Crafty (With Cake) Tuesday

sprout was having a party and i needed a cake. bean had a caterpillar cake for her first birthday so i wanted something equally cool and three dimensional for sprout's first. i found it on the family fun magazine website- a dragon cake.

what is the theme going to be though..... OH! knights and dragons! sprout is the knight that slays the dragon (cake). awesome!! however this is not a party theme that you can find decorations and stuff to go with. i had to make a castle and shields out of paper to bring the theme to life.

but back to the cake... i baked. i cut. i frosted. i decorated. and i think it turned out pretty darn good! what do you think?

and here is another shot of the dragon sitting in front of that castle i created for sprout on our dining room wall. of course he had a castle, he is the knight that slayed the dragon (cake) after all!

of course i didn't put the scale texture on it. the directions tell you to use a marker lid to make impressions in the icing that look like scales..... i decided that a one year old wouldn't care about such things (and that i had done enough for one night!).

well, that was my crafty for this week. have you done anything crafty?? :)

The Big One

saturday was the big celebration. the par-tay. the day where the crazy mommy invites tons of people over to scare the poop out of her tiny shy boy....

"if i hide under the gift table maybe no one will see me....."

he didn't really hide under the table. actually he did pretty good. all the guests were very understanding and gave him his distance when he was asking for it. he may even have enjoyed parts of the party (even though it was horribly scheduled at nap time. what was i thinking??)

he got LOTS of wonderful gifts.
including many, many clothes. i will need to buy him NOTHING for summer time. :)

and plenty of fun toys too! every boy needs a fire truck, right??

his favorite part was the cake though. oh my did he ever LOVE his cake. he ate it all. then i gave him ice cream- which he also LOVED (after the initial shock of the coldness). he ate it all up and was one sticky gooey mess when he was done- and so was everything within his reach!
yep, that is green frosting. he had a knights and dragons themed party and his cake was the dragon. dragons are green, right???
(if you want to see pictures of the cake you will have to wait 'til tomorrow's crafty tuesday post)

after all that excitement we had a brief nap time and supper then went to grandma's hotel for some swimming with his aunts. he had a fantastic time. he loves to swim- just like his big sister.
so glad you had a great birthday little buddy! your first year was so much fun!! we just can't wait to see what the next year has in store for you!! :)

Happy Happy Birthday Baby Boy

yep, it is here- sprouts first birthday. but as you may remember we thought he was going to be born on the 27th... you know, when it was scheduled! ha ha!

one year ago i had a doctor's appointment. she told me that she didn't think i'd make it to the induction. she said she wouldn't be surprised if i had the baby that day. i had contractions on the way home. i thought it was only because i'd had an exam and that they wouldn't last......... um, yeah. 5 hours later we were on the way to the hospital. about 3 hours after that the baby was here, he was a boy, he was BIG and beautiful.


and believe it or not he kept getting cuter.

and stubborn (oh so stubborn) too. (that is his binki, don't you dare think of taking it out!!)

and now.....

he is a big boy and more adorable than ever. he is walking. he is starting to talk. he LOVES his sister. he is a wonderful little man and we love him more than anything.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY LITTLE SPROUTY!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

The First Cut... the Sprout Edition.

i took the sprout to get his first haircut today. we went to one of those special places just for kids.... my sister said she only did boy hair with clippers and i didn't want it THAT short so we had to opt for a professional. we really wanted him to look good for his big day!

it started out ok. sitting in taxi cab and watching baby mozart was good, but he seemed suspicious...

then a STRANGER came NEAR HIM!!!! OMG!!!!!!

and she WOULD NOT STOP TOUCHING HIM!!!!
he actually flailed around. tried to throw himself out of the taxi. and basically didn't sit still for even a second. he was incredibly unhappy about the whole process.... mommy, of course, giggled at his ridiculousness!

but his "wings" (or "girl hair") are a thing of the past. we trimmed up but didn't go really "big boy" short so he'd still look like a baby.
his birthday is one week from today. ONE week. time sure does fly, doesn't it?!?

Weekend Funny

these are just some of the amusing pictures i took of my son today. if you are feeling like you need a laugh, these should do it!

almost picking his nose.... i'm sure he'll do it for real any day now.

i think he's trying to cram some sort of outdoor nastiness into his mouth here. i'm trying not to care what it was.

and lastly, i give you this face. he makes it quite often. we aren't exactly sure what it is about but it makes us laugh our asses off. ;)

A Daah-ghhhh

sprout has started to speak actual words!

we are very picky when it comes to saying our kids know words. if they repeat a word we say that is great but it doesn't count- they need to say it on their own to show they know what the word means.
this week sprout opened a book about dogs (the touch and feel puppy book) and clearly said "ah daah-ghh". then he turned the page and said it again. then again on the next page. he seemed quite excited about it. later that day when i was changing his diaper then neighbor's dog barked and looked up and said "ah daah-ghh!". i think it is clear that he knows the word dog now. :)
also, he has started making a sound that we believe is "ruff" in association with the word dog. i think he is making the dog sound! (and he should know it, our magpie can be quiet loud at times!)

we think he may be calling bean "sis". we aren't sure but it sounds like it. (she tells him she is his sister or sis all the time.)
he also may have said "buh-buh" (bye-bye) to his nana the other day. he has not repeated this again so it may have just been a fluke. we will have to wait and see.

so, sprout has two words now- dada and dog. he says the sound "ma-ma-ma" but he doesn't use it to refer to me. he calls us both "dada" (bean did it too so i guess that must be somewhat normal).
*don't worry, he's going to be getting his hair cut soon. my brother and sister kept teasing him- saying he had "girl hair" his weekend! so before his birthday he will be sporting big boy hair, i promise!! ;)

Crazy Dancing Bean

since you've recently seen sprout dance i thought i'd let you watch the strange, jerky, flailing that make up bean's dances.

she is more than a little crazy....

crazy, right?! that's what i thought. :)

Ahhhhhhhhhhh!

facebook disturbs me.
it shows me all the people i went to high school with and wants me to be friends with them.
and i have an anxiety attack when i see their names and pictures.

hmmmm, apparently i'm not over the horrors of high school. who knew?

Little Picasso

it is a beautiful day here. it is about 68 degrees. partly sunny. you know, a good day to be outside.
bean decided that she was going to make a rainbow masterpiece. here is my little picasso at work:

she needed the hat "because it is windy".... apparently it keeps the hair out of her face. :)

so, did you do anything fun today??

Big Boy

he spent the whole afternoon at the mall doing this:
back and forth. back and forth.
i think he may have this walking thing figured out. :)

Dance Baby Dance

things are a little.... crazy? i just feel completely out of it most of the time. i've barely taken any pictures. but i'm working on getting back into the swing of things, i swear!

until then, here is a short little video clip of the sprout getting his groove on. he really enjoys music. :)

Nevermind

today sprout has treated his sippy cup like it was filled with battery acid and killer bees. i've done nothing different- it's the same formula, the same cup, offered in the same chair in the same room.

sigh.
you are frustrating your mama, son.

Woo Hoo!

the sprout, who up until this point has thought sippy cups were only for chewing and banging, drank 4 ounces of formula from a cup tonight!!

(picture me doing the happy dance here)

he also has completely finished the transfer from two naps to one that he started 2 months ago. he now naps pretty reliably at 1pm and USUALLY sleeps for at least 2 hours. (yes, yesterday he only napped for 1 hour and 15 minutes but that is not the norm)
sadly he still hasn't gone back to sleeping through the night. ever since that horrible illness he had at christmas he has gotten up in the middle of the night. it started out as 3-4 times a night and now we are down to one. he almost always has to eat to go back down. we are in the process of making those bottles smaller and smaller hoping to get him to not need the milk at all. hopefully this will work. (keep your fingers crossed!!)

and several of you mentioned how big he looks. he doesn't just look it- he is big. he is starting to wear 18 month size clothes already, for goodness sake!

i just love the age he is at right now. he is just suddenly becoming aware of so much more, discovering things, and learning new things. he has this wonderful joyful face that he makes. he giggles and laughs and is just the happiest little guy i have ever had the pleasure to know. what a lucky mama i am! :)

Sprout Update...

ya know how i mentioned possible teething the other day? well, today i decided to just find out. so i was terribly mean and held him and reached a finger into his mouth and felt around (while he screamed his fool head off). sure enough i felt the rough edge of a molar just starting to break through. teething it is!

and sprout doesn't seem to care for the "normal" order of getting teeth.... he hasn't gotten his lower lateral incisors yet. and if you remember he got his upper lateral incisors before his upper central incisors. silly boy! ;)

All Bean

we talked about the sprout, why not the bean? ;) how is she doing? well.....

she is obsessed with temporary tattoos....
and making goofy faces for the camera. ;)

writing. she loves to write. she is getting better at making her letters every day. i don't make her practice she just is always asking, "how do you spell...." and i tell her. then she calls me in to see what she has written on her easel. i'm really impressed at how much she has improved in the last month.

reading. she is acting interested in learning how. i think a lot of this comes from the fact that her cousin has recently learned to read. i have found a system that is similar to what they teach in the schools around here and we are preparing to start. the lessons start out very simple so they aren't going to overwhelm her. (of course if she wants to quit we will. this is for her, NOT for me.)

school. she still loves it. she wishes she could go everyday. this week her teacher told me that she has been a very good friend lately. i like the sound of that.
we have parent teacher conferences on monday.
they sent next year's registration forms home this week. should she go three or four days a week????

loving. that is what she is. she loves her brother. she loves her mother. sometimes she doesn't want to share him with me. sometimes she doesn't want to share me with him. throw a daddy in there and it is a terrible predicament for a little girl. she doesn't always remember that there is always enough love to go around. :)
she is a sweet girl that gets a little over emotional sometimes. she gets a little bossy sometimes. and every once in a while she lands herself in timeout. (which she claims that she got rid of so i can't put her there anymore! hmmmm.)

All Sprout

so, how's things? i think we are finally disease free. one was sick, then the other, then back again.... i love that kids share germs. i love it.

anyhoo, the sprout. what's new? well he is 11 months old tomorrow and here is what he is doing....

talking. he is trying to talk. we just can't figure out what he is saying. he does say "da-da" and "ma-ma" but i'm still not sure that he is referring to anyone in particular. well, i take that back, i'm pretty sure he called me "da-da" the other day.
if you ask him where dada is he usually points to his daddy. if you ask him where his sister is he usually points to bean. if you ask him where mama is he usually points to the dog. sigh. (ok, i'll give him a break on this one. the dog's name does start with the same sound and i suppose that could be confusing.)
sometimes he seems to be repeating us. so talking is coming. he just isn't as advanced as his sister in this area. which i'm totally fine with! :)

walking. before he only walked when mommy encouraged him to do so. then, we got him to walk to his sister when she called for him (which made her the happiest girl in the world). now, he will just randomly attempt to walk to get to what he wants. he still only goes 6-8 steps but he is getting more sure of himself every day.

eating. for the past month and a half the dang child has REFUSED to be fed with a spoon. he will only eat what he can pick up and put in his mouth himself. he eats lots of things though- veggies (broccoli and peas are his favorites) and fruits (grapes and bananas especially) and beans and meats. oh yes, he likes meat. bean was NOT interested in meat. the sprout LOVES meatballs, meatloaf, chicken, and even a little fish. he doesn't like eggs or cheese, which his sister loved. but bean and sprout do have the same favorite meal- tacos! no joke!

playing. he is starting to roll a ball back to you if you roll it to him. he tried to stack a block the other day but didn't quite make it. he likes to hold the drum sticks and bang on his sister's drum. he loves to put things into other things (small toys into cups or bowls). he holds books and turns the pages (but will only listen to me read a select few without screaming- thank god for sandra boynton). here is a couple of shots of him at the library looking at books....

we are in a "chew everything in sight" phase. that just screams TEETH to me but he WILL NOT let anyone look inside his mouth so we have no idea.

he is in a "if you aren't my mama don't even look at me or i might cry" phase as well. this is entirely normal at his age but bean never did this so it is all new and weird to us. i hope he gets over it before we need a babysitter again..... for the babysitter's sake not mine. ;)

sprout and bean are really funny when they are together. he thinks she is the greatest thing ever- really. sometimes she lays on the floor and he just crawls all over her and they both just laugh and laugh. and ya know, two kids laughing together is just awesome! :)

Again with the Me Stuff...

ahhh, yes i'm doing it again. maybe it is a little of me wanting to stump mommee or maybe i've decided i like talking about myself after all. hmmmmmm. regardless here is another dozen things about me....

1. i graduated cum laude with a BFA in art history. what i EVER thought i would do with a degree in art history i don't know. i think i just picked a major based on what i liked/thought would be easy rather than what would get me a good job. hey, i'm book smart NOT street smart. ;)
this is also when i started saying "ya'll". hey, i went to school in the southern part of my state! (it is surprisingly southern down there!)


2. i was engaged for a short time to someone other than my husband. (i've made a lot of crazy mistakes in my life.... this was just one of the worst.)

3. i've been to 8 countries: canada, scotland, england, wales, bahamas, (england again!), france, germany, and austria.
i'd like to go to many more countries too. greece, australia, and ireland are at the top of the list.

4. i've been to about half of the states in our country.... most have been visited since i was married. it seems that my family doesn't get out much. ;)

5. all of my jobs have either been kid related (babysitting, safety town, latchkey) or retail. i actually went back and forth. first babysitting/safety town, then kMaRt, then latchkey, then another retailer- united art and ed. i couldn't really say which is better. surprising, huh? let's just say they both have their down sides and leave it at that. ;)

6. i actually like sports. i enjoy watching football and hockey especially. baseball is good- but only if you are there, i can't watch it on tv. interestingly i don't care for basketball. hmmmm......

7. i love flowers but don't like it when people send them to me. they just die so darn fast and it seems such a waste of money. i prefer my flowers still attached to the plant. it is one thing i spend too much money on every spring- flowers for my gardens. :)

8. i'm an emotional eater. i eat because i feel bad, i eat cause i feel good. i don't have to be hungry to eat! being bored is a good enough reason some days. this is why i'm about 30 pounds overweight..... ok, i lost 7 pounds so far this year but i still weigh 157 pounds and at 5'3" that is just not healthy. i would love to be down to about 135, but with my eating patterns that seems like a pipe dream! ;)

9. i can't really watch movies anymore. it just seems like way too much time to invest. but i will sit in front of the computer for a couple of hours reading blogs.... what the hell is my problem?!?! ha!

10. i really enjoy spicy food. we don't eat spicy food at this house though. oh not because of the kids but because of my husband. he thinks big red gum is too hot!! what a wimp!! ;)

11. cheesecake is the world's greatest food. there is no exception. it is simply the most divine food there is!

12. i went back to work when bean was about 2 months old. i couldn't take the stress at home and needed OUT. i worked 2-3 nights a week until she was about 15 months old then stopped because then staying home wasn't so bad and going to work was becoming a hassle.
since sprout was born i have defintely wanted to get OUT again but this time there just isn't any place to go. so i suck it up and deal. because i'm the mommy and that's my job! ;)

there you have it. more crap about me. i promise the next post will be about the amazing sprout. promise.
oh also, i do promise to try to get some pictures up of my paintings. you all seem interested. i just need to dig something out and photograph it!

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. ;)