adventures of aidanpod...

Snow day(s)!

2012-01-18T23:12:00.000-08:00

This has been the strangest week!!

Sunday - Snow falls over Western Washington. We take the kids on a winter walk down the street and back.



Monday - MLK day - no school. Make it safely to Aidan's OT appt.

Tuesday - Snow falls again - no school. But apparently living next to the water has its downside... we had a bare yard, no snow on the trees, nothin'! Drive 2 minutes closer to town, though, and BAM! Winter wonderland! What's a "snow day" without snow? I'll tell ya - it's LAME!

Wednesday - Snow falls again - no school again. Apparently when you complain to the snow gods that you've been ripped off in the snow department, they show you who's boss and let it POUR. We woke up to 9" on our deck rail.  Lilah spent 5 minutes outside, fell, cried, came inside, and took a 2-hour nap. Aidan and Chad went on a snowy walk, passing cross-country skiiers on our road.


Thursday (tomorrow) - Snow will still be here - no school again. And I'll have to cancel an appt. I made back in September with my diabetes doctor. Probably won't get another one 'til May!

Friday (2 days from now) - Would've been my 3rd grade MLK musical (that I wrote myself!) But it's gonna have to be rescheduled for next week. Ugh. Just hope all of my main players can make it!

What a week!

New guest room (halfway done)

2012-01-13T23:06:00.000-08:00

New Year's resolution:
1. get a house tour up on the blog (at least one room at time!)

We'll start with the guest room...

My mom and aunt were planning to stay over New Year's Eve. My aunt was gonna sleep on the couch upstairs and my mom on the loveseat downstairs. I couldn't bare the thought of my mom curling up on our tiny loveseat (she's short, but still!) Got talking to Chad and we decided to turn our future office (which we didn't really need anyway) into an official guest room! Too bad we had this idea FOUR DAYS before New Year's Eve.

BEFORE:

(before we moved in, Chad discovered dry rot in this room -- directly above it is the deck. Doesn't make for a good roof. So this room got a complete overhaul, going down to studs, getting new insulation, drywall, texturing, the works. Then Chad did a bunch of wiring for video/internet, so it became a dumping ground for tools and other random junk. Sounds like an office to me, right?)

The plastic over the window is from the popcorn ceiling removal.

Everyone needs a shop vac in their office, right?

Aidan testing out the pile of extra linens. Don't mind the skewed view from my camera lens... it's the only way to get the whole room in the shot. This is a very tiny room with a low ceiling.

In order to make it an official guest room for my Mom/Dad/whoever to stay in, we needed a few things...

To buy:
* a bed - after much debate, we decided a twin would fit the room best.
* bedding - the works
* wardrobe closet - this was completely optional, but I really wanted a place my mom could hang up blouses when she stays over (the room has no closet.) It could also double as a linen closet.
* new ceiling light fixture

To do before New Year's:
* paint the room (MAJOR FAIL. Oops.)
* hang curtains (oops)
* add outlet covers (oops)
* rehang door (done!)

Tuesday, Dec. 27th - Drive to Ikea by myself, with only an hour to go before closing. By the way, did you know how awesome Ikea is at closing?? Seriously, I'm still laughing about it! They play the funniest announcements, like how the store is closed and your car will be locked in the parking lot, and you'll have to stay and make meatballs with them. Ha! And "Goodnight, Sweetheart" comes over the intercom. Ok, anyway, I find a down comforter, duvet cover, some throw pillows, Hemnes wardrobe, some decorative baskets, and an entertainment system - here, here, and here - for our downstairs playroom (to be set up after New Year's). Oh, and a shoe cabinet for the entryway, which I almost forgot to grab. Oh, and this cute duvet for Aidan's room, when we finally get him a down alternative comforter. Needless to say, the back of the truck was full and I was sweating from lifting all of those boxes!!

Later that night... since I'm a night owl, I decided to put the wardrobe together. It wasn't until I had the sides and back attached and stood it up that I realized how ginormous it was in our tiny guest room. And I hadn't even added the doors and drawers, which would've made it even more threatening! I did looooove the yellow & white stripes inside, though. LOVE.

Wednesday, Dec. 28th - Chad agrees wardrobe is huge, but we'll make it work.

Thursday Dec. 29th - Chad agrees the wardrobe needs to go (yay!) I called Ikea and yes, it was returnable! (yay again!!) There was a smaller wardrobe for half the price - we planned to pick it up Friday after work. I head to Sleep Country with the kids and find a floor model twin on sale. Plan to have it delivered on Friday afternoon.

Friday, Dec. 30th - Bed arrives. Kids jump and pretend to sleep in "Nana's bed!"

I take apart the wardrobe during Lilah's nap. When Chad gets off work, he puts the wardrobe back in the boxes it came in, ties it down in his truck, breaks his tailgate (long story), and we head off to Ikea with the kids at 7:30pm.

They close at 9pm. We live almost 90 minutes away.

Arrive at Ikea with 20 MINUTES to spare (Chad drove!) Stand in the return line for 15 minutes. Panic sets in. I still needed to get the new wardrobe and didn't know where it was in the warehouse area!! Finally get the big wardrobe returned and rush toward the warehouse. Then I see Chad coming around the corner with the new wardrobe, with Lilah standing on the cart, holding onto both boxes, and Aidan leading up the rear. My heroes! Another evening at Ikea at closing (with 2 kids up waaaaaay past bedtime)! And I ran into a former student and her mom (Katie - it was Kaitlyn Tisch! She was so tall!)

Later that night... put new wardrobe together. Ahhhh, much better.

Saturday, Dec. 31st - With just hours to spare before my mom's arrival, Chad runs to Lowe's with Lilah and picks out a light fixture, while I run to Bed Bath & Beyond with Aidan for a sheet set, mattress pad, and bedskirt.

Later that morning... madly decorate a bit and fluff bed. As my mom is pulling up, Chad is still installing the ceiling light. She can see him from the street, peeks in the window, and says, "I see something is different with the office!" I wanted to surprise her when I gave my aunt the house tour. Stinker. : )

Still need to figure out this desk area. That's my new laser printer Chad got me for Christmas!

I went with blue & white for a clean, fresh look. My mom liked it!

No cute yellow & white stripes inside, but the blue goes great with the room!

Chad's little unfinished project...

I want to hang some curtains or put up a bamboo shade for some texture... not sure, though, since it's a wide window and the bed is right up against it.

Anyway, loooong story short, it turned out great!

To [still] do:
* paint room
* cut/paint trimboards
* hang curtains (?)
* look for a cute rug to put next to the bed (maybe large stripes, navy/white or an accent color?)
* find wood bed frame on Craigslist and refinish/paint (although we bought the metal frame it's sitting on, I still love wood bed frames)
* hang some pictures
* accessorize desk area
* drywall, texturize, and paint wall where Chad did video/internet wiring
So there ya have it. 1 tiny room on its way to DONE! Oh, and that bed is really comfortable. I slept there the other night when Lilah and Aidan both decided to be up at 3am (and I couldn't bare going back upstairs in case they woke up again.)

Almost 2 + almost 4 (+ 1 house move) = completely insane!

2011-12-14T22:15:00.000-08:00

Oh, hello blog. How are you? It's me again.

What's that you say? Why haven't I written since Nov. 4th (as my dear sweet friend kindly pointed out - love you Jane!)? Let's see...

* 1 house move. 'Nuff said. No seriously, I don't get how anyone can move with two small children! All the packing, unpacking, changing addresses, setting up utilities, taking down cribs and setting them up again... ugh! I have to give myself credit... all of the essentials have been unpacked for awhile. And we've even decorated a tree and hung Christmas lights! But we have no pictures on the walls yet and the garage (I mean "pole barn") is full of where is this gonna go? boxes. We have painted most of Aidan's room, painted most of Lilah's closet, installed most of Lilah's closet system, and hung some curtains in the music room. (Hmm, noticing a trend here.) Still have a lot to do. Most dramatic part of the move? The center diamond of my wedding ring decided to disappear on the first night. Yep.

(last pic in Lilah's old room, before I had to take down her decal and destroy it - I managed to save the one in her closet & this blue bird, but the name & scallop border of this one were goners. Sad face.)

Ok, back to the new house... I know it's not National Lampoon worthy, but at least we have lights!

(you can't see it, but the red & white lights go great with our red & white striped awning on the upper floor. Looks like an ice cream parlor at dusk!)

* I have an active almost 2 year old. At 19 months, Lilah is insanely cute and insanely cranky, all in the same hour. Or minute. She's finally starting to talk! She can say:
- "Ready, set, doh!" (she's working on the "go" part.)
- "One, two, three!"
- toe
- door
- hi
- dada (that's my name too)
- Aidan
- stop (she uses this one a lot lately)

She's a fast runner, climbs on EVERYTHING, loves splashing in the tub (but hates getting her hair washed), sticks her hands in the toilet, steals her brother's toys and runs away while laughing mischievously, poses for pictures just slightly more often than her brother, has been banned from her binky by the dentist (at least during the awake hours, most of the time), is already asking for candy at the store, and still makes the biggest mess EVER when eating meals. Her middle name should be "whirlwind." She's so close to sleeping through the night regularly, but still wakes up on occasion when her binky falls out. It might be awhile before we wean her at nighttime!

(I love how our new yard looks like a park!)

* I also have a very active almost 4 year old. How did I get so lucky? haha Aidan is getting independent fast. The diapers are almost gone!!!! On Sunday (12/11), he went pee twice on his own (without any fuss pulling up his underwear - that's new), AND he left the room and went poop for the first time! It was a major ordeal (let's just say the poop didn't all make it in the toilet and Lilah wanted to be in the middle of the action. Poor Chad got stuck dealing with it all!) But since Sunday, he's been in underwear during the day and doing ok. He's had a pee accident once each day, and then did a #2 in his underwear today. Ugh. But like I've said in the past, I'm not pushing this kid. He has to do it on his own. Right now, he's sitting in a diaper because he requested one. When Kindergarten comes, obviously he won't have a choice about it. But he's 3 1/2, a boy, and has sensory issues to boot! So I'd say he's doing pretty good!

Preschool is going well - some weeks are better than others, but he's getting the hang of it. He's getting better at writing the letter A (he chants, "up, down, across" all day long!) and counts on his fingers. He's starting to sing spontaneously and his speech is improving immensely. He's also starting to say funny things, like when I decorated the tree, he said, "Those lights are wonnnnnderful!" Or when Chad was up in the maple tree, cutting down branches, he said, "You better get a rope and get down before you get a big owie." Wise words, dude.

* Pod and Bean are becoming great playmates. Sometimes, Aidan gets a little controlling about it, like shutting the door to his room so Lilah can't get out. And if she does, he yells at me to "bring Yiyah back!" But then he'll give her a kiss or hold her hand in the car. I live for those moments!

(My mom with me & the kids at Thanksgiving)

* I have yet to make my Christmas cards - been stalling. Chad's friend came down and snapped a candid picture of the 4 of us, so at least I can start with that.

(anyone notice a little hand that snuck into the picture? Eww, you're not looking at Chad's crotch, are you???)

(just a little cropping oughta do it!)

psst! If you need our new address, leave me a comment! I do have our mail being forwarded, so if you sent a card to our old address, I'll get it.

Happy Holidays everyone!!

Moving day

2011-11-04T07:13:00.000-07:00

Tonight is our last night in our first house. Sniff, sniff.

Ok, seriously, we're not that sad. We're moving to a great house, on a great property, with great brand-new carpets and [coming soon] wood floors, and next to a great beach and marina!

When life finally allows me to breathe for a moment (I've been a single mom for 2 full weeks since Chad's been working at the new house!), I'll write a proper post full of lots of pictures. And I'll click "post" on that 17-month update for Lilah (now that she's almost 18 months!) For now, you'll just have to follow me on facebook. Someday blogger will let me post pictures the easy way again.

Back to packing I go!

"Yi-yah killed the nake!"

2011-09-22T22:26:00.000-07:00

I know I'm a serious blog slacker... but I've been sorta busy. Oh let's see... the school year started for me, Aidan started preschool, I'm the one taking the kids to the sitter's this year, I fractured my hand (ok, Aidan did), and... oh yeah, we just bought a new house.

Yep, you heard me. WE BOUGHT A NEW HOUSE!!

But since the only pictures I have are from Chad's phone and they're not great, I'm going to do my first "holy cow, we just bought a new house in three days" post on Sunday (I'm going over there again with MY camera!)

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Now I need to remember why I keep this blog: to remember milestones and funny little things the kids do. Today's story is about a nake (snake.) : )

So... Aidan had OT today. Tough time. Lots of meltdowns. But once we left the office, and I let the kids run around on the curvy sidewalks, Aidan started to cheer up.

The kids ran a bit ahead of me, and then I notice Aidan looking at something on the ground. He gets a huge grin on his face, points down, and says, "Nake! Nake! I yee a nake, Mama!" Um, what??? You see a SNAKE???  I go running over and thankfully see a harmless little caterpillar.  Actually, it was the ugliest insect I've ever seen, moving across the sidewalk with its slimy little feet. But Aidan was grinning from ear-to-ear, saying, "Nake walking!" I can't quite remember how he said caterpillar, but he did attempt it.

Ok, so Lilah takes off running toward the street.  Hoping to entice her to stick around, I direct her eyes towards the caterpillar. She crouches down next to Aidan, babbling and sounding very excited. Aidan seems thrilled to show her! "Look, Yi-yah, nake walking!"  But no sooner did he finish his sentence, Lilah picked up her little chunky foot and stomped right on the caterpillar. Aidan gasped. Then the caterpillar picked it's head up off the ground, and I swear it stared right at Lilah, as if it was saying, "What have you done to me???" It's head dropped and it stopped moving.

And my happy, excited, nake-loving boy hung his head down, and said in the saddest voice ever, "Nake not walking anymore." : (  And he glared at Lilah. I tried poking the caterpillar with a twig, but it didn't move. Finally, I rolled it off the sidewalk into the garden area... and then I did it. I lied. I told Aidan the caterpillar was sleeping. He smiled again, big and bright, put his hands on his head to imitate a sleeping pose, and walked away, happily talking about the "nake yeeping on ground."

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If my driver's license says I weigh 140, then I can tell my 3-year-old the caterpillar's not dead, right??

Off the beaten path

2011-09-06T23:22:00.000-07:00

Warning: Do not attempt to walk on train tracks. Unless your husband takes your son there the day before, unbeknownst to you, so then when you go to the lake, thinking you're going to have a nice walk around it with the kids, your son throws a fit at the entrance to the "Keep Off!" train tracks, and won't move a muscle until you walk down there with him.

Unless that happens.

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There once was a boy who liked trains. And tracks.

He stopped.

He waved.

He said to his sister, "Yi-yah, be careful."

But he didn't want to wait for her slow bum anymore, so off he went.

He found a rock. He picked it up. And, oh yes, he threw it.

He found a mud puddle and sort of enjoyed it. There was a big shoe-wiping session immediately afterwards, however. Thank goodness for baby wipes.

On he walked.

And only stopped when I asked to take a picture of his hands. He obliged.

And then on he walked again.

Until finally Mama put the kabosh on the train track walking and demanded we walk around the lake.

There once was a boy who liked pushing strollers...

Psst! Thanks to everyone for your much-needed advice (and sympathy) about my dear sweet boy (see this post if ya missed my griping.) Preschool is starting next week (I can hardly believe it!) and he has a brand new SHORT haircut for the occasion (eek!) I'm excited for this new adventure and can't wait to see the growth in his social skills. Now if I can only get him potty-trained sometime before he's 4...

Lilah @ 15 AND 16 months

2011-09-06T22:02:00.000-07:00

Bad mommy. I can't even keep up with monthly updates?? How sad it that? So now I have to force my brain (that can't even remember what I had for dinner last night) to remember Lilah's new milestones for the past TWO months. Here we go!

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You will follow your brother to the ends of the earth... or at least down an old railroad track (that clearly is labeled "Keep Off!") Whoops. There goes bad mommy again.

You can pull off big girl outfits like nobody's business, but still look darling in little creepers like this. Especially with your new Livie & Luca shoes. And especially with those thighs.

You love your girly accessories (even Gaga-esque shades!), but never seem to keep them on for very long. Or at least not long enough for a picture.

You love pulling leaves off Mommy's plants and then running away with wild abandon.

You love dollies & balls. A tomboy-girly-girl in the making?

You love to smile. And sit like a big kid at the table. And stuff your face with raisins.

You don't spontaneously nap like this much anymore, so I'm loving it up while I can. Oh, and sorry for poking your belly button. I promise you didn't even stir.

You look really good in blue. All kinds.

You somehow one-upped your brother and learned to stand on the kitchen table before it EVER occurred to him. Thanks, beaners. Now he's copying YOU. And boy, do you get ticked when I push the chairs in to avoid your climbing escapades (although I did allow it this time for picture's sake.) Oh yeah, and you still love your binky. Ugh.

You have some natural rhythm (duh, it's genetic!) Look, even your brother is impressed!

You have an awesome collection of fall shoes (size 6.) The See Kai Run's were all last year's styles I found on a mad sale (LOVE the burnt orange & purple combo!) and your "grapewine" Converse have been getting a lot of use lately... although you sort of run like a big goober in them. And don't forget your new brown Livie's. That's 4 pairs of shoes! For one girl!! (I'm speaking as if I had nothing to do with that.) : )

You have a great new expression. We call it "pucker lips." You like to do it when you first see someone or when you're feeling shy. You did it a lot to your Uncle Colin and cousins on our weekend at the cabin. You even did it to Nana's camera.

A few more...

You also have this great trick of curling into a little ball when you're being shy. You stayed like this for 10 minutes (at least) when my brother was looking at you. Pretty adorable. And the other day at Target, you were running like a wild child, but when an employee came up and said hi, you immediately dropped to the floor and got into position. Um, if you think you're hiding, they can still see you. Just so you know. : )

You definitely hold your own with your brother in the new bouncy house. And apparently I make you wear that cute Old Navy dress a lot. Or else I took all of these pictures on the same day. Just check the color of the hair clip.

When I was pregnant with your brother, I wished for a "calm child." Well, I got a calm baby, but he definitely got more wild as the months went on. I think you're on the same path, baby girl. A climber, a runner, a thrill-seeker... you definitely keep me on my toes! But all of the smiles and the many, many cuddles and snuggles and "hold me, hold me" arms reaching up make it so worth it.

Surviving

2011-08-14T01:12:00.000-07:00

I want to say I'm enjoying my summer vacation. I'm a teacher, after all. I'm supposed to like my time off, right?

But it's been tough. Really tough. And I find myself saying (more often than not), "When does school start again??"

Bottom line: I am NOT meant to be a stay-at-home-mom. I would love to say I could be, and maybe I could under different circumstances, but let's just say my 3-year-old is one tough cookie. I'm not trying to make this a Debbie Downer post... just venting a bit.

Aidan is unpredictable. And moody. And still lacking the ability to communicate his needs and frustrations. He'll do things like ask for something, and when I offer it to him, he screams and doesn't want it.  But if I put it back, he screams because he wants it again. I find myself saying, "What's wrong? What do you need?" a lot. Or threatening timeout. Or putting him IN timeout.

I am one of those anything-bad-that-happens-in-the-morning-sets-the-tone-for-the-day kind of people. Not good when you have a kid that wakes up on the wrong side of the bed... often.  I usually get him from his room first (we still have a doorknob cover on his door - or else he'd come out at 5am!) and then we get Lilah. Well, the other morning, I said, "Come help me get Lilah." Usually that means we'll go in, see Lilah's smiling face, and Aidan will smile back and say (in the CUTEST babyish voice ever), "Hi, Yi-yah!!"  And then, what normally happens next is I lift her out of the crib. Well, he decided that "come help me" must've meant, "YOU PICK HER UP," because as soon as I started lifting her out of bed, he put his arms up like he wanted to. But then immediately fell apart because Mommy did it.  Quickly realizing what he wanted, I put Lilah back down (she was willing) and asked Aidan if he could help me, but it was too late. He was already on the floor, crying.

This morning, it was I went too fast down the stairs and he wanted me to hold his hand. But when I came back to hold his hand, he was yelling at me to "Stop!" Then he wanted milk, but when I handed it to him, he cried and didn't want it. But wanted it again after I said I'd put it away. This afternoon, he asked for juice in a "straw cup," but after screaming at me that I did it wrong, Chad finally told me that Aidan really wanted a "sippy" cup lid, not a straw cup lid. Aidan knows how to ask for a sippy cup lid, so it wasn't a lack of vocabulary on that one.

I just don't get him sometimes. Most times. And tonight, Chad agreed with me. Usually, Chad has that, "Aidan is always great for me" outlook. Truth is, Aidan is better for Chad. But I think Chad's booming voice is a little scarier too! haha  Tonight, however, Aidan was just whiny. Whining to go here or there, whining for milk, trying to run on the train tracks, whatever. At one point, Chad said, "Aidan!  Stop whining!" So Aidan said, "No!" So (my mature husband) Chad says, "Yes!" And Aidan quickly yells, "NO!!!!!!" Good grief. Yes, let's get in a power struggle with our 3-year-old.

I think if it were JUST Aidan home with me, it might be more tolerable. But I have an energetic, sometimes stubborn 1-year-old on my hands too. And when she's wandering off towards the street and Aidan's having a meltdown at the merry-go-round, I just want to throw my hands up!  Obviously I save the Bean from the street. But I have to keep my eye on both kids, all the time. And that's hard by myself. I honestly don't know how moms of 3 or more can handle it!

Preschool starts in a month, and I'm really and truly hoping that it will bring some change. He's never been around a lot of kids on a daily basis, so hopefully his social skills will improve. And communication. Chad and I have a lot to work on with this parenting stuff too. I know consistency is key, but being consistent is really tough when you have another little person to look out for (timeouts can't always happen when they need to, etc.) Also, Aidan really needs to be fed on a schedule (he's happier when he's full!), but sometimes his timeouts hinder his eating.

I know getting breaks would be good too, but I tend NOT to find babysitters because I know Aidan is a lot of work (IF he's in a bad mood.) Chad had the kids Friday morning, though, and took him to Jill's house for an hour (one of his employees - sweet!) She reported back that Aidan played AND shared with her 4-year-old son and there was not ONE tantrum from either of them. Oh, and Lilah walked around with a doll the whole time. Yep, that's my girl.

It's easy to get bogged down by every little tantrum and whiny moment. But then, after I tuck him into bed, he'll say, "Eee you tomorrow, Mama. Yuh-go Mama. Mmmmm-whah!" (yuh-go = love you.)  And I'm reminded of what a truly sweet boy he can be. Or when he's playing with Lilah, he can be SO sweet with her (when he's not knocking her over!) And I love when he does his best wild thing impersonation and "roars a terrible roar!" at me. Or when he asks me to roll down my window... and when I do, he'll say, "Doing a great gob, Mama" (great "job.") How can I not love that??

When I was watching So You Think You Can Dance the other week, Marko said he was a "tough kid" for his mom. He had outbursts and tantrumed a lot. But once he got into dance (I think), he had something to focus on. I looked at my son, who was "dancing" in our living room at that moment (read: madly flailing his arms and stomping), and sort of chuckled picturing him on that show. But you never know. He could be a dancer. Or anything fantastic. And maybe one day he'll say, "I was tough for my mom, but look at me now."

Got any advice for this stressed-out Mama (besides "stop complaining!")? Anybody have kids that went through this stage? Did they come OUT of it? Did YOU come out of it??? That's what I want to know!

Thanks for listening. Happy post with pictures next. Promise. : )

Lilah @ 14 months

2011-07-25T22:28:00.000-07:00

I started this post on July 6th. Oops. You are 14-months-old (almost 15) and are turning into quite the toddler!

You are developing your lung power and have this great scream/screech thing, that happens in short intervals with pauses in between. It's even more annoying than Aidan's continuous whine. Well, maybe not. But it's very dramatic.

You also have an awesome pout. I don't have the heart to take a picture of you when you're really crying, but I should. Your bottom lip can pout like nobody's business!

For some reason, your right shoe always falls off. Your foot doesn't seem that much smaller!

You are super adventurous at the playground and will go zooming down a slide, fall onto the ground, and get back up for round two like nothing happened.

You have really gotten into oranges lately. Yum, Mama's favorite!!

You still aren't talking much, but you use your own language endlessly! I can tell once the words start coming, you're going to be a chatterbox like your brother. You do say, "Done" or "all done." Now if you could say that before you throw your food on the floor, that'd be nice.

When you think something's hilarious (or when you think you're being hilarious), you lift up your chin, scrunch up your face, and show off your teefers. I've been trying to capture it on camera for months now, and this was the best I got (despite it being mid-yawn.)

You are still a Mama's girl, although Daddy's the one who gets you to laugh the most.

When I try to carry you on my front (like in the Ergo), you shimmy yourself around until you're on my hip. And if I put my free hand on your leg to hold you better, you shove it away. Geez, diva!

You are finally getting into trains (and the train table.) I guess it just wasn't an option.

You love water and splashing, but hate bathtime. What's up with that?

I'm trying (slowly) to wean you from your binky. My rule is only at nap and bedtime now, but there are times during a long car ride that I'll cave in... or when we're around large crowds. Or when I'm just sick of your yapping! haha JUST KIDDING.

Daddy discovered (while I was gone for a week) that if you only sleep for an hour and a half during the day, you actually sleep through the night. I've discovered this is mostly true, but we'll pretend it works all the time. : )

There are only a few parks we can go to where you'll actually stay in the playground area. Mostly, you like to wander away. I don't mind chasing you down, except when I'm tending to Aidan... and then some strange mom will go shrieking after you and bring you to me. Sure makes me feel like a GREAT mom. Ugh.

You will put anything in your mouth. Aidan was an oral guy, but stayed away from yucky things, like dirt and rocks. Doesn't seem to phase you! Ewww. How did that petunia taste today? Yummy?

Oh Lilah, you are my sweet little girl. And watching Daddy arrive late to work because he just needs one more snuggle with you is priceless.

Pssst! For more pictures of the Beansie and Podkins, you can view my photostream over on flickr.

Too short for the hairy wheel

2011-07-14T17:00:00.000-07:00

Well, ferris wheel is it's real name, but I liked Aidan's version better. He also called it the big "water wheel." If your kid loves Thomas the Train, you know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, it's that time of year again... Lakefair! Check out this post, which has pics of last year's fair, when Kameron was here for a visit (scroll down & check out the super cute pics of our matching girls!) and some flashback pics of a very blond boy in 2009 & new parents in 2008.

But unlike the baby-toting years before, this year Aidan rode the rides!!! He was slightly miffed he wasn't tall enough for the "hairy wheel," but we found plenty of rides in the kiddie section for him.

Apparently July is a tear-fest month for me, 'cuz when I saw my boy on that first ride smiling the BIGGEST SMILE EVER, my eyes started leaking again! Seeing my normally hypersensitive, hyper-tantruming boy enjoying something "normal" kids enjoy was awesome. Sure, he threw a couple fits when the rides stopped, but mostly it was because he didn't know how to unbuckle the straps. And apparently the people working the rides assume all 3-year-olds can get out themselves??

Some rides were easier to photograph than others. We have about 10 more pictures like this one below, with Aidan's head behind the pole. It didn't help that Aidan was really curious about what was going on behind him.

He even tried a little roller coaster, but only smiled on the corners. The kid in front was totally bored, and kept turning around when Aidan squealed with delight, giving him the, "What are YOU laughing about?" look.

Lilah slept for most of evening in the Ergo, but made a quick (and blurry) appearance on the camera.

Aidan tried the airplanes...

And Mama convinced him to ride the swing again ('cuz I really wanted to go on it!)...

But by far, his favorite was the "big yide" (slide.) If it had been FREE, we would've been there all night. But Mom and Dad's tickets (and money!) eventually ran out! He had a few tantrums about that, and even tried to run back up the slide at one point. But overall, he managed to leave reasonably well. Even Mommy took a turn - it was fast!

When I got him up this morning, the first words out of his mouth were, "Aidan go on big yide. Wanna go on big yide." I thought were were off the hook, since it's been raining all day. But sure enough, the rain stopped. We'll see. I could go for another strawberry shortcake... : )

Tear-fest in the Stoker house

2011-07-01T23:15:00.000-07:00

I married a sap. Yep, that's Chadly. Tough on the outside (well, not too tough), and a big, sappy, gooey, mushy mess on the inside. Deep down. Way deep down.

Yesterday, I took the kids to the train station. Remember last summer? Yep, we went there all the time. Sometimes Aidan clapped when he saw the train roll in (just a boring ol' Amtrack), and sometimes he ran and hid (and screamed and tantrumed.)  Well, yesterday was pretty much the same as last year... running around the station, getting mad that he can't steal the toy train from the counter, clapping for the train and running from the whistle... except for ONE HUGE DIFFERENCE...

(wait for it... wait for it... the sappy part's coming)

Chad gets home from work and I go somewhere (the store? outside? Can't even remember.) Anyway, I come back in the house (after my alien abduction, apparently) and Chad yells from upstairs, "Come quick! Come quick! You gotta hear this!!"  Apparently Chad asked Aidan about his day and Aidan sat down, looked Chad right in the eyes and told him all about it. I repeat, told him all about it. You don't understand... that's HUGE.  We have never had a conversation with Aidan where he's recounting an event, in detail. But yesterday, he told Chad a complete story about the "bane nay-en" (train station)... how the whistle was loud and it "scared Aidan," (love when he talks in the 3rd person), how the people got on and off, how the train slowed down and put on its' brakes, how he wanted to get on the train. He kept pumping his fist down, like you would if you're saying, "Choo, choo!"  I think that's the old sign we once used for "train."

By the time I got there, Aidan had finished his story and just kept repeating, "train slowed down, train slowed down." But even just hearing Chad re-tell Aidan's story made me tear up! And Chad teared up too. Yep. Big grown man tears. Love it. : )

---------------------------
Speech news... the 2nd appt. with the female speech therapist went wonderfully!! I actually stepped out of the room, and I think that made all the difference. She used a picture schedule and he knew he had to complete a certain number of tasks before he got to play with the ever-so-desired ball tower. It worked!!  I did take him to the male therapist too, and he was awesome, but wanted us to stick with Dana since we're already seeing her. So we'll see how the summer goes with her, and then we could always switch to him in the fall.

Woohoo!

(sorry, I couldn't leave my blog on my ranting post... needed something positive!)

(Aidan's becoming a camera poser. heehee! Good choice of props, Pod.)

Leave your comments to yourself!

2011-06-30T19:00:00.000-07:00

Ever since I started blogging (almost 3 years ago!), I've always wondered why people leave "bad" comments. I'm still a huge Young House Love fan, but everytime they post about some new decorating they've done around their house, they receive a handful of "Eww, I don't like that," or "Why didn't you do it this way?" or "I can't believe you actually make a living off of this blog." And everytime, they reply in such a light-hearted manner... "To each their own!" or "If we all decorated the same, this world would be a boring place! XOXO." But I always want to write in and say, "IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, THEN JUST DON'T COMMENT!"

Am I the only one who thinks that?

It's the old motto, "If you don't have something nice to say..." Well, you know the rest.

In my little world here, I don't really deal with that.  On average, I get about 3 comments per post, so it's not like I have fans worldwide!! haha Once in awhile, I'll get spam... like the comment on my most recent post that said I could use help in naming my posts. Thanks. Really. (Delete, delete!)

But I just can't handle it when people choose to comment on little elementary school videos posted on YouTube. I know, I'm posting them publicly, so I run the risk of that. Sure, I get that. I just don't get why people would bother writing something negative! I posted a video of my staff and students doing our little "flash mob," and thankfully turned on the "comment approval" option. I've already denied two comments, one saying we SUCKED (wow, really??) and one saying we weren't doing a "flash mob" at all, since no one was surprised.  That's when I kick into defensive mode and say, Yes, we suddenly broke into dance (def. of a flash mob), and yes, the kids were completely surprised by the teachers dancing. Trust me, it was a hard secret to keep!

But that's not really the point. I just don't get why people decide to write those things in the first place. Why bother? Do they really not have anything better to do?

Again, I've heard that when you go public with your thoughts, you put yourself in a place for people to share their opinions, positive and negative. I guess I strive to be a positive person, so it surprises me when others aren't. Oh, how naive I am!!

Anyway, just ranting. So, if you 'd like to offer me some unwarranted advice, go ahead. I just might delete ya. Or if you'd like to leave me a comment with some foul language, just make sure you use some dollar signs or asterisks. My mom's reading this, ya know. : )

Random ramblings on a Tuesday

2011-06-28T13:04:00.000-07:00

I know you find yourself asking, "What's going on in Heather's head these days?" It's a mystery, I know. But here I am, to spill the beans (a.k.a. I don't have time for all the posts I'd like to do, so here they are all wrapped up in one.)

* Potty training stinks. Literally. Was going to dedicate a whole post to it, but really, who wants to read about poop on my carpet and pee puddles in the kitchen? Not me! We're actually on hold with potty training for the moment. I gave it 3 solid days, but I honestly don't think Aidan's ready. If he's naked, he'll pee on his own every time. Kind of weird to see him run out of the room, hear him pee & flush the toilet, and return to play. But if he's naked, he poops anywhere. So then we tried underwear. After 8 wet pairs, I realized he doesn't see a difference between diapers and underwear. Peed right through 'em everytime. I tried to put him on a schedule, but often times, I was dragging a screaming boy to the potty. BUT, at least if he pooped, the underwear would catch it. Sooo... until he's ready to sit on the potty without acting like I'm murdering him, I think we're gonna just play it by ear. Besides the fact that he's 3, there's really no rush to potty train him. His preschool will take him either way.

* My 4K is coming up July 9th! And unlike most things in life, I actually have been training and am ready for it! There's no last-minute cramming when it comes to a race. The Couch-to-5K training has been great, and last night I ran for 25 minutes without stopping, albeit very slowly. Got myself some new shoes, some tight running leggings (eek!), and a couple supportive racerback tanks. Oh, and a dri-fit purple Huskies shirt! I seriously LOVE shopping for workout gear. Call me crazy.

* Lilah's signing the word "more" now. It's so helpful! I think we're gonna have to take the binky away soon... her top 2 teeth seem to be moving out, which was my biggest fear when I introduced it. Ugh.

* I misplaced my camera card at work, so I actually haven't taken pictures for two weeks! But I finally remembered I had an SD card in my videocamera that I wasn't using, so I snapped my first photos yesterday. Ahhh, felt good.

Hey Lilah, poop goes in the potty. Not your foot.

My lame rendition of the cover of Aidan's favorite Potty Train book. Like my painter's tape?

Flushing in action (and someone needs a haircut!)

* I am way too addicted to facebook.

* Having a hard time with Aidan lately. Someday when he's older, I'll read him all of these posts about how he drove his Mama crazy, and we'll laugh. Hopefully. Unless he's still driving me crazy. Then I'll just say, "See, you were trouble even back then!!!" : ) He's still seeing Lora, his awesome OT who also has a tough son of her own. Sometimes I think our sessions are more of a support group than actual therapy for Aidan!! But what really hit home was when she said, "Aidan is the toughest kid on my case load." His moods are just so unpredictable. He could walk into Lora's building kicking and screaming and then have the greatest session. Or he could walk up, excitedly saying, "Yora day! Yora day!" and then scream for the whole 45 minute appointment.

I just never know what sets him off. And I don't know how to calm him down, reliably. Sometimes, timeouts work (in his bedroom.) But I can't do that in public. I took the kids with me to my principal's house for our last day staff party, and when it was time to leave, he threw a major fit. It's like he was mad we were leaving, but then didn't want to stay either.  When my principal mouthed, "Is he ok??" I responded with, "He's going to a developmental preschool in the fall." I shouldn't have to make an excuse, but I feel like I do. Then I said, "He has some self-regulation issues," and my boss joked and said, "Don't we all!" That made me feel better, but I was still embarassed. The icing on the cake was when Aidan pushed her (and another teacher) as I was getting the car. Just crossing my fingers I still have a job in the fall!! haha

Part of the problem, I believe, is that his speech is falling further behind his cognitive development. So he just can't articulate what's wrong or what he needs. I'm taking him to a new speech therapist today (he's met her once), but already have a feeling it might end in disaster. Have another evaluation with a male therapist on Thursday who I've heard is fantastic. Might be a good thing to be with a guy. We'll see. Chad and I are just hoping to survive this stage. It's hard to go anywhere (playdates are tough, restaurants are a joke, even the park can cause meltdowns.) We're hoping preschool will turn things around - I've heard it usually does.

* I made cantaloupe shaved ice (with frozen lemonade concentrate) and pretty much ate the entire batch myself.  Shut up, scale!

* I want the sunshine to stay, but the heat can go. I'm such a Washington girl!

* I'm already missing dancing with my kids and can't believe the 5th graders won't be there in the fall. (check out the flash mob we did on the last day of school!)

* Started cleaning out the garage last night. Have a lot of little (or BIG) projects like that on my summer to-do list (like finishing the edging of my grey "Dolphin Fin" paint around my bedroom!!)

* 8th anniversary coming up on July 12th. Yay us!

* Have to go to the bathroom right now. Do I get a "yollipop"?

Lilah @ 13 months

2011-06-15T14:34:00.000-07:00

Time is flying, baby girl! 13 months already!

Stats from your 1 year appt. (technically @ 13 months):
Weight: 25 lbs. (they didn't write it down for me this time... can't remember the ounces)
Height: 31 in.
Head: 47 cm (?)

All "off the charts," they said (above 95%.) Wouldn't have expected less! You're about 1 pound and 1 inch less than your brother was at this age.

Just the other day, I said to you and Aidan, "Stop! Mommy wants to take a picture." And you BOTH stopped. Too bad the neighbor playing basketball was waaaaay more interesting, but at least you got the idea.

You are a mess-maker extraordinaire. It's fun to see how opposite of your brother you can be. You are great at spoon-feeding yourself, but I think it's because you don't care about the huge freakin' mess you make. Aidan, on the other hand, still flips about applesauce on his shirt. I think I'm starting to appreciate his neat freak ways, though. Getting awfully tired of mopping the floor, missy!

You're walking at a pretty quick pace these days, are really steady on your feet, and are becoming quite the climber. And you have already figured out how to climb halfway out of the tub!

You look SO UNBELIEVABLY CUTE in this little tutu swimsuit you got for your birthday. Aidan thinks so too. In fact, he wanted your swimsuit. To wear it. The boy loves tutus, what can I say? : )

You smile and wave at most everyone, although elderly people seem to scare you a bit.

Total teeth count: 8 (top right molar is in!) And next time I want to count your teeth, how about not biting, ok?? Thanks.

Speaking of teeth, you have now surpassed your stubborn brother's non-teethbrushing ways (at least when he was this age.) He would cry, but at least his mouth was open. You, on the other hand, lock your lips so tight, I can't even sneak a toothbrush in. And if I manage, your tongue goes a-flyin' and blocks my every move! Darn you!!

Hats? Not a fan. Or headbands. You tolerate clips, thank goodness!

You love cheese with avengence. String cheese, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, and little triangles of Laughing Cow cheese (light, of course! We're watching our girlish figures in this house.)

You're affectionate and give out hugs and kisses (well, your version of kisses anyway) freely. And your smiles... oh my, they're still soooo contagious!

You seem to have a lot to say, even if we can't understand you just yet.

You would sit like a zombie in front of the TV if I let you, so I try to schedule Aidan's TV/quiet time during your nap. Doesn't always work out that way.

Dirt. You love it. 'Nuff said.

You apparently look good in pink, 'cuz I put you in it a lot. Sorry 'bout that. I really don't put you in pink ALL the time. Just like your mama, you look good in blue, white, green, and brown.

(I actually bought these striped pj's for my friend's daughter and now Lilah gets to wear them! The perks of having a girl and getting hand-me-downs!! I can't get over the cuteness of my little jailbird.) : )

Stop means, "Go faster?"

2011-06-01T23:03:00.000-07:00

There's a time for running. Or ruh-NING.

There's also a time for stopping. But this little concept seems to be lost on my 3-year-old. Case in point... on Sunday, I took Aidan to his first open swim at the YMCA.

I should've known what was coming. We walk in and a kid (probably Aidan's same age, but way more communicative) says, "Don't forget, you have to get your hair wet first. And when your mommy says it's time to go, you have to go, no complaining. And never run on the pool deck."

Wise words, kid.

Aidan was in a great mood... even after we had to go all the way back home to get my swimsuit bottom (apparently I grabbed two tops -- I like to mix and match, but a swimsuit top and underwear wasn't gonna cut it.) Anyway, he didn't fuss. He didn't even complain. We went home and then went all the way back to the pool. He got in. He swam! He really liked the swim noodles and wanted to steal them from every kid. But he was sharing them too. He kept saying, "I'm wimming, I'm wimming!" So proud.

So then comes time to LEAVE. Yep. That crappy time you dread, 'cuz you know your kid's gonna throw a tantrum worse than Charlie Sheen's. Sooooo, being the good mommy that I am, I gave him PLENTY of warning. A lot.  I laid it out clear as day what was about to happen. We'll get out and dry off with your monkey towel. You can lock yourself inside the locker if you want. And then we'll go see Dada! Blah, blah, blah, you know what's coming next...

I steer him to the stairs and he starts fussing. And more fussing. But he finally complies and gets out, and even says bye-bye to the pool and the noodles. But once he hits the pool deck, it happens.  He RUNS. I mean, full speed ahead. Here's how it went down...

Aidan takes off running.
The lifeguards are blowing their whistles wildy, yelling, "STOP! STOP!!"
The entire pool is silent.
I'm speed-walking after him, yelling and trying not to fall myself (and look like a big goober.)
The lifeguards are trying to get him from the other direction.

And there's my boy.  Taking his victory lap with a huge smile on his face, in his little Thomas the Train swimsuit.  I swear I could faintly hear the theme from Chariots of Fire in the distance.

A lifeguard finally catches up to him (more like Aidan caught up to her) and holds him while I get there. Of course, he's squirming and yelling, "Yet go!" My face is red, my adrenaline's going. I'm also wondering if I look horrible in my swimsuit. But that's beside the point. I get Aidan into the locker room and he's fine, happily playing in the locker and talking about how he went "wimming in the the waggle pool" (water pool.)

Soooooo... my question after all that is... when will they ever listen to the word "STOP?"

Just yesterday, Aidan went running out into the parking lot and kept going, even with a car coming and his Mama screaming. I thought the pool was different because the lifeguards were blowing their whistles and yelling the whole time (at other kids), so why would it mean anything to him? But when it's ME yelling, you'd think he would listen.

Is it a 3-year-old thing? Is it a boy thing? Is it fixable? Should I do a "stop-go" boot camp?? (seriously pondering that idea.) I usually solve the problem by avoiding those situations in the first place -- put him in a shopping cart while we're in the parking lot... carry him... hold his hand, if he'll let me. But sometimes, I just can't avoid it and he just has to listen.

But how??? I'm stumped. I've tried timeouts, but public timeouts don't work so well (because I'm usually by myself with both kids when this happens.) Looking for some wise parental advice.

And maybe a harness.

: )

The party, the pictures!

2011-05-21T00:23:00.000-07:00

Let's get straight to it... the pictures! (Photos by Keren Fenton, unless otherwise noted)

The birthday girl!

First view of the candy buffet (love the dishwasher door open - see the full details of the candy buffet here)

After we finally got the kids and ourselves ready, we headed out back to get a family photo (while my mom slaved away in the kitchen, finishing salads and cupcakes for me!) I couldn't believe it - Aidan actually stood still for a picture! Granted, he wasn't looking at the camera the first time, but I think he's finally getting it.

And then when Aidan was looking, Lilah decided to have her glare on. Ugh. : ) Good thing she's so cute...

Playing with the kids...

I'm picturing this next one on the thank you cards... whatcha think?
"Thank you from the bottom of our ~~feet~~ hearts. Hope you had a smashing good time."

Kameron worked her creative magic again and whipped up shirts (and that adorable lemon skirt!) for the kids. She surprised me by adding the awesome lollipop on Lilah's "1" shirt, and a popsicle (complete with a lemon and the "bite", just like the invites) on Aidan's. I didn't want to ruin the shirts before the guests came (Lilah needed lunch, Aidan is still drooling), so I put them on when the first guest walked through the door.

"Sky high"

My mom put together some wonderful salads - a pasta salad (pictured below), a chicken cashew salad that everyone gobbled up, and a fresh fruit salad. She also doubled as my server and got everyone food and drinks! Pretty much, she was the hostess and I dealt with my kids. Ha! Thanks, Mom. Couldn't have done it without you! And Lindsay, my sis-in-law -- she's a frosting maker/dishwasher extraordinaire!

Lunch time! (wait, wasn't I supposed to wait until after lunch to change into this shirt? Oops.)

The wall of photos!

I printed out Lilah's 52 weeks onesie project pictures at Costco (9 cents each, on sale!), with a simple white border. I intended on hanging them, like on a clothesline. But the night before the party, I realized that would be one loooonnnng clothesline. So, I stole my Christmas card display spot and stuck 'em up on the pantry door. Turned out to be a great spot where people could stop and see the Lilah evolution. And it turns out, Aidan (and Lilah too) are still enjoying them!

Aidan always says, "Lilah yeeping" (sleeping) for this one (she was actually just squinting):

And "Lilah happy" for this one:

Yellow & green decor (I stuck an invite in the potted plant)...

You see that lemon print above? I made that. I saw this one online, and decided I could save a few bucks and design it myself. Not too shabby! I made a version with light yellow letters I liked better than the white, but it was too big for the frame and I didn't have time to reprint. So I gave it to Keren as a souvenir!

I also created this 16x20 "subway" sign for the entryway. Well, it was supposed to look like a subway sign. Too bad it didn't... but it was still festive.

I found this cute tray at Target and thought it would be perfect for the drinks (lemonade, of course!) And the yellow & green straws were on clearance at Michael's. Just had to snip off about 2 inches and then they fit perfectly. I envisioned the ice and lemonade already in the cups, ready to serve, but my mom did a great job of making drinks for everyone.

The candy buffet again

You can see the yummy salads, drinks, and my after-Easter clearance ice bucket in this shot. The green & white bowls were from Ross (or was it Marshall's?), which I bought last year.

In the spirit of this yellow & greenness, I decided to spray paint my patio set. The red paint was peeling away and I had planned on giving it a fresh coat anyway. I couldn't decide between a yellow table/green chairs or green table/yellow chairs. So I did what every girl does... I made my friend Marie decide for me!! Love her choice. : )

Got Aidan out front, in the hopes of getting a great shot of him in Kameron's shirt, but he was so bored with Mom's photo shoot idea. Ho hum. He's soooo three.

But he's still soooo sweet, too!

My friend Hollie had a great idea of doing a lemon-lime hunt, using easter eggs! I found a few packs at Michael's that had a lot of yellow & green eggs, but it wasn't enough for the kids [I thought] would be coming. So I decided to use the rest of my spray paint and spray the blue, purple, orange, and pink ones. Mental note: do not spray paint in the garage with the door closed. The house smelled like paint for a few days.

I filled the eggs with jelly bellies, green m&m's, Reese's cups (in green foil, of course - from Easter), and stickers. We ended up having 7 little kids (not counting mine) and 3 big kids at the party. I read online to have 10 eggs per kid, and I had well over that. Thus, why Eilis had a whole bucketful! But she thought she was pretty rad getting all of those eggs!! My nephews did the egg hiding and man, they were good! I mowed the lawn yesterday and found two more (and one had a Reese's cup! Fist pump!!!)

My friend Christy took this picture of the egg hunt, about to start. Don't you love Eilis and Ellie in their yellow & green?? I was thrilled people actually dressed in the colors - adults too!

And a picture I snapped of the egg hunt, in progress...

Ok, back to Keren pics... here's Marie and her little man Thomas. Nice green Chucks!!

Aidan was not at all interested in the egg hunt, but I managed to get him over with the other kids for a moment.

And we found an egg!

Eilis literally had a bucketful. I told you.

Ellie scored too!! And Christy & Ellie (and Bob) get "best dressed." : ) Check out Ellie's fruit loop necklace! Such a great party project for little girls.

Here's a pic Christy snapped of the girls. Ava, not pictured, ended up getting refills!!

And here's a pic I took of Eilis, stringin' 'em up!

Check out the loot! Holy cow.

If you recall, Aidan hasn't been interested in presents thus far. So I really had my doubts this time, especially since he was happily running around outside, and probably would kick and scream to come inside. But, when I asked him, "Do you want to go open presents?" he quickly said, "Yep!!" and headed in. Alright! He grabbed this first one and we went for it! (Too bad it was clothes. haha But he actually studied the socks Nana Marie got him for a long time.)

(by the way, don't you love my yellow & green necklace? An etsy find!)

Presents for Lilah bean too!

"Vroom, vroom!" An airplane from Eilis and Thomas.

Sunglasses from Ava & Riley (she actually got another pair from Drew & Hannah too! This girl's stylin'.)

Cousin Corbin was soooo cute with Lilah!

I've been friends with this girl since 4th grade!!! Love ya, Christy!

Time for cake! Like I said in my previous post, I wish I had [listened to my mom] made lemon cupcakes and a vanilla cake. I did a lemon cake and it was awesome, but no one ate it! You'll see why...

I almost cried here... first of all, Aidan did not scream or yell, "Don't ying!" (sing) during a lovely rendition of "Happy Birthday." AND he blew out the candle!! Chad and I were so proud. And thanks, Keren, for catching that candle, smoke and all!

Lindsay got this picture - love the excitement on our faces!

Originally, I was just going to put a slice on Lilah's tray, and serve up the rest. But Keren persuaded me to give her the whole darn thing. Probably thinking Lilah would stick both hands (or her face) in it and get all mucky. Apparently, Lilah is much too ladylike for such messy shenanagins.

Ok, getting a little messier...

And here's where it took a "bride and groom at a wedding" turn...

Here are the shots Christy snapped... shows her reluctant reaction!

And my mom got these... heehee!

Aidan had his own cake agenda. He decided to lick off the tops of FOUR cupcakes. Everytime I said, "No more," someone would give him one. Seems he knows who to ask.

Reading a new book with Oma...

One of my favorite pics of the day (that I managed to catch on my own camera.) Dig in, little buddy. : )

In the end, we had 9 kids total, 3 preteens/teens, and 16 adults. PLENTY. The house was packed as it was, so I'm glad the other 30 people couldn't come (what was I thinking???) Lilah took a nap in the middle of the party, but otherwise, the kids both did great. No major tantrums, besides Aidan not really wanting to go out for the egg hunt. I think the toys and balloons in the living room helped the gift-opening time go smoothly. And I'm sure all of the candy didn't hurt either.

Here's my short list of what I forgot:

* the juice boxes (in the trunk of my car!) Luckily, the kids drank the lemonade.
* to take more pictures of other guests
* to recover my cupcake stand
* to make a first year video of Lilah (still plan to)
* to iron the tablecloth under the candy buffet (and take those darn gummy frogs out)

What really rocked: Chadly, fixing the backyard, the week before the party! (Remember our whole "the foundation is sinking" thing? He had a lot of trenches to fill.)

By this time, Keren put her camera away, but stayed to chat a minute. I DO wish we lived closer, Keren! Would love to hang out. I snapped this picture of Chad, only to show the now-empty candy buffet...

Lilah decided to go in for seconds on the cake. This time, she got a bib. : )

Lindsay got this picture... guess she went for a cupcake too!

Here's my nephew Corbin and his lemon-lime sugar attack. Since we were cramming his paper bag full of leftovers, he decided to transfer everything to a bucket. Wise choice, dude. Looks like you have plenty of room for more.

Here's a picture of my last-minute hanging lanterns (from Party City) I hung in the front. Glad I did, because apparently Chad missed the memo where I said, "Make sure you take the big pile of leaves by the front door to the yard waste." I didn't realize the pile was there (along with a Panera Bread box, waiting to be recycled) until I walked the last guest out. Wonder what everyone thought!! Hopefully, they were so mesmerized by the lanterns, they ignored the leaves. Chad!!!!

And finally, Lindsay got this picture of Aidan, sporting his cousin's DC hat (at least I hope it's a DC hat... what do I know??)

Sooo... peace out, yo! That's a lemon-lime over-the-top birthday party wrap!!!

(pssst! For complete pictures, click on Keren's pics, my pics, Mom's pics, and Christy's pics! Whew.)

Extravagant gifts of deliciousness!

2011-05-19T17:06:00.000-07:00

(We've been watching "Megamind" lately... haven't you?) : )

It has shamefully been almost 2 weeks since the kids' lemon-lime shindig and I haven't mustered the energy for a party recap. But at least I satisified all of you with pictures!! Who cares about the wordy stuff, right???

Well, the professional pics from Keren are here and it's time to officially wrap this baby up! So, let's start with the centerpiece, the highlight, the cause for many a headache/toothache/bellyache... the candy buffet!

(pictures by Keren Fenton Photography & by me!)

Here's how it all went down...

1. (the #1 is in the bottom right corner... stupid place for it, but whatever.) The "candy scoops," aka shovels! I found buckets w/shovels at Michael's for $1 each. I couldn't believe how functional these bad boys were. The pails worked for the egg hunt, the shovels as candy scoops, and then the kids all got to take them home as a favor.

2. My DIY "Sweet Shoppe" sign. Designed it in Fireworks (like photoshop) and printed it out on the computer. Last minute idea to throw it in the frame. Genius.

3. Swirly lollipops and the stands I made (remember this post?)

4. Old-fashioned candy sticks in Ikea buckets (pineapple, pina colada, & sour apple.)

5. Lemon & key lime fruit slices on a rectangular tray from Target. I almost didn't get to try them, but luckily there was 1 left of each flavor. Yummy, but super tart!! I bought two trays, thinking I'd use a tray for each flavor, but I'm glad they all fit on one.

6. Taffy - watermelon laffy taffy & key lime salt water taffy (laffy taffy - yum.  Salt water taffy? Disgusting. I was so bummed! That's the problem with ordering online.)

7. The cake plate that held Lilah's lemon smash cake. No, I am not a professional cake decorator.

8. Pineapple slices - yum! My favorite. I found this vase in the closet at the last minute and it was perfect.

9. Sour Nerds

10. Gumballs - white (Double Bubble original), yellow banana, and green apple. Note: 2 1/2 lbs. of gumballs x 3 flavors = TOO MUCH. I had 5 lbs. leftover. But I needed all three colors, right??

11. Sour Patch Apples (this wasn't their official name, but that's what I called them. Chadly's favorite.) Borrowed this cute little apothecary jar from my mom.

12. Jelly Bellies (lemon, lemon drop, lemon-lime, juicy pear, and margarita. I boycotted buttered popcorn, despite Chad's pleading. Yuck.) I originally had a tag on this jar and the lemonheads next door, but I liked the look of them without bulky signs blocking their colorfulness. Thought 2 lbs. of jelly bellies would be enough, but Chad insisted on 4 lbs. - yes, he really got into this candy buffet thing! Good thing Top Foods is close!! And sure enough, all 4 lbs. were GONE.

13. Lemonheads - did 4 lbs. of these as well and had leftovers. Love how full they looked, though!
14. Laffy taffy ropes - these were my "height" compromise over the tall unicorn lollipops I really wanted (they were too pricey.)

15. Gummy frogs - unfortunately, I forgot to take them out of their blue packaging until halfway through the party, when Keren looked puzzled and said, "What's in there??" Too bad the jar was too big for the 2 lb. amount, but no leftovers = happy mama. : )

16. Groovy Pops - another find from Michael's.  Had my eye on these and the Sour Nerds when the lemon-lime theme came along.

17. Toothbrushes!  Printed out a sign that said, "4 out of 5 dentists recommend this candy buffet," but I thought it looked too busy. Everyone thought they were hilarious anyway, and people actually took them! By some miracle, I found these two-packs of yellow & green toothbrushes at the dollar store.

18. Lilah's Land of Nod suitcases came in handy for adding some height to the display. I used two underneath the toothbrushes, and then the big one under the Nerds jar. But the suitcases are pretty flimsy, so I shoved a kid-size shoebox inside the big one to hold up the jar. Worked like a charm! I also wrapped the handles in yellow ribbon... couldn't have BLUE handles in my lemon-lime buffet! Scandalous.
19. Lifesavers Wint-O-Green mints and Spearmint Balls (both invidually wrapped.) I got slightly addicted to the lifesavers and finished off the leftovers all by myself. My poor diet.
20. Lemon Drops.  Loved these as a kid.  Borrowed another apothecary jar from my mom.

21. Apparently I skipped #21. Oops.
22. Bags for the candy, on clearance at Michael's. Sweet! I could've used lunch sacks, but these craft bags were a little more heavy duty.
23. Tablecloth from Target. I originally bought this to hang on the wall above the white shelf in the playroom, so I could have a backdrop to the candy buffet. But I soon scrapped that idea when I realized my jars wouldn't fit on that shelf (and it would be within the kids' reach. Not good.) Wish I had taken the time to iron the stupid thing.

(you might need to scroll back up to the original numbered photo, just to see what the heck I'm referring to)
24. No, Aidan does NOT watch Barney. It's just a preview on one of his Thomas DVDs. Just to be clear.
25. My sister-in-law Lindsay asked me if I changed out the mats on these pictures to match the theme. Although, it sounds like something I would've done, they were already yellow & green.
26. I inherited these tab-top valances from the previous owner and I'm so over them!!!  Just had to point that out. I want woven shades or something more modern.

27. My tissue paper puff balls! So in love with them that I can't take them down. Might be up until Christmas.

I also used green m&ms to fill some of the eggs for the lemon-lime hunt, and added the leftovers to the buffet (using a jar I found in my bathroom that morning.)

And don't forget about the cupcakes!!

I intended on recovering my cupcake stand in yellow & green, but just ran of out time. So I put them on green trays behind the candy. I called them my "cow pie" cakes... the frosting was a little too thin to make a really nice "pouf." I made vanilla cupcakes and a lemon smash cake and wish I had reversed it -- the lemon cake turned out really yummy, but no one got to eat it! Well, except for these two...


One yummy treat that didn't make the cut were these marshmallow pops (the green are dipped in candy melts and rolled in sprinkles, the yellow are sprinkled with water and then yellow sprinkles.) I tried them out at Easter and while I thought they were tasty, only the preteen cousins ate them. And I wasn't thrilled with the shade of green. And, as my mom said, "You have enough already!!!"

Soooo... now that I've done it once, I'm wondering if candy buffets will be expected around here? I could live with that.  I'm already scheming next year's bash...

(Oh wait, I told Chad, "This will be the LAST BIG PARTY. I promise." Oops. Can I pull the "I had my fingers crossed" trick??)

More to come...

Boys and their listening skills

2011-05-16T22:04:00.000-07:00

This afternoon, the kids and I were playing out front. Lilah started walking towards the backyard and Aidan stopped at the gate and yelled, "Yi-yah, come here! Yi-yah, come here NOW!!! One... two... four... five... ok, timeout! Timeout, Yi-yah!!!"

Apparently, Aidan's listening.

Wish I could say the same for my dear husband. In one day, he managed to unpack the diaper bag I already packed (thus sending Lilah with NO clean pants and a too-big onesie), messed up on the PB&J directions (don't ask), and came home with the wrong kind of milk for the kids (and no milk for me.)

BUT... he also came home with Dreyer's Slow-Churned Cookies n' Cream, so I'll forgive him and his apparent short-term memory. : )

(here's a picture of said husband, after his long day of forgetfulness... sleeping with a wet diaper in his hand, snuggling my girly pink bathrobe. And since he has one busy week of presentations ahead of him, I have no fear of him striking revenge on me. Besides, I don't do weird things like sleep with diapers. Sorry, Chad, but you're weird.)

Lilah @ 1, Aidan @ 3

2011-05-13T22:04:00.000-07:00

Warning: this post contains pre-party pictures. Sorry, but I've been busy! And they're still cute, I promise!!

(And I want to wait until I get the pics my friend Keren took of the party anyway. Yes, we had a photographer! I can take my own, but it was nice not being stuck behind the lens. And I'll actually be IN a couple! If you realllllly can't wait, here are my pictures, my mom's pictures, and my friend Christy's pictures of the party on flickr.) ; )

Communication

Lilah's words: Dada, Mama, and lots of other vowels, consonants, babbling & screeching

Aidan's new phrases: "Come heeeeee-yuh, Mama!"
"I'm coming!"
"Yuck, meow, No! Don't yo up!" (throw up)
"Dada, don't yell at Mama!"
"Mama, don't yell at Dada!"
"Mama, No! Don't yell at Aidan!" (apparently he thinks we yell... a LOT.) : )
"Dank you, Mama. You're welcome." (he likes to say both at one time)
"Dat mine. Dat Aidan's."
--- he has an incredible memory and is still talking about the train that was broken at Sophia's house and how Dada's kite hit him on his head at the beach.

Motor skills

Lilah: walking!! And on her birthday too. Before Friday, she walked 1-3 steps at a time. On her birthday, she walked from the living room to the kitchen. She walks with her arms up, like a field goal, and prefers to carry a piece of clothing when she goes.

Aidan: can thread beads on necklaces by himself and get shoes/clothing on and off successfully. Seems to be ambidextrous.

Nutrition

Lilah: loves it spicy! She downed half a piece of meat lover's pizza at Drew's party last weekend. Ate half of my smokehouse turkey sandwich from Panera. And will try pretty much anything, although it might end up on the floor.

Aidan: pretty much opposite of above... except if he doesn't like something, it ends up on the floor too. Not sure when this pickiness will turn around. It's exhausting and stressful for Mama around mealtimes.

Milk

(figured I'd dedicate an entire section to this. Aidan would be quite pleased.)

Lilah: made the switch to a sippy cup in ONE day about a month ago. She drinks about 3 sippy cups of milk a day (cold, too! No warming milk up in this house) and will also drink water or juice at mealtimes.

Aidan: will ask for milk when he's hungry, milk when he's grumpy, milk when he's bored. ALL DAY LONG. It works as a great bribery tool.

Growth

Lilah: is wearing size 18 months and will be moving in 18-24 and 2T very shortly. Size 5 shoe, but could be 5 1/2 if they made them.

Aidan: depending on the brand, he wears size 4T or even 5T tops, and 3T or 4T bottoms. Thankfully his shorts from last summer all still fit! Size 10 1/2 shoe.

Potty-training

Lilah: Um, still a ways off (but I'm hoping for earlier than 3.)

Aidan: if I take his diaper off, he'll go naked for awhile and ask to pee in the potty (standing up), but he has still never (not ONCE) pooped in the potty. Summertime is my goal (and his deadline.)

Napping

Lilah: 1-2 naps a day.

Aidan: none. He'll fall asleep if we're in the car around 4pm, but it doesn't make for a very pleasant evening when he wakes up.

Nighttime

Lilah: still waking up once a night (if not more.) We're going out of our minds. Sometimes it's teething-related, sometimes she just needs more calories at dinner. Sometimes she does bless us by sleeping through, but those are always the nights we're staying up late, so we're still exhausted. (yes, call us stupid. We're too tired to care for your insults.)

Aidan: sleeping-through-the-night champ since 6 months old! He's even put himself to bed, when he's really tired.

Playtime

They're playing together!! Chase (albeit slooooow for a toddling Lilah), peek-a-boo, tickling, wrestling, playing at the train table, throwing sand in each other's eyes (oh wait, that was just Aidan), and jumping on Aidan's bed. If I ever doubted why I had kids so close together, I don't anymore. : )

Love you, Pod & Bean!

49, 50, 51... we're almost there!

2011-05-01T08:16:00.000-07:00

When Lilah was just a wee 11-week-old, I stumbled across a blog that was documenting their 11-week-old with weekly pictures. The wardrobe? A plain white onesie. The backdrop? A yard of fabric. The secret? A photoshopped logo.

I managed to capture Lilah in this fashion from weeks 11-33.

Week 34 was around Christmas and I totally forgot, so I found a pic from that time and added the logo. I call it Das Foot.

Got back on track for weeks 35-43, with a couple misses here and there.

It wasn't easy to find the perfect time, the perfect lighting, where Lilah was in a cooperative mood, and Aidan wasn't yelling at me to, "Go DAT way!" or ripping the fabric out from under his sister's bum.

Finally, I just conceded. Lilah would NOT stay on her back, would not pose in front of fabric on the wall (she crawled away before I got the lens cap off), and even if she did sit for a second, she was grabbing at the fabric in such hysteria that it lost it's original effect.

But a quitter, I am not. With week 52 (and the end of this project!) on the horizon, I decided to go back to all the weeks I missed and add the logo somewhere in the picture (similiar to weeks 1-10.) My creativity won't blow your mind or anything. But at least I'll have a picture for EVERY SINGLE WEEK hanging up at Lilah's 1st birthday party next Saturday.

Here's a peek at the entire collection (you can see it here)...

Here are a couple from way back when, just 'cuz...

And here are the pics I added this weekend to make the collection almost complete...

Gave the ol' fabric a shot. Notice the bribery lens cap in her hand. : )

That's a hairclip in her mouth. It's the only way she tolerates me putting one in her hair.

Another attempt at the fabric. Ahhh, just forget it!!

She just happened to be wearing a white onesie here. Gotta love laundry baskets and low evening light.

Hand-me-down dress, borrowed ears, and a little smile on Easter!

And second to last... eating Mama's birthday cake at 51 weeks. I'd say she's ready for a smash cake, don'tcha think??

Now I know you're expecting something amazingly creative for week 52. But maybe I'll just get lucky and Lilah will lie on her back on some lemon/lime fabric!!

And thanks, Kam, for letting me borrow half of the fabrics above!! Saved me some money and time at the fabric store (by the way, never EVER go to JoAnn's on a Sunday afternoon with 2 kids in tow. As I grab number 42, they say, "Now serving 10. 10, please." Ugh!!)

34 & counting...

2011-04-28T00:11:00.000-07:00

1. There are three things I detest in the world that everyone else seems to love: mushrooms, bleu cheese, and coffee. I know, someone hunt me down and shoot me.
2. My body will never conform to skinny jeans or high heels.
3. I would love to travel more, but I don't like flying. Or eating exotic foods. So that pretty much rules out my "Eat Pray Love" adventure.
4. I always wanted a boy first and then a girl. Woohoo, I'm done having kids!!
5. Morning is not my friend - I am a serious night owl. But, ironically, I'm also afraid of the dark.
6. I'm a lefty!
7. I hardly wear a smidge of makeup (lip gloss is it), but I love the compliments I get when I actually put on mascara. Or wear my hair down.
8. I eat a bowl of ice cream almost everyday.
9. I like to cook, but always seem to screw up a recipe - cook it too long, too short, miss an ingredient, etc. And even when I follow it to a tee, it still comes out funny. I swear my oven is not set right. Yeah, that's it. My oven is messed up. : )
10. I have never smoked or done drugs and I hate the taste of alcohol. And I didn't even realize people in high school were drinking (because we were underage, right??)
11. I lived in England for 3 1/2 years when I was 20. Wish I had seen Italy. Oh yeah, and I'm half British. Thanks, Dad!
12. I have never met any of my cousins.
13. I have serious claustrophobia... crowded elevators, backseats of cars, airplanes before the air vents come on, even sitting on the inside of a booth at a restaurant. It's embarassing.
14. Cats are my favorite. Dogs can go stuff it.
15. I heart TV, but have tried to limit my couch potatoness in recent years.
16. I was in a Glee flash mob a few weeks ago. Wish I could quit my job and become a professional flash-mobber-er. Best. day. ever.
17. I avoid, at all costs, blowing my nose in front of others. At some point in my childhood, my nose started "honking" when a Kleenex came near, and it hasn't stopped since.
18. I regret or second guess myself on a lot of things. I sometimes wish I could just move on and be happy with my decisions.
19. I inherited some sort of gorilla gene from my parents and have a rather large monthly waxing bill. Poor Lilah doesn't stand a chance. Guess it'll be mother-daughter bonding at the spa!
20. I have a horrible memory of my childhood. Thank goodness for pictures.
21. I'm a picker. You know, scabs, pimples, picking out the wax in my kids' ears. It's a problem. There must be a support group.
22. I love when the house is clean, but somehow can't keep it that way for more than a day. And don't even bring up my car...
23. I'm a wuss about scary movies. Or scary anything. Are you seeing a trend? Afraid of the dark, small spaces, bugs, downhill skiing, dressing room mirrors (oh, the horror!!)
24. I'm supposed to wear glasses, but they always gave me a headache. So stop asking if I'm mad - I'm just squinting!
25. I'm a little OCD at times... like when I realized my Christmas cards were slightly not centered, I wanted to have them all reprinted.  Or when kids help me fold programs for concerts, I sometimes go back and redo them. And if you have a wall of pictures in your house and they aren't all level, watch out!
26. I would love to just pick up and move somewhere else, but I don't have that free-spirit gene.
27. When I first met Chad, I was thrilled he played the piano. But I was even more thrilled when I discovered I was better than him.
28. I only use small forks and big spoons. Who uses those big forks anyway? Don't they stab the back of your mouth?
29. I have a thing for letters and numbers.  Always thought it was a cosmic sign that my name had 7 letters like my mom's, and my brother's had 5 letters like my dad's. So when we came up with Lila and stuck the "h" on the end, I was at peace (since Aidan has 5 letters too.)
30. I've been on TV three times. On one of my TV appearances (in 4th grade), I said, and I quote, "I like fudge." Nice. I've also played the piano live on the radio.
31. I've been known to say some pretty hilarious one-liners... but I'm also a huge dork and sometimes words completely escape me.
32. My friends used to call me a "one beer kind of girl."
33. I've only been to 2 music concerts in my life -- Diana Krall in Seattle and the Red Hot Chili Peppers in London. Don't worry - I've seen plenty of Broadway shows. I DO get out.
34. In my fantasy life (where I'm still 29 and rockin' a pre-baby body)... 1) I'll impress all of my friends with my mad jazz piano improv skills (which I have ZERO), and 2) I'll bust out some crazy gymnastics tumbling routine in front of a crowd of people (um, I can't even do a cartwheel.) I guess that's why they're called fantasies.  Shall we throw in "walk the runway with Heidi Klum during a Victoria's Secret show, wearing a padded bra and big angel wings?" Sure.

Happy Birthday to me!

Sucker!

2011-04-13T23:04:00.000-07:00

Remember how I said I ordered these lollipops for the kids' party?

And remember this picture of one amazing candy buffet?

Well, I wanted a way to stand up my lollipops too. But how??

In the same box as the lollipops, came my order of banana and sour apple Laffy Taffy ropes (I know, I know, you wish you were all invited.) : ) I took one look at the empty box and the idea hit me... I could poke holes in the box and stand the lollipops upright! I could even cover the box with some yellow & green wrapping paper I picked up on sale at Target.

Here's what I did (because I'm sure a sucker stand is just the tutorial you need!!)...

1. Laid out the lollipops to estimate placement. Yes, there's one missing. Any guesses on who took it?? : )

2. I drew a (not-so-straight) line through the estimated center of the rows (I wanted a middle row too.)

3. Used a push pin to poke a hole where the center of each sucker would go. I didn't use a ruler or measure anything exact. It's just a sucker stand, after all. Not like they'll be there for long!

4. Poked the push pin around to create a bigger hole, and then poked one sucker through to check the fit.

After thinking I was soooooo clever, I took one look at my final creation and slapped my hand on my forehead. How would I ever get them to stand up straight??? My OCD kicked in on high, as I kept standing them up (and cursed as they fell right down again.) I needed something underneath to keep them from falling over.

Enter... florist styrofoam.

I raced off to Michael's and came across a piece that was a perfect fit inside the Laffy Taffy box. Well, length and width-wise anyway. But it was a little too tall, and once I wrapped the box, the styrofoam would show. Although it IS a yellow & green party (and the styrofoam was green), I didn't want it to show.

Here's where I should've listened to my husband. Yes, that's right, honey. He suggested I just wrap the styrofoam too. Totally could have worked. But no. I decided to take a kitchen knife and hack away at the styrofoam for an hour, sawing off all that would show on the bottom. It was completely mindless and somewhat satisfying in the end, though, when I took my final picture...

(and yes, changing up the location and lighting always helps for a great "after" shot!)

After I wrapped the box, I poked the push pin through the back, through the paper. The paper tore a little, but not enough to notice. I made this yellow one (with it's stupid crinkly corners - argh!), and also one with the yellow/green dots paper. So excited for the candy buffet, which I clearly admit is more for ME and the other adults than anything. In fact, I doubt my friends will let their kids take more than a piece! The white/yellow/green apple gumballs have arrived, and the green gummy frogs. Don't forget the key lime pie salt water taffy, lemon drops, green m&m's (woohoo!!), spearmint balls, and the sour apple/pineapple/piña coloda candy sticks. Oh, and the lemon & lime jelly fruit slices.

Yes, clearly this is more for ME than anything!! And yes, I'll be going for a lonnnnnnng jog that morning. And afternoon. And probably nighttime too. : ) Thank goodness my diabetes is gone (knocking on wood!!!)

Big brother, little sister.

2011-04-12T23:29:00.000-07:00

(as with all of my sibling photo shoot attempts, this was spur of the moment and not highly successful. I'm pretty sure neither kid wanted anything to do with me or my camera... not when Thomas the Train is on!)

Um, what are you doing with that camera? And why did you spike my hair?

"No, no, Yi-yah!!"

(whah, whah, cough, cough... hmm, what's happening on TV?)

Aidan: Ok, FINE. I'll be good.

Lilah: Aren't I the cutest??

Are we done yet??

(Yay, he smiled!!)

And you say I always smile. Ha!

Lilah @ 11 months

2011-04-12T22:52:00.000-07:00

Can it be? (sniff, sniff)
Is it almost time? (sniff, sniff)
For my sweet Lilah bean to turn ONE???

Sniffity, sniff.

(FYI - random pictures ahead! Some actually go with what I'm saying, some are just pictures Chad & I have taken for fun.)

You are starting to talk! You say "dada" a lot and "mama" only sometimes. I was the star of Aidan's vocabulary for a lonnnnnng time, so it's Daddy's turn to feel special. : ) You also say, "hih-dih" for "kitty." Sometimes, I think you're saying "Ah-dih" for Aidan. At mealtime, you imitate inflection for "all done" and "more." Exciting stuff, Lilah!

At your very late 9 month appt., you were 97% in all categories (don't have details beause Daddy took you, and "97%" was all he told me. I think maybe he said 23 pounds for your weight.)

You're standing by yourself and have taken a few steps! I imagine you'll be walking at your 1st birthday.

You're starting to use a sippy cup (took awhile) and we're transitioning you over to whole milk. Formula has not been great for you, so we're hoping regular milk will be more gentle on your system (and more gentle on our ears, since you scream and scream when your tummy hurts!)

Your mouth is full of teeth, it seems. Seven to be exact. 4 on top, 3 on bottom.

You're still wearing 12-18 month clothes, but I'm pulling out the 18-24's this weekend. And your little size 4 shoes are getting a smidge too small.

I still can't get over how happy you are. And how much you interact with people, imitating, flirting, being shy. I sometimes forget this little ball of Lilah cuteness is mine!!

You are playing with your brother more (or shall I say, he's "tolerating" playing with you?) : ) Tonight, he was jumping on his bed and you were slamming your hands on his mattress, laughing and squealing. The more you squealed, the more he jumped!

Your favorite spot is outside on the front porch, on the kids' bench. When I pull you away, you rage!!

You like Playdoh. Eating Playdoh, that is.

When you're hungry, you crawl over to the table and pull up on your chair. Unlike your brother, it is always clear what you want!

You're still not sleeping through the night every night. But hopefully the milk switch will help.

You're really into opening and closing cupboard doors right now. I loved watching your face the first time you discovered that "door slam" sound!

Your hair is out of control. Not sure if I should trim the front or just keep clipping it to the side. It's definitely in your eyes now.

I see that same mischievious spark in your eyes that I see in your brother's. I'm in for it, aren't I?

Yellow & green makes... PARTY!

2011-04-05T00:32:00.000-07:00

After seeing these cakes floating around on the internet, I decided (a year ago!) to have a rainbow-themed birthday party for the kids. A platter of rainbow-colored fruit, an assortment of rainbow-colored candies (hmm... Skittles, anyone?), a rainbow layer cake as the star. The possibilities were endless.

But then Keren (who did our maternity & newborn pics with Lilah) did a rainbow party for her daughter, and decided I had to be different (especially since she's going to photograph the party and attempt to capture a family pic beforehand.) So I took inspiration from Chad's brother's wedding last summer, and chose... lemon & lime! Of course Lilah will be the sweet & sassy lemon (dressed in yellow) and Aidan will be the sourpuss lime (in green.) heehee JUST KIDDING Aidan. You're not always a sourpuss.

Kam's whipping up an outfit any 1-year-old at a lemon-lime party would die to wear. (inspiration pic below.) And she's making a shirt for Aidan too. She's just that good. (Check out her etsy business, Punchkin Wear!)

Invitations were the easy part. HA! Yeah, right. They literally drained the life essence from me. Sort of like a podling (name that movie!!) But I was so pleased with them in the end. My uber-talented card-making friend Hollie offered to whip them up for me, and I almost took her up on it. But I'm glad, in the end, that I can take 100% credit for making these bad boys. Well, except that I totally stole the idea off the internet (here and here.) What can I say? I'm a great copycat.

I changed a few things from the tutorial I linked above. I didn't punch holes for the stick - just taped it down on the inside (tape runners are awesome!), and then taped the white insert (which I printed on my computer) to the stick (not to the green card, so it was kind of raised.) Love how it turned out. Oh, and I found the fonts here for free (the party info font is called "Pea Sarah Lynne" and the artsy font in the center is called "Pea Aimee." Love how hand-drawn it looks!) For anyone who has used kevin & amanda fonts before, they now have a link to download ALL of their fonts at once (over 200!!) The hardest part was narrowing down my favorites!

I stamped the envelopes with my citrus stamp and ordered these adorable silhouette labels with the kids' names on them. They had several "big brother/little sister" options. I liked "Carrie & Wyatt" too, but for some reason, I could only picture Kam's kids, Natey & Arielle. Maybe it was the longer hair in the back of the boy, like Natey's gorgeous curls. So I went with "Lucas and Carrie." The cowlick on the boy's head looks just like Aidan's. And I thought the balloons were fitting for a party. : )

And I've been working on the grand centerpiece of the party... a lemon & lime candy buffet! Here's my inspiration, courtesy of Amy Atlas events.

Of course mine won't be as colorful, since I'm only using yellow & green candy. But I've spent many an hour online, researching prices, finding just the right treats. Hardest part was finding candy in bulk that wasn't a 5 lb bag (maybe for a wedding, but not for a small party!) I really, really wanted these yellow malted milk balls (Whoppers), but could only find them for $80 for 5 lbs. Boo. And some companies had ridiculous shipping costs (seriously, $48??), which I didn't discover until just before checkout.

I almost bought these swirly lollipops (they were in my "cart" for a loooong time), but the price was just too much for the quantity. On the same site, though, I found these cheaper, smaller lollipops, that won't break the bank (or my kids' teeth!) Don't you love these 18" tall unicorn twister lollipops?? Just a passing dream.

I found plenty of other goodies too, including lemon & key lime pie jelly slices, green apple gumballs, lemonheads (of course!), and banana Laffy Taffy ropes... just to mention a few. Picked up a few more containers at Target. And can't you see glasses of lemonade on that tray? (the Nerds and Groovy pops are ready and waiting in our garage, right next to the kitty carriers!)

And that's not all! I'm also attempting to make my first cake pops! Kameron has inspired me (she's going through Bakerella's Cake Pops book in Julie & Julia style), so I thought I'd give them a try. Then I just need a smash cake for the kids (ya think Aidan would want one too??) and I'm set! My mom and I are doing a couple hors d'œuvres, but mostly, it's just sweets. My kind of party!!

(more finds at Michael's - a frame, placecard holders, $1 pails & bubble wands. And some fun ribbon from Art & Soul, a rubber stamp store here in Olympia.)

Found this cute lollipop candle for the smash cake. Even after telling the girl at the checkout that I was so excited I found a lollipop candle, she warned me THREE times about not eating the candle. She kept repeating, "You know it's not edible, right?" "You're not going to feed this to her, are you?" (pointing to Lilah.) "Um, this is a candle, not a real lollipop." I know it's a freakin' candle, ok????

I'm also doing some DIY decorating! Found this fun art print online and thought, I could make that! So I did (I'll take a pic of my final product at the party.) Just found a similar font, did a lot of tweaking of font sizes and placement, and voila! It's waiting for me at Costco right now, all printed out. $2.99 instead of $29. (mental note: I must stop saying voila! I swear, it's in every blog post.)

Here's the part where I'm stumped. I need some activities/games for the kids. Of course, I would love them to be lemon/lime related, but they don't have to be. We're having it at our house, so space is limited. Hopefully it'll be nice that day, so we can kick the kids outside. But since Aidan's train table (and our plethora of toys) are inside, I imagine the kids will be lingering indoors. Maybe a craft project? I don't have a huge dining room table, though. I thought about having them decorate their own cupcakes, but that was nixed when the "cake pops" idea came on board. Help!! Anyone have some fun ideas that your own kids liked at other parties??

I'm trying to get so caught up in the party-planning part, that I'll hopefully forget the fact that Lilah's turning 1 and Aidan's turning 3 (so I can avoid the sob-fest I know is coming.) I'm not ready to be a mom of a preschooler and a toddler. They're still my babies, aren't they?? Then again, I could be a mom of a fifth grader (my kids at school remind me all the time that I'm OLDER than their moms. And you were wanting an "A" in music? Ahem.)

So there you have it, folks. Obsessive party planning at it's finest.

p.s. stopped in at the Dollar Tree tonight, just for kicks, and guess what I found?? The pièce de résistance of my candy buffet... yellow and green toothbrushes!!! heehee Thought that'd be sorta funny, don'tcha think? I didn't actually expect to find 'em, but I literally walked down the first aisle, looked to my right, and there they were. I know, exciting stuff. : ) I only bought 6 packs (each came with one yellow & one green), since I figure not everyone wants a dollar store-quality toothbrush. Gotta have standards.

Preschool & mixed emotions

2011-03-31T23:05:00.000-07:00

May 11th. That's the day Aidan turns 3 and the day his Infant/Toddler Early Intervention services cease.  Now the process of evaluating him to either move up to the developmental preschool, or to exit out of the program, begins.

On Monday, Aidan sat through a cognitive evaluation. Lining up blocks, solving puzzles, flipping ducks off of spoons (not sure what that's testing, but it was our favorite!) And the result? He passed. I should be happy, right? Exclamation points or something?!?  I mean, my almost-3-year-old has cognitive skills good enough to not require extra attention.

But it made me worried.

I've been counting on him qualifying for the developmental preschool. In order to qualify, he has to either:
1) have a developmental delay of 1 standard deviation below the mean in 2 areas (such as cognitive & language, motor skills & social comunication, etc.) OR
2) have a delay of 2 standard deviations below the mean in 1 area.

For awhile, we all thought he'd qualify for sure in speech. But with his recent speech boom, that will most likely NOT be the case (although we have yet to do his speech eval.) Although, there's still sensory piece & social comunication, and his OT is in the beginning stages of her evaluation process.

Contrary to how I should've been feeling, though, my stomach sank when he passed his cognitive skills.  I started wondering if he would qualify for the preschool at all.

But don't I want him to exit out of the program? Wouldn't it be nice for him to NOT need a special preschool?

Well, that's the tricky part. There are some perks...

* Aidan would get specialized attention.
* The developmental preschool is FREE.
* He could even be towards the "top" of his class.
* It's 4 mornings a week (I think a routine would be great for him.)
* A bus picks him up and drops him off (although, am I ready for my 3-year-old to ride a bus????)
* The preschool is held at the same school where he'll attend Kindergarten. Less change for him, the better.

So, here's the one instance in Aidan's young life where I'm sorta hoping he "fails."  If it means he'd get extra attention that could essentially allow him to be more prepared for Kindergarten, it seems ok by me.

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Spring break starts tomorrow afternoon!!! I can hardly contain myself! Here's to catching up on blogging, posting pictures, getting my desktop fixed (finally!), continuing Lilah's onesie pics, and lemon-lime party planning! Oh, and we're going to Quinault Beach for a couple days with my mom. Here's to built-in babysitters!!

Lilah @ 10 months

2011-03-15T00:27:00.000-07:00

Once in awhile, I come up with blog ideas that aren't just monthly updates or a slew of the latest pictures. I've been dying to do a post on Lilah's great eating habits (thanks to the common-sense book Baby Led Weaning), or my dieting woes, or planning for the kids' upcoming lemon & lime birthday party, or about the crazy roller coaster ride called "looking for a new house - deciding to stay put - looking again - chickening out." OR I could blog about how Aidan's Lightning McQueen bike (and it's electronic noises) just went off randomly in the living room and scared the crap out of me! (oops, there I go with that word again. But what's up with toys doing that??? Possessed! I like Owen Wilson, don't get me wrong, but I don't need to hear his voice at 11:30 at night!!)

BUT... in the end, I never have time for those kinds of posts. Here it is, March 14th, and I'm already behind on Lilah's monthly update.

Our sweet, happy girl...

... is almost one year old. Gulp.

... is starting to claim her territory in the house. She's also been known to hit back. (You go, girl.)

... walks with a push cart, crawls off her belly, and like to shake her booty whenever she's standing up.

... went from two teeth to FIVE in one month. And I just felt her sixth coming through. That'll make 4 on top, 2 on bottom. Cah-razy!

... isn't necessarily some wonder-child in the eating department, but she definitely tries more than Aidan ever has. Still isn't a huge carrot or broccoli fan, but we're working on it. Best part is she eats on her own. No spoon-feeding, thank goodness! (ok, I help her with yogurt, but I load the spoon and she manipulates it.)

... got called a BOY again the other day. I had her in a navy blue top and fuschia pants (a cute hand-me-down from Kameron!) I guess the navy was questionable (despite the embroidered flowers), but fuschia pants?? Come on!!

... has discovered sucking in with her mouth (also known as slurping.) She slurps everything!! She even crawled over to the sliding door and slurped the window.

... still loves to be held when she drinks her bottle. Once in awhile, I put her down on the couch on a pillow (if I'm dealing with Aidan, etc.) She can hold her bottle just fine, but her big sad eyes look at me as if I've completely abandoned her. Drama queen!

... is going to look so dang cute in her lemon outfit (made by Kam, of course!) for her 1st birthday. I can't freakin' wait.

... has become shy. Had a playdate with my teacher friends (and their babies) and Lilah kept her kitty binky in her mouth the whole time! She even protected it from sneaky little Broderick, who was also fascinated with her hair (fascinated with pulling it, that is.) heehee Of course, we had to do a "just diapers" photo shoot! (Thanks Andrea, for these pictures! You're amazing!! -- check out Andrea's photography here! Makes me wish I had time to edit pictures again. I love when the colors just pop!)

... loves playing "I'm gonna get you!" while crawling up the stairs.

... hates being on her back. Diaper changes, getting dressed = no fun for Mama!

... isn't interested in books yet. When I try to read to her, she grabs the book from me and throws it around. I guess Aidan probably did the same at this age?

... laughs hysterically when Aidan gives her kisses or when we kiss her neck. Pretty much, she's one happy girl (unless she's on her back, eating broccoli, misplacing the hair clip she's slurping on, while her brother is simultaneously smacking her on the head and stealing her toys, and while Mama is getting her dressed.)

Other than that, she's happy. : )

p.s. The Lightning McQueen bike just got stripped of its batteries. It went off at least 5 more times since I started this post. Psycho!

Whoops.

2011-03-09T16:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I picked the kids up from the sitter's. I had just pulled out of the driveway and turned onto the road when I hear Aidan say, "Buggle up, Mama." (buckle up) After being amazed by his new phrase, I thought, I am buckled up.

Oh wait... Aidan wasn't.

Whoops.

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Also yesterday, I took Aidan to his OT appt. She brought out paper and feathers for Aidan to make a bird. He grabbed the glue stick and immediately put it on his lips.  Noooo!! Aidan, that's not chapstick! It's a GLUE stick!"

The OT asked me, "Doesn't he know how to use a glue stick?"

Whoops.

(So you mean I'm supposed to do arts and crafts with my kid??)

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And speaking of a glue stick, Aidan is working really hard on his final consonants (t, p, k.)  He can say, "wet" and "hat" with a great final "t." "Nope," "Yep," and "cup" are finally in his vocabulary. And "duck," "work," and "bike" have some really clear final "k" sounds.

So when he was playing with the little stick that we have in the window (so it won't open from the outside), I thought, Ooooh, a word that ends in a "k!" Perfect!

Just one problem... he can't say the "st" at the beginning.  He replaces "st" with "d."

So... now he's saying: _ ick.

(You know I can't actually write it. My blog would get flagged for bad language!!)

The best is when he says it's a "BIG stick." Good thing I warned Chad before he said that one.

Whoops.

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Oh, and speaking of Aidan's new-found imitation, he copied me (quite clearly, too) last night when I exclaimed to Chad,

"What the heck?!" (Aidan - "What the heck?!")

Whoops.

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I have a goal of losing 10 pounds before my 34th birthday (April 28th.)

I've lost precisely ONE.

(Maybe it's the Cadbury Creme eggs that keep popping into my cart at the grocery store. Darn those delicious eggs.)

Whoops.

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Your turn! What have you "oopsied" about this week? What moronic move made you slap your forehead like Homer Simpson and say, "Doh!!"? Or what terrific words have you said in front of your kids that they started copying?? Or tell me how addicted YOU are to those stupid calorie-filled creme eggs of goodness. Come on, make me feel better.

: )

Stocking up

2011-03-02T17:54:00.000-08:00

First, it was hats.

Photo courtesy of Keren Fenton Photography

And then headbands (or flying saucers, as we named this one.)

And then once that crazy, Flock of Seagulls hair came in, everything went out the window. I finally remembered I'd been given a set of alligator clip bows. With one swoop, Lilah bean went from this...

to this...

Now that clips were working, I needed more! A girl's gotta have one of every color, right? (that's how I shop, anyway.) Enter etsy. Specifically, Shining Stars Boutique. I just did a search for hair clips and liked what I saw from this seller. So I bought a few. Ok, maybe more than a few.

Here's Lilah, sporting her new pink & brown felt flower... of course, I couldn't actually get her to look at the camera properly. She was too busy picking crumbs (and peanut butter crackers) off the floor. I call this her Chris Farley look. heehee

And here's the loot! Some came in sets of 2 or 3, others in multi-packs.

But the one's I really wanted (like this cute cupcake or the sleepy owl) wouldn't have worked. Why?? Because they're for clipping on the left (part on the right.) Lilah's hair naturally goes the opposite way. So then I got thinking... which way does the average person part their hair? How did Shining Stars Boutique decide that parting on the right was the only way to go??

As I was browsing through celeb pics from the Oscars ('cuz I'm a people online addict), I noticed a definite mix of parts. Some on the left, some on the right, some down the middle. Which looks better? I part either down the middle or on the right (so a clip would go on the left.) Guess I could order myself that cute owl!

(It is obvious that Penelope Cruz just had a baby? Um, whoa.)

Anyway, which way do YOU part your hair? Do you change it up, or are you a girl of routine? When Chadly had long hair in high school (hmmm... need to scan THOSE pics), he parted it down the middle. No clips for him, I guess. : )

(But there is one boy in our house that likes 'em.) Shhh. Don't tell Daddy.

Week 42 - Too close, too close!

2011-02-26T22:53:00.000-08:00

Gone are the days where Lilah will happily pose on her fabric, on her back. Gone are the days where she'll happily pose in front of her fabric, on her bum. With my crazy boy, a TON of snow, and my dad visiting, this is the best I could get.

Hey look! I see Kameron's cute green fabric in the background! Hey, Lilah, go back there!! And take that crazy (but totally awesome and worth the money) binky out of your mouth! Her hair was beyond wild, so I thought I'd try a hat in honor of our winter weather, but it didn't quite go. And where'd that red balloon come from??? Ugh! Aidan's photo shoot sabotage!

Ok, hold on... I did get one photo before she crawled away. Hat? Wrong. Binky? Wrong. And she insisted on holding that pink sock.

Hmmm... better luck next week?

Pssst! If you click on the sidebar pic, I updated Lilah's weekly onesie photos over on flickr. You're welcome.

From the mouth of Aidan Pod

2011-02-22T23:17:00.000-08:00

"Moak!"

"No, honey, you can't have more milk right now."

"Moak RIGHT NOW!!!!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chad dumps out some Mini-Wheats on the table...

"Don't dooooooo daht, Dada! Mini-wheat all o'er da dable!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aidan is looking for his Mack truck... thinks it's at Julie's, the sitter...

"Geh Mah duh at Ooo-wee's."

"Honey, your Mack truck is in the car."

"Mah duh no Ooo-wee's? Mah duh in dar?? Yay!!!"

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When he sees ANY red vehicle...

"Yightning!!! Yightning dar!" (for Lightning McQueen)

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In a very sad voice, he's been saying (at least once a day)...

"Ghah bo-ay Eeeee-uh." (track broken at Sophia's.)

Went to my friend Susan's and he found a train set he had played with the last time we were there with her daughter, Sophia ("ee-uh.") We didn't want to set it up, so we pulled the old, "It's broken" line. Bad parents.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

To Tracy, the speech therapist, towards the end of her home visit...

"Go home!" (and he proceeded to open the front door to "show her the way.")

We were laughing AND proud of his new words at the same time!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Other words...

Hada! = tada!
whih-hoo = whistle
pah-gheh-do = popsicle (we like to pretend he's saying "Pa is ghetto.")
buh nay it = ???? (we like to pretend he's saying "butt naked." heehee Not that we EVER say that around our house. But he seriously says it a lot, especially when he's at his train table. I thought it meant chase it, but he says something different for that.)
"Yi-yah, don't dooooo dat!" OR "No, Yi-yah, mine!" OR "Moooove, Yi-yah!" = Lilah, stop touching my toys!

---- Good news! His final "k" sound is back (haven't heard it for a long time.) He said, "yuck." And for the first time ever, he said a really pronounced final "t." While we were reading the Spooky Wheels on the Bus, he said, "bat." He also said "wet" in the kitchen earlier.

Speech therapy, smeech therapy. You're doing awesome, Pod!

Menu planning... me???

2011-02-20T23:02:00.000-08:00

Never thought me, Little Miss No Cook, would be writing a menu planning post. Crazier things have happened I guess... like me actually being a whole hour early to pick up my dad from the airport. My district is on mid-winter break, which is a full week, so Chad & I flew my dad up from Tucson, AZ, to meet Lilah, see my brother, and marvel at how Aidan's grown.   So I decided that 6 nights of family dinners meant some organization. Some menu planning.

Took me awhile just to write my shopping list and even longer to shop, but luckily I've been cooking and trying out new recipes lately (I bought Jessica Seinfeld's second book, "Double Delicious"), so I kind of knew what I wanted to make.

So here goes the menu (Chadly approved & mostly good nutrition/low fat approved - whew!):

dinner -
Sunday - chicken pizza (from Double Delicious) -- had tonight. Yum.
Monday - chicken canneloni (Double Delicious) -- Chad's favorite!
Tuesday - broccoli cheddar soup (Panera Bread copycat recipe found here)
Wednesday - seafood fra diavolo (from the back of a Ronzoni "gemelli" noodle box) -- made when Starlet was here. And Kam's asparagus spears.
Thursday - chili & corn bread (Mom's recipe.) There is a cornbread recipe in Seinfeld's book, but I'm going to stick with a package mix. Since I'll be home alone with 2 kids and my dad, I need simple (Chad usually arrives in the middle or after dinner.)
Friday - black bean burgers & sweet potato fries (Double Delicious)

breakfast options -
1) french toast w/banana puree (Deceptively Delicious)
2) pumpkin oatmeal (Deceptively Delicious) -- this is Aidan's breakfast, lunch, and dinner preference.
3) cold cereal, eggs, toast, etc. The normal stuff. : )

lunch options -
1) balsamic chicken sandwich (Double Delicious) -- haven't tried yet.
2) protein-packed grilled cheese (Double Delicious) -- It's actually a bean spread on whole wheat bread, topped with mozzarella & baked (what Lilah devoured a few weeks ago.)  The spread is similar to hummus (and a lot better, in my opinion!)
3) leftovers, etc. The boring stuff. : )

dessert options -
1) ginger cookies (Double Delicious) -- these crazy cookies taste like soft gingersnap cake... but you'd never guess the secret "deceptive" ingredient!! BLACK BEANS. Can't taste 'em, I swear. I'll be posting this recipe as soon as I can.
2) nothing else homemade planned as of yet.
Nice part is Lilah will try everything listed above. Aidan? The oatmeal & the french toast. Seriously. Don't get me started on how frustrated I am with that kid... he's lucky he has "sensory integration disorder" as a partial excuse. : )

Figured I throw in one recipe, from tonight...

CHICKEN PIZZA
(my rotisserie chicken version - Jessica Seinfeld's version uses cooked chicken with lots of spices... I find the rotisserie chicken is tasty enough without adding anything.)

* 1 rotisserie chicken from the deli
* pizza dough (either fresh from bakery, Boboli brand, or Pillsbury brand found in the refrigerated section)
* shredded mozzarella cheese
* 1 cup jarred spaghetti sauce (she calls for 1 1/2 cups, but I always have extra since I'm using thick dough)
* 1/2 cup carrot puree (I use one 4 oz. jar Earth's Best carrot puree from baby aisle)
* toppings of your choice (fresh basil, peppers, mushrooms, etc.)

This is the 2nd time I've made this and it so easy... and delicious! The easy part? I bought a rotisserie chicken from Safeway and pulled off the meat into bite-size pieces.

Went to the bakery and asked for 2 things of "pizza dough" (they just give me hunks of dough they use to make their french rounds & loaves. Yummy, but don't except a typical round pizza - even Chad couldn't roll into in circle! It was sort of kite-shape.) Next time, I'm going to try out their wheat dough. Never been a big Boboli fan, so this bakery dough thing just sort of happened when I was talking to an employee. Anyone else have a quick n' easy pizza dough suggestion??   I know, I could probably make it from scratch, right? : )

Slather on the spaghetti sauce (Bertoli is my fave) and carrot puree mix (I've tried pureeing carrots myself, but it's nearly impossible to get them smooth. Don't even try.)

Add the chicken (1 chicken covered 2 pizzas), other toppings (I used sliced red pepper rings & lots of fresh basil), and mozzarella. I didn't measure the cheese - just used enough to cover the toppings.

Bake at 450 for 12-17 minutes. Serve with a garden salad topped with a yummy balsamic vinaigrette dressing. We were all full after 2 pieces... the crust is THICK and the chicken is filling! In fact, the 2nd pizza is sitting in the fridge, waiting for tomorrow's fridge-raiding.
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Sorry, no pictures. My mom always says I can't have a blog post without pictures, but my camera card's downstairs, where my dad is sleeping. So I'll upload sometime this week, in between hanging out with the kids, entertaining Papa Simon, cooking all these meals, cleaning up after all these meals, and... oh yeah, pulling my hair out. : )

Better late than never

2011-02-18T16:43:00.000-08:00

As I was cleaning off my desk last night, I found my stack of extra Christmas cards (you know, the ones I meant to give my friends whose addresses I didn't have because my stupid computer crashed three weeks before Christmas taking all of my address with it??? Whoa, that was a long sentence.) Anyway, I realized I never posted my card online, for all of my virtual friends to see!

So... without further adieu... Merry Christmas 2010!! : )

(recognize the big fat fake family photo? Yep, it made it on the card. Just ignore my bad hair day headband.)

I printed them out at Costco, $.39 each for a 5x7. The expensive part is actually buying the envelopes. But I found some online that were self-stick!! That's the only way to go. And I think I might keep up the tradition of the "mini-Christmas letter" on the card. Worked out well. If you didn't receive yours this year, sorry!! Hopefully my computer will be cooperating this winter (fingers crossed.)

Now back to enjoying my kid-free moment (naptime!!) : )

Cinderelly, Cinderelly

2011-02-17T17:01:00.000-08:00

Now that I've finally stopped blushing from this post, I can focus on something else less sweet & romantic... chores.

A clean person, I am not. I am the Oscar to every Felix. I mean well, I try to pick up, but somehow it just doesn't happen. I once laughed at my co-worker who was shocked when I said my classroom was a mess, and her reply was, "Really?? I thought you were such a clean person!" Whatever gave you that idea??? Well, my house was spotless when I had some friends over for a girl's night. Of course - company was coming, so I cleaned my butt off!

I've always thought about a cleaning schedule, but it never seemed so easy (or fun) until I saw this post on the blog, New England Through Yummy Mommy's Eyes (introduced by Kam.) She has a weekly chore chart (just for her, not the kids) that she framed and hung in her kitchen. As she completes each task, she simply crosses it off with a dry erase marker. Easy peasy! No wasting paper, nothing taking up space on the fridge, no list on a notepad that gets buried under bills. She also added weekly appointments/events, and put less chores on those nights. I originally had Aidan's speech/OT appointments on there, but they've changed, so I took 'em off.

I whipped up my version on Word, printed it out at school (our printer is down for the count right now - what's up with me and electronics? Sheesh!), found some scrapbook paper at Michael's, and took it to Kinko's to photocopy. Bought a cute dry erase marker and a white frame at Target, and voila!

It's also come in handy for scheduling stuff or lovey-dovey lovenotes (I know, barf.)

I have slacked off a bit since I hung it. There's always that gung-ho week when you first start something. Notice how EVERYTHING is crossed off. Well, as soon as I got my horrible flu bug, I got behind a little. But I'm back on track this week. And it's not like I didn't do these tasks before, but just not on a weekly basis. Duh. There's less to clean if I do it more often! Vacuuming is a tough one, because Aidan has sensory issues with vacuum cleaner noise. So I have to wait until Chad's home or when Aidan's in a rare, tolerant mood.

(What's not included... daily must-dos, like dishes, laundry, picking up toys, etc. I didn't want to bog myself down with TOO many.)

My main goal?? The litter box. I've never scooped it daily and I always want to, so this list is definitely helping. And bathroom scrubbing. That was going by the wayside too. Oh, and dusting... what's that?? Now I'm realizing how little dusting I have to do if I just do it weekly.

Ok, so that's a lot of goals. Mainly, I just want to be cleaner. I'm not trying to reach Martha Stewart status or anything. Just need it liveable. And if I miss a task on Tuesday, I can do it on Wednesday and cross it off! Oh, how I love crossing things off.

(and by the looks of this picture, I think I should add, "Finish painting laundry room and put away Christmas wreath" to my list of chores. And we're still debating about putting the countertop back... it doesn't fit the same with our new washer/dryer set.)

So that's what I've been doing... what do you do cleaning-wise? Any secrets? Tips? Chore charts? Share, share! Ok, gotta go scoop the litter box now. Fun times.

Valentine's Day 2011 - By Chad

2011-02-14T19:32:00.000-08:00

So I was thinking that, on Valentine's Day, I would surprise Heatherkins by writing a blog about her. Now that we're finishing out our 7th year of marriage, (see here) I can stop and think about how our life has been so far.

We've gotten to that critical "7 year" mark where couples learn about what each-other are really like. A lot of it probably has to do with kids coming into the picture, and a lot of it probably has to do with changes in work, and other responsibilities. Any anomalies in a marriage that haven't been discussed, are probably discussed at this point. So after all of that, what's it like to be married to Heather?

Well, it's really good! I know of nobody else who has Heather's ability to offer love despite how difficult things can get. I know of nobody else who will commit to their family the way that Heather commits to hers. (Heather's infinite patience with Aidan and Lilah and, of course, me... is the kind that everyone hopes they will be lucky enough to find in the girl they marry.) It's the kind of patience that we all know will lead to a long-lasting relationship where obstacles can be overcome and challenges can be handled. Her patience is the kind that we all remember in our own parents, when we became "teenagers", and that we reflect on as adults and respect them for.

All I know, is that my son and daughter are the luckiest kids in the world, and if I had to be born again, I'd pray for Heather to be my mom. (No offense to my Mom of course. She did a fine job.) So my dreams have come true... since I get to have her as my wife and grow old with her.

Thanks for hanging in there with me baby!

Love,
Chad

Lilah @ 9 months

2011-02-10T23:55:00.000-08:00

9 months later...

... we have a crawling baby. A fast-crawling baby.

... we have a couch cruiser, a puller-upper, a tugger of pant legs.

... the crib has been dropped to the bottom rung.

... a 21 lb, 15-ouncer sits on my hip.

... we have two kids in the tub together (well, when Aidan's not completely freaking out that Lilah's invading his precious splashing space.)

... a great eater has been created. Her favorites lately? Gnawing on a chicken leg and munching on toast covered in a white bean/garlic spread and topped with mozzarella (a Double Delicious recipe.) I've been following a great book called, "Baby Led Weaning." Highly recommended!! Lilah's been off pureed food or anything spoon-fed since 6 1/2 months old and is doing great! Wish I could say the same about my spoon-fed, picky 2 1/2 year old. Ugh. The premise of the method is to avoid purees completely, which sort of makes sense now. Lilah's much better with her fine motor and she hardly ever chokes/gags or overstuffs. Aidan had another gamut of issues, but I wish I had tried it with him! Live and learn, live and learn.

... the Flock of Seagulls hair still lingers.

... we've been listening to a wide range of babbles, giggles, growls, and squeals. No definite words yet, but a start.

... we hear two little bottom teeth crunching on apples and rice crackers.

... the stairs have been discovered. And thanks to Daddy, falling down the stairs can now be checked off the "milestones" list.

... we have a baby wearing 12-18 month sized clothes and completely outgrowing her hand-me-down/gift spring dresses. Thus, the reason for the indoor strappy dress photo shoot.

Baby, it's cold outside

2011-02-03T01:28:00.000-08:00

I guess I should've knocked on wood harder when I said I hope Aidan doesn't get the flu. Puking ALL day. Ugh!! Chad is hiding in a bubble right now. Seriously. It's like an outbreak lockdown around here. But the plus side to having a sick child on the couch (watching Cars for the, um, 3rd time) is that I finally had time to capture some onesie shots of Lilah! (Just when I said "I quit...")

I tried inside the house at first, but the lighting was crappy. And she seriously crawled away everytime I sat her on her rump (maybe the proximity of the oh-so-tempting stairs had something to do with it.) So I looked high and low for a place with great lighting and came up with a big fat nothin'. Until I looked at the front porch. Ah-ha! Great natural light!!

Great light, but freezing cold temps! But I thought, if she would just sit still long enough for one picture, I could whip her right back inside. Little did I know, my polar baby would LOVE it out there, although it might have had something to do with both of my cats circling her.

Don't worry, Mommies, she was literally out there for a minute. Or two. That's the bonus of a fast picture-taking camera.

I taped the fabric to the side of the house with blue painter's tape and went for it. Not bad. Makes me excited for natural lighting pictures again, especially now that the bean is sitting up (even if she doesn't stay put!)

Taking a sick day tomorrow to stay home with Aidan. Time for everyone to BE WELL.

Cutie bug. Flu bug.

2011-02-01T18:36:00.000-08:00

I hate being sick. But even moreso, I hate watching my little ones get sick... especially my littlest. : ( Lilah woke up gagging yesterday. But after throwing up her entire bottle, she seemed totally fine all night and even today... until I had to take Aidan to his OT appt. Aidan loves OT. He especially loves "Yora" (Lora - the therapist.) So missing OT would be devastating, right? Picture it - we're just pulling into the hospital, where Lora works. Aidan's happily chanting, "Yora day, Yora day!" And then Lilah pukes out everything in her tiny little tummy, all over her carseat. As I'm turning around to go home, Lilah's crying, Aidan's crying and screaming, "YORA, YORA, DAT WAY!!" and I'm crying too, on the inside. Ugh.

It ripped through me on Friday, so hopefully it steers clear of Aidan and definitely from Chad. I can't have my "evening relief" down for the count too!

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Here are some pictures I've been meaning to post, of the little bean in all her glory. : )

Oh, and I've decided the weekly onesie pictures were fun while they lasted, but I don't think there's any way we're making it to week 52. Lilah won't lay down on fabric, nor will she sit up straight enough in front of fabric for me to photoshop the logo. Pretty much, all she wants to do is eat the fabric or shove it aside and go pull herself up on something. Oh yeah, she's cruising. And fast. Eek.

So if she's in a rare, cooperative mood (and Chad's available to watch Aidan... and the lighting's decent... and my fabric is ironed... and my camera card isn't full... and a white onesie is clean), then I'll snap a picture of her. Otherwise, it's just back to regular ol' pictures. Don't you hate those??

Betcha won't hate these...

p.s. my favorite is the mischievious tongue shot... followed by a close second with the dreamy-eyed, innocent look out the window.

p.s.s. took her to the doctor's yesterday after her first round of puking... 21 lbs. 14 oz. Aidan weighed 22 lbs. 15 oz. at his 9 month check-up, so they're about tied!

Shopping for the girls

2011-01-23T23:34:00.000-08:00

2 bags of clothes for $40. That's how much my friend Marie got at the big Old Navy sale. 3 bags for $60 - that was my neighbor, Jennifer. So when Chad gave ME permission to hit the Old Navy without kids, I completely flipped!! 4 bags and $41 later...

Well, technically, it was $116.03, but I had $75 cash burning a hole in my pocket (from my very first Craigslist sale!), so I spent 41 bucks. That's like ONE Hollister sweater!! ONE! I got FOUR sweaters, and that's not all.

Lookie, lookie! I got all this!! (Oh yeah, and sorry boys, but the clearance section for you royally sucked!!)

The turquoise scarf wasn't on clearance, but everything else was. Can you believe the cargo pants for $2??? And I love that striped sweater (pictured on me below.) I probably could've spent another hour there, but as it was, I was there until closing. Chad thinks my fur-lined hoodie is "so Kim Kardashian," especially when I modeled it with the hood up. Um, not sure about that, but I thought it was fun. Now I just need to get on my Wii Fit so I look super hot in those Diva jeans!

Since Lilah's turning out to be the linebacker her brother is, sizes are easy to predict!

And here are a few items Lilah got for Christmas (what I could find online anyway.)

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On Saturday, we drove up to Seattle to have a little reunion with my brother, Colin. Here are some pics of my shaggy-bearded older brother (from my mom's camera.) I,unfortunately, left my camera card at her house. Luckily, though, Aidan's second craniofacial appt. is tomorrow, so we'll be meeting up for the swap. : )

It's good to have you back, brother. : )

randomness.

2011-01-21T15:53:00.000-08:00

Lilah is starting to sleep through the night! Well, my definition, anyway. If Lilah is sleeping the entire time I'm sleeping, that's through the night. That means NO wake ups for bottles and NO stuffing binkies back in. Sleeping through the night means I don't have to get out of bed. She can cry out for a second, but has to put herself back to sleep. Lilah has done this a few nights this week, so hopefully it will continue. Aidan was sleeping through at 6 months.

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Aidan pees in the potty every single time I ask him if he wants to (which is about once a day.) We're going slow but steady here.

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I'm going up to Seattle tomorrow to see my older brother, Colin. Haven't seen him in 3 years. In fact, he will get to meet his niece and nephew for the first time! I can't wait.  : )

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Not doing so great on my 10-pounds-by-my-birthday goal. Lose a pound, gain it back. Lose 2 pounds, gain 'em back. I like setting goals. Apparently I just don't like reaching them!! But since the weather is starting to get nicer (sort of), I plan to do some jogging. With kids in tow, of course. Chad and I will trade, one running with Lilah in the BOB, and the other cycling with Aidan in the bike trailer.

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Our backyard looks like that movie, Holes. Yep. It's awesome. At least we're getting a new fence put up. But our sinking foundation problem has not been resolved yet.

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I love making lists (especially when I get to cross things OFF), so when I saw a weekly chore chart on another blog, I had to copy the idea. It has things like, "Vacuum upstairs" on Tuesdays, or "Clean kids' bathroom" on Fridays. Things that would be quick if I just did them more. I'll do a post when I get it framed. Yes, I'm framing it and putting it on the wall in the laundry room, and then using a wipe-able marker to cross things off. I'm actually excited to clean!!

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Like the folks over at Young House Love, I'm going gray. Well, our bedroom is anyway. After drooling over one of the display rooms at Ikea, I finally noticed a sign that had the room's paint color! Fieldstone, by Benjamin Moore.  Since Home Depot can look up BM colors, I don't have to pay BM prices. I've only painted a test swatch so far, and it seems a tad dark, though, so I'm debating. We have vaulted ceilings in our bedroom, and I would love to paint the ceiling the same as the walls, so the angles disappear... but I don't want a dark color up there.  I'll keep you posted. Pictures to come.

If I could post as often as YHL, it'd be fun to show you day-by-day posts, with the progress. But I just don't have the time!

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Ok, time to get out my balance board and do some Wii Fit!!

What a difference a bow makes

2011-01-16T11:04:00.000-08:00

At week 35, Lilah had that oh-so-familiar finger stuck in a light socket hair. Love it.

At week 36, I tried something new -- a bow clip!! I don't even recognize her! Well, maybe it's due to the grainy, bad lighting photo I took. Darn overcast Washington weather. This is the smile she gives us when we're not staring her down with a camera (thank you, Daddy, for walking by during our little shoot.)

As you can see, the weekly onesie pictures have gone in a new direction. Lilah has decided she's tired of laying on her back, so I've been taping the fabric to the wall and putting that white trim board in front. No, we don't actually have white trim in our house... not yet, anyway.

(Psst! I've updated Lilah's weekly onesie link on my sidebar... just need to edit a picture for week 34 - it's missing!)

Meet my new friends.

2011-01-13T17:22:00.000-08:00

I've been shopping at "Dee-uh" lately... I mean, Ikea (that's how Aidan likes to say it.) And I came away with a few new friends...

1. Meet HEMNES. She's my sturdy, reliable, organized friend who is now hanging out in our dining room-converted-playroom. Well, I guess I shouldn't describe her as sturdy. I mean, I'd smack my friends around if they called ME sturdy! "Oh, Heather, she's so sturdy." Thanks. You're not implying something about my thighs, are you?

Ok, back to Hemnes. We needed some more toy storage -- wait, MORE??? Yes, more. -- by the train table, and it's working out perfectly. It's actually a sofa table, but I think of it as a bookshelf. I have space for puzzles, books, small toys (in the baskets), and it even fits the ball popper. And it goes nicely with Aidan's artwork frames too!

Aidan had a hoot during assembly too. He was doing hurdles over the shelves! Well, slow hurdles anyway. Not too pleased with Mama when she finally put Hemnes in her place, but he's over it now.

2. Meet PJÄS. Normally, when I meet someone for the first time, I try to use their name so I won't forget it. Unfortunately, I can't really pronounce this one. Although, it makes me think of pajamas or peanut butter & jelly sandwiches. Anyway, 2 of these baskets fit nicely in the new sofa table. And at $15 a pop, they didn't completely break the bank. I like the open-weave style.

3. Meet RENS. Not as cheap as I wanted (YHL was talking about some for under $15, but they were much shaggier), but this fluffy guy is adding a lot of softness to our cold, leather recliner. When my friend Starlet was here, she sat backwards in the chair (I was in the kitchen), and I spied her petting RENS on many occasions.

4. Meet HESSUM. Hessum is a doormat. You know, one of those friends you just walk all over. Never says no. Never speaks out. Didn't add a whole lot of comfort to the front of my sink, but by simply adding a cushy rug pad, Hessum now is softer on my feet. And the neutral pattern is easy on the eyes... as most of my friends are.

5. Meet FÖRSIKTIG. Who thinks the employees at Ikea can actually pronounce these names?? Not me!! Glad this one was easy to find... I can't imagine asking someone, "Hi, I'm looking for For-sick-tig. Can you show me where it is??" : ) Anyway, this sweet little stool makes my potty-peeing son a little happier (right now, he's been balancing on a toy crate. Not so easy!) And the little non-skid dots help!

6. Meet KAJSA BLAD. If you're looking for a cheap friend, this is it. $14.99 for the duvet cover AND pillow covers. Seriously??? Yep. I liked some floral ones at first, but this one's contemporary pattern screamed out at me - and I couldn't beat the price. Plus, I've been on this grey kick lately and have some big plans for that big, brown wall.

Not the best pictures... we have the worst lighting in our bedroom!

7. And finally, meet LIDAN. I saw these fun clutter baskets in a "before & after" post on YHL and thought they would be perfect for my big, boring wall in my laundry room. Why do I care so much about my laundry room, you ask?? Because it's right on the way from the front door to the family room. I feel like when people come over, their eyes are easily drawn into it (unless the door is shut.) Plus, if the room looks cute, I'll be more apt to do some laundry! Don't you work that way??

Anyway, I hung three in a row with little brushed-nickel hooks that match the coat hooks on opposite wall. I could've hung them slightly closer, but too late. The OCD in me wishes they all hung the same way - some stay more rounded than others. And one is actually a different shade! But they're fun for Lilah's shoes and hats & gloves. I was able to get rid of the basket that sat on the bench in the entryway.

And speaking of the entryway, since the Lidan baskets come in a set of 2 (one Large, one small), I hung a small one on the coat rack and we're using it for our keys and cell phones. I love it! I have a spot in mind for the other 2 small baskets... thinking above the toilet in the kids' bathroom would be perfect.

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I could seriously hang out at Ikea all day long. But never, I repeat NEVER, go on a Saturday. You'll feel like a sheep in a very slow-moving herd. Luckily, I was husband AND kid-less, so taking my time was kind of fun.

What have you bought from Ikea lately? Or had your eye on? Or are you like my husband, and think Ikea stuff is junk?? I used to think that, but I think they've improved over the years... at least if we're talking furniture.

Aidan @ 2 1/2 years

2011-01-07T22:55:00.000-08:00

While I'm on a blogging roll, I figured it was high time to mention that other kid in the house... you know, the one who's been walking for awhile, has all of his teeth, and sleeps through the night. Oh yeah, that kid. The Pod!!

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Dearest Mudgey-poo,

You turned 2 1/2 back in November, which means you're seriously close to 3. In fact, your mom's been scheming about your 3rd birthday party since before your sis was born (ok, ok, so I've been scheming about your sister's 1st birthday party and just throwing yours in there. But since you don't give a rip over parties or presents anyway, I figured you'll forgive me.)

Your newest milestone? You've gone pee in the big potty THREE times this week - standing up too, like a real man! A little worried about how you'll transition to sitting for #2, but we'll figure it out this summer. You don't really care about the fruit snack reward, but you seem really motivated to aim at these little guys...

(one of them looked sort of like Mickey Mouse ears, so as you were peeing, you said, "Mouh houh" (mouse house -- I guess we have so many books that have mouse and house rhyming, you now associate them together.)

You're talking a ton (well, compared to last year, or even last summer!), but we still have a ways to go. Tracy (speech) and Barb (early intervention spec.) both come once a week now, and you're seeing Lora (OT) once a week too for some low tolerance/high frustration issues. That's three days of appointments! You're working hard on making these sounds: t, s, and k (at the beginning and end of words.) I get really excited (and so do you) when I finally decode a mystery word, like...

"bow-way" - Thomas (who knew??)
"bow-way gaga" - Thomas + train
"bah-oh" - fast (took me a long time on that one)
"day-it" - chase me or chase it

You love saying "Ready, deh, go" now. And when I'm driving, you love to point left (when I'm obviously turning right) and demand me to, "Go dah way." Unfortunately, if I don't follow your directions correctly, you like to tell me what's up (a.k.a. meltdown!)

When coming home from New Year's day at Nana's, you fell asleep in the car. As Daddy was carrying you in, with eyes completely closed, you pointed upstairs and sleepily said, "Go dah way." Daddy and I almost dropped you kids, laughing so hard.

My favorite is when you want me to make your favorite peanut butter pumpkin oatmeal... you run to the table, sit yourself down, and start chanting, "Meal, meal." And when you take a bite, you close your eyes, nod your head, and go, "Mmmm." Stamp of Pod approval!

You are a boy to the extreme. When we're out and about, you run into the first puddle you see (even after I've just said, "No puddles!") You are obsessed with trains and cars and anything that goes. You think it's hilarious when you splash so hard in the tub that water goes pouring down the side. You love wrestling with Daddy (or even with Mommy, but since I'm such a wuss, you get bored and move on.)

Eating is still a major task with you. I think you'd be happy on a desert island with some pumpkin oatmeal and a lifetime supply of milk. As long as you have the right sippy cup. Heaven forbid you don't. You don't like when your food spills and is "meh-hee" (messy.) In fact, it really ticks you off if anything falls in your lap. Or if you get a tiny bit of something on your fingers. But then again, tonight at dinner, I witnessed you bring your foot all the way up to your mouth (didn't even know you still could) and lick oatmeal off your heel. YUCK!

You love randomly saying, "Hi, Mama. Hi, Mama," over and over. Over New Year's, Corbin taught you a new word, and now you can say, "Hi, Mom-meeeeeee." It's pretty dang cute.

You're wearing size 4T tops, 3T bottoms, and size 10 shoes. Apparently, you're a little big for your age. That's just what I hear. : )

You learned your first slang word... and I'm ashamed to say, I taught it to you. I've never been one to say the technical term "breast," but wishing I would have. No, I taught you "boobie" instead. WHY??? The other day as we were playing, you stopped, stared at my chest, got a weird smile on your face, reached BOTH hands out, and said, "boobie" as you, um, showed me where they were. Ugh!!! Even tonight, as I was carrying you up the stairs, you accidentally hit my chest and said "boobie" again. I said, "No, those are Mama's breasts" (hoping that'd be a word you couldn't master yet. But you said, "breh" and laughed. I guess the fascination starts early. : )

You had a no-so-great hearing exam at your clinic appt. last week, but I really don't believe you have any hearing issues. We're going to do sedated test just to be sure. I hate watching you under sedation, and I hate making you not eat/drink beforehand. But it will be much more accurate. You see the surgeon in a couple weeks and I think he'll talk about plans for your lip revision.

Somedays, you make me want to pull my hair out, like when I've spent time preparing your dinner plate and you quickly push it away. Or when you cry and scream for "remoh dee-dee on" (remote TV on.) Or when you're trying to suffocate Lilah with a pillow ("even if she's laughing, it doesn't mean it's polite!") But then you sit on my lap and wrap my arm around you. Or spend 10 minutes playing nicely with your sister. Or run to the window at Julie's, shouting, "Hi Mama!!" Makes up for every second of your timeouts, and then some.

I've heard 3 is worse, though, so I'm preparing myself for some major hair-ripping. Might need to invest in a really good wig.

Lilah @ 8 months

2011-01-06T23:51:00.000-08:00

Pretty soon, Lilah Bean, you'll discover what a big ol' dork your Mama is. In fact, as I'm writing your monthly update, season 1 of "Party of Five" is playing on the tube. Someday, you'll too appreciate Matthew Fox's yummy brown eyes and sexy perma-shadow (5 o'clock shadow, that is.)

Ok, back to my dorkness... your Mama decided to get us matching PJs. Purple PJs. With owls on them. Yep. Of course you're super adorable in yours. Me? That's still up for debate. : ) And it's obvious by your hairdo (and mine) that your Mama doesn't really know the first thing about doing hair. Guess I have a few years to master a french braid.

(psst! I bought you another pair of the same PJs in a size 4T - that's the only size I found after Christmas... so we'll be doing this again in a few years. heehee)

At 8 months, you...

... are sitting up!!! You only fall occasionally, and of course you fell into the train table and bonked your head on MY watch. Sorry, babe.

... are crawling around the house like nobody's business! Well, except you're in everybody's business. Your latest is attacking my feet when I'm in the kitchen. And it's pretty cute when you attack Daddy's feet and make that stink face (ok, I might be making that up.) You're still slithering on your belly, too... it's kind of hilarious.

... are cutting your 2nd tooth. Two on the bottom. It'd be great if they were the reason why you never, ever sleep at night.

... are not sleeping great at night. Ugh. But you're a fantastic napper!! Hmm... maybe that's part of the problem.

... are eating finger foods! I'm determined to help you be a great eater and it's working! You eat Cheerios, cheese, bananas (you like them now), avocado, steamed carrots, black beans, and even turkey and chicken. And you scarfed down some stuffing and lasagna leftovers from Nana's. You're always watching what I'm eating with your mouth hanging open. Everything is in small pieces right now, to prevent choking. But you're doing great!! Now I need to stop saying to Aidan, "Look at how well your sister's eating her dinner!"

... are wanting to stand on those chunky thighs all the time.

... are getting more and more wiggly during diaper changes. Sometimes you even arch your back!! That can't be starting yet, can it? I've now resorted to sticking a binky in your mouth to occupy you. Once it's in, you smile and giggle at me. The Taurus in you is starting to show. Uh-oh.

... are the sweetest little freckle-headed, smiley-faced girl I know. Let's hope you don't turn into as big of a dork as your Mama. Although, I'm afraid genetics might work against you. : )

(Good job, Chadlykins, with your awesome photography skillz! I'm seeing more hallway photo shoots in the future...)

Who's interested in presents anyway?

2011-01-04T22:26:00.000-08:00

This was gonna be the year. The year Aidan would run downstairs on Christmas morning, look wide-eyed at the presents bursting under the tree, and tear into the wrapping paper which such intensity, it'd be like something off of Animal Planet. You know, one of those scenes where I turn my head and quickly change the channel.

But, no. Nothin'. He did say, "Wow" when he walked downstairs, but I think he was looking at the lights on the tree. And he did run excitedly towards the tree, but then right past it, over to his regular ol' train table. Not a present to be ripped. And once he received "Toby" in his stocking (the square train on Thomas & Friends), his interest was completely over.

Oh well! Here's hoping for next year. Lilah had fun, but we were so focused on Aidan, she got short-changed in the "1st Christmas" department. Sorry little bean.

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And now... the moment you've all been waiting for... PICTURES!!

Christmas Eve @ Oma's - we always go to Chad's grandma's for a Christmas Eve lunch. This year, Aidan was really interested in Opa's fish pond (he owns a trout farm), so cousin Nick was keeping a close eye.

Kind of in love with these brown eyes. Aren't you?

This was the (4T) Osh Kosh shirt I was certain he wouldn't wear. Not a fan of button-ups. But he did!!

(Aidan - 2 1/2, Nick - 7)

We decided to spice things up this year and brought a pinata! It was a hit with the kids!! Aidan hung out with Uncle Alex while it was being set up. Probably talking about manly stuff. Or the meaning of life.

My little piano man. (Yeah, yeah, I know it's an organ. But "organ man" sounded weird.)

Christmas Eve night (at home)

Nothing like a little pre-Christmas dance party & wrestling session!

Christmas morning - (you can see Aidan's new $15 Ikea art easel... not quite the hit I imagined it would be. Thank goodness I didn't buy the expensive one I had my eye on!)

Someone liked the packaging...

Too close, too close!!

What's that, Lilah? You think this is your present?? Moowhahahaha!!

Aidan wore these PJs two years ago... and they were too short on him too!

Here's Aidan Pod, at 7 1/2 months.

Chad, wearing his new bathrobe and showing off the UW Huskies megaphone ornament I gave him. Don't forget, Chadly was a cheerleader. Yup. Go Dawgs. (By the way, Chad bought me a bathrobe too... long, pink, fuzzy, and way too big... needed rollers in my hair and a shower cap to complete the look. heehee) After breakfast, he did more work on our crawl space/foundation problem.
On Christmas Day. What a guy.

Christmas dinner @ my in-laws'

"Yummy, yummy, yummy. I've got apples in my tummy!"

McQueen hippity-hop ball from Auntie Selena. Perfect! (and for the record, it was not me who dressed Aidan in a Halloween shirt on Christmas day. Must I do everything???)

New Year's day @ my mom's (a.k.a. Christmas, Part II)

Lilah, trying to chase the kitty... showing off her new pink shoes and her first bonk on her head.

Mega Bloks from Nana! And apparently New Year's is a no-shirt occasion!

Presents not pictured: lots and lots of Thomas the Train paraphernalia, cute Gymboree & Old Navy clothes for both kids, puzzles, books, push cars, ball poppers, and more! The kids made out like bandits!! Oh, and don't forget the tops Chad bought me from Hollister. Really, honey? Hollister?? Unfortunately, they're too small and I have to work up the courage to exchange them. : )

Busy? Um, yeah.

2010-12-24T01:18:00.000-08:00

Besides the usual crazy-busy-Christmasy-stuff going on, we've been...

... taking down the old and installing the shiny & new! (Yes, it was a just-for-looks replacement. But at least I waited patiently for over a year!)

... trading front loaders for front loaders. (our current washer/dryer set is going over to our new rental house -- um, did I tell you we bought a rental? Yep. It's crrrraaaaazy! So we bought ourselves a shiny new set, arriving this Sunday. Woohoo!)

... digging trenches and destroying the patio. (sniff, sniff. -- Did I tell you our house is sinking? So much to share! Apparently when the people before the previous owners added the 3rd car garage, they didn't do the proper drainage. We've had water in our crawl space for years and our foundation is actually shifting. And this is NOT the kind of remodeling you get any enjoyment out of... unless you value staying above ground, which I guess is good. I always think of "The Secret of Nimh" when Chad says our home is sinking. heehee)

... buying a rental house, signing massive amounts of papers, and madly getting it ready for tenants on Monday. Yes, two stinkin' days after Christmas. What? You mean contractors take off the holiday? Nahhhhhh. (Ugh.)

... crying over the death of my computer. And kicking myself that I didn't finish addressing my Christmas cards before said incident. Sending cards ASAP!

... staring at Lilah's hair and wondering if it will ever lay flat. Or if she'll ever like hair bows.

... creating holiday DIY art. Cut-out trees, digital scrapbook paper book covers, and framed paint swatches.

... getting together with a long-time friend from NY and cooking a fabulous meal. Too bad our Aero bed decided to have a ssssssssslow leak and Starlet and her boyfriend ended up on the couch at 4am. By the way, Starlet is actually the matchmaker that brought Chad and I together! Well, she took me to the party where I met him anyway. Truth be told, Chad was more interested in my spunky redheaded friend at first, but I quickly won him over. : )

(menu: "seafood fra diavolo" - from the back of Ronzoni Gemelli noodles - used bay scallops instead of shrimp this time; "antipasto salad" - from Rachael Ray; fresh bread with oil & vinegar for dipping; wine; Kam's broiled asparagus; lemon & peach sorbet, berry gelato, and my addiction = Breyer's Special Edition Hot Cocoa ice cream. Not all mixed, of course.) Didn't get any dinner pictures, but these are the leftover shots.

... shopping here! Came away with 2 big square frames that I hung above Aidan's train table, complete with his scribbly artwork inside, a $15 duvet cover (seriously??), a new set of curtains, more white DVD boxes, a faux sheepskin rug I threw on the back of the leather recliner, and a $15 easel for Aidan's big Santa gift. I {heart} Ikea. : )

... revelling in the fact that my winter musical is OVER. And that we got a standing ovation at the evening show! Jazz hands are the best, aren't they? (thanks, Andrea, for the great pics!)

... staying up way too late.

Happy Christmas Eve. And Happy Birthday, Dad!! And many, many thoughts and prayers, Uncle Jerry. We love you!

Lilah @ 7 months

2010-12-15T06:27:00.000-08:00

Some little Santa baby...

... still has the sweetest demeanor, but is showing her feisty side more and more (like when Aidan tries to take her toys away.)

... cut her 1st bottom tooth (Dec. 10th) and loves to feel it with her tongue 24/7.

... can curl her tongue like nobody's business (not sure if that's a milestone, but it's pretty entertaining!)

... has rolls on her thighs that go on for days. Ahhhhh.

... laughs deep under her breath. Aidan had a high-pitched, outwardly laugh, but Lilah inherited her Mama's "manly" laugh (my college roomies used to tease me that when Chad and I were joking around, I sounded like the guy and Chad was the girl. Oh, they also used to call us, "Cheather."

... has the craziest hair EVER. It just pushes up kinda weird with a headband. And hats are great, but hello static head!

... detests bananas.

... has been ~~dragging her carcass around~~ army-crawling for awhile, but is finally getting her bum up and rocking. Back to baby-proofing I go.

... is enamoured by the kitties and would pull tufts of fur from their pretty coats if given the chance.

... thinks her brother is one hilarious kid. The feeling is mutal, most of the time. Like when she's near his toys. Even 6 feet away. Pretty much, if she even glances at his train table, he starts hoarding them in the corner.

... hardly sleeps at night. At least Aidan does, that's all I can say.

... forces me to snuggle her and smooch her and squeeze her all day long. Just can't resist.

Love you, Lilah bean!

Will the real Santa please stand up?

2010-12-07T23:48:00.000-08:00

Despite my complete and total rage fest about not getting Aidan's picture taken with Santa 2 years ago (Chad protested standing in line), our 1st family Christmas was pretty low-key with a 7-month-old.  And Aidan's 2nd Christmas was equally unexciting, considering he didn't give a rip about the present-opening.

But this year will be so different.  Well, sort of. Still not doing Santa pictures (I know, boo the Grinch -- not like Aidan would really wait in line and sit on some stranger's lap anyway!!) But this year, I think Aidan will be ripping paper left and right.

The problem comes with that big guy... you know, the one with a bowl full of jelly, or something like that. SANTA. This is the first year Aidan could get something from Santa and be aware of it. But how does this work? And do I even want to start this Santa business? I know, I'm such a grinch... but I just can't wrap my head around telling my kids this made-up story about a magic present-deliverer who somehow fits down chimneys, gets pulled around by flying reindeer, and has little elves working for him that wear funny shoes. Sure, I tell Aidan the "TV's broken" or "we're all out of cookies" (when they're hiding in the cupboard.) But I'm just no good with this Santa stuff.

Part of the problem is I don't really remember believing in him. What I do remember is sneaking out of my room on Christmas Eve, only to find my parents loading up the tree with the goods I had on my "Santa" wish list. And I seem to remember how "Santa's" handwriting looked oddly similiar to my mom's. And come to think of it, I don't even remember asking Santa for gifts. When I sat on his lap, I was like, "Let's get this picture over with!" I do remember asking for a white parasol one year. My mom and I had looked at them. But on Christmas morning, a kid-size parasol was under the tree. I told Santa I wanted a BIG one.

So tell me... what do YOU do about the whole Santa subject? How do you explain the plethora of Santas in each corner of the mall? How many gifts will be under your tree with the big guy's signature? And most importantly, will Santa ever let Artie walk again? (sorry, just finished Glee.)   : )