1: Cheesy pizza
2: Cheesy grin
Friday, February 27, 2009
Two Kinds Of Cheese
2: Cheesy grin
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Egg Toss, Or Why My House Is A Disaster Zone
We have (actually, we had...kittens popped it) this sticky, gooey egg thingy that the boys had a blast playing with. It was filled with goo and the point of it was to throw it onto a wall or the floor and it would look like a real egg was broken on the floor. Funny stuff. These boys, however, thought outside the box and started throwing it up on the ceiling.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Tuesday
Today the boys & I got a break from each other while they were at Melina's house. Melina is the world's best babysitter, if you didn't know that. She is always so willing to watch them at short notice and they have so much fun when they are with her. I am grateful that I found Melina!
I visited with Michelle for a while after I dropped off the boys. I took her some candy in a shameless attempt to get her to eat something. ;o) She is getting much too thin so I thought I would try to get her appetite going with the lure of Junior Mints and Sour Patch Kids.
I recently read the memoir "Autobiography of a Face" by Lucy Grealy. Lucy had a large portion of her jaw removed at age nine, secondary to a rare form of cancer. The story discusses her life growing up with a severe facial deformity. As you can imagine, the book is terribly sad, even though the author uses humor to describe some events.
In addition to that book, I have been reading things on the web regarding grief, death, and that sort of thing. I am trying to deal with Michelle's diagnosis and want to see things from my point of view, but also from Michelle's point of view.
So, with the book and death/grief information very fresh in my mind, I have just been appreciating the heck out of my two little boys! It does go through my mind that I need to express my love for them with words, hugs, & kisses not only because it makes me feel good, but what if I were to suddenly die? Would they remember me? If so, I wish for them to remember that I love them. Morbid thoughts, I know, but as we all learn at some time or another, life is incredibly ruthless. I would hate to be in Michelle's shoes and am hoping to learn something from her experience. If knowing Michelle, and being near her during her life & death, makes me a better person, I think maybe that would be a good way to honor her.
But...I'm rambling. I'm thinking too much (not necessarily bad stuff, just stuff-stuff) and the diagnosis of terminal cancer in my oldest friend is something that definitely needs to be thought about.
On to lighter subjects. I actually got the boys to semi-cooperate with pics tonight. I like to take pictures of them with my phone camera so I can send them to Mike while he's away from us. So here are the images I was able to capture. Grainy & overexposed, but you get the idea! ;o)
Sullivan is just talking up a storm lately. He is saying full sentences and I am able to understand a great deal of what he says. He gets so excited when he realizes that I've understood a new question or statement from him, and I think that encourages him to say even more words. He is just being the sweetest, cuddliest baby boy in the world the past couple of days. He has given me uncountable kisses and just wants me to hold him while he rests his head on my shoulder. I am, of course, more than willing to comply with his request.
I visited with Michelle for a while after I dropped off the boys. I took her some candy in a shameless attempt to get her to eat something. ;o) She is getting much too thin so I thought I would try to get her appetite going with the lure of Junior Mints and Sour Patch Kids.
I recently read the memoir "Autobiography of a Face" by Lucy Grealy. Lucy had a large portion of her jaw removed at age nine, secondary to a rare form of cancer. The story discusses her life growing up with a severe facial deformity. As you can imagine, the book is terribly sad, even though the author uses humor to describe some events.
In addition to that book, I have been reading things on the web regarding grief, death, and that sort of thing. I am trying to deal with Michelle's diagnosis and want to see things from my point of view, but also from Michelle's point of view.
So, with the book and death/grief information very fresh in my mind, I have just been appreciating the heck out of my two little boys! It does go through my mind that I need to express my love for them with words, hugs, & kisses not only because it makes me feel good, but what if I were to suddenly die? Would they remember me? If so, I wish for them to remember that I love them. Morbid thoughts, I know, but as we all learn at some time or another, life is incredibly ruthless. I would hate to be in Michelle's shoes and am hoping to learn something from her experience. If knowing Michelle, and being near her during her life & death, makes me a better person, I think maybe that would be a good way to honor her.
But...I'm rambling. I'm thinking too much (not necessarily bad stuff, just stuff-stuff) and the diagnosis of terminal cancer in my oldest friend is something that definitely needs to be thought about.
On to lighter subjects. I actually got the boys to semi-cooperate with pics tonight. I like to take pictures of them with my phone camera so I can send them to Mike while he's away from us. So here are the images I was able to capture. Grainy & overexposed, but you get the idea! ;o)
Sullivan is just talking up a storm lately. He is saying full sentences and I am able to understand a great deal of what he says. He gets so excited when he realizes that I've understood a new question or statement from him, and I think that encourages him to say even more words. He is just being the sweetest, cuddliest baby boy in the world the past couple of days. He has given me uncountable kisses and just wants me to hold him while he rests his head on my shoulder. I am, of course, more than willing to comply with his request.Keaton has been saying lots of funny things lately...but if I don't write them down right away I tend to forget them. Two things I remember are from today: this morning he curled himself up into a ball and started yelling to me and Sullivan, "Hey guys, come eat me. I'm a meatball!" Then tonight after his bath he asked me what he was "on" when he was inside my "tummy". I told him he was just floating in some fluid that kept him warm and safe and he asked, "But was I sitting on a chair while I was in your tummy?" ;o)
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Riverfront Park
It was a really nice afternoon, sunny but biting cold, so the boys and I headed out to Riverfront Park. They had a good time playing on the playstructure, as always, but one thing I love about this park is the nice & relatively-safe path that goes around the park. I can always get the boys to walk the entire loop with me as long as I promise carousel rides at the end of our walk.
After the park, we met Aunt Debbie for lunch. Then we went back to her house and the boys had fun playing with Rona (the dog) and Ole (the kitten). I am pretty sure Mojo (the non-kitten) stayed far away from the guys while we visited. But Keaton is getting very brave with Rona, which is neat. He used to be afraid of her. Keaton remembers the story of, if not the actual event, Kubrick biting him on his head. I'm not positive that this generated his fear of Rona (he doesn't have the fear with little bitty dogs) but it is nice to see him learn to trust her.
Sully loves to slide!
Keaton loves to make silly faces!
Sully was saying, "This is an O." and then "This is a circle!" For circle he says circ. Which is cute. Pretty much everything he says is cute.
Keaton asked me to take this picture and post it in my blog. He is very proud of his climbing abilities, probably since he is just now gaining confidence in those abilities.
Proud Boy, made it to the top!
Keats was sitting on the bench, enjoying his view of the Willamette, but as soon as Sullivan sat down Keaton raaaaaaaaan away, fast as he could. Brotherly love. Lol.
After the park, we met Aunt Debbie for lunch. Then we went back to her house and the boys had fun playing with Rona (the dog) and Ole (the kitten). I am pretty sure Mojo (the non-kitten) stayed far away from the guys while we visited. But Keaton is getting very brave with Rona, which is neat. He used to be afraid of her. Keaton remembers the story of, if not the actual event, Kubrick biting him on his head. I'm not positive that this generated his fear of Rona (he doesn't have the fear with little bitty dogs) but it is nice to see him learn to trust her.
Sully loves to slide!
Keaton loves to make silly faces!
Sully was saying, "This is an O." and then "This is a circle!" For circle he says circ. Which is cute. Pretty much everything he says is cute.
Keaton asked me to take this picture and post it in my blog. He is very proud of his climbing abilities, probably since he is just now gaining confidence in those abilities.
Proud Boy, made it to the top!
Keats was sitting on the bench, enjoying his view of the Willamette, but as soon as Sullivan sat down Keaton raaaaaaaaan away, fast as he could. Brotherly love. Lol.Riverfront Park, Part Deux
I asked them to stand together in front of the carousel building. I got superhero poses.
Of course I did.
Keaton is holding up their frequent-flyer punch card. ;o)
A look of anticipation & wonder as the carousel juuuuust starts going around...
This is the first time I didn't have to hold Sullivan in place. Either he's grown since our last ride or this horse is just his perfect size.
Keaton still doesn't like to go up & down on the horses. He mostly chooses a stationary horse (like in this pic) or he sits in one of the wagons. He always wants to ride the carousel, he just doesn't like the added movements.Kitties, Mostly Reuben
The cats were nice enough to nap in the sunshine yesterday so I jumped at the opportunity to snap pics of Reuben. My camera honestly will not focus on him if the light is poor; it thinks there is nothing there. ;o)
I didn't quite make it B&W but played with the color a bit.
These two are the same but I made the one above a B&W.
The only cute shot of Moose since I was mostly interested in his brother. Moose would show up on film in a power-outage and/or a snowstorm...so I wasn't worried about capturing his cuteness. =^..^=
I didn't quite make it B&W but played with the color a bit.
These two are the same but I made the one above a B&W.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Little Drummer Boys
So, Daddy is in New Mexico all this week and next. I've been doing my best to entertain the boys in a way that is fun for them but not too overwhelming for me. I must pace myself with this single-parenting stuff! Lol.
Keaton received two pencils for Valentine's Day and hadn't paid them much attention until he realized he could use them as drumsticks! Woo-hoo! He took Mike's clothing hamper and started drumming away. Not one to be outdone, Sullivan quickly grabbed his own set of drums and they started jamming. Keaton decided to bang his "drumsticks" together above his head like the real rockers do. Adorable! I absolutely must get these boys some lessons or a step-above-what-they-now-have-instrument-wise.
Keaton received two pencils for Valentine's Day and hadn't paid them much attention until he realized he could use them as drumsticks! Woo-hoo! He took Mike's clothing hamper and started drumming away. Not one to be outdone, Sullivan quickly grabbed his own set of drums and they started jamming. Keaton decided to bang his "drumsticks" together above his head like the real rockers do. Adorable! I absolutely must get these boys some lessons or a step-above-what-they-now-have-instrument-wise.
Senior Pic
A friend of mine from high school posted this picture on her Facebook account. I haven't come across this picture in years and am shocked! Just look at that frizz. And do ya' think I could smile?
In this photo the photographer, a friend LN (Ellen...with a cool spelling...) that went with me for my senior photos, and I were trying to recreate my mom's senior portrait. What looks to be a strapless dress in this photo is nothing more than a piece of black velvet that was safety-pinned in the middle to gather the fabric, and then draped over my shoulders. I think LN was standing behind me holding the fabric together. :o)
Oh! I just realized that LN would be Sullivan's most favorite person on the planet right now...a totally phonetic spelling...right up his alphabet-loving alley! ;o)
LN and I showed up for the shoot with tie-dye t-shirts on (that we made ourselves, of course!) for our pictures that we took together. Somewhere in my stuff I must have some copies of the pics we took together. Mom? Do you have that portfolio thingy? Anyhoo, I brought a green sweater with me but nothing really "nice" so the photographer suggested this photo.
In this photo the photographer, a friend LN (Ellen...with a cool spelling...) that went with me for my senior photos, and I were trying to recreate my mom's senior portrait. What looks to be a strapless dress in this photo is nothing more than a piece of black velvet that was safety-pinned in the middle to gather the fabric, and then draped over my shoulders. I think LN was standing behind me holding the fabric together. :o)
Oh! I just realized that LN would be Sullivan's most favorite person on the planet right now...a totally phonetic spelling...right up his alphabet-loving alley! ;o)
LN and I showed up for the shoot with tie-dye t-shirts on (that we made ourselves, of course!) for our pictures that we took together. Somewhere in my stuff I must have some copies of the pics we took together. Mom? Do you have that portfolio thingy? Anyhoo, I brought a green sweater with me but nothing really "nice" so the photographer suggested this photo.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
My Little Artist
It may sound strange to say that I am always a little shocked at how neatly Keaton colors his pictures, but I am. Mike is very, very uninterested in the end result in anything creative, like carving pumpkins, making PlaDoh creations...his goal is always just to be done with it. I guess I just assumed that my sons would have that outlook on art.
Not so with Keats. He is very a conscientious artist. Today, he and a friend (who is over a year older than Keats) were coloring some pages we printed off the computer. Keaton was unconcerned when his friend finished all four pages before Keaton had finished even his first page. This is remarkable in that Keaton likes to be first at everything non-artsy: dressing, buckling up in the car, brushing his teeth...things of that nature.
So, though his friend was running around playing, Keaton painstakingly colored his pages. Here are a few shots of him in deep concentration.
Not so with Keats. He is very a conscientious artist. Today, he and a friend (who is over a year older than Keats) were coloring some pages we printed off the computer. Keaton was unconcerned when his friend finished all four pages before Keaton had finished even his first page. This is remarkable in that Keaton likes to be first at everything non-artsy: dressing, buckling up in the car, brushing his teeth...things of that nature.
So, though his friend was running around playing, Keaton painstakingly colored his pages. Here are a few shots of him in deep concentration.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Houston, We Don't Have A Problem
Last night the boys went to a birthday party at the NW Kids Club, the local indoor park. What a fun party! The entire place had been rented for the event so, while there were definitely a lot of kids there, the place wasn't too crowded. The birthday boy, Cole, chose a moon/space/astronaut theme for his fifth birthday. All the kids made spaceships out of paper plates & bowls, and later used them to have a contest to see who (whom??) could throw theirs the farthest. There was pizza, adorable martian cupcakes, and freeze-dried ice cream like astronauts would eat in space. The kids dug in the giant sandbox to hunt for moon rocks. The moon rocks were the gifts bags wrapped in tinfoil. Sullivan actually received a special "toddler-appropriate" moon rock that was covered in fancy orange foil.
Needless to say, the boys did not sleep well last night. They were up very late (Sully was still walking around their room at 11 pm!) and Keaton kept turning on the light for some reason. Today they are both very grumpy so are right now in the bath and we'll put them in bed just after 7. Hopefully some of the sugar and excitement of the past two days have worked out of their systems by now!
Needless to say, the boys did not sleep well last night. They were up very late (Sully was still walking around their room at 11 pm!) and Keaton kept turning on the light for some reason. Today they are both very grumpy so are right now in the bath and we'll put them in bed just after 7. Hopefully some of the sugar and excitement of the past two days have worked out of their systems by now!
Happy Valentine's Day
Keaton had a great time at his preschool Valentine's party. When I walked into the room to pick him up, he was sitting at a table eating a HUGE cookie...and there was a second cookie on the plate waiting for him to eat it! I suggested we save that one for Sullivan. Luckily Keaton bought the idea because he was already on sugar overload...
The little guy who made this yellow Valentine is so very cute, as is his Valentine. It was a heart that was folded in half & taped, with the inside filled with a standard Valentine and some candy.
After undoing the tape, this is what the card folded open to reveal. What a cute idea!
The bag Keaton made to hold his Valentine's loot.
I love the card one of his teachers made. Mrs. Banick isn't even his regular teacher but she made all the kids such cute Valentines! I think she is actually a volunteer in the class.
Keaton is obviously pleased with all his Valentines and candy!
This is the Darth Vader mug that Keaton bought for Mike for Valentine's Day. Mike used it for his morning coffee today and Keaton got such a kick out of "Daddy drinking Darth Vader's brain!" ;o)
The little guy who made this yellow Valentine is so very cute, as is his Valentine. It was a heart that was folded in half & taped, with the inside filled with a standard Valentine and some candy.
After undoing the tape, this is what the card folded open to reveal. What a cute idea!
The bag Keaton made to hold his Valentine's loot.
I love the card one of his teachers made. Mrs. Banick isn't even his regular teacher but she made all the kids such cute Valentines! I think she is actually a volunteer in the class.
Keaton is obviously pleased with all his Valentines and candy!
This is the Darth Vader mug that Keaton bought for Mike for Valentine's Day. Mike used it for his morning coffee today and Keaton got such a kick out of "Daddy drinking Darth Vader's brain!" ;o)Friday, February 13, 2009
I haven't had time to blog lately, huh. I did take some pics yesterday and today and will try to post them tomorrow.
We've been busy. Mike bought me a new iPod touch for Valentine's Day and I've been using all my free time messing around on there. I haven't figured out how to post to this blog from the 'pod but I am fairly confident I will be able to blog that way very soon.
Mike and I just spent a while looking online at propterties in New Mexico. There seems to be a real possibility that he will be working from Santa Fe. I've never been there and would definitely need a week or so visit prior to deciding to move. But I'm open to change and NM may be a fun place to be for a little while.
I'm off to bed...
We've been busy. Mike bought me a new iPod touch for Valentine's Day and I've been using all my free time messing around on there. I haven't figured out how to post to this blog from the 'pod but I am fairly confident I will be able to blog that way very soon.
Mike and I just spent a while looking online at propterties in New Mexico. There seems to be a real possibility that he will be working from Santa Fe. I've never been there and would definitely need a week or so visit prior to deciding to move. But I'm open to change and NM may be a fun place to be for a little while.
I'm off to bed...
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Wicked
Yesterday, the 9th, marked the tenth anniversary of Mike's marriage proposal. Time sure flies, though I suppose it can alternately seem like it has been days and decades.
February 10th, today, was Cannon's due date. That in itself must age our relationship a few extra years. I know it has certainly aged me!
The first couple of years after Keaton was born, I would take him out to do something extra fun on today's date. Sullivan is super grumpy today, and it is snowing a little bit outside, so I think we're going to be stuck inside. Maybe we'll try to quickly finish up our Valentines.
I bought tickets to the live performance (a musical but I saw "opera" written somewhere in a review) for Wicked. Here is an explanation of the story:
"Long before that girl from Kansas arrives in Munchkinland, two girls meet in the land of Oz. One - born with emerald green skin - is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. How these two grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch."
I bought the tickets for Mike's Valentines gift. We're desperately needing to spend time together, doing something we both equally enjoy, and have decided musicals, ballets, operas, orchestras, and other live performances are something we both enjoy. So, hopefully Mike doesn't read this blog before I give him the gift! ;o)
I'm super excited though! It sounds like a fun story and I haven't been to anything like this in ages. Mike and I went to several events a year before we had the guys. Now we don't do anything that doesn't involve those very guys.
February 10th, today, was Cannon's due date. That in itself must age our relationship a few extra years. I know it has certainly aged me!
The first couple of years after Keaton was born, I would take him out to do something extra fun on today's date. Sullivan is super grumpy today, and it is snowing a little bit outside, so I think we're going to be stuck inside. Maybe we'll try to quickly finish up our Valentines.
I bought tickets to the live performance (a musical but I saw "opera" written somewhere in a review) for Wicked. Here is an explanation of the story:
"Long before that girl from Kansas arrives in Munchkinland, two girls meet in the land of Oz. One - born with emerald green skin - is smart, fiery and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious and very popular. How these two grow to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch."
I bought the tickets for Mike's Valentines gift. We're desperately needing to spend time together, doing something we both equally enjoy, and have decided musicals, ballets, operas, orchestras, and other live performances are something we both enjoy. So, hopefully Mike doesn't read this blog before I give him the gift! ;o)
I'm super excited though! It sounds like a fun story and I haven't been to anything like this in ages. Mike and I went to several events a year before we had the guys. Now we don't do anything that doesn't involve those very guys.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Sully's Silly Style
Sully still very much likes to wear extra stuff, whether around the house or out in the world. I found some hat/glove sets on clearance for $3 the other day so I bought a few. They are much too large for Sullivan but he really enjoyed wearing this set. I think it was Superman and skeletons. ;o)
Today, the boys were running around playing while I was vacuuming. This always seems to get them riled up, for whatever reason. I turned off the vacuum and heard Sully yelling, "I'm ready!" from the front door. I found him standing there, baseball hat on his head, basketball at-the-ready. He kept repeating, "I'm ready! I'm ready!" Silly kid.
Today, the boys were running around playing while I was vacuuming. This always seems to get them riled up, for whatever reason. I turned off the vacuum and heard Sully yelling, "I'm ready!" from the front door. I found him standing there, baseball hat on his head, basketball at-the-ready. He kept repeating, "I'm ready! I'm ready!" Silly kid.
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