Morning Coffee 2.0

The fact that I love (and also survive by drinking) a good cup of coffee in the morning is no secret - the title of this blog is not a random choice. And a special treat for myself is to occasionally stop by Starbucks on the way to dropping Casey off at preschool and order a grande non-fat latte with a packet of Splenda. Ahhh, the modern Mom's answer to Calgon ("Starbucks, take me away!"). So to make my indugence a little extra special I made myself a cup sleeve out of some of the leftover fabric from Riley's room. I made a few of these as gifts for Christmas, but hadn't gotten around to making one for myself until now. I even jazzed mine up by hand embroidering my initial, as machine embroidery still confuses and confounds me (although I've had my eye on this bad-boy that I think would help). I suppose this is also a "green" project as it probably saves .000001% of a tree by me not taking the sleeve that Starbucks provides. See, I am environmentally friendly. Yay, me.

Fabric Finally and More Patience, Please

The fabric for Baby Shiny's room that I have been patiently waiting on finally arrived yesterday. OK, maybe not so much "patiently waiting" as much as boring every poor soul in earshot about the saga of my missing nursery fabric and how UPS was engaged in a great conspiracy against me. I ordered the fabric from ebay, but PayPal (also involved in the great conspiracy against me) sent the seller the wrong shipping address, and the fabric was delivered to our old house in Louisville, and then UPS sent it back to New York before they accepted the interception request and finally sent it on to me. I'm sure after reading this abbreviated version you are so wishing you had been within earshot to receive the daily updates of the saga over the past two and a half weeks - "Yesterday it was in Lexington, but today it's in Parsipanny, NJ!". Fascinating.

Anywhoo, I'm all ready to get going on the window treatments, painting, and other assorted projects I have planned for the very girly nursery for my very girly little girl (which virtually guarantees that she will be a hard-core tomboy). All of this on top of the basement finishing project scheduled to begin next week, and landscaping also on tap for next week. I think all this distraction is actually good for me because it allows me to forget how tired I am. At 3:30am this morning while nursing Riley for what seemed like the 100th time of the night, I calculated that I have spent 45 of the past 48 months either pregnant or nursing. Yikes! No wonder there are days I walk around here like a giant raw nerve with a ponytail, snapping at anyone in my path and not acting at all like the Patient Mom I strive to be, forcing Casey to ask, "Mommy, why are you so fusterated?". I want to be all zen and calm and constantly nurturing, but there are days where having spent the vast majority of the past 4 years attached to a little person takes it's toll on me, and in my weakened state I give in to the overwhelming desire to just be grumpy.

Patience, or lack thereof, seems to be a common theme around here lately. I suppose that is what I should ask for as my Mother's Day gift. More patience. And maybe a nap.

All Dressed Up

I found this pattern for a baby dress on the internet and had some scraps left over from another project, so I decided to give it a go. Thanks to the assistance of Mom's sewing machine (which I am currently borrowing to make some projects for Riley's room) it was pretty easy to put together and I had the bulk of it done during a nap time. Some of the detail is obscured by her extra chins, but really, how cute is she? I love this chubby baby stage - probably the only time in your life when someone can remark, "Look at those fat little legs!" and mean it as a compliment.

I'm telling you folks, this little girl stuff is alot of fun. You know, when she's not screaming or nursing endlessly or driving me insane from sleep deprivation. And even when she's doing all those things she is completely adorable and I continue be smitten with her - especially when she's wearing a pink dress.

I Am Tiger Woods

He might not be quite ready for the Tour just yet, but with his new clubs & bag he certainly looks ready to play. I showed him the basics and tried to give him a very basic explanation of the game, but he wanted to play a version where we chased each other to see who could get to the ball and whack it first. So, lots of practice ahead, but maybe someday we'll watch him shrug on the green jacket at Augusta. And personally, I think in addition to his traditional red shirt on Sunday, Tiger should consider adding a policeman's badge sticker to his wardrobe. It adds gravitas, don't you think?

Me Connor. Me Eat Dirt.

Brown Eyed Girl

Looks like Riley inherited her Daddy's big brown eyes. After the surprise of both boys having blue eyes, I think we were expecting this little one to have them as well, but genetics is a funny thing. We've been hearing mixed opinions about who she looks like - some say Rob, some say me. Right now I just think she looks awfully darn cute.

Fierce!

As a Project Runway fan, I couldn't help cracking up at this SNL skit. Amy Poehler kills me!

Resistance is Futile

Must resist urge to purchase completely ridiculous foot ware for baby daughter, no matter how cute.

Gone, Daddy Gone

Daddy's on-call. Pizza & ice cream were served for dinner. Baths will not be administered, teeth will not be brushed. Mommy will keep a grip on her sanity.

That "New Washer Smell"

So, we continue to sink deeper into this suburban life, as evidenced by how we chose to spend some of our tax refund this year. When we bought our first house in 1998, we inherited the washer and dryer that existed in the house, and at the time we were delighted to have them. It didn't matter that the set was roughly about the same age as we were, only that they worked (and belonged only to us!). The dryer kicked the bucket within the first year, but the washer survived another nine years and two moves. Actually, it was still working as of this weekend, but it sounded like it was going to lift off out of the laundry room every time we ran it, and it didn't always do the best job cleaning our clothes. Sometimes after a load of towels I would find it had walked a good two feet away from the wall, and I was becoming concerned it would eventually just walk out the door and down the street. So we went to Lowes last week and purchased the top of the line Whirlpool front-loader washer. This thing is supposed to be able to handle 16 pairs of jeans in one load (although I would like to meet the family who is washing 16 pairs of jeans at once and offer them my sincerest sympathy) and has a special steam setting that will remove stains without any pre-treatment. We had a little mishap on the first load - we never really had to separate colors in the old washer because I suppose it wasn't strong enough to really cause any of the colors to run. Rob tossed a pair of Riley's purple pants in with all of her other clothes, and it turned the entire load a bluish-grey and mysteriously turned all her spit-up stains bright blue. After that everything turned out great - all stains were removed and our whites were whiter than before. One of the best features is that it is so quiet while it is running Ani can go in the laundry room and eat & drink - the old machine made so much noise I think she was afraid it was going to eat her.

My, my, how things change. There was a time when we spent our tax refund on season tickets for football and massive quantities of beer. Sadly, I'm not bothered by this. You can laugh at me all you want at my excitement over a new clothes washer, but you'll be doing it in dirtier clothes than mine.

Funny Kid

If "the first cut is the deepest", then perhaps it should be said that "the second cut is the crappiest". Poor Connor. We took the boys on Saturday to get haircuts, and with an hour & a half combined sleep the night prior between the two of us, we were not on our "A" game. Which I guess explains why we both sat there slack-jawed as the hair dresser continued to chop away at his little head like she was auditioning for some local production of "Sweeney Todd". Connor has a beautiful, enviably thick head of hair, and you have to be careful to not take too much off the top or as a result he will end up looking like an extra from a Flock of Seagulls video. I assure you that this photo is no exaggeration, this is not bed-head. It sticks up all over the top of his head like this all the time, and because the rest of his hair is laying flat almost looks as if he is wearing a bad toupee. Fortunately, his hair grows fast and so this 'do will not last long, and in the meantime we kinda' feel like it fits him, much like the chipped front tooth he acquired falling in the bathtub the night before I had Riley. He does drive us all nuts with his antics, but he also has me doubled over in laughter on a daily basis. He's just a funny kid. And now he's a funny kid with a (temporarily) funny haircut.

Things have been a little busy around here. Actually, to say that things have been "a little busy" is sort of like saying Elliot Spitzer is in "a little trouble". A typical morning looks like this:

Wake Up

Change a baby

Feed a baby

Put one baby down, pick another up

Change a baby

Feed a baby

Hand out cups of milk

Kiss a boo-boo

Help #1 get dressed

Change a baby

Find a binky

Get van warmed up

Put all three in the van

Drop off #1 at preschool

Feed a baby

Change a baby

Feed myself

Search for binky

Lay one baby down for a nap, pick the other one up

Feed a baby

Change a baby

Give a baby a bath

Bathe myself (on a good day)

Wake a baby up

Put babies in the van

Pick up #1 from school

Last week was my first week by myself with all 3 kids and no additional help, and although I felt completely overwhelmed a good portion of the time, we survived. Everyday we get a little bit more settled into a routine, and I can see the light of spring and better weather ahead soon.

One slightly less chaotic time during our day is bathtime. On a good night the boys will agree to a bubble bath together, and will play without bloodshed in our big tub. Riley seems to enjoy her bath time as well, as she spends most of her bath calmly staring at herself in the mirror. I love the time between their baths and bedtime. Everyone smells good and clean, and there is some sense of accomplishment that we made it through another day together. I'm trying very hard to cherish these days when they are all so small instead of focusing on how tired I am or how crazy they are making me at any given moment. So things may be a little busy right now, but they are only little for a short time, so I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

Ikea Coming!

Cecily over at Dandelion Jelly made me aware that Ikea is coming to the Cincinnatti area in March, making it the closest Ikea to me by a long shot (only 98 miles away!). I love Ikea, but have never been in a store and have previously been reduced to ordering from the catalog. This limits the selection pretty severely. I've been thinking alot lately about decorating the nursery for Riley, and I love some of the new fabrics and designs I see on Ikea's website, but frustratingly enough you can't order any of the things I like online - they're only available in the store. Christa, looks like we may have to plan to meet there sometime in the near future (opens Mar 12).

On a Sling and a Prayer

A few weeks before Riley was born I made a fabric sling to carry the new baby around in. I experimented with the sling when Connor was a newborn, but the one I made then was poorly constructed and too small, so he only fit in it for a little window of time. However, I liked the hands-free carrying option, and my babies are always too small to fit in the Baby Bjorn right away.
You can tell from the fabric I chose (an Amy Butler pattern - in flannel!) that I was hoping "girl" when thinking about the new baby. Baby Shiny snuggled right in her pouch and napped while I was able to play with the boys and get a thawed casserole in the oven for dinner. I highly recommend the sling for anyone with a new baby who has to simultaneously chase other small children. There are all kinds of articles out on the web about the benefits of "baby wearing", but all I care about is having a fighting chance at keeping everyone reasonably happy around here, and the sling (and some prayers!) definately help that cause.

Shiny = Happy People

Happy happy

Put it in your heart

Where tomorrow shines

Gold and silver shine

Shiny happy people holding hands

Shiny happy people laughing

-Shiny Happy People

R.E.M.

Riley Louise was born last week, and her arrival has certainly turned us all into shiny, happy people. Especially Casey, who continues to insist that her real name is Baby Shiny and her nickname is Riley. Aside from being irritated that we all keep getting her name wrong, Big Brother #1 is smitten with his baby sister, and loves to give her kisses and pat her belly when she cries. Big Brother #2, however, has taken every opportunity he's had to get close to her to try and whack her on the head. He doesn't know what she is, or why she's here, and he wants to know when she's leaving. I'm hoping with time he warms up to her. I hate the thought of them passing each other in the halls in high school and him giving her a good whack on the head.

We had a long and rather unpleasant delivery (as if any delivery can be described as "pleasant") but we were so relieved when she arrived healthy, and certainly surprised she was a girl. Already I have noticed that there is just something different about a baby girl as opposed to the two boys. There is already something softer and sweeter about her that I can't really describe, and like Casey her father & I are smitten with her as well. She's been battling some jaundice and currently resembles a large squash, but she is sweet all the same.

A new baby in the house, and a little girl to boot. We're all just so happy, happy.

Birth Day

So, tommorow is "B Day", the day we're going to the hospital to have Baby Shiny. I still haven't completely wrapped my brain around the idea that by this time tommorow we may know whether Shiny is a boy or girl, and as a result I don't feel particularly anxious or excited. Maybe I'm too focused on the fact that Connor has chosen this week to decide to stage an all out strike against his crib and climb out 50 times a night before finally conking out. He really has impeccable timing, truly.
Anyway, I made these shirts for all the kids - the fronts of the boys' shirts say "Big Brother" with their respective numbers, and the backs obviously have their nicknames - Slugger for Casey & Humpty for Connor.
My bag is all packed and ready for our 6:30am trip to the hospital, and I'm hoping for a good night's sleep for us all.

The First Cut is the Deepest

We finally gave in yesterday and took Connor for his first big boy haircut. I loved the "surfer dude" look he had been sporting, but it was getting in his eyes and on Thursday the nurses at my doctor's office mistook him for a little girl, so I relented. He was a little wiggly (as was to be expected) but overall he did great. He looks like such a big boy - I even got a little teary during the cut because it was as though he was transforming instantly from a baby to a little boy right in front of me. He seems to really like the "new 'do", and to be honest so do I. Just another item to add to the list of all the changes happening around here...

Waiting is the Hardest Part

There comes a point in every pregnancy when waiting on your new arrival becomes slow torture. I don't mean that in a, "Good Lord, will this thing ever be over??!!" way, although with all the ailments associated with the third trimester (plus all the complications I like to toss in there for good measure) there is a smidgen of those feelings. I find the torture is more about not being able to wait anymore to meet the little person who has been taking up residence in my body for so long. Is it a boy or girl? Will the baby look like me or Rob? Will it look like it's brothers? Will the baby be a good sleeper or a cranky mess (more importantly - will I be a cranky mess once it arrives??!!)? At 34 weeks, I have definitely reached this point. One of my girlfriends once commented that pregnancy lasts about a month too long, and since my kids typically come a month early I guess I should be in good shape, but this waiting is killing me all the same. Just three weeks to go...
I set up a little session this morning with Casey and these were the best of the bunch. I would love some with Connor as well, but at 16 months trying to handle him and an expensive camera on a tripod and get some decent photos is really asking too much. But since Casey showed up around 34 weeks, I guess it is fitting that we took these, just the two of us together. I know he's tired of the waiting game as well, this morning he asked, "But when is Baby Shiny going to be here? Will it be soon??". Soon enough, bud, soon enough.

28-24

I. Don't. Want. To. Talk. About. It.

Cabin Fever

I believe the combined effect of it being ridiculously cold here in Indy (causing me to use my Dad's phrases such as, "Colder than a well-digger's butt," which I have to admit I don't really understand, having never been a well-digger nor felt one's behind, but it seems to really capture the feeling of temperatures in the single digits) and me being on light bed rest has created true winter cabin fever in the boys. Casey has been out of school for holiday break, and we've mostly been cooped up here. In an effort to combat "the fever", Rob brought our old tent up from the basement and set it up in the family room so the boys could "camp" this weekend. By far the best part was the effect the static electricity in the tent had on Connor's hair, and it was alot of fun until it became a bit of a safety hazard when the boy's excitement levels escalated (which seems to be the direction most activities take in our house when both kids are involved. It's no wonder that Casey recently surprised us by randomly dropping the phrase "safety violation" in conversation.). Anyway, it was enough of a distraction to get us through the weekend and the UofL vs. UK game (Go Cards!), and with Casey back to school this week and temperatures warming a bit, I'm hopeful that we can keep cabin fever at bay for a bit.

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

I hope that everyone had as merry a Christmas as we did here in the Alderman house. Casey said he received, "Everything I ever wanted!", so we deemed the day a success.

First Snow

I woke up on Wednesday morning at 7am to Casey prying open one of my eyes and asking, "Mommy, can you bundle me up so I can go play in the snow?". We received 4 inches on Wednesday and a few more Friday morning, and Casey played outside until I forced him to come in the house and warm up. Fortunately, he was content to run around the backyard by himself without a playmate, as I am not nearly as fond of the snow and Connor is just a smidge to little to get out there in it with him. My little Christmas elf was quite happy to stay inside and play.

Christmas Photos

I have often lamented that it is much easier to take pictures of other people's children than my own, and that is certainly never more true than at this time of year. Even with a little help from Rob to try and wrangle the boys into sitting still and looking at the camera (both at the same time, no less!) it is nearly impossible. I've had a couple of sessions with them recently in an effort to capture the perfect image, and I think I've come as close as I'm going to get. I've given up hope of the "perfect image" and settled on one that is "pretty good". I committed to a design and image today and sent it to my printer, so there's no going back now. I thought I would share a few outtakes just so you can appreciate the one I chose when it arrives in the mail.

So cute - if only his brother wasn't hiding behind the tree.

Again, adorable - if only his brother wasn't around the corner climbing the stairs.

Letter to Santa

This morning Casey & I worked on his letter to Santa. He colored a picture for Santa, and then dictated to me what he wanted to write. He asked for a Spiderman, a train table, and in a very sweet gesture, something for his brother. We folded them up and put them in an envelope, and his letter is in the mailbox waiting for our postman to take his letter to Santa. If you'd like to write jolly old St. Nick a letter, you can send it to:

Santa Claus

P.O. Box 1

Santa Claus, IN 47579

Make sure the return address is clear and legible, as Santa will write back!

Post-Thanksgiving Post

I do love Thanksgiving - it's my favorite meal of the year. But, whew! After all the shopping and cooking and cleaning and eating, I'm a little glad Thanksgiving is over for another year. The four of us had a nice quiet meal together on Thursday, and we all wore our best PJ's to the occasion (Hey - don't judge! I was too busy cooking & watching 2 kids to get dressed!). By some small miracle Rob's pager didn't go off during our dinner, and he actually managed to spend the majority of the day at home.

I stuffed our bad boy with a bunch of citrus and fresh herbs and rubbed sage butter under his skin, and man, it was good! And I tried the Barefoot Contessa's recipe for a Pumpkin-Banana Mousse Tart, and it turned out even better than I expected - kinda' zingy for a pumpkin-pie dessert. I wish I had taken some photos of the boys enjoying everything, but I was too busy stuffing my face to pick up the camera. I think Casey & I are going to tackle putting up the tree today - we have to strategically place it somewhere in the house where Connor will not try to climb it.

Fashion Fantasy

I'm pretty excited about the new season of Project Runway premiering tonight on Bravo, and to celebrate I'm playing the Project Runway Fantasy game on www.fafarazzi.com. You pick three designers each week, and receive points based on their performances (6 points for winning a challenge, 3 points for crying, 2 points if Tim Gunn has to tell them "Make it work"). I love this show because, as someone who sews strictly by following a pattern, I can appreciate the talent it takes to create something out of thin air. Plus, I love all the bizarre backstage drama that takes place when you toss 15 crazy creative people into a small space and make them compete!

Walk Tall

What's up with the strange furniture configuration in my kitchen? Has some random poltergeist invaded our home and moved things around? Uh-uh. Are we going for some sort of new Feng Shue arrangement? Nope. See that fuzzy little guy in the corner of the photo? That's Connor, and he's been walking tall for a few weeks now and wreaking havoc ever since. He climbs from the chairs onto the kitchen table. He scales the couch and the coffee table. Just this morning he realized he was tall enough to reach door handles and opened the kitchen pantry and began to climb the shelves inside ("If I want those animal crackers, I'll just have to get them myself, damn it!"). We thought Casey was an active toddler - my Mom once likened spending the afternoon with him to trying to care for a spider monkey - but he can't hold a candle to Numero Dos. I can't believe that when we brought him home from the hospital I thought he would be my "laid-back" child. I guess there's always hope that the new baby will be the one to play quietly in the corner and take no interest in pulling out electrical plugs or digging in the garbage can (both current faves of Connor). In the meantime, I guess we'll just continue to try and lock this place down like Ft. Knox and keep saying prayers that our future holds a little less activity and no trips to the ER.

Quick Business Note

For anyone who has found themselves here from the link on my website and are considering a photo session for Christmas cards or gifts, keep in mind that the holidays are rapidly approaching! The USPS deadline for cards is December 20, which means that my deadline for card orders will be December 10. I have lots of great ideas for photo cards, so contact me soon to schedule your session!

Label Me

My brain is already working in a bit of a Christmas overdrive (how can I help it - Lowe's had Christmas trees on display in September!!) and I'm elbow deep in a few projects for Christmas gifts. Now I can't stop obsessing about ordering some of these cute personalized labels to sew into all my handmade gifts. I'm also lusting after this site's personalized wrapping paper and ribbons, but am still in enough control of my sanity to not pay $25 for a single roll of wrapping paper that will only find it's way into the bottom of a trash bag come Christmas morning.

Tricks & Treats

Halloween 2007 was a raging success, and we have a pumpkin jar full of candy to prove it! Our brave knight and cookie-inhaling dragon had a great time at their first Halloween block party in our new neighborhood, so check out the photos here of last night and Casey's preschool Halloween party to see all the fun.

Sir No-Pants-Alot

A sneak-peak at Casey's chosen Halloween costume. I'd say a half-naked knight is a step up from a fully-naked boy, wouldn't you?

And here's another sneak-peak, this time at Alderman Baby #3. Just like it's older brothers this baby was very active during the ultrasound, and we even caught a glimpse of the baby sucking it's thumb (this scan is actually a profile shot of the baby and the blur just above the face is it's little hand). And since I just finished an interesting article about birth order, I don't want to leave Connor out, so here's a shot of him enjoying the pumpkins on Mom & Dad's porch last week during our visit to Alabama.

Best Friends

We said goodbye this morning to our good friends Amy & Abby who came to visit from Nashville. The Hills used to live across the street from us in Louisville, and Casey & Abby were best friends who played together almost every day before we all moved. It's been a little while since we've been able to visit with them and I was a little worried about how they'd get along. My fears were put to rest within 5 minutes of their arrival as the best friends picked right up where they left off and spent two solid days laughing, playing, running, and just generally enjoying each other's company (and us Mom's enjoyed having a little "adult time" too!). Many tears were shed as they pulled out of the driveway, and Casey just said to me, "I'm so, so sad my best friend left me."

Boooooo!!!

I finally had a chance to watch the season finale of "Top Chef" and I am so bummed that my girl Casey didn't walk away with the big prize. And to make matters worse, they chose Hung as Top Chef, whom I detest. Besides being completely obnoxious, apparently Hung is best friends with the equally obnoxious Marcell from Season 2. Boooooo!!!! Booo to you Top Chef judges. So the elevation got to Casey in the last challenge - isn't the fact that she kicked ass and took names all season enough to win the whole thing? If I ever make it to Dallas you can bet the first thing I do is get a table at Shinsei, where she is executive chef.

The Hodge-Podge Post

It's a rainy, overcast day here in Indy and although it looks like fall, and although it feels like fall is almost here, we're supposed to have a high of 78 today and they're saying we'll be pushing 90 by the weekend. So in the spirit of the randomness of the weather this time of year, I have a slightly random post today.

Pictured above is the sad remains of my tomato plants from this summer. They had to come out of the ground to make way for the new landscaping, and I felt it was really too late in the season to attempt to replant them in containers. There were several fairly large almost ripe ones left on the vines, but before I could get to them the landscape guys had made off with them. I had no idea I had to keep such a careful eye on produce while workmen were at the house, but you learn something new all the time. Anyway, the landscaping looks great and we're very pleased with it and the accompanying irrigation system (I need to take some better pics, this one doesn't really do the yard justice).

I celebrated my 32nd birthday over the weekend, and I keep having an internal discussion in my head about that number. It just doesn't seem right. 32? Really? Are you sure? OK, well, if you're sure. I received some really lovely gifts - these beautiful flowers from the boys, this awesome coffee mug from Christa, a great slow-cooker cookbook from my in-laws, and a much needed donation to the "Baby #3 winter maternity clothes fund" from my parents.

Mom also gave me these wonderful facial wipes from Boots (Target carries them now). They are the perfect skin care solution for a tired, lazy woman such as myself who can't even summon the energy at night to wash her face with soap and water. I highly recommend them.

We continue the ongoing discussion with Casey about what he wants to be for Halloween this year, and this morning when I posed the question he declared "Naked!". Somehow I don't think that one will go over so well. Halloween on Bourbon Street? Yes. Halloween at Christian preschool party? Not so much.

Driving Me Crazy

The commercial for the new iPod nano features a very catchy song that manages to wedge itself into my brain and stay there for days at a time. I finally relented and found out from the apple site that the song is "1234" by the band Feist. Not that it offers any relief from running a constant loop in my head, but it is nice to know who created this annoying yet addictive tune. And by the way, while browsing the apple store last week with my Dad to drool over the new iMacs, I caught a glimpse of the new nanos in person, and they are super cool.

One!

It's hard to believe, but Connor turned one last week! He was super cranky early in the week before the big day, which I chalk up to either teething or a minor 1/80th life crisis. But since the big day, he's been an absolute joy to be around. He's smiling and laughing and pointing and clapping and making sounds that resemble actual words. He is on the brink of walking, and in fact I'm keeping the video camera charged up and ready at all times because it seems that at any minute he could take off. He has the funniest little personality, and I can't even describe it, you just have to spend some time with him. Casey enjoyed his brother's birthday as well, especially the special "birthday muffins" I baked for the occasion.

First Day

What has two arms and was excited about the first day of preschool? This guy! We were running a bit behind schedule, so I only had time to snap this quick photo of Casey before he headed off to school, and this was his chosen pose for the occasion. Rob had a rare day off work and was able to join us to drop off Casey, who happily hopped right out of the van and headed inside with his teacher, stopping only to look back when we called out to him. He must have had a great time, because the only time tears were shed was when I picked him up and it was time to leave. Tommorow he has his first "show & tell", and is planning to take his bug catcher cage & tools to show his new friends. On the one hand, he seems like such a big kid going to school with his backpack on, and on the other hand he seems so small still. It was a strange brew of emotions for me yesterday - a little pride mixed with a little heartbreak as he headed into school, and I know that this is just the first of many first days like this.

We Are the Champions

On Sunday we took the boys to the Children's Museum, which was awesome. I think we're going to get a year membership, because there is so much to see and do there that we will be returning frequently. There were several highlights, not the least of which was getting to touch the Colt's Super Bowl trophy and have our picture made with the trophy. The lighting was poor in the room and it confused my camera (one of my least favorite features of my camera) but it was still fun. Casey loved the train exhibit and said his favorite part was the dinosaur exhibit, even though the dinosaurs scared him (in a good way, he later explained). I loved the Chiluly glass installation, and am anxious to go back and really spend some time in the areas we didn't cover well. I had heard so much about this museum and how wonderful it is, and so I was so glad that it lived up to all the hype.

Satisfied

Did you know Snickers has a limited edition dark chocolate version? Me either, and let me tell you it totally validated a trip to Wal-Mart over the weekend when I discovered it in the check-out lane. It was like a little bit of chocolaty heaven, and it made me wish every candy maker out there would dip their most popular bars in dark chocolate. Just imagine - 3 Musketeers, Reese's, Butterfinger - all in dark chocolate! I plan on hunting down a stash of these Snickers and paying homage to my late Nana Casey by hiding them at the top of my closet and enjoying them only after the rest of the family has gone to bed. Mmmmm....

And look! I have roses in my backyard. I know next to nothing about caring for roses, so I'm going to have to coax Mom back up here to help me out.

We had our first Parent's Meeting for Casey's new preschool last night, and I'm not sure who is more excited about preschool, Casey or me. I ordered him his first official backpack from L.L. Bean this morning because I am convinced that the Bean backpacks can survive a nuclear holocaust and that he'll probably be able to use it as a diaper bag for his first born child. I have to admit there is something so incredibly satisfying about back-to-school shopping and I am totally living vicariously through Casey while stocking up on socks, jeans, new tennis shoes, construction paper, tissues, and all the other preschool essentials. His classroom is decorated in a frog theme and I already love his teacher, and I can't wait for him to meet her and his classmates. I keep singing the song from "Billy Madison":

"Back to school, back to school.

Gotta' show Dad that I'm no fool."