Triple Nap

What the bumblebee???

2011-04-25T14:49:00.000-07:00

While I was taking Easter pictures of adorable kids on Easter, this happened...
Not this.

This...

A closer look to figure out what the heck that was:

If there was a contest for Mom who captures the best photo of a bumblebee flying RIGHT SMACK IN FRONT of her kid's face, I would WIN!!!!

Carpe Diem!

2011-02-28T06:23:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've posted anything, but I couldn't resist posting these pictures. Perfect for a Monday morning, no?

We are having some puppy issues. Truthfully, we are having ALL of the puppy issues. Chewing being one of them. We're working on it, and quite frankly, it is teaching the kids how to take better care of their toys (and thus, the house).

Sometimes (a lot of times) there have been toy casualties. Yesterday GI Joe took a bad hit, and Jack started screaming "He's dead! The man who kills animals is dead! Cassie killed him and he was miiiiiiiine!" This is what we found:

Poor GI Joe was missing his right arm and both feet. More tragic because it was a gift to Jack from Amanda. She picked him out of the treasure box at school just for him, and told Jack he was a hunter (the man who kills animals).

But a few minutes later, the kids went outside and I found the man who kills animals exactly like this:

Jack had put him in the window, facing the backyard so he could watch the kids play. I don't know if the fist in the air was intentional, but it was a pretty good Toy Story moment.

Naughty or Nice?

2011-01-04T10:39:00.000-08:00

When the kids visited Santa this year, their requests were:

Elizabeth: Dinosaur fish
Amanda: Fish tank
Jack: Golf balls

And it looks like this year they all made it on the nice list.

Behold, the amazing (and kind of creepy) dinosaur fish. They haven't hatched in this picture, all of the brown specks floating on the top are hundreds of fish eggs. Out of the hundreds of eggs, only 2-3 will actually survive to become grown ups. And those 2-3 lucky fish get to spend their 20-90 day life span right here in this tank! Super cool, right?

Now, this next gift proves that Santa is very good at his job. He realized that Amanda's request of "fish tank" wasn't so much an actual request. The sweet little girl was frozen with Santaphobia and muttered out the first thing that popped into her head. Since Elizabeth went first, Amanda quickly followed with "fish tank" and that was that. Santa can't NOT listen to the one and only one request. So he brought her something special, just for her - a jellyfish tank!

Jack asked for golf balls. But Spongebob golf balls? Santa is amazing!

And what did Sully ask for? I don't know for sure, but I'd say he is pretty pleased. Introducing Cassie, our favorite Christmas gift of all. She is 100% flopsy puppy and she came with a bonus - our mole problem is officially solved!

Sully Meets Santa

2010-11-30T10:30:00.001-08:00

Sully kind of froze, he didn't know what to ask for, but he won Santa's heart and now we have this adorable picture that will cheer me up whenever I need a good laugh.

I'll Eat You Up, I Love You So

2010-11-13T08:25:00.000-08:00

Poor kid. Sick, chapped, grumpy.

This morning he was banished from the girls' room because he used a straw to flick orange juice onto Elizabeth. Before Elizabeth screamed, Jack was up from his chair and frantically trying to gather his "things" in a tupperware bowl. At first I thought he was trying to prepare for time out, but he was already one step ahead of me. He was trying to beat exile.

By the time I even said "time out" he had reached the bottom of stairs. Elizabeth yelled "I'm outta here!" and Amanda replied "me too!" and they both ran for the stairs. As the girls passed him on the stairs, Jack yelled "I'm coming wiiiiiiiiith youuuuuuuuuu!" but he had already started to cry. He sat on the stairs and waited for me (and time out) with the tupperware bowl on his lap.

He tried again after time out. Knocking, then banging, then begging, then tattling. "Mommy! The sisters won't let me in!"After another time out warning, he was quiet. And then..."MOMMY!" So I replied from downstairs, "It's not Mommy, it's a Monster."

Quiet. Then the pitter patter of feet, but I couldn't tell if it was to or from the stairs. Then...

"Monster?"

"Yes?"

"Monster, the sisters won't let me in."

UGH. But he was curious, so he came down and played with the Monster for a bit. Then he went back upstairs and knocked on the girls' door. And the door opened.

"Password?"

"Um...Elizabeth?"

Then I heard him gasp, the door close, and then...quiet.

Good Ninja

2010-10-11T08:03:00.000-07:00

5 Things To Do In An Empty Amphitheatre

2010-09-06T04:57:00.000-07:00

1. Roll, run or tumble your way to the stage.

2. If your pants fall down and your bum is hanging out from running down the hill (Jack), pull your pants up! Blue comedy is too easy, you've gotta work for the laugh kid!

3. Dance, stomp, run, scream, sing, laugh - AMPLIFY!

4. Take a bow.
5. Hike your way back up the hill while basking in the applause (of your parents).

The Jealous Bear

2010-09-06T04:26:00.001-07:00

We went back to the zoo with the whole family yesterday. This time, this bear would not be left out. He was ready for his close up and hamming it up. It was pretty cute.

So here you go jazz hands bear, your own post. Thanks for not jumping over and eating us!

To The Land Of Torsos!

2010-09-03T13:35:00.001-07:00

Jack has started preschool, and I was surprisingly sad that he was my only preschooler this year. Then I remembered that this is the year (age 3-4) when kids remember to draw a torso in their portraits. Isn't that strange? I have no idea why that feels like such a big deal - but right now Jack is still drawing people with arms and legs coming straight out of their head. It's bizarre and adorable. But at some point this year, the light bulb will go off, and he will draw people with torsos. First a torso, then BLINK, he's off to college, then med school... Not yet little man, not yet! For now, I treasure each picture he makes of me, each just a big ol' head with arms and legs coming out of my eyes and ears.

Love you little guy, and I can't wait to see how much you grow - this year and beyond!

Rebels at the Zoo

2010-09-03T10:35:00.000-07:00

I took two rebels to the zoo today: my camera and my preschooler. The camera behaved itself. The preschooler threw a book into the tiger exhibit. The tiger part was the end of the zoo trip, and I risked my life (really just a stick and my flip flop) to get the book out. Other than that, it was a perfect zoo day.

We went straight to the walkabout...

...where we were greeted by this wallaby who immediately gave us this "watch yourself" look. It worked! Jack stayed on the path with his hands to himself. The kangaroos were not nearly as social as the wallabies, they stayed far away from the path.

Some of our other great encounters:

The Ratings Are In...

2010-08-18T18:01:00.000-07:00

...and the first day of school got a 2 thumbs up from our Cougars!

When the girls woke up, I could tell immediately that their excitement outweighed their nervousness. Always a good sign! I wasn't sure which way it was going to go after the Open House nervous tummies. But they were up as soon as their alarm went off - focused, excited and ready to go. It was their first day of school together and they were both giddy that it was finally here. They had two solid first day plans: (1) wear matching outfits, and (2) make sure they sat together on the bus ride home.

This was their fantastic school bus exit:

10.0!!!!!! Bonus points for the bouncing ruffles!

They both loved their teachers and are excited about the school year. Excellent.

Teacher Survival Kits

2010-08-18T05:13:00.001-07:00

This year, I decided to make teacher gifts for the first day of school. (Yes, I'm that excited). The Teacher Survival Kit.

I'm generally a very unoriginal teacher gift giver; bookstore gift cards for every occasion, every teacher, every year. This year I wanted to thank the kids' teachers ahead of time, because this year, I really, really, really mean it! Teachers amaze me.

I struggled on most summer days just to get something other than cereal on the dinner table. I sometimes counted pool time as a bath. (I also counted swimming in the ocean. Or when the kids spilled water/milk/juice on any portion of their bodies). I knew summer would be a challenge - common activities for ages 3, 5 and 7 - all day, in this heat? I can't even take all three to the grocery store for milk without giving myself a pep talk! I had no idea they would work so well together as a team or that I would be the enemy. But 7 is just old enough to realize that you aren't perfect, to map your weaknesses and plot your downfall. And 3 is just old enough to help execute secret missions yet look too young and cute to be guilty. 5 is smart enough to know she can get away with anything as long as the evidence portrays 7 as the brains and 3 as the foot soldier.

So that brings us back to - TEACHERS! The amazing people who take these summer monsters and turn them back into the wonderful children that we haven't seen since June. I wanted to thank the kids' teachers upfront this year, to start the year by acknowledging how much they give and to express how grateful we are for every bit of it.

The Teacher Survival Kit. The idea is to fill a container with things that might be useful during the year, especially on crazy days when a teacher might be in a rush and need some extra caffeine, vitamins, headache relief, possibly even breakfast or lunch. Add a few convenience items, and definitely a good lip balm and a good hand lotion.

Contents:

Large Pencil Case (as container)

Excedrin Tension Headache

Scott Mini Lint Roller

Purell Hand Sanitizer

BreathSavers

Vitamin C Drops

Luna Lemon Zest Meal Bar

C.O. Bigelow Lemon Lip Balm

Nail File
True Blue Spa Look Ma, New Hands Lotion
Wisp Disposable Toothbrushes

Tide To Go Pen

2 Lipton Energize To Go Iced Tea Mix packets

2 Propel Cherry-Lime Vitamin Enhanced Drink Mix packets

On the inside lid I tried to be funny...

...but then I read that one of the teachers graduated high school in 1998. Can teachers be too young for Seinfeld references? Yikes.

5 Things That Worked Better In Theory

2010-08-16T09:59:00.001-07:00

1. The Boredom Busters Jar

I was hooked when I saw the idea on several Mom blogs as a great way to make summer fun and enjoyable for all! Fill a jar with various kid activities so that when the "Mommy, I'm boooooored" comes along, kids can pick an idea from the jar. I'm sure that this works for some Moms. All it did for me was start "Mommy, I'm boooored" at breakfast and make it last all. day. long. All independent thought, all spontaneity, all free play (a.k.a. summer) was gone. They LOVED this stupid jar so much that I was forced to hide it and pretend it never, ever existed.

2. A Playroom

I can't really stress enough: a playroom is a mistake. Don't do it! If you do it, don't make it the room that is on display when you open your front door. Truth be told, there is nothing good about a playroom. It encourages excess and eventually just becomes a land fill. With the first child, it's cute and clean. By the third child, the kids draw straws on who has to venture through the treacherous piles to find Toy X and bring it back out to play with somewhere else. No organization helps: labels, boxes, shelves, book nooks - all just a waste of time. If I could do it over again, I would say: bedroom or trash can, your choice.

3. Orange Swimsuit

I posted about this on facebook, but I'll say it again. Halle Berry can pull of the orange suit. I'm not exactly sure what compelled me to go orange. I'm not tan and I'm not Halle Berry, and I looked like a gigantor candy corn.

4. Gardening

I must remember the following: I have 3 kids, I can't keep a cactus alive, I have a cat that poops and a dog that digs. Enough said.

5. Downstairs Laundry Room

I remember our downstairs laundry room being a selling point for me! I can't even remember why. Yada, yada, yada, three kids, family of five with closets, dressers, beds, bathrooms and linen closet - all upstairs. Kitchen towels - those are the only items that don't go upstairs. I suppose I thought that the time spent sorting, folding, etc. would be best spent downstairs? Let me say that with 3 kids, folded piles of laundry are asking for trouble, clean laundry must get to their destination asap. I need mad Mary Poppins snapping skills!

The Sum of a Beach Vacation

2010-08-15T05:43:00.000-07:00

I plan to post more pictures of our wonderful time at the beach with my aunt, my cousin and her twins, but for now I thought this picture was perfect. It seems the amount of beach clutter is directly related to the level of vacation satisfaction. The more wet bathing suits, sandy towels, tiny flip flops and half eaten apples scattered about, the better. I like knowing we spent more time enjoying the beach and less time worrying about the stuff. But with five kids (and three three year olds) the stuff was everywhere! And the vacation was awesome.

Backyard Digging

2010-07-15T12:43:00.000-07:00

The girls have been fighting over this "diamond" for a while now, both claiming to be the finder keeper. Amanda is certain that she found the diamond while digging in the backyard around a tree; Elizabeth says she found it one time when we were hiking. I finally just took it away and put it up to stop the arguing. My plan was to just toss it once the girls forgot about it.

Yesterday Jay saw it and asked me where it came from, I told him it was just a rock the girls were fighting over. He seemed surprised that I had missed the obvious similarities between this "diamond" and um... an arrowhead? It does seem obvious now. But on any given day many items pass through my hands at the backdoor checkpoint station. Stick - out! Shoe that was missing for 2 months - in! Dead bee - out! Caterpillars, lizards, feathers... the kids and animals try to smuggle all sorts of things in this house. I don't even remember this coming in, but Elizabeth admits that it was Amanda's backyard find.

Pretty cool find, isn't it? It is back in Amanda's hands and among her trinkets, where it is once again playing the role of diamond.

At Last

2010-07-14T05:44:00.000-07:00

You can tell by the look on Sully's face that he is just as surprised as I am. It has taken him almost an entire year to win Moose over. This is the first time Moose has allowed Sully to get this close without a hiss or a bop to the nose. But Moose is 10, and in his defense, his idea of a good time isn't being chased by a dog around the house. Sully has never meant any harm, he just wanted a friend. And now it seems he has one.

Beat the Heat

2010-07-11T06:25:00.000-07:00

Beat the Heat - part one of the "Mommy, I'm bored" edition.

We found these fun geography quiz games and Elizabeth is learning quite a lot about geography. It's also teaching Amanda about computers, she is working hard on her drag and drop skills. Truth be told, Jay and I have enjoyed a little friendly competition ourselves.

Here are two games to test your own skills (the pictures link to the game):

The Rebel

2010-07-10T17:13:00.000-07:00

One of the first shots with our brand new camera (before reading the manual). This is one of Jay's water towers, and it made for a perfect setting to take the camera on a test run. My excitement level about reading this manual (as soon as these kids go to bed) rivals that of reading Little Women (again, and again, and again). I'm very, very excited. There will be highlighters, notes and post-it tabs involved.

You know how in Christmas Story, Ralphy wanted the Red Ryder BB gun with a compass in the stock and that thing that tells time? Well, my dream has been a Canon EOS Rebel T1i 15.1 MP Digital SLR with 3" LCD and EF-S 18-55mm IS Lens.

And guess what? Jay's parents read the post about our camera falling into the pool and asked us to meet them at Best Buy. Next thing I know, the dream camera is IN MY HANDS. Then things get blurry, Buddy points at this and that, tells them to ring it all up. Then I'm holding IT in our car, carrying IT into our house. And it's still here. In. Our. House.

We are not worthy, we are not worthy!

I have this feeling that some camera geek in a Best Buy outfit is going to burst in and tell me I have no business with such a kick butt camera and take it away. So I will sleep with it under my pillow to keep my little Reb safe. And I will learn, I will get good, and I will make the Rebel proud.

Thank you Happy and Buddy!!!!!

R.I.P. Kimya

2010-07-10T16:19:00.001-07:00

Kimya, one of the adorable gorillas at Riverbanks Zoo, died two weeks ago. This isn't exactly breaking news, but I came across this picture today and realized it sums up the sadness of Kimya's passing pretty well. I don't know which gorillas are in this picture, we took it a few months ago.

Kimya was quite young, and he was simply found dead one Monday morning by his keepers. There were no signs of illness, no clues as to a cause of death. Hopefully the pathology reports will reveal what happened at some point.

Rest in peace Kimya, you were loved big guy.

Salute From The Shore

2010-07-04T17:24:00.001-07:00

My brother Mike in his kayak during today's fly over. It was hard to wave and get a good picture at the same time! I was also using a different camera since mine fell into the pool about an hour before the fly over.

It was fun to wave flags and wave to this C-17, and the party stretched across the entire SC coast!

Happy Fourth of July!!!!!

Beach Triple Nap (+1)

2010-07-04T07:55:00.000-07:00

Jack's first beach night as a "big boy" - no more pack-n-play beach nights for him! Sully loves all of the warm bodies all in one place, his favorite way to sleep. Due to Sully's growing girth (displayed perfectly in this picture) we've started to be more mindful of his access to floor snacks and cat food. We've also started calling him Mr. Meatball.

We are excited about a 4th of July C-17 fly by happening on the beach in a few hours, and will post pictures of the plane if we can get a good shot! Salute from the shore!!!!

The Joy of Sully

2010-06-28T06:29:00.000-07:00

We'll never know where he spent his first two years of life, what happened to his ear or to a couple of his teeth.

We're just thankful that we found him, and I'm pretty sure he is happy about it too.

Best. Dog. Ever.

Toy Story 3

2010-06-26T06:07:00.001-07:00

How good was Toy Story 3?

This good.

Triple full attention for the entire movie and the extra scenes during the credits.

Happy Birthday Jack!

2010-06-11T12:20:00.000-07:00

Three, Three, what a great age to be!

Jack and Sully are enjoying Jack's new Gator so much they already ran out the battery. Happy Birthday sweet boy!

Backyard Reading

2010-06-10T18:50:00.001-07:00

I can't think of a better way to start a summer day than by going outside to read a book under the trees. Before the day gets too hot, too busy, too fussy, too "hey-they-have-a-trampoline-and-tetherball-in-their-yard-and-we-don't-NO-FAIR!" These quiet summer morning moments are my favorite.

School's Out For Summer!

2010-06-05T04:51:00.000-07:00

School is out and summer is here! This picture was taken at Elizabeth's last day of school class party, where Amanda and Jack were instructed to lie low. As you can see, Amanda does not lie low.Obviously.

Magi Fishbook & The Gang

2010-06-02T06:09:00.001-07:00

We spent Memorial Day weekend at Carowinds and Great Wolf Lodge and it was b-a-n-a-n-a-s, bananas. Fun bananas, but bananas!

First we went to Carowinds and spent the night at a normal hotel.

Elizabeth was very angry at this roller coaster for tipping to the side. She yelled "STUPID!!!!!!" at every roller coaster we passed after this picture. We parked near The Intimidator and had to walk and walk and walk back to the car. Every time it whirled by with screaming people (at least 20 times), Elizabeth yelled "STUUUUUUPIIIIIIIID!" at the top of her lungs. Because roller coasters are stupid. Forever.

The boats were a big hit with the girls. Jack wasn't tall enough to ride!

Elizabeth on the helicopter ride. She loved it! Heights are not the issue for Elizabeth, it seems she just dislikes tipping without warning.

At Great Wolf Lodge, all three kids were in heaven.

Amanda would have tried everything the Lodge had to offer, but she wasn't tall enough for the yellow band. She went down every slide they would let her and said "that was awesome!" each time.

The kids spent most of their time in Whooping Hollow and were on first name basis with every kid in the joint by the time we left.

The kids also loved the bunk beds in our room. They had their own little "tent" section with bunk beds, a camp desk and a flat screen television. Jack went loco. We were all exhausted, but Jack skipped exhausted and went straight to odd. First he looked like this:

Then he looked like this:

Until finally, he looked like this:

Before this picture, he was so mesmerized by Wiley and Violet that he was standing with his back to the camera just staring at them. The handler had to turn him around and the photographer took a quick shot before they led us away. I think Violet may have a restraining order against Jack now. During story time there was a sea of kids sitting on the lobby floor, parents along the edges. Before we knew Jack might need restraining, it was too late. He stood up and zoned in on Violet, who saw him stand and tried to play peek-a-boo with him to freeze him in his tracks. Then it was like slow motion. The peek-a-boo only confused Jack more, and everything around him disappeared. He started walking towards Violet, grabbing other kids' heads like a stair rail. Before we could get to him he just stood there and started yelling "are you talking to ME? are you talking to ME? are you talking to ME?" while looking up, down and around Violet trying to figure out why she wasn't talking back.

In the meantime, the girls saw kids with magic wands. Magiquest. We had never heard of it, but we slowly realized the Lodge was actually filled with enchanted forests and magical creatures, so we signed the kids up to play at 9:00 p.m.

Jack was delirious by this point, and when the Wizard dude asked Jack what his Magi name was, Jack didn't skip a beat and said "Fishbook." This pleased the Wizard dude greatly and he entered Jack into the system as Magi Fishbook before we could ask "Huh?" Fishbook even played for free since he is under 3!

It was a brief but fabulous getaway, and the perfect way to say hello to summer.

Oh, The Cleverness of You

2010-05-20T16:54:00.001-07:00

When they said they wanted to play Shark Boy and Lava Girl, they really meant it. I was amazed with the costume development on this one. Fins, sharks, color coordination, even some pink hair - nicely done guys. And I agree, the movie did need a Shark Boy and a Shark Girl. Lava Girl is even eating ice to cool herself down. A+!

The Alarm Clock Experiment

2010-05-20T12:40:00.000-07:00

Today marked the second morning of the alarm clock experiment. The results were mixed, which causes a problem.

On the first morning, the girls woke at 6:45 a.m. (with Jay & I giggling in the hallway) to "It's The Best Day Ever" by Spongebob Squarepants. Amanda opened her eyes, sat up and smiled immediately. Elizabeth turned over, pulled the covers over her head and grumped "way too annoying." Amanda bounced to the music and said "I feel like this really is gonna be the best day ever!"

This was very odd considering Amanda is usually the morning grumper and Elizabeth is generally without a.m. complaints. Elizabeth is usually up, dressed and informing us about her day before Amanda can even muster a facial expression.

So, let's try this again.

On the second morning, the girls woke at 6:45 a.m. (Jay & I were already downstairs caffeinating) to "It's The Best Day Ever" by Spongebob Squarepants. Elizabeth was first downstairs and she was visibly irritated. She peered out from behind a wall of her own hair and spat "music in the morning? So annoying! I would rather have beeping!" But then it was quiet, and Amanda never came downstairs. For 30 minutes she sat in her bed, smiling, daydreaming, and bouncing to music.

So here we are. I'm not sure how it will turn out. I know that I've tapped into something very valuable with Amanda and I won't give it up. But the girls are already fighting. Fighting about beeping vs. music, fighting about the very existence of alarm clocks, the color of alarm clocks, even fighting about whether sharing a room was such a good idea in the first place. Ouch.

This has gone deeper than I had anticipated. This I know for sure: (1) I'm an idiot for stirring the pot so soon; (2) summer starts in 2 weeks rendering all alarm clock arguments moot; (3) I don't care what anyone says, my song choice was genius and payback is a witch with a capital B; and (3) Jay has to repaint that nightstand.

Elephants

2010-05-18T04:49:00.001-07:00

We don't usually get this close to the elephants, so this was very exciting for Elizabeth. But it started to get a little creepy because after a while, what do you do when you run out of things to talk about? A little awkward. Allow me to reenact...

Elizabeth: Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness! Hi, elephant! Mom, look how close! Daddy, Daddy, look! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh. Hi, elephant. I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you. What are you doing? Eating? That's what you're eating? Gross. I love you elephant. I'm never this close, this is awesome!

2 minutes later:

Elizabeth: so... yeah, you're so cute. I don't have any food or anything. Mom, why is it still looking at me? I love you elephant. So...it's hot today isn't it? You gonna go get wet? There's some water over there. No? Okay, that's cool. You're so awesome elephant.

1 minute later:

Elizabeth: What? What? Oh man, I think that baby giraffe is calling my name. That sucks 'cause I'd love to stay here. Because I love elephants more than anything. But... you know, it's a baby giraffe and he was just born and everything so it might hurt his feelings if I ignore him. So... stay awesome, k? I'm gonna go now. You should go get wet! Oh, you're just gonna watch me walk away? Okay. Well, so, I'm just gonna... hey look - ants!

Elizabeth runs away yelling "Pachyderms rule!"*

*This isn't an exactly what happened, but it was awkward for Elizabeth and I do like to exaggerate.

Petz Cousins

2010-05-17T15:06:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we spent some time at the beach with my cousin Rachel and her family. They were heading back to NH after a trip to Disneyworld, and stopped over for a solid 24 hour visit. Combined, we have 6 kids, so it was loud and fun and really just a blast to see these little cousins get to hang out and get to know each other again.

There are 6 first cousins on the Petz side, and we grew up taking picture after picture of all of us lined up, standing on stairs, or any other way the grown-ups told us to pose. Here are a couple of the original Petz Six:

Rehoboth Beach, summer 1990(?) (Clockwise from top left: Rachel, Dan, Nikki, Mike, Kristen, Wendy)

Kiawah Island, summer 2001(?) (Nikki, Rachel, Mike, Kristen, Dan, Wendy)

And now WE get to tell the next generation when, where and how to pose! So here they are: half of the Petz 2nd cousin 12:

Kiawah Island, May 2010 (Jamie, Jack, David, Amanda, Kendra, Elizabeth)

Kiawah Island, May 2010 (Amanda, Elizabeth, Jamie the Bandit, Kendra, David, Jack)

Where The Wild Things Are...

2010-05-17T09:43:00.000-07:00

I do know where the wild things are; they're in the middle, of course!

Just a quick hello from Amanda. Cameo/attempted Fun Day sabotage by Elizabeth.

Additionally, I do realize that my last blog post was titled "Lost" and that it sat idle for many months. I wanted to confirm that we aren't actually lost (figuratively or literally). I just stopped posting because I was starting to question whether I might have Munchausen Syndrome. Seriously. Look at me, sick kid, sick kid, yada, yada, yada. I decided to wait until the cold/flu season was way, way over. So...

Tada!!! We're back! And we're having fun! Outside! We even went hiking and swimming and bike riding and gardening and lots of other fun stuff that didn't involve Spongebob at all! More about all of that later. Baby steps.

Until then, happy almost summer!

Oh, and.... just one more little thing.... if you've been around any of us in the past 3-4 weeks you might have Fifth Disease. Because it was all up in this house and the rash only shows up after the contagious part. Sorry about that. Also...currently Jack is on steroids and advair and albuteral and dicel dm and singular and zyrtec just because his genetic make-up is anti-Mother's Day lily. But whatev.

Lost

2010-01-30T06:02:00.000-08:00

The final season of Lost starts in three days and it looks like I'm not the only one who can't wait for some answers.

Dentists Used To Be Scary

2010-01-21T17:23:00.000-08:00

Not anymore. The kids all had great check-ups, no cavities, but more importantly, they were surrounded by wild animals! They saw Elephants, Gorillas, and walked on a glass floor looking down at a Hippo and a baby Hippo in the water. None of it was real, but it sure looked real! The ceiling is a huge dome shape and covered with a gorgeous mural of blue sky with clouds and birds. Flat screen TVs playing Shrek during the exams, and a waiting room with real old school arcade games.

On top of it all, everyone who works there seems to really know kids. They were SO nice and patient. It was an awesome experience. Maybe not the part when 4 pre-dental students were observing Amanda's exam and the dentist asked "now, does your Mommy help you floss every night?" and she looked confused and said "no" and my face turned red and one of the observing students said "ohhhh, busted." That part wasn't awesome. But guess what? I sure do help the kids floss now.

P.S. Jack disregarded that sign that says "Please do not climb" and got pretty far up before I pulled him down.

The Upside Down Elvis

2010-01-15T06:58:00.001-08:00

Jack is on his second round of antibiotics for a sinus infection. He has fluctuated up and down on the sick scale for the past few weeks, but his fever spiked yesterday and today he is not feeling well at all. He just started his second round, so hopefully he will start to feel better today and tomorrow.

Until then, I will take pictures of his misery and post them on a blog like a good mommy!

This is what I call the upside down Elvis:

Today it mostly comes along with "my eyes hurt" and "my nose is wunning" but in general, it means he's moved beyond basic terrible two whining and now means business. I've been trying to capture it for a while but he's been quick to catch on. This was last night when I was able to catch a mini drive-by version:

When I took the first picture, Jack asked if he could see it and let out a big congested laugh. Then he said "dat make-ah me happy." Just doing my job, kid.

All Work And No Play

2009-12-28T09:24:00.000-08:00

All work and no play makes Jack a tired boy! A car ride is about the only way to get this kid to fall asleep right now, and these are some of the pictures Jay has submitted as proof of nap.

Mele Ukulele

2009-12-10T10:24:00.000-08:00

Now THIS is how you rock a ukulele! We're dealing with a triple fever situation in this house and cabin fever is starting to set in. So in searching for ways to keep us all entertained, I came across this adorable kid singing "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz. It didn't bring down the kids' fevers, but it did make them laugh and Elizabeth told me I needed to dot com it on our blog.

The Happiest Tree I Know

2009-12-07T11:57:00.000-08:00

Meet Mr. Branch. Why is he so happy? I have no idea. He lives on the edge of my parents' driveway and is always super psyched when we come to visit.

A few years ago this whole tree was set ablaze by a landscape light malfunction and Mr. Branch took the brunt of the damage. He had to be cut off to save the tree. He took it like a champ and has been smiling ever since.

The Artist at Six

2009-12-07T04:51:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth's art was chosen as part of her school's "Out in the Town" art exhibit program. Her funky flower piece is described as "like VanGogh" and it's the only first grade art on the wall.

It will be on display at Sheer Designs Hair Salon in Lexington until December 11th. Elizabeth turns seven in a few days, so this is your last chance to get a glimpse of the artist at six!

Amanda is FIVE!

2009-11-30T10:50:00.001-08:00

Amanda has been five for three weeks but I'm just now posting the birthday pictures. Per her wish, we celebrated at the beach!

We had to shorten the trip to a 24 hour stay because an H1N1 flu shot clinic was offered for preschoolers at the last minute. We had no idea what that would involve, so we packed up and decided to "swing by" on our way to the beach. All five of us ended up standing in line outside the health department for three hours. We even had Sully with us, and he was the only dog there so he felt like a celebrity. As we got closer to the front of the line we discovered that they did not have enough for parents and non-preschool siblings, so Jay took Elizabeth and Sully for a car ride while I took Jack and Amanda inside.

It was not Amanda's idea of a birthday party. Once we stepped inside, the three hours of anticipation combined with a DMV like waiting room made Amanda snap. She went into full panic mode, tried to escape and kept yelling "I'm bustin' outta here!" She threatened to take her clothes off and "be naked" but she was wearing her fancy birthday dress and couldn't reach the zipper. The other parents were trying to distract their children from their inevitable fate, and Amanda was quite a distraction. From the looks of death shot in my direction, I could tell the parents didn't see it that way. But in hindsight I think they would agree that the 30 minutes their children spent watching Amanda was actually a blessing. Even Jack was in such a state of shock and awe that he didn't move, complain, or cry. I don't even think he blinked.

Amanda required "extra nurse assistance" but stopped crying as soon as the shot was over. She walked passed the same crowd on the way out like it was no big whoop. Jack's coma-like state ended as soon as he felt the needle and he screamed until he eventually fell asleep in the car. It felt like an awful way to start Amanda's birthday celebration, but the kids had forgotten all about it before we even reached Charleston. I was the only one still twitching when we reached the beach.

When we finally pulled up to my parents' house, we were greeted with balloons and a huge "Happy Birthday Amanda!" banner hanging on the front porch. My mom went all out to decorate the house for the birthday girl, and it was perfect. Amanda was smiling from ear to ear.

Here is the birthday girl rocking out with her new purple boots and a purple guitar.

When my mom offered to make the cake, I forwarded her a "rainbow cake" recipe that I found on tastespotting. I'm an evil, evil daughter. But look at this cake!!! It was so fun to cut into and see the look on Amanda's face when she saw the rainbow. Even the chef looked surprised that it came out this perfect. Thank you Gaga!

It's hard to believe Amanda is already five. I keep telling her I'm going to put a brick on her head so she stays little forever. In true Amanda style, she refused to keep her birthday wish a secret when she blew out her candles. Despite about 10 attempts to stop her from blurting it out, she wanted to say it out loud. Her simple wish: "I wish I would turn five."

Halloween

2009-10-31T21:45:00.001-07:00

Halloween 2009, a.k.a. the first year we flipped Disney the bird.

It wasn't until Boo at the Zoo that I realized we had no Disney anything for Halloween. No princess, no fairy, no Winnie the Pooh, nada. And it feels GOOD! Take that Disney, we'll show you! Disney, you are everywhere in this house. We have your movies, DVDs, character toys, books, video games, toothbrushes, clothing, undergarments, socks, shoes, hats, backpacks, bedding, wall paint, wall decals, bikes, helmets, dinnerware and everything else Disney under the sun.

The thing is, when you're surrounded by Disney products, kids ask almost daily when they get to go to Disneyworld. So we made that first trip to Disneyworld, and it was truly the most magical vacation ever. Nothing can ever compare to Disneyworld, and two years later the kids are still asking when we can go back. But a trip to Disneyworld is expensive! Who can afford that kind of trip on a regular basis? So I say pfffffffffffffft to you Disney, we didn't even need you this year.

But psst. Disney, I love you, I really do, we'll be back soon. Tell Mickey to send me some coupons or something, would ya?

The scary face picture. Note the spooky backdrop...

A closer look at our Halloween central by the front door. The idea just came to me when I realized hundreds of trick-or-treaters would get a glimpse of the "playroom" which at this moment has been deemed unfit for actual human play. So instead of cleaning it, I blocked it off and labeled it a crime scene.

People were really freaked out by these mice. Mostly it was the parents who jumped back a bit when they saw the mice.

Zombie Sully will eat your eyeballs. Not really, but he kept stealing this decoration and hiding it from us. It's a slimy ball with about 20 eyeballs dangling from long red stretchy optic nerves.

This is what Zombie Sully looks like when he is trying to say "please don't take my eyeballs away again, I love these eyeballs, please I keep?"

Hedwig

2009-10-25T07:09:00.000-07:00

Introducing... Hedwig the Pony!

My stepmother bought her a couple of weeks ago. She is half Welsh pony and half Arabian, and she apparently doesn't like to be clean. She is all white but rolled in the mud as soon as she came home to her new digs. But I think it just makes her look more authentically Hedwig, no? Her roommate is named Dudley, and they seem to be getting along so far...

We have Hedwig as our computer wallpaper and everyday Jack says "dat horse roll in da mud?" and when I say yes he says "awwwwww, silly horse!"

Unfortunately for us, Hedwig lives in Vermont! But a road trip may in order soon so we can all meet this silly horse.

Boo at the Zoo

2009-10-24T18:27:00.001-07:00

Tonight we went to Boo at the Zoo. This is the first year with the new policy of buying tickets in advance for a specific night. No tickets were sold the night of the event. It was supposed to ease flow and provide a better family experience. But honestly, I think it was MORE crowded than past years.

But no crowd could stop our Doctor, Superman and Batgirl from having an absolute blast. Jay had bronchitis and has been in bed (taking antibiotics) for the past couple of days trying to get it out of his system. He rallied like a champ and was up and ready for Boo at the Zoo tonight.

Superman Jack (with kryptonite), Dr. "I Call the Shots" Amanda, and Batgirl Elizabeth

Jack and Amanda scoping out the dance floor. It was too early for the fog machines and strobe lights to have much effect, so we decided to come back when it got darker.

Most of the animals were already in their private zoo beds by the time we got there. This bear was fast asleep out in the open, even with the Halloween dance music blasting right next to him.

The bat cave was perfect because all of the flashing bats were hot pink...

And it made our Batgirl come alive!

The kids also went trick or treating at all of the mini houses around the zoo, Elizabeth was able to see one elephant before it went to bed, we rode the haunted train, roasted marshmallows, went through the haunted pirate maze, and danced the night away until around 8:15 when it all started to fall apart.

Elizabeth could have danced all night, she was in heaven bouncing around to every batgirl, batwoman, batman, batboy, or batbaby just to make a connection and then get them to jump up and down with her on the dance floor. But Jack was OVER IT and was starting to talk gibberish. Amanda was stabbed in the hair by a marshmallow stick so she was ready to take her clumpy marshmallow head home.

We are getting better at timing our exit, always before a tantrum sneaks up on us. Jay even bought a bag of popcorn on our way out, which worked like magic to get them to the car without a fuss or complaint. Once in the car, they made one request: can we come do it all again tomorrow???? I said maybe, which Amanda always tells me really means "no" in Spanish. She's usually right.

Bubbles

2009-10-22T17:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is about bubbles that makes kids so happy! I give them bubbles and they scream like I just told them we are going to Disneyworld. Then they are in a trance watching each other make bubbles. Elizabeth summed it up well by saying "There is nothing more beautiful than watching bubbles." Seriously. My secret to calming that inevitable late afternoon/evening storm of tantrums: bubbles, man, bubbles.

Harvest Party

2009-10-22T16:31:00.000-07:00

Amanda and Jack had fun at their preschool Harvest Party yesterday. They were both sick until yesterday, Jack had it the worst with croup. But they were magically fine and dandy for the party.

Amanda and Jack cuddling

Jack and his friend Lisabeth. Jay and Lisabeth's Dad work together so this year has been fun to have both of these cuties in the same class. The chubby cheeks in the two year old classes are too much!

Jack trying to figure out his craft. In the background it looks like Amanda is about to get punched in the nose.

Amanda doing the bean bag toss.

Last night we went right back to waking up during the night, crying, sniffling, coughing, etc. The finale is always my favorite: they climb into our KING size bed and develop tentacles that attach only to me. Amanda doesn't like to be the only one awake suffering, so she taps me constantly to make sure I'm "with her." Jack has to have a hold of my arm and scratch his tiny little toenails up and down my leg all night long. Jay has been hit with something nasty too, and he took NyQuil last night. NyQuil does weird things! I swear he was having dreams that he was a monster, I didn't know whether to laugh or save the children.

Hopefully one more good night sleep will get it out of everyone's system and we can enjoy some Boo at the Zoo this weekend!

Let the Wild Rumpus Begin!

2009-10-16T09:07:00.000-07:00

I love this interview with Maurice Sendak about the Where the Wild Things Are movie.

I'm not sure Elizabeth is ready to see the movie, she is still more Little Bear than Where the Wild Things Are. But for some reason it all takes me back to elementary school when we would all gather in the "pod" to watch Really Rosie.

Happy Birthday Mike!

2009-10-09T19:36:00.001-07:00

This was your very first birthday and I'm guessing the cake was chocolate??
And this was your first Halloween, back when Moms actually made costumes for their kids instead of buying them at Target.

I hope your day was wonderful. Happy Birthday little brother!

Today It's Fall

2009-09-27T15:23:00.000-07:00

There is always one day that really feels like the first day of fall.

For me, today was the day.

The weather was perfect and the kids were pretty darn close! The whole day made me want to put on a cozy sweater and light a fire, but then I remembered it's only September and we live in South Carolina. It really isn't even brisk weather, there is just something about today that made it finally feel like fall. The leaves are green, people are still wearing shorts and flip flops, but today was definitely fall. I celebrated with lots of brown, orange and park green attire.

And the icing on the cake? We were actually able to have a meal, in a restaurant (gasp), without any temper tantrums. It was so enjoyable that for a moment I thought I had stepford children. The kids were eating their food (Elizabeth included), Jay was sipping an Oktoberfest brew, football was on every television in Red Robin (I didn't say it was a fancy restaurant). It was beyond enjoyable; even Jay commented "wow, if this keeps up, it could get expensive!"

Then something happened that made the day magical. Shortly after this picture was taken...

I got a little carried away and started using Amanda's balloon like a paddle ball, seeing how many times I could hold the string and punch the balloon with the same hand. I was too strong (and stupid) and the red balloon detached from the string and floated up, up, up and away.

There was screaming, Amanda was in tears, Jay gave me that look, and we all watched it go higher and higher.

BUT THEN, as we were watching, the red balloon deflated and came all the way BACK DOWN TO US. Seriously. It didn't even pop - it untied itself!!! It was bizarre. Even the balloon knew you don't mess with the first day that feels like fall.

Now I'm putting the kids to bed before they ruin everything!

(P.S. I only made it to five, but I was robbed because the balloon ran away)

The Best Remote Control Ever

2009-09-25T05:51:00.000-07:00

It's called the Control A Kid remote and it would be so much easier! I love it. I wonder if they have one for cats, dogs or spouses...

Supergirl

2009-09-23T10:04:00.001-07:00

Today Amanda used her own dollars to buy ice cream as a special treat for the family. Jack and I went along for the ride, but Amanda did everything herself. She found the ice cream in the store, decided which kind she wanted, picked out some ice cream cones, and carried the ice cream to the check out counter. (Jack carried the cones). She counted the dollars that she took from her own purse, gave them to the cashier, put her change and receipt into her purse, said thank you, and carried her bag to the car.

This is proud Amanda right after her big purchase. It was adorable to watch her confidence soar, but this picture kind of scares me. This is the exact face Uma Thurman usually had in Kill Bill right before she kry-ateed someone.

Amanda and Jack, enjoying the fruits of labor. Poor Sully!

Opa!

2009-09-19T15:20:00.000-07:00

The Greek Festival seems to get bigger every year - it seemed huge this year! Everything was, of course, delicious. I think having three kids is quite helpful in this situation because you end up eating (and drinking) much less. With Jack sitting on my lap, bouncing to the music, only about 30% of my food actually reached my mouth, and the cookie line was not even an option. We ended up sweating more and eating less - pretty good deal.

When Elizabeth saw this picture she said "hey, that picture makes me look like I'm in Italy!"

First Ferris wheel ride ever. It was a mini Ferris wheel, but they didn't know that. Only Jack is visible in this picture, but all three were sitting together in this red car. Elizabeth kept yelling "Amanda, stop rocking it, we're gonna fall!" and Jack just couldn't stop smiling.

Happy Grandparents' Day!

2009-09-13T06:24:00.001-07:00

Happy Grandparents' Day to the coolest grandparents we know!

Happy and Buddy

Gramma Holly and Grampa Bob

Gaga and Grandpa

What The World Needs Now...

2009-09-10T15:43:00.000-07:00

...is more roller derby.

5 Things I've Learned (So Far) About Dogs

2009-09-06T07:35:00.000-07:00

1. I always thought having a dog would require too much energy. Turns out dogs give more energy than they take.

2. Chihuahuas like the ladies. If you are a woman, you are automatically a rock star. Men and children must earn this status.

3. No dog should be called tiny, toy, miniature, extra small, yipyip or catdog. Definitely not catdog. It's rude and I apologize to any dogs I may have offended in the past.

4. A hot dog stinks. I don't care how clean he is, a hot dog really stinks.

5. Don't let the dog back in until you've personally witnessed the post-potty boot-scoot. If he doesn't do it outside, he will do it inside!

Walkabout

2009-09-02T20:39:00.001-07:00

Sea lion who?

The Riverbanks zoo finally announced what the new mystery exhibit will be...An Australian Walkabout!!! What???? Seriously, I didn't know you could even do that.

The kids were sad when the sea lion exhibit closed, but I'm pretty sure they'll get over it when they're hopping around with kangaroos and wallabies!

I never knew zoos did walk through encounters like this. But the timing couldn't be more perfect. Lost final season starts 2010 and the Australian Walkabout exhibit opens in 2010. I plan to fully maximize the Lost factor and can already imagine Jay rolling his eyes.

I know it isn't the real Australian Outback, but it will do. I also know that the walkabout Locke really was the island, but don't ruin this for me. I want my walkabout! At this point I don't know which end is up on Lost, the entire island could turn out to be just a speck sitting on Horton's clover. And in the final scene, Horton might wake up next to Bob Newhart and realize it was all just a dream.

Soooo... I'd be Horton?

Before we go to the zoo, I'll make sure to tell Jay or one of the kids "You know what you need? You need to go on a walkabout." And when leaving, I'll ask Jay "don't you feel like you went in thinking you were one thing, but came out another?" And he'll say "yeah man, I totally found out what I was made of."

It's Love

2009-08-28T08:52:00.001-07:00

Greek Sliders

2009-08-28T06:51:00.000-07:00

I've never posted a non-cupcake recipe before, probably because I'm no Barefoot Contessa! However, I found a recipe through Tastespotting that, after a little tweaking, has become a weekly favorite in our house. The original recipe is for full size Greek Burgers made with ground pork and can be found here.

I used ground turkey instead of pork, cut the burger recipe in half, and turned the burgers into sliders. We used King's Hawaiian Savory Butter Rolls, topped the slider with thinly sliced red onion, lettuce and of course lots of the tzatziki sauce. Served them with french fries, and Jay even plated his up so we could document our new favorite.

Please try them, you will not be sorry! You will however be unkissable.

Preschoolers

2009-08-26T10:33:00.001-07:00

Today was the first day of preschool for Amanda and Jack.

Jack is officially a preschooler now! He is the second youngest in the two-year old class, and he brought home a note that said he cried for the entire three hours. At first my heart broke, and then I thought - wait a minute! I looked back to this post and remembered that Jack used the same con last year! When I asked him about his day he was giggling and smiling, then when I asked if he cried he scrunched his face up in a pout and said "I kyyyyyy cause cause cause Mommy and Daddy and Manny and Viveff, I sad, I kyyyy." But his mood said otherwise, he seemed like he had really enjoyed himself. I asked him about his favorite part of school and he just kept saying "gapoo" over and over again. He finally added "gapoo...cars!" and I realized he was talking about carpool. Gapoo was my favorite part too, because Jack hopped right into his seat, Amanda buckled him in, hopped into her own seat, buckled herself, and we were off. It has NEVER worked like that before. Gapoo rocks this year!

And the most wonderful part of the first day of preschool was seeing Amanda's friend sitting in her classroom. Earlier this year this classmate was fighting for her life in the hospital. She became very sick from an E. coli infection (traced back to cookie dough) and ended up in total renal failure. She started having strokes and was in a medically induced coma to help save her tiny body. Not only did she make it through this critical state, she fought an uphill battle during rehabilitation this summer. And there she was, sitting in her chair on the first day of school. Same sweet little girl, looking like she had spent her summer on the beach. I don't even know what else to say about how amazing this kid is! Speechless.

The Other Show Worth Watching

2009-08-25T11:11:00.000-07:00

This is the other show I'm excited to watch. It starts in two weeks, which is sooo much better than having to wait until January! (talking to you, ABC - Fox has it going on).

Sully

2009-08-22T09:50:00.001-07:00

This is Sully, the newest member of our family! I will write more about him later, but wanted to give him a proper introduction on the interwebs.

We named him Sully. As in watch-me-land-this-plane-on-the-Hudson Sully. Also as in the big blue monster in Monsters, Inc. It seemed a fine name for a dog of his stature, esp. since his new pal is a cat named Moose. Moose and Sully. Now we are complete.

Charlie-esque

2009-08-21T07:59:00.000-07:00

A very mean person on facebook keeps reminding me that the final season of Lost doesn't start until January of 2010. But then she redeemed herself by creating a great Lost playmix and I forgave her. I started to get excited again. Maybe a little too excited because Amanda had a message for me:

For anyone who doesn't watch Lost...shame on you!

Bus Rider

2009-08-20T12:51:00.001-07:00

Today was Elizabeth's second day as a first grader and her first day as a bus rider.

I tried to get a picture of her getting off of the bus, but there was a glitch. She was so excited about being on the bus that she froze and didn't get off.

After the regulars got off, the bus just sat there for almost 3 minutes. I tried waving my arms, Amanda was screaming "Elizabeth!" and Jack was screaming "Vivefff!" The bus driver finally started walking up and down the aisle, searching. It was a packed house and he just kept looking at me like "this one?" From the looks of it he started checking paperwork to figure out which kid was mine. Every single kid on the bus was looking at me except my child! The bus driver finally came up to the front and said "sorry about that, she wasn't sure if this was her stop." When she stepped out, all she could say was "I've never been on a driving bus before, that was awesome."

The sweetest part was when Elizabeth's teacher called to make sure she got home okay. She said Elizabeth looked a little nervous and she just wanted to make sure everything went okay. She also found an older "bus buddy" to keep her eye on Elizabeth. (Like I said, there was a glitch)

I have a feeling this year is gonna be a great one.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2009-08-10T08:43:00.000-07:00

Don't judge. You know it's true. The first time I saw this commercial I thought it was funny but it was before I had kids. Now it's hilarious.

Don't Worry, Be Musical

2009-08-03T09:48:00.000-07:00

World Science Festival 2009: Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale from World Science Festival on Vimeo.

Nicmunks

2009-07-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

This house usually sounds like Alvin and the Chipmunks live here, so this just made it extra squeaky!! Alvin and the Chipmunks have a new movie coming out, and as part of the movie promotion you can "Munk" yourself. Who can resist? Not me. I also still can't figure out how to embed a video, so here are our chipmunk pictures linking to our cool sound effects...

Jackmunk

Amandamunk

Elizamunk

Nikkimunk

Jaymunk*

*Jay wasn't actually home when we did this, so I did a voice over while imagining what he might say.

Scots at the Beach

2009-07-28T10:41:00.000-07:00

Another wonderful annual family beach extravaganza. This time it was even more fun because my Great Aunt Iza made the trip. My Aunt Betty drove down with Iza, and my cousin Kristen flew down with her sons Johnny and Tyler. The girls immediately velcroed themselves to the boys. I had forgotten about how Amanda constantly followed Tyler around last year, but Amanda sure remembered. She was back at it, only she still calls him Johnny. Their conversations consisted of the following:

Amanda: Johnny?
Tyler: Tyler.
Amanda: Johnny?
Tyler: Tyler.

Over and over and over again. Tyler never lost his cool, he just went with it.

The real Johnny (who is part ninja and part kamikaze) seemed to use this to his advantage. Johnny operates best in stealth mode, and by the time the pantry door opens and he walks out (trust me, you won't see him go in), there is no telling how much candy he has devoured.

Iza is 92 and hops around like she is 20. One night it was about 10:30 pm and we were all exhausted, everyone but Iza and my Mom were already in bed. Iza was sitting on the couch doing a cross word puzzle as my Mom was turning off the kitchen lights. I heard Iza say "where is everyone?" and then heard my Mom laugh and say "Iza! Everyone is in bed!"

It was my Mom's birthday, and because she doesn't care for sweets, we made sure she had three desserts to choose from: brownies, angel food cake with whipped cream and strawberries, and fresh peach pie.

My Mom was reading Harry Potter and at one point she was talking with Tyler about her favorite Jonas brother. Everyone seems to be getting younger. Even my cousin who is training for a triathlon. I can't be certain, but I think this might be the Curious Case of the McWilliams Clan. I'm still getting older, so I'm not sure exactly when I start to reverse. I'm ready.

Some pictures of the fun...

Foreshadowing

2009-07-23T13:38:00.000-07:00

Guess I should have saved those pocket size highlighters.

Last night Amanda fell out of her bed and hit the corner of the nightstand right below her eye. She came into our room crying and stood next to my side of the bed. In my head it was a replay of the night before last, when Amanda had a terrible nightmare. That night, I had asked her about the nightmare, and was so disturbed that I couldn't go back to sleep myself.

So last night, assuming Amanda was crying about another nightmare, I told her to shhhhhhh. I picked her up, plopped her in our bed, and stroked her hair until she fell back asleep. I felt like a jerk when she woke up looking like this. I felt even worse when I tried to explain the incident to the nurse and she said "so...you basically have no idea if she lost consciousness?" But...mean nurse lady, this one time, there was this nightmare, and it was scaaaaaary! Tell her Amanda, tell her about the nightmare where someone kidnaps Jack! Um, hello DSS, yeah, this is mean nurse, this family is all kind of messed up...

The doctor actually thought it was humorous that Amanda seemed to be completely pain-free. She giggled when he pressed on the bruising. She is fine but will have this bruise for a couple of weeks. It will change colors, so we're looking forward to that. Should be fun.

I'm very thankful that the doctor grew up with my husband and that his wife is Amanda's teacher. They get us. It would be hard to explain us to strangers.

Accentuate the Positive

2009-07-16T15:50:00.000-07:00

Today while Amanda was at zoo camp, I took Elizabeth and Jack to the book store. I bought the girls some cute pocket size highlighter pens. Probably not a genius move on my part. Anyway, the girls just adjourned from some closed door sessions in their bedroom. It was too quiet, I should have known better. This is what Amanda looked like:

When I asked her why? Why????? This was her response:

No words, just this puppy dog face.

She is no longer the owner of pocket size highlighters. But she sure can emphasize an eyebrow.

Beach Finds

2009-07-10T11:21:00.001-07:00

We celebrated the Fourth of July at the beach last weekend, and the kids found more than just sea shells...

Elizabeth found an entire pine tree that washed ashore. The trunk was worn down and perfectly smooth, making it an excellent beach balance beam. Thanks ocean!

Jack found this kayak/sailboat/windsurfing thing and really wanted to take it for a test drive. He tried to push it toward the water a couple of times but it didn't budge. I'm proud to say that none of the kids tried to climb aboard, even though the owner was sitting dangerously far away down the beach. The owner left it long enough for Jay and I to study it (we just looked, didn't touch) and to decide that we could totally do that. We were in the middle of rock, paper, scissors (to see who had to stay on shore with the kids) when the owner returned and sailed back out to sea. Darn. Bye OH 9913 DK, we love you!

Amanda found that her favorite part of the beach is when she gets to go back and swim in the pool. She appears to have a low beach tolerance just like her Mom, but maybe it's just a phase. She would complain that she didn't feel good on the beach, but was cured immediately when she hit the pool. Hmmmm. In all fairness, I get it and know it all too well. I just never imagined that my pool buddy would turn out to be Amanda! For now, I will continue to encourage beach over pool in hopes that it's a phase. But if she really is a fellow pool person, we will face this world together...with a beverage and a spritz.

Open Air Dance Spot

2009-07-01T13:27:00.000-07:00

Speaking of, what exactly is an open air dance spot?

At first all I could imagine was Woodstock or the movie Hope Floats. But then I remembered Lexington Fun Day from a couple of years ago...

I'm thinking that right before this random toddler pulled this smooth move on Amanda and Elizabeth, he took his paci out long enough to tell his buddies "watch and learn." His buddies are still teasing him - "remember that time we were at that open air dance spot and your MOM showed up and carried you away???"

Carolina Summer Morning

2009-06-26T06:16:00.000-07:00

We recently hit the jackpot and were given some great hand-me-down wicker furniture with a bonus. As a 7th wedding anniversary gift, my parents let me (I mean us *wink*) pick out brand new cushions and set it all up with the store beforehand. I just walked into the store and picked out fabrics. After thirtycoughcough years, you would think my Mom would know me better! It felt incredible - like I was all alone in Publix without having to consider a Wal-mart budget. Dangerous. I'm not saying I'm an outdoor fabric snob, I'm just saying show me the Sunbrella.

So this morning, something wonderful happened. It was the first morning of Operation Porches Are For Grown-ups Too, and it was lovely. I generally let the kids watch cartoons in the morning until I can down a few caffeinated beverages and get my bearings. But this morning we went straight outside, and as I enjoyed my cup of tea, this is what I witnessed:

They can read!

They can write! (while wearing jewels!)

There can be peace without Blue's Clues. It's a miracle!!!!!!

Red Ryder

2009-06-25T09:36:00.000-07:00

This morning I took the kids to Toys-R-Us to look for a few beat-the-heat water toys. When will I learn??? Although the store is helpful enough to put all outdoor toys right up front, I caved and made the dreaded lap around the store. I had Jack in the stroller, so I had a false sense of security. Generally, my thought process is: I can chase two as long as the third is strapped in a stroller.

We made it 75% around the toy store lap. Then, somewhere near the transformers, Jack saw this:

It was so big, it didn't fit with the regular bikes and electric vehicle nonsense. It needed a huge amount of floor space, so it just sat out in the aisle and waited for Jack to notice. I think he may have flipped the stroller upside down, I don't remember. It was just a blur that reminded me of the few WWF shows I've watched (when they used to steal the SNL time slot). Jack turned into a monster. The girls liked it too, but Jack acted like he finally found himself.

The vehicle didn't work, so I let Jack have his fun for almost 10 minutes while the girls pounded on computers. He refused to get out, and had his first scary full blown tantrum when I finally pulled him out. He kicked and screamed and some man looking at robots(?) told me you can't take a boy away from his toys. Um...whatever you say robot dude.

Jack still hasn't forgiven me. I never saw a price tag or anything so I looked it up just for giggles when we got home and discovered it's $750!!!!!! Seriously? Wow.

So Jack, I know you really want the Peg Perego Polaris Ranger RZR with 24 volts, nitrile traction, MP3 input and roll cage, but come on kid... you'll shoot your eye out. Daddy will take you on a tractor ride this weekend and we'll pretend like this never even happened...

Future You

2009-06-21T17:03:00.000-07:00

Dear Mini Jay,
Want to know a secret? Someday, when you grow up, you're going to marry a Yankee and have three kids. Don't laugh, I'm not kidding. Want to know what else? You're going to be an awesome Dad. I love you...in the future...after the short shorts.

P.S. Super cool socks.

Happy Father's Day!!!!

Big Mike, You're No Monkey

2009-06-13T08:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday a gorilla escaped while Elizabeth was at zoo camp and the zoo went into lock down mode. No one was seriously hurt, and Elizabeth was totally unaware of the escape. The zoo shuffled all of the kids inside where they waited for Big Mike to return to his enclosure. I still feel nauseous about the whole thing, especially the fact that I was unaware of it all until hours later.

But it made me start thinking...

A week ago Amanda and Jack started looking for monkeys in the wild. What exactly did they know? This picture was taken three weeks ago in the gorilla exhibit. Now, I'm not saying they have special powers or anything. But they are young, so wouldn't it be understandable that any special powers would be unpredictable at this stage, or that they might confuse a gorilla for a monkey? Okay, nevermind, that's crazy talk. I'm sure there is a perfectly logical explanation for why, in the above picture, Jack was tapping this gorilla's head and saying "it shall be you."

The Jack

2009-06-11T19:05:00.000-07:00

The Krabby Patty Cupcake!

For those who don't watch Spongebob, Spongebob works at The Krusty Krab making krabby patties. The characters either work at the Krusty Krab, or they eat there, or they are trying to steal the krabby patty secret formula.

Saying that Jack loves Spongebob is an understatement. I know, he is too young for Spongebob. After he was introduced to Spongebob last summer at the beach (when he was ONE!) he just became obsessed. He would recognize anything Spongebob on t-shirts, back packs, magazines, toys, anything - and scream "bubbob!!!!!" So we let him watch it with his sisters and he seriously cries when it's over. He really pays attention to the whole show, makes comments like "Pa-tick funny!" and talks about what happened when the show is over.

So, a krabby patty cupcake it had to be. It's very easy:

The bun is a vanilla cupcake (box mix) and the patty is a chocolate cupcake (also box mix). After the cupcakes are cooled, you cut the middle out of the vanilla cupcake so it looks more like a bun, add a few sesame seeds on top. I cut the top of the chocolate cupcakes off to use as my patties. I bought one tall container of whipped white frosting and divided into three bowls. I used red, green and yellow food coloring to turn the frosting into ketchup, lettuce and mustard. I assembled them with the kids, which was the funnest part. We just used spreaders for the frosting and repeated the order: Bottom bun, mustard, patty, ketchup, lettuce, top bun. Voila! Jack's very own krabby patty. Amanda wants her official cupcake to be the krabby patty now too.

Jack on his big day, officially two years old. It just happened so quickly! I swear it was just yesterday that he looked like this:

He was a good baby and now he is a good little man. He says "please" and "tank oooo" without having to be reminded, he is a great sleeper, he is nice to his sisters and comforts them if they are upset or hurt. He will pat their backs sweetly and ask "okay?" and sometimes he will even say "sowwy" even though he didn't do anything!

Happy Birthday Jack, we love you!

Also, I'm not sure why she is being so serious, but Elizabeth found this ball in the playroom. It is the exact ball that told the girls they would be having a brother. After the big ultrasound, we planned to give the girls a paper bag that would contain a pink ball if it was a sister, or a blue ball if it was a brother. I'll never forget the look on their faces when they pulled out the blue ball. Until that point, they had been praying for a sister. There were a few seconds of total silence, then the gears shifted and the girls start screaming with excitement about their soon to be baby brother. The girls were all about having a brother (a real bug squisher!) from that moment on.

Looking for Monkeys

2009-06-04T08:20:00.000-07:00

While I was filling the car with gas today, Amanda and Jack played "let's see who can make Mommy lose her cool the fastest" and screamed "Mommy! Mama! Mooooooommy!" the entire time. As we drove away, I asked (in a very polite tone) "Can I please fill the car without you guys screaming like monkeys?" Jack's eyes got wide with excitement and he yelled "ah Monkey? Wheyyah? Wheyyah?" and this picture is what he looked like for the rest of the car ride.

As Jack frantically searched the passing trees for monkeys, Amanda would occasionally yell "there's one!" and Jack would respond "wheyyah?" They both seemed irritated when I told them there were no monkeys roaming around Lexington. Then we pulled up to Elizabeth's school and, in a rare occurence (a sure sign it is the last week of school), all of the kindergartners were on the playground at the same time. It was a loud, crazy, wild looking scene and I started laughing. Amanda and Jack didn't seem to notice the coincidence. We sat in the carpool line, 10 feet away from the playground, on the other side of a mental fence, watching a bunch of six-year-olds fly through the air. When we pulled away Jack said "ah monkey?" and Amanda said "over there!" and Jack said "wheyyah?" and Elizabeth said "I'm hungry and thirsty."

New York, I Love You!

2009-06-03T08:52:00.001-07:00

I just found out that this movie is coming out this year. How did I not know this? Paris, je t'aime is one of my favorite movies. I even loved the movie poster so I framed it and hung it in Elizabeth's room. Now I find out there will be a New York, I Love You. And it looks good. Can't wait!

Happy Birthday Grant!

2009-05-30T11:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Grant! Amanda and Jack have NO IDEA that at this very moment, Uncle Jay and Elizabeth are at your birthday party. Isn't that funny? Even though they don't look (or act) sick, they are considered contagious until they have been taking medicine for 24 hours. So they made you this video without knowing they are missing your party. Shhh... don't tell!

Hope you are having a blast! I'll wait to make "The Grant" cupcake until we are germ free!

P.S. Are there any bearded dragons at your party???

Strep Haiku

2009-05-29T11:33:00.000-07:00

What more can I disinfect? This house is a strep black hole! Elizabeth's strep refuses to go away and she is now on some crazy industrial strength antibiotic. She is our patient zero. From Elizabeth it bounces to Amanda and to Jack and we can't get rid of it. Although Jay and I are negative, today we start a family wide antibiotic routine to try to knock this out of our house for good. I have nothing more to blog about, it's all about streptococcus. So I'll write a haiku.

Please don't kick the nurse

more throat swabs and finger sticks

bribe them with doughnuts.

Brain Rain

2009-05-18T11:44:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth somehow got strep again, although it may be that the last round of antibiotics didn't actually get rid of last months strep. Hey, we started Kindergarten with strep, why not end on the same note? This time Amanda got it too, and the following conversation took place in the strep recovery bed:

Amanda: Does sometimes it rain inside your body?
Elizabeth: What?
Amanda: Like in your head, does it rain inside your head?
Elizabeth: No.
Amanda: How come water can come down on your head then?
Elizabeth: That's sweat.
Amanda: Oh yeah.

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T06:11:00.000-07:00

"For the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world." William Ross Wallace

Isabella Clark McWilliams

Anastasia Korba Petz

Miley Hair Clark

Winnie Bessie Ready

Lois Nicholson

Bessie Bean Clark

Elizabeth McWilliams Petz (with her first child, David)

Ida Gervais Martin

Ruth Kirkner

Holly McKenzie

Robin Clark Nicholson (with her brother Owen Clark)

Eileen Petz Kirkner (with her sister Elizabeth Petz Bickell)

Me, with baby Elizabeth

The Owen

2009-05-09T17:46:00.001-07:00

Carolina Peach Pound Cupcakes with Peach Buttercream Frosting

and topped with a Butter Roasted Pecan

Happy Birthday Owen!

This one was a no brainer, Owen's cupcake had to be peach! Ideally, these cupcakes should be made with peaches from the Clark Peach trees, but peach season is still a month away. I used this recipe for the cupcake, but used (gasp) frozen peaches. For the frosting, I used the peach buttercream recipe found here. From top to bottom, a very tasty cupcake.

The Tutu

2009-05-09T17:22:00.000-07:00

Vanilla Almond Cupcakes with Blackberry Buttercream Frosting

Happy Birthday Tutu!

I knew I wanted to incorporate almond into your cupcake, because of your famous Chicken Almondine recipe. I found the recipe here and only made a few changes in the frosting. From the frosting recipe, I omitted the vanilla bean and almond extract, and reduced the sugar to 2 1/2 cups (instead of 3). This is my new favorite frosting. It's delicious! The cake isn't what I'd expected, but I've never worked with Almond Meal before - not my best work. But, the frosting - the frosting!

The Jennifer

2009-05-06T07:40:00.001-07:00

Black Forest Cupcake

Happy Birthday Jennifer! I started with wanting to make a German Chocolate cupcake for your birthday, but decided against it. I discovered that German Cake originated in Texas and that simply made no sense. So, being too authentic for that nonsense, I decided on making making a true Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest cherry torte) in cupcake form. But, I didn't have any Kirschwasser. Then I realized I only had Ghiradelli chocolate, and Ghiradelli was Italian. I ate the chocolate to save the cake.

Bottom line is that I did cheat (again) on these cupcakes, and they probably shouldn't be called Black Forest Cupcakes. But they did pass with my taste testers:

Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes:

1 pkg. Devil's Food Chocolate Cake Mix
1 can (21 oz.) cherry pie filling
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Mix wet ingredients together, then stir in cake mix. Bake cupcakes at 350 for 20-25 minutes. I got 20 good sized cupcakes out of this recipe.

Chocolate Frosting (from HERSHEY'S):

1 stick butter
2/3 cup Hershey's Cocoa
3 c. powdered sugar
1/3 c. milk (I used about double this amount)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

I whipped some heavy cream, added about 1 tbsp. sugar to sweeten, and topped the frosted cupcake with whipped cream and a cherry. I used a dark sweet cherry (all I had left) for the top but I would recommend using a maraschino cherry.

Jennifer, Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!

Viva Mexico!

2009-05-05T08:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I overheard Elizabeth explaining Cinco de Mayo to Amanda:

"Cinco de Mayo is because the French wanted to control Mexico but Mexico said no and made the French go home."

C'est magnifique, non?!

The girls have requested that we celebrate tonight by watching Beverly Hills Chihuahua. What can I say, they are good little citizens of a Disney world.

Disney On Ice

2009-05-02T17:31:00.001-07:00

We all went to the Disney on Ice Worlds of Fantasy Show with my Mom today. The girls wore their Disneyworld dresses:

Last year the girls wore the same dresses at the 2008 Disney Princesses on Ice Show:

They really don't look all that different, I expected to be shocked to see how much older they looked.

Jay and Jack came this year because there was boy stuff in it this time (Cars and Lion King).

Even Jay looked impressed when the cars came out and ripped up the ice.

The cars were amazing!

The Lion King was probably the most amazing part of the whole show. Unfortunately, I was taking the pictures at that point, so they all came out like this one.

Then the Disney Fairies came out and the girls went nuts.

Our seats were great. It seemed like every character stopped right in front us to wave hello, even Minnie and Mickey!

Daniel Faraday

2009-04-30T06:26:00.001-07:00

Oh, Daniel. You so crazy. Stop faking and get up. Seriously, you can't die in 1977 on the island! I don't care if it was your own Mother who shot you in the back, you still have important work to do - get up! Use your free will, alter the course, do something! You helped save Private Ryan, didn't you? You can totally do this.

Potty Humor

2009-04-27T07:59:00.001-07:00

Look at me, I'm Crazy-Baby-Bird-Head. I'm CRAZY.

Now gimme some snow cone.

Speaking of crazy... it's been a crazy couple of weeks. We've been back and forth to Kiawah, enjoying the beach weather. Jay was a groomsman in his friend Tripp's wedding, right after pulling double all nighters with work emergencies. Amanda swallowed a penny and had to have X-rays. She is fine, no stuck penny. (But lets agree we'll never discuss the search efforts, k?) Then this weekend Elizabeth came down with some kind of not-strep-but acts-like-strep throat infection. She is currently asleep, and although she hasn't been able to hold down a popsicle, she is about to take her first dose of antibiotics. She has to hold it down for 30 minutes or we go for round two. And so on, and so on.

What makes me kind of laugh (kind of) is that Jay works in the water and sewer industry. But now between Jack diapers, penny searches, and "not-strep" clean-up, I feel like we both work in the biz. And the resulting stupid jokes will swirl around my head until Jay gets home - jokes that are definitely not blog appropriate but that must be told. They will be told. To a man who cannot escape the industry, even when he comes home. By a woman who sucks at finding pennies.

A River Runs Through It

2009-04-17T06:53:00.000-07:00

My brother Seth just moved from this:

Devil's Thumb Ranch, Tabernash, CO

to this:

Missoula, MT

I can't decide which is more amazing! The picture from Devil's Thumb Ranch really doesn't do it justice, but I took it myself with a disposable camera. I was about 100months pregnant in high altitude and remember walking sideways even though my brain was telling me to walk straight. After Jay had a couple of beers at that elevation, he started walking sideways too! Ah, good times.

Anyway, Seth just moved to Missoula, and I had to post the picture above because it is just breathtaking.

It also looks like Seth has already started to teach the trout who's in charge.

I've never been to Missoula, but according to Norman McLean "the world is full of bastards, the number increasing rapidly the farther one gets from Missoula, Montana." Seth, let me know how that turns out!

Slippery Slope

2009-04-16T07:20:00.000-07:00

Little Jack. The third child, the baby, the sweet boy. Here he is in his Easter duds. Despite his sisters' attempts to take him to the dark side, he remains (more often than not) quite well behaved. But he is the third.

There are so many examples and jokes of how things...well...change with the third child. The theme is always: first child over protected, second child adequately protected, subsequent children fend for themselves.

I can think of no better example of how this slippery slope works than our current nose situation. Jack's nose situation. It's Spring, he has allergy issues, and he is too little to understand nasal hygiene - you do the math. He does understand (and delights in using) eyebrow raising words that his sisters test out from time to time.

First Child

Elizabeth (arms held out as far away from her face as possible): "Mama, nose yucky"

Second Child

Amanda (spoken for by big sister Elizabeth): "Mama, Mandy has a bug in her nose"

Third Child

Jack (picks nose, presents it to me on his finger): "Mama, a booger!"

For Meredith

2009-04-14T11:18:00.000-07:00

Meredith, Tiffani and Mer's red Jeep. As I recall, that Jeep only played Sir Mix-A-Lot, Van Halen, G&R (but NEVER show Betsy that album cover), or Journey. So Mer, this one is for you - hope it makes you smile from CA to the Carolinas, esp. while your posse's on El Cerro. Get well soon M.B. or I/W/C/T/C/A/K/Y/A.

Buttermilk Biscuits

Go Susan

2009-04-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

Susan Boyle Sings on Britain's Got Talent 2009 Episode 1 @ Yahoo! Video

This is so amazing. My favorite show (Les Miserables), my favorite song (I'm only brave enough to sing it in the shower) and the look on Simon's face makes it all perfect. She nails it when she gets to the word "shame" - the best part!

Dharma Initiative

2009-04-13T05:50:00.000-07:00

At first I was all like, whoooah, my brother is part of the Dharma initiative and he is trying to take my baby. Then I was like, wait, the Dharma people have already been purged by the others, a.k.a. the hostiles, so that doesn't really make sense. But then I was like, but what if it's still 1977? Then I was like, okay, it still doesn't make sense because the Dharma members don't steal babies, only the hostiles steal babies. Then my brother was like, um, Nikki, I'm a golf caddy and I stopped watching Lost when it got cheesy after season one so I have no idea what you're talking about. Then I was all, oh. And my brother was like, Nikki - you're a dork.

The April Fool's Cupcake

2009-04-02T11:44:00.001-07:00

Doesn't this look delicious? Surprise - it's meatloaf with mashed potatoes! What a great idea for April Fool's Day, I wish I had seen it yesterday. From Bake Me More, found via TasteSpotting.

Stick In Nose

2009-03-26T18:15:00.000-07:00

Last night Amanda went to the emergency room. She is fine. The title of this post is what Jay was able to fit within "description of injury" in the computer system at the hospital. They apparently came out to check Amanda's nose, thinking a stick was in fact lodged in her nose. Thank goodness it wasn't.

Long story short, Elizabeth used a plastic pixie stick to unlock our bedroom door. I was in the bedroom, Jay was downstairs. I locked the door for some brief sanity and in hopes that the girls would actually just go to sleep if my door was locked. Elizabeth came in with the pixie stick still in her hand, Amanda followed but passed Elizabeth to walk towards me. When I stood up and told them to get back to their room, Amanda turned and ran. She ran right into Elizabeth, and right into the pixie stick.

I watched it all happen, and saw that the stick went right up Amanda's nose. By the time I scooped her up the blood was coming down - it was a lot of blood. But the bleeding stopped just as quickly as it started, and then we were just trying to determine where the wound was, how far up, etc. She actually seemed perfectly fine after about 5 minutes, but we couldn't tell where the actual injury had been. We decided an ER trip was really the only way to make sure we weren't missing something. Of course, I imagined every "what if" in the book, especially "what if" her brain was punctured.

Jay took Amanda to the ER and everything checked out fine. They didn't see anything other than superficial abrasions, and they informed Jay that there is a pretty hard plate that would prevent "brain stabbing" except in circumstances of extremely hard punctures. Good to know.

Amanda was a trooper. Except for when the actual incident occurred, she was as cool as a cucumber. As for myself, I don't care to ever again witness a nasal stabbing of any kind, especially when it involves my child, lots of blood, and a wound I can't even see. All of the "what ifs" haunted Jay and I all day today. Amanda barely remembered the event!

Myrtle Beach

2009-03-26T17:03:00.000-07:00

This past week Jay had a conference in Myrtle Beach, so we made it a family event for the weekend. We lucked out with an incredibly nice and kid friendly condo. It was like the owners designed the place for our family, right down to the baby proof outlet covers.

This was the first thing the girls saw in "their" room and they immediately decided it was the best place ever. Jack wasn't so lucky as he slept in the master closet in a pack-n-play, but he still found the condo to be a blast. He was obsessed with the television because he could actually reach the buttons. On.

Off. Repeat 1000 times.

Even a few stints in the pokey would not deter Jack from his t.v. button mission for long.

The kids enjoyed sitting on a parrot sofa while watching Spongebob.

They rode dinosaurs...

...and waves (the fake tourist trap kind).

The girls hit the sea shell jackpot. They collected more sea shells in 10 minutes than during all their prior sea shell collecting ventures combined.

The girls are also already talking about what condo we might get next year. Last year "their" room was a nautical theme, this year it was mermaids. Next year Jack gets upgraded from the closet to the kids' room, so they're all hoping for a pirate theme next time around.

Leprechaunitis

2009-03-18T07:49:00.000-07:00

lep·re·chau·ni·tis [lěp'rĭ-kŏ-nī'tĭs]

–noun
1. a stomach virus that presents initial symptoms on St. Patrick's Day; once misdiagnosed by your Mom as a deep fear of the leprechaun visiting your preschool; an annual reminder that in this house, it ain't over 'til March 17th.

Signs of Spring

2009-03-16T14:42:00.000-07:00

This afternoon, the girls went on a backyard mission to document signs of Spring. I gave them a camera and a field journal to record their findings. They took almost 100 pictures! Here is their report (minus about 95 pictures):

We see flawrs.

I see the toolips.

I see a tmado plant.

I see the ball.

Thanks for the picsrs.

The Almost Throwdown with Bobby Flay

2009-03-10T18:10:00.000-07:00

My Mom met Bobby Flay this weekend in Charleston! He signed some cookbooks for my Mom (and for me!) and they chatted a bit. It could have ended there, without Flay ever knowing that he had been in the company of a Pressure Cooker Goddess. But anyone who has tried her Spaghetti with pressure cooked Italian sausage, meatballs, and tomato sauce knows this is a dish worthy of a throwdown victory. My Mom planned to jokingly challenge Flay to a pressure cooker throwdown.

I'm not exactly sure what happened because my Mom FROZE. As in, deer in the headlights, face bright red, etc. She was apparently able to make a Throwdown challenge but it all came out wrong. Italian sausage (the most important part!) was never mentioned. My Mom remembers saying something about spaghetti and meatballs and Bobby Flay said "you cook spaghetti in a pressure cooker??" This only made her frozen state worse, so she couldn't even clarify that only the meat and sauce is pressure cooked. She ended up mumbling something about meatballs and then moved along.

I haven't stopped laughing since she first told me the story. I know that makes me a terrible daughter, but I can't help it. It's classic Eileen. And it's pretty much exactly what happened to her during another brush with fame years ago. Mom, please forgive me...

My Mom was was on the Price is Right years ago (when I was in high school) and it is still an unpleasant subject. She was kind of duped into going and was told it was unlikely she would actually get called down. Of course, she was called to "come on down!" and immediately went numb, remembering very little about what happened next. We have the whole thing on VHS tape and like to remind her every now and then. She didn't make it past the neon bidding podiums and still blames this on the trickery of a tennis racket display and unnecessary intimidation by Bob Barker himself.

Both of these stories are hilarious to me because my Mom just isn't the type of person who would ever freeze up in real life. But somehow Bobby Flay and Bob Barker made her unable to think or speak clearly.

So, I played around with Photoshop to see if this picture would be her worst nightmare. I had to do it Mom, it was too easy! Do I still get my cookbook????

Top 6 Ways to Stall Bedtime

2009-03-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

I went from too much blogging to down right blog neglect lately. I let too much time pass and started to feel like I couldn't post about C until I posted about A and B. Soon I was letting D, E and F fly by just for the sake of chronology. I finally just touched a doorknob 15 times and turned all my canned goods facing forward - now I feel ready to move on.

This is what I wanted to document today, in hopes that someday I can give this list to my own grandchildren for a head start!

The Top 6 Ways to Stall Bedtime*

1. Act like your parents haven't fed you in a month. Timing is critical here: hunger pains must begin after "almost bedtime" warning but before final bedtime announcement.

2. Pick the longest book(s) you can find. If you have younger siblings, just tell them to look for the books with the most words.

3. Pretend your parent is speaking a different language while they're reading. Look confused, ask them to repeat the page or book because you couldn't understand what they were saying.

4. When you sense that #3 is failing, take a potty break. Repeat potty break after each page. If parent becomes suspicious, say you forgot to wash your hands, still have soap on your hands, etc.

5. During prayers, express a strong desire to pray for every person in the whole wide world by naming them individually. Act like your parent is Satan if they refuse.

6. Fake an injury or illness. This must occur after books and prayers, but before your parent leaves the room. This is your last chance. Do not allow your parent to leave the room. Make sure your symptoms worsen dramatically with each step your parent takes toward the door.

*as developed and tested by Elizabeth and Amanda