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.

Tutorial: Baby Jeans

One of my favorite things to do when I should be doing something else (i.e. cleaning, etc) is to surf around on the Internet looking at tutorials on other blogs for instructions and inspiration for crafty things. I very rarely attempt any of the tutorials I see - I mainly just read them for the entertainment value, I guess in the same way you watch "This Old House" with no intention of ever restoring a beautiful old Victorian in Boston.

Anyway, I got a little crafty myself this week and thought I would try my hand at writing a tutorial. The weather here is supposed to get cool next week, and I realized that Riley doesn't own a pair of jeans. The ones I've found in stores are either too big or too expensive, and my rule is to never spend more on baby clothes than I would spend on my own, and I think $40 is a little high for baby jeans! I realized that I had an old pair that didn't fit anymore, and with nothing to lose I decided to try and make her a pair out of my old jeans. They were really easy to make and turned out pretty cute, so I thought I'd share the how-to in case anyone else wanted to give it a shot.

A quick disclaimer: I am by no means a master tailor, and I'm sure if I were a contestant on "Project Runway" Nina Garcia would give me a hard time about the jeans not being perfectly executed, but the upside of sewing for someone who doesn't walk upright is that the fit doesn't have to be perfect!

Step 1: Trace one leg of a pair of your baby's pants on a piece of tissue paper to make a pattern. Add about a 1/4 in for a seam allowance in the leg and crotch and about 1.25 in on the waist to make the drawstring waist:

Step 2: Lay your pattern on the leg of a pair of jeans with the outside edge even with the outside seam of the jeans and the bottom even with the bottom hem. Cut out 1 pattern piece from each leg :

Step 3: Pin the 2 pieces right sides together and stitch the front & back crotch seams.

Step 4: Match the front & back crotch seams and pin together. Pin the legs together and stitch the leg seam:Step 5: Press open the crotch & leg seams. Fold the waist down 1/4 in, and then over again 1 in. Stitch around waist close to folded edge.

Step 6: Turn the jeans right side out. Using a seam ripper, open up the middle seam on the front of the jeans in the casing you just sewed:

Step 7: Insert a ribbon or cord into the waistband and pull it through. A tip I learned from my grandfather - attach a safety pin to the end of the ribbon to use as an anchor in guiding the ribbon through the waistband.

Step 8: Put the jeans on a very cute and happy model!

P.S. You could sew in an elastic waist instead, but I like the versatility of the drawstring for fit & to change with her outfits.

Deep Breath

A deep breath is what I'm taking this week after a very busy weekend. First, we celebrated Connor's 2nd birthday. Quite appropriately (since we suspect Connor to be part simian), it was a monkey themed party, and I made banana cupcakes with dark chocolate icing to match the theme. I learned that if you are going to serve banana cupcakes at a birthday party, you should clearly identify them as such. The general consensus was that they were delicious, but the first bite was quite a surprise to those expecting traditional yellow cake (sorry, Dad!). Connor had a great birthday and he really enjoyed the cupcakes (or at least the icing on top).

Then, on Sunday we had Riley baptised. It was a really beautiful ceremony, and of the four babies baptised with us, Riley was the only one to be immersed. I don't think I'll ever forget the moment that Fr. Ted dipped her in the water and brought her back up - it was almost like watching her being born again. We had four generations on Rob's side there to celebrate with us, which made it all the more special.
It was a really wonderful weekend, but I am very relieved to have things slow down here for a week so that I can catch my breath before we get into another busy fall.

Girly Girl Room

Here are a few pics of Riley's finished room...

The window treatments made with the much anticipated fabric...

The hippo paintings I made based on Sandra Boynton's "The Belly Button Book" (my inspiration for the room)...

The pink & green theme translated in the bathroom...

And look! I made this for the room too!!

Another First

It was another first day of school here, and Casey was ready to go. He insisted on holding this football (autographed by the "Orange Bowl winning" Louisville Cardinals, not to be confused with the "28-2 humiliating loss to Kentucky" Louisville Cardinals), which is just one of many unexplained acts Casey has performed lately. Like stashing his poop in the bathroom sink. I can't even fathom what would possess an individual to put his poop in his sink, but then again I've never been a 4yr-old boy, and I have a sinking feeling that this is just the first of many things that will happen around here that I will not understand.