Rainy Thursday

Despite a strong inclination to wear pyjamas and hang out on the couch all day I took Jack to school and ran a few errands before picking him up. When we got home Jack said "We need... comfy pants, Mommy." Yes, we do, Jack. Yes, we do.

While running errands I acquired a booster seat/chair cover for Jack. He's too short to sit in the chair without having a hard time but too much of a big boy for an actual booster. This little seat cushion does the job quite nicely!

We made naan pizza for lunch. Frozen naan + tomato sauce + masala spice blend + cheese = pizza!

Jack played motorcycles.

He insisted that Henry play too.

All it takes

... is a second. I put Henry down on the couch to get Jack ready for school yesterday and he was out like a light faster than you can say sleepy-baby.

It's a great idea...

... on paper.

There are lots of things that I think about during the day. Here are a few of the highlights:

Opening an Etsy shop. I love to paint, but I've run out of walls to hang things on (which is the real reason we're trying to move.) I'd also love to make a little cash, so marrying the two seems to make sense. I've entered art shows and such before but I was a kid, frankly the idea of putting time and effort into developing an Etsy shop, only to have things sit, lonely, unpurchased would feel an awful lot like rejection.

Build a home from 'scratch'. I would love to buy land and then buy a bunch of used shipping containers (like the ones FEMA finally started using after Katrina.) They're the right basic dimensions to create modest rooms and building a great room in the center and putting a roof on top wouldn't be that hard. Right? Besides, the idea of reusing on that kind of scale is so green it makes me squee!

Plural Marriage. I'm not talking scary FLDS, that's a whole different thing. That new TLC show Sister Wives has me thinking. Clearly, the practical applications of bringing another person into a marriage have some pitfalls (understatement.) But there would certainly be some benefits- more hands for laundry, cooking, cleaning, childcare, etc. A live-in friend for me, friends for the kids. Don't get me wrong making marriage work with only two people participating is hard enough sometimes. But if one could ignore or actually work through the challenges of that lifestyle there are certainly some benefits.

Writing a Book. I have thoughts and I'm an eensy bit narcissistic. I think I have the making of an author... maybe even a good one. I've started about 9 books, some fiction and some non-fiction so far and I have finished not a one. I'm limited by my attention span. I always get somewhere between planning & research and 20 pages before I get distracted, busy, lazy and the whole plan fizzles. Someday I swear I'm actually going to finish a book. Frankly, I don't even care if anyone would want to publish it. Finishing the damn thing would be satisfaction enough.

I believe

I believe...

... you cannot sell a house through sheer force of will. (Believe me, I've tried.)

... there are enough good ways to raise children in the world that it's impossible to claim that there is only one 'right' way.

... when fall comes it should stay. It should not go away and be replaced by 90 degree oppressive heat and swarms of stink bugs, thankyouverymuch.

... experimenting with new foods and new recipes brings me a remarkable sense of joy.

... L.L. Bean and Eddie Bauer have some of the cutest clothes.

Apparently I'm a Sap

We got a 'new' car yesterday. We traded in my Forrester. Seriously, I almost cried when we drove away from it on the lot. She was such a good car, while I won't miss her lack of leg room or her small trunk space, I will miss her. Thanks for 12 great years, little car.
I learned having kids is the best way to get a good deal on a car:

• Bring your small children with you because they will distract you enough that you'll seem uninterested even if you're very interested.
• Get their best offer and then tell them you have to go home and put the kids down for a nap... the offer will improve.
• Shop at the end of the month.
  

Here's my new car. In addition to my deep sadness leaving my Forrester behind Jack was distraught when we took him for a test drive in the new car. He was screaming "No!! NO!! I don't like this!!! I need Mommy's car!! I need to get out!!!"

This morning, however, he woke up with new excitement for Mommy's new car.

Now if only I had a garage to park it in...

Harvest Moon

The harvest moon and the fall equinox signal that it's time for change. Change that you cannot fight (good luck getting the weather to stay summer-hot in November). It signals to me that it's time to start picking apples. I love a good pick-your-own, great for the planet and a great activity for the kiddos. Today we met up with Susan and Emily and their kids.

Sophia, Jack, Henry, Carter and Brooks.
(We miss you, Cady!! Tell your Mommy "Happy Birthday!)

After picking apples we wandered over to check out the broccoli.

Jackpot.

Jack got a workout pushing Henry back up the hill. -I love the jump-seat for the Phil & Ted... so many uses... like toddler-height handle.

Here is Henry, sitting like a big-boy! I'm so proud!

First Day of School!

Today was Jack's first day of school. We're a part of a program through our county, so I suppose technically you could call it a 'camp' (because you register by 5 week session) but it has a curriculum and Jack calls it school, so we're going to call it 'school'.

After having a hard time this summer with his second week of school I was nervous about how he would do today but he did great! We also saw Andrea, Andreas and Carsten from Mom's Group, as Andreas and Jack are going to be in class together!


Henry and I had some Henry-and-Mommy special time; at the grocery store, with a pumpkin spice latte.

When we got home Jack had a special first-day-of-school treat.

I've thought about trying to be really productive while Jack is in school- running errands and all that. But I'm going to use this time to do something much more important to me- snuggle with Henry and maybe conduct the occasional cooking experiment.

A Sign of the Times

My friend Katie and I met because our boys were in Mommy and Me swim class together. We discovered that we had lots in common, and so did our boys (who are only 2 months apart). She was pregnant with her second baby at the same time as me. We were due a mere one day apart! Our new baby boys are nearly 6 months old and we're just finally getting the kiddos together to play.

This is clearly a sign of the times. Our lives are just too busy! Colin and Henry were fast friends.

Jack was immediately taken with the dog, Dutchess.

Liam (LJ) is already sitting!

The kids had such a good time, and it certainly doesn't hurt for me to have a mom to talk to who is dealing with the same developmental stages at the same time! Juggling two is a different experience than learning to adapt to having one, so having someone else saying "I barely survived the first 3 months!" is pretty darn validating.

I'm not trying to scare you, the first 3 months are really not all that bad. Especially because you already 'know what you're doing'. But the first 3 months with two at home, all day, no breaks, is pretty chaotic. Chaos and I... we're like oil and water; we're not friends.

It was a big day!

In the eyes of our toddler, it was a BIG BIG day! Today we went to Strasburg to see Thomas! We got there pretty early in the morning, but the parking lots were all full so we had to park a mile away in the overflow lots. Which irked me, until Jack realized we got to ride a BUS to get to the rail station. Irk replaced with glee.

Henry enjoyed his ride on Thomas.

Even the ceilings in the cars were pretty.

They has a little tiny train.

Jack and I had to ride it.

We also rode on the old Strasburg steem engine (which apparently has wine and cheese rides in the evenings. YUM!)

We must have watched the trains pull out and into the station 4, 5, maybe even 6 times.

Trains...

Jack lurves watching the engine chug-chug along.

My in-laws were key players in making this trip so much fun. Extra hands for Jack and Henry. Extra eyes to point out and look at cool train things. Extra people to laugh at the funny things Jack said and the funny expressions Henry made.

I can't imagine how the Husband and I would have managed without them! They were very useful grandparents.

We wouldn't have beel able to take this great family pic, that's for sure!

The day ended, as all good summer-ish days should end, with an ice cream cone.

I took 96 pictures and have about 3 minutes of train video. Which is a mark of a good time!

Serioiusly, I'm marking the calendar for next year's trip. I cannot wait to do this again!!

The Dancing Boys

Just because I'm



having a crappy day-

doesn't mean they are.

Quirky

Jack is a pretty quirky guy. Topping my list of his oddities:

• when discussing backhoes, et. al. he often calls them "Construction marks."
• he hates, HATES having his nails clipped.
• even if you correct him, he'll correct you right back, it's a hiccup truck not a pickup truck.
• he says "Mommy, you're so pretty." every time I get dressed in anything other than yoga pants.
• he's a natural in the pool.
• he has very real opinions about what he wears each day. (loves his dino shirts).
• he loves, LOVES Cars, Ratatouille and Wall-E
• he will eat just about anything and is already willing to try taste-bites of new things in exchange for bribes.

Henry is also starting to show some quirks of his own:

• he could stand in his exersaucer for an hour or more playing with his toys.
• he's obsessed with his big brother and thinks that just about everything he does is worthy of a deep belly laugh.
• he's already making 4 distinct sounds by his babbling.
• he rolls with pure intention.
• he can tripod, but when he gets distracted (usually by watching Jack) he topples over.
• he loves to sleep and like his father is REALLY PAINFULLY slow to get moving in the morning, so if you try to get going earlier than he's ready you might as well try swimming up Niagara Falls.
• he will eat anything, especially Netflix mailing envelopes. (my bad).

The real problem with breastfeeding in public. (Seriously, click on it... it's not what you think...) As shared with me by The Feminist Breeder.

Indoor activities

Tummy time aka. fort-building site supervisor.

Fort builder extrordinaire, or General Contractor.

Henry is pleased with the progress!

Jack pretending to nap inside the fort.

He doesn't actually take naps anymore, which makes the last hour or 3 of the day really frustrating for everyone but the upside is he has become a much better sleepet at night (instead of many frustrating wake ups we often have none!)

I hate to admit it

but I'm DVRin the final season of Oprah.

Don't get me wrong, she's just a human being, like the rest of us. I'm not one to think Oprah's word is law. Sometimes I totally disagree (though not very often). She does have a knack leave me with yummy food for thought. So I admit it, I'm intending to watch every. single. episode. this season.

For all you Parents out there

The Husband brough this one home from work. Apparently this somehow related to the training class he was in today. (I don't see how, but like he said, I wasn't there.)

This one is an oldie but goodie. Always good for a laugh!

Home

I had forgotten- in this whirlwind- to go home. Now I'm grounded.

Love.

Can we make fun of the Government for a sec?

Okay, so I'll preface this by saying I do NOT want this to turn into a Dem/Rep thing.

The Husband works for the federal government. He does something related to being a computer nerd. Don't get me wrong, I love him and I love that he provides the $$ so I can stay home, but OH.MY.GOD when he talks about his job I want to paper cut myself to death. Sometimes I don't really understand what he's talking about and sometimes he talks in such great and unnecessary detail, which leads to glazed-eyes.

But when he talks about applying for promotions you bettah believe I listen! So he's applying for a job today and apparently HR has cooked up some cockamamie scheme where they ask applicants multiple choice questions to test their qualifications. He sent me one of the questions. I will now do my impression of the question he was asked by HR:

Do you have experience making breakfast?
A. Eggs come from chickens.
B. Puppies have wet noses.
C. Bread is a form of carbohydrate.
D. When you mix red and blue you get purple.
E. A squared plus B squared equals C squared.

Um, WHAAAAAAAT?

Hello, Fall

We love you for your apples and your rosy cheeks. I can't wait for fires in the fireplace, making butternut squash soup. Hot apple cider. Cool hikes in the brisk air. The changing colors of the trees.

Fall, please take your shoes off and stay a while.

Lurve,

Me

Little Clones

Jack would prefer to get sun at the beach. He took his chair down to the water to sit after seeing so many grown-ups sitting with their feet in the water reading he thought they might be onto something.

Henry would prefer to catch a cat-nap. Anywhere he can.

I feel like George Bailey

"I want to live again; I want to live again!"

I've been annoyed by most parts of the home-selling process but one of the things that bothers me the most is constantly being on hold.

Jack wore cloth diapers, he ate homemade organic baby food, I made stuffed animals, blankets, toys, a mobile for his crib and I painted. I wasn't constantly feeling like Julie Andrews or anything but I felt like I was doing more in my life, for me and for my little guy.

While we've been on the market we've done what's easy, what's clean, what's pre-packaged and I'm tired of it. Last week I made beef curry; my version of a coup isn't exactly revolutionary war or anything but it worked. This week Henry has his sweet baby booty in cloth and I'm making baby food as I type this. Deciding NOT to be on hold makes me channel George Bailey.

I have decided not to be on hold. I have decided to live.

Which brings me to an interesting poll. Would you rather see a movie in its original black and white or in the re-mastered color?

Kayak Trip

Jack loved this part of the weekend! I realize he's not wearing a life-vest but the water is only about 18 inches (if that) deep where we paddled around, so I wasn't exactly worried.

Little Swimmers

One of our days of vacation was spent at the indoor pool, the weather was nice enough for an outdoor pool but this one has a slide.

I dunked Henry in the tradition of Mommy & Me swimming by blowing in his face (so he'll hold his breath) and then dunking him gently. He was not a fan. He did however enjoy being held and kicking his legs in the pool.

Jack was content to swim alone. He wanted to swim with his face in and use his arms and legs (which he did while being held) but he also wanted to swim far and wide with his trusty noodle!

Family Photo.

Our little Evil Kinevel.