The Alcantarians

Oh what a year its been!

2012-01-25T08:58:00.000-08:00

Dear Ellie,

You are the sunshine in my life ~ thats why i'll always be around. Hee. But really - YOU ARE! I have such horrible mama guilt for having let your first year slide by so very (VERY) fast and not taking the time to let you know in writing just how special every one of those moments have been to me.

Somehow in being less "busy" i am far busier than i have ever been. Clearly i'm not any less busy but my days are different. FAR far different from where they were say a year ago :) These days i cook 3 meals from scratch, chase cotton balls in the wind (you) and in my *free* time i still knit, sew and try to do crafty things with your sister. Despite my attempts to paint with you ~ you still are happy to eat paint, markers tops and whole crayons. The other day you even pooped a pretty silver bead. I swear i'm waiting for an entire christmas ornament to come out your bum!

These days you are really REALLY becoming my lil girl. Every night your dad and i giggle about how funny you are. And make no mistakes about it - you know it too. One of your favorite things to do is push G around in a doll stroller. Even as i type this i think ~ i'm going to have to get a picture of that this evening. I bet that image alone will be one of my favorite memories for years to come. And although your still a milky baby & sleepin with us, you LOVE to go for a ride on daddy for bedtime books. Of course your attention span is all of 6.5 seconds, you will NOT be left behind when your sister takes off on her daddy's back into your bedroom. Sometimes you'll stay for the duration, but lately you've taken to dancing in your diaper on the chair next to the bed. Typically this chair is precariously placed on top of at least 3 books and you dance to make the chair wiggle, sometimes with a hat or headband haphazardly placed on your head. While all of this may just be another day in the button factory for me ~ it gives your daddy heart palpitations so sometimes i come to the rescue.

Lets see what else. ohh FOOD. You FINALLY dig food. You went through an astronaut phase where all you'd eat were pureed food from pouches. No matter how i prepared the exact.same.food. if it didn't come from a pouch ~ you weren't havin it. While i was thrilled that you finally had accepted some form of nourishment independent of me. Good lord almighty, those pouches are ridiculously expensive. But now you're like the rest of us and chow down whatever is put before you. (insert choir of angels 'ahhh' here.)

You love to love babies and you love love loooove your sis. And hee...you love to be a lil sis. Some days i swear you do things specifically with the intent of pissing G off. And some days - i'll admit. Its pretty funny. And at times its weird taking a backseat to someone else who i consider quite tiny, it is awesome. An insanely powerful mama type of awesome that i clearly i can't find the words for.

Awed,
Mama

3/4 of a year - WHAAA

2011-08-31T20:11:00.000-07:00

So sweetie, you're like growing way way WAYWAYWAY tooo quickly. and while its cool and all, i want my baby to stick around. you are toooooooooooooo cute. (and way funny at this age too)

Funny - you know we play around with baby signing. While i do think it stimulates your mind and gives us a chance to communicate earlier, really...its just a hoot. Like right now you do 'up', 'finished', 'hello', 'milk' and 'food' and they all look identical. So while technically you're just flailing, i'll read something into it and give it meaning :P The real hilarity comes in with watching you though...you're just so purposeful with each movement. Contextually it all makes complete sense, but its fun to watch you're Daddy try and read your cues sometimes as he just walked in the door from work.

Not-so-funny: rolling off the bed. PLEASE PLEASE PLEEEEEEEEEEASE for the love of god STOP. You are not superman. you do not have a cape, or wings or anything else cool that will make our CONCRETE FLOOR less painful. If daddy (uhh or mommy) have bad BO, just give us the sign. mmmk?

Funny - that snort baby laugh. your sister did it too. but let me tell you, it never gets old and is just as funny every. single. time.

Not-so-funny: nursing alllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll night long. nufff said.Funny - (so we can end on a good note, right) That tooth...i'm going to say it...you have the cutest little tooth E. i know i know - lady get ahold of yourself. its a tooth. but i'm your mama. and i think its adorable.

,
mama

Uhhh really?!?

2011-08-31T19:38:00.000-07:00

So G went to summer camp this year at a gymnastics studio. Part birthday present, part sanity check for mom. Either way it was deeeeeelightful for all involved.

Aside from the omghowcantheybesobitchyat6 girls, a good time was had by all. And i sufficiently made up for any loss of coffee in that week alone. We had a great excuse to meet daddy for lunch at the asian grocery, we enjoyed each others company and watching G 'freeze' for an hour on the trampoline at night. We watched forward roll after forward roll till WE got a bit dizzy.

But nothing could have prepared me for sunday night.

Completely offhand, i make some '50 First Dates' reference about the "kiddies doing flippies" and G walks a few paces away and tosses herself up in the air -- and lands flat on her back after a lil head spasm backwards.

Well as any good parent would do, i maybe, sorta, kinda asked "WHAT THE FOCK ARE YOU DOING?"
---Mommy, I was just trying to do a flip

WHAT?!? Who does this? Flat footed on the ground my 4 year old just tossed herself in the air and tried to do a back tuck. I know, I know she could have gotten really hurt (believe me we dealt with that later) but duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuude.

my kid just tried to flip. rock on with your badass self G. i love that she truely believes there is nothing she can't do.

love. it.

SHE is here!

2010-12-28T20:50:00.000-08:00

And so it begins...

2010-10-29T07:22:00.001-07:00

So today I dropped G off at daycare for their Halloween party & parade. ALLLLLLLLLLLLl the lil girls were princesses. Which of course is practically unavoidable at 3 years old, but nonetheless...every single one was a specific Disney princess. Since i sew and i'm a dork - i just can't do off-the-shelf costumes. Nothing against folks who do ~ there were quite a few hours last week where i wish i didn't have this form of OCD. Alas...

All of G's lil friends kept coming up to her and asking her "Which princess are you?" After about the 3rd girl asked and G still hadn't had a chance to get a word in edgewise she looked at me with big puppy dog eyes. I smiled and told her - your not a movie princess...your a REAL princess.

She glowed and I fought back tears.

Definition of a Daddy

2010-10-28T11:49:00.000-07:00

Did i mention...

2010-10-27T18:56:00.001-07:00

I'm pregnant :P

There are so few & far between photos of me as I try my darndest to stay behind the camera, but the light was beautiful and i was dressed....so i threw caution to the wind and let pete-a-lee play with my camera.

I'm pretty glad i did!

G's Top 10

2010-10-05T10:08:00.000-07:00

So i know my momma friends with 2+ will attest that you just fall madly in love with your first before the second is born, but duuuuuuuude - who woulda though they'd make it soo stinkin easy.

So in lieu of a lengthy mooshy love letter; i'll keep it short and sweet

Top 10 Reasons I love my "Hunny Bunny"
1) she brings me water &/or juice when i need it
2) she saves me snacks from her lunch at school
3) she sits beside me and sews for hours on end.
4) she insisted that we get a rabbit for dinner from the farmers market
5) she LIVES for farmers market trips
6) she thinks her last name is 'alca-tater'
7) leaves stickers everywhere (the walls, her comforter, my pillow)
8) is as 'tude-tastic' as her mama. (mama you're gonna whine when my baby comes out too and i'm just not gonna wanna hear it!)
9) kisses her kitty cat every morning & night just like a regular member of the family
10) she looooooooves to cook with us in the kitchen
11) her dances make me soo happy

of course there is so much more, but i promised myself that i'd let this be a happy free-association exercise. and with that...another pic of G's fall wardrobe.

My Cuteness

2010-09-21T02:16:00.000-07:00

I was going to save this pic for when i have more of the 'fall wardrobe' done, but
1) ha. like i have the time
2) isn't she just too cute?!?

One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potatoes

2010-09-07T08:26:00.000-07:00

MORE!!!!!

So one of the most fun things we've ever done with our garden is plant potatoes. Potatoes & Tomatoes were the crop du anno ~ and boy did that work on G's language skills :) I've never actually seen a potato plant so it was a fun experiment all around. I mean even from the day we received the amazing package ~ its been a blast. The companies packaging was insane. Like a little present. Then all summer the plants flourished, flowered and grew grew grew. But despite all this ~ we had NO idea what awaited us beneath the soil.

We got a decent amount. Certainly nothing to sustain us through the winter, but it was fun nonetheless. AND since these are heirloom potatoes, we'll be able to plant some of our product in the spring again and continue without any further purchases. Unlike just about everyone else...thank-you Monsanto. (grrr)

Last night we FINALLY got around to cleaning our crop and though a messy job...someone's gotta do it. And thankfully that someone is G!

And because we were feeling the potato love ~ we went to a farm for their annual pancake breakfast & potato harvest. To me it was a step above chuck-e-cheese, but G had fun...and that was really the intent. (or so i keep telling myself)

G's first...

2010-09-07T07:10:00.000-07:00

It was a raucous hot day made only more so by the zillions of parents & running kids, buuut. G was THRILLED to have her first art show. "Just like mommy, my stuffs is on the walls". (swoon)

Then while she was all good & sugared up, of course she had to show off her extra load of sillies by getting into her baby brodder's seat. (no we don't know - i swear. And even G technically thinks its a girl, but due to all of her friends, is less familiar with the words 'baby sister' But no worries, she'll assure you..."it does NOT hab a penis mommy!")

You know its time to turn the AC on when...

2010-08-31T11:23:00.000-07:00

Your nudie daughter is playing 'stuck in the mud' on the brown leather sofa.

(just realized i haven't posted in awhile and despite not having much to say...I figured i'd pop in to say 'yo')

She loves me!

2010-08-10T05:23:00.000-07:00

Last week while shopping at wegmans we found these AWESOME cookies. Not only were they cute lil butterfies, but they were gluten free and gooood. (usually not a word combination you see together in one sentance)

Anyhooters - we each had a cookie in the car which left one for for G to take as her snack for school later in the week. Unbeknownst to me this was her snack in its entirity (daddies!) but alas...the story is sweet.

What you see above is all G ate of her fabulous cookie. Some might suspect that she truely didn't like the cookie that much. But i can attest that she did. However she told her teachers that they were Mommy's favorite cookies and good for her tummy. and so she wanted to save it for me.

awe swoon. makes a mama heart happy!

We're ba-ack

2010-07-26T07:39:00.000-07:00

So its been awhile. It's amazing how hard it is to blog when your internet at home crashes every time you pull up the site :P

So rather than trying to catch up on everything that's passed here are a few lil snippits of life - then i'll just pick up where I left off.

we had a beautiful memorial day weekend

Then Peter took G to their first father daughter camping weekend. this is where i used to go with my dad, but alas the #1 rule: NO MOMS

Then we went to the beach with Grandma :) (yes thats a mama smile there as it was the first VACATION i've had in years. You mamas out there know what i'm talking about.

And now - I've just passed the 1/2 way point for baby #2. Its like time just doesn't stop for me to catch a breath or anything.

Whew!

Problems anyone?

2010-06-09T09:17:00.000-07:00

So is anyone out there in cyber world having problems with this blog???

At home it seems to short circut our wireless connection but here at the office all seems fine.

This inherently STINKS as all photos and such are at home on my play pc - but i'm sure i'll figure something out.

I just wanted to see if anyone else was having probs lately or perhaps it twas just lil ol me.

Danke!
~j

A Walk in the Park

2010-05-26T12:01:00.000-07:00

A errm month or so ago we had the most magical saturday walk around Walney park. I love that place. I especially love how close it is. What i don't love are the deer ticks. More on that later.

Like any good hike with a toddler it started off with a 'Ihafta go poooottty' as soon as your far enough away from a good working toilet. I'll spare you the pictures, but rest assured ~ there are some :) We followed the stream through the woods and wildflowers. The goal of the day was to find morels, but meh. That didn't last long.

We saw a snake, a turtle, actually found some pitcher plants (that was my favorite part). Stopped and watched the cutest lil family of teeny squirrels play up in the trees. Watch a beautifully green inchworm work her way up a tree. And played with photos...all of us.

Clearly a month post ~ i didn't do the day justice, but you'll just have to believe me when i say...it was awesome.

Big News

2010-05-26T11:39:00.000-07:00

So i'm trying my bestest to catch up. I have so many fun stories and wonderful photos to share, but really...first things first. Coming this December...

In the cherry blossoms' shade. There is no such thing as a stranger

2010-04-03T14:26:00.000-07:00

and that was certainly the case at today's Cherry Blossom festival - YOGA event. Right there on the national mall hoards of yogi's showed up for a once a year opportunity to do yoga outside, under the cherry blossoms (well not really, but...), and en mass. I personally LOVE huge yoga classes and i LOVE LOVE outdoor yoga so this was a super duper treat.

The day started out gray gray much like last weekend and I wasn't super duper motivated to deal with cherry blossom 'mainstream' folks. BUT pete-a-lee assured me he was feeling the parking karma and promised to drop G & I off close and meet up with us. We skirted traffic as only a (quasi) local can and i was pleasantly surprised by the ease. Peter found a parking spot RIGHT in front of the white house. No, like right right in front. It could not have been a better spot. But like my mom said...only an IDIOT would drive downtown during the cherry blossom festival :P
There was live music and incense (from somewhere) and the vibe was dreamy. And of course, G participated like only a 3 year old can.

The sun finally came out - we all have happy rosy cheeks. We ultimately loved every minute of it.

namaste,
the alcantarians

Cherry Blossom Time

2010-03-31T07:35:00.000-07:00

In recent years we've taken to visiting the cherry blossoms when the nerds do. i.e. at sunrise before all the tourists get out of bed. Well at least the jerky/irritating ones.

This year however was a M.A.J.O.R letdown. The skies were gray the weather was cold and we were significantly unmotivated. Despite all that ~ we still managed a decent time. Like a true local G had never been to a monument (that her pea brain could remember. don't spaz, we've taken her many times...as a baby)

Anyhoo - she thought Jefferson was the coolest dude in the world. And LOVED being in the monument. The elevator didn't hurt either. And yes - we took the elevator to the top because we were already visiting the potties and i thought the elevator would be a bigger "WOW" factor. Silly mommy forgot that an elevator is WOW factor enough!

I'll spare you all the blossom photos and just leave you with a selection of my favorites.

oh and it was flooded too.

Before & After

2010-03-25T08:05:00.000-07:00

So going through some photos and I have quite a few before & after shots I wanted to share.

Our Home:
this before is before before~ like before i was preg and before we had a toddler...hence the extreme clean :)

the after --ahh i love. after having always moved in the fall, its nice to have something bright & spring-y. Plus i think it personally reflects the now-me much better. -- the wide angle lens doesn't hurt either.

And since i don't have a before of the dress -- which would really just be a pile of yummy fabric...here's the dress as all nice & pressed.

and in action!

and just to toot my own horn a bit. this was my FIRST ever pattern! As most of you know- i love to sew, but i really felt like its time to up the ante a bit. This was a super simple pattern to begin with and despite a (few) minor panic attacks about fit...i couldn't be happier with how it turned out.
(for anyone interested it's the modkid - frida dress with michael miller fabric)

0.0625 in our blood

2010-03-17T07:10:00.000-07:00

#1 in our heart!

Happy St. Patricks Day from G!

but really....isn't she cute!?!?

and this one's for you Lea!

T-Minus 3 days and ...

2010-03-15T07:43:00.000-07:00

praying time will stop!

hahahah -- so this is my view from the sofa RIGHT NOW. and we have a party in THREE days.

Past tense

2010-02-18T07:06:00.000-08:00

So yea - i have more pictures to upload, but to be completely honest this lack of blogging can completely be related to my new pc where i keep all my photos. The keyboard on it STINKS. The two of them is a pain in the butt.

anyhoo -

this is just a quick lil note to let you all know G has moved on to (incorrect) past tense verbs. Another milestone that perhaps only a speech therapist would care about but i find soooo adorable. My favorite: "Talk-ed" as in

"Daddy talk-ed me eat my eggs"

love. love. love.

Get your shovels out

2010-02-04T16:23:00.000-08:00

No really - go get em. its gonna snow ~ again! One nice thing about getting this much snow in DC ~ the road workers are starting to figure out how to plow, when to lay salt, etc. The roads are significantly better this year. Now if we could only convince the schools that they don't need to close at the forcast of snow ~ we'd almost be a normal city. Here's a lil video from the last big snow (but G was actually up in CT with daddy)

its the little things.

2010-01-26T12:09:00.000-08:00

for lunch i went to the farmers market. Sure i needed things, but i knew some friends would be there and I was hoping to see them also. (and by friends i mean the ones i hang out with and would call in case of a family emergency - you'll get the distinction in a moment)

But is it normal to squeal with delight upon seeing your favorite Amish dairy farmer and wish instantly that you could run and pick up your daughter from daycare so she could pick out her yogurt flavor? Like many small markets - chit chat ensued with friends and vendors and the Amish Dairy Man said he was happy to see his local friends again. It made me smile. Friends. While i wouldn't use the term myself i certainly appreciate that he did.

I remember the last day of the market early this fall and he was wearing what i presumed to be his 'Sunday best'. He graciously thanked his regulars and handed out information for how to contact him through the winter. Today he said it was upsetting 'to see the [local] market close for the season. It just seemed like an abrupt way to say goodbye'.

Perhaps its sentimental and cheesy but i totally agreed. I so often think of things as a means to an end.
Organic produce + small business = farmers market.

but my dairy man reminded me its more like:
my family + your family + sustainable living + consciousness of chemicals + my health + your health + animal health + + + + ... = farmers markets.

and in that ~ i am a friend. thanks for the reminder.

Our FIRST Christmas

2010-01-08T11:31:00.001-08:00

no really – seriously – OUR first christmas. Peter and i have been together workin on 8 years now and this is the first christmas we’ve been able to call our own. and it was WONDERFUL. No where to go. No one to dress up for, no meals to make you overstuffed and did i mention, no where to go?!?! Of course we missed family – but thanks to SKYPE and perhaps being over 30, it didn’t really seem that bad.

For starters i had tried to get all interested parties set up on Skype so they could spy on our x-mas morning should they be interested. Course no one expected that we’d have this to deal with for soooooooooooo long. seriously kid. WAKE UP. I did everything but jump on her bed at 9am.

But that being said – it was all worth the wait. This was truly and enjoyable day. She LOVED it. (duh, right!) Unfortunately i didn’t pick up my camera till she had already swapped into new jammies, opened 90% of her gifts, had a new dolly that would not come out of her arms. Despite the wonderful picture of peter – it was funny watching G open gifts with 1 hand. OK, for about 5 minutes until i wanted to scratch out my own eyeballs from the slowness of it all. However, i digress. Next are the wings. Ahh the wings. The wings that were cause of WWIII should they come off for nap time (they did not) ~ nor for dinner either. But it was good. We sang and played all day long and no one got out of their jammies.

I guess i’m pretty lucky. Every day just keeps getting better!

Havin a cool yule

2010-01-05T13:35:00.001-08:00

So clearly i’ve been lacking in the blogging. but its all for good reason i promise. DUH – i’ve been BUSY :P

So i’m going to try and pick up roughly where i left off and just get to the good parts. i.e. like another pic of my new rug and our sofa :)

starting of course – with our solstice celebration. As i grow up and learn more about Christmas, its true meaning and origin of traditions I wonder more and more why I feel the need to celebrate something entirely made up. Wanna celebrate the birth of Christ– go for it. Wanna celebrate the sun – go for that too. Eight days of oil…game on. I love latkes. But what i don’t get…nor care for, to be honest, is when people do things just for the sake of tradition or because its what everyone else does. Perhaps its the life stage i’m in as with Santa and parenting i’m testing out new waters as i teach and am actually responsible for a lil mind. Or perhaps i’m just wierd as my father would tell me.

So what do you do when your brain tells you to celebrate one thing, but your childish dreams want celebrate something else? Well for now – we do it all. :)

Starting with the solstice. We decorate d sun cookies (ok really flowers as that’s the cookie cutter i have) tied up our yule log and made prayer poppers / wish crackers or whatever you want to call them. G also received a little solstice present. A nativity scene complete with gnomes, fairy’s and so i don’t get too dizzy when i spiral to hell -- a baby in a rocker.

and just for giggles – here’s a picture of my favorite little gnome-ess in all her feminine glory :)

my endless love

2009-12-11T09:04:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to take a moment to introduce you to my newest love. 'sabrina' its what i've named her. my rug that is.

i posted an add on craigslist looking for a persian-ish rug to cover our living room floor. I had xxx i was willing to spend and wanted something about 9x12.

I got one response. from a woman who told me she was SICK to see this rug go but it didn't fit in her new place. The day of the viewing & potential exchange she was kicking herself for agreeing to my price. We had many hobbies in common and i just LOVED her decor. It got to the point where i had to stop saying 'ME TOOO' for fear that i was looking insincere. By the time i left & helped her move some boxes to her car ~ she felt like fate had led her to see my ad and was happy to pass the rug along to a young family for a new life.

turns out its 9.5 x 13 (a lil big for our place, but we've made it work). a semi-antique (greater than 60 but less than 100 years) Persian machad (which means the red is more pink vs orange) with an all-over design (no medallion) -- after the army, her (ex)husband was an importer and she worked with him for a few years so she was able to teach me a little bit about it & how to care for it. Prior to the embargo-life this baby woulda been worth a nice bit, but unfortunately with the allowance of trade & flooding of pottery barn 'fakes' ~ the entire persian & oriental market has suffered.

now..most importantly -- PICTURES

Crafting

2009-12-02T12:54:00.001-08:00

So it IS december and I am waaaay waaaay behind in my holiday crafting. Perhaps its the lack of the FLOORS being FINISHED (PETER!) – or perhaps it’s just general business getting the best of me.

I vote Peter.

Either way… G and I got some good stuff done last night & I wanted to share.

And then, we started to make an advent calendar. I’d like to combine chocolates (since 2/3 of the house are ADDICTS) with nice family activities. Thankfully i’m doing these with paper, so i can sorta just do 1 a night :P

'sick' days

2009-12-01T07:39:00.000-08:00

So today G was deemed to sick for 'school' - by the powers that be. Sure her cough sounds horrible, but really...its loose and after weeks of a cold now seems to be the dumbest time to send her home ~ but whatevs. I'll take it :P

After a wonderful breakfast ~ we spent the morning cleaning her room in preparation for the floors getting DONE this weekend (& grandpa pete & gramma pat's visit - not a coincidence). I'm on a conference call now and she's sitting in her 'castle' (a great big box) and 'decorating' (coloring the walls with crayons). She was content with watching Jane occasionally - but has recently taken to 'moving' (dragging her castle across the living room floor every 5 minutes)

If i weren't WORKING...i'd be taking pictures. its a lovely day so far.

Where you at?

2009-11-09T08:46:00.001-08:00

oh i KNOW where you at!
(that's for you mum)

Last week we spent the most wonderful week in the Outer Banks, NC. I seriously don't know how a single post can do it justice, but i'll certainly try.
- one of my bestests got married
- we crashed her honeymoon
- we saw horses on the beach
- we flew a kite
- i got to take some photos i love
- i celebrated my 31st
- G fell in love with donuts, cupcakes and a ginormous house and i fear life may never be the same.

and so are some photos from the lovely day...i'm sure i'll have more to share once my batteries are charged...say around christmas :P

Clearly a kid who's seen too many drinking games in her day.

The Alcantarians...keeping workplace romance alive since 2004

2009-10-28T08:59:00.000-07:00

Thus was the response when i told a friend of ours about...

PETER'S NEW JOB!

Peter will be a technical recruiter with this great lil company i know. Heck ~ a great lil company i work for!

Currently we're a small-ish company (about 150 strong in DC & Boulder) and in the upcoming year we're looking to almost double our full time employees given the amazing contracts that we are gonna win. So peter's job is going to be a busy one. But at least i know it'll be rewarding and the people he'll be working with are ~ hee ~ like family :P

Good luck Pete-a-lee!
(but we will miss you at home)

Family Fun Fridays

2009-10-23T12:24:00.000-07:00

I've always loved Octobers. Fall is my favorite season and halloween is SO. MUCH. FUN. I loooove to make costumes. I looooove cooking fun foods. and i Loooooove pumpkin well -- pumpkin anything, but pete-a-lee makes a to-die-for PSL (that's pumpkin spice latte for you newbies out there)

Last friday night we had a blast making dinner & dessert.

And in theory - tonight we'll 'play' a little more AND carve pumpkins.

Mi Casa

2009-10-18T13:12:00.000-07:00

es horrible!!! (that means my house is a big ass mess)

So for those of you not in the know -- we're doing a little remodeling. I LOVE our home, but after 4 years i'm kinda tired of it. Since we can't exactly build on ~ why not completely remodel right?!?!

If last time our place was Starbucks Chic ~ this time will be Lake House Lovin.

Floors will be a polished concrete. Furniture eclectic as we find the funds :) And the walls will be toned down to a cheery but super super light yellow. Here's the general game plan.

We've successfully removed the carpet from all but G's room. And interestingly enough...i don't sneeze anymore the hour after i wake up like i used to. And to think ~ i originally researched this for G's allergies. Now we're debating on the floor stain color. I think we have a favorite, but i'm interested in others opinions...I KNOW you all have opinions :P

While peter was visiting the kids the other weekend I refinished the entertainment center. And look forward to refinishing the buffet (crackle) & the corner cabinet (accent color on the inside).

Of course its a ton of work ~ but its fun (mostly) and i can. not. wait. to see the finished project :)

G's first bully.

2009-10-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

So this weekend i did not one but TWO things i swore i would n.e.v.e.r. do.
1) put g's living room toys front and center in the entertainment center (pics/post to come)
2) take her to the mall to play. yea. ewe is right.

Anyhoo - we had been shopping all morning, it was raining, and it was on the way home. G was LOVIN it. Just running around like a maniac and going down the slide headfirst like the big kids (but really ~ why do parents let their 8yo play here?!?) But then this 4-5 year old girl really takes a shine to G. Perhaps b.c. she was the youngest & most rambunctious in the group and she wanted to put her in her place?? So this chick follows G around, pushing her off the toys, blocking her from the slide, etc etc. They'd shove each other occasionally and for the most part G really held her own. Until this lil gangster acutally started chocking G and pushing her around. As soon as I stood up she stopped and G came over with giant doe eyes and said "Mommy she's mean. She hurt me" I said i know - but next time she comes near you - you look her in the eye and say "i don't want to play with you ~ you're mean".

Sure enough the second G was more than 3 feet away from me, that little girl was back. G tried climbing up on a mushroom and she blocked her. And what happened next made a whole row of watching parents smile. G glared into this girls face and almost growled the words i told her. Then just to solidify it ~ she finished with a hearty little shove and walked away.

Amazingly enough it worked! We stayed at least another 30 minutes and the girl kept her distance from then on.

One of the dad's commended me on my composure. I smiled and said thanks. But really. I wanted to drop punt the little bitch out of the play park.

:)

Donkey Bites and all that jazz

2009-10-05T14:01:00.000-07:00

So yes. I got bit by a donkey. and it hurt. and i'd like to report that G added a new word to her vocabulary ~ but unfortunately she already knows them all.

BUT in other news...

We went to an apple orchard AND got to press our own cider. Ironically two rather unrelated events.
First we went apple picking which was awesome (sans damn donkey bite) G thoroughly enjoyed APPLES from TREEs and running down the dirt roads in her lil house on the prairie ensemble. She loved her new friend ~ "my lil mary". How she got that name is beyond me as Mary is anything but G's or little for that matter. She's my age (ha) and a pretty darn tall svelt lady. So the name alone is joke worthy. Anyhoo we picked apples, got scared by massive pigs and had a great time with some new friends.

Then we went to the CSA farm for our apple cider pressing. Our farmer had 2nd quality apples on hand for us to pick through and an awesome new cider press. What amazed me the most was 1) how easy it was and 2) how many bee's there were. But seriously - not a single sting among us. Apparently honey bees don't really do stinging unless you really tick em off ~ and apparently pete-a-lee was on his best behavior :P We were expecting approximately 2.5 gallons of cider and took home a little over 2 in our mr. beer 'keg' that is happily sitting in our fridge. But not for long as it is SOO YUMMY!

And another one ~ if only cause the bees are soo clear!

mmmm radishes!

2009-09-22T10:01:00.000-07:00

So i had NO idea what radishes grew partially above ground. For some unknown reason i just presume they grew 100% under ground like carrots do. BUT THEY DON'T! and...they grow in like 23-25 days. A month. Talk about fun for a toddler (ha ~ who am i kidding, its fun for me. I LOVE a quick turn around)

So Monday we were at the garden weeding and just generally checking in on things (yes more stolen stuff) and i saw these little red thinks peeking out from the dirt under some beautiful green leaves. I was SHOCKED to see how much 'peeking' was going on. And have to admit - i think they're just adorable.

After a whole 24 hours of debating weather or not they are ready to pick or now ~ we finally gave into temptation and went late last night to gather the most assuming suspects from our garden. A little butter, salt & sesame crackers and we had a wonderful late night snack.

Perhaps its the changing of the seasons thats put me in such a great mood, but i really can't express how in love i am with these little radishes.

hee. call me crazy.

One little, two little, three little...

2009-09-21T10:02:00.000-07:00

Here she is one morning after breakfast.

And here she was on another day telling her friend not only did she like his 'clippie' but that he had a nice pack-pack as well.

And of course you've gotta sit & have a chat when your drinkin your water after lunch.

For a few days I presume it was the sheer likeness in size that made her friends so appealing. But then one day I heard them talking. I asked what she talked to her friends about and she told me they tell her stories. I asked what the stories were about and she told me 'animals. you know like deer & beer and frogs mommy'. But of course i thought. And though i haven't seen a bear in 10+ years in the area ~we saw one only a few nights later.

Honi Honi

2009-09-15T09:02:00.000-07:00

after and awesome weekend in deep creek ~ this has to be my favorite lil video.

For those of you not in 'the know' the Honi Honi is a local bar on the water. Used to be a LOT of fun b4 they 'family-ized' it.

just sayin hi...

2009-09-15T08:55:00.001-07:00

CHEESE CHEESE

2009-08-31T10:53:00.000-07:00

Now while you heart is melting as i know mine does --- take a look at THIS fun little video taken only a few moments later :)

Stealing is...NOT NICE

2009-08-23T07:21:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it -- can you effin believe it.

SOMEONE STOLE ALL OUR RIPE TOMATOES FROM OUR GARDEN!!!!!!!

Tomatoes that i planted from SEED.

pissed doesn't even BEGIN to explain how angry i am.

I DID IT!!! (no really - I did it!)

2009-08-22T11:52:00.000-07:00

So i have successfully given away 2/3 of G's clothing.

BAH.

First undies ~ now this. We were on a goodwill / freecycle kick today and i realized we're hoarding 2, 35gallon containers full of clothing ~ PLUS a few more grocery bags full AND an entire adult size dresser. FOR A TWO YEAR OLD.

so yea it hurts and i'm on the verge of meltdown, but no worries I've kept my favorites (including jammies) and am excited to be CLEAR of the CLUTTER.

AHHHH.

(haha - if only it were as simple as getting rid of a few bags of clothing!)

Mama Knows Best

2009-08-20T14:44:00.000-07:00

So could this be the beginning of the middle of the end of diapers?!?

I can hardly believe it. She's wearing big girl undies. EVERY DAY now. Is this insane of what?!? MY BABY. Granted she's not 100% yet (and does a lot better with a nagging mommy than a fun and exciting daddy) BUT ~ give the girl a choice and its undee-pants every. single. time.

My mom totally called it. The pull ups / sewn diaper pants were still 'diapers' just thinner ones. Not till we (she) bought real little girl undies did we feel the shift in 'tude.

Still in shock though. My BABY wears undies. BAH.

Loot part II

2009-08-20T14:39:00.000-07:00

b.c. i did promise pictures.

Loot!

2009-08-05T07:22:00.000-07:00

So we're FINALLY reaping some gains from our little garden this year.

The tomatoes are BEAUTIFUL. Hearty and amazing. Its really amazing how much different they are from your 'home depot' brands. Until now we had staked them with broken sticks, but they were getting a little wilely and another gardener gave up his stands for the season. SCORE!

We've harvested a spaghetti squash and have another one patiently waiting. A single acorn squash. I don't know why ~ but the squash flowered a LOT ~ but didn't really produce a whole lot.

The kohlrabi is just a beautiful plant. And out of two plants we've been given 3 'baseballs'.

The broccoli is a BUST. Beetles have been having a hay-day with it, and well...we let em.

The lettuces have pretty much gone to seed while we were on vacation. But the swiss chard is shaping up nicely and looking beautiful with its thick red leaves.

And the ??? looks...interesting. We had a 'squash' / 'melon' that was this cute little round orange/yellow thing with NO idea what it was. Turns out it's a Lemon Cucumber. I haven't yet tasted but Pete-a-lee tells me its good!

And lastly the bug bites -- holy mole-ly do we all have out share of those!

Next steps...get seeds rolling for our fall crop!!!(and umm pictures!)

Hey Girlfriend

2009-07-27T14:57:00.000-07:00

So this weekend G learned the finer points of the English language thanks to her Aunt & her friend (aka: Lester & Esther)

Yes ~ i know we own a video camera, but when your friends DEMAND something RIGHT NOW. It's so much easier just to get G to talk into the computer :P

I go boogie boardin

2009-07-19T11:39:00.000-07:00

We're BA-ACK.

Ahh what a wonderful vacation! This year was sooo much fun. I learned the blessing of a lil thing called a crock-pot and really relished in the 'I have a husband who can do things too' part of vacationing this year. It kinda makes me wonder what the heck i've been stressing out over the past few years. BUT ~ i guess like everything this is a learning curve and just when i think i have it...we'll add something else to the mix & make it complicated again :)

Favorite Quotes from G
"Look mommy BROCCOLI!! Ohhh broccoli ~ MORE Broccoli" - those would be a different kinda tree they have in the south.

"OHHHHH - WATER!!" Close G - those are just boats. There isn't any water under them yet.

"MommyDaddy, daddymommmy when i boogeyboarding i keick my feets"

Its the little things...

2009-07-10T06:39:00.000-07:00

So while it seems that not much has been going on lately ~ we've been incredibly busy. Work is busy ~ photography is busy ~ and having a lil one home alllll day is very very busy.

But here are some of my favorite developments.

1) G's new favorite TV show is Jane & the Dragon. I used to think it was because the dragon was kinda cute & the music was fun, but i may have been wrong.

"G ~ please put down the yardstick. It is not a toy to hit things with."
"Mommy it's my swoooooord"
"Oh, well then. Take your sword outside please"

Jane is a knight in training.

2) Giuliane MUST have at least 3 Curious George stories read to her before bed. And George may only be read before bed & no other time. George = bed. (so help me if i forget to pack the book for vaca)

3) ohhh there WAS something but now i can't remember what it was. bah.

**UPDATE*** i remembered...
G likes to wear a Santa hat in the middle of July. EVERYWHERE.

Art-O-Matic Ends....

2009-07-09T04:31:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh it is with a happy heart that I report art-o-matic has come to an end. For those of you not in the know...Art-o-Matic is a HUUUUGE annual art show in DC. For years Pete-a-lee's band has played there and I've always said to myself 'you should do something.'

and this year i DID!

I combined two of my loves ~ natural childbirth & photography and did an installation called: Homemade ~ Homegrown ~ Homebirth
One of my favorite things to do at the show was to sit along the back window of the building and watch people pass my site. It was a rare treat when one of those people happened to be pregnant. I specifically wish I had my camera for this one couple. She was completely turned off and her body langauge could not have screamed 'UNCOMFORTABLE!' any louder than it did ~ while her partner/husband leeeeeaned in as far as he could to examine every detail and read each and every quote posted. He wanted to discuss and she wanted to run. and it was something i chose that made them feel THESE emotions. it was quite a kick.

Of course I was called 'creepy' and people pulled away in fear or disgust, but I will treasure soo much more than that.

"This is amazingly beautiful. I pray for strength when my day comes"

"Your work is truly inspirational. Such a wonderful and beautiful part of life"

"Thanks for these beautiful pictures. We need more images of strong women giving birth naturally. I'm getting ready for a home birth in a few months from now - Can't WAIT!"

"I am a young women not yet ready to be a mother, but am very interested in a peaceful natural birth in the future. Thanks you for sharing these experiences & meaningful quotes."

"Absolutely wonderful! Thanks for capturing the beauty of natural childbirth"

"Beautiful Photos - from a mother, home-birther, prenatal yoga teacher & doula"

"Your a feminist!" -- yea i think that's a compliment :)

"Thank-you so much for showing this to the world. More women need to know how wonderful this natural process is. You are such an inspiration! -- mother of two while gave natural childbirth

"Snacks is lovely. Thanks for sharing."

"Feet is really powerful"

"I like the one called life. Unlike the like people have created. It's real."

"Childbirth portrayed wonderfully."

"Amazing. Beautiful. Empowering."

"I want this so much I'll even marry the wrong person for it. Is that wrong" -- umm yes.

"Hooray for Homebirths!!!"

"You've made me so proud. Love Mom" -- yea that's a fav

"I LLLOve it! Proud breastfeeding Mom" -- hee hee LLL

"I am 5 mos and this has inspired me to enjoy the moment, to 'exist' in a miracle. Thank you for sharing"

So was it worth all the time, $$$, & effort?

WITHOUT a DOUBT!

Holy Toddler Batman

2009-06-19T11:05:00.000-07:00

So last night G and I were TRYING to go to sleep. Ok ~ one of us was at least. The other kept calling her daddy in to say goodnight.

on the last round, she got her hug & kiss ~ made sure mommy hugged daddy too and then we all snuggled for a bit. Apparently G had officially had enough family time when she told Pete-a-lee. "Ok, you go clean kitch-ken now"

Thats my baby.

OUCH!

2009-06-10T09:25:00.001-07:00

So this morning I was dutifully leaving for my weekly meeting. Typically this a far less eventful 'event' but since the onset of 'daddy daycare' ~ I had 2 goodbyes to contend with.

So i say my first goodbye ~ thankfully he didn't cry.
Then onto my next.

Come-ere and give mama kisses bye bye.
"NO - come toooooooo"
"No sweetie, mama has to go to work and be with all grown-ups today."
"NO MOMMY I COME TOO!"
(a few more rounds)

Then she darts in front of me, picks up her baby doll, hugs her and with venom in her eyes says to me.
"I take baby with ME!"

"Ahhh - so Mommy should take her baby too?"
"YES!"

Good argument kiddo - almost had me there for a minute.

Open for business – Daddy Daycare

2009-06-08T23:15:00.000-07:00

If you read about lemons on May 27 you’ll understand why.

Two weeks have passed since the decision to take G out of daycare to save every penny earned. Each day I would watch her enter the class room and run to circle time where all the kids would sing and dance and learn something new. Each day I hated knowing that at some point she wouldn’t have that anymore and wondered if she knew…but of course she knew, she’s just stronger than her mom and me. As she waved bye to her teacher and friends last Friday Jenn and I were overcome with emotion and just balled. At least a weekend in the country helped cure (distract) the sadness and today starts a new chapter and some amazing memories I get to share with G.

Daddy daycare is open for business.

After breakfast the start was a bit rocky. I sat G down and asked what day is today? Blank stare. Monday. Mawndy. Good. And it’s the first day of the week, well technically the second…but…oh damn…Jenn... what do they say Monday is at Happy Faces????

But we found our groove with some water color painting, bike ride, swings and making lunch together before Jane and the Dragon, a book then a 12:45 nap. Just a little over 3 hours since this adventure started and I was exhausted and realized I need to have a plan to keep me sane and give G some order and continuity.

Jenn arrived home around 2pm so I left to shop for groceries and while out stopped by the library for some pre-school help.

Handtalk Zoo – George Ancona & Mary Beth
The Essential Montessori – Elizabeth Hainstock
Teaching Montessori in the home the pre-school years – Hainstock (a bit old school even for conservative ME)
Things to do with toddlers and twos – Karen Miller (my fave so far)
Have fun with your kids the lazy way – Marilee LeBon (title sounded great but the book is boring)

The afternoon session was all about cooking with G helping pour yogurt, pick mint leaves and mix fresh cucumbers and onions to get our Mediterranean feast ready for a picnic at the garden. A very fun and yummy way to get tactile, sensory, dexterity and vocabulary lessons and the best part....keep her attention.

Tonight after some light reading I decided to make play dough! Fun and easy...a sealed container now holds 3 smalls balls of red, green and blue dough. So, I’m set for 1 activity for tomorrow. Now if I can fill the other 6 ½ hours. I’m excited just thinking about all the possibilities!

sittin in a tree

2009-06-02T09:35:00.000-07:00

So i've been telling EVERYONE and their brother about G's new boyfriend, I don't know why i don't just blog about it already so i can embarrass her forever with it down the road.

So yesterday G goes to school in a cute new sundress (thanks to aunt joanne!) When she enters the classroom a little boy says "Gew-y-anne like-ed your new dwess" To which she demurely replies "why thank-you" and does a little spin. Then she walks over to her seat and crawls up. WHY THANK-YOU and a coy spin. Are you KIDDING me?! I SWEAR to all that is holy i only watch real housewives late at night after she has gone to bed.

THEN when i went to pick her up. They had about a 7 minute exchange of goodbyes. "bye Gew-y-anne" ~ "bye bye kee-nu, see you tomorrow" complete with high fives and lil fingers through the fence. Sheesh. What do i have on my hands here.

But i will say - she's adorable and has been perused by "kee-nu" since day 1. When she first started transitioning into the toddler room he said " I like-ed gew-y-ann ~ she's CUTE!"

Oh boy. Things to come. The things to come.

Lots of Lemons

2009-05-27T19:10:00.000-07:00

So here is it world wide web.

Pete-a-lee lost his job.

And it sucks. It sucks real bad. Frankly, it scares the CRAP outta me. Yea sure, we're smart, strong and have a BEAUTIFUL HEALTHY lil girl and with that I can be happy. (but it still sucks)

But in all that sucki-ness ~and the financial sucki-ness to come. I find myself taking stock in that which doesn't dwell directly inside my home.

1) i have a great family ALL over the US and not only that but i love them all and can openly talk with them all. Kinda cool
2) i have WONDERFUL friends who venture to the scary scary burbs for a 2 year old and even ~ yes EVEN come in from LA (yes, the one in california)
3) i finally have a garden. Something i've REALLY wanted for a good 4 years.
4) i am a photographer. I can finally say that without any disclaimers and/or qualifiers before or after it comes out of my mouth.
5) i can sew - pretty damn well actually. So - fine. I can't follow a pattern to save my life, but really - i say it would only stifle my creativity.
6) i am proud of the life i live. I eat well, i cook well, i let people merge when i drive and i no longer give folks the finger when they are OBVIOUSLY taking their time when crossing the street. (yes that's worth being proud of)
7) i recycle. Not because i FEAR the world is ending or because its the cool thing to do, but my dad always taught me to leave a place cleaner than i received it. And well -- i got some time to make up for.
8) i'm learning to garden without any chemicals and pesticides (see above)
9) i'm STILL meeting wonderful people and i like that. be it the group of out-of-towners that resuscitated a bit of life back into my cold shocked body, or the gardener that reminds me so much of my grandma Lois it takes my breath away.
10) i can no longer stomach most of whats shown on prime time television - and i am proud to have all my feelings back
11) i vow to grow more flowers this year
12) did i mention i can cook?
13) i've fostered good true honest to goodness friendships with people via WORDS. (ok that IS a nice way of saying i'm an online dork) BUT what underlies it all is a common thread to be a better person and learn from one another and in that i've met some amazing women with vastly different lives than me.
14) i teach classes on natural childbirth WITH my husband ~ not in spite of which seems to be so sadly the norm
15) i am sleepy and am off to dream of 'lemonade'

CHEESE!

2009-05-21T06:44:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when Grandma & Grandpa & Aunt Becky & Aunt Yujin all come in to town. Now instead of just talking on the phone she holds it RIGHT UP IN YOUR FACE and says..."say cheese"

Pay No Attention to the Baby Under the Carpet

2009-05-20T19:12:00.000-07:00

No Seriously. This is the scene that i came home to after a night of "Martini's & a Movie (sans movie) with the girls.

No Seriously. This is how G fell asleep. THIS was the position she chose. Apparently SOMEONE suggested it was bedtime, someone was watching baseball and someone was giggling at her rolling under the carpet and then...

No Seriously. This is where she slept...until i got my fill of giggles & pictures in as well :)

Happy Birthday Baby!

2009-05-20T05:06:00.000-07:00

Dear G,

HAPPY SECOND BIRTHDAY! I really can't believe that my sweet lil baby girl is T-W-O. Although i don't know who i think i'm teasing because really...your growin like a weed. Mentally not a day goes by that you don't crack your daddy & I up. And physically, that lil lioness mane and those loong legs & arms crack me up every morning when i wake up with them all wrapped up around me.

This spring has been so much fun with you. I'd say our number one thing to do this year is take care of our plants and sew. It's so much fun to see you interested in watering our plants and at the farm 'comeon guys' helpin out as much as, if not more than, some of the adults.

For your birthday we went to brunch with Grandma & Grandpa and came home to PRESENTS! Your new shiny bike was by far the biggest it and I'll take a lil credit for my fun spin ~ spin ~ spinny dresses. After a lil nap Auntie Yuj & Auntie Becky came to for dinner and to PLAY. G got some awesome princess dress up stuff and we just laughed and laughed. We also sang happy birthday THREE times complete with candle blow out and relighting. Who can resist a request of 'one more time mommy?' on a birthday!?!?

Your a light in my life that I never dreamed would shine SOO BRIGHT. Some parents talk about how in awe they are of the love for their children ~ I've never been so shocked and I guess i'm lucky that way...I always felt TONS of love growing up. But i wasn't prepared for how a 'hi mommy' or a lil chubby hand on my chest could just make me melt and make all the ugliness of the day disappear.

I love you my lil buttercup. Thanks for letting me see the sun shine ~ even on the darkest of days.

Love,
Mama

Happy Mothers Day!!!

2009-05-11T08:22:00.000-07:00

and i had a good one indeed! Admittedly saturday started off a bit shaky but that was VERY short lived and the rest of the weekend was fantastic!

Saturday we went to 'our' farm again. This time we had some friends drive up with us. As silly as it sounds it was fun just having other folks in the car to chat with. Made me feel young again. The farm, as always, was awesome. We toured around and saw how things are progressing (even with the absurd rainfall) and did a little more rock harvesting. But then we reaped the rewards: 3 dozen eggs, chives, and rhubarb. Afterwards we went to our real garden and just sorta hung out / day dreamed for awhile.

Sunday was MY kinda day. It was amazingly beautiful out and i didn't change a single diaper!!! On top of my wonderful gifts, we got to hang out & I did some sewing all day which was clearly awesome. I made G one of her birthday dresses & a pair of pants. We definitely stocked up on our vitamin D. It may have made Pete-a-lee a bitch twitcy not leaving the house, but it was truely my kinda day!

New baby smell

2009-05-03T03:56:00.000-07:00

I really can't believe it. I JUST got back from a beautiful homebirth of a sweet 6lb 12oz lil baby girl. I had let some folks know that i was interested in doing some photos of a natural labor and a student I substitute taught for was interested.

This afternoon i met with them and we just chatted. 'Baby' was a little over a week late and mom didn't think it had an exit plan any time soon. Retrospectively interesting ~ i stayed far longer than i expected just chatting with them and hearing about some anxieties over the past week. It was a great fun & friendly meeting and upon leaving i COMMANDED the baby to come out. Well...7 hours later ~ contractions started.

I showed up at 3:30am and was out by 6:30. It was filled with many highs and a few lows, but ultimately ~ resulted in a perfect healthy baby. No Zimbabwe.

It was pretty interesting ~ just about 1 year and oh...350 days ago i was sitting in a bedroom holding my brand new baby. On both this morning and that ~ the birds were chirping after a fresh rainfall & the air smelled so sweet. Such a timely reminder of how much our family has grown in two years ~ and how precious life still is.

Mother’s little helper! (and…Daddy’s too)

2009-04-27T08:58:00.000-07:00

So our little Pnut wants to be a part of the action no matter what we do. Sometimes I just want to get things done but then I realize she just wants to help, so even if it takes a little more time it’s worth it. Just watching her smile as she struggles to carry a small bag, or my grill scraper, or the cooler; yes she grabbed the handle of our quite large cooler with wheels and walked out towards the truck! She just really wants to help and be a part of everything and it’s awesome.

Friday was grilling night. Jen set outa blanket and opened a bottle of wine (Our new favorite, Pancake Cellars 2007 Big Day White, small price with a big yummy taste), and I fired up the coals. It was a beautiful night and as the sun was setting, Jenn read while I started to grill the squid. Pnut was at the picnic table with the plates from the cooler and was setting them out for each of us, along with forks and knives too! Jen’s and mine on one side of the table and hers across from ours. All the while muttering mommy, daddy, ME…mommy’s pate, daddy’s pate, ME pate.

Saturday we were back out at our "farm" to weed and pick up rocks so that we could harvest Asparagus. Yep...she was right next to Mom and Dad picking up rocks and tossing them into a large pile.

Fast forward to Sunday and we were cleaning or doing something other than watching our little girl. She was entertaining herself as usual and I hear plastic and clicking and she’s muttering again. I had to see what was up. She had found the plastic cups from the night before and had set out 3 on the coffee table. With an empty water bottle shewas “filling” up the 3 cups for Mommy, Daddy and ME! Amazed and pleased that our little G is happy, content, and filled with love for her family. I wonder if we can keep this up all the way through her teens. A father can hope.

Elephants use dirt and hay as a natural sunscreen

2009-04-27T08:48:00.000-07:00

So why can't G???

At least this seems to be her theory. Of course this weekend was extra messy with a trip to 'our' farm to harvest the rock gardens and gather some asparagus. (ohh and for those of you who remember my oath...FRESH DOESN'T STINK! i don't know how or why, but thanks to Pete-a-lee who pointed it out. Men, right?!?)

Ok so back to Pigpen. I know we were at a farm, i KNOW we gardened, but seriously...seriously ~ how does it get everywhere? Including Mom?

and why? Why is is sooooo important to keep my lil gringa SLATHERED in sunscreen when all it does it attract dirt from miles and miles away? HELLO G ~ your DAD IS CUBAN & ITALIAN ~ and your brother and sisters ALL tan nicely.

Not that i'd let you tan at barely two years of age...but a mom can dream right?

April Adventures!

2009-04-23T08:28:00.000-07:00

This month we had not one, but TWO adventures.

The first one was more of a mommy & daddy adventure! Can you image?!?! Yes, I can assure you ~ they DO exist! Anyhoo - my brother got married and with his fiance ~ (now better known as 'Aunt NINA') had they had the most fanflippintastic wedding weekend. For three nights in a row we got to play (and by play I mean drink) And although i can proudly say I survivied...it wasn't as easy as it was when i was 20. Not by a looong shot!

(watch out ~ the next shot is pretty riske) -- haha or not.

THEN the weekend after we drove down to the Sheandoah Mountains to visit Peter's sister & family. It was an awesome day trip. Complete with mountain views, swimming and tempting Vera Bradley bags. Although I didn't take a single picture while we were there. I did manage to snap a few as we were heading out the door.

Coo Coo for Tutu's!

2009-04-20T06:29:00.000-07:00

So i bought this FLUFFY pink tutu on a whim at a second hand shop because i thought it would be a really cute photography prop. Never in a million years did I imagine that i'd have lil girly girl who was that kid who wore silly stuff. EVERYWHERE. No seriously ~ EVERYWHERE.

I actually wake up and coordinate her weekend outfits so the tutu doesn't look quite so ridiculous. Of course its not just day-time wear either. It makes the perfect accessory for bedtime as well.

My Life.

2009-04-15T08:21:00.000-07:00

My Oath

2009-04-08T06:01:00.000-07:00

I, JennalaMommy, do hereby solemnly swear that i will no longer serve asparagus until EVERYONE in this home is 100% potty trained. So help me God.

School Pictures

2009-04-06T07:58:00.000-07:00

So today is PICTURE DAY at G's school. I bounced back and forth on how much I cared. Ranging from not.at.all to ~ she's missed every other picture day and it would be fun to see what comes from it.

Sooo last minute Peter reminded me and i whipped out the iron. Zoom zoom zoom ~ toss on the dress, add some pigtails per request, and we're off with cargo pants to change into later.

BUT WAIT. She looks soooo cute! I HAAAD TO GET A PIC. Channeling my inner G i feel i can claim "I DIT IT!"

But no matter what, they don't make me smile 1/2 as much as this one does.

in a minute...

2009-04-05T07:25:00.000-07:00

Anyone think we took too much time getting ready???

Not THAT kinda bunny!

2009-04-05T07:18:00.000-07:00

So we were playing around with G's bunny ears the other day (perhaps in anticipation of a photo shoot?!?!)

Little did we know she has aspirations of being a...bunny.

Not really the kind we had expected though.

Ummmmm...

2009-04-01T09:23:00.000-07:00

Ummm... Ummm... Ummmm... I have a little girl! No longer a baby, but a little girl that gets nervous and says "ummmm" ALL THE TIME NOW. I presume this is one of her (numerous) bad habits she picked up at daycare. But, like all the rest, I know it should be a bad thing but it seriously just makes me giggle.

Me - G, what do you want?
G - Ummm... Ummm... (picks at lip a bit) Umm...
Me - G honey, you can point if you don't know the word.
G - Ummm... Ummm... (picks at lip a bit) Umm...
(a few more rounds)

P - she wants chocolate, she saw me eating some
Me - G do you want chocolate?
G - Ummm... Umm... yea mommy, CHOP-a-LIT!

Apparently i'm the BAD parent and she knows she's not getting it from me. Often at least :P

and a gratuitous pic of G just for fun!

Happy SPRING!

2009-03-24T11:17:00.001-07:00

So March 20th not only marks the birth of a lil sis but the FIRST DAY of SPRING!

With each passing equinox and solstice Pete-a-lee and I seem to celebrate each more and more. Perhaps its because we love to cook and planning a theme dinner is acutally a lot of fun for us ~ perhaps its because we like organics and in paying more attention to what we eat, we're thankful for new seasons & tastes as they arrive ~ perhaps its because like any holiday its less about what someone else says it is and more about what you make of it.

Either way ~ spring rocks!

While P was up getting the grill going, G & I made a new wreath for the front door. Sans picture, it has beautiful spring themed blossoms and 3 eggs tucked warmly inside the vine. Then for dinner we had grilled lamb & asparagus with a salad complete with flower blossoms and poppyseed dressing. Desert was a cupcake for G (i love that after then intial bite of icing ~ she flipped it over and only ate 1/2 of the cake.) And P and I had a rhubard & stawberry tart (almost glueten free - we ran out of almond meal)

After dinner we pulled out my favorite flower pot (mothers day gift from G last year) and planted some cat grass. Apparently its supposed to sprout in 3-5 days, but ummm that was fri and we ain't seen nuttin yet.

Chicken???

2009-03-23T07:31:00.001-07:00

So apparently ALL we ever eat in this house is chicken. Or at least that's the world according to G. Occasionally she'll break out a "fisssshhh" in her vocab, but for the most part its "kickin" ("chicken").

Though she does / did know eggs well. She LOVES her morning eggs. However after the latest trip to the farm and picking up the eggs FROM the chickens. The girl is thoroughly confused. Now EVERYTHING is chicken and last night we got in a debate (yes I debate with a child who's not yet two) over chickens vs. eggs.

Ultimately she won.

OUR Farm!

2009-03-23T06:40:00.000-07:00

Hee hee.

So Saturday morning was GREAT! We woke up, drove out to our farm ~ which really isn't that far away ~ had breakfast at a nice restaurant ~ and acutally got to the farm on time! AMAZING :)

First, we were given a tour of the greenhouse. Were told about the relatively new wood burning steam heating system (vs. the previous propane heating system that blew up like roman candles in the night) About how some of the 40,000 seeds had already been lost to frost, but were on order from another farm and would be arriving soon. April 15 is the estimated plant date for seedlings and seeds alike. Then in May we'll be invited back for a pick your own lettuce day!

Next, we walked back down towards the main house and learned a little about the history of the property (his wife's family previously owned) and about how the farm works. Of course G was far more interested in the animals and even i have to admit i fell in love with their dogs. So much so that i even googed and found that there are a TON of sweeties recently rescued not far from our home. To which Pete-a-lee dryly replys ~ "yea, that's just what we need in here"

THEN...it was down to the chickens. IT WAS AWESOME!!! Ok. Well *I* thought it was awesome. Peter didn't exactly dig the idea of having to dive underneath a tent with a bunch of birds to gather the eggs and once G stuck her hand in a broken shell, shrieked, thus causeing the closest birds to flutter ~ she wasn't so thrilled either. But it was really really cool. We got almost a dozen ourselves, then later on picked up a few more that were harvested the day before.

Peter altimately found a hoe (not me) and an alternate route to the eggs.

We even scored a GOOSE EGG.

Then we walked back up the hill. We were shown the bee hives and new bees, a few hive boxes that had been destroyed by bears and the humerous tales of their destruction. The herb garden and...A PEACOCK!!! They have the most beautiful peacock.

Then after all that we came home ~ i showered and was off to photgraph a Bat Mitzvah. It was quite an incredible day. If your interested in more of the pictures click HERE.

So in summary. I want a farm. With bees, a great pyrenees and a peacock for mothers day. Pete-a-lee I hope your reading this :)

Could it be???

2009-03-20T07:31:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that I almost let March slip away from me. 2 months and I've already forgotten my new years resolution?!?! Bad Jenn!

Anyhoo, thanks to a great e-mail i recieved this morning I think I have a plan. We're going to visit our farm!!! (and by our, I mean someone else's entirely) We're part of a CSA for the summer and will be getting our veggies, fruits and some eggs from them on a weekly basis.

I just got an e-mail inviting us out to check out OUR chickens laying eggs (and get a free dozen) see the 40,000 growing seedlings in the greenhouse, get a tour, take a hike, collect eggs and if you really want ~ drive posts into the ground for a new hoophouse, or help pick up their new crop of rocks :)

I've got to be back in town for a BIG photo shoot, but how can we pass this up?!!?

(can you tell i'm excited??)

Practice Makes Perfect

2009-03-07T12:32:00.000-08:00

So I've got a few photo shoots coming up in the next 30 days. Some BIG ones. Soo in addition to a couple new lenes (GULP) and other fun gear stuff ~ i've been working through the basics again with a tutorial. Its amazing how *lost* one can get in playing with the big stuff ~ that you loose sight of photography 101.

Its a beautiful day out ~ the windows are open and i'm following my tutorial...striaght to the park.

Photography may get better with time ~ but i think the subject started out pretty darn perfect from the beginning.

Bubbles - EWE

2009-02-26T11:37:00.000-08:00

So for Valentines day G(in addition to a fabulous weekend away with mommy & daddy) got bubbles for her bathtub.

G LOOOOOOOVES bath time and at even the slighted mention of a tub or a wispered hush of "bath" sends her barreling down the hall striping like a coed in Cancun on their way to a bladder buster.

Peter and I have discussed bubble bath for her, but after one look at the ingredients, you sorta give up and say...'someday ~ maybe later'. But we found a packet of harmless-enough stuff and decided to give it a try.

The whole time G & I were filling up the tub we were giggling about BUBBLES and how much FUN it was going to be. Well as it turns out ~ it wasn't really all that fun. Apparently bubbles are kinda scary the first time you take a tub and having them up to your chin isn't the 'easiest introduction' to them either.

Oops.

"what. is. this. stuff."

"no really mum, get this crap off me"

"ok, if i let you take a picture will you help THEN??"

"and now your laughing...i really don't like you"

forgot...but not forgotten

2009-02-26T11:29:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago "someone" had a birthday. A birthday that unfortunately is ALWAYS celebrated in a hotel. Wishing she could have a *fun* cake and all of her family around ~ we at least tried to do part 1, as I think a 12 hr drive is ridiculous for a weekend, much less with a toddler.

The cake.

Unfortunately someone forgot it as he ran out the door. Maybe we'll do better next year.

i'm baa-ack

2009-02-26T10:16:00.000-08:00

So holy cow!

Who woulda thunk that working outside the home would leave you with NO TIME to goof off on the net!?!?

I was on a contract for two-whole weeks that had me in the office at 7am but thankfully out by 3. It was great / horrible. I really enjoyed being DONE when I left the "office" ~ i really enjoyed getting back into the gym ~ and i really enjoyed getting out of the house and talking to other folks now and again.

Of COURSE i hated getting up at 5:45 and missing my baby in the AM. That.Just.Sucked. And it was sorta high stress, but thats sorta a plus too. I kinda thrive in that environment.

But its all for not anyhow ~ as they canceled the contract as hastily as they entered into it. Thus my life is to return back to 'normal'.

(but i did get up at 7am today to begin work and if i can get to the gym today i'll be a ROCKSTAR!)

Dare I say it???

2009-02-19T11:15:00.001-08:00

I LOVE WEST VIRGINIA!

This past weekend we went to Berkley Springs and had a wonderful wonderful wonderful wonderful weekend. It (like everything) took us longer than planned to get there, but once we were actually there it was fabulous.

Friday Night – we went to Earthdog Café: BBQ. It has some seriously awesome food and was the perfect small town mom & pop shop to welcome us to Berkeley Springs. At one point, Giuliane had the whole restaurant in stitches as we walked to the bathroom to wash her messy messy hands and face. (no she wasn’t finished eating ~ it was apparently just halftime) I asked her to hold her ands up so she wouldn’t bump anyone’s purses, jackets etc, so she continued to walk through the looooong restaurant with her hands in the air like she was being arrested. BUT as she walked, hands up, in pigtails and BBQ all over her she would do a lil wave and say “hi” to those who looked at her as we passed. She LOVED all the attention and I swear slowed down a lil bit with each step as we were walking so Lil Miss America could eat up all the attention.

Saturday – was the BIG day. For anyone unfamiliar with it ~ Berkeley Springs is a State Park /Spa combo. What’s that you say? Exactly. Confusing, but you’ll see what I mean in a minute. Historic natural springs come out of the ground at 74 something degrees. Apparently even back in ol’ George Washington’s time he used to enjoy the water around these parts and thus the baths were made. In fact the town was originally incorporated as BATH, West Virginia. The original bathhouse on location was built in 1787ish. This building houses large roman baths and a museum of tubs on the top floor (closed during our visit) The parks building was built in 1929ish and is where the Victorian tubs are and Massages (yes that deserves a capitol M). Pete-a-lee made our appointments via phone, but let me tell you ~ there are NO signs telling you were to register / check in etc. So if you do go ~ tell us and we’ll discuss.

All in all the experience was delightful. I mean obviously it was no Nemacolin Woodlands, but in a certain way ~ it was more relaxing in a rustic laid back sort of way. All sex segregated (except the original bathhouse) The women attendants chatted about while we soaked in our tubs and even that was soothing in a maternal childlike way. The massage was in a darker room in the back with the separate tables separated by an elbow high wall and curtains. It felt very old world and communal. And I liked it.

Sunday – took our time and traveled the back roads home. We hit just about every antique store along the way and I bought some completely unnecessary gems. THEN (again with the caps ~ I know) we stopped randomly for a cup of coffee at “Tropical Island Coffee Shop”. I of course made fun of the name as I wiped the snowflakes from my nose. Little did I know ~ it was owned by a Jamaican man from Kingstown. OH MY GOD did the food smell good. It was prob 10:30am and all I really wanted was coffee. Peter was in the car with Giuliane who was sleeping but I knew he'd be pissed if he missed this place. Debating...debating...I get our coffee's, coke in a bottle, and a meat pie that was up front. Come back to the car and Peter literally sniffs me and tells me I smell amazing. I bring out the meat pie and in seconds G's awake and it’s GONE.

10:30 am and we're debating weather or not to eat lunch!!! So we take a walk around town...and about an hour later finally decide that its an acceptable time to return to Island Coffee for lunch. I had jerk chicken with some sauce on top that was ridiculously good and Peter had a curried goat. The owner was fantastic and we told him next time we're even close to driving through we'd be stopping by with tupperware in our hands.

Miss Crankipants

2009-02-13T10:36:00.000-08:00

Confession: I think swapping valentines at 20mos is STUPID. STUPID. STUPID. STUPID.

now realistically ~ i understand G's in a class w/3 year olds who might actually understand love and enjoy a lil party. But seeing the teachers stuff the 'envelopes' kinda takes out the pride of giving and getting doesn't it? Like, are we to start believing in a 'magic heart fairy' that comes and gives candy and cards to all the good little boys and girls? Aside from the fact that I don't really think kids this age need candy, much less should they think its a big exciting deal. I mean here ~ there really isn't anything better than JUSH (juice)

buuuuut...I play along and we made valentines for the class. But here's the kicker.

Confession #2: I had spent so much time on them that i didn't want G to "ruin" them. Am i an ass or what???

So i acquiesced and had her color the backs. Ironically as I finished them G would take them to Daddy to put in the pile ~ hand them to him ~ pretty side up ~ "I DID DIT" then come over to get the next one.

At least someone has her priorities straight!

XOXOXOXO

2009-02-13T07:23:00.000-08:00

I DID DIT!

2009-02-10T11:46:00.000-08:00

So this is another one of those OH SO FLIPPING Adorable things that I don't think i'll EVER forget...but once you talk to parents of older kids, you know you will.

G's ALWAYS been a helper. A big helper in the kitchen, getting dressed, the lil darling even tries to put on her own diaper. Yes - picture her nudie lil bum laying out a diaper on the floor, and trying to plop her bottom in the right spot. Wiggle wiggle wiggle and "I DID DIT"!

Clearly her favorite is going to the potty. These days she seems to think that merely sitting on la toilet is worthy of a "I DID DIT" and really - who has the heart to tell her otherwise. "YES you did sit on the toilet and toot...and NEXT time you can go POTTY".

I love the enthusiasm and her pride in doing things herself. We've even given up a shelf in our much loved pantry for her. I refuse to give up my living room as most parents seem to (though she does have a good agent and has far more real estate than a year ago) but now she has a shelf that holds some snacks, her silverware, cups, and bowls. She gets them out for meals and brings out her glass when she wants water. Its fun to give her the tools she needs even at such a younge age. The pride she has for something as simple as getting a glass of water is worth squishing a few bags of rice together.

For the rest of her life ~ i hope giving her the tools she needs to succeed are this simple...because I never want to stop hearing "I DID DIT".

We've been busy ....

2009-02-05T08:08:00.001-08:00

playin....

eatin....

celebratin (mesmas)....

and being sick...

Thankfully everyone (cept mom really) is back to 100% and happily looking forward to our Valentine's Day Adventure.

Pittsburgh's Going to the SUPERBOWL!

2009-01-21T06:32:00.000-08:00

WHEEEEEEE...

So this past Sunday we were sitting at home, watchin the game and just generally hangin out. We had been wearing our Steelers gear all day and got quite a few nice compliments ~ which i must say surprised me living so close to Bmore.

Anyhoo - the first tedious quarter was over (i mean really could it have been any more boring of a game after the Phili & Ariz?) ~we decided to head upstairs. Our neighbor to the north is quite the Steelers fanatic. Add that they have a new puppy and that pretty much just spells entertainment. G entertained herself most of the time by getting kisses from the puppy to throwing puppy toys and chasing them herself. During their down time ~ G took advantage of the best seat in the house. Mona took it in great stride because i think it meant she could hang on the couch.

When G wasn't stealing Mona's bed ~ she was playing in her crate. I mean a toy box that has a door so the balls can't get out??? What a dream!

So Aunt Jude ~ this ones for you. Your neice i mean. She won't eat meat and likes to sleep in dog beds. Heavan help me.

Adventures #2

2009-01-20T07:05:00.000-08:00

So...uhh..not EVERY adventure has to be a GOOD one right?!?! I mean we DID ultimately have fun, but man alive.

But now i remember why we had fallen into the at home rut. Not every excursion is as easy as packing a few extra diapers, sunglasses and a good attitude.

FOR EXAMPLE:
etd: 2pm
its about 2:15 and Pete-a-lee gets a note to do something for work. NOW! (duuuude) So he does it and I whine to the world wide web of friends who will listen. Trying desperately not let my good mood falter: it's however unavoidable that as the minutes tick by, so does my patience.
3:15 - TIME TO GO
3:30 - officially on the road w/G in tow
4:00 - about 5 miles from house
4:45 - about 6 miles from house
6:00 - mama's getting REALLY PISSY
6:30 - We finally arrive at the aquarium
(note we were going to get there by 3:30 - 4ish, have a nice dinner & be at the aquarium by 6pm)
6:32 - run run run into the dolphin show: G enjoyed this part enough to make the whole trip worth it.
7:02 - down to the cafe for a lil snack before we all have melt downs (carrots & celery)
8:00 - ahhh a GREAT aquarium walk though. The night wasn't soo bad after all
8:03 - F*&$% we're lost
8:05 - ahh Johns Hopkins, how cool
8:07 - uhh VERY unsafe neighborhood
8:08 - G's first crack house raid
8:09 - I threaten Pete-a-lees life if he doesn't turn around RIGHT NOW
9:00 - back on the highway...which for those of you not familiar with DC - Baltimore, there's NOTHING to eat between the two and umm we're hungry
9:15 - G FINALLY stops screaming and falls asleep
10:00 - AHH SWEET JESUS - FOOD
11:00 - home. ohsweethomeiwillneverevereverleaveyouagain. I PROMISE.

But ~ like i said. We DID have a good time.
Here's G greting Daddy after he was 'stuck' up in the trees. (acutally an overlook in the jungle room) and then running down the ramp at full speed occassionally tellin us to 'comeon guys'.

Clockwise: Mum & G at the dolphin tank ~ an attempt at a family pic on the escalator ~ DINNER ~ new friends

Adventures In Mommy-ing

2009-01-16T07:54:00.000-08:00

So while we were away on Christmas vacation, we felt the need for a mini vacation. (don't we all sometimes!) So we took the day and went up to the local ski resort. No we didn't ski, we just roamed around. It was a beautiful sunny day and I just wanted to get O-U-T. We had a BLAST! Daddy & Mommy had a few drinks and G even got a special treat (ohhh ice cubes!). We watched the skiiers and sat drenching ourselves in the sun till we got too chilly then made our way inside. We had a few more drinks ~ a snack (stupid stupid shrimp) and met some great people. Only in Pittsburgh can you find a random association with each person at the table your sitting with.

And so even though I don't normally do this sorta thing...here's my new years resolution:
1 Family 'Adventure' per month

Next Stop ~ Baltimore Acquarium. TONIGHT!!! (wheee)

One - Two ...

2009-01-12T07:30:00.000-08:00

This morning G and I were playing in the bathroom after brushing our teeth. She had brought me a 'jingle bell' from a friend's x-mas project. We were rolling it back and forth and I'd count / she'd count 1, 2, 3 and roll. But then I noticed a distinct difference. G wasn't saying 3 so much as WHEEE.

So yes my little darling - let's start the day off fun, with games, and coffee for Mama. On the count of 3.

ONE ~ TWO ~ WHEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

Cristmas Crafting

2009-01-08T07:55:00.000-08:00

And here's what I did:

(and about 5 more aprons, but it was getting close to Santa time and I didn't get pics)

ERROR

2009-01-07T14:15:00.001-08:00

So uh - the pics won't upload...GAH

HO HO HO

2009-01-07T13:16:00.000-08:00

(and no, I'm not calling you names!)

WE'RE BAA-ACK! AAhhhh to be home again. Its fan-flippin-tastic. While spending almost 2 weeks with family is nice, i ain't gonna lie...it grates on you a bit. (sorry folks, but you know its true)

CliffNotes
CHRISTMAS - rocked.
no seriously, this was the beginning of FUN with kids. G actively enjoyed opening presents, and candy - oh lord does this child love candy. My sister is amazing and got G a BOX. Yup folks you know how everyone says 'the kid would be just as happy with a box to play in'...well Jude took it a step further and made lil G happier than any kid alive with just that. This box had tinsel, stickers, crayons & a peek-a-boo hole and a sidecar for her lil puppy. I was HUGE on the lets-not-be-wasteful on presents we don't have room for or need and I really couldn't have appreciated this anymore.

NEW YEARS - egh.
for the record ~ i've never been a big fan. I think any mom with kids under 5 will back me up when i say...a night of uninterrupted sleep is about as blissful as it can get. Trying to organize fun filled family activities for kids ranging in age from 1-16...is not. Soo umm...I napped and left Daddy with a list of ideas that he wonderfully executed. I did wake up around 11 (to be friendly) and play a few games & toast with grape juice. Then promptly went back to bed about 12:14. WHOO HOO.

KID TIME - solid GOOD.
We always have a few issues but thats to be expected when you only see your steps on a limited basis, but as they get older it gets SOO MUCH easier. G has permanent friends/babysitters ~ they can entertain themselves (for the most part) and as far as photography goes...what pre-teenage girl is going to turn down make up and a fancy camera?? Seriously - they woulda been happy with a 'shoot' every single day.

HOMEMADE PLEDGE - WHEEE
so this year I took the homemade pledge. I've been crafting for strangers for almost a year now and really enjoyed getting to know each and every one of them though the swap process. Then one day it struck me ~ why don't i spend the same amount of time, love & consideration on those that i really love and care about. It seemed ridiculous. My talents are rather limited and thus this year was deemed the 'Year of the Apron' ~ BUT i am proud of what I accomplished and feel that most people got it and were honored by the gift of thought. (no worries, there WILL be a post of it all so i can brag a lil bit more)

PETE-A-LEE!!!

2008-12-09T14:20:00.000-08:00

I just finished (again) cleaning off the desk in G's room so i can have an official workspace. Its great being in here off the floor and having G play in her room and even color beside me. Used to being in the same room as Peter I often inclined to just randomly start talking to him as he's in the room. Clearly I don't get a response. Sooo i shout out "PETER" and there's a lil echo "PETE-A-LEE, COME HERE!"

Makes me giggle ever time.

Thankful

2008-12-03T07:21:00.001-08:00

So of course we were away for awhile spending Thanksgiving with my fam & the kids. Each year just gets better and better. This year was no exception. New family, G's antics and a fantastic birthday celebration just to name a few. I'm slugging though the pictures (over 100 taken in raw format - AHH) and have TONS i can't wait to post, but this one struck me.

As a stepmom myself, friends with a newly single mom and fiance stepmom and have to say that above all ~ I am truely thankfull for THIS.

pictured would be from left to right (stepmom, dad, stepdaughter, half sister, half brother, stepdad, mom & uncle who pointed out just how lucky I am)

another lactivist...

2008-11-20T10:34:00.000-08:00

So Peter and I have often thought that there was a difference among G and her daycare peers. Specifically i'm talking about head size.

When G was born her head was pretty normal size. In her following pediatrician appts it was clear that she was not following the normal head curve progression. There were a few days i was concerned ~ but after a few more appointments we were assured that her noggin was indeed growing, just on its own curve. Although we never stopped noticing just how LARGE some kids heads were growing. I had come to think it was the norm for babies to have ginormous noggins, but had to admit, i thought G's proportional body was far cuter. But i'm her mom ~ thats my job.

Yesterday I was talking with a fellow BF'ing mom who was complaining about how her pedi is giving her crap as well and mentioned her lil girls head size too. I told her our lil observation and was met with a loud "YESSSSSS ~ I TOTALLY AGREE".

Now while i have no idea if this is just the I-Hate-Formula-Companies in me talking or if there is real information to support my theory ~ i did come across this article. In China 2004 ~ some no-nutritional content formula got out and...

Up to 200 babies who were fed the formula developed what doctors called “big head disease,” causing the infants’ heads to grow abnormally large while their bodies wasted away. Some babies died within three days of being fed the formula, while others were hospitalized after parents discovered their children were sick.

Sooooo who's to say some ingredient in 'nutritional' formula isn't the same as what was in this not-so-nutritional one. I think i'm onto something.

Just please don't tell Similac where i live. I don't trust em. :)

November Craftin

2008-11-20T09:11:00.000-08:00

November's Swap theme was 'Fall'. I had quite a time thinking about what i wanted to make. Though i'm a 'sewer' so is the mom i was tasked with so i thought it might be neat to step outside my comfort zone. She had created something so unique for me (remember the bag of knitted bags) that i wanted to do the same.

I searched and searched and practiced and practiced. Till i came up with THIS.

and hee hee - i even made one for myself :)

Then ~ on to the good stuff. We got such cool stuff. I got some slippers (whee) and earings that are SO LIGHT and adorable (can you tell i've worn em a few times). G got a ball cover that ROCKS. I love the idea of having a lightweight ball that we can just bounce bounce bounce everywhere. I definatly see this as a future gift if i think i'm up to the task. Then of course ~ her precious scarf...in the post below. Just a lil bummed its mini size ~ mama wants one too!

I think i might bow out for the December swap though. I'm trying to make this year's presents 80% homemade. I told someone this and she said "why bother ~ i just like to get something and be done with it" Exactly i thought...thats exactly what I don't want to do. I've spent a lot of time over the past year creating neat gifts for girls and children i hardly know and its been an amazing experience. Sure it takes a lot more effort ~ and sometimes doesn't cost any less than going to a store...and even if they don't like/need it ~ at least they know it came from my heart vs something I 'had to do'.

Closer to TWO

2008-11-17T07:43:00.000-08:00

As of 6:06 this morning my BABY is closer to 2 years old now than she is one. Like one wasn't hard enough to swallow. but TWO.

Although the signs are there. She's a whole little kid now. I can't get over her joking. Sometimes i find myself confused because i think she can't acutally be making a funny ~ can she??

Last night for example i was getting a lil more than irratated with her lack of interest in going to bed. Of course it was our fault as we let her nap too long / too late, but whatever ~ i wanted to veg a lil before i went to sleep too. But SOMEONE wouldn't let me. Around 11 I raised my voice and said GIULIANE ~ HEAD DOWN. To which she scrunched up her lips, brought out that little pointy finger to her mouth and shhh'ed me. Yea - she shh'ed me. "Ohh your a little stinker" i said and rolled over to my side so i could silently giggle.

And just so you don't think she's only bugger to mum ~ a few weeks ago Peter had gotten on G's nerves. For what no one really remembers, but one thing is clear. When Peter repeatedly asked for kisses she said NO NO NO NONO, but when he'd grab her and kiss her and blow raspberries on her belly ~ even through the giggles she kept her lil lips tucked in her mouth so Daddy could not kiss her. Mommy fine ~ no problems. Daddy ~ lips zipped.

Even though she's a lil 'stinker' it just makes me more and more excited for the upcoming holidays.

TA DAAAAAAAAAA

2008-11-13T09:31:00.000-08:00

www.jlaphotos.com

now i just need business cards and ummm more clients.

pimp me internet nation. pimp away!!!!

I love my beautiful ordinary life

2008-11-11T10:49:00.000-08:00

So i was teasing myself this morning.

What happened to the cool me?!?! Oh yea, she's been replaced with a suburban mom. Damn I'm all but one step away from a mini-van and bad jeans.

As I was listening to napsters "top 10 easy listening" downloads (8 out of 10 of which are Michael Buble) I came to this realization. G's playing at my toes and I'm trying to work. It's all pretty NORMAL.

Then comes Wayne Bradey. YES - he has an album and its pretty great acutally. So with the new season and my new old&wise mentality we'll be updating the Alcantarians header and a new song is below.

but don't go crazy we're still anti meds / vax / cook from scratch / make cleaners / drink goats milk / have many homeopathic remedies / love our wood toys / waldorf dolls / etc etc

Flintstones -- Meet the Flintsones

2008-11-06T06:47:00.000-08:00

I just realized that I never did post the whole family pictures from Halloween. We had SUCH a fun night trick or treating with our friends. I thought it was ridiculous to go t-n-t w/a 1year old, but when you have 2 glasses of wine and a 10year old ninja ~ anything seems to be ok. Then as if that weren't great enough...we got to party as ADULTS!!!!

Holy Guacamole

2008-11-02T09:56:00.000-08:00

I'm 30!!!!!

What an amazing amazing birthday. I have the best life. That's really all there is to it. There was absolutely NOTHING that I truely wanted for my birthday. And I think that just might be the best gift of all!

2008-10-31T06:49:00.001-07:00