our week in review

Cate

learned how to make the Vulcan salute (such talent at a young age)
did not puke at bed time all week long (hallelujah)
found a deeper interest in books (especially when Dan reads them to her)
found a deeper interest in her baby dolls (holding them, feeding them, pushing them in the stroller)
stayed in nursery without puking on the teacher (she did that last week...the puking part)

goals for this week:
learn how to say "live long and prosper" to go along with the salute
continue to not puke at bed time


Danny

took care of business in the bathroom all week long (hallelujah)
talked to an ambulance driver in the grocery store parking lot (later asked if we could bring that ambulance driver some cookies at the fire station)
made a visit to the audiologist and discovered the reason for his hearing loss (a hole in his eardrum...imagine that)
woke up before 6:45 three times (that's an hour earlier than usual)
got signed up for a gymnastics class (starts Friday)

goals for this week:
play with toys quietly in his bedroom until the sun comes up
be a happy participant in the gymnastics class


Dan

spent lots of quality time with the kids (without me...hallelujah)
exercised a lot (such determination)
stayed awake during church meetings (mostly)
read lots and lots and lots of books to Cate (even though it's the same ones over and over and he's getting tired of them)
had wrinkle-free shirts to wear to work (thanks to me finally doing some ironing)

goals for this week:
continue exercising a lot
spend even more quality time with the kids (without me)


Me

made dinner four times (that's a personal best)
resisted the cinnamon gummy bears (except once when I had a headache)
scrubbed the bathtub (the chore I despise)
only ate 1 1/2 chocolate chip cookies (that's also a personal best)
saw a movie with a friend one night after exercising (still wearing the clothes I exercised in)

goals for this week:
shower and change my clothes before going out for the evening
do not scrub the bathtub

two moms

Kris and his #1 mom


Kris: Me and Jarrett decided that when we're big, we're gonna live together.
With Savannah {I'm thinking that's his girlfriend}
and Millie {their neighbor, maybe Jarrett's girlfriend}.
In a big house.
With all our kids.

me: Why do you want to do that?

Kris: Cuz then all our kids could play together and they would have two moms.

me: Oh. {wondering where this kid comes up with this stuff}

Kris: {after a moment of silence} I wish I had two moms.

This from a kid who sees his mom in the morning,
spends most of the day with his mom's sister (that's me),
and then spends the rest of the evening with his mom.

He's around a mom-ish person for most of the day.
He even used to tell people I was his other mom.

Go figure.

Looks like this kid's gonna enjoy having a mother-in-law.

playdate with a future mate

There's nothing wrong with an arranged marriage, right?
(in 20+ years, of course)

Because Candis (my daughter's future mother-in-law)
and I are doing our best to make it happen.

Love is in the air.

a big mess

Do they really need to choose 15 minutes before nap time to make their messiest mess of the day?

Really?

Why?
Why?
Why?

fun for kids: snow ice cream

We got a lot of fresh snow last night.
Usually I'm not happy when that happens.
This morning I was.

I came across a recipe for snow ice cream a while ago.
I've been waiting for a few inches of fresh powder so I could try it out.

Plus, somebody has got to teach Cate the proper way to eat snow.
I've got to break her of this nasty habit.
(Sure, I could pick up the boots so she can't reach them. duh.
Sometimes I'm just not fast enough.
And when that happens I just reach for the camera.)


{please excuse that big blob of snot coming out of her nose}


I went into the backyard to find some clean snow.
A lot of the stuff in the front already had footprints tromped all over it.
(Plus, I didn't want the neighbors to see me scooping up snow with a measuring cup and putting it into a bowl. They already think I'm crazy. I don't want to flame the fire.)

I gently scooped off the top powdery stuff so as to not get any dirty old snow.
It seems kind of gross to me to be eating snow at all
but I was intrigued by the very concept
of snow ice cream.

After I scooped my fresh, clean snow (way more than the 8 cups called for in the recipe),
I transferred it to a bowl that could hold it all
and poured a can of sweetened condensed milk on top.


Note to self:
Buy sweetened condensed milk more often.
It's easier to make snow ice cream if you have a fresh can.
If it expired 4 years ago and is brown and really really thick, don't use it.

I added vanilla and stirred, stirred, stirred.
It ended up looking a lot like cheap ice cream with freezer burn.
And no surprise, that's what it tasted like too.
Put some sprinkles on top and the kids didn't seem to mind.

I think they kind of liked it.

a visit with grandma

We had a nice little visit at Grandma's house yesterday.
We ate yummy dinner.
Kids played nicely.
Grown-ups talked.

Cate spilled her water all over her shirt and pants.
I stripped her down to her diaper
and then she disappeared with Grandma.

When they reappeared, Cate was wearing this adorable outfit.
I'm talking almost-made-me-cry adorable.

Grandma also gave Cate a cute little animal print (maybe leopard?) coat
with pants and a shirt to match.
No pictures of those yet.
Stay tuned though because they are stinkin' cute.

Grandma is a top-notch stylist for my baby girl.
Thanks, Grandma! You're the best!

We had a fun visit. We should do it more often.

And then on the way home Danny puked.
Luckily I caught every last drip (and chunk) of it
in the towel that just happened to be on the floor.

Thanks for keeping me on my toes, Danny boy.
You're the best too!

Danny with his Grauntie Nancy (a.k.a. Nurse Nancy...he really calls her that)

forty by forty

I have a plan. I call it Forty by Forty. It's my new lose weight/get healthy/exercise more plan. I recruited Dan to be a part of my plan. Actually, without Dan, the name of it doesn't make any sense. He'll be 40 years old in May. We're going to lose 40 pounds by his birthday. Ideally, we'd both lose 20 pounds. I introduced my plan to him as if we were a team (which we totally are...most of the time). I'm in it to win it though (no surprise there). I know he just loves that about me.

We started last Monday (I always start my lose weight/get healthy/exercise more plans on a Monday). We both weighed ourselves (on the not-so-reliable $5 scale from Target). I won't be sharing those numbers today (or any other day for that matter). Let's just say I'm a wee bit disappointed. I'm just going to blame it on my kids, not the Golden Yam Brownies I made (and ate) four times in 8 days. It's leftover baby fat from all that birthing I did in the past 3 years.

I found this site to help us know how many calories to eat each day in order to reach our goal. There's a spot to enter your age, height, weight (your actual weight...not the one you put on your drivers license), goal (there's even a choice of how to gain weight. duh. I don't need a little online calculator to tell me how to do that), and activity level.

We figured out how many weeks we had before the big birthday and decided to try to lose 1.5 pounds per week. And then the fun of tracking calories began. I'm not keeping track of fruits and vegetables. They don't come in little packages with the numbers printed on the back. If I go over my calorie intake for the day because of fruits and vegetables, I figure no harm done. It's better than going over because I ate two chocolate chip cookies (thanks a lot, Candis).

I think I ate my weight in celery one day. I've been drinking enough water to sink the Titanic. I've never eaten so much oatmeal in my life. I'm trying really hard to become friends with vegetables again. And I think exercise might actually kill us.

We strapped the kids into the stroller (much to Cate's chagrin) and got busy running/walking around the track. Eight times around is a mile. I got so carried away the first night that I made it to 17 before I realized that 8 x 2 = 16, not 18. Oh, well. No harm done. Danny's an excellent motivator too. Whenever I start walking he yells, "Run, Mama! Run!"

So there you have it. Please feel free to smack the cinnamon gummy bears out of my hand if you catch me stuffing my face with them. Go ahead and wag your finger at me and say tsk tsk if you run into me at the grocery store with Ben and Jerry's in my cart. On the other hand, don't hesitate to mention how svelte I'm looking either. And I'm sure Dan wouldn't mind if you notice how dapper he is.

Remember, I'm in it to win it we're in this together, Dan! You can do it!


And don't you just love our before pictures? The crappier the before pictures, the better the after pictures will look, right? We also took head-to-toe pictures. I won't be sharing those today. You'll have to wait for the grand finale to see them. Way too embarrassing right now. Let's just say I'm thinking about purchasing a girdle after seeing mine. Yikes.

From here on out, rolls, cottage cheese and muffin tops will only be used in referring to food, not the flabby parts of my body!

Wish me us luck!

made me chuckle

Danny made this snowman at our arts and crafts group this week. He got a little carried away with the scissors. The face and scarf were his own creations. When it was time to write his name, he told me to only write three letters because he's three. I guess when he's four, he'll be Dann. When he's five, he'll finally be Danny. Maybe when he's six he'll start going by his given name. Who knows?

That boy of mine makes me chuckle.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I needed to make a phone call this week for my church calling. I dialed the number and then realized I had forgotten to add the area code. I hung up and tried again. I have no idea why, but instead of dialing 801, I dialed 1-800. Big mistake. The lady that answered was not the lady I had called. And she wasn't talking to me about church. It was a recording offering, hmmm how should I put this...a little company for when you're feeling lonely (in a naughty kind of way...if you catch my drift). Needless to say, I hung up very quickly.

Sometimes I make myself chuckle.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I was grocery shopping with Danny last week. He was roaming around out of the cart, grabbing things off the shelves and asking if we could buy them. I kept saying no until he picked up a bag of grapes. When we got to the checkout, I remember the lady saying something to me about $4.00 a pound and if I still wanted it. I was focused on making sure Danny didn't run out the door or snatch a handful of plastic bags (he likes to do that). Obviously, I wasn't totally paying attention to the lady. I saw the grapes and I saw a chunk of cheese and I saw the display thing that read $10.00. I thought she was talking about the cheese. It didn't make any sense to me because she also mentioned something about the cold in South America making things more expensive. I told her I didn't want it (I meant the $10 chunk of cheese from South America.) Then I had to wonder why Walmart imports plain old cheddar cheese from South America. When I got home, I was kind of sad to see that I had a chunk of cheese but no grapes. I would have rather had the grapes.

Once again, a chuckle at my expense. Why do I take that kid to the store with me? I can't think straight when I do.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I was reading the comments on a blog a few days ago and came across this statement:

"Opinions are like armpits; everyone has two and they both stink."

I read it twice and still could not figure out why someone would comment that everyone has two onions. I don't have any onions. Doesn't this commenter know that some people don't like onions? They do stink though.

When I finally read it correctly, I had to chuckle.
At myself.
Once again.

I seem to be doing that a lot lately.

BFFs

When Kris comes home from preschool, Danny and Cate run to the door to greet him. Kris gives them both big hugs and they give him big smiles. I think they all miss each other when they're separated...even if it is only for a few hours every other day.

Kris comes in and tells Danny what he did at preschool. Danny asks Kris to play a game with him, usually some kind of made-up Star Wars game. Then Danny proceeds to do something to make Kris incredibly frustrated and Kris does something to make Danny cry...all in less than 5 minutes. And it gets repeated over and over and over and over again throughout the day.

The way things are going right now, I'd have to say the F stands for Frenemies.

But they sure are the cutest little frenemies ever.

golden yam brownies

I stumbled upon this recipe a few weeks ago. I don't know why it struck my fancy, but it did. There's not even any chocolate in the entire recipe. Usually, if there's no chocolate, I don't waste my time. Still, I knew I just had bake these brownies.

And by the way, are they really brownies if there's no chocolate? I say no. Brownies with no chocolate are called blondies, right?

And the yams in this recipe are not really yams. They're sweet potatoes. {For some interesting facts about yams and sweet potatoes and why we get them mixed up, read this. I actually learned a thing or two.}

And the sweet potatoes are not golden. They're orange. So maybe the golden in the title is referring to the final product. The brownie/blondie. They did turn out to be kind of golden in color after baking.

Whatever you call them, I made them. Four times in eight days. That's right, people. Four times. You're welcome, Judy, Dave, Dan, Kris, Jarrett, Danny, Cate, Emo, Carolyn, Kathy and Candis. Did I miss anyone?

my dutiful little "helpers"

Golden Yam Brownies

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups peeled and finely shredded yam

1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking dish.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir into the batter, just until blended. Fold in the shredded yam. Spread the batter into the greased baking dish.

Bake for 30 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Mix the powdered sugar, butter and milk until smooth. Spread over the brownies while they are still warm. They will absorb some of the glaze. Serve warm or hot.

My changes to make these "brownies" even better:

Increase the flour to 2 cups.
Increase the baking powder to 2 teaspoons.
Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon.
Add 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg.
Add 1 cup of raisins.
Bake 35-40 minutes.

I made these in the 9x13 baking dish and in muffin pans. I preferred the muffin style. Almost everyone else preferred the rectangle style. When I made the muffins, I let them cool before spreading the frosting on top. I liked them better that way too.

And next time I'm going to add chopped walnuts or pecans.

And some chocolate chips.

And call it Golden Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Raisin Nut Cake. It just rolls of the tongue, doesn't it?

Yum.

fresh powder

lunch lady land

Dedicated to my mom, the best lunch lady ever





p.s. My mom sent me an email asking for the lyrics to this song. I thought I'd do better than that and send her the whole thing!

a primary miracle

Ever since Danny became a Sunbeam a few weeks ago,
I've been saying lots of prayers.

By myself, of course.
But mostly with him.

Every night, beside his bed.
Mostly he just listens.
Sometimes he joins in.
Sometimes he suggests things for me to pray about.

For the past two weeks during our prayers
(each and every night and sometimes when he requests a prayer at nap time)

I've asked for him to be able to love primary

and to go by himself
(that's usually where he pipes up and asks that Daddy can stay with him)

then I pray again that he can go by himself
(and he pipes up again and asks for Daddy to stay with him)

then I move on and pray that he can have fun with his friends

and be happy and not cry

and learn fun songs with Glenda
(our neighbor who teaches the songs in primary)

and love his teachers.

Well, today it happened.

I walked with him to the primary room.
We went in together.
The primary president said something nice to him
(and called him Daniel).
I asked him where his seat was.
He showed me.
He sat down.
There were no other kids in his class there yet.
His teachers weren't there yet.
I told him I was going to my class.
I gave him a kiss.
He kissed me back.
I told him to be good and have fun.
He said, "O-tay."

And that was that.
He stayed the whole time.
His daddy was nowhere in sight.
He didn't cry when it was time to go to his class.
He learned a song about a snowman that he sung for me later at home.

the end

It's a miracle.
I couldn't be happier.


Then there's this kid.

She cried for at least the first 20 minutes of nursery.
Maybe more.
I could hear her.

Finally the teacher came and found me.
Cate promptly snuggled onto my shoulder
and slept for the remainder of the time we were at church.

I guess I know who I need to be praying for this week.

kris and cate

I was in the kitchen (probably washing dishes). The kids were in the front room.

Kris yelled, "Cathy! Come in the front room! Hurry!"

I didn't hear any crying so I knew nobody was hurt.
Usually when he yells at me to come in the front room,
it's because he sees something on a commercial that he simply must have for his next birthday.

I didn't hurry so he yelled again.
"Hurry! Come take a picture of me and Cate!"

I grabbed the camera (it was just on the kitchen counter) and headed in.


So nice of him to recognize a good Kodak moment when he sees one.

a letter to my little girl

To my dearest Catie Bug,

You're adorable. I love you. I'm tired. My hand smells like puke...your puke. I need you to just go to sleep nicely from now on. I know you can do it. You used to do it. Making yourself puke does not need to be part of the going to sleep nicely routine. It's not good. I'm pretty sure it's not normal.

I have plenty of laundry to do every day. The extra laundry you're supplying me with by puking on yourself, your pillow and your blankets is not necessary. Thanks for trying to keep me busy though. You're kind to think of me like that.

Remember when Daddy used to rock you to sleep? You'd lay on his shoulder with your little hands tucked under you. It was sweet. Remember when I used to rock you to sleep? I hummed songs about Jesus in your little ear. It was sweet. I think you can remember if you try really hard. It was just a few short months ago.

Remember how you'd fall asleep and then we'd lay you down in your crib? Remember how you'd roll over onto your tummy and tuck in your little knees? It was sweet. The sweetest part of it all was that you'd stay asleep. You'd even start snoring. Remember? Then we'd walk out of your room and you'd still be sleeping. You wouldn't dream of standing right up and crying like you do now. Just sleep, sleep, sleep.

How about you start doing that again? It was nice. I wasn't as tired as I am now. Well, that might not be totally true. I was probably just as tired back then. My hand just didn't smell like your puke.

Let's start today. We'll go back to the old way of going to bed. I'll help you remember. Rocking. Sometimes humming. Tucking hands. Sleeping. Crib. Still sleeping. Sometimes snoring. Still sleeping. See how crying and making yourself puke isn't part of the plan?

Thanks, Catie Bug. You're the best!

Love,

Mama

turtles can breathe through their butts

On the last night of Grama Bama and Grandpa's visit, we played a game that Dan got for Christmas. It's called Fact or Crap (it's not the game pictured above...that's a kid game). Grandpa was thrilled to play. See that huge smile on his face? Thrilled. I'm not sure if Grama Bama even noticed the rest of us playing. She was just out to get Dan.

It was a good game. I enjoyed it even though I'm pretty sure I came in last place. Grandpa won by a long shot. He knows his trivia. Here's some of my favorite little tidbits of useless information that I learned that night.


A duck's quack doesn't echo. No one knows why. {obviously crap, but kind of funny...who writes this stuff?}

They have square watermelons in Japan...because they stack better. {that's a fact}

Brazil nuts are mildly radioactive. {fact, and according to Grandpa, everything is mildly radioactive}

David Bowie's son Zowie Bowie prefers to be called Duncan. {fact, can you blame him though?}

The Nobel Prize medal depicts a ring of angry badgers. {funny, but still crap}

The names of Popeye's four nephews are Pipeye, Peepeye, Pupeye and Poopeye. {fact, and I'd like to see what Poopeye looks like...the mental image that name conjures up isn't pretty}

Bats always turn left when exiting a cave. {fact, but only in the northern hemisphere}

Rats cannot vomit. {fact, and I'm wishing the same were true about my little girl at bed time}

And last but not least...my favorite one

It's the title up there. That's some bad breath even a Tic Tac wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole.



p.s. Just kidding about the bat one. It's total crap.

a picture's worth

I try to take a few really good pictures of my kids with Grama Bama and Grandpa when they come to visit. (Really good by my standards, of course. I'm no professional. My camera's seen better days. I have no fancy lenses.) They're only here a few times a year (for Grandpa, it's usually once a year...unless there's a new baby on the scene). I remember when Grama Bama visited the summer after Danny was born. He was 7 or 8 months old. I took lots of pictures. The night before she was leaving to go home, Dan made a comment to me about how the next time she saw our baby, he wouldn't even be a baby any more.

I think about that each time she's come to visit since that summer. I could feel sad that she lives so far away. I could feel sad for my kids because they don't live down the street from her. I could feel sad that they're growing up and getting bigger and all she gets to see is pictures. But I don't. You don't have to live down the street from your grandma to love her or to know that she loves you.

Don't get me wrong though, Grama Bama. I would not object to you living down the street. Neither would Danny and Cate. It would be rather nice indeed. Any time. I'd even send Dan to Alabama to help load the moving van. Heck, I'd even let him drive it for you.

Anyway, all that to say the picture up there is probably my favorite one of Danny with Grama Bama from her most recent visit. I love that Danny's smiling all on his own and not with his big cheesy grin (the result of me trying to trick him into smiling by telling him not to smile). I just wish I could figure out how to remove that can of Diet Dr. Pepper from the shot.

Grandpa is a little bit trickier. I realized today that I didn't take a picture of Danny alone with Grandpa this time. I got a good one of Cate with him but not Danny. Here's another one of my favorites though. Grandpa sleeping sitting up (how does he do that?) while Grama Bama and Danny play with his new toy garbage truck (kind of strange but he loves it) and Cate just looks on, trying to be included.



I'm pretty sure off to the right is Dan, probably watching football, maybe sleeping sitting up.

totally lost

This is dedicated to all my Lost Peeps. You know who you are.

I'm getting hungry for some wild boar kabobs, a lovely sea urchin salad and some crunchy fish biscuits.

Yum.

Enjoy the creepy Mr. Benjamin Linus as you prepare yourselves for Season 6.

a facebook miracle and a mess

This is Arlene. She's my friend.

We taught at the same school many years ago. Sometimes we did fun stuff together after school.

Then one day she moved away. It wasn't too far away but it was still away.

We didn't keep in touch.

Then I found her on facebook a few weeks ago. She had just made her account un-private.

Hooray for a facebook miracle!

We met for dinner this week at Cocolito's. It's my favorite.

My kids came along and were exceptionally well behaved.

Hooray for a Cocolito's miracle!

I didn't realize how much I missed Arlene until I saw her again.

And now she's moving again, far away this time.

I'm sure we'll keep in touch.

I'm not sure if it was the food or something that was already brewing inside of me

but

a few hours after dinner my body decided to help start my new diet with an all natural cleansing

that kept me up most of the night with several trips to the bathroom.

The next day I stayed on the couch as much as possible.


Here's what the kids did:

not pictured above:

the yogurt smeared all over a blanket in the front room
the sticky orange juice drips on the kitchen floor
the chunks of crackers in the carpet
the empty bag of cookies on the counter
the hardened chunks of cheese on the dining room table


Don't you just love it when they help themselves?

kids make resolutions too

Danny and Cate were so inspired to learn that I made a resolution (or two or three) this year that they wanted to make some too.

It's taken a few days for me to share them
since Danny mostly just writes in something that resembles binary code
(lots of lowercase l's and o's that look like ones and zeros)
and also lots of squiggly circles.

Cate mostly just writes on herself or the table so translating hers was quite a feat.
It didn't do me any good to ask her to clarify things for me either
since her answer every time was a resounding "UH!"

Here they are, as far as I can tell.

DANNY

1. Stop tossing the throw pillows off the couch because they used to be on the old couch and this is the new couch so they don't belong there now. Old pillows can be on a new couch. They don't make the new couch old. They make it pretty and comfy.

2. No more "fixing" the washing machine for Mama. No more throwing the clean, dry clothes on the floor to get inside the washing machine to fix it.

3. Learn the difference between the washing machine and the dryer.

4. Enjoy Primary every Sunday. Participate with a happy attitude instead of a stinky one.

5. Stop adjusting the dial on the inside of the fridge. Mama knows where it needs to be so that the food on the top shelf doesn't get frostbite. Peaches shouldn't have icicles on them when they're in the fridge.

6. Be more gentle with Cate. She might not enjoy being slammed to the ground.

7. Take care of all my "business" on the potty every single time. No accidents. Clean dry sheets every morning. It's gonna be embarrassing for my baby sister to be fully potty trained before me.

8. Learn how to share toys and like it.

9. Stop being afraid of the new shower head that Grama Bama gave Daddy for Christmas. They're just lights. It's nothing to be afraid of.

10. Drink more water, less chocolate milk.


CATE

1. No more "helping" Danny "fix" the dryer.

2. No more crying at nap time. Pretty sure that's getting old and Mama is over it.

3. No more crying at bed time. That's getting old too.

4. No more puking on purpose. Puking when I'm sick is ok though.

5. Point to body parts correctly when prompted. No more pointing to my tongue and laughing every time.

6. Enjoy bath time every night. Participate with a happy attitude instead of a stinky one.

7. Learn how to share toys and like it.

8. No more biting people and then laughing. Apparently, it's not as funny as I think.

9. Stop putting things in the VCR. Cheese does not belong in the VCR.

10. Add lots and lots and lots and lots of words to my vocabulary. Communicating with Mama could be a lot less frustrating that way.



As for my resolutions,

let it go

deal with it

get over it

and

move on

a little unsolicited help

I figured out how to get Danny to help with the daily cleaning around here.

Don't ask.

Just leave a sink full of water, bubbles and dirty dishes within his reach.

(If it wasn't hazardous to small children, I'd leave the bottle of Windex and a roll of paper towels within his reach too.)

If you can't whistle while you work, you might as well hum.

he's a sunbeam now

My little ray of sunshine
is now a bona fide
Sunbeam.

His first time in Primary went about as well as I expected.
I was a little worried earlier that morning when he told me he'd rather go to nursery.
This from the kid who hated nursery for 19 months.

I'm hoping next Sunday is better.

that Dan doesn't stay with him the entire time again
that his real teachers come (no offense to the sub)
that I don't hear his cries down the hall when it's time to go to his classroom again
that he keeps his necktie on
that he does the hand motions for the songs instead of keeping his hands in his pockets
that he stands up for the song instead of not standing up

that Cate doesn't cry for the first 20 minutes of nursery
that she doesn't fall asleep in nursery because that really screwed up her afternoon nap
(and by screwed up I mean she did not take one until 5:30 that evening, on my lap, in the front room)

wishing
hoping
thinking

and most of all

praying
praying
praying

pink winter footwear

Those other boots might have been made for crawlin',
but these boots were totally made for walkin'

mostly in the snow

and don't even think about picking her up and
carrying her into the house instead of just letting her walk
all by her little self
even if she's really slow and likes to stop and eat snow the entire time

and don't be grossed out when she eats the snow off these boots
as soon as she gets inside
because it's mostly just the snow that stuck to the sides of the boots
and not the really dirty stuff on the soles.

p.s. Yes, I am fully aware that it is not appropriate to allow a toddler to sit on the kitchen table. I also know that it is not good manners to let her walk on it. She is able to pull out a chair, climb on it and hoist herself onto the table. What's a good mom to do? Take pictures, of course. She had a long talking-to and I'm sure she'll never pull that stunt again. Can't you tell that Grama Bama and I did not make it seem like a pleasant experience for her in the least bit? And yes, I realize that it's not safe for a little girl to be standing or walking on the kitchen table. What do you think Grama Bama is standing right there for? Just forget about all that and focus on the boots. They're just oozing with cuteness.

and now they're gone

Grama Bama and Grandpa are on the road again. They left early this morning. We said our goodbyes last night, but Cate had a few kisses left for them this morning.

We miss you already!

out with the old

Not far enough out though.
I would have preferred it to be out in the backyard getting buried by snow so I no longer have to look at it.
It's almost twelve years old and has seen better days (the ones before children and cats).

For now, the old couch sits in the dining room.
The plus side is that I now have enough seating for twelve, maybe thirteen.
Bring on the dinner party, Candis.
I hope you don't mind sitting on the old couch.

Any bets as to how long it will remain part of the dining room decor?
I'm afraid to even think about it.

IN WITH THE NEW!

woo hoo!

Dan wasted no time breaking it in.
Same with Danny.

new year
new couch

Does it get much better than this?

(New dress size would be nice too, I guess. I'm thinking down, not up.)


p.s. If anyone is in the market for a free couch, it's sitting in my dining room. My trash could be your treasure, right? If you're really nice, I might even throw in free delivery. I'm pretty sure it doesn't get much better than that.