Ten for '10

I'm sure I'm original and no other bloggers are a)doing this or b) titling it this way. Here are my New Year's Resolutions/Goals (organized by time frame because I am a geek).

1. Watch my freaking mouth. I've gotten better about not saying "the biggies" in front of the impressionable little copycat. I'd also like to cut the inappropriate "like" misusages from my vocabulary. I'm smarter than verbal crutches and I wish I sounded as smart as I can be. (Acting smartly will be a resolution for another year.)

2. Actually celebrate Alan's birthday for the first time in four years.

3. Organize my entire filing system for bills. Before tax time.

4. Actually see "New Moon" with my mom like we've been discussing.

5. Participate in a half-marathon. I've already started preparing and am off to at least a mediocre start.

6. Get back to not being the mom who yells. That would be good.

7. Actually decorate my family room and purchase comfortable furniture. Psh. You mean we're going to live here a while?

8. Be totally selfish and do something for myself. When pondering this, I had wild goals of purchasing a Kitchenaid or something. On reflection, it might be more simple like getting my hair cut more often than once a year.

9. Find a reason and send a thank you card to someone every week.

10. Stick with a project until the bitter end. This list counts, right?

Happy New Year!

Cheers to the New Year!

P.S. These cute little name mugs SUCK. The thing was leaking as the picture was taken, never mind as I was filling it.

Mason and I "cheersed" with our second annual Maple Hot Chocolate. He was skeptical of making it in a pan (seriously, I might be getting lazy as a homemaker if he calls Swiss Miss "real hot chocolate"), but was okay with the process once he got to help.

This year has been so nuts. Thanks for reading and catching up with us. We love you all and wish you the best the coming year has to offer. Here's our recap, good bad and otherwise:

• Alan tested for engineer but didn't get it. We're keeping our fingers crossed and wishing him luck in 2010.



• We all but skipped Alan's birthday to celebrate with Mason. I totally almost ruined his birthday cake, but manage to re-balance it in the box without shoving my hand in the middle, thank you very much.



• Alan played in the Guns 'n Hoses hockey game. The firefighters lost. We'll pretend it was to help the cops overcome their ego problems.



• We all but skipped Valentines Day because we were working. And sick. But still working.



• One of my favorite aunts died rather suddenly. We still miss her, especially because she was the glue that brought us all together for the holidays. Those are definitely not the same without her wry chuckling.



• We poured concrete. Mason was in boy heaven.



• We potty trained Mason. It's been a process, I'm not gonna lie. We're doing okay.



• Baby Claire landed firmly in the middle of our family. She's cute.



• We paid off the commuter car, bought a trailer, and squeezed in a few camping trips.



• We all but skipped mom's birthday to work and take care of the kids.



• Mom and Claire spent the summer indoors and trying to get some sleep. We're both still alive, so it must've worked out at some point.



• Mason spent the summer in a swimming pool. This worked out pretty well for him.



• It was our sixth official anniversary. We went out to dinner (date night was pretty awesome at that point!), reminisced/complained, and felt old.



• Mason started preschool. After a rough start and trouble with authority (given the personalities of his parents, we're thinking this will be a lifelong struggle), he is doing very well and can write his name almost legibly.



• Dad worked a lot. A LOT. And loved it most of the time.



• We had lots of playdates, lunch dates, dinner dates, and spent as much time as we could with friends and family that we love.



• We got lots of good news and have many things to look forward to in the coming year.

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Projecting

We've got quite a number of projects going that are typical for this time of year. I'm still trying to finish up something that I've got mostly made for Claire's room (I mentioned it several months ago-- don't judge me!), we are trying to put all our Christmas decorations away and stay on top of shoveling snow, I'm working on a Family Emergency Plan binder to put somewhere in the kitchen, I'm also working on a complete home inventory, we just got a job chart started for Mason, and last but not least, this.


I made the ill advised decision last year to put Mason's train table in our loft area. I argued against putting it in his room because I didn't want him to stay up late playing with toys after bedtime. I also didn't want something so potentially loud sharing a wall with the incoming baby's room. Then there was the solid argument that the bedrooms in our house are not that large and a train table alone would take up far too much space.

So we assembled it in the loft (which we normally use for a computer/reading room). The next step was we brought all of his toys upstairs and began using the two trundle drawers as a toybox. The previous toybox we'd had was a large Rubbermaid bin. It got progressively larger over his three years until there was so much unused detritus in the bottom I thought maybe a puppy had moved in that we didn't know about. There was the occasional playdate when all this stuff would get dumped out in the middle of the living room floor (so the kids could use the empty box). After one particularly large dump & play, I spent an hour picking up and swore it would never happen again. So the toys migrated.


Well, they migrated but not to the inside of anything. For about a year now, if we need to use the computer, we've been rooting through shin-high toys, trains, and so on. The room is out of the way enough that we weren't so good about picking up everyday. Suddenly, vaccumming took an hour because you had to clean the toys up first. If you wanted to find a specific toy (anyone met my three year old? He's so specific this was a daily occurrence) or book, forget it. So we came up with a new system. Mom and dad got the loft back and here's Mason's room now: The little table lost its corner. But it gained a game to be played until parents begged for reprieve (oh yes, it's only a week after Christmas and we're already fairly sick of this bad boy, but it's better than watching TV!)
The inner workings. We have nine long and skinny bins put into these two drawers. We left the back part of the second drawer for the large buildings that accompany the train table. There is no way any particular feat of engineering can include them all. The theory behind this is that each bin is categorized: one for plastic dinosaurs, one for Matchbox cars, one for trains (that aren't in the Roundhouse), one for legos, etc. When Mason wants to take a toy elsewhere, he can just take the bin out and we can load it up and put it back where it goes. The jury is still out on whether this will happen, but isn't it pretty at the moment?

The train track dad built to "celebrate". Look at that thing! And he's disappointed that all routes lead back to the roundhouse! This is the kind of thing dads are for and moms gladly let them have it.

More on the job chart later. This post turned out long enough already!

Christmas Highlights

We had a fun, busy holiday season. We hope yours was as fun as ours. Much thanks for the grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, and cousins who kept us going and kept us full of love and the holiday spirit!

We spent Christmas Eve with Alan's side of the family, following tradition that was established many years before I came along. One thing we do is play "chimes", which are pipes cut so they (in theory) play the proper note when they are (theoretically) hit with a knife handle at the proper time. Each pipe has a number, and our parents have carefully charted out several Christmas songs. With so many kids in the next generation, we've learned how the parents must've felt when the cousins were all small; it is truly noisy and mostly indecipherable, but it's a tradition we continue.

Mason was focused on the toy dinosaurs, in keeping with this new favorite theme of his. When not playing "Rudy" (the T-Rex in Ice Age 3), he was busy playing trucks and trains with the other boys; it was a little bit of boy heaven for him to have kids his own age and gender around.

Claire enjoyed being one center of attention and hammed it up for most of the night. I actually got to eat a meal with two hands. Thanks, Erika!

Alan's brother's girlfriend, Leah, made a beautiful and yummy red velvet cake that put the dessert I brought to shame. It was so fancy, and I'm sure it took so much work!

We spent Christmas morning solo at our house, just the four of us, and then headed over to my parents. Again, this was following tradition. Without all the hustle and bustle of 12 kids ages 6 and under, it was much more relaxed and a whole different kind of fun. Claire didn't get it (we knew she wouldn't), but I think in the long run she will like her toys and she already loves her books. As can be seen above, her very favorite thing is snuggling with Grandma. This was not in conjunction with a nap; it's just how they are together. It's so cute!

I bought Mason a 100-piece puzzle. There is nothing between the chunky toddler puzzles and the ages 5+ puzzles, at least not at Toys R Us. So I bought the big one knowing that his smaller ones have become routine and also that I would have to help him. We put it together as one of the first things, and I was once again shocked by how smart this kid is, and he even stayed focused long enough to finish it. His other present from Mom and Dad was "Hungry Hungry Hippos", which we have already devoted several hours of our lives to. Santa brought him a red scooter. He's ridden it a bit, but I think he'll enjoy it more when the weather warms up a little.

I could go on and on about the two days of exhausting excitement, but I won't because I know we're all in the same boat. I also have a squeaky little girl telling me to come get her out of bed. Hope your holidays were merry and bright and all that and hope you are all looking forward to the year ahead the way we are.

Seven Months... in Heaven?

This sweet baby is getting so big so fast. I hate how kids do that! But I love it at the same time. She is so exuberant and sweet that it's hard not to enjoy it. Seven months old already -- time is flying. She is almost crawling, and I'm sure Mason's world is going to change drastically very, very soon. She has taken to eating solids very well. She will usually give you a dirty look on first taste of something new, but then quickly shriek until you give her more.

Likes: talking (and blowing raspberries), starting intently at any object she can get her hands on (mouths, noses, hair, toys, clothes hangers), eating (grilled pineapple is a new favorite), singing songs, rattles, Christmas lights, being in motion, her brother

Dislikes: being put down, being hungry

Sittin' pretty.... ish....

My mother-in-law helped me take the kids to get their pictures done today. Overall it was a fun outing, and as you can see we got some good pictures.

It was also the first time Claire has had professional pictures. She didn't enjoy the parts where she had to be put down; she definitely made the photographer earn her wage. The only smiles we got involved feet being tickled with a feather duster and a small stuffed dog "getting" her. Of course, once someone picked her up she was all smiles and very chatty. Maybe this will get easier as we go.

Mason was handsome as always, but he tired of the activity quickly and was more excited about Grandma being with us.

Much thanks to the portrait studio and to Grandma.

Letters to Santa

Dear Santa,

Merry Christmas! I love your reindeer. They are my favorite.

Will you please bring a train table for my room? I want two tables to play lots and lots of trains. Also, some trains to chug on the train table.

I would love a red scooter to play outside with my friends.

Please take lots of toys to the sick kids sleeping at the hospital, too.

Happy Holidays! I promise to be a good boy.

Love, Mason

******

I might have done the penmanship, but Mason told me what to put in the letter and then he "traced letters". He's currently in his room writing a letter to his dad. I think we may have hit on something here.

He is currently very fixated on a charity his preschool is sponsoring this year. It provides a new toy to kids with cancer. We let him pick a toy himself to put in the box for kids who are very sick; ever since then, he keeps asking for reassurance that when he is sick and in the hospital, mom and dad will come with him and bring him a new toy. I love the empathy he's showing there, but need to find a way to instill the idea that not every kid gets sick and he may not (God willing) be one that ends up in the hospital in the same way. This is all a pretty heavy conversation for a (nearly) four year old.

This is one of those things...

... that we'll look back on and laugh a bit, right? I suggested a trip to see the lights at the zoo last night. Saying it didn't come together smoothly is an understatement. We were running very late (getting there just before they stopped selling tickets), I was in a very poor mood as a result of the running very late, I forgot Claire's hat, and it was arctic-style, freeze-your-nose-off cold. Last but not least, my camera battery died fairly early on. So here's a picture of bundled up little Claire. The blanket was a good hat substitute, and she was warm and smiley all night. Anyway, that's about the only quality picture I got from the evening.

Mason, however, had a great time running around with Grandma. The lights were spectacular, as they were last year, and we finally got to see the tiger cubs moving around. Alan harrassed one until it (sorry, didn't check the gender) was growling and considering chewing through chain link to get to him. We also had some fun with the more nocturnal cats inside the reptile/desert building, but is it just me or does that building always smell like there is a crowd in there? There were not that many people inside but it still had it's usual aroma -- let's call it "earthy" to keep this on the more upbeat side, mmmkay?

We were also disappointed to learn that our zoo membership doesn't admit us to Zoo Lights like it does to the zoo. We still had to pay nearly full price. The concession-folk were very nice about explaining that it's because an outside company does all the displays, but I still thought it was kind of a rip-off.

In the end, the evening was a success for Mason and that's the most important part. I'm hoping in time that's the only part we'll bring up when we remember this particular outing.

What happens when....

...the almost-four-year-old is in charge of hanging ornaments.

Well, baby...

...it's been six months. That means you got a whole bunch of shots today. We're also not telling you that we're taking you back next week to finish up with a double flu shot... but it's all because we love you.

Claire's six month well-baby check up was today, and although she is small she is healthy enough that she kicked me (sometimes in the face) during the physical exam. She also tried to grab anything that was attached to Dr. Johnson, including the odoscope and his face. He said she is right on as far as her motor skills, social development, etc. So far, so good.

(harrassing her older brother-- she really, really wanted that fire hat!)

Height: 27 inches (90th percentile)

Weight: 15 lbs. 9 oz. (10th percentile)

Today I am thankful for... (day 10)

Today I am thankful for parents -- both mine and Alan's -- who are still so supportive, willing to help when we need it, and involved in our daily lives. We love you and our kids love you. We are starting to understand where you were coming from for all those years.

I've gotten a little behind on this. It's been a busy few days. But I am still as thankful today as I have been for the past two days.

Seriously -- Six months?!

Likes: chewing on stuff, grabbing her toes, grabbing in general, wiggling around, throwing herself backward (especially in a Bumbo or walker to make it move), talking, being tickled, being tossed, reading and chewing on books, chewing on her index and middle fingers, eating, snuggling into her Piglet blanket to sleep (more on that later, I think it's a mom's worst nightmare in the SIDS era), snuggling at all, kicking her long legs, the ladybug that used to hang from the carseat handle, rattles, "lovies", sneezing, listening to music, Samson and his whole-face kisses

Dislikes: being more than arm's length away from someone, being hung upside down by her feet, being in her carseat, having her nose wiped or "sucked"

Claire is growing fast, but is still so tiny. (Case in point: in the picture above she's wearing 0-3 month pants with room to grow, but not length!) I might have to buy her a new carseat not because of weight but because of length. She is doing well sitting up on her own, but tips over frequently just because she squirms so much. She laughs almost constantly when the boys are around to tickle her and is starting to enjoy more physical playing, like being tossed in the air. She babbles and coos, and likes to "sing" while she eats which makes for a long mealtime. She has also started on solids, and is loving oatmeal, bananas, and pears so far.

Today, I am Thankful for... (day seven)

Today I am thankful for a warm house to stay inside of while the stupid snow is out to play, and excited to start some fun "first snow" traditions with Mason. I really hate the snow, so I'm trying hard to find a way to make it fun. I would like to avoid ruining his view of a winter wonderland, because he is so very excited to go build a snowman.

I would be extra thankful if he would stop the tantrum throwing so we can have some fun. If he does, I will be back to post some cake pictures on the food blog later today. Also, I have finally finished one of the projects I wanted to do for Claire's room, so maybe I'll get pictures of that up as well.

Today I am thankful for... (day six)

Today I am thankful to be the mom of a sweet, beautiful daughter who loves to sing while I'm trying to feed her, enjoys being rocked to sleep, and grabs my shirt so tightly during either activity that she is always attached to me (no need for a sling at our house).

I also love watching her adore her brother and dad. She has always been quick to give them a big smile, bu she's starting to not mind when they play a little rough with her. Beyond that, she loves it enough that the little giggle she gives is infectious.

I'm grateful we decided to have another baby. She completed our family in a really fantastic way and I'm so excited for the opportunity to watch her grow, to get to know her better, and to be her mama.

Today, I am thankful... (day five)

Today I am thankful to be the mom of such a healthy, energetic, silly little boy. I am also thankful that the day is going better now than it did at the beginning. He helps me live in a world where a wonderful day is simply a picnic lunch in his bedroom and his bed is the slide or the big bridge or somewhere to bounce. It's a truly magical place and I need a little of that! Now if I could just borrow a small fraction of his energy...

Today, I am thankful for ... (day four)

Today, I am thankful for the lovely gift of a comfortable rocking chair to snuggle my baby in when she can't breathe all night. And for the gift of wit that will make it possible for me to make it through the day after sleeping sitting up, because at a certain point all you can do is laugh about it!

I am also thankful for our good health. The last two nights are among the first I've spent sitting up with a sad, sick baby; I've been very lucky not to do that more often. We, unlike many others, usually only have doctor's bills from regular check-ups, have not been to the hospital unless we're visiting dad at work, and hope we continue to be so blessed.

The more I hear from friends who are suffering through something unimaginable, or whose children are suffering, the more grateful I am for this. Problems are possible at any turn. I've been very fortunate to have two healthy pregnancies and to give birth to two healthy, beautiful children. It would be ridiculous not to recognize the gift that is as I hold my children close every day and watch them grow.

Today I am thankful for... (day three)

Today I am thankful for brave men and women who defend my family, my country, and my lifestyle so that I am free to live it. They go where no one else wants to go, do what no one else will speak of, and are expected to come back and live happily after all that. I am sincerely grateful for their sacrifices.

My brother-in-law was in the military (specifically in the Marine Corps.) for a few years. It's no great secret what he gave up in the end. He is living a great life now, but will have physical challenges to overcome for the rest of his life. And he was one of the lucky ones.

While he was enlisted, he missed many family events. Some were major, some were minor, and we planned what we could around the times he would be home. But he wasn't around when Mason was little. I know he missed the little guy and he was very anxious to be a part of Mason's life once he was back home.

Again, though, we were one of the lucky families. He didn't forego a honeymoon or miss the birth of his own child. But these incredible people give up all that and more for our security. I cannot begin to say how grateful I am for them. I'm equally grateful to the hospital personnel (who I believe are also enlisted, but I'm not sure) who stitch them back together when things don't go as planned.

I could go on about this forever and kind of already have. I feel silly joining the group by thanking them on Veterans Day when it's foremost in my mind more often than that. But today is a good day to start.

Duh, Mom!

I had a few learning moments today as I was home with Mason. He's got his smarty pants on, that's for sure. Oftentimes, they double as sassy pants. Enjoy!


The scene: I'm feeding the baby (like always) and Mason has dismantled the couch and loveseat in our living room to build a cushion tower. Also, Mason has a certain set of blankets for his bed that he loves to drag around despite repeated requests to not. He is especially fond of dropping them over the half-wall that encloses the loft upstairs. Again, this is despite my repeated pleas to not.

Mason: Mom, did you see my blankets?
Mom: No, I didn't. Where are they?
Mason: They fell out of the sky! They're hiding my tower!
Mom (wearing a mom face):Did they fall because you threw them? Blankets don't just fall unless they have help.
Mason: No, I didn't throw them.
Mom: Did you drop them?
Mason (pause):...yeah.


The scene: In Target. After repeated begging and proclamation, I had agreed to purchase Mason a small reward for being good in the store. I'm leaving out the 20 minutes of discussion of the difference between large and small, and how size and price aren't always the same thing. We have agreed on a $3 spending limit. After 15minutes of haggling, I told him it would work if the first number in the price was 3 or smaller. He brought me a large, motorized cement truck that was $29.99. Anyone see where I'm going with this?

Mason: Mom, I can get this one!
Mom: Um, no. That's a lot more than three dollars.
Mason: No! The first number is only a two.


The scene: Home, approaching bedtime. Mason is playing with the helicopter we settled on after the previously listed conversation. Also, it should be noted, that he has a problem with a wet spot on his pants because he usually won't stop playing to go the bathroom without some *cough* loving *cough* reminders.

Mom: Mason, do you have to go potty?
Mason: No! No thank you!
Mom: The big wet spot on your pants says otherwise.
Mason: No, it doesn't! It doesn't talk!

Today, I am thankful for... (day two)

Today I am thankful for coffee. We had a very, very long night last night. Alan is hunting with his brothers and his dad today, so he wanted to get to bed early so he could get up early. That left me with the end-of-night household stuff, so I didn't get to bed until almost 2300. Mason woke up twice to go to the bathroom. Alan unintentionally woke me up when he got up at oh-God-thirty, and then when he left at oh-God-thirty-six. Claire woke up complaining of teething pain.

So the short version is, mom is tired today and on her own. And I'm grateful for the coffee that will keep my tired headache to a minimum and enough caffeine that I can function.

Today, I am thankful for ... (day one)

I am totally taking material from my Facebook status to post on my blog. I'm that lame.

Let's see how many people can do this. Every day this month until Thanksgiving, think of one thing that you are thankful for and post it as your status. "Today I am thankful for..." Now if you think you can do it then repost this message as your status to invite others to take the thanksgiving challenge, then post what YOU are thankful for today.



Today, I am thankful for my wonderful neighbors. I was chatting with a neighbor from up the street while I was feeding Claire this morning. We got talking about our shared chocolate addiction, most specifically Snickers candy bars (my big craving of late). Well, while we were chatting, her husband attempted to doorbell ditch and leave a Snickers behind. I only saw him as he was backing out of the driveway because every time someone rings our doorbell, Mason and I have a mad race to get there. Mason does not understand discretion, screening, or security. Anyway, it was a sweet gesture from the two of them, even if I totally busted their anonymity. It made my day.

My neighbors are great. This kind of thing is not uncommon. I only know a handful of people around, but would be willing to help them anytime they need it, no questions asked. And the favor has been returned to me many times over. I was talking with my neighbor across the street recently about how we don't really want to move and leave this neighborhood, even if our family has other needs. Ideally, at that point we would want to somehow magically transport everyone with us.

I'll be back tomorrow! But if you would like to join me in this, either here or on Facebook, it would be fun to see everyone else counting their blessings. It'll be good for me to shake off some of the negativity I've been experiencing of late.

The Geek Gene

We have a dry erase board on the fridge for quick jotting needs. This includes writing down something to be picked up from the grocery store when we use the last of it. Alan used the last of the half and half. He wrote it down. (No complaints there!) And I giggled that my husband is such a geek. Then I realized I have nothing to laugh about because I understood the joke without thinking. And have likely passed these geeky genes on to our kids.

Budding Artiste

Mason and I played outside for a good long time today. Claire enjoyed it for a bit, too, but she had eaten herself sleepy (starting on solids has been very good for her) and went down for a long nap.


We built a "fire" by shuttling leaves from the trees in the park strip up to the yard... (ignore the dog hair, we also gave the dogs a good once-over with a brush)






But more importantly we played with sidewalk chalk. And Mason drew fire engines (and asked me to take pictures of them)...

...and he wrote his name. Maybe it's the gushy mama thing, but it's the first time he's written his name and, although not perfect or really even legible to the naked not-mom eye, I think it is such a good approximation. I'm so proud of him!

What's in a name?

Not Claire. So I just wanted to let y'all know I'm changing our name to reflect our new family status. I'm going to change it on Wednesday, November 4th. If you wish to keep following our insanity, please update your bookmarks, links, feeds, etc. to:

http://beefourwewerecrazy.blogspot.com/

I've thought a lot about this so if you don't find it amusing, don't tell me. I'm assuming the significance is obvious. I'm not sure if this will change my email address or not, so standby for further details. Happy reading!

The Halloween Index

A is for Alternatives. As an alternative to candy, Mason got some interesting stuff. One of our neighbors handed out coupons for a free Arby's roast beef sandwich. We're guessing they are the owner. He also got a purple straw with pumpkins on it. He loves this thing and must have it with every beverage.



B is for Boo'ed--we got Boo'ed twice (if only I was on top of things and had gotten the first sign out!) and felt like our neighbors love us. We were grateful to be included, even if the treats I put together didn't quite come out as planned.


C is for Chili. It's what's for dinner.


D is for Dad. He had the day off work. On a holiday. It was great!


E is for energy. Mason had it in spades. He was so excited to do everything.


F is for friends. Out trick-or-treating, we found a few to join up with.


G is for Grandma's 'hood. The first trick-or-treating stop we made.


H is for Hamburgler. It was my favorite costume that someone wore to work yesterday.


I is for Irritated. If you haven't taught your kids the rules of trick-or-treating and send them out, shame on you. There is nothing wrong with wishing someone a Happy Halloween or saying thank you for treats. If the porch light isn't on, don't go there. If I don't answer fast enough when you ring my doorbell even though my porch light isn't on, don't knock repeatedly. That is all.





J is for James; Mason was transformed into James and loved his costume.


K is for Kennels. Where the dogs spent their night barking at the doorbell. They don't like Halloween very much!




L is for Ladybug. We had a pretty sweet one at our house.


M is for MarioKart. It's what we did for family fun while we were answering the door to trick-or-treaters.


N is for Neighbors. Neighbors who share their candy with our excited kid and send their kids, in fun costumes, to our house to raid our candy supply.


O is for Outside. It was cold and dark, but I think Mason could've stayed out all night if it weren't for needing to go to the bathroom.






P is for Pumpkins. Alan spent hours carving these. The picture is a little hard to see. I'm still learning how to work the camera in the dark. Our choices are limited to either a little hard to see or impossible to make out.


Q is for Quick. The candy went quick this year!


R is for Rings. These and the...


S is for Stickers....were actually a huge hit with trick-or-treaters. I was fairly shocked. "S" also has to be for Snickers because it was the candy of the year in our neighborhood. Mason probably has the equivalent of a whole bag of them in his candy stash.


T is for Thomas. Mason had a Thomas jack o'lantern, and a Thomas treat bucket. You could say this is following the household theme.



U is for ugly. Some of my neighbors who are really into Halloween built a maze in their driveway. Their costumes were (intentionally) ugly and scary. Mason LOVED them and couldn't stop talking about it after he got home.



V is for Volume. Mason was going for volume with his candy haul. It might take us YEARS to eat as much candy as he got.



W is for Who the hell took our pumpkins? They aren't smashed; they are just gone. Whoever took one that was plainly for a little kid... you suck. I guess we'll have to bring them in next year.


X is for X-ray shirt. I know this isn't related to anything for us, but I thought it was awesome! (All right, I tried to go find the picture and come back to post it, but I can't find it. It was this amazing shirt a local girl made and sent a picture to our newspaper. She was pregnant, and it was like one of those black shirts with a white skeleton, but then she also made a skeleton baby over where her stomach was. It said she had her baby a couple weeks early and passed the shirt on to her sister. For some reason, I LOVED it.)


Y is for young 'ns. The only thing I enjoy about Halloween is watching the little kids (including my own) enjoy it.


Z is for ZZZZZ. What we all did when the sugar high finally wore off.

No tricks, just treats

We're getting ready for Halloween. This means my maiden voyage as a preparer of treats for Mason's preschool class. The stipulations are 13 wrapped, commercially prepared treats. These little bags are what I came up with. I curse this modern, fearful age for robbing me of something I have looked forward to for many years: baking treats for my son to take to school. I guess these days something doesn't count unless you spend money on it. Oh, well. Anyway, each bag includes:

• 6 small Halloween-themed stickers
• 2 plastic rings with different Halloween symbols as the "jewel"
• a Tootsie Pop
• one small candy bar

I got my ideal bag of Tootsie Pops. There was only one grape and one chocolate in the whole bag. The rest was a mixture of raspberry, cherry, orange and mystery. I'll be honest here, I totally saved as many of the cherry ones as I could because they are my personal favorite. I also used Kit Kats and Three Musketeers because I thought those were the least likely to encounter any allergy problems. I spent $8 total (meaning on these items and our candy for trick-or-treaters. I felt okay about that. I plan on cutting up the stickers and putting both the left over plastic rings and the left over stickers in with our Halloween candy (which is, you guessed it, Kit Kats, Three Musketeers, and Snickers. I don't care if the trick or treaters are allergic. Beggars can't be choosers, right?).

Happy Haunting! Oh, and here's the question? Did I go overboard on these? Or did I not go overboard enough? You be the judge.

Craftiness is in the air

Last night, we went at the last minute with my friend Kristi, her sons Logan and Colton, and her mom, to a little Halloween night at a local craft store. I'm not gonna lie, it was not nearly as "big" as we thought it would be. But in the end, the boys had fun and that is what counts. Mason is now five times even more excited to wear his James costume (and apparently, to be somewhat snotty as he corrects the people who say "Look, it's Thomas!") to school and on Halloween proper. Plus, we had ice cream for dinner; that's always a bonus and further proof that I'm mother of the year, as I keep telling you. Oh, well. It was good, free entertainment. Thanks for inviting us to tag along!

I'm a dork, I took a picture of the sign.


Mason and a little bit of Logan at the craft table. They had mummies to draw on, jack o' lanterns to draw faces on (the nice lady glued these together so they made a little basket), and pom-pom spiders to attach legs, eyes, and noses to with a hot glue gun. Mason got (actual)glue on his hand and his (figurative) glue melted, so I finished it up for him and thus don't have pictures of that.

The parade

They gave out balloons, and Mason's had a very, very long ribbon. He loved letting it stretch up and telling me to "look how tall my balloon is, mom". Claire liked watching it, too.


Claire watched the whole thing in her understated way. She was asleep when we went in, and I wasn't going to mess with her ladybug costume when she woke up grumpy. Even without a costume, she won a prize that is a bead picture making kit she won't be able to use until the choking hazard doesn't apply.

Compare and Contrast

Gee, do you think these two are related? For all the differences I could find in pictures just a couple of months ago, I think it's pretty clear that they look alike now.

I can't find the handwritten note the pediatrician gives us that lists Mason's size at age 4 months, but I have the one for his two month visit and the one for his six month visit. If I estimate in between them, at Claire's age now, Mason was 26 inches long and weighed about 15 lbs. So she is about the same length, but approximately three pounds less than he was. I know there are differences in size between girls and boys, so I'll just take that as further proof that she's a string bean.

I think her facial features are still a little more delicate where Mason's were more round. And Mason had the "old man" hair thing going on; his newborn hair never fell out but it didn't really grow either. By the time he hit four or five months, the newborn hair was in a ring around the middle of his noggin. Claire's hair seems to be growing in at the same rate as her head is growing. If I wanted to, I could probably give her a little bit of a ponytail right on top of her head, but I'll wait.

Personality wise, she is a whole lot more snuggly than he was, but she is also far more squirmy. Mason would roll over when I tried to change his diaper, but Claire will kick me as hard as she can. Mason loved tummy time, too, but Claire has only started enjoying recently. Going along with being snuggly, she only tolerates it for a few minutes whereas Mason would spend hours on his tummy. I don't know what this reveals about their personalities. I guess time will tell!

Quick Five Month Update

Likes: being snuggled, singing (especially if you cover her ears so she can hear herself), grabbing her toes, going from laying to sitting to standing, being tickled no matter where on her body you try it, sticking out her very long tongue, kicking her legs, her brother, grabbing on to anything and holding on tight (especially if it's one of her little "lovey" things with the animal head and small soft blanket, or someone's face), being outside, "chatting"

Dislikes: being put down, when her brother plays rough, being in the carseat, when her dad and brother wrestle

Claire is still tiny in size, but she loves lots of action around her. She likes watching the dogs, she loves getting kisses from them, and she often watches Mason with a look of amusement on her face. She will fight falling asleep until the last possible minute, but when it comes right down to it she'll snuggle up close and doze off. She actually likes rolling over now and will do it any chance she gets. She's getting stronger and sitting longer on her own (we're still only talking seconds here), and keeps trying to push the limits of physical activity to get stronger every day.

Officially kissing summer goodbye

We decided to attempt one last go for the summer by going to Lake Powell with my parents this week. It was a little different to watch the temperature go down as we came home, instead of trying to beat the heat, but it was a good change. We're hoping to make this an annual trip.

It was a long drive down. Because I'm not very organized, we didn't get started until late Sunday morning. I still feel bad that we didn't leave until around 11:00 for a six hour drive. I'm also very grateful for our portable DVD player and the stack of movies that kept Mason entertained. He was a huge help by talking to Claire. She slept the rest of the time. Alan and I took a book we have called "The Book of Questions" and pondered some really odd topics, such as: if you were asked to kill a beautiful butterfly by pulling the wings off it, would you do it to get a weeklong all-expenses-paid vacation to a destination of your choice? The followup question asked if you would step on a cockroach for the same deal. Hmm. My question was who came up with that question and who would offer a vacation for such an arbitrary thing.

The next two days, Mason was itching to get out on the water. The weather was mostly fine, at times a little windy, and we got out both afternoons for some boating. Mason and Alan jumped out and went for a swim both days. The second day, Alan did some water skiing and suggested I give it a try. A little introduction is required: I'm a chicken. When I was a kid, it was all my dad could do to get me on the boat; never mind getting me into the water. Alan was very surprised that I took him up on it. Jumping in was a little cold. The lifejacket popped up weird and hit me in the throat. That was the worst part. But I couldn't ever get up; and after Alan had to come out and help me put the skis on, only to be smacked in the face with a ski for his effort, I only made a couple of attempts at it. I've been assured that hardly anyone gets up on their first several tries and so even though Alan made it look effortless (the only reason he didn't attempt to slalom was a miscommunication), I'm not a complete idiot. I'll try again next year.

Our camp got raided by coyotes. The next night, we could hear them and decided (I was tagging along with the boys, obviously) to go looking for them. They were only about 50 yards or so away. One held his ground but our flashlights scared the other three back. Needless to say, we remembered to throw our garbage away that night.

Mason was, of course, a huge fan of the whole thing. My dad brought an army shovel for him so he could dig in the dirt. Mason is not accustomed to camping in paved, groomed campgrounds (for example, the camp host rakes the sand into a feng-shui pattern), so it took a little more work to entertain him. This was accomplished with walks around the loop we were camped on. We were also near the dry dock for the damaged rental boats. He liked to ride his bike down there for my "surprise"; he would then ride his bike under the houseboats that were up on blocks like they were his tunnels. He also had fun drawing letters in the sand.

Claire benefitted greatly from having two grandparents around to cuddle with her all the time. She likes her bouncy chair for small periods of time, but it's nothing compared to singing with grandma or taking a nature walk with grandpa. My mom commented to me last night that she already missed rocking Claire to sleep; I think Claire missed it, too. She loved cuddling close and looking around with wide eyes, whether we were on the boat or in the camp ground. She also doesn't seem convinced that I'm transitioning her to solid foods quickly enough; whenever she sees food, she sticks out a long, long tongue; maybe we should have named her Jean Simmons...

From feeding ducks in the launch area (they love Cheetos and the winning duck raced away with the others trailing behind him closely) to feeding the ravens after we left, we had so much fun. Mason loved all rocks, the sand, the water. He did not love his dad water skiing and cried the whole time that daddy should get back in the boat. We ate well, we played hard, and now we need to recover from our vacation. Thanks for giving us your time and energy, guys! We couldn't have gone and had so much fun without you.

Four! (Month Checkup)

Claire had her checkup at the pediatrician today, and she passed with flying colors. He said she is beautiful and so alert and social (all of which we knew, but it's good to have it confirmed by a less-biased person). He also thinks that she's a little ahead on her motor skills; she can do 360s while most babies her age are just getting started with rolling. She also gave him a good demonstration of what I call "baby pilates" by pulling herself from flat to a "V" position in my lap--repeatedly. It's good and bad, really. He had a hard time checking her joints because she kept kicking him. I was on the receiving end of a couple particularly strong kicks. Below are the stats for our tiny little miss.

during a recent trip to the zoo

Length: 25 inches (75th percentile)

Weight: 12 lbs. 9 oz. (25th percentile)

Head Circumference: 16.-1 inches (25th percentile)

Gigglicious

So cute I made up my own word. They did this for about 20 minutes; all he was doing was shaking a cup with a few grapes in it.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Existentialism for the preschool set

Scene: driving to the zoo; please keep in mind that Mason hates driving on the freeway after our window blew out. He will beg, barter, and plead to keep us on the side roads.

Mason: STOP THE CAR!

Dad: ... why?

Mason: Why not?

Is anyone laughing as hard at this as I did?

Four fabulous months and still growing strong...

Claire turned four months old yesterday. I failed; it's the first time I haven't made the post on the actual anniversary. Oh well, I think she'll forgive me. On a side note, Claire has been pretty dedicated to sitting up on her own since, well, the beginning of her time. She visibly strains to lift her head up constantly when she's laying down. So we love the Bumbo and highly recommend it!

Likes: chewing on things (especially her index and middle fingers), being tickled by Grandpa, kicking those long legs constantly (especially when you comment on it), "flyin' ", any music but most especially ZZ Top's "Sharp Dressed Man", snuggling into mom for a long nap, having her toes "omped", being pulled with her arms from laying to sitting to standing and back again, working out her vocal cords, outside, chewing on towels

Dislikes: having the bottle removed from her mouth while she thinks she's still eating, being put down, having her toes "omped" with her brother's teeth, her carseat

As of yesterday, she holds her own bottle in her mouth. She's rolling from her back to stomach and back again, and has exercised the ability to turn this in to her mobility. She only catnaps during the day, but will snuggle right in to sleep at night. Sometimes she sleeps through the night and sometimes she doesn't. She's especially happy to see everyone in the morning and generally only giggles when she's being tickled or someone is blowing raspberries on her stomach. She's still long and skinny and we'll see where she's at next week during a trip to Dr. Johnson.

Note to Self

Don't do this again. You put the Mat Kearney tickets, still in their envelope, on the top of the bulletin board. If they aren't there, check beside the dryer as they may have fallen.

09/09/09

I was trying to think of something cool to post today. This is what I came up with. I listened to "Things That Must Go" on X96 today, so you get my "life" version first. Then, the second list is because I feel guilty ranting without acknowledging the good stuff.


Nine Things I Could Do Without

1. Snow -- hate it. Really.
2. Laundry -- the housework chore that never ends. As soon as I finish, I start again.
3. Whining -- the hallmark of a three year old. Even when you wish for silence.
4. Bills -- I wish we could have what we need without having to feel so overcharged for it.
5. Car Problems -- things should work properly when you pay tens of thousands of dollars for
them.
6. Stupidity -- if everyone saw the world the way I do, that would be boring. If everyone could
articulate what they were thinking in a way that doesn't bug me, it would be
much better.
7. Yardwork -- especially since it never looks like I did any.
8. Time -- I have no concept of it, and would enjoy not always feeling like I'm so far behind
the 8-ball.
9. Carpet in weird places -- I hate vacuuming my bathroom!


Nine Things I Couldn't Do Without

1. My family -- my husband, my kids, my parents, my in-laws, extended family... they all make
my life a pretty good place to be. Dogs are begrudgingly included (check with
me again when they haven't recently destroyed property while we were gone).
2. My Job -- you never know what you're going to get when I go to work. It's a crazy job and I
love it.
3. Music -- all kinds. Playing it, listening to it, introducing my kids to my favorite stuff.
4. Wipes -- baby wipes, Clorox/Lysol wipes. A good wipe can fix almost anything.
5. Pedicures -- feel good and make me feel good about myself. Plus it's an hour to read #6.
6. Books -- I have a go-to book for just about everything. Plus, there is such a feeling of
accomplishment to finishing a book.
7. Sleep -- so renewing. So necessary. And often so hard to come by.
8. Date Nights -- that allow me to appreciate the relationship I have with my husband, and the
fact that we can have an "adult" good time together on occasion.
9. Bunker gear -- firefighters are hot. Need I say more?

Doing something ahead of time...

...is inconsistent with my personality but oh well. At some point I have to function like a responsible adult despite my best efforts to the contrary.

I've found a few public safety blogs recently that are mighty a) entertaining and b)wryly comedic about the day-to-day experiences shared by myself, my husband, and many others. I've been enjoying them. One of the standouts is Your Happy Medic. He does a weekly "You Make the Call" segment every Friday that has sparked some interesting conversation between Alan and I. So, imagine my surprise when his segment this past Friday was about getting your family prepared in the event of your death. Whoa. Heavy.

He specifically talked on Friday about preparing your will. Alan and I actually have an appointment coming up with an organization who helps public safety employees and their families do just that. However, the writer at Happy Medic takes it one step further and offers details on putting together a Family Emergency Plan, including this living will, and making it accessible to those who would need it.

Anyone who wants to do this with me is welcome to do so. Tonight, I created a new Word document that includes the following:

• Personal information about each of our family members: a recent photograph, full name, date of birth, and descriptors including height, weight, eye color and hair color. Obviously with two growing children, this page will need frequent updates. I'm thinking I'll do it when we change our smoke detector batteries around the semi-annual time changes.
• A complete list of personal telephone numbers. Our home number, cell phone numbers, the main numbers for all our workplaces, non-emergency dispatch numbers (obviously, the emergency number is 911), the pediatrician, my doctor, the veterinarian, and a family friend within walking distance.
• Written instructions for shutting off the gas, water, and electricity inside the house and/or to the house from outside.

This took me about 20 minutes to compile, including the hands-on demonstration Alan gave me into how to shut everything off. Again. Have I mentioned lately that he's rather patient with me sometimes and I appreciate that? This format was so much better than the "fire drills" he used to give me when we were first married. But anyway, I digress.

I'm going to put this all in a brightly colored binder and store it in a to-be-determined location in our house; I'm thinking it will be in the cabinet above the phone in our kitchen. I know I will have another area for our wills, once we've finished preparing those. I'm also still working on (have mostly abandoned but not totally forgotten) a home inventory that will go in. At some point, I'm going to copy down all our insurance info. And Happy Medic discusses a sealed envelope that makes me shudder to think about it. It won't be required for everyone's household, but is a must for ours. The title given is "LODD". I knew immediately what he meant, but for those not living in our firefighters' culture, it's "Line of Duty Death."

You may also wonder what ever happened with our Just Kidding They Are 96-Hour Kits. I haven't forgotten about them, but they got a little cumbersome considering I would have to carry 2-3 by myself. I'm thinking something like this might be a little more practical for us. However, I do still have the list, broken down into each week, that would enable you to make a 96-Hour Kit over the course of a year if anyone wants it. For now I'm just focusing on our family plan and hoping that we don't need anything else before I get around to it. Happy Planning!

And the Little One Said...

... roll over.

And then holler because you have nowhere to go from there.
(she just started this sequence last Saturday--it's been fun.)