True Story

so, remember the tree thing? the tree that fell down and was laying on the power lines? and how i said i figured they would have to turn off the power to get the tree out and fix said lines? yeah.

i got the kids out the door to go to the library at around 10:10am. after library we were invited to a friend's house for lunch and a little play time. around 2:30ish we headed home. at home there is a large electrical truck and a tree service truck sitting in front of the house. uh-oh.
i push the button. the garage door doesn't open. damn, no power! i get out and go to the front door. i try to open it. the chain lock is on the door and i can't open it. ditto the back door. the only unlocked door is inside the garage, where i clearly can't go. i am locked out. (if you listen closely you might hear my muttered swears. @%*$#&! tree!!!)

thank goodness we have a friend that lives in our neighborhood who is a stay at home dad/babysitter. we hung out with them until daddy came home. then we had to go out to eat because there was still no power. then we went to the mall because there was still no power. finally at around 7pm they got it back on.

so lessons learned.... 1) if you think that they might have to shut your power off for any reason don't engage the chain locks on all your doors, it just makes you swear later. 2) having your kids out of the house from 10:10am until 7:15pm makes for extremely tired and cranky kids.... and adults. one should really try to avoid this at all cost. 3) mall food courts are wonderful places to feed over tired babies. i mean just look at this kid...
you'd never know he was having a meltdown just minutes before. he loves the food court! long live the food court!! ;) and of course 4) it is very important to have a friend that lives nearby. very important indeed!

Let's Be Thankful...

this is our neighbor's tree.

it has fallen on another neighbor's garage.... and the power lines.... ugh. (please don't shut off our power to fix them!!! i know, they will probably have to. sigh.)
if it had fallen the opposite direction it would have been on our house.... right on bean's bedroom.

our fence is kinda damaged but we will take that over a damaged house (and possibly damaged child).
we are very thankful.
damn you wind! we have had enough of your fury this past 6 months. go bother someone else for a change!!!

hope everyone else who had to deal with this wind is safe, has power, and is doing well.
:)

Best Shots?

these two pictures are so bad. the first one actually makes my eyes hurt a little- it is that out of focus. but the subject matter is so good that i have to keep these pictures. i simply HAVE to.

this first shot is of sprout. i was attempting to take a picture of him in his way cool ac/dc t-shirt but at this moment he decided that he was coming to get mama (or at least her camera!). this is him taking the chance, being brave, letting go and WALKING to his MAMA!


and if you have the beginning you sure as heck need to have the end! so here is his arrival, his victory, his... well, collapse. he made it to mama. he went 6 whole steps to make it to mama's arms... err, camera. (the boy has a thing about trying to take my camera, what can i say?)

look out world, here comes sprout!!!

these are my "best shots" because, even though they are pretty bad, they are so gosh darn good. ;)

All About Me....

i realized that, along with rarely mentioning my beloved pup, i never really say anything about myself. mostly because this blog started out as a way for family and friends to see what bean was up to. but since other people read this drivel too, maybe they would like to know a little about the unstable person who writes this. ;)
so here are a dozen things about me... in no particular order.

1. fall is my favorite season, followed closely by spring. spring would be my favorite season if it wasn't for all the rain (i love flowers!!). winter and then summer follow. yes, you heard correctly, summer is my least favorite season. i HATE being hot. HATE IT.

2. i'm a tea person. i love it. hot, iced, sweetened, unsweetened, black, green, herbal- i love it. it is just yum-yum-yummy! i hate to say it coffee people- but as lovely as coffee smells it tastes like butt! ;)

3. i paint... ok, i used to paint. i have about 10 unfinished canvases down by my easel right now. the last time i painted was before bean was born! sad. but it is hard to find time to do those kind of things when you have kids. i do have one painting of mine hanging in my house- in the bathroom. ha!
i did paint murals on the playroom walls for the kids though....

4. i'm a bird watcher. i know it sounds lame to a lot of people but i enjoy it. birds are really beautiful and it can be really exciting to see a bird you have never seen before. sadly this doesn't get done often either. little kids are just too darn noisy and i get so little time alone....

5. i read- a lot. i LOVE to read. i mostly read mysteries but i read all sorts of other stuff too. this is one thing that kids have not interfered with too much. (this can be done while they are in bed!) i'm always on the look out for good books- suggestions anyone??

6. i'm a shower person. (as much as i would like to enjoy a relaxing bath i just can't. there is something about a bath that is just unappealing to me. i can't explain it.) the hotter the better. when i'm done the room is full of steam. my husband thinks i'm going to scald myself.

7. i'm not a make-up person. i hate to wear it. i know i would probably look better if i used it but golly it takes time and you need to know how it put it on and what colors to use and geez that is just too much work. i feel the same way about fashion. what is wrong with jeans and a t-shirt anyways!

8. i'm terrible at cleaning house. i can't think of a chore that i even sorta enjoy. my house is usually a pit. i guess i'm just terribly lazy- but i try to pretend it is because i spend so much quality time with my kids though.

9. i love nature but DON'T like the idea of camping at all. i don't like the idea of sleeping and going to the bathroom outside. beds and toilets and showers are necessities in my life. pathetic but true. (honestly, i have a terrible time sleeping anywhere but my own bed. so if i'm not home i'm not fully rested.... wait, i haven't been fully rested in years. but, kids have a way of doing that to you too, don't they!)

10. i'm TOTALLY done having kids. the two i've got keep my hands FULL. and to be honest i'm not all that crazy about the newborn/infant stage. i'm SO happy that i'm all done with that. i find i like children much better when they are at about sprout's developmental stage. so much more fun and rewarding! i like being able to do stuff with them- crafts, games, outdoor activities- and that doesn't happen until they are older.

11. i've always wanted to write a book. this requires both time (of which i have none) and a subject matter (which i also don't have) so don't look for my name at the bookstore anytime soon.

12. i like to cook. i'm not real good at it and i'm not able to make anything too exciting (because my husband is a SUPER picky eater) but i do enjoy doing it. i really dislike the cleaning up part though. ugh.
if anyone has any super easy, my kids will eat it and they love it, no weird ingredient recipes they would like to share, i'm all ears! :)


there you have it, a dozen things about me. if you want to know anything else, just ask. i'm home, bored, with two sick kids- and have been for the past 5 days. help keep me from losing my mind!

what's that?
you say that's already happened?
damn! i think you are right.

Best Shot Monday

i nearly never talk about the magpie. that is kinda sad seeing as she was my very first "baby". even though she drives me up the gosh darn wall most days i love her to death. i remember when i had my miscarriage. she got up in bed with me and nestled herself right up against me in what we refer to as "ball form". she never moved. she seemed to know that i needed someone and even though she couldn't speak her gesture spoke volumes. it strengthened our bond.

she is a sweet animal but she has never really taken to bean. she tolerates bean and she would definitely protect bean BUT she sees bean as the little person who took her place. apparently animals can hold grudges too! she seems to be much more interested and tolerant of sprout. he can actually tug on her without getting a warning growl! maybe she is softening up in her old age?

magpie will be 7 in a couple of weeks. 7 years old. that is when dogs are considered "senior citizens". it is kinda scary to think that in just a couple of years magpie could be gone. that is the worst thing about dogs- their life span is shorter than ours. so, this year i'm making sure to spend the "good time" with the magpie. there will be more walks, more playing, more petting and snuggling. and what the heck, more treats too. after all, i have no idea how much time we have left.

she looks a little old and sad in these pictures but i assure you that she's not. she just is a little annoyed that i'm disturbing her nap- her 4 hour nap. (oh to be a dog and have your job description say that you need to take several multi-hour naps a day!!)

these are my best shots this week. what are yours of?? :)

Oh That Bean!

ok, so i haven't talked much about my darling daughter lately, have i? well.... she is good and, um, three. one of her "things" right now is that she doesn't particularly want her picture taken and when she does allow you to you get all these weird ass faces. BUT of course she loves taking her own picture and does it quite often. (i really need to get some of these off her camera to share with you all some time.)
****
so, here is a little beanism for you. yep, we still have them they just are fewer and farther between now- at least the really good ones are. ;)

we are driving down the road. she asks, "how is your hand on your arm?"
i ask, "excuse me??"
"how is it attached to your arm?" she replies (with that "duh mom" voice that she uses when she thinks she is being perfectly clear.)
"oh, by your bones honey. all your bones are connected together," i say. (simple is ALWAYS best- less chance of additional impossible to answer questions.)
"hmm. i wish it could come off..... i wish my hand was on my face. then i could pick things up with my face!" she declares with excitement.
wha- huh?!?!
(i have to stiffle my laughter because, oh my goodness why on earth would you want a hand coming out of your face?!? i can't even look at my husband because he is shaking with giggles.)
"that would be interesting," i say "but i think that might look kinda funny. don't you?"
she sits and thinks for a moment and kinda chuckles to herself. "yeah, i don't think i want a hand on my face now."
ha!! i really wonder what makes her think up these things sometimes!
****

here is one of the only decent pictures i've gotten of her in the past week.
still as cute as ever. still as ornery as ever. still bossy, loving, hostile, adoring and ridiculous as ever too. she can throw a temper at the drop of a hat- you won't even know what hit you. she also spontaneously gushes with love and sweetness. she is very smart but doesn't always want to show it. and even though some days i'd like to throw her out the window, i guess we will keep her. after all, who would make us laugh if she was gone?? :)

Humpty Dumpty

guess who just fell down and split his lip open!

sigh. at least it is in a different spot this time.

Sprout's 9 Month Portraits

a couple of weeks ago sprout got his picture taken. he did better than i expected. the guy would take a few shots then sprout would turn and look at me. he'd look back at the photographer then turn and crawl to me as fast as he could. we just repeated this over and over until the session was done. we got some cute shots too. all the employees kept saying that how photogenic they thought he was. of course i agreed. :) here are some of the best shots...

awww what a cutie!!!

this one just cracks me the heck up!

mommy's little sweetie

and now i must go compose a post about bean because i feel like i haven't said very much about her lately. ooops!

Baby Steps

sprout really has his heart set on walking. he considers it more and more. you can tell by watching him that he really wants too but sometimes he chickens out. other times mommy strands him standing in the middle of the room and he has little choice....



as you can see my life will be completely changed VERY soon. my busy little boy is going to be even busier. sigh. i'm beginning to wonder if i will ever be able to relax again!

Ouchie!

well, sprout is totally on his way toward walking. the past couple of days have seen him attempt to take a step but when he lifts up his foot he leans forward which of course ends in him crashing to the ground. this has not made him give up however and last night we very nearly had an actual first step.

BUT these great milestones come with something attached- boo boos, owies, and ouchies. take exhibit one for example:
this is what happens when you cruise the furniture a little too fast. not sure what exactly happened but i'm assuming one of those new teeth of his split that lip open when he crashed face first into the ground. instant blood, instant fat lip. it was pretty nasty. i actually thought for a second that it may need stitches because the bleeding was pretty heavy and i was having a little trouble getting it stopped... but that may have been due to all the thrashing and slapping that sprout was doing. (yeah, he totally smacked me in the face while i was trying to help him out. can you believe it?!? HA!)

i love being home alone with two children when one decides to have blood pouring out of their face! good times, good times. when i was trying to clean sprout up (and prevent any more blood from getting on my light beige carpet) bean began to totally FREAK THE HECK OUT. she actually was crying and lamenting, "but who is going to take care of me". really? honestly? your brother is bleeding all over the place and you want to know who is going to take care of you?!?! oh the mind of a three year old is an interesting thing!

anyhoo, sprout totally did NOT want me to touch his face. he was screaming like some one was trying to kill him and all i was trying to do was apply slight pressure to stop the bleeding, for the love of pete! i finally got things under control- bleeding stopped, crying stopped, big sister's hysterical screaming stopped- and decided to take some pictures. i mean, we NEED fat lip pictures, am i right? i think that i am.

apparently sprout wanted to make sure he looked good in his bloodied pj's. this kid was shrieking 5 minutes ago and now he's laughing??? what is up with my kids? what are they trying to prove?

we took some day after pictures too. as you can see the "sprout pout" is looking a little more prominent that normal but other that that things are lookin' ok. i think it is a good look for him- little tough guy. he's totally got your back! ;)

so that is the story of sprouts first big injury. it is sure to be the first of many... probably thousands the way he barrels around now. and once the real walking starts- lord we are in BIG trouble!!

Best Shot Monday

this week we have the spaghetti edition of best shot monday! honestly they really aren't all that great. i haven't been taking many photos at all lately and editing almost none. i'm just not feelin' it i guess. but i do enjoy these shot and thus feel the need to share them. so, here we gooooooo!


when you are 9 months old, spaghetti is hard to eat.
it is hard to pick up!

it can cause more than a little frustration.

and when you are lucky enough to get a few pieces in your hand....

it is hard to get them into your mouth and even harder to get them to stay in there!!!

but when you are successful it is SO tasty!

and this last shot.... it really has nothing to do with the spaghetti BUT it is beyond funny. i dare you not to laugh!

don't worry little guy! your sister freaks me out sometimes too. ;)


have a good monday, ya'll. and stop by tracey's to see more best shots.

Tag, Tag, Tiggity-Tag

my lovely friend christina tagged me. apparently she wants to see the 4th photo in the 4th folder on my computer.... hopefully you all do.
(thank goodness she didn't want me to post a picture of myself at the moment i read her blog. that would have been a sight!! thank you for not passing that tag christina!)

ok. here we go. fourth folder! fourth photo!
drum roll, please!

ta da!

this is a shot of bean from october of 2005. she was 3 months old. her shirt is wet from drool- she was working on getting her first two teeth, but they wouldn't come in for another month or so. dang she was bald! i'd forgotten how "cue-ball-esque" she was. ;) but still a sweet little princess despite that lack of hair. (although she was ALWAYS called a boy by strangers. EVEN when she was wearing ALL pink for the love of pete! just cause a baby has no hair doesn't mean it's a boy people!)

thanks for taking this stroll down memory lane with me. i don't feel much like taggin' anyone but if you'd like to share your own fourth picture from your fourth folder let me know and i'll stop by and check it out. :)

Frozen

yesterday's low as very low. it got down to -9 degrees but it felt like -28 when you factored in the wind chill. this morning it isn't any warmer. it is actually colder some how. when i woke up it was -13 degrees. BURRRRR!
we have very bad windows in our house. they are original to our 1960's house- single pane aluminum frame. ughh! and most no longer have their storm windows either. thus our house is chilly. you can feel drafts of cold air if you stand in certain places. also, most of our windows have a sheet of ice on the inside of them. there are even icicles on the handles one uses to open these windows.

needless to say we are NOT going outside today. it is a huddle indoors and be thankful for central heating systems kinda day. and a day you pray all those less fortunate than us found a shelter to sleep in.

A Day in the Snow

we had enough snow on the ground monday to make it worth our while to go out and play in it. bean was SO very excited to show sprout what snow was all about! she kept talking about snowballs and snow angels and snowmen and snow forts as we got everyone bundled up. sprout didn't have any boots so i put an old pair of bean's on him. they were 2-3 sizes too big and magenta with leopard print- i promised him no one would ever know he was wearing girl boots. guess i lied, huh? ;)
sprout hated his snow pants, hated the boots, hated the mittens, and he's really always disliked his coat and hat. so, it didn't start out on the best foot but we did make it out the door.

the magpie had a GREAT time!
the bean had a GREAT time!
the sprout was..... suspicious.
but then thought maybe it wasn't so bad.
then he tipped over (seems it is difficult to sit up when you are so thoroughly bundled). he didn't like that part so much.

the snow was not of the packable variety so the snowball, snowman, snow fort thing was out but bean did make several angels. she also smashed snow into sprout's face which of course he did NOT like. the explanation was that she wanted him to try the snow (she loves to eat it and wanted him too do the same). sigh.

next time we get a decent snow we are going to my sister's house to do some sledding. wonder what sprout will think of that? ;)

Best Shot Monday

ooops! i almost forgot that it was monday!! ha!

here is my best shot for this week. squeaky clean out of the tub and looking OH SO ADORABLE! but that's a mommy talkin'. ;)


so, what have you got to share?
ooh, and don't forget to stop by tracey's and check out what everyone else has to show too.

Best of the Holidays- My Family's Celebration

so, yes after christmas morning at home we headed off to my sister's house for a little extended family time. eight adults and 5 kids under the age of 5 and one big dog- it was crowded but fun. :)
first things first! bean needs a snack.

waiting patiently for her food.

then off to the family room for gifts. yes bean, that pile is for you. no bean you may not open them all at once. wait until it is your turn!

trying to wait patiently (it didn't really last long.)

sprout perked up when the gifts came out. he was still a little under the weather but was getting back to his usual smiley self.

santa's number one homeboy! ;)

sprout loved this truck my mom got him! he pushed it around a little and took the little animals out and chewed them. really that is all he wants, something to chew!

yay for trucks!

then after all that opening we of course had to play with everything. THEN we ate dinner. my sister didn't have room at her table for all of us so she made a special little table for the girls right next to the big table. the girls LOVED IT!three happy (and hungry) princesses

and that is it. i'm done with the holidays. totally. it was exhausting mentally and physically. i only asked for one thing at the turn of the new year- that we have an illness free and relaxing holiday next year!
please?
pretty please?
with sugar on top?
:)

The Christmas Morning Photo Shoot

a sneak peek into the "joy" that one is bound to experience when taking pictures of two adorable children.......

oh my goodness! just stand still for 30 seconds for the love of pete so mommy can take ONE pretty picture of you by the tree! PLEASE!!

please don't mess with your brother's face!

argggh! sit still, you are coming out all blurry!

yes, that would be cute but i really think that brother doesn't want to be kissed right now!

ok, this'll have to do. now mommy needs a nap!

Best of the Holidays 2008- At Home

home at last and sprout is feeling slightly better. BUT he fell asleep before the christmas eve rituals. you know like hanging your stocking and throwing your magical reindeer food on the front lawn.
what?? how else do attract santa's reindeer to your house?!?

sprinkling the magic!

oh and we must not forget the plate of goodies! cookies for santa, carrots for the reindeer, and cheese for santa mouse.... who's santa mouse you ask? well, he is santa's little helper. if you leave him cheese he will leave you a gift in your christmas tree!

making sure it is all there

then of course the reading of the night before christmas and "off to bed!". because santa can't come if you're awake!!

the next morning sprouty seemed ready to go. well... he didn't really know what he was supposed to be doing but he played along the best he could!

and "what's with all the pictures, mom?"

santa's gifts were a big hit. bean got a big tool box full of tools. she was SO excited. she examined everything that was in there before even looking at the other gifts. sprout received a ball popper. he was.... suspicious of it. but he seems to like it ok now. ;)
there were lots of gifts to open before we had breakfast and headed off to my sisters house for the family celebration so we encouraged bean to "put down the tools and find something else to open!" ha ha!

bean really did like the doll dresses i made her. she opened them up and i asked, "what did you get?" and she yelled, "jumpers for my babies!"

one of the favorite gifts was a little band set. it was a drum, harmonica, tambourine, and maracas. they both love it. sprout mostly loves the maracas. bean mostly loves the harmonica.

jammin' to some "interesting" tunes!

then it was off to the dining room to eat some breakfast and then into nice clothes so mommy could take pictures by the tree. hmmm, pictures by the tree. yeah, i think that should be a whole separate post. ;)

Best of the Holidays 2008- The In-laws

december 21st we had christmas at the in-laws. this was day 2 of sprout's awful illness but he wasn't showing any signs of discomfort when we headed out to open presents.

the smile behind the pacifier.

both kids headed straight for the tree. sprout grabbed whatever he could. bean actually looked for things with her name on them.

the gifts went all the way behind the tree to the wall and all the way up to that tv. 90% of them were for my kids- the only kids in the family.

Sprout only made it through his stocking and 2 gifts before he crashed and burned.

poor sick little man

bean LOVES opening presents. she really wanted to open everyone's presents- because they needed help, don't you know. this is the way bean opens gifts...

unwrapping with flare

bean loved all of her gifts- the whole mountain of them. she got cute clothes, books, toys, craft supplies- everything you can imagine.

checking out a new coloring book

so that was our first christmas of this year. i opened sprout's gifts because he was too sick to be care- or even be awake for most of it. bean never even got a bit sick and enjoyed every second and was terribly disappointed when it was over.
i'm fairly certain that we will not be invited back next year if we have even the slightest hint of illness. (seems sprout spread his disease to 4 other people over the weekend. oops!)

Family Portrait

so, right before sprout got violently ill (seriously, like 2 hours before) we had a giant family portrait taken. mother-in-law, father-in-law, sisters and brothers-in-law, and all of us. seven adults and 2 kids- i think we kinda freaked out the lady at jc penny. ;) anyways, right at the end we decided to get a picture of just us.

and i know you all want to see it so, here it is- the blueberry family portrait!


we are damn cute, aren't we?
:)

About Sprout....

Sprout is now 9 months, well... alright 9 /2 months old. but he had his check up today so thus the delay in the post. :)

his stats at his "9 month" visit are:
weight: 20 pounds 14 ounces (60th percentile)
height: 29 inches (75th percentile)
head: 48 centimeters (97th percentile)

he got one vaccine
he got a blood test
AND he got a TB test.
to say that he hated every single second of it would be an understatement. problem 1- he was hungry. problem 2- he was tired. and problem 3- i almost think he remembered what happened at the hospital. i know that sounds crazy but i really seemed that way!

the doctor says he is a healthy little man. :)


so, what is he doing now?
1- he crawls at light speed. no joke. he is one fast little bugger.
2- he has begun to cruise the furniture more frequently.
3- he stands without holding on to anything. when he does he seems to consider an attempt to walk. he will reach out and see if can touch the thing he wants to go to, if he can't reach it he will slowly squat down and fall to his knees and crawl. if he can reach it he kind just falls forward into it. that is kinda amusing. ;)
4- when you hold his hands while standing he has started to "walk". his steps are a little erratic but hey, it is a start!
5- he waves. an adorable queen of england style wave. sometimes he does it with both hands, we refer to this as his "jazz hands". ha ha!
6- he dances. well, sways from side to side with an occasional bounce thrown in. he LOVES music!
7- he plays peek-a-boo. he hides his face against you and you yell "where is (sprout-y!)" he will lift up his head and laugh. SO fun!

that is about it. at least that is all i can think of at this time! he is growing and learning so fast. i wouldn't be surprised if we were talking about a first word soon. (he "talks" a lot, and it certainly sounds like he is saying something. we just can't make it out yet!)

i would end with a picture but i'm so behind at uploading my pictures i don't have a recent one on hand! (i really can't believe myself!) so instead i will end with a promise of pictures... soon. ;)