Less Than Perfect

Now that I have dispensed with the nasty business of telling everyone about my diagnosis, I can get back to writing about the important things in my life, like Christmas card photos of the kids (wink, wink, nudge, nudge). I was very fortunate this fall to be really busy with my photography business, and I had the chance to photograph some adorable kids. I got some really great photos, and feedback from families that I had captured their kids better than anyone before. So I was feeling pretty good about my skills and confident that I could get at least one really great photo of my kids. And yet again, I failed miserably (remember last year?) . So I present to you "Outtakes 2009".



I was hoping to capture the kids enjoying a warm fall evening playing with each other and having fun. Something that said, "We love each other and we wish you a wonderful Christmas." I think I captured, "We would rather be inside watching Scooby Doo and eating stale Halloween candy than smiling for the crazy woman behind the camera, even if she is our mother." Even though these aren't top-notch, I did manage to get a few cute ones and was able to put together a pretty card, so that's one more thing I can cross off my "to-do before the big surgery" list.

Oh, and I had to go the doctor this morning because I was running a fever and felt like I had been hit by a bus. I have H1N1. So, for those of you keeping score, that's Major Illnesses = 2, Jen = 0.

Not the Same

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A few posts ago I wrote about turning 34, and referenced a Talking Heads lyric "how did I get here?" as I felt it related to my life on that occasion. Little did I know that just a short month later, that song and those lyrics would hold even more relevance to me. On October 30, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Not exactly the kind of tricks and treats I thought would be in store for us Halloween weekend. How did I get here?

When the doctor said the words, "I'm so sorry, it's cancer." I felt like not only had the rug been pulled out from under me, but that I had been bashed over the head with it as well. The next thing I knew I had appointments lined up with oncological and plastic surgeons, social workers, and genetic counselors. Rob & I began reading and researching - I had been enrolled at Cancer U without ever even asking for an entrance exam. I wouldn't call myself an expert on breast cancer yet, but I'm sure as hell getting there. We are still waiting for the results of some tests to come back, but I know a few things for certain. I will require major surgery, and I will most likely require some form of chemotherapy, and radiation has not been ruled out. How did I get here?

I've already experienced anger - I have 3 babies at home that depend on me to take care of them. I do not have time to be sick! I have felt sadness and confusion - how did this happen to me? I'm too young for this! I've felt a part of some sort of cosmic joke - I ran triathlons to raise money for cancer research! I donated my hair for wigs for cancer patients! Don't I get a "get out of cancer free" card? Apparently not. How did I get here?

I have also felt incredible love and support. Our family immediately jumped into action to offer anything, and our friends responded the same way. I might feel like a part of a sick joke, but I do not feel alone. I also feel very lucky to have access to the medical team that has been assembled for my treatment, and I have every confidence that together we will beat this cancer.

I've been struggling to figure out how I will handle all of this on the blog. On the one hand, this is the place where I keep folks following it (mostly friends and family) updated about what's going on around here, and to share stories and photos from our lives. So it seems natural that my cancer would be a part of that. But on the other hand, I don't want this to become a "cancer blog", yet I know very soon that it will become pretty consuming and there will be little else to write about. I still don't have an answer, and so there may be a lapse between posts while I figure it out. I'm also toying with the idea of making the blog more private, so that you have to log in before you can read it (right now it is not accessible from search engines or by browsing through blogger - you have to know it's here to find it). Wasn't I just posting about someone pooping in the sink and making jam? How did I get here?

The reality is I don't know how I got here, or why. I know that there has to be a reason, even if I don't know it yet. I know that something good will come from all of it, even if it doesn't seem like that is possible right now. I know that with the support of my family and friends I will survive this and be stronger for it.

You Wanted the Best...

... You Got the Best, The Hottest Band in the Land... The ALDERMANS!!!! OK, so maybe not quite as exciting as KISS playing a set on our block, but we did pull out the old school Gene & Paul make-up for Halloween last night. By all accounts we took top honors in the adult costume category, and more importantly our kids thought we were pretty cool. The kids totally rocked their Star Wars costumes, and thank goodness for my quick shutter because Riley refused to keep the Princess Leia buns on for more than a split second.



It was a crazy weekend - Imagination Movers' concert, Halloween, and the Colts game yesterday. There was also a little something else added in the mix, and I'm still trying to figure out how to handle it "blog-wise", so I'll keep you posted on that when I work it out.

I'm just coming up for air here for a bit. It's been crazy around here, and I always feel like this time of year is being lived in fast forward. Fall, Halloween, then vroooooooommm, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Today was perhaps the last beautiful and warm day of the year - 73 and sunny - and the kids are on fall break so we headed to the zoo. Last week, however, was gray, gray, gray. I snapped the photos above one afternoon, and the one of Riley really seemed the capture the mood of a dreary fall day. And even though it was dull outside, I managed to coax a few bright grins from the boys. I may be quiet around here for the next little bit as we navigate everything that is going on, but I'll try to press pause when I can.

Same as it Ever Was

Today is my birthday, and this year it snuck up on me. I've been so focused on everything else going on that I pushed turning 34 to the back of my mind, and even yesterday when a friend called to say happy birthday I had a brief moment of thinking that I had lost a day and had forgotten about it altogether. But today is the big day, and I'm feeling quite ambivalent about the occasion. This is one of those days where I feel like the Talking Heads song "Once in a Lifetime" is the soundtrack to my life:

" And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile,

And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife.

And you may ask yourself... well, how did I get here?"

Life seems to be moving so fast - yesterday I was a new wife working on a career, and the next minute I was a new mom with a premature baby in my arms, and then a few seconds later I was staying home to raise three kids and putting that first tiny baby on the bus to go to kindergarten. How did I get here?

I set my camera up on Riley's dresser and snapped this quick photo of us this morning, because I felt the need to capture the memory of this day - of me being 34 and her being little still. Looking at it I feel very blessed to have the people I have in my life, and although I have no idea how I got here, I just feel lucky that I am.

It's My Party...

Tomorrow is Connor's 3rd birthday, so in honor of that I had to post this picture. I submitted it as an entry in a contest my web hosting company was having to celebrate their birthday. I didn't win the contest, but I did end up with this super cute photo of him. I'm hoping he wears a much different expression at his party tomorrow.

Another First

Connor's first day of 3 yr-old preschool was today, and if you can't tell by the expression on his face, he was pretty excited. His teacher told me he had a great morning and was an "awesome listener". I double checked to make sure she had the right kid, and she did. I am now making plans to spy on the class to discover her secrets.

We're Jammin'

I've been making an effort lately to try and be more conscious of the foods we consume alot of around here, and more importantly, the ingredients contained in those foods. I did some research on Red Dye #40 after a conversation with a friend in MOMs Club, and without getting on a soapbox, I'll just say that it probably will not hurt to eliminate it from our diets (some studies have shown that it increases aggressive behavior and attention deficit in kids who may be naturally sensitive to the dye). I realized that I was serving up a healthy dose of red dye to my kids at almost every meal of the day, and I figured that even if it poses no harm to my family, it isn't a necessary part of our diet and so it couldn't hurt to eliminate as much of it as possible. The kids all eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch just about every day, so strawberry jelly seemed like a natural place to start. When I read the label on the store bought jelly, I was surprised that it contained a whole host of ingredients that I didn't recognize, and, of course, Red Dye 40. I headed over to the natural foods section, but went into to sticker shock when I saw that a 6 oz jar of organic jelly was on sale for $6! Since I didn't want to take out a second mortgage to keep my family in jelly, I decided to take matters into my own hands and make my own jelly.

I did a bit of internet research on canning, and was tempted to buy a canning kit, but the whole boiling and sealing and possible bacteria contamination scared the bejeezus out of me (I'm still interested in giving it a whirl, so if any of you out there can, please comment with any tips, suggestions, etc. I'm hoping that next year's garden will be bigger and yield more produce so that I could at least can tomatoes and green beans for the winter). As luck would have it, the grocery had freezer jars and freezer pectin on sale, so with those supplies and a couple of pounds of fresh strawberries in hand, I gave freezer jam a try.

Casey was home from school and wanted to help me make the jam, so he became my co-pilot for this adventure. By far, the best part of the whole experience was when I handed him the big ziploc full of strawberries to crush with a rolling pin. He approached the bag of berries and announced, "Ha-ha strawberries! You're no match for me!" and proceeded to whack the hell out of them. The jam could have turned out crap and I would still have called it a success because I'm still laughing over that line. I used half Splenda in this recipe to reduce the sugar because I had read that using all Splenda could result in runny jam. We tossed in some blackberries from the freezer for a little extra flavor and color. When the jam had a chance to set up we tasted it and were pretty proud of ourselves. It is sweet but also a little tart, and we all seem to prefer the flavor and consistency of our jam over the store bought. Casey colored some labels, and when it was all said and done we had 5 jars of jam for just slightly more than the cost of one jar of organic from the store.



So one food from the dye list down, about 150 to go. I'm not foolish enough to think that I can control every single thing that goes into my kids' mouths or ensure that 100% of what we eat is totally healthy (nor would I want to - I'm pretty sure my system would go into shock if I cut out beer and chocolate and the kids might revolt if I took away their Goldfish crackers), but I feel better that I'm taking small steps to help us make some better choices. Plus, after Casey's destruction of the strawberries I'm kinda' anxious to see how he tackles tomatoes. I suspect they'll be no match for him either.

TGIFS

Thank God it's Football Season.

A Girl After My Own Heart

Riley spoke her first full sentence yesterday. In keeping with the old adage "the sweet tooth apple doesn't fall far from the sweet tooth tree", she walked up to me in the kitchen and clearly said, "I want a cookie". I mean, clearly announced it - I didn't have to use my skills as a future UN interpreter at all. I was so proud I gave her the cookie, even though it was 9 am.

I'll have to check with Mom, but I'm pretty sure my first sentence was, "I want pancakes." So, like I said, she comes by it naturally.

The Year of the Tomato

We enjoyed a lovely evening last night at the State Fair. I don't remember being a huge fan of the fair as a kid, but I've come to look forward to Indiana's and it is one of my favorite summertime activities. This year's theme is "The Year of the Tomato", which I find slightly ironic considering the late blight that is affecting so many tomato plants in the northeast. I thought for a minute that my tomato plants had the disease, but now I think I'm just a garden hypochondriac. Anyway, first we hit the midway so the boys could enjoy some rides.


I wasn't crazy about the look this guy was giving me, and I'm pretty sure that's a gang sign he's flashing. We let the kids ride anyway.



We walked through the cattle barn, the sheep barn, and the swine barn. Connor was brave enough to crawl in this pen and pet a baby cow. It's a tough call on which of them is cuter.



I was seriously tempted. I mean, I love bacon. And I love chocolate. But we walked by this booth right after visiting the baby pigs, and something about it just didn't feel right. Plus, earlier in the evening I ate a tenderloin sandwich the size of a VW bug, so I had already hit my pork limit for the week.



We did swing by the dairy barn on the way out for dessert. The dairy barn might be my very favorite part of the fair. They have kid's meals with a grilled cheese sandwich, apple slices, and milk for $4 (a bargain at the fair!), they fill sippy cups with milk for free, and they serve the most delicious milkshakes and ice cream. That's Riley above demanding, I mean, asking nicely for more of my chocolate milkshake.

All that, and I haven't even covered the giant cheese sculpture, the antique tractor parade, or watching Clydesdale horses being unloaded from their truck. Or that The Oak Ridge Boys were in concert and so we danced our way back to the car as we left. Even with the blight, I'd say the year of the tomato was a successful one.

Catching Up

This is a pretty common view from my vantage point these days. Riley works so hard to catch up to those brothers. I think we're all holding our breath a bit to see what happens when she does.

This is the First Day of the Rest of Your Life

Or at least I'm sure that's how it felt this morning for Casey as he stepped on the school bus for the very first time. I'm finding it very hard to believe that he is old enough to be a kindergardener, and I certainly felt a little lump in my throat as he boarded the big yellow bus. However, seeing the genuine joy and excitement on his face made me very proud, and having met his new teacher and seen the school, I shared in his joy because I knew he was going to be in good hands.

His father, on the other hand, followed the bus to school and videotaped him getting off the bus and walking to his classroom. And secretly I was glad he did.

Catch and Release

Rob took the boys fishing yesterday, and I have to admit I was suspicious of how much "fishing" would actually occur. I was once again proven wrong when the boys came home with a memory card full of photos from their adventure, including this pic of Casey's first catch. Thankfully since I know nothing about cleaning fish, this was a strictly catch & release outing. In addition to the fellow in the picture they caught a few more smaller fish and one pretty decent sized catfish. They all seemed to have alot of fun (except the meltdown Casey experienced when Connor lost part of his pole in the pond), but considering the condition they were in when they returned home, I'm not sure that they'll be going again any time soon.

Clutch Play

Whew. I just put the finishing touches on an order of custom clutch purses from etsy, and it looks like I've been running a mini clutch purse sweat shop out of my basement work area. The bride has seen photos of her bags, and has given her stamp of approval and is excited to get them in hand. It was fun to design and put these together, and I got some warm fuzzies knowing that I was making something that was going to be a part of a special day. But I think I'm going to have to take a break from the custom work. Something about a looming deadline makes me crazy, and even when I have budgeted my time wisely something always interrupts my schedule - someone gets sick, someone has a birthday, family comes for a visit (or in the case of last week, all of the above). Or maybe I should just take a break from accepting orders of 12 bags at a time. Something less stressful. Maybe just 6 bags at a time...

One of These Guys Turned 5 Yesterday

Here's a hint: it is not the 6'5", 230 pound quarterback with a rocket arm.

The Foamerator

I'm always on the lookout for something fun and easy to occupy the kids during those periods of time I like to call "the witching hours" - those pockets of time that if left unplanned will ultimately result in the boys rolling on the floor fighting while Riley scales the kitchen pantry in her never-ending quest to eat everything not nailed down. I saw this craft in Family Fun magazine, and so this afternoon we made "bubble snakes". Aside from occasionally inhaling the bubbles, everyone had fun making them and playing with the bubbles, and it did eat up some of the witching hours. Now if I can just find something to occupy the remaining 8 hours, I might survive another Monday.

Better Than a Quidditch Stick in the Eye

I'm missing most of the hoopla surrounding the new Harry Potter movie because my kids aren't old enough for the books or movies, my husband has no interest in Harry Potter, and the chances of me getting out to see the movie on my own are about as likely as me riding my flying broom to the theater. Luckily, one of my favorite fabric designers and all around craft genius Heather Bailey has gotten completely carried away with Harry Potter mania, and has created several recipes and crafts to indulge in all your wizardry desires. The one I'm most likely to try is her recipe for Butterbeer, which I always wished I had a frosty mug of while reading the Harry Potter books. Now, if she would only get to work on an invisibility cloak...

Where are Those Frickin' Dwarfs Now?

This is one in a series of photographs by Dina Goldstein titled "Snowy", and I love it. Haven't we all felt like this at some point - like "This is NOT the Happy Ending I signed up for!". I'm a fan of this very theatrical style of photography, and although I feel several in her series go to far and unnecessarily reinforce some negative stereotypes, I think this one is brilliant. My favorite part about this photo is the fact that the prince is watching polo on the TV. Typical.

Lake Effect

We're back home from a quick weekend vacation to Lake Michigan. We rented an adorable cottage in Sawyer, MI that was a short walk to the beach and Warren Dunes state park. We managed to pack quite a bit of activity into a short amount of time - shopping, swimming, hanging out at the beach, long walks, cherry picking, wine tasting, and just meandering through the area. Traveling with 3 kids under 5 is tough, and we were all sleep deprived, but even with tired, hyped up kids we were able to have a great time. And even better was the fact we were able to take Ani with us, as we're pretty sure she would not have survived the sounds of fireworks on the 4th here by herself (I'm started to suspect she did a couple of tours in 'Nam, just judging by her behavior during thunderstorms and firework displays).

Everyone had a favorite part of the trip - Casey loved cherry picking, Connor loved the campfire we built (he had a weird Beavis & Butthead moment I wish we had captured on tape where he just stood transfixed by the flame and repeated "fire" over and over again in a slightly demented voice), and Riley loved the beach where she ate sand by the handfuls. I mean, alot of sand - to the point that I was concerned about how much sand an 18 month old child could safely consume, as I was pretty sure she had exceeded that mark. And I think Rob & I could agree that our favorite part was the few moments we stole Saturday night after the kids finally went to sleep and we sat by the fire pit and talked uninterrupted and ate smores (a special dark chocolate version I had saved just for us).

We really loved the area and are planning to return again. There was plenty we did not get a chance to do or see, and although we all could use a vacation to recover from our vacation, I'm already feeling the effects this morning of the wonderful memories we made our first weekend at the lake.

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When Good Costumes Go Bad

What happens when you wear 3 different Halloween costumes all at the same time, add a mullet wig, a toy saw & drill, and alot of attitude? If you're me, you get a free hour to cook dinner in peace.

Who's Your Daddy?

They say a good man is hard to find. Not so, I say. I found one 12 years ago, and according to Casey, "He's the best!". I know this is a day late, but I hope all the dads out there had a great Father's Day yesterday. Keep up the good work, gentlemen.

Butterflies are Free

Actually, they cost $5 for shipping and handling. But now our butterflies are free in the "Great God Almighty, free at last!" way. Casey received a butterfly habitat from his Nana for Christmas last year, and I promised him when the weather was good enough we would order the butterflies. He reminded me last month it was warm enough, so we sent off for and received our live caterpillars in the mail. We watched them turn into chrysalis', and then hatch into painted lady butterflies. We released them yesterday, and were all surprised at how fast they flew out of the tent - I was only able to catch this one little guy with my camera. We really enjoyed this project, and all the supplies came from Insect Lore. Looking around on their site it appears they have some neat stuff (except the spider kit, which I think should be outlawed. Aren't we all trying to keep spiders out of our house? Ick.), and I'm considering ordering some more.

Some random business:

*Thank you to everyone who has offered sweet comments to me about my etsy shop. It is so hard to tell if what I'm doing is any good (I like it, but that doesn't mean anyone else on the planet will!), so hearing that you like it too makes me feel good. And I lied about not being able to do yarnwork in the summer. I made a baby cardigan over the weekend that will up in the shop this week. So cute. If you are expecting a baby you should beware. 

*We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary last week, and look - Momma got new bling! I was so surprised by his beautiful and thoughtful gift that I almost fell out of my chair at the restaurant when he gave it to me. Ten diamonds (one for each year!) set in white gold. Sigh. He's a good man. I think I'll stay married to him for at least another 10. :)

Etsy Bitsy Shop

You may have noticed the little square of pictures on the left side of my blog and wondered, "What the heck is Etsy?". Etsy is a wonderful website that allows creative folks to sell their handmade items to folks who like to buy handmade items. I like to think of it as a craft fair you can browse in the middle of the night in your pajamas. I had been hovering around Etsy for awhile, just looking at all the cool stuff other people were making and selling, and then I finally decided to open my own shop. I've been reluctant to really promote my shop because I didn't have that much for sale, and also because I didn't have a whole lot of confidence in my work. A few recent sales, such as the purse in the above photo that sold in less than 24 hours, have rebuilt my lacking confidence. 

My store is still "itsy bitsy" compared to some others who have hundreds of items in their inventory, but I hope to add things as I sell them, and I'm open to making custom orders and so I try to keep myself available for that. Right now my shop mainly consists of items I have sewn, but I plan on adding some of my knit and crochet work in the future (I have trouble doing yarnwork in the warm months - it has always felt like a cold-weather activity to me). I am really enjoying designing my own items, like handbags, and then making them come to life. And its funny because I'm finding that my photography skills are heavily influencing my designing - like I see how I want the item to look in a photo and that provides the basis for the design. 

If you're looking for a unique gift for yourself or someone else, please check out Etsy. Even if you don't buy from me (Especially if you don't buy from me, because if you're reading my blog I probably know you and would feel weird selling you something instead of gifting you with it for your next birthday. But if you wanted to pass the word on to friends I don't know...) I think it's really nice to support a community like Etsy that is providing a space for people to market their talents. 

Summer Begins

It is rainy and gloomy here today, which is providing an opportunity for us to catch our breath a bit from a busy weekend. My parents came in on Friday afternoon and met us at the annual neighborhood camp-out. Scheduled on the last day of school every year, the neighborhood association sponsors the camp-out on the soccer fields in the neighborhood, and it's a big party complete with games, food from local restaurants, a DJ, fire truck tours, and a "camp-in" movie projected on a big screen after dark. Families are encouraged to pitch a tent on the field and spend the night. We had a blast, and Casey & Rob braved the night in our tent (Casey reportedly slept like a rock, snoring all night in the tent). 76 families participated this year, making it a huge success. 

We spent the rest of the weekend having a great visit with Nannie & Grandaddy. Riley showed off her newest tricks, which include bringing you a book, holding her arms up to be placed in your lap, and allowing you to read her two pages of the book before swinging her legs off your lap and taking her book to another lap. I'm not sure why she does this, but it usually takes 6 or 7 turns to get through a book, and it's pretty funny. 

The only problem with starting summer off on such a high note is it leaves me trying to live up to it for the rest of the season. I've got a long 3 months ahead of me trying to come up with fun activities to occupy our time that compare to this past weekend  - maybe I'll just put up the tent in the backyard, plug in the iPod, and let the kids paint each others' faces. 

Every Last Scrap

I recently hemmed a long linen dress and was left with close to half a yard of really nice material. I couldn't just chuck it, so I used it to make this little top for Riley. I also had just enough red linen left over from making myself a dress from Heather Ross' Weekend Sewing book to make her a little pair of capris to make it an outfit. I just winged it on the top - no pattern, and I adapted the Huck Finn pants pattern from Ross' book to make the capris. I was inspired by katie did's floral collar tutorial for the flowery accents on the top & pants. She wore it for the first time the other day and much to my surprise she left the flowers alone (I was sure she would relentlessly pull at them, and yet I was determined to sew them on anyway). It also felt good to make her something wearable from leftovers from other projects - I felt very efficient! Nothing like getting all dressed up to do a little yard work:

Making His Mother Proud

Casey's last songfest was yesterday, and at the end he & his classmates sang a song about what they want to be when they grow up. At the end they each held up a sign declaring their career plans. After reading Casey's sign, sandwiched in next to future doctors and firemen, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry:



Watch out American Idol 2022!

My #1 Fan

My Aunt Dot who lives in Georgia, is a loyal reader of my blog (so perhaps a better title for this post should be "My Only Fan", but anyway...) and has been since I started writing it. I know when I've gone too long between posts because my mom will tell me that Aunt Dot has mentioned that she's been checking every day and there hasn't been anything new in a while, and I take the hint and get on it. Really, this is the reason I write the blog. With 3 kids and our crazy schedules and ALL of our family living out of town, it is an easy way to stay in touch and share how the kids are doing and growing. Also, I'm too lazy to scrapbook, and so this is an easy way for ME to keep track of how the kids are growing and all the silly things that happen everyday. And if it gives our family out there a little chuckle now and then, that's a bonus.

I hope Aunt Dot has had a good chuckle recently, as she has been in and out of the hospital a few times in the past month. She is so thoughtful and sends sweet little gifts for the kids - the jackets the boys are wearing in the photo are from her. So, for Aunt Dot, we're thinking about you and sending you well wishes. Thanks for being my #1 fan.

Some Days

Some days you have a little cold. Some days you can't take a nap and you're very tired and you don't feel well. Some days your brothers get to go outside and play, and all you can do is stay inside with your blanket and watch them. Some days are better than others.

Morning Coffee 3.0

I've had a tough week here, both physically and creatively, and found myself in need of a serious pick-me-up. I headed over to Sur La Table armed with my gift card from my Mom's Club secret sister (thanks Lauren!) and went right to the coffee & tea department. I think it has been firmly established by this point my love for all things hot and caffeinated, and so I knew something from that section of the store would definitely fill the "pick-me-up" need. The lovely saleslady patiently discussed several products with me, and after a little thought I purchased a Bialetti Moka Express espresso maker and a can of LavAzza Italian espresso. These, combined with my handy-dandy mini milk frother, have made a near perfect latte for the past two mornings. I'm actually preferring my version to the one I usually order from Starbucks - I read that the Italian espresso is smoother and I have certainly found that to be true. 

You may officially consider me "Picked-Up". 

Cinco De Mayo

I didn't take this photo today, as today we are all stuck inside battling the croup/seasonal allergies, but I thought that the image of the kids wearing flip-flops and eating popsicles was certainly festive enough to say "Happy Cinco De Mayo". 

P.S. This was Shiny's first popsicle, and she devoured it like a pro. Nothing like a few older brothers to show you the ways of summer living! 

What Are the Odds?

50-1, apparently. As the horses were walking from the paddock to the track, we asked each of the kids to pick a horse as we read out the names. "The bird one" was Casey's pick, and at 50-1 odds we never thought he'd have anything to cheer for as they came down the stretch, but along with everyone else, we were shocked as Mine That Bird won the Kentucky Derby. We may have to plan ahead next year and have Casey make his pick in time for us to place an actual bet.

'Ol Blue Eyes

My best friend had a baby last month, and I was lucky enough to visit him & take his photos when he was about two weeks old. I did do a little work on this photo, but I swear his eyes are really that blue - couldn't you just die??!! He is as sweet in person as he is in this photo, except when he's giving his mother fits at 3am.

It had been a little while since I'd had a newborn session, and I was reminded why I love them so much. At 2 weeks old, they pretty much stay in the pose you place them in, and when they are as beautiful as this little man it is almost impossible to take a bad photo. Plus, you don't have to worry about carrying candy in your pocket to try and bribe a smile out of them.

It Has Come to This

Within the past few weeks Connor has figured out how to free himself from the confines of his backwards pajamas at night, and so I woke to find him "au natural" in his bed every morning last week. That also meant that I had to wash all his sheets, blankets, and animals every day last week. Yesterday morning was the final straw, and I pleaded with Rob to find some solution to this situation as there was a strong possibility that I would lose my tender grip on sanity if I had to do another load of pee-soaked bedding. And so, it has come to this. Duct tape. A quick google search of "what to do when child will not keep diaper on" resulted in many suggestions that we had already exhausted - backwards zipper PJs, pull-ups, snapped onesies, etc. Except for duct tape. So now before naps and bedtime, Connor gets his "special diaper tape" applied around the top of the diaper (please don't rush to call CPS, the tape is applied to the diaper only, we don't actually tape it to his body). This is truly our last solution, and so we can only hope that he outgrows this phase before he gets strong enough to pull the tape off. We may have just bought ourselves a few years of psychotherapy ("You see doc, it all began when they duct taped my diaper to me...") but at least we've also bought a few more weeks of sanity (and less laundry).

Swinging into Spring

Although temps have dipped back into the 40s and the sky is grey again, we did enjoy some beautiful spring weather at the end of last week. It was the perfect opportunity for Riley to use her new swing. This swing was a long time coming - I wanted to buy one for Connor's first birthday but found they were gone from the stores in September and replaced with Christmas trees. I bought this one a few weeks ago for fear that I would miss the seasonal opportunity again, and she loves it! She especially loves it when her oldest brother is pushing her, as he was during this photo. My favorite part is how her little toes are all curled up in excitement. That is the sign of a successful purchase!

Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope.

As stated in a previous post, I've been doing alot of sewing lately. I found instructions on-line to make an Obi belt, and so I thought I'd give it a try. I'm not used to wearing belts, especially belts this wide, but I found it helped me stand up straight (I'm a sloucher) and I got used to it after a little bit and have become quite fond of it. It also lets me participate in a little Star Wars geekery without the braided buns and kimono, although I doubt seriously the belt would aid at all in getting me out of jury duty.

The Master

I am recovering this morning from our "staycation" - last week was Spring Break and we didn't travel, but managed to pack the week full of activities. The Children's Museum, zoo, baking cookies, seeing Monsters vs. Aliens, and dying eggs were all on the agenda. Whew. We had alot of fun but I'm glad to get back into our normal routine this week. Yesterday was also a busy day, what with the Easter bunny and a packed church and cooking a big lunch, but the weather was beautiful and a nice way to cap off a great week. After watching a few minutes of The Masters with me yesterday afternoon, Casey was inspired to head outside with his golf clubs to practice his swing. The swing needs some work, but he's already a master at the fine art of celebrating. After every shot he gives us a fist pump (ala Tiger) and also rolls around on the ground cheering for himself. I'm pretty sure they would frown on that behavior at Augusta National, but around here we think it's pretty funny.

I so badly wanted Kenny Perry to win. I have always liked him and I love the whole "elderly father on the golf course in overalls" thing. I was broken hearted for him that the shots went down the way they did on the last 4 holes, especially after a week full of brilliant play. Oh well, I guess coming in second at The Masters is as good a way to enter the Senior tour as any (except maybe winning The Masters, but I like him too much to bag on him). 

Multitasker

Little by little, Riley has been perfecting her walking skills. Over the weekend she really kicked it into high gear and is now walking more than crawling. She makes us all laugh because she likes to multitask: walk while carrying some object and laughing the whole time. 

Pajama Time!

I've been doing alot of sewing lately, and much of it is done during naptime while Riley & Connor sleep. Since Casey decided when he turned 4 last year that he was too big for naps, he has been my patient little helper while I work. And by patient little helper, I mean that he plays near my sewing machine firing an unending line of questions at me. "What happened to the dinosaurs, Mom?" "What happened to the cavemen?" "What happened to all the pirates?" You know, lots and lots of questions for which I have no answers. Then finally, "When are you going to make me something?". Since very little of what I have made lately was for us, I felt that was a justifiable question, and I asked him what he wanted. Batman pants, he replied. Easy enough, and I was lucky to find some Batman fabric at Hancocks and whipped him up a pair of PJ pants last week. He loves them and has worn them everyday. I'm not sure why he's making that face in the photo, but I think it is somehow superhero related. Now his little brother has placed an order for some Bob the Builder pants, and I imagine if little sister could express the desire she wouldn't refuse a pair either.