Two Worlds Collide

I got a giggle when I found this Ninja Turtle hanging out in Riley's babydoll stroller the other day. It's actually a nice representation of the chaos that governs our lives around here - the boys play with the dolls and you're very likely to find Riley chewing on a Spiderman - and during the course of an average day that all seems very normal. 

When I asked about Michaelangelo hanging out in the stroller, I was informed that it was his secret lair and he was in hiding from the evil scientists. Of course. Not sure why I didn't think of that myself. 

Irish Eyes

Hope everyone is having a great St. Patrick's Day. No green beer here, but still plenty of smiles. 

L Yes!

The Cards continued their winning ways last night by taking the title of Big East Tournament Champions. This, combined with their Big East regular season champs, must have impressed the NCAA Tournament selection committee because we just learned that they earned the #1 overall seed in the tournament. The Cards and Terrence Williams finally got some love last week on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and so right now is a very good time to be a Cardinal basketball fan. Bring on the madness!

Swoon

I forced myself to stay up late enough last night to watch "ER", and was paid back for my efforts with a surprise (sorta') appearance by George Clooney as Dr. Doug Ross. I religiously watched "ER" in college, and basically quit watching it when Dr. Ross left (I was mad at the way they wrote his character off, you know, because I hold grudges against fictional characters. I'm very pragmatic that way.). In a strange way, "ER" might even be partially responsible for my marriage. When Rob & I met in college, he was working part-time as an orderly, and he bore a slight resemblance to Dr. Ross when he was dressed in scrubs. In fact, he helped an elderly patient one time who kept asking the nurses to send George Clooney back in to see her.

Anyway, I was thrilled last night to learn that Dr. Ross and Nurse Hathaway are living happily ever after in Seattle, and also that he still looks super hot in scrubs. Almost as hot as my husband does. Swoon. 

Handsome

Casey was a tightrope walker in the school circus yesterday, and he was so handsome in his black turtleneck that I couldn't help having a little mini-session with him. He is growing so fast - I'm bracing myself for the emotional shock of registering him for Kindergarten next week.

Told Ya So

I said I was going to have to find a square frame and mount "Lovefest" somewhere in the house. It's hanging in the kitchen, and it makes me smile every time I look up at it. 

Also, (and you may have needed to live in Louisville to get this) maybe its just me, but when Connor wears his hat like this I think it looks like he should be kicking a hacky-sack and smelling like patchoulli while standing on a corner of Bardstown Rd.

Starving Artist

I wrote a few weeks back about the cool kid's artist trading card swap that was being organized by some other bloggers, and Casey finally received his last art card in the mail yesterday. I doubt any of these budding artists are actually "starving", but they are all certainly creative. Casey received cards created with a variety of mediums, from pencil to watercolor to marker. I bought him a special set of kid's oil pastels for him to use in decorating his cards, and I was very proud of his vibrant creations. He was matched with a group of 5 other 4 1/2 yr-olds from all over the country, and yet 3 of the 5 he received were the "artist's" interpretation of Lightening McQueen from the Cars movie. I made this map for him on Google Maps so he could see where all his cards came from, and he thought it was pretty cool.

I'd like to somehow put them all together in a frame so that he can display them in his room, and if I get around to that I'll post the results. 

View Larger Map

The Close Talker

If you have the good fortune of having a conversation with Connor, most likely it will be held from the vantage point of the above photo. Connor, like the immortal "Seinfeld" character, is a close talker. Now that he knows how to talk, he starts as soon as his eyes open in the morning and doesn't stop until they shut at night. He seems to think everything he has to say is of great importance, and therefor he must say it right into your face. For example, this is the conversation I had with him yesterday while sitting on the couch. Keep in mind all of this was said nose-to-nose:

Connor: "Emember when that pider was in da basement?"

Me: "Yes, I remember when that spider was in the basement."

Connor: "And emember I  took da runny nose and ut da pider in da potty?"

Me: "Yes, I remember when you took a tissue and put the spider in the potty."

Connor: "Yah."

My days are filled with conversations just like that. I think it's a combination of a small miracle and him being so damn cute that I still manage to cling to shreds of my sanity. 

I Feel The Need, The Need for Spring (Spring Fever, Day 3)

All this wishing for warmer weather has paid finally paid off. It was a blustery 55 degrees yesterday, so the kids were able to play outside and I fired up the grill last night for the first time this year. Rob & I enjoyed a cold beer with our delicious grilled pork chops, and so it seems that all that's left on my list is some tan legs. 

We have no beach vacations planned, and I promised my friend David that I would never go to a tanning bed. Hmm, maybe if I was still living in Louisville I'd treat myself to the Sunless Tan Treatment at Josephs. Or maybe I could spend about the same and get this cute flower ring from Stella & Dot, and it would make me feel like I had a natural glow. I need a new swimsuit, maybe if I get this cute pink one from J. Crew I could slather myself with self-tanner, put on a Jimmy Buffett CD and pour a margarita and pretend I'm at the beach.

 Sigh. The truth is I don't really have the disposable income to invest in any of these options. See, if Obama would just send a tiny portion of that stimulus money directly to me I could really do some good for this economy!

I've Got the Fever for More Cowbell (Spring Fever, Day 2)

OK, so the title has nothing to do with the post. I just love that old Christopher Walken SNL skit...

Anyway, we've basically finished decorating the kid's rooms and baths, and one of my New Year's goals was to finally tackle our bedroom. I'm loving this duvet set from Target. The leaf motif is sorta' "springy", right?

Spring Fever

I've got it bad. I'm finding myself window shopping on the internet at night when the kids are in bed, drooling over warm weather clothes and accessories. I thought I'd share some of the goodness I've been lusting after...

The Sweet Tangelo Dress from anthropologie. Sigh.

   

These strappy Via Spiga sandals from Piperlime. Hmm...tan legs, warm weather, strappy sandals, cold beer. Sigh.

More to come tomorrow...

Service with a Smile

The current "Daddy's on-call" dinner: "Chik" nuggets (vegetarian chicken nuggets), alphabet tater tots (which Casey insists on calling "teeter tots"), yogurt & milk. For dessert I let them lick the remaining crumbs from the bottom of the Girl Scout cookie box.  Everyone is happy.

If Don Johnson & Michael Bolton Had a Baby...

...he might look something like this. Our neighbor Michelle celebrated her 40th birthday, and her friends got together and threw her an 80s theme surprise costume party. I looked like a bad Dynasty knock-off, and Rob sported this excellent "business up front, party in the back" look. He took home 3rd place in the costume contest, bested only by these two:

Pretty obvious why they took top prizes. Everyone really got into the theme, and there was everything from Madonna look-alikes to Devo costumes. We had a blast, and in the immortal words of many a 80's teenager, it was totally awesome.

Temptress, Thy Name is Thin Mint

My head says, "No. Stop." But my heart says, "Yes, please. You worked out today - go ahead and crumble them on top of ice cream."

Oh, Girl Scout cookie. I wish I knew how to quit you.

Nap Nanny

 

I am always amazed at all the cool things that come to market after I need them, especially baby items. I just saw an ad in next months Parents magazine for this gem, called the "Nap Nanny". Riley slept in her car seat for the first 2 months of her life, and it was painful process (MANY sleepless nights) to break her of the habit. We made the move because one of Rob's co-worker's baby was doing the same thing, and she fell out of her seat as her Mom was carrying her upstairs for bed. We never carried Riley around unstrapped, but it was still scary enough to cause us to force a move to the basinet. The Nap Nanny would have totally solved this problem, and probably would have helped Connor sleep better during him battle with colic his first year. Its a little expensive, but I gladly would have coughed up the $129 if it meant more sleep for both myself and the baby. My other thought when I find something like this is, "Damn, why didn't I think of that?" Maybe I should work on marketing Connor's backwards PJs for all his fellow junior nudists out there...

Lovefest

The lovefest between Casey & his baby sister continues, and it is almost too cute for words. He still calls her "Shiny" instead of Riley, and he often refers to her as "my baby". I caught him cooing, "You're my little banana muffin," to her the other day, and she seems to bask in any attention he throws her way.  After viewing this picture a friend suggested Loreal could sell tons of mascara by featuring their eyelashes in a commercial, and although I'm biased I have to agree. I'm now searching for the perfect square frame to mount this photo in so that years from now when they're screaming at each other they'll remember the lovefest.

Cake is Good

Riley celebrated her first birthday on Sunday, and I think the most important lesson of any first birthday is that "cake is good". Riley was an excellent student. I made red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, and she inhaled about 3/4 of one and a half scoop of vanilla ice cream. She received so many cute gifts, and later that afternoon impressed us by taking the time to play with every new toy. The best was when she took the thermometer from the soft doctor's kit she received from Nannie & used it as a bottle to feed her new baby doll.

I made a little video in honor of her first birthday, but it's about 3 minutes long so I didn't want to take up the space posting it here, but if you're interested you can view it by clicking here. I know I say this every time one of the kids celebrates a birthday, but I can hardly believe another year has passed so quickly. 

ATC Swap

For those of you out there who have little ones, I thought I'd pass along a cool swap that is being coordinated by house on hill road. Kids 4 and up create little art trading cards (must be 2.5"x3.5") and send them to 5 other children. Casey loves getting mail, and so creating 5 little masterpieces, mailing them out, and receiving 5 back in the mail is the perfect snowy afternoon project for him. The deadline to sign up is this Friday.

Steelers Win

I didn't really have a dog in the fight in last night's Superbowl, but the Steelers' win did give me an excuse to dust off my old Mean Joe Greene jersey. Hard to believe he wore it just 3 years ago here, and that he was an only child.

Polar Bear Invasion

Apparently, global warming has caused polar bears to migrate to Indiana. Either that, or our neighbor Tony has some serious explaining to do.

Snow Day

It started snowing yesterday around 2:00 pm and continued through the night, so it was no surprise this morning when we woke to find about 7 inches of powder on the ground and school cancelled. The boys have been desperate for a decent snowfall, and they certainly received their wishes today. We got out for a bit this morning while Riley napped, and I actually enjoyed being out in the snow (if you're unsure of my feelings about the weather, see my "Are We There Yet" post). Part of that may be the result of a friendly neighbor who snow-blowed our driveway so I didn't have to shovel it, but I think it was mostly due to watching how much fun the boys were having. They jumped, slid, crawled, stomped, and laid in the snow, and naturally Connor ate it by the handfuls. I'm hoping to drop Riley off with a neighbor this afternoon so I can take them sledding down the big hill across the street - they enjoyed going down the small slope of our driveway so much I can only imagine the fun they'll have flying down a real hill. As previously stated, I'm not a big fan of the cold or snow, but I am a big fan of my kids enjoying all the pleasures of childhood, and playing in the snow is certainly one of them. 

You Tackle People!

In honor of next weekend's Superbowl, I thought I'd post this video of Casey discussing the finer points of football.

Confession

I have a confession to make, and it's a tough one. I am totally, completely, inexplicably hooked on the Twilight books. This is so embarrassing - what's next, a Jonas Brothers CD? I blame my friends and co-book club members for getting me started. They're both hooked as well, and suggested that we go to a late show of the recent movie adaptation Friday night, and if I was going to see the movie I might as well read the book. Right? I'm a pretty fast reader, so I didn't think it would be a problem. But when Mindy dropped it off on Thursday afternoon and I realized I had to knock out 500 pages in a day, I had doubts. 

Fast forward to Friday evening and me cooking dinner, serving dinner, eating dinner, and giving baths all one-handed while trying to finish the last 3 chapters of the book before the movie. It's truly a wonder I didn't shampoo the chicken and saute one of the kids, but as we pulled into the theater parking lot I put the damn thing down with only 20 pages to go, and I was addicted. Why didn't I just give up and see the movie without finishing? Because it was good. I hate to admit it. I had no interest in reading these books, they were for teenage girls not 33 yr-old moms. I had no interest in seeing the movie (I haven't seen a movie in the theater in about a year and a half - I think I would have agreed to go see "Ishtar" if they asked me) but I have to admit I now see what all the fuss was about. It's taken a great deal of will-power to not go across the street first thing this morning and grab the next book, New Moon, from Mindy, but I suspect I will have it in my hot little hands by nap time today.

 I suppose what concerns me about my newfound fanaticism is not what it says about the quality of the books, but what it says about my taste level in literary entertainment. I guess underneath the poopy diapers and minivan there's still a bit of teenage girl left in me, and since I'm not going to stop reading now, I guess I have to be OK with that. 

Hi, my name is Jenny, and I like the Twilight books.

The Birds

Last week we experienced a strange phenomenon in the form of about 1000 blackbirds setting up residence in our backyard. I don't know if you've ever had that many birds on your lawn, but I can attest it is super creepy. Like, Hitchcock creepy. I kept waiting for Tippi Heddron to run screaming across the yard. I've yet to get a decent answer as to why they were here in the dead of winter, but thankfully they've moved on now and I can set foot back there without fear of having my eyes pecked out.

Motivation

I have been contemplating signing up for the Derby mini-marathon, and I think this shirt might just provide me with the motivation I need.

Are We There Yet?

We took a quick trip to Kentucky to visit Rob's parents over Christmas, and before we left the city limits the boys had posed the above question about 56 times. It drove us both batty, but today I think I can relate to how they were feeling. As we move into January, I feel like I have been strapped into a car seat for a 100 mile road trip with no end in sight, and I myself am wondering, "Are we there yet?".

I am not a winter person by nature. I'm not a big fan of snow, hate ice, despise wind, and if I didn't have the need to own gloves, scarves, or wool coats I'd be just fine. Yet here I am in a city that, although sunny and bright, is logging a high temperature today of 28 degrees. We all have dry skin and cabin fever, runny noses and chapped lips. And even poor Casey (pictured above napping on the couch in a position that fully expresses how I feel about the weather this time of year), who has missed 3 of the last 4 Fridays of school with some sort of ailment and who passionately loves to play in the snow, looked longingly out at the backyard this afternoon and sadly said, "I wish we could just put on a little jacket and go play on the swing-set." Me too. 

Are we there yet?

brothers.

I took a few quick shots of the boys yesterday in Connor's room because the light was so pretty in the morning and I love the color we painted his walls. I also wanted some new shots to use to practice with on my new computer, and I came up with this poster. I think I'm going to enlarge it and frame it in their bathroom since we also used this color in there, and since it's a rare example of the two of them getting along, I feel it definitely needs to be displayed. 

Fun Is Bowling

There is a bowling alley across the street from Mall St. Mathews in Louisville that has a big sign out front declaring "Fun Is Bowling!". I've always been fascinated by that sign, it's such a definitive statement, like it's commanding you have a good time while bowling in case you were maybe thinking "Fun is NOT Bowling!". Personally, I've always been a bit more "Fun is Drinking Beer While You Watch Football!" or "Fun is Not Having to Wear Weird Shoes and Stick Your Fingers in Dirty Bowling Balls!". Anyway, now anytime I think about bowling I think of that sign and that bowling alley, and so I was thinking about it today as we loaded the kids up and headed over to a local bowling alley. I bought a package of games at the Mom's Club auction this fall and wrapped them up for Rob at Christmas because he's mentioned frequently that maybe it would be something fun to do as a family. And you know what, fun is bowling! We actually had a really good time, even though we're all pretty pitiful bowlers. The alley had the lanes set up with bumpers for the kids, and they have these ramp contraptions that the kids can roll their balls down instead of having to roll them by themselves. Casey & I tied the last game with a 78, Connor rolled a very respectful 105, and Rob beat us all with a 130.  

Hi. I'm a mac.

Santa left a huge surprise under the tree for me this year in the form of a new 15 inch MacBook Pro. I was hoping for a MacBook, but had no expectation of receiving the literal "Macdaddy" of them all. I've only had a few minutes to play with my new toy, and already I'm smitten. Rob loaded this bad-boy up today with tons of cool software, and I can't wait to get some photos loaded on here and really start messing around. I guess this answered the question of whether or not I've been a good girl all year long.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

From our family to yours, we hope that you have a safe, healthy, and very merry Christmas.

Dancing Aldermans

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Mothering From the Floor

Our family was hit with the dreaded stomach flu this week, and I've spent the morning mothering from the kitchen floor. You'd be amazed at how well you can care for children while laying on the kitchen floor, as long as milk refills and snacks are limited to 1 per hour, and as long as your 4-yr old cooperates by bringing diapers and wipes for the little ones to you. This has been a particularly nasty strain of the virus, striking Casey first last Friday and then slowly making its way through the rest of us. Thanks to a few doses of Zofran and ginger ale, I've kept down some toast and crackers and feel like I'm on the mend, and praying that everyone else is too.
And it has made me realize that no matter how old you are or how many of your own children you have, when you're sick you still want your Mommy. I would have hated for mine to be here and risk catching the bug with us, however I would have given anything last night for her to sit by my bed, push my hair behind my ear, and bring me chicken soup and a Cherry-Limeaide from Sonic (Why? Dunno, just sounds good. I don't even know where a Sonic is in this God-forsaken city). Oh well, I'm headed back to the floor to do some mothering of my own, to push hair behind some little ears and tell them everything will be alright.

The Perfect Shot

Now that our Christmas cards have gone in the mail, I can share some of the outtakes. I've lamented before how much easier it is to take pictures of other people's kids, and it was especially true this year with 3 kids at these ages. I basically set the camera on the tripod and danced around the room singing "Jingle Bells" in a silly voice while clicking the shutter with my remote control. They cooperated by smiling and laughing, just not all at the same time or while looking at the camera. I feel like I got some great shots, but that I might be perpetually in search for the perfect Christmas card shot because every year I feel like I fall short of getting exactly what I want.

Going to Great Lengths

Over the weekend I bit the bullet and had 9.5 inches of my hair chopped off. I had decided this spring to grow it out long enough that I could make a donation to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths program, which makes & donates wigs to patients who have lost their hair due to cancer treatments. I just figured if I was going to cut off 6 inches, I might as well grow it out for a few more months and cut off 8 so it could be of use to someone else. I enjoyed having it long, but I was ready for a change. It was hard to take care of and took forever to dry. Tangles were a daily battle, especially if I went for a run and forgot to braid my ponytail. And the worst thing about really long hair and 3 small kids is that there seemed to be a chunk of something - food, spit-up, pirate swords, etc - constantly caught in my hair. So I was over it, but found myself surprisingly nervous as the stylist cut my ponytail off. I like the new 'do, and it has been clear of all foreign matter all weekend, and so I think it's a change for the better. And hopefully my donation will make someone else feel better. And yes, I did make sure the ponytail was chunk-free before mailing it in.

Santa's Missing Elf

Happy Thanksgiving

It's Beginning to Look Alot Like Christmas?

Perhaps it's beginning to look a little bit like Christmas. Rob's mom sent the kids this adorable Little People nativity set from Fisher Price, and I've had multiple discussions with the boys about how we really shouldn't be playing with the nativity people and pirates together. About how having Spiderman and Captain Hook capture Mary & Baby Jesus and force them aboard the pirate ship really isn't in the true spirit of Christmas. I've read them the Christmas Story from their picture book Bible several times, but somehow the temptation of having the the First Family walk the plank overwhelms the desire to simply set the nativity up according to the picture on the box and then play nicely with it.

Anyway, Christmas preparations are underway around here, and I'm really excited. Since I had to spend the bulk of the last Christmas season laying on my left side because of pregnancy complications, I think I feel like I need to make up for all the things I wanted to do last year but didn't get to. I have at least a half-dozen gift projects started or in the works and I'm so anxious to get decorations out that I may start on that the day after Thanksgiving (I've seen several houses in the neighborhood with Christmas lights already up, so I'm taking some comfort in not being the only one around here ready to go). And if I can get the local pirates to quit raiding the manger looking for booty, then we'll really be ready for Christmas.

Wash with Joe

As much as I love drinking coffee, I'm debating about whether or not I would love bathing in it. This coffee-infused foaming body wash from http://www.washwithjoe.com/ purports to repair damage from UV rays, reduce cellulite, and absorb odor. Sorta' like taking a shower in Starbucks, which is strangely appealing to me.

Happy Halloween!

Hope everyone has an "Incredible" Halloween!

Fall Babies

As I mentioned in the previous post, I've had the opportunity lately to photograph some really beautiful children, and I couldn't help sharing this one of gorgeous Kinsey. That red hair, blue eyes, and lovely skin - she's going to be a heartbreaker for sure! And if you think she's cute, you should see her older brother and sister.

All of the families I have had the pleasure of working with this month have been fantastic, and each session has been completely unique & reflective of the personalities of each family. That makes me feel like I'm on the right track with my work, and I want to say thanks to everyone who has hired me for giving me the chance to do what I love!

3 Kids

I've been pretty busy lately taking photos of other people's kids, and I realized that I hadn't taken any of my own 3 in a while. Yesterday we attempted a little photo shoot in the backyard, and I even put the camera on the tripod and took some of all 5 of us. Those weren't quite as successful as the ones above but I'm still working on them. I had hoped for a great Christmas card shot, but I may just have to settle for some cute fall pics of my little pumpkins.

Early Learning

Just wondering if I should be proud or embarrassed that my 2-yr old son exclaims, "Mommy Coppee!!" whenever we drive by a Starbucks. Just wondering.

Political Games

I am fighting the urge to download the free patterns from Lion Brand and crochet these little candidate finger puppets. Because then I could hold my own debate, and there would be no mention of hatchets, scalpels, or plumbers.

Bye, Bye Binky

Staying true to his dental professional roots, Rob has been persistent in reminding me that now that Connor is 2, it is time to say goodbye to The Binky.So for months I've been trying to determine the best way to separate boy from binky. I imagined us all sitting in a circle like an episode of "Intervention", with someone starting by saying, "Connor, your family is here because they love you, and they think you might have a problem with the binky...". I researched the "Binky Fairy" story on the web, which is basically the Tooth Fairy for pacifiers, and bought a new toy car and had an elaborate "binky gathering" ceremony all planned. But on Saturday night Rob suggested as we were putting Connor down that we just put him to bed without it and see what happened. I hadn't considered going cold turkey with the binky, and I had doubts about the success of that strategy, but I went with it anyway. And with the exception of a few plaintive, "Where da' binky go?" questions, he did great. There have been some tough moments since then, like last night when he cried for 10 minutes at bedtime, saying over and over, "Wanna' my biiiiiiinkyyyyyy!!!". It was one of those moments as a parent you dread, because you know you're doing the right think for your kid in the long run, but in the short term all you know is he's crying and all it would take to stop him is to pop that little plastic peacemaker in his mouth. And he's been dragging his favorite stuffed dog & giraffe with him everywhere, which makes me wonder is he's afraid if he lets them out of his sight we'll take those away too. I know that he'll forget about Binky by next week, and that we're doing the right thing by taking it away now, but I have to admit it makes me a little sad to give up the binky. Its just more evidence that he is getting bigger everyday, a little closer to being a boy and a little further away from being a baby.
So, fairwell to Binky, we hardly knew ya'.

Christmas Boots

I recently became obsessed with the crocheted boots made by Ugg, to the point that I spent a ridiculous amount of time on the internet researching how I could make my own pair (why spend $150 on boots when you could crochet your own for a third of that?!). I guess making your own boots isn't that common of a hobby, because it was pretty difficult to find any information on shoe making or boot making, however I did find a company who sells the heavy rubber Ugg-type soles that you can stitch your handmade boots into. And crazy as it sounds, I was thinking of ordering a pair...until these landed in my inbox via Nine West. These look way more cozy than their Ugg counterparts, and at this price I don't feel guilty for adding them to my Christmas wish list.

Welcome, Fall

The high here today was 60, so whether I am ready or not, the weather is changing. I love the fall, but I hate saying goodbye to summer. Goodbye, flip-flops and tank tops. Welcome, fall.

3 Birthday Wishes

Sometimes, when you close your eyes and blow out the candles, you get exactly what you wished for.