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!

Take Two

Well, it would seem that we need to have another shot at making yogurt. I just know I did something wrong - perhaps the temperature wasn't right or I added something at the wrong time because our fabulous homemade Greek yogurt was just a bowl of thickened milk this morning. It smelled faintly of yogurt but wasn't nearly fermented enough and it didn't have the thick and creamy consistency I dream about.

We will try it again. And, if you think about it, that bowl of thickened milk allows for more quality time in the kitchen with my little ones. So, all is not lost.

Happy To Help

After a conversation I had with my good friend Lindsay last week about various recipes and her amazing find, Fage yogurt, I was inspired to make my own Greek yogurt. I had actually been wanting to try it since I read about it in French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Giuliano and thought this was as good a time as ever. Crazy I know, but the process didn't seem difficult - just time consuming. What is great about homemade yogurt is that it is a lot cheaper to make than to buy, and I was able to have my son help.

Boy did that make his day!

In fact, as soon as I asked him if he would like to help me he grabbed his stool and positioned it so he could see over the counter. He found great joy in pouring the milk into the pot (he even convinced me to pour some milk into his sippy cup!) It isn't finished doing its thing (whatever that is) but it will be a fun treat to try out our yogurt tomorrow morning, and hopefully it will convince me that it is worth the effort. Of course, his happy giggles and enthusiasm made it rather worth it already.

Little Monsters

When I was a little girl I was afraid of monsters.


Now as a grown woman I find them to be good company.

Kiddie Couture

It started out as a project for me - I had this overwhelming desire to make myself a simple little top. Then my daughter begged me to do a project with her so I decided to make a simple little top for her as well. I had in my mind that we would have coordinating fabrics that would go well together. Perhaps we would have a little photo shoot showing off our matching outfits. Then my daughter enthusiastically chose her fabric.

You can't get any more "Under the Sea" than this.

It had bubbles and sherbet colored sea animals. Her exclamations of "This is perfect" and "It will be gorgeous" deterred me from insisting on something a little less ... colorful. And really, it is totally her style: bright, cheerful and bubbly.

So, while I chose something more understated and elegant, I happily stitched away at her summery top. And judging by her prancing around in it with her mermaid doll in hand, I would say that she is quite pleased with her choice!

One "Cool" Kid

My son chose his outfit today. A red Lightning McQueen t-shirt, gray fleece lined McQueen sweatshirt, dark gray cargo pants, McQueen tennis shoes and of course a McQueen baseball cap to top it all off. When he checked himself out in the mirror I heard a loud "Cool!" coming from the bedroom.

Do you think he might be a little obsessed?

Pretty House

My heart is filled with joy every time my two and a half year-old son gasps and yells, "Peeety house!" when we pass by a home decked out with Christmas lights. Oh the simple, untainted enthusiasm of a little boy - what a wonderful gift!

Happy Little Jack-O-Lanterns

Despite being sick for the greater part of October, we finally did make it out to the pumpkin patch as a family. It is always a joy to watch the kids choose their pumpkins and run around in the corn maze.

Oh, how I love these happy little jack-o-lanterns of mine!

I chose these warty mini-pumpkins for my window boxes. Their bumpy texture makes me smile.

The splash of orange from the pumpkins is in perfect contrast to the dark purple-green of the coral bells. Our dog, Gracie, seems to agree.

Mother/Son/Pumpkin Date

One of the benefits of my daughter going to school is that I get to spend more time with my son. There are times where he is easily overshadowed by his big sister who has a big personality, and I have enjoyed getting to know him better.

Today we went on a mother/son date to the pumpkin patch. Along with a few other moms and kids from church, we had exclusive reign over the farm. And boy did we have fun ...

... picking out the perfect pumpkin ...

... and thinking that this smiley scarecrow couldn't scare anything away...

... and eating our lunch on a bale of hay while the kids rummaged through bins of knobby gourds. We have yet to go out to the patch as a family, but I am grateful for the time I had with just my boy.

A Keen Observation

On a recent day our family was driving along in a car. Noticing that there was little noise inside and outside the vehicle, I remarked "Oh, it's pretty quiet today". And without skipping a beat, my daughter said "That's because I haven't been saying anything!"

Kaput

"Kindergarten is just great Mom!"

Wednesday evening - 6:13 pm

And completely exhausting, it would seem.

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.

Conversations With A Five Year-Old

My daughter. So articulate but it is difficult to have a conversation with her. Why? Here's a snippet of my conversation with her earlier.

Me: Okay, we are at the library, lets go get some books.
Her: Are they open Mom?
Me: Yup, they are open.
Her: Because it's Wednesday?
Me: No, it's Friday.
Her: So, they are closed?
Me: No, they are open until 5:00.
Her: It's 5:00?
Me: No, they are open UNTIL 5:00.
Her: Oh .... so they are closed?

Somebody. Help. Me!

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.

How I Get My Radiant Summer Glow

Today I look darn good. My face is shining, my hair is staying firmly in place, and my skin is an unusual shade - not exactly bronze, more like Southern Oregon red clay. You too can get this amazing look if you follow these simple steps:

1. The Location

Find the perfect place to spend the next few days for your various summer treatments. I chose a charming establishment called Willow Lake. Sounds serene doesn't it? Make sure your surroundings are natural and organic. The presence of a lot of dirt, rocks, campfire ashes, and flying insects is crucial. And may I suggest consuming a bug once in a while, if you are lucky, a gnat looks like some ground pepper and you don't even notice the difference.

Begin your summer spa treatments with a good dirt bath. Really grind it in!

2. Sleep Deprivation

To properly appreciate a good night's sleep, you must be deprived of it once and a while. My recommendation is to find neighbors who like to blast Run DMC and Country Rock at 10:00 pm. It also helps if they have been drinking all day long to extend the enjoyment of listening to profanity, yelling and loud bodily functions. Disrespect and booze is a winning combination! Then, it's a must to wake up at 7:00 am to seek out another location to allow the relaxing to begin. A hammock is the perfect place to kick back and breath in the fresh mountain air.

Swinging in a hammock helps to take your cares away and is perfect for a good snuggle.

3. Aromatherapy

If mountain air tends be too fresh, it is good to inhale a healthy portion of campfire smoke once in a while. It makes the eyes water, resulting in the necessary removal of contact lenses. Coughing and hacking is bound to occur, as is the persistent aroma of burning juniper that permeates your clothing, hair and sleeping bags.

4. Hydrotherapy

It's no secret that water is important for our well being. After all, our bodies are made up of 70% water. A morning row in the canoe is good for the body and spirit. Build strong arm muscles while taking in the glory of God's creation. Next - and this is most important - drift lazily upon a glassy lake on a giant inflatable killer whale. Take in the views of Mt. McLaughlin, the dragonflies, and the many sunbathers who let their suits sag below the Equator (if you know what I mean!)

This charming couple (who look an awful lot like my in-laws) demonstrate proper canoing techniques.

There is no dignified way to ride an inflatable orca.

5. Skin Treatments

Why people like take a shower every day is beyond me. It's amazing how skin looks after days without a shower and the buildup of sweat, sunscreen and dirt. Scraping your knees on lava rocks and getting gravel down your pants is good for you - it called exfoliation. And don't forget to allow the oils to build up in your scalp, it keeps hair healthy and is the perfect husband repellent.

"What? And? Yeah I'm getting filthy ... it's my job!"

My Little French School Girl

To continue the story of my daughter's haircut, several inches are now gone from her head. She insisted that she wanted short hair. She insisted that she wanted hair like Mommy's. She insisted that she was on board with the whole haircut thing.

So, after I cut her hair I asked her if she liked it. Her response was a bashful "Not really."

"I'm sorry you don't like it. What don't you like about it?"

"It's just that I look really different."

"Well, are you going to cut your hair again by yourself?"

"NO!!"

So, until her hair starts to grow out, I'll just have to live with my little French school girl. I personally think she is beautiful and I love her hair. Was it the best job on a haircut ever? Um, no. I am surely not very skilled in wielding a pair of styling shears, but considering my inexperience, I count it as more of a success than disaster.

Plus it's comforting to know that hair always grows back.

This new style will be perfect for the hot summer months.

Lookin' good with the hair tucked behind the ears.

Fortunately, she is very confident and secure. She seems pretty unfazed by her new 'do.

I am thinking I should knit her a little pink beret to complete the look pour ma petite fille!

It Was Bound To Happen Sometime

It was inevitable. Every girl does it. I have been waiting for that moment ... my daughter decided to cut her own hair today. Slumped over a handful of her own hair, she tried to hide the evidence. After seeing a rather healthy amount in her hands, I braced myself for the worst!

Fortunately, the damage was pretty minimal. Wanting to cut her hair "like Mommy's" (which is about chin length), I think I will have to finish the job tomorrow myself . Perhaps a nice summer bob is in order.

And it may have to be with bangs.

Mr. Squinchy Face

With all of the moving around he's been up to lately, it is a rare treat to capture (although not very skillfully) the favorite and most beloved expression affectionately dubbed ... Mr. Squinchy Face!

Many Reasons To Celebrate

Today was a somewhat momentous day. My daughter finished up preschool, and was registered for Kindergarten. It's a little hard to believe that come Fall, my baby girl will be in grade school.

Here she is, checking out her new school. She is wearing a t-shirt that she decorated at preschool for the last day - an interesting blend of her past and future!

On a different note, my son is officially walking on his own! The walker is gone and he is scurrying around everywhere. We are so thrilled, God is good!

Check out my boy, moving around with no assistance. There is no stopping him now!

And finally, after the untimely death of my 50mm lens (okay, it didn't really die, but it stopped connecting to the camera), I got my new lens today! A 60mm Micro Nikkor! This beauty takes great macro shots as well as portraits. Ooh, I will am having fun getting to know it better and its capabilities.

As if this happy face wasn't reason enough to celebrate, capturing it with my new lens makes it even better!

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!

Wish Flowers

My daughter calls dandilions "Wish Flowers". It's amazing what is considered magical to one person is a nuisance to another. I was thrilled to get this photo ... and even more thrilled that she wasn't "wishing" anywhere near my yard!

Feeling Icky

Sleeping in a sea of sheets in your favorite colors is comforting when you are feeling icky.

What is it like the day after getting five shots?

- she wakes up at 3:00 am, crying out in pain
- she has a fever of 102°
- she has to be carried down the stairs because it hurts to walk
- she snuggles up on the couch with a hot water bottle and a handful of Fancy Nancy books
- she can barely eat her toast
- she actually naps during nap time

The upside: she won't need any more vaccinations until she's eleven!

No Sparkly Bandages Today

Turning five is an exciting thing for a kid ... except when that means you have to get not only one shot, but FIVE! For my daughter's annual wellness check-up she happily donned the paper gown, she tattled on herself when she said she didn't like to eat vegetables very much, and she passed all of the tests with flying colors. She is healthy! But it was heartbreaking when we found out that she would be getting five pokes today.

The anticipation quickly began to build. She whimpered even before the nurse came in the exam room. She shrieked when the alcohol was applied to her little legs. Then the real screaming began!

When she composed herself ten minutes later, she limped pitifully out of the clinic with a rainbow sucker in one hand and a pink helium balloon in the other. On the way home she talked about how brave she was and that last time she had a shot she got a sparkly bandage, and that she wished she got a sparkly bandage this time. It's amazing what things leave an impression on such a young girl.

KidBits

I often feel as though I have blinked and my kids went from being sweet little babies to funny and smart young adults.

My daughter will be five years old in a couple of weeks. Five! It is incredible how my life has changed since she was born. And how that little angel I used to hold in my arms is now excited about things like lip gloss. She is constantly complimenting me on my outfit, she wants to cut her hair like mine, and is already keeping the door shut to her room to ward off her encroaching little brother.

She has "nap time" although she rarely naps, and she often protests that she is not sleepy. But one day I went in to get her up in the afternoon and she had been sleeping. She suddenly looked at me with sleepy eyes and said "I don't know what happened Mom, I was playing and now I am in my bed". Yeah, she had been sleeping soundly for some time, wrapped up in her sheets and drooling unknowingly onto her pillow.

My boy is growing up way too fast as well. Probably the one thing that makes my heart melt into a little puddle more than anything else is when I tell him "I love you" and he looks at me and says "Eeeee Aaaaaah you!" I am not entirely sure he knows what that means, but we say it so much around our house that I think he has an inkling. And when he raises his eyebrows, he is only able to raise his left one while the other one remains paralyzed. The look of concentration in his face is priceless!

I know I have mentioned before that he loves cars. Well, if I am in the magazine section at the store, I will give him a magazine about cars to look at (one without a hot babe in a bikini draped across the vehicle of course!). And he is so funny because he shouts "CAWS!" at the top of his lungs. The other day he was flipping through Street Trucks and found a page about nothing but wheels. I am sure that he could be heard throughout the store shouting, "WHEELS! Wheels, wheels, WHEEEEELS!" Boy am I glad we don't use profanity in our house ... who knows what he might be shouting.

Homegrown Hieroglyphics

Ah, to be a kid again. To think nothing is more thrilling than some sidewalk chalk and the ultimate blank canvas - a driveway! As I look out my office window I can see children's hieroglyphics all over the place with drawings of flowers, sunshines and hopscotch boards. And as the weather is slowly warming up, I have a suspicion that this will be commonplace around here.

Little boy doodles.

This photo reminds me of my own times playing hopscotch in front of Mrs. Corpe's classroom in the first grade. It's good to know some games are still fashionable today.

The cat just had to join in the fun and decided to roll around in the chalk. It's quite fitting that her name "Rangi" means "color" in Swahili.

Sick Day

Snuggling up on the couch with the blankie and your favorite toy helps when you are sick.

How do you know when a two year-old is sick?

- the ruddy color in his cheeks are gone
- he throws up in his cereal bowl
- he falls asleep during his favorite movie
- he falls off the couch and does nothing but lay on the floor, unmotivated to move
- he absolutely won't - no matter how much you try to get him to - smile

With Disney Cars in the DVD player and cherry Jell-O in the fridge, we will turn this sick day around.

Traveling Man

My son is also making so much progress on his walking. He is determined. He is focused. He can practically fly when using his walker. But when he senses that he is not being supported by anything, he panics and collapses. It's all about confidence and we are working on that. In fact, we are at the point where we can walk with him only using one hand!

Making our way down the driveway. He takes such big exuberant steps!

He will often pause for a moment, usually to point out a car or the wheels on a truck. He likes to take leisurely strolls and take in his environment.

Now we are really moving!

I can sense it ... it won't be long now where we won't be able to slow him down!

Green Day

Yesterday when I went to pick up my daughter from school, she came bounding toward me with a mess of green ribbons in her hair. Her teacher said they made hair bows for the girls and neck ties for the boys to wear on St. Patrick's Day. It was so cute and funny looking at the same time, I had to get a photo.

Even though I have a lot of Irish blood running through my veins, I don't think I'll be partaking in any green beer this year. And I had better get some green on soon before I get pinched!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

E-mails From a Princess

This was too funny not to share. My daughter composed an e-mail to her Meemaw ...

(dictated by our girl, typed by Daddy)


Meemaw

Thank you for the sparkle dress, Mom and Dad is going on a date, I'm going to the babysitter, I think that's all.

I love you!

I jump a lot! I run a lot! I think a lot! I listen a lot! I don't listen very well! I love pancakes! I love knitting!


Oh, how the four year-old mind works!

How Much Is That Fairy In the Window?

Entirely by her own choice and motivation, my daughter dressed up as Tinkerbell yesterday and decided to clean anything in our house made of glass (the connection with the costume and the desire to clean is unknown). Our Windex supply is running low, but good golly my office window is sparkling clean!

A Walk in the Park

This morning my daughter begged me to take her to the park. We have a little playground at the end of our street and when I looked outside I realized that it was a gorgeous day. We all needed a little sunshine, fresh air, and exercise so I grabbed my camera and we were off.

My daughter had a great time sliding and climbing while my son sat in the sawdust and got dirty. And even though it wasn't rainy out, I brought along my kids' rain boots because they are so fun and I wanted to photograph them. Here are some shots from our time at the park:

I had fun playing with lighting, perspective and environment. As you can see it was in the upper 40s, there is still a lot of snow on the ground, and the skies were clear and blue.

I had mentioned before that my son has low muscle tone and at the age of 22 months he still isn't walking or standing on his own. Well, he has made tremendous progress and I can tell that he desires to walk. At the park I took along his walker so he could practice and boy did he practice! He was quite insistent that he walk up and down the sidewalk. I think he realizes the independence he'll gain from being able to move by himself!

What a little rascal! With that mischievous grin, the faux-hawk and his kick-butt attitude, I just know he'll be out running me soon!