Verbally Challenged

Tonight we did what Miss Adeline refers to as “treating.” While LIam bounced off of the cement walls, parked cars, porch steps and whatever else he came across – the little miss walked along nicely, holding my hand. She politely thanked the folks who offered her treats and enjoyed having folks tell her how pretty she was (lets hope that doesn’t go to her head).

Meanwhile, Liam was on a mission to visit every house within site…and then some. The funny thing is that he really didn’t care about the reward – he was all about going – FAST. He’s such a boy.

So before heading out to a local neighborhood I took a few photos of the kids (c’mon…that’s the parent thing to do).

And while she looks less than thrilled, it’s a pretty good costume shot (and one of the few ones that didn’t involve her charging the camera):

And then my trusty skeleton who again is silly, not scary. And DARE you comment on Addy’s cuteness without acknowledging him…he’ll do a dance in your face until noticed.

And then the big neighborhood attraction – the biggest pumpkin ever. I thnk that I heard that is was around 1000 pounds. It was insanely large and really cool.

After trick-or-treating there was dancing and a parade – and hopefully a video coming soon. Happy Halloween!

I usually call my creative time therapy because it’s honestly what recharges me. It clears my mind, puts me in my own happy place and really relaxes me. Over the past few days I’ve been lucky to have some time to be creative – it’s not as often as it used to be – but I can still find some time occasionally and it’s really good.

This is one of my recent projects:

It’s a hybrid project using Danielle Thompson’s “Olivia” kit. It is by far one of my favorite color combinations! I love making calendars…LOVE IT. And then felt pouches I’ve done before but they’re fun to make too. OH, and if you have a little girl and want some killer party ideas, make sure you check out Danielle’s site because she did the absolute CUTEST party pieces ever!

Now with Halloween coming up tomorrow, I wanted to come up with something fun for Liam to share with his friends. Usually we do a sampler bag of chocolate and cheapo toys but I wanted something different.

I got these old fashion candy sticks in festive colors (they’re yummy too) and packaged them for the kids – 23 kids to be exact. I used another digital kit (this one by Rhonna Farrer on 2peas) and had fun. Because the candy sticks can be a bit fragile I cut up thick chipboard that would fit nicely under four candy sticks and add stability for small hands (and potential dropping). I printed out the digital designs from Rhonna’s kit (after tweaking the sizes a bit) and spray adhered them onto the chipboard so that the backs would be cute (because all candy packaging needs cute backing AND six year old DO care). I used the rubber glue lines onto the other side of the chipboard so that it would be tacky and hold the candy sticks without getting gross or messy. I printed out the circle embellishments from the kit after added a text wrap – LOVE the fiskars circle punch! Tied a ribbon around the candy and added the circle – DONE! Honestly, it didn’t take long at all and I think that they’re adorable and perfect for boys which is SO HARD to find!

That’s all for now! Happy Halloween…one day early!!!

Another one…gone. And it’s our last October weekend too…boooooooo. Last week, I woke up every morning (not kidding) and was so happy that it was Friday. Obviously, I was crushed four days and happy one. Friday meant that Saturday was coming and I would be able to sleep in just a bit…30 minutes more is all that I wanted…needed….longed for.

So Friday night I happily went to bed, ready to sleep in just a bit, and then prepare for Liam’s birthday party (yes…again…family party this time). But instead, I was awakened by Miss Adeline at 1:30, clearly unhappy. I went into her room, tried my usual comforting tactics, cuddled, rocked, sang…nothing. She was no longer crying, but definitely didn’t want me to leave and she wasn’t going to sleep. So in came Nate to try his hand and gettng baby girl to sleep and give my tired pregnant and contracting body a rest. He tried waiting her out but it didn’t work. She wasn’t going to sleep. So into bed with us she came figuring that if nothing else she could lay there while we slept (it’s survival people) – since she wasn’t going to sleep. And that worked somewhat…if you count sleeping in 10 minute intervals sleep. She was one big fidget, would get comfy, whine, cry a bit and fidget again. This was ALL. NIGHT. LONG. It was awful.

So at 7 we got out of bed and I started addressing my party “to do” list while Addy continued whining and crying and yelling “hold you” about every 30 seconds. And the “hold you” was directed at mommy only. Mommy who was still getting braxton hicks contractions like crazy. And around 8:30 am she pointed to her face and said “ear owie” – AH HA!!!! Perhaps her ear hurts? So off to the doctor we went…a walk-in clinic since our office doesn’t have Saturday hours. And sure enough…she had a killer ear infection. And I made it home 20 minutes before the party was to start.

This was SO NOT the Friday night and Saturday morning that I had looked forward to ALL WEEK LONG. I deserve a do-over.

Despite the rough start we had a good weekend. Well, Saturday was rough and I was crabby but I tried. Liam had a great party, ate cake, opened presents and visited with family. A good day for him and that’s all that mattered.

And Sunday involved a good lunch, angelic cooperative kids (one drugged into submission), naps and our annual trip to the conservatory for some Halloween fun. Good times.

So now why don’t I shut up for a bit and share some photos…they’ll complete the weekend story and are more interesting anyway.

Addy called some family and friends…inviting them to the party:

Liam “helped” dad rake some leaves by marking the piles with his body:

Liam got to dress up like a silly and cute skeleton…dare you call him scary!

While Adeline was transformed into a scarecrow:

Liam was a scarecrow at 2 as well. I need to get a side-by-side going…and yes that was the plan all along. AND I should add that both kids LOVED their scarecrows costumes – leaving them on the whole time – hats included. I’m still amazing by that.

While the kids enjoyed trick-or-treating and making crafts…I admired the surroundings:

And then admired what they (usually Liam) made:

And then one more photo of my bony little boy…with texture and fun processing:

That’s all for now!

Wowsers – I have a SIX year old! It’s hard to believe but he’s just as amazing today as the day he was born.

At six:
*He’s a SWEET sweet boy…so loving
*He’s sensitive and aims to please
*Loves music…ANY type of music and sings ALL. THE. TIME.
*Favorite shows – IMagination Movers (It’s the music), Martha Speaks and Sid the Science Kid (I LOVE SID)
*Eats peanut butter…a lot
*Enjoys helping me cook in the kitchen
*Helps with the laundry whenever he can…loves sorting, loading and starting
*He is very analytical
*Loves letters…spelling…creating stories…re-enacting chicka-chicka-boom-boom (STILL)
*Likes to write messages on tablets
*Drags every instrument out that he owns on a weekly basis to create a one-man band
*Dissects the United States in some way on a weekly basis – always wants to learn more
*Is super silly…goofy…has a great sense of humor
*Tells really bad jokes…but we still laugh
*Loves his iPOD and my laptop. He’s a mini-geek
*Has a hard time sitting still

I could go on…and on…and on. But the bottom line is that he’s amazing and all mine and I adore him to death. And I tell him that every. single. day.

And he smiles and usually gives me a big hug.

And my heart melts. I love my little six year old boy.

It is 10:59pm and I JUST SAT DOWN! And my poor feet are swollen and proof of just how busy I was today.

Today I (or mom and I):
*Had creamy cauliflower soup on the stove before 9am
*Gathered, sorted and started laundry (3 loads of clothes/towels)
*Met mom who came over to continue helping me clean…nest…whatever it is I’m doing
*Folded laundry
*Changed sheets in 2 rooms
*Striped duvet
*Washed said sheets and duvet (2 more loads of laundry)
*Cleaned and reorganized the entire laundry room area
*Picked Liam up from school
*Said goodbye to mom…boooooooooo
*Did mom stuff with Liam (snack,building a marble tower, etc)
*Continued putting stuff from the laundry room in its appropriate place (still need to complete this)
*Ran to Target when Nate got home from work
*Took Liam to piano practice after getting home from Target (5 minutes to spare)
*Got Liam into the shower while Nate went off to a hockey game
*Played with kids before bedtime
*Kids to bed (8:15…go me)
*Another load of laundry – diapers
*Started Liam’s birthday treat for his class tomorrow (THE official birthday) – rice krispie treats in the shapes of pumpkins and ghosts…half dipped into chocolate…refrigerated
*Made a batch of brownies to take to playgroup tomorrow
*Wrapped Liam’s birthday gifts
*Showered
*Finished Liam’s birthday treats – individually packed and tied off with a bow (yes…it took a while but they’re cute)
*Placed diapers into the dryer

And here I sit on the couch with the laptop, typing away when I really should be sleeping. I must be crazy.

More later!

Oh my my my. I’ve gone missing again. Didn’t I mention last time that October was “ready, set, go” month? It REALLY is!!!

So let’s see what we’ve been up to.

Addy and I enjoyed the weather before it turned too cold. She enjoyed the slide while I enjoyed watching her have fun.

And then we prepared for our first kid-related birthday party. LIam turns six this Friday so last weekend was his first friend party and fortunately, it wasn’t at our house. Instead, we went to the Children’s Museum and there were 14 kids – good times. It was crazy.

But Liam had fun and that’s what counts, right? So the bulk of last week was preparing for the party. I made some favor bags:

And I was totally inspired by my friend Danielle who came up with the idea to give books with customized book plates as party favors. It totally fits me and my practical nature. So I borrowed her idea and we found these books at our local store:

I LOVE these books and actually had the whole series growing up (but mom got rid of them at some point boooooooo). Liam picked a book for each of his friends and in the bag they went. I loved the book plate idea but had a hard time finding boy related ones that were already made…so I made my own using a digital kit from 2 peas. Each kiddo got a little packet of 5 (all different pictures) with their name on them. They are super simple and the kids ( parents too) seemed to really like them.

I also put a model boat kit ($1 find at Michaels) and candy in each bag too.

And then there was the pumpkin patch that is a tradition for us. We’ve gone every year with Liam (and last year with Addy). It was chilly but the only day available to go. The kids were tired from the birthday party the day before but we made the best of it. And darn-it…the lighting was HARSH so my photos are ok…not great though.

And then finally I made a couple of pages. You can see the Roger Hargreaves inspiration (the party favor book) here in this page:

And then another page detailing what life has been like over the past few days with the wee one:

I swear the little Miss is having some serious issues right now. Literally overnight she went from sweet to sour. And now she’s MOMMY driven…wanting NOTHING to do with daddy. She doesn’t want to nap or sleep because MOMMY has to leave the room. It’s separation anxiety (or something) at its finest and can go away any time now. She’s also arguing everything. If I say let’s put a bow in your hair, she says “NO, pony.” Or here is your milk, I hear “NO, water.” Or let’s put on your shoes, it’s “NO, sandals.” I just can’t win…but I do…because I’m stubborn like that.

More later.

I know that I should be grateful for having such a service but today’s trip left me wishing that I could just do it myself (or that there was a bagging class for those lacking common sense).

You see, when I bring my own strong and sturdy canvas totes (that mind you I purchased AT the store) to be all environmentally friendly and save a few trees or something – it helps when you use them properly. I realize that Kellogg’s cereal was on special today and I did buy seven boxes. I understand that they’re bulky and easy to spot over other things on the conveyer belt. But to take 4 of my 5 regular totes for cereal boxes alone is just not good thinking. Especially considering the fact that the items remaining were lose produce, cans and jars – you know the heavy awkward stuff that falls out of, or tears, the flimsy plastic bags. And while it does help that you put two jars in one plastic bag, it just doesn’t make good sense, considering I brought strong and sturdy canvas totes to use and left with close to 20 plastic bags.

Sincerely,
Picky McNicky

Oh and P.S. The blue canvas bags with the silver lining and zipper that say “cold” on the outside are to be used for items that need to stay cold, and they should ideally zip.

An incident over the weekend left me in fits of laughter, with bits of sympathy thrown in for good measure.

For the past three months Liam has been taking piano lessons. It was HIS decision being the music lover that he is. And fortunately he has a really good ear for it – being able to play without reading the music (although NOW he’s learning to read it), sing in tune and really do his own thing. I’m the exact same way…so was my dad…so was my gram. Music is a really good thing (I’m sounding like Martha there eh?).

So a couple of weeks ago Liam’s teacher had him playing “It’s a Small World” which was really exciting considering we were going to Disney soon. We talked about the ride (not sure if he remembered it from last time) and sang it often while he played. I should mention that I handle all of the lessons and practice sessions since we sing the notes together (and I don’t mind learning to play the piano as we go along either). And Liam had a brilliant idea – he would play the song and daddy would sing. Great idea, right?

Well, not if you’re Nate. You see – the poor guy doesn’t hear music very well. And half of the time he can’t even remember the words, which is INSANE to me since I’m able to hear a song once and sing it for the next nine years (THAT my friends, can also be a curse). But he just can’t hear it – even though he tries. So Liam started playing and daddy started singing and after about three bars Liam stops the music:

Liam: no no no, stop the music daddy – it goes like this
(insert song)
Daddy: Isn’t that what I sang?
Liam: No, let’s try it again
(cue the music)
(daddy starts singing)
Liam: Wait a minute, wait a minute, that’s not right either
Daddy: It’s not? I’m singing it exactly like you’re playing
Liam: No daddy is goes like this
(insert song)
Daddy: OK I think I got it
(cue the music)
(daddy starts singing)
Liam: (cutting off after the first line) You’re not doing it right!
Daddy: What’s wrong? It sounds exactly the same
Liam: MOMMY!

Through the laughter and tears I make my way upstairs and explain to Liam that not everyone can hear the music as well as he can.

Liam: Mommy let’s teach daddy how to sing it
(cue the music)
(mommy and Liam sing making the way through the entire song)
Liam: See daddy, that’s how it’s supposed to sound.

Daddy: Well mommy may be able to hear music better than daddy, but daddy is much better at sports.

This weekend we celebrated fall, even though it felt like summer (NOT complaining). I always call October “ready set go” month because it begins the three months of craziness that lies ahead. With all of the birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, visits to pumpkin patches, and school parties, things get pretty hectic around here. But we always enjoy ourselves.

This weekend was no different. Hope your weekend was nice as well.

More from me later!

We’re back from Florida and guess what – it’s fall! Sure I noticed the cooler weather before we left but I’m suddenly noticing the colorful trees, falling leaves and crisp fall smell. SO different from the hot humid Florida air and palm trees (both of which I thoroughly enjoyed).

Our trip was wonderful and the kids couldn’t have had more fun. With Addy being young I didn’t know what to expect and thought maybe she’d be bored. I couldn’t have been more wrong – she loved the rides and would yell “ride” and “hold you” to get out of the stroller – so stinkin’ cute. She also paraded around the park like a little princess, charming everyone along the way. She’s cute like that. Liam was there when he was three and enjoyed himself but this time he REALLY got it. I loved watching him as literally everything about the trip made him happy.

So I got a lot of emails while I was there and haven’t had time to respond to a lot of them. We didn’t take our computer and figured we’d just use our phones. But we had NO internet connection on the Disney grounds and I’m a bit behind now. I’ll get back to you soon!

Now onto what we did (since some folks asked). We arrived in Disney on Sunday and got settled. On Monday we went to the Magic Kingdom. The rain came just as we were leaving – perfect!!!

Tuesday we were going to do Hollywood Studios but decided against it after reading a bit more about it. I think that our kids (mine and my sister’s) were too young to really benefit from that park. Instead we shopped in the am (the kids actually didn’t mind) and napped the kids in the afternoon while it rained (again GREAT timing). Tuesday night we went to the “Not So Scary Halloween Party” in Magic Kingdom. We took the kids’ costumes and Liam was WAY into it! A night of trick-or-treating, riding with next to no lines in costume, fireworks over the castle to music from the Nightmare before Christmas and staying up way too late – how could you go wrong? It was an awesome day and we didn’t see one drop of rain that evening.

Wednesday we went to the Animal Kingdom for the bulk of the day. We arrived back at the hotel late afternoon and let the kids swim for a bit. We stayed at the beach club resort so it was a kids pool WITH sand – oh the happiness on Liam’s face…priceless. We had dinner poolside and then BIG hot fudge sundaes – the perfect ending to our Disney vacation. Fun stuff.

I haven’t gone through all of my photos but here are a few that I looked through so far. I will say that while I took my camera I didn’t pull it out all that often. I don’t regret it one bit.

This is my sister and her family:

The l-man and pooh:

And baby girl at the pool:

I’ll add more photos later!