirt, and Elmo slippers. Fetching, eh? It reminded me of this. The irony of this photo is that she's standing there watching Elmo's Potty Time video and moments later she pooped her pants. But she looked good doing it, right?

Off To The Races (Maybe)

Photo courtesy Churchill Downs

Last year my girlfriends nominated me to walk in the Survivor's Parade at the Kentucky Oaks, which for those who don't know is the filly race the day before Derby. The Oaks is now a huge fund and awareness raiser for breast cancer, and it was an honor and a thrill to be a part of it. I was right in the middle of chemo, and not particularly feeling my best. It was such an incredible boost to meet other women who were 5, 10, 15, even 40 year survivors - to see some tangible examples of how life would go on after cancer. I met women who had gone on to have more children, whose hair had come back, who went on to have remarkable achievements with cancer in their rearview mirror. I'm hopeful that maybe I can be that little boost to someone else this year. Where do you come in? Easy - just follow the link below and vote for me. Simple.

http://www.kentuckyderby.com/oaks/survivors/jennifer-carmel-indiana-0

Pass the word to anyone who might take a minute or two to vote for me - you'll be helping me and maybe someone else we haven't met yet.

Two Steps Forward, Three Poops Back

I happened to click on the photobooth in my laptop the other day and came across this photo I took of myself last year:

I think the intent was to send it to my girlfriends to wish them a happy St. Patrick's Day, but the details of that time period are a bit fuzzy (massive quantities of pharmaceuticals will do that to a brain). St. Patrick's Day was a big holiday for us girls and was generally spent either working at the local Irish pub for spring break money or consuming massive quantities of green beer. The t-shirt I'm wearing in the photo is actually a hold-over from back then - it was either a freebie or uniform from the bar, but the details of that time period are a bit fuzzy (green beer will do that to a brain). I laughed out loud when I saw the photo, mainly because I look hilarious bald. But it also reminded me that I am in such a different place this year than last. It happens like that - I totally forget where I was and what I was doing just a year ago and then something will sneak up on me and I'll have a visceral memory. The taste in my mouth during chemo, the funny smell I couldn't get out of my nose, the weird buzz in my head I couldn't shake. 

For the most part I'm in full time Mom-mode, chasing after the kids and plugging away at my photography business. And the number one item on my priority list right now is potty training Riley. I was really hoping that we would wake up one morning and she would just decide to do it and that would be it. Not so much. We'll have a couple of good days and I'll start seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, and then she'll go right back to pooping her pants. The other day I thought to myself, "I have a college degree and I am now spending my days following a small person around the house while constantly asking her if she needs to poop." I feel very much like we have come so far in the past year, and yet are still hovering in that place of daily struggle. So, you know, two steps forward, three poops back. Just as it should be. 

Remember this? We always assumed Connor inherited his crazy thick hair with crazy cowlicks from Rob, since (contrary to current conditions) Rob also had crazy thick hair as a kid. But now, well evidence suggests that maybe it came from me.

My hair has grown back in crazy thick with all kinds of crazy cowlicks.  All these years I've had thick wavy hair lying dormant under my skull while I fought my super fine stick straight tresses! I had heard from lots of sources that after chemo your hair could come back in totally different than before, but I didn't really believe that would happen to me because my hair had always been so STRAIGHT and so THIN. And as I've suspected for all these years, those of you with thick hair do have it better! It is so much easier to style, even with the weird cowlicks. And another added bonus is that I can run my fingers through it and instantly do a mean Charlie Sheen impression - WINNING!! I'm also still enjoying having it short, although the males in the house would prefer that I grow it back out long, and soon. What is it with guys and long hair? It must be encoded in the DNA because even my 4 year old prefers it long. I've also heard that as your hair continues to grow out it will eventually return to it's original texture, so I've decided to enjoy wearing it short & funky while I can. And even on a bad hair do, I remind myself that it is WAY better than a no-hair day.

Sucker Love

Just popping in to quickly share the kids' valentines for this year. I decided to make them, and a few weeks ago was able to get the kids to stand still long enough to snap a few photos. I ordered 4x6 copies, and using an exacto knife, I cut slits just above and below their hands and then we slid in suckers. Voila - personalized valentines! 

Happy 3th Birthday

Baby Shiny had her 3rd (or 3th, as Casey said) birthday yesterday. We had a little party for her over the weekend, and her very girly behavior was on full display. I don't know why I keep expecting her to act like the boys, but for some reason I am continually surprised and tickled by the very feminine things she does. Like wearing clip on dangly earrings and a princess ball skirt for the entirety of her party.

Cracks me up. She wanted a Dora the Explorer party, so I made Dora cupcakes, which only really resembled Dora if you were standing 10 feet away and squinting. At least the kids recognized her, and Riley was happy.

Last night it was pizza and more cake, and today I took cake pops into her class for a birthday treat. 

Mmm...cake pops!

What is she like at 3? Well, she's very funny - when asked how old she was turning this birthday her standard response was, "I'm the birthday girl!" and she even treated us last night to a special song & dance she made up about being the birthday girl. She's very sweet - when someone would wish her a happy birthday, she would respond, "Happy Birthday to you." She's at that strange crossroad of early childhood - no longer a baby but not really a big kid either. She wants to do so many things herself, but will still crawl up into my arms and say, "I'm your baby, Mama!" She loves her brothers and thinks (most) everything they do is great, and they (mostly) feel the same about her. And her parents? We continue to be smitten by her. At least once a day I look at her and feel a rush of gratitude that I got to be her Mom, and that I somehow was lucky enough to parent both boys and a girl. I wish I could freeze time right now and keep her at this age, but then again that seems to be how I have felt about all her ages, so I guess I'll have to let her keep growing. Who knows what she will surprise and delight us with before her 4rd birthday. 

Ice Ice Baby

Last week we were trapped in the house for almost the entire week due to an ice & snow storm. It was BIZARRE. Ice built up almost a foot in front of my garage door so that Friday I had to take a pick ax and chip away at it so I could get the van out of the garage. BIZARRE. Neighborhood kids were ice skating not just in the streets, but in front yards as well. BIZARRE. But in a strange kind of way, it was also nice. School was cancelled, obviously, and in a first, Rob was stuck at home with us. I pulled out the craft box and we proceeded to make messes to stay occupied.

Connor working on his Dinosaur Dig kit

Riley cutting paper into a thousand microscopic pieces

We stayed in our PJs all day. We snuggled and watched movies and braced ourselves for the potential that we would lose power, which thankfully we never did. But a week was enough. The temperature is supposed to dip down to -5 tonight, and hover somewhere around -2 or -3 degrees in the morning when Casey gets on the bus. I am now in full-blown spring fever and if warmer weather doesn't blow in sometime soon, there is a strong possibility that I will lose my mind. I bought a bottle of wine simply because it has a pair of flip-flops on the label. It's bad folks. 

Random Resolutions

Whew. I'm pooped. How 'bout you? I dearly love Christmas and the holiday season, but it is exhausting.  I'm always a little sad to say goodbye to the magic and sparkle of Christmas, but also a little relieved that it is all over and I don't have to do it again for another year. We had a strange weather pattern blow in last week bringing 60 degree temperatures with it, and now that we're back in the 30s I'm seriously jonesing for warmer weather. I'm done with you now, Winter. We've made a giant snowman and gone sledding and used the fireplace and all that good stuff. I'd like to put my shorts and flip flops back on now, thankyouverymuch.

We really had a great Christmas, and I truly did enjoy my kids. On Christmas morning they were hilarious and sweet at the same time. This year I started a new tradition by taking them to the dollar store and allowing them to pick out one gift for each of their siblings. I had to help Riley a bit, but the boys managed it on their own. The best was Connor's choice of a package of glow stick bracelets for Casey, and Casey's attempt to disguise his disappointment when he opened them ("Um, thank you?"). I probably enjoyed the whole exercise more than they did, but that's OK. 

So it's back to reality here - back to work and school and schedules. I don't really do New Year's resolutions, but I did make a pact of sorts with Rob to get back to exercising regularly, but after getting up with him at 6am this morning I'm seriously reconsidering my part of the agreement. And I did resolve to try and get back to posting more regularly, so I'll try my best to stick with it. I don't mind saying that I was happy to have 2010 in my rearview mirror, and I'm hoping that 2011 contains more posts about the random events in our daily lives, and fewer posts about my health. I guess that's more of a wish than a resolution, but one I'm excited about nonetheless.