The Boy Who Needs No Nap

This boy needs no nap, thank you very much. He is almost three years old after all, and doesn't get sleepy. He would rather play with his Daddy's pink toy Cadillac. Except ...

... Mommy found him sleeping on his floor today. He was out like a light amidst all of his toys. But shot up at the click of the camera and was playing again in an instant.

Nope, this boy needs no nap.

My Heart Goes THUD

Sometimes I take a photo of my child that makes my heart go THUD in my chest cavity. My daughter's long, dark lashes and blue-gray eyes only confirm that she is never allowed to grow up or date. Ever!

Too Far Gone

I was in the grocery store the other day and saw this on the rack as I was paying for my food:

This is seriously shocking! I don't necessarily want to give any more attention to this girl, but this upset me greatly. I think we all have things that we don't like about ourselves or secretly dream of improving, but taking it to the extreme and then being celebrated for it is repulsive.

My daughter is only five years old and therefore she still looks up to fictional animated characters, but I fear for the future when she starts looking to vapid Hollywood as role models. Especially since she is a natural performer and loves to feel glamorous at her young age.

This Heidi Montag person, who as far as I am concerned isn't famous for anything of value, actually said in an interview that through her ten cosmetic procedures she had discovered that beauty and confidence really does come from within ... but that she is so glad that she had all the surgery. This is just a reminder that I need to teach my children to be confident in who they are. That they are beautiful children of God. And that they are immeasurably valuable to me.

Hard To Let Go

My heart is spilling over with emotion right now. Feelings of joy, pride, sadness and disbelief are overwhelming me - I just picked my daughter up from her first day of Kindergarten.

I sort of thought it wouldn't be such a big deal, that I probably wouldn't cry. I was wrong. As a family we walked her to her classroom and the tears began to well up in my eyes as we made our way down a staircase to meet her teachers. It just hit me that this little baby girl:


Is now a school girl:


When did that happen? Anyway, it was a total delight to hear about her day, the friends that she made and that she got chocolate milk at lunch (of course she would choose that kind!) She got a sticker for raising her hand before asking a question, and for obeying the rules.

Such a big day as this really IS harder on the parents. When we first got her to her classroom, she said "Bye Mom and Dad!" and immediately got settled right in. It is REALLY hard to let go sometimes.

Today especially.

That's My Girl

This girl loves to take rides in Kilroy with Daddy. Yet, she thinks he should put a roof on the Jeep to keep her hair from blowing around too much.

We are definitely related.

Vintage Repro

This may sound strange, but here I am at the age of 33 and I was transported back in time to the age of 10, today. I discovered that Mattel has a "Vintage Repros" collection for Barbie that features dolls from the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s. Suddenly I was in the fifth grade again as I held a pink box in my hands and I reminisced about one of my favorite toys of all time: Barbie and the Rockers Barbie!

The year was 1986 and I don't remember how expensive a Barbie was back then, but to a 10 year-old it cost beaucoup bucks. I recall admiring this doll on the store shelf many-a-time and what was so cool about this Barbie, was that it came with a microphone and a cassette tape of The Rockers greatest tunes. I still remember the names of the other Rockers: Dana, Dee Dee, Derek and Diva too and I would sing along to their music.

Don't laugh ... I was 10!

Barbie had the coolest purple eyeshadow and blond curly locks. Her clothes were "truly outrageous", oh wait, that's a Jem reference. I'm talking about a metallic top and hot pink tuxedo jacket, so new wave! Of course they look totally ridiculous twenty three years later, but back then they were high fashion.


It was fun to remember. But not enough to fork over the $39.99 for the reproduction.

Big Boy Bed

It's been a big day for our little boy because he officially got his own "big boy bed"! We tried things out first by disassembling his crib and putting the mattress on the floor, and over the last few weeks he has figured things out. At night when we go to check on him we always find him on his bed, usually curled up on top of his favorite blanket.

So, today we went out and bought him a mattress and box spring. We put on spiffy new red sheets, a fancy Lightning McQueen bed spread, and got him all tucked in. When it was bedtime, he knew just what to do and went right for the bed, knowing he is a big boy now.

While I am thrilled to see my kids grow up and watch them reach very important milestones, I have to admit that getting rid of the crib and highchair that both of my babies used will be an emotional event. Sniff, sniff.

Brand spanking new sheets, a Cars Piston Cup bed spread, and Mommy-made pillowcase and this boy is stylin'. There is no way this he is going back to a crib now!

It's No Fun, No Fun Staring at the Wall

In a couple of weeks my son will be two. He is already moody, throwing tantrums, getting into things and getting into trouble. I designated one corner in our house as "The Corner". When placed in the corner, the following sounds are heard: yelling and screaming at the wall, a sudden silence, followed by a doiiinnnnnggggg sound (from him playing with the doorstop), and then the yelling and screaming resumes. It was so funny, I just had to get a photo of my pitiful boy ... but while keeping a straight face of course!

Explaining Death

I have to remove all of the childrens' Bibles from my daughter's room. I know that sounds a bit strange and extreme, but what I didn't realize when I gave them to her was that they are quite graphic about battle, death, murder and The Crucifixion. Not a very good thing when my baby is afraid of death, even at her very young age of four. She's also afraid of growing old.

On the way to school the other day my daughter saw a plane in the sky and said "Look Mom, that plane is flying so high! Is it going to Heaven?" I said that it couldn't go as high as Heaven. She then asked if dying was bad. I said no, and explained that death is a part of life. That Jesus loves her and will one day call her home to be with him in Heaven.

Then she asked if she will have nails in her hands when she dies. Yeeesh! How does one explain to a little girl that crucifixion is no longer practiced. That she does not have to worry about such things. And, yes ... everyone dies.

It's moments like these that make it very difficult to be a parent sometimes.

Four-Eyes

It would appear that I am not the only one in my family who is as blind as a bat! My baby girl is now the proud wearer of glasses:

The sticking out of the tongue while concentrating is hereditary ... right Peepaw?

She has a good face for glasses. They make her already big eyes look even bigger!

At this age, her vision can be corrected by wearing glasses for a few years. It is possible that she won't need corrective lenses in the future - unlike her mother who is doomed to wear them for the rest of her life, or at least until she gets Lasik!

She chose these frames, a dark pinkish-purple of course! She was so funny when trying different glasses on because there were some she absolutely refused to try on, and others that she loved. She would strut her stuff in front of the mirror to make sure she looked good. I am glad she didn't go for the $240 Juicy Couture frames that she was seriously checking out!

Mini Me

My daughter reminds me so much of ... well me, and it scares me a bit. She has the same tendencies to worry and be uptight. She likes to eat things like M & Ms or crackers in even numbers (silly, I know). And she loves clothes. She'll tell me out of the blue that she likes my sweater or a skirt that I am wearing. In some ways it is flattering and in other ways it is unfortunate. But either way it is a reminder that I should strive to be an example to her at all times ... because she is watching!

Yesterday I had put on a suede skirt and she wanted to wear her jean skirt because they were similar. She loves my hair when it is curled because that is how a "princess" wears it and she wants the same style. She likes the music I play on my iPod in the car; she wants to crochet or cook with me; she wants to go to the store with me; she likes to take naps in my bed and on my side of the bed. I am the central figure in her life right now.

A couple of weeks ago I heard her talking to Meemaw on the phone and was describing a recent car ride she took with me. "Mommy was frustrated because people were driving too slow and she got frustrated and yelled." That caused me to really think about my actions. She notices everything and mimics me. I'm just glad that I don't use profanity or obscene gestures to act out my frustrations - then I would really be in trouble!

I say that it is both flattering and unfortunate because it is nice to be loved and admired ... but I am flawed and don't always do the right thing. Then I remember that human role models are never perfect; and also that I can't get away with using the old saying of "do as I say and not as I do".

Fuzzbucket the Second

If you ask my husband about "Fuzzbucket", he will fondly tell you the story of a little caterpillar he captured when he was in the fourth grade. This little guy was black and orange, very fuzzy, apparently quite cute. He will tell you of how he made a little terrarium out of a jar and some rocks and twigs, and fed Fuzzbucket an ample supply of leaves taken from a nearby canal. Then one day the caterpillar wrapped himself into a cocoon and weeks later spread his wings as a butterfly. Now the legacy of Fuzzbucket lives on.

This is what the Fuzzbucket looked like. We think it is a Wooly Bear Caterpillar.

Two days ago while building a fence, my husband found another orange and black, fuzzy caterpillar and brought it in for our daughter to see. She was thrilled! She giggled as she held the furry thing in her hands and couldn't wait to make a home for "Fuzzy" as she calls it. After gathering twigs, leaves and rocks, Fuzzy has a lovely home in a jar. The funny thing, however, is that the caterpillar has already wrapped herself in a cocoon! The next time we will see her will be when she unfurls her wings. And a bit to my dismay she will probably be a moth and not actually a butterfly. Yuck.

My daughter, who has chosen to be Tinkerbell for Halloween this year, found it fitting to wear her wings while building Fuzzy a home.

I guess it is a good science project for us all and I am all about valuable learning experiences. Who knows, maybe Fuzzbucket won't be too disgusting as a moth to me if I knew her as a cute, fuzzy little caterpillar first.

Pantry Raid

Look carefully, the title of this post is Pant-R-y Raid ... just to clarify! There is a difference between the story in which I am about to tell you and the tales of college pranks.

My little boy loves to get into things. This is no surprise since he is an 18 month-old and has the curiosity of a cat. His favorite thing used to be to open and close the pantry doors. Now he particularly enjoys taking everything out of the pantry (that is within his reach) and leave it all out on the kitchen floor for Mommy to trip over. His most recent gig is to pull out food and attempt to open the boxes and tins, and dumping the contents on the floor.

As you will see from the photo below, one lazy Saturday morning he succeeded in finding a box of graham crackers and helping himself. In fact, there were quite a few crackers left in the box and he ate them ALL! Of course we thought it was too cute to prevent him from doing so. Naturally we grabbed a camera instead and started clicking away.

As you can tell he is very pleased with himself! Don't you just love the Spider-Man pajamas?

The First Day

In previous posts I have mentioned that my daughter started preschool this week. Naturally, yesterday we had to take pictures. It was fun having her wear her backpack (although she got tired of it quickly) and she got to show off the outfit she chose to wear on her first day.

First day of school. September 3, 2008.

Just for fun I am posting this photo of my husband on his first day of preschool. Can you see the resemblance?

Her first day went very well. So well in fact that when I went to pick her up she said that preschool made her sad. I asked her why and she said because she wanted to stay at school and didn't want to go home. I guess that means she likes it! She was playing with other kids and informed me that she made some friends - of course she doesn't know their names yet.

I just like this photo. It's crazy and fun!

Blog Fodder

Not Exactly Motown

This Labor Day weekend we went to Detroit ... Lake that is! Detroit Lake, Oregon is where we go camping every year with my husband's extended family. I always look forward to this annual event because I love these people, they are all so full of character and have made me feel a part of their clan. I also have never had much of a relationship with my own aunt, uncle and cousin, so I can't help but enjoy being part of a big family.

Usually Detroit is a party lake and tends to get pretty loud between the biker conventions and large motor boats; this year it was unusually quiet. I couldn't quite figure out why until the weather changed and it was windy, cold, and yes ... rainy! It seems everyone else knew that the weather was going to be a bit crummy and went elsewhere. I am glad we have a tent trailer to escape to when it is wet, although the mattress wreaked havoc on my back muscles.

I enjoyed the trip but I am glad to be home. I am still trying to get the smell of campfire out of everything.

Here is my son (left) and his cousin wearing matching hats. It was in the 50s and 60s on this particular camping trip. Brrrrr!

Time Flies

My baby is starting preschool tomorrow - sniff, sniff. She is four and I knew this time was coming, but I can't help but feel emotional about the whole thing. I am amazed at how quickly time flew by and before I knew it she became this intelligent and beautiful young lady. Suddenly I feel old.


Sibling Mischief

My son is quite mischievious sometimes, but in a good natured way. He often will eat his dinner earlier than the rest of us so he is free to roam around while we sit at the table and eat. He loves to slither up underneath his sister's chair and tickle her feet. Then he tries to hide from her as he is giggling. I admit that I love to see my kids acting like typical siblings - he annoys her and she bosses him around. All is right with the world.


The Facebook Mentality

I have been on Facebook now for about a month. I have connnected with so many people and I love to see the photos that they post of their families and read up on what they are up to. I have realized, however, that many seem to want add you as a friend just to rack up the number of friends they have on their profile. They seem to like to nose around on your profile, but don't necessarily want to talk to you. I have mixed feelings about this mentality.

Blog Fodder

Ever since starting this blog, I look at life in a whole new light. I often think “will this make a good story on my blog?”. My husband can attest to the fact that I will call interesting things, “blog fodder”. So, I have decided that postings with “blog fodder” in the title will be fun stories that I have wanted to post, but may be unrelated to each other.

Time for Money

Sunday is allowance day for my daughter. My husband and I sat her down and told her that since she was a good girl and did what she was asked (clean room, take dishes to the kitchen) she would get the money she earned. We told her to go get her piggy bank. As she darted up the stairs, she yelled “Yaaaay! Time for moneeeeeyyyyyy!”


Alright! You’re Cool!

My son loves to display his new found skill of giving five. If you hold out your hand and say “gimme five” he will get a huge smile on his face and slap your hand with both of his. After he does that I will say “Alright! You’re cool!”; this causes him to giggle and squeal with delight. Then that makes me giggle and squeal with delight. Ah, kids are so fun!

I’ll Have My Usual

Earlier this month, in The Greatest Invention of All Time, I mentioned how much I love my stovetop cappuccino maker. That thing really is fabulous. But sometimes I have a lot of errands to run and I’ll indulge in having someone else make it for me. I will take my Starbucks travel coffee cup with me, that I bought five years ago, and go through a drive-thru. Well, today it happened! Someone actually remembered my usual order!

I pulled up and started to hand over my cup and she said “Coconut right? And decaf?”. Yesssss! She actually remembered my coffee cup with the watermelon print on it and that’s how she recalled my order from last time. Next time I’ll just pull up and say “I’ll have my usual.” I’ve always wanted to say that!

If you see this cup headed your way, please know that my "usual" is a tall decaf cappuccino with a hint of coconut.

The Many Faces of Facebook

I never realized how behind in the online world I was until I joined Facebook (two days ago), and discovered how many people from my past already had profiles. In such a short time of being on there, I already have nine “friends” and most of them are people I knew from high school or the church I went to many years ago. It is a great way to catch up with people and network.

I’m feeling nostalgic. Suddenly I am sent back to the days of Beach Olympics, Mexico mission trips, and CVHS football games. My wish is that my children will have similar growing experiences and opportunities that I did.

My Old Stomping Grounds

In the last couple of months my husband has been receiving Outside magazine. It is a bit of a mystery as to why. He doesn’t recall subscribing to it and he has no idea who would have subscribed for him. So, if you are the one who did … thank you! Anyway, I was looking at the cover and something caught my eye: Where to Live Now – The 20 Best Towns in America. Upon glancing at the list, I noticed my hometown of Corvallis, Oregon was among other well known cities like Oakland, Seattle, Sacramento, and New Orleans. Seeing this prompted me to actually open the magazine.

There were 20 cities listed as progressive candidates of civic reinvention and fresh ideas; whatever that means! Not every town has a large spotlight on it. In fact Corvallis has a small feature whereas Washington D.C. and Louisville, Kentucky have more detailed stories. But growing up in what I always considered to be a small and unknown town, I was quite pleased to see anything about it in a national magazine.

Make the Switch
Corvallis, Oregon (POP. 49,800)

Corvallis is far from the undiscovered jewel it once was – it’s within 90 minutes of world-class skiing, the Oregon coast, and blue-ribbon salmon fishing – bun in recent years the city has picked up verve from a new promenade on the Willamette River and a steady transition to renewable energy. In 2006, Corvallis became the second U.S, city (after Moab) to be name an EPA Green Power Community. Thanks in part to Pacific Power’s Blue Sky Program, 15 percent of power users – from the city government to businesses to residences – are participating in the purchase of renewables like wind and geothermal power. The green push began in 1997 as a part of the town’s 20/20 Vision Statement, a blueprint guiding all aspects of the town’s growth until 2020. The new riverfront park, completed in 2002 as a part of the vision statement, has helped attract more than a dozen new cafés, restaurants, and spas, proving that being far sighted isn’t so bad after all. -R.K.

Wow, I had no idea that my hometown was so environmentally conscious! Though I have always known this forest and farmland surrounded town to be a place where people ride their bikes to work, where Birkinstocks are commonplace, and where agricultural advances have been made – Corvallis is home to Oregon State University – I never realized how "green" it was especially when I lived there.

To me, Corvallis is the place where I grew up. Where there has never been very good shopping or terribly interesting places to eat. A place where I felt safe, if not a little bored. And a place where I love to visit; so I can see my family, look for a used book at the Book Bin, and be jealous of all of the beautiful produce at the Farmer’s Market (if you saw the market where I live now, believe me you would understand my envy). Even though I have moved on from my childhood home, I will always be proud that I was raised in the Heart of the Valley. GO BEAVS!