My Barefoot Babies

Look at me - I'm blogging!!

2011-01-17T23:37:00.002-05:00

Only, not here any more. For various reasons, I've moved my blog. So

CLICK HERE

and enjoy!

Up and coming photographers...

2010-11-17T19:17:00.003-05:00

Taye and Darius got behind the camera the other day to capture some Kodak moments.

This is what Luis looks like when no one else is around. He just stands there, like this. All the time. It's kind of weird...

Then again, I have some funky eye issues, so I guess I shouldn't talk...

Not THAT Jim!

2010-11-17T19:15:00.002-05:00

Yesterday Taye and I were discussing his footwear options for school:

Me: You only need to wear sneakers if its a gym day, do you know if it's a gym day?

Taye: No, I don't know if it's a gym day.

Mya: Is it a Nana day?

It reminds me of the gym bag/Jim bag confusion...

This girl...

2010-11-17T19:11:00.000-05:00

knows how to relax. And clearly hates her puppies.

Halloween

2010-11-05T10:24:00.002-05:00

This year we had a ladybug, Iron Man, and Mario (surprised?) We went to our close neighbors and then hopped back to our old 'hood. Its always fun to see everyone out, the kids had a great night!

Punkins

2010-11-05T10:19:00.003-05:00

We were terrible procrastinators this year (we may have also been slightly busy this October) and didn't even buy pumpkins until the day before Halloween. Luckily the kids were excited either way.

We brought them home and got to work. The kids each drew the face they wanted onto their pumpkins, and Luis got to work with the messy stuff. I took pictures, I'm kind of a pumpkin party pooper.

I do love the way they turned out.

Darius - Mya - Taye

Catch Up

2010-11-05T10:04:00.003-05:00

I totally slacked on taking pictures while Fran(k), Penny, and Emma were here. And in keeping with the theme, I've totally slacked on blogging as well. Well, here I am now to right some of the wrong.

On my birthday, the Utans (Utonians? Uts? Utahnaiaivejahsns?) spent the day at our house. We went into the woods to play. The kids hopped all around the stream, found an old bee's nest, climbed on the fallen tree, they had fun.

(As a side note - Mya adores Uncle Bunny.)

Just when we thought we had done all there was to do in the woods, Uncle Bunny got the idea to build a bridge across the stream. He and the kids collected a variety of materials and got to work.

It was a pretty nice looking brigde, with several layers of material. Emma and Darius did try it out, but couldn't quite make it across. Perhaps rotting wood wasn't the strongest material choice, but there's always next time!

Salem

2010-10-20T20:03:00.002-05:00

On Sunday, our tour guide took us all on a trip to Salem.

Seeing as we were in Salem, there were loads of witches around:

and since it's fall, there were leaves galore!

There were graveyards...

and criminal types (His crime? Stealing Mom's heart...)

there were even debil duckies:

Since my kids were with us, there was loads of climbing. I think they climbed everything one can climb in all of Salem...

everything.

There was a Ferris wheel...

(Darius opted for the lower altitude tug boat):

and there was a CrAzY bUs!!

There was a lot of unauthorized picture-taking of me:

OK, there was a lot of picture-taking, period.

Perhaps most exciting of all? Luigi was there:

The brothers had a nice time catching up :o)

Just Pictures...

2010-10-20T19:29:00.000-05:00

Oops, we did it again!

2010-10-10T18:33:00.002-05:00

Um, yup. We've done it again. Another puppy (well, 4 year old dog) for our family! I've been browsing Craigslist frequently, looking for the perfect pup in need of a new home, and this weekend I found her. She is a 4 year old Aussie mix (just like Frog). She is housetrained, spayed, up to date on shots. Her family couldn't keep her because their other dog (who they had first) was afraid of her. We went to meet her today, and everyone loved her, so she came home with us.

I tried to take pictures, but she was just so busy keeping Frog occupied (which is basically what we got her for!) that I found it hard to get good ones. Plus, her coat is silver-grey with black spots and patches, and the flash just makes her look bad.

Up until today, her name was Maya. For obvious reasons, we thought we'd better come up with a new name for her. We all had fun coming up with ideas on the ride home. Some of the names which were not chosen were:

Mario
Luigi
Princess
Bowser
Taye
Fork
Spanish
Lima
Ya-ya
Kaya
Luna
Nana
Bite in the butt
Moonface
Grape
Henry the Hippo
Sasha
Hey You
Libby
Hispanic
There was also an assortment of non-word suggestions, which I can't remember, but got a giggle nonetheless.

As great as some of those names are, we finally decided on Lola. The kids like it because there is a Lola on one of their favorite kids series'. I like it because its short and sweet. Luis likes it because he just likes everything I do. And (hopefully) Lola will like it because is kinda-sorta similar to her old name. It's two syllables and ends in "a" - that's close enough, right?

Mya Papaya is 2!

2010-10-04T21:52:00.002-05:00

This weekend we had Mya's second birthday party. We had the usual food, presents, piñata, cake, lots of our favorite people kind of party. Mya had such a fun day.

Fight Club

2010-10-04T21:50:00.002-05:00

This morning I woke up to the boys fighting:

Taye: I'm gonna bite you!
Darius: Don't bite me! Only punching, no biting!

At least we know they have boundaries...

Thanks, Mya!

2010-09-29T20:16:00.003-05:00

When I got out of the shower tonight, Mya came in and asked me, "you done?" I said "yup" and she asked, "do you wash all your bellies?" Just the boost of self-esteem I was looking for!

Crafty

2010-09-29T20:10:00.002-05:00

Darius is very into crafting and building, and all sorts of projects lately. He spends half the day at the dining room table, coming up with tons of fun ideas. He told me the other day that he wants to make some things to sell at the craft fair with me in November. He wanted me to help him think of what to make, so we hit Google and came up with this cute spider craft:

I love his face.

Mya made one too:

He's also started with the Construx again (now that I've swept under the couches and found all the pieces!) Today he made a cherry picker:

This guy reminds me of Darius' spider.

Every day when we go to the bus stop to get Taye, Darius brings along something to show the other moms (and dad) there. They are all quite enamored with him, and I can't say I blame them.

THE DRESS!

2010-09-21T21:26:00.002-05:00

Mya's dress for the wedding came yesterday, imported directly from Florida. It looks awesome on her, I can't wait to see her with Emma in her dress, and the boys in tuxes! Oh, and people are like getting married or something...that's pretty cool.

Here she is with that camera-shyness going on:

The back of the dress (for some reason, this is my favorite picture):

And here she is, giving it a twirl:

Oh, and she even got new, cute undies to go with it! Such a lady!

Buds

2010-09-21T21:20:00.002-05:00

These two spent half the afternoon yesterday playing under the dining room table. Darius was being Patrick from Spongebob, and the table was his rock house. It seemed pretty cozy for a rock.

'Oh, what is that? A camera you say? Why, I've never seen one of those!'

What-EVER Mya!

2010-09-21T21:13:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I put this shirt on Mya -

and we proceeded to have the following conversation:

Me: Nice shirt.
Mya: It not a shirt, it's a dress.
Me: Nope, it's too short to be a dress, it's a shirt.
Mya: It not a shirt, it's a dress.
Me: OK, it's a dressy shirt.
Mya: It's a dressy not a shirt.

Apple Picking

2010-09-21T20:39:00.003-05:00

Sunday seemed like the perfect day for some apples, so we decided to go apple picking. Taye wasn't so sure he wanted to go, until we reminded him about climbing trees - then he was all for it!

We fed the animals, and Darius told me he's "never seen a goat before!" (Did I mention he lies a lot?)

I let it slide though, because he is one mean apple picker. We were barely out of the parking lot before he scored his first Mac.

Naturally, we picked and ate (and, uh - sat on) apples. And that was a lot of fun...

But the real excitement of the trip? We found raspberries under nearly every tree.

You would have thought that my kids were berry-deprived, and trust me - they're not! We couldn't tear them away until every last berry had been picked and eaten.

I suppose this is as good a time as any to announce that we're having another baby. Luis in his infinite love and generosity has offered to carry the pregnancy this time. He's about 2 months along (I know it looks like more, there's a whole litter - its still a very new technology), we're very excited!!

In addition to apples and raspberries, there were pumpkins! I guess we've never ventured this far into the orchard before, because we didn't even know these were here. We didn't actually buy any pumpkins because it's nowhere near Halloween, and fall isn't really here yet, it's an illusion. Also, there's no such thing as winter.

Best of all, there was my favorite part of apple picking, the one thing that brings me back for overpriced apples year after year - the pictures. And this is a particularly awesome one, if I do say so myself.

Hiking

2010-09-20T21:38:00.003-05:00

Last weekend we set out for a hike around one of the local lakes. I don't know why we don't do this more often. It's a great path for the kids, and there is so much to see.

There are a plethora of bridges throughout the path. Of course, I warned the kids about the trolls, but no matter what I said, they went trip-trapping willy-nilly all over the bridges. I think the trolls were on vacation, luckily for them.

There are also a couple piers which we just had to check out. The first one we went on, about halfway out, Frog suddenly dropped to his belly with his legs splayed out, as if he were holding on for dear life. He suddenly realized he wasn't on regular ground anymore (he is such a chicken!)

Despite the scare, I think Frog had the most fun of all. He would have stood in the water all day if we let him.

We're definitely hoping to get back again before the weather gets all cold and depressing.

Aprons

2010-09-09T22:57:00.002-05:00

Recently, I decided I was sick of changing my shirts constantly because I just cannot seem to keep them clean when I cook. I don't know why, but I am a sloppy chef. You should see my work uniform about 5 minutes after I start working! Anyway, I called in a custom order with my personal seamstress. She made me three awesome aprons, this one is my favorite (I don't have pictures of the other two yet):

Actually, in all honesty, this is my favorite (could have something to do with the model):

Just so you know, these are not (just) for fashion - they are serious, working aprons. As proof, I will assure you we did not get one drop of this water on our shirts!

First Day

2010-09-09T19:59:00.002-05:00

Last Thursday was Taye's first day of Kindergarten. Because I'm a good mom, I'm just posting about it now. He was excited to get ready, and to take the bus. Of course, we had his favorite Mario outfit clean and ready for him.

When he saw me taking pictures, Taye insisted that I get one of just his face. I love the expression.

The bus stop is at the end of our street, and we all walked down together. Daddy skipped his first class to come with us.

We met lots of new neighbors at the bus stop, and there were tons of kids to run around with (well, as much as you can run around on a street corner). When the bus came, Taye skipped right over with the other kids, and climbed up without even looking back. He was much more ready than I was.

When we got home, it was time to send Luis off for his first day too!

Both boys seem to be settling right in to school. When Taye got home the first day, the first thing he said was, "now I know how much fun it is to ride the bus!" So far, so good.

Grasshopper

2010-09-01T19:40:00.002-05:00

While I was at work Sunday morning, Luis and the kids were outside playing with Kyle when they saw this:

According to my entomologist husband, she was laying her eggs. He said she stayed there for a long, long time.

The kids were fascinated, and who wouldn't be? How often do you see a grasshopper lay eggs? Before Sunday, I don't think I'd ever given a thought to where or when or how a grasshopper lays eggs. I think this is so very cool, and I think Kyle would agree.

Mya

2010-09-01T19:35:00.002-05:00

Mya totally blew me away the other day. We made cupcakes to bring to the birthday party, and she was helping me out. We only made half a tray, and froze the rest for future parties. Mya put the paper cups into the muffin tin for me, and when she was finished, she proceeded to point to each one and count, "one, two, three, four, five, six!"

Of course, now I know why she seemed to smart - Darius came running to me today and said, "Mama, do you remember Mt. Fizzlepop?" (from a kids show)
"Yup."
"Well, Mya just said it! Like a real boy! Like a big kid!"

And, you know, real boy big kids count to six all the time. Duh.

Party Day

2010-09-01T19:25:00.002-05:00

Saturday, our neighbor Tara had a surprise party for her daughter Rachel's 25th birthday, and her niece's 2nd birthday.

Never ones to miss a party, we were among the first to arrive (it could also be we had the shortest commute...) The kids were ready to party.

Rachel has 2 boys, Kyle and Nathaniel, who my kids love to play with. We spent the entire day outside, between their yard and ours.

The entire day. We had to bring a lantern out into our yard eventually, because no one wanted to stop playing! We had such a great time. Even better, Rachel and Kyle spent the next 2 nights over at Tara's, so we got to see lots more of them.

Yet another lake

2010-08-26T21:12:00.002-05:00

I'm starting to think that this year the annual pass to the state parks would have been worthwhile - unlike the previous two years when I did actually purchase it! Last week we finally managed to get together with Judy, Justice, and Libby at another one of the lakes near us. We had never been to this one. It was nice, but definitely not my favorite of the three (especially after spotting the giant water snake eating a fish). The kids all had a great time, and it was good to see them.

The Watermelon

2010-08-26T21:04:00.002-05:00

We've been watching the 2 watermelons in our garden grow for some time now, waiting for them to be ready to pick. We finally decided that this weekend was the time to pick the big one...it was huge! The kids were so excited to help pick it.

When we finally got it free from the vine (a blade came in handy), the question became how to get it into the house. Many attempts were made...

before it was decided that teamwork was the way to go. The neighbors were outside having a yard sale, and could not believe how big the watermelon was. They were even more impressed that we started it from seeds. I admit, I was pretty impressed with us too!

We could hardly wait for Luis to cut it open.

Only to find that it wasn't ready yet - it was almost completely white inside! It was such a bummer. We still tried it out, and found that it tasted like watermelon, just not as sweet. The kids devoured almost half of it, so it wasn't a total waste!

But now the question remains - how the heck do we know when to pick the next one?!?!

Into the Woods

2010-08-26T20:47:00.002-05:00

Last week while the rest of us went grocery shopping, Luis and Taye went for an adventure in the woods behind our house. They found an area which was cleared last summer (though we still have no idea why) and Taye wanted to show me the 'pile of wood in the woods.' So this weekend, we all set out to check it out.

There were loads of tiny, fly into your eyes, annoying bugs up there, so no one wanted to stay long. On the way back, we decided to go log rolling (way more fun than cow tipping) to look for salamanders and other creepy crawlies.

Somehow, the bugs weren't so bad around there, so we ventured deeper along a different path. We reached the clearing again, and had a good time climbing on top of stumps and yelling out, searching for echoes.

From there we spotted this giant rock, which just begged to be climbed. There were too many fallen branches in the way for Mya, Frog, and I to make it, but the boys got over somehow.

And let me know that the rock was <---------this--------> big!

As promised...

2010-08-26T20:46:00.001-05:00

Darius created a new helicopter, and I actually got a picture this time!

The Trial Wedding Shrug

2010-08-25T20:58:00.001-05:00

I finally got Mya to wear the shrug I knit for her long enough to snap some pictures. When she saw Emma's she decided that she needed one too!

It's a little too tight, and I need to adjust the back a little, but overall I'm happy with it as a first attempt:

Kodak Moment

2010-08-18T19:30:00.002-05:00

Tia sent Mya a pretty new dress the other day, just for the heck of it. Because I had mentioned how much she loved the first kimono dress, and she could probably use another one. And plus, she had this beautiful blue fabric she knew I loved, and she's just awesome. So when Mya was wearing the dress the other day, I took some pictures for Tia.

And just happened to snap a picture that is definitely among my favorites ever. It makes me laugh.

As she walked around, she told me, "I'n a superhero too!"

Construx

2010-08-18T19:24:00.002-05:00

The flea market has done it again. Last week, when we all went together, Luis spotted a huge bag of Construx (hello, childhood) which he snagged for $2. Darius is a Construx building master. He sits with them for so long, creating elaborate designs, it's really cool to see.

One of the first things he built was a microphone and speaker:

He then made a video camera:

He even built a helicopter for Pin-Pin, his bunny, but his bad mother didn't get a picture of that one. It was very cool, trust me. I've now got my eye on a huge lot of Construx on eBay for Christmas, but shhh, don't tell!

The New Look

2010-08-18T19:18:00.002-05:00

The other day, Luis decided it was time for a haircut (yay!) *ahem* Anyway, he set himself up with the clippers and the mirror, and fashioned himself a new look. I believe he really liked the new look, and if anyone can pull it off, you know he can.

But for those of you on the verge of collapse (you know who you are), you can breathe easy again. Five minutes later, he was cut to match his little buddy, and all was right with the world.

Sunday

2010-08-09T21:48:00.002-05:00

I decided to take the day off this Sunday, and I don't think I could have picked a better day. It was absolutely gorgeous out all day.

We got up and went to the flea market, which I have not been able to go to all summer. Luis and the kids have gone while I was working, but I've been missing it. We got some good deals, but mostly it was just fun to look around.

We came home for lunch, and then headed right back out. We went to the lake in town with our next door neighbor Tara, her mother, her grandson Kyle, and Joey from across the street. While we were there, we ran into George and Keyeanna too. We spent the afternoon swimming, watching the ducks that roamed the beach, catching a frog, building a sand fort for Mya's animals, shooting squirt guns, and just generally having a blast. We'd never been swimming at this lake before, and I think it was a bigger hit than the other one we usually go to (and closer to home too!)

Puppies

2010-08-09T21:46:00.001-05:00

We have extra puppies at our house this week. Mya is excited, but a little confused (see previous post). She sat with her arm around Petunia the other night and proclaimed, "I yike dis Frog."

She likes to hit things with her head...

2010-08-09T21:44:00.000-05:00

Beach Day

2010-08-09T18:08:00.004-05:00

On Friday, we went to the beach with the Dorsey's and a whole slew of their friends (yes, they actually have a literal slew).

There was lots of fun digging in the sand...

There was wading...

and swimming...

jumping...

and spinning.

There was even a boat.

There were sandcastles...

sand wrestling...

and sand burying:

There was lots and lots of fun.

And there were cookies. A common denominator in every packed dinner, a wide variety. And this girl tested them all.

It was so much fun, we had a hard time leaving. So we stayed until dark, and as we got in the car, Darius told me, "One day we should call the Dorsey's and ask them if they want to go here again." I have a feeling I know that answer.

Beach Quotables:

Mya (standing at the water's edge): "C'mere water! C'mere water! I DAID C'MERE!!"

Darius: "I only want to give Jean all the heart rocks I find, just so she'll know how much I love her."

Taye: "Hey Mama - I'm a stranger to my strangers!"

Rudolph

2010-07-27T21:50:00.003-05:00

This little guy (and his less-shiny friends) won't be unveiled in my shop for another couple of months, but I just had to share him here. I think he will need a less startled look in the future, but he's not bad for a first attempt, and I think he'll give the teddy bears a run for their money.

Blueberry Picking

2010-07-27T20:48:00.002-05:00

Quotable

2010-07-20T20:09:00.001-05:00

Taye came to me today and said,

"Mama, I have to tell you something. I'm not gonna ever do anything that isn't Mario. (thinking) But, I sure will sleep! And that's not a Mario thing - that's not an anything thing!"

The Garden

2010-07-19T23:02:00.002-05:00

I still haven't killed it yet! Though the tomatoes have really overtaken the peppers, and the cucumber has gone crazy! I don't think we'll get much out of 3 of the 4 pepper plants, they're just not getting much sun. But we've got one good one, and I'll take a tomato over a pepper any day (Darius would disagree, he is a pepper fan).

My favorite to watch is the watermelon, I can't wait to see how it turns out. For some reason, I find it hard to believe I could actually grow watermelons. It seems tricky somehow. At any rate, I'm excited to see how the vines are coming along, and can't wait to see the little melons growing!

Swimming

2010-07-19T22:59:00.003-05:00

Sunday, Jackie called and wanted to know if we'd like to do something "in nature" with her. Apparently, she was feeling a need to connect with Mother Nature. Anyway, after some back and forth, we decided to head to the lake for some swimming. Taye didn't want to swim, but wanted to play on the playground, and for us to bring his bathing suit just in case. Darius and Mya were very excited at the prospect of a swim. When we got there, Jackie and I brought them over to the water, where they instantly changed their minds. We put our towel right near the water, and I stood up to my ankles, just waiting and talking to Jackie. The two of them stood, looking at us as if we were evil for bringing them to that terrible place. After a moment, they reached out and held hands, united against the water monsters and evil Dr. Mama. Which is just how they stayed until Taye came bounding over, wanting to swim.

Well, then it was fun! If Taye was doing it, it must be a good thing. We all spent the next hour and a half or so swimming around. Taye goes in by himself, the others two prefer to cling to us, just in case.

When we left, we had to agree - that was the best $5 we've ever spent!

Old Home Day

2010-07-19T22:32:00.004-05:00

On Saturday we went to Swanzey's Old Home day. It was a beautiful, sunny day, and there were lots of fun activities for the kids. They couldn't wait to go.

In the parking lot, they had all sorts of vehicles for the kids to check out, climb around in, and attempt to lift...

They even had a hot air balloon, which was inflated and just visible over the roof of the school while we were walking around the parking lot. By the time we decided to head over and get a closer look, they were deflating it and packing it up - apparently it was too windy. This is probably the third or fourth event we've been to that promised tethered air balloon rides (not that we've ever had the funds for that - it aint cheap - but we'd love to see them fly). Anyway, not once have they actually had the rides. It's always too windy. Very disappointing.

After the balloon, we decided to find a spot for our picnic lunch. They had kung fu and cheerleading demonstrations going on, so we decided to put our blanket nearby and have our lunch with entertainment.

The "train station" was right next to us, so as soon as we finished eating, Luis and the kids hopped on for a ride. The train had no tracks, it just rode around the parking lot and the buildings nearby.

Then there was face painting, a bounce house, dunk tank, and half a gazillion vendors. When we'd had our fill, we walked over to the library for the book sale. They were looking to get rid of as many as possible, and offered us a bag to fill with kids books for free. Then they sold me the dozen books I chose for only $5. Not a bad deal!

Up the street they had a big flea market, so you know we had to go there too! We got a few things, the big hits being an easel and an old Fisher Price toy.

I wish I knew what this is called, because it has been used non-stop since we brought it home (and you know all the tiny pieces will end up lost!)

Taye, in particular, really loves it. He used it for several hours that day. I'll give three guesses what he made first.....

Mario, of course!

Lately...

2010-07-16T12:34:00.002-05:00

Darius and Daddy had a little fun with his hair one afternoon, while the rest of us were out.

Otherwise, there hasn't been a whole lot going on around here. We're boring, what can I say?

Just showing off...

2010-07-07T21:08:00.003-05:00

It all started when Tia asked me to make some overalls for Ella. Since I already had the pants part down, overalls weren't a huge stretch, but it did take a couple tries to get them just right. Version 1.0 went down to Ella for a test drive. Once the bugs were figured out, I made Version 2.0 for Mya. They were a huge improvement over the first ones, but still had a couple of tiny improvements to be made. I finished version 3.0 before we went to Florida, but somehow forgot to give them to her while we were there. I finally mailed them down last week, along with her Christening gift, which was 2 weeks late. I'm such an awesome Godmother already!

Anyway, here are the long-awaited overalls, I love how they came out, and it seems they were a hit down South as well. :o) And, how cute is this baby? I adore her.

While I was working out the pattern for the overalls, it got me thinking. I figured if I could come up with that pattern, I could make more. So I decided to do just that. Ella's Christening gift was a dress I designed and knit just for her. I was very happy with how it came out:

I figured while I was at it, I may as well make something for Mya too (can you all believe how many times you've seen her in a dress so far this week? Shocking, isn't it?) I wanted something simple and sundress-y. This one I didn't plan too much in advance, I sort of worked it out as I went along. I want to make some small changes, but overall I'm happy with how it came out.

She wore it to the fireworks, which was a great way to see how it held up. The straps need improvement, but I think I know how I'll make them work.

This pattern design thing is lots of fun, I'm trying to figure out what to make next! Ideas?

Fireworks

2010-07-07T19:32:00.003-05:00

This year we finally got back to the traditional Needham fireworks celebration. It was the usual amazing, fun time...plus hoola hoops, boffer battles (the kids totally won), and tug-of-war (I totally won, lots of times). They put on a great show, though I was so busy taking pictures and watching the kids enjoy (and listening to Mya shriek "fire!! fire!!") that I hardly watched the actual fireworks. We had a great day.

Darius' Birthday

2010-07-07T19:22:00.002-05:00

We celebrated Darius' birthday as a family on Saturday. When he got up, he saw the aquarium we set up the night before. It was our gift to him. After lunch, we went to see Toy Story 3 (which we've only been waiting about a year to see) and then went to Petco. He picked out some plants, a bubbling treasure chest and 4 fish. We had planned on a few more, but apparently you need a degree to own fish now, it seemed most of the ones he picked were not compatible, or we need to wait a month or so to let the algae build up before adding them. We're planning to go back next month for an aquatic frog, and maybe a couple more fish. As it is now, the fish are a hit. He chose 2 orange ones which he named Mario and Luigi. He also chose 2 silver ones with black stripes. The bigger one is Princess Peach, and the smaller one is Toad. A definite theme.

When we got home, we had a picnic dinner in the yard and broke in Daddy's fireplace with a fire and some marshmallows.

The Wedding Dress, take 1

2010-07-07T19:05:00.000-05:00

Tia is making Mya and Emma's dresses for Mom's wedding. We had picked out a pattern, but after we bought it, Tia realized that it wasn't very well designed, and had some serious flaws. So she set out to make her own pattern that would look very similar, but be assembled better and last longer.

She made a trial dress for Mya, to make sure everything fit the way it should, and we got it last week. I was so excited because she made it out of one of my favorite fabrics, one I had picked out for a different project years ago. Mya wore it all day Saturday, it looks awesome.

I will tie an actual bow in the back for the wedding, but Mya was wiggling and I got lazy, so just use your imagination!

This girl's got style...

2010-07-02T23:23:00.000-05:00

Mail Order Goodies

2010-07-02T23:09:00.002-05:00

A month or so ago, Tia posted pictures on her blog of a 'Happy Birthday' banner she had made. And you know I had to have one. Fortunately, I have connections. And I'm a little spoiled. So I got what I wanted, I got what I wanted!

We got a package in the mail today, and inside we found Darius' birthday presents (one of which he brought to me and said "Mama, I've been waiting to get these for a present for years!!" I'm guessing 3 or 4 years, at least), Mya's trial dress for Nana's wedding, which is so cute and which she refused to wear, and this:

Our new birthday banner, which I can now hang for every birthday for eternity, and which fits perfectly across our living room windows. And conveniently, we have a birthday coming right up, so I get to leave it there for a few more days.

And if you've noticed the new couch - good eye! Olive green, microfiber, insanely comfy, $60 at the Salvation Army? Sold! As a bonus, we can now get rid of the recliner that gets nothing but abuse, and the nasty pillow pile turned dog bed (sorry Frog!). It's been a hit so far.

How our garden grows...

2010-07-02T23:00:00.002-05:00

All three of the kids are having so much fun watching the garden grow. Mya carries her little step stool all around so she can reach over the fence and inspect (in her oh-so-appropriate, and cute, ladybug shirt, made by Tia).

The strawberries, which they eat at every opportunity, aren't the only attraction. Exciting things are starting to happen out there. The plants are getting huge, there are flowers springing up all over, and Darius and I even found a few teeny-tiny tomatoes yesterday.

Darius' 4th Birthday Party

2010-07-02T22:51:00.002-05:00

Last weekend we celebrated Darius' 4th birthday some of our very favorite people. We had the usual:

Cake (he wanted Mario and Luigi - and bananas)...

and a piñata...

and presents (including all-new costumes for "GAP" - a superhero that Darius has invented).

Mostly we just hung out, had fun, and enjoyed spending time with the birthday boy. Who is FOUR.

Happy Birthday Darius!! We love you!

Florida

2010-06-25T20:21:00.003-05:00

We just got home from a visit to Florida (yeah, be jealous). We had such a great time with our BFFF's.

(Miscellaneous pretty sunset/sunrise pictures - from the road).

Before we left to go to Florida, Tia and I started a list of all the things we wanted to do during the 3.5 days we would be there. We ended up with 30-something items, some silly and small, and some big. We got a surprising number of those things done.

Here is the list, in no particular order:

Go on a dolphin cruise - check!

Hit up some sort of buffet - double check (that means we went twice! Yum.)

Run around in a torrential downpour in our bathing suits......we didn't do this one. Something about lightning, or something. But we enjoyed the daily late-afternoon storms each day. From inside. Fully dressed. Still fun.

Go to a pool party - check! And guess whose kids went in the pool?? Tia's!!

But, wait!! Mine went in too! In fact, we had to practically drag all three out when it got dark. They loved it. My!!kids!!swam!!! So - a big fat check! for that one.

Fix the ribbon on Mya's awesome, custom-made, favorite kimono dress so she could wear it to Ella's baptism - check!

Baptize a baby - check!

Take a group photo of all 6 kiddos...

(incidentally, if you've ever seen 6 more gorgeous children together, I'd love to see the photographic evidence - I won't hold my breath!)

...and one of the 10 (!!) of us (plus a few extras)- check!

Have a slumber party on the living room floor...

Can you believe we got flak for this, just because it was in the middle of the afternoon on Father's Day? I mean, really...we were keeping the kids entertained so the dads could relax! I don't know about you, but I don't see a whole lot of sleeping going on here!

Uh, anyway - check! And moving on...

Go to a playground...well, we tried, but this mall didn't have one. So the ride-on toys in the food court had to suffice. The kids had fun, so - check!

Have loads of fun - check!

Camera-shy moments from the list:

Kicking Matt and Tia out for a date night.

A trip to JoAnn Fabrics to choose the fabric for Mya's dress that she will wear in Mom and Jim's wedding - which Tia is making. The fabric is so pretty, but I couldn't get the color right in a picture, so I gave up.

Grownup movie night after the kids went to bed, complete with junk food and a funny movie.

Drink Diet Coke (very important, it's a tradition).

Bake cake.

Choose favorite fabric scraps from Tia's stash so she can make me an awesome "Happy Birthday" banner.

There were a few items we couldn't fit in, but they obviously weren't that important! We had such an awesome time, and can't wait to go back!

Strawberries

2010-06-24T22:00:00.003-05:00

Ever since I transplanted the strawberries from along our fence, I've watched to see if I killed them. Because I was pretty sure I would. But, before we left for Florida, we found five red, ripe strawberries in our garden, which were immediately picked and eaten.

And when we came home, we found these:

So I guess I haven't killed them after all. These looked good enough to eat, and so we did.

Quotables

2010-06-24T21:56:00.003-05:00

Warning: If you ever plan to buy Darius a present, you should know he's very picky!

I asked him tonight what he wants for his birthday, and he told me, "I don't know! Whenever I open the presents that people bring me at my birthday party when it's time for me to open them, I say 'Wow! This is just what I wanted!' so I don't know what I want!"

And now, we have a newcomer to the quotables....

Mya and I went to the grocery store the other night. At one point, she dropped her baby doll on the floor and wanted me to get it, so she yelled "Stop the bus!!" I have no idea where that came from, but it worked.

Today she climbed up on my lap and gave me a kiss, then looked at me and asked, "Nummy Mama?" Absolutely.

100 Years

2010-06-24T21:36:00.002-05:00

Last week, we held ~~an ambush~~ a surprise party, for Mom and Jim. His 50th was in May, and hers is fast approaching in July, so we thought June would be the perfect time. We kept it simple with just the sisters, and Jim's brother. From all accounts it was truly a surprise, and we had a lot of fun.

The kids all helped plan (although, they didn't really know why - I told them we were having a party, but didn't tell them who it was for until the morning of - in case we saw Mom before - and they never asked. I guess as long as cake and a piñata were involved, they didn't really care why!)

I tried to capture her face as she tried so hard to squeeze out the frosting - it was priceless, but I missed it.

We had a cookout for lunch, and then got the real fun started. The piñata proved to be a tough one. After all the little kids had a turn (or 8)...

we let the big kids try...

Finally, we had success. I think it was John who broke it, but I could be wrong. Either way, there was an obscene amount of candy, so the kids were happy.

After the piñata, the guests of honor opened their presents...

and we attempted to light the house on fire (didn't work).

I can't help but notice that the birthday girl was a bit camera shy (for a change) - but don't worry! I will catch her on the wedding day...

Children's Museum

2010-06-24T21:15:00.002-05:00

Obviously, I have some catching up to do here! We've been busy (as you will see).

Almost 2 weeks ago, we met Krissy, Aine, and Brendan at the Children's Museum. It was a last minute change of plans, as the zoo we had originally planned on wouldn't be too much fun in the rain. As it turned out, it was a great change - the kids all had so much fun.

The grocery store was a big hit (why isn't it this much fun when we all go to the real one?)

Gratuitous cute baby picture - too bad he doesn't look anything like his Daddy.

The bubble station was probably my favorite - if only for the great photo ops it provided.

They had a climbing structure just like the one from Boston that was all the buzz a few years ago. Darius and Aine spent loads of time in there - Mya considered it, but had second thoughts.

She decided to stick with the water table instead...

Eventually they all congregated there and played until the place closed down. At which point, Taye decided to test the hand dryer out on his wet clothes...it didn't quite do the job.

After a fun time like this, we always wonder why we don't get together more often. We have some ideas for future fun (plus the zoo still waits) so hopefully we will see them all again soon (and maybe even Joe, if we're lucky!)

Goofballs

2010-06-24T18:04:00.001-05:00

I don't know how they could possibly say 'cheese' with their mouths like that.

Dear Tia,

2010-06-07T21:58:00.004-05:00

Version 2.0 is now complete. This version features shorter straps, which pass through the top panel and button at the shoulder, making escaping a bit more difficult (plus it looks neater, and cuter, IMO). It also has a taller back panel with side buttons, and both straps are knit in the nicer, non-twisty style. They can be worn straight or crossed. Version 3.0 is coming soon. This version will feature even (slightly) shorter straps, multiple buttons for a customizable fit, and easier assembly (for me, it doesn't really concern you, but I'm telling you anyway). It will also come in an array of super bright colors. I hope you'll approve.

Over and out.

Garden

2010-06-01T22:14:00.003-05:00

We spent Memorial Day finally finishing up the garden (well, except for all the weeding, and watering, and harvesting, and preserving, and stuff...) I stopped for the plants on my way home from work, and my assistants couldn't wait to help me bring them over and get them planted.

We have 4 tomato plants, 2 cherry tomato plants, 2 red pepper plants, 1 green pepper plant, 1 orange pepper plant, 2 cucumber bushes, 4 sweet potato plants, 4 red onion plants, and 2 green bean plants.

When we got back there, it was exciting to see little watermelon plants popping up.

In addition to the plants I brought, the watermelons, and herbs we planted, we decided to plant some sunflowers as well, so Darius took care of that.

We also went over to our fence and dug up several of the strawberry plants that have found their way into our yard from the neighbors'. I'm anxious to see if they do well, or if I killed them with my inexperience. :o)

After everything was planted, we got to work on the next task. Since we found half a dozen or so cat poops in our garden boxes, we thought a fence was in order. So we measured...

...and snipped...

...and stomped it straight. Then Daddy took care of the rest (the fun stuff was done).

And the garden was complete. I love it because it looks like we actually know what we're doing!

With all that pesky work done, it was time for some refreshments...

and good times.

and possibly my favorite picture of the day:

It makes me laugh.

Daddy Rules

2010-06-01T21:52:00.003-05:00

While I've been working lately, Luis has been rocking the Daddy business (not that he didn't already). He even dared to do what I have not yet had the guts to attempt - he walked to the playground in town with all 3 kiddos (if he had brought Frog as well I'd either have to give him a medal, or have him evaluated). It was a hit all around, if the pictures are any indication.

On the way home (or the way there, I'm not certain) they found the biggest leaves on the planet. And a giant mushroom. You can imagine Mario and Luigi had some amazing super powers that day!

And Mya got to ride home in style...

It's nice to know they are so happy and loved while I am away. Lucky kids. :o)

2010-06-01T20:59:00.000-05:00

Dear Tia,

2010-06-01T19:31:00.002-05:00

I made a very special girl something very special. I even made the pattern for it too, Yay!

Here it is, modeled by Mya who is bigger than the very special girl so it probably will be way too big on the very special girl. Maybe next summer.

But it’s coming in the mail now anyway.

It's easy to see...

2010-05-25T20:41:00.001-05:00

why I married him, isn't it? For his looks, of course!

(Does anyone else notice they're both doing the same totally fake smile?)

Party Girls

2010-05-25T20:35:00.002-05:00

This weekend was Jen and Curtis' wedding shower...

It was a ladies-only affair, so Mya and I got all dolled up and had ourselves a nice date (while Daddy and the boys hit up the flea market for some goodies). Mya was, of course, the cutest of all the guests. She wore her new kimono dress, made by Tia. And her new "buggy" shoes - with tiny lady bugs - which she wears all the time now. This girl loves shoes.

We had a great time, it was so nice to see Jen, Curtis, and her family. Mya was thoroughly pooped and slept the entire (2 hour and 20 minute) ride home.

A Productive Weekend

2010-05-25T20:18:00.002-05:00

This weekend was crunch time. I needed to get the garden boxes we dug and built filled with some sort of dirt like substance. We're planning to spend this weekend buying and planting starter plants, so we kinda needed something to plant them in. Since I hadn't had luck finding the exact mixture I was looking for, we decided to just go look at the other options and come up with a plan B. So, after a hearty breakfast, we set out.

We came back with a combination of garden soil, lobster compost, peat moss, and just a bit of vermiculite. Then it was time to get to work, pouring it all in...

and mixing it all together:

While one lazy bug was happy to just sit and watch...

But he's a cute lazy bug, so we let it slide. This time.

I can't help but get the feeling that we're falling behind on this whole garden thing. But everything I've read says to plant after the last frost, which according to my internet research is tomorrow...or close to it. So I'm letting go, and seeing how it turns out. The kids and I have planted the watermelon and herb seeds. We'll pick up carrot seeds (we seem to have misplaced them) and seedling potatoes, the rest will be started as plants (I think...) I guess I have some more researching to do!

Three's Company

2010-05-18T23:52:00.002-05:00

(As a side note - this last picture is the last picture my camera will ever take - after over 4 years and about 40,000 pictures, it's officially dead. *sniff, sniff*)

It's Done! It's Done!

2010-05-16T09:44:00.001-05:00

Since we moved in (10 months ago...) we have been crashing with Mya in her room. The thinking being that then we could leave our room empty and get it finished really quickly. So now, 10 months later, it is done!!

I can't believe I don't have before pictures of this room. If you didn't see it, just picture the most orange room you can imagine - and multiply it by 10. It had nasty bright orange carpet, and this odd bright orange and yellow, stripy and spotty wallpaper. You just can't even imagine.

But not any more! The walls are painted "River Mud" which Luis originally vetoed for the living room. When I asked his opinion on the paint for the bedroom, I got a 'whatever' attitude - which meant the bedroom had to be River Mud. Duh. We painted the ceiling, all the trim, the walls, and the floor. With all the white trim, the room isn't dark at all, I love it.

Luis cut into my giant closet to make this bookshelf, easily my favorite part of the room.

Now, for the furniture! We have a huge, heavy, totally cozy denimn comforter which I refuse to part with. Since I didn't think denimn blue would look very nice with the color of the walls (and since I suddenly care about these things) I searched high and low for a duvet cover.

Not only does it look worlds better, it has the added bonus of making the comforter even heavier, and therefore cozier!

We each have our own closets, so my clothes don't catch cooties from his...

Not only are my clothes out of a cardboard box for the first time in 10 months, but around the corner, in the depths of this closet (behind the book shelf) there are 3 big, deep shelves. One of which is entirely full of yarn. Another holds my other miscellaneous craft stuff, and the bottom one houses shoes.

The book shelf has plenty of room for more books, though for now I'm really loving the top shelf:

The middle is one of my new Peruvian vases.

I think I could live in this room and never leave.

Outdoor Adventures

2010-05-15T10:11:00.003-05:00

Last week we went to visit the Dorseys. They have a cemetary behind their new house, with a frog pond in the middle. We thought it seemed like a good day for some tadpole hunting.

Mya slipped - twice, and got her pants soaking wet. This pretty much sums up how she felt about that:

(If you think she had it rough - keep reading).

The search was on, and they did find a few tadpoles, as well as some other interesting discoveries (like water snail eggs, apparently - on the lily pad.)

Now, all along the edge of the pond, just under the water, was a concrete ledge. The water was shallow above the ledge, but beyond the edge, not so much. A fact that was pointed out to Taye a few times. So, of course, one minute I was taking this picture...

and the next I was taking this one:

He got himself out before I got to him. He was soaked and shaken up a bit. But not for long!

The rest of the day was like many others with the Dorseys - my kids were pretty much ignored, and mistreated, and had a generally miserable time.

Mother's Day

2010-05-15T09:50:00.002-05:00

Mother's Day was really nice. First of all, I got to wake up (late) in my very own, beautiful, newly finished room (more about that later). The kids each picked me something from the dollar store (I got 2 bunches of fake flowers, and a balloon) and I opened the present that Luis picked out. He was at the Salvation Army one day, and found three hand-painted Peruvian vases - what are the chances of that?! And since it was the Salvation Army, he could get all three! They're beautiful, and look perfect in the new room.

After lunch, we started getting ready to go to Nana's. The day before, we had talked about making her cards, and the boys were really excited to do it. That morning, Darius mentioned that he didn't like making little cards - which reminded me of the several poster boards we got from the craft place. I suggested folding one of them and making a giant card, but Taye didn't think it should be folded. So we decided on a Mother's day poster. Each of us worked on one spot, and everyone had fun.

Darius asked me to make a picture of the superhero he was being that day - Mr. Blue Man, so he could color it in, and Nana would know it was from him.

Mya spent a good 20 minutes or more, intently coloring her corner, and decorating it with every sticker she could find. I decided to add a small picture of Mya, so Nana would know who it was from.

Taye drew a picture of himself as Mario, but added a word bubble saying "I am Taye" so that Nana would know it was from him.

Since we all worked at the same time, the pictures were all turned in different directions. When we got to her house, Nana had the ingenious idea of hanging it by a single nail in the middle, so she could spin it and see everything right side up.

After the card was complete, we made brownies to bring for dessert. I'm excited to report that the GFCF version of Mom's brownies is just as good as the regular ones. Mya agrees.

Nana Cam

2010-05-15T09:36:00.002-05:00

Nana and Jim got a new camera recently. Not only that, they've actually figured out how to use it! And not just to take pictures - they can upload and even email them too!! Don't believe me? I have proof...

They took the kids out for Taye's birthday:

Taye really gets into character - Mario is a plumber, after all!

A walk with Taye

2010-05-07T22:04:00.002-05:00

The other night, just before bedtime, I decided to take Frog for a walk. We got him a Halti, and I wanted to try it out. Taye wanted to come too, and so off we went. We walked to the end of the street, and around the corner to the waterfall. It's right next to our house (you can hear it from the front yard) but it's kind of tucked away, so most people probably don't notice it. The kids had never seen it before, and Taye thought it was pretty cool. We wandered down the river a bit, and and then took the path through the woods to get back home. It was nice to have some time alone with him, that never seems to happen these days. Sometimes I still can't believe we live here, with the woods, and the rivers, and a waterfall, the dead end street, and the awesome neighbors, and the very beginning of spring, when I don't even have to think about snow again for a long, long time. Not a bad deal.

Working Out

2010-05-07T21:54:00.002-05:00

aka, Resistance Bands are Fun...

Check out the muscles on this guy - the results were amazing!

Darius was even nice enough to snap a picture of my exercise face...

Yeah, I'm tough.

A random picture post...

2010-05-07T21:41:00.004-05:00

I was taking pictures of something the other day, and Darius told me to take a picture of him too. As soon as I started snapping, he started wagging his fingers and saying "nyah nyah!" Mocking me. Brat.

Mya has some interesting fashion going on lately. Though honestly, we're lucky if we can get her to keep clothes on at all. She has decided her diaper is the enemy, and removes it at will. Today I came home from the grocery store, and the kids played out back while I put the food away. The door was open, and I peeked out on them frequently. At one point, I stuck my head out and Mya was standing in the middle of the driveway, with her pants around her ankles and her diaper off. Lovely.

(For the record, the pink princess wand does not belong to us.)

The night that Tia and I went out, oh so long ago, the kids and I met Mom in Needham so she could take them home. We left early so we could have some time out of the car, and went to the little playground down the street from Muzi, which used to be pretty craptastic and therefore empty (thus the appeal). It is way nicer now, and probably much more popular. Luckily, there were thunderstorms threatening, which scared away all the wimps, so we had it to ourselves.

BFFFs

2010-04-28T22:33:00.004-05:00

Last week our BFFFs (Best Friends From Florida) came over for a visit. I, for one, was super-giddy excited about it.

The back yard was the first thing to catch the kids' eyes. They spent a good long time out there, while lunch was cooking. There are some who say our yard is like an amusement park. I read that somewhere. The kids all seemed to have fun.

They did agree to come in for lunch, we had delicious black bean stew. Olivia was amazed that I can actually cook.

And here is my baby Goddaughter, she was a fan as well (and happy to be back in her rightful spot - in her highchair we "borrowed.")

After lunch, they decided that the house was as much fun as outside. After all, there is a swing, what more could 6 kids want?

They also played our "new" (Salvation Army score) game - Monkey Tumble. Its just like Ker-Plunk, but with monkeys instead of marbles, which makes it way better.

These well-trained monkeys knew just what to do when the camera flash went off. I got lots of unprompted "cheeeeese!" faces, and goofy giggles.

All in all, it was a great day. We can't wait to take our trip down to visit them in Florida.

I'm kicking myself a bit now, because we didn't get a picture of the six of them together. This is the closest I have (Mya was too busy hogging Matt to join in). It seems like just yesterday it was Tia and I. Then we let that Matt guy start hanging around...and Luis came along...and that's when all the trouble began. That's my story anyway, and I'm sticking to it!

Sweet Dreams

2010-04-28T22:01:00.002-05:00

Last night I was with Mya, waiting for her to fall asleep.

She was lying on my arm, playing with the big buttons on my sweatshirt, and chanting over and over, "Go 'way Mama, Go 'way Mama..."

I considered taking her up on it, but I had a feeling she was bluffing.

When I was a kid...

2010-04-24T21:27:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, we were heading out to WalMart, and I told the boys they could pick a "video" from the Red Box when we were finished.

Taye: "They're not videos, they're DVD's!"

Me: "Oh, you're right..."

Taye: "The old ones are called videos, and the new ones are called DVD's."

Me: "I know. Did you know that when I was a kid, we didn't even have DVD's? We just had videos."

Taye: "So they didn't have the Red machine, because that only has DVD's?"

Me: "Right. And we didn't have Netflix either."

Taye: "Awww! That's no fun! Why did the world have to be that way?!"

Picnics with Daddy

2010-04-24T21:14:00.002-05:00

I started working part time last week, so now the kids are stuck with Daddy a couple mornings a week. As you can see, they're miserable about it...

They've been enjoying the back yard, and having lots of picnics. One day, Luis cooked some chicken on the grill, and found himself surrounded by the neighborhood cats.

Clearly, Luis' cooking is finger-licking good.

Puppy Love

2010-04-24T21:08:00.000-05:00

Mr. Green Thumb

2010-04-13T21:31:00.003-05:00

The boys got little kid starter gardens in their Easter baskets, and couldn't wait to plant them. Apparently they remember how I mentioned having a garden in our yard this year, and now I've got to figure out how in the heck to garden! Anyway, their little gardens are doing well. When Taye noticed the first little sprouts the other day, he got so excited. As he was showing them to me, he leaned over to touch the tops, and said "Hello, my pretty little ones."

Queen of the Playground

2010-04-13T20:18:00.002-05:00

Mya is out to conquer the playground and rule over all the other midgets. First the slide, now this.

(Note: The mini breakdance, "Go! Go! Doo doo doo!" is her version of the Inspector Gadget theme song. Knowing that makes it even cuter, in my opinion.)

Easter

2010-04-13T15:08:00.003-05:00

We had an awesome Easter. It was one of the most fun days we've had in a long time. The kids got up at their usual time, and went downstairs to find their baskets. It didn't take long - I'll have to make it harder next year. When Taye found his basket, he said to me - "Thank you for this best Easter ever!"

After breakfast we had an egg hunt in the yard. We invited our neighbor's grandson Kyle and his stepbrother Nathaniel, as well as Keyeanna, over to hunt with us. The kids all had a great time, and got an insane amount of candy.

They spent the rest of the morning in the back yard, playing with the new jungle gym, the swingset, the sand box, and various fun toys.

The stomp rocket Tia sent for Taye's birthday was a huge hit. The kids even set it up at the foot of the slide so they could slide down and make the rocket fly (sadly, it didn't work).

After a while, Kyle broke out his fun toy, a kid-sized ATV (I think my kids are the only ones around here who don't have one):

Taye came running in while I was cooking lunch to tell me, "I'm going to get a plastic ATV thing like Kyle has!" "Oh, really?" I asked, "Says who?" "Kyle!" I thought it was really sweet of him to offer his to Taye, but we couldn't possibly accept. ;o)

The two of them had a great time together. At one point, Kyle put his arm around Taye and said, "Mom, now I have a best friend!"

After lunch we all went to Nana B. and Grandad's house. The kids spent the entire party outside there as well. They mostly had big kids to play with there, but they never mind that. Plus, Super Cookie was there, so what more could they ask for?

Did I mention - outside?

2010-04-03T22:16:00.003-05:00

Today was a gorgeous, beautiful, pretty, nice day. It was hot and sunny, and there was not a flake of snow to be found. In other words, perfect. We got a ton done, including hauling a bunch of ugly junk from the yard to the dump, and putting together the awesome dome climber that Buppa gave the kids for their collective birthdays. I really did most of the work, I just let Luis pose for the picture.

Taye was so anxious to climb it, we had to repeatedly remind him that he couldn't climb until it was all done. When it was finally done, he was at the top in record time.

And practicing his new daredevil moves - no hands! (On a side note, look at my pretty woods. There's a river back there, you know.)

The neighbors were out working in their yard too, and at one point the boys noticed the scratching noise under the fence (Mark was weeding). They discussed whether it might be one of the dogs, and decided it wasn't. Taye asked me what it was, and I told him "probably a monster..." He laughed and told me it wasn't. A minute later, Darius started in, "But Taye, look at those big feet! Those big feet look like monster feet." Luis and I were giggling the whole time, and after a minute, Mark caught on. He started talking in a growly 'monster' voice. The boys loved it, and made sure to tell me later that I was wrong, the monster was just Mark.

Meanwhile, Mya learned a new trick. Drumroll, please...

and she stuck the landing - ta-dah!

Rinse and repeat a dozen times. All in all, a great day.

Easter Eggs

2010-04-03T22:13:00.001-05:00

Our eggs are prettier than yours, nah-nah!

ExCL

2010-04-03T22:06:00.002-05:00

In the fall, we joined a place called "Extras for Creative Learning" or ExCL. They get donations of office/craft supplies, and random goodies which they put out for members to take. We get a certain number of visits per year, and can take as much as we want on each visit. We hadn't been since we joined, and Luis has been wanting to come, so we went out there this weekend.

They had so much cool stuff this time. In addition to tons of craft stuff, we also got a wooden tabletop hockey game, a Little People farm, and toy golf clubs (to play Mario golf, of course). As soon as we got home, Taye had me make him a Mario with some of the sticky felt we got. He then added stickers to give Mario 'star power.'

From there, we found other uses.

The sticky felt has been the big hit so far, I wish we got more!

Fun for Everyone

2010-04-03T20:31:00.002-05:00

For Taye's birthday, we got him a swing for inside the house. We knew he would love it, but didn't realize how fun it would be for pretty much everyone. Let's just say it's a good thing we got the industrial swing brackets!

Bath time

2010-04-03T20:18:00.002-05:00

The other day, Mya finally took a bath, for the first time in months (I did make sure to clean her, if you're wondering). She without a doubt went through the longest bath strike of any of the three. She would scream like nothing I've heard if I tried to put her in the water. I guess she just didn't realize all the fun there was to be had.

Now she just screams when I take her out, I just can't win!

2010-04-03T08:57:00.002-05:00

Last week Kirsten, aka Super Cookie, came to visit and babysit for us. My kids (and puppy) are in love. When I came home, Darius showed me his picture of Mya. He even made her some blue toes.

Outside!!

2010-04-03T08:41:00.003-05:00

I think it's safe to say that spring is really here. We have been soaking up the outdoors as much as possible. We've already had two picnics, and hours of time on the swingset.

As much as we're all loving it, there is one family member who is particularly loving it.

For Nana:

I just like spring, spring is my favorite.

The Big 0-5

2010-03-30T07:11:00.003-05:00

Two weeks ago (yes, it has been a while since I've updated) we celebrated Taye's birthday. We decided to have the party a week early, since Buppa and Valerie were visiting, and we wanted them to be able to join the fun. They came the night before, and not only were they fun to hang out with, but they were very helpful in the party preparations.

The kids kept Buppa busy, so he wouldn't be in the way while the rest of the grownups cleaned and got ready.

Taye decided long ago that he wanted a Mario party, so naturally we had to warp to the mushroom kingdom for the festivities.

We couldn't find any Mario piñatas, so we had to improvise. The store had a blank 'design your own piñata' which we bought, and with careful, detailed instruction from Taye, Daddy designed this piñata. He did an awesome job:

I thought the cake over for a long time, trying to figure out how to do it. After the Mack cake disaster, I wasn't even going to attempt to draw Mario with frosting! I finally decided to cheat, and make a Mario cake topper, then just do the background design in frosting. He loved it, so mission accomplished.

Somehow I didn't get a lot of pictures of the actual party. I guess we were too busy having fun. We set up a huge taco bar for lunch, with lots of different foods to choose from, we ate the cake, smashed the piñata, played outside in the last of the snow. All in all, a great time. Mya wasn't impressed, but the rest of us had a great time.

I can't believe I have a 5 year old. Happy Birthday Taye!

SURPRISE!!!!!!!!

2010-03-20T06:44:00.002-05:00

Ever since seeing it at the store around Christmas, Taye has been talking about wanting a black Spiderman toy. When asked what he wanted for his birthday, he consistently told us that was what he wanted, and even made lists that said "black Spiderman toy." Darius wanted to get it for him, so the other day we all took a trip to Target, and Darius and I snuck off to the toy aisle. We got the toy, hid it in the car, and talked a lot about it being a surprise.

The next morning when they got up, Taye told me, "Mama, in the middle of the night, Darius told me he got me the black Spiderman toy, but I think he was wrong."

Darius jumped up from his seat and defended his honor, "No, Taye, I'm not wrong! I did get you the black Spiderman toy, it's still in the car! And I got red wrapping paper, but I didn't wrap it yet."

Surprise!

Taye told us he needed to see it, just to know if Darius was right or not. The surprise was ruined anyway, so I told Darius he could give it to Taye. I figured he would open it right away, but instead he asked for a box so that when it was wrapped it would look like a box. When I left for my appointment, he and Darius were busy wrapping it together.

And the award goes to...

2010-03-20T06:38:00.002-05:00

Luis and I were talking the other day, and we feel pretty sure that Mya wins the 'most messy' award. Maybe we just got used to the very slightly less messy preschool age group, and forgot about the early toddler stage, but I'm not really sure that's the case. Here is some photographic evidence (from the last 3 days).

Super Duper Super Heroes

2010-03-20T06:31:00.002-05:00

There is no shortage of super heroes around here. If you thought The Incredibles were a super family, you haven't met us.

Now we just need a costume for Frog - Underdog maybe?

Taye's Genius Invention

2010-03-20T00:06:00.002-05:00

Taye has come up with the new fashion trend of the year. He calls it the belly button hole. Not only is it super cute, but it makes tickling (which, of course, is what belly buttons are for) much easier.

Winky

2010-03-20T00:02:00.001-05:00

Ah, Darius...

2010-02-28T22:34:00.004-05:00

How could you not love that face?

Darius is like the little peacekeeper of the family -- well, when he's not causing trouble, anyway ;o). He has no problem being the perpetual sidekick in Taye's constant role playing games, he is quick to help out, he dotes on Mya, he let's Taye win. He likes to tell me, "Mama, it's good to be here" and has taken to barking out "Mama, I love ya!" He had the waitress at Friendly's laughing one time when she overheard him say, "Mama, I love you, but can we have ice cream now?" Well, when you put it that way...

He loves to make people laugh, and his giggle is infectious. We've been telling a lot of really funny jokes around here lately. Knock-knock jokes in particular. After hearing the "Orange you glad I didn't say banana" one a few times, Darius made up his own:

Knock-knock.

Who's there?

Guitar.

Guitar, who?

Guitar you glad I didn't say vacuum?

Some may say he was just using random objects from around the room, but I choose to believe he meant for it to work that well. He is pretty darn smart, after all.

Last week the kids were going to Nana's for a few hours. As we were getting ready, I joked with Darius and told him he had to stay home.

Me: "Nana said you can't come, she changed her mind."

Darius: "No she didn't, she still has the same mind!"

(What he doesn't know is that she actually lost it a long, long time ago...it's all Uncle Bunny's fault, I had nothing to do with it!)

Lately I've noticed that almost all his "babyness" is gone, he is definitely a big kid. But no matter how big he gets, he is still totally squishable. He still likes to snuggle, and that's fine by me. Speaking of squishable, I could still sit and watch this video of him all day long:

I can't be the only one. He is yummy.

The Perfect Storm

2010-02-28T22:20:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, I experienced the Perfect Storm. I was out running errands alone...my route brought me past the Salvation Army...I was reminded that Darius desperately needs pants (plus, I'm addicted, fine!)...and as I was walking in, I saw a sign advertising a one-day only, everything in the store (except furniture) 50% off sale.

I can't even describe the excitement. I went through the kids clothing racks with an eye towards the summer stuff (and pants for Darius). I left with 10 pairs of pants (6 of them jeans), 13 shirts, 2 pairs of shoes, an iron, and 2 small Easter items...for $20.37. I don't know how people can shop anywhere else.

My favorite find of the day? These:

I don't even care that she already has sneakers in this size. They were $1, and look at them! So cute.

Recent Favorites

2010-02-28T22:17:00.001-05:00

Fashion Show

2010-02-22T20:33:00.002-05:00

Every time I see fabric listed on Freecycle, I ask for it, even though I don't really sew. Because I like fabric, and someday I may sew, and I have people who will sew for me. The vast majority of the fabric gets passed along, but there is usually at least one piece that I love and want to keep. Last week, there was a flurry of pattern searching and buying, and sewing awesomeness done by Tia. We got everything this weekend, and Mya modeled for the camera.

Probably a year ago, I got a huge piece of fabric, which we have affectionately called "the ugly fabric" from the beginning. It's so hideous that it's awesome, I loved it. I instantly knew I needed it to be made into something for Mya. I then decided -- you may want to sit down -- that what it should be is a dress for Mya. I gave it to Tia, and we worked on finding the perfect pattern. I wish this picture wasn't blurry because it came out so cute.

I also had a second 'ugly fabric' though not as wonderfully ugly as the first. I found a pattern for a tunic online that I loved, and asked Tia to make 2 of them. This one has the ugly fabric #2 as the trim (and I think it's my favorite):

This other tunic is made from 2 purples that I got together, and quite honestly, the trim on this is a pretty ugly fabric as well. I love the color of the main shirt:

Last, but not least, is this awesome kimono coat. It has super soft fleece on the outside, and is lined with my favorite ugly fabric. I love the way it wraps, I love the hood, I love it. Now we just need it to be a bit warmer so she can wear it!

And then, as you can see, the fashion show was over!

Thanks Tia!!!!!!

New Bed!

2010-02-22T20:27:00.002-05:00

We've been wanting to get the boys bunk beds since we moved in here. Their room was really congested, and we wanted the space. We finally headed up to the Mill Store in NH this weekend to get one. We got there just in time, as they were all sold out except for the floor model. We waited while they took it apart, and took it home. The kids were so excited, and spent the rest of the day playing on it, only pausing for dinner.

Here is Taye, holding up the ceiling:

and Darius, holding up Taye:

Daddy whipped up a cool fort:

Three little monkeys:

I love this picture. Luis had them yelling "New Bed!" for the camera, instead of "cheese!" and it was, apparently, very funny.

16 Already?

2010-02-22T20:25:00.001-05:00