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| Silly String fight - a new tradition begins |
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| MUST you take my picture, Mother? |
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| The cake was a bit dense... |
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| Gifts from a loving sister |
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| The baby beardie, Tom |
Showing posts with label birthday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label birthday. Show all posts
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Now We Are 11 - A Photo Post
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Birthdays and Easter and Classes - Oh, My!
We're still on Spring Break here in our little corner of the world. All the public schools are back in session this week, so we do have to get out of our comfort zone and go to swimming and violin lessons as usual, but we're still not up in the school room much unless you count M2, who can't go 24 hours without doing a project or craft of some sort.
Last week was largely spent preparing for and executing plans for M2's 8th birthday. She had a slumber party with a few of her friends, and it went beautifully. M1 had a difficult time understanding why he wasn't allowed to participate in (read: take over) the girls' plans, but Oz and I distracted him with a flight simulator and time on his Kindle Fire, so I don't think he missed too much. This week my grandmother turns 89, and we're going to go up and visit her. She wants to have a birthday party at her retirement home, complete with cookies and root beer floats. I sincerely hope that when I turn 89, I'm able to have cookies and root beer floats! How fun is that?
Easter is on Sunday. Usually I have candy bought and stashed by now. This year I've bought candy, but for reasons that have to remain secret because Oz is still in the dark (some of you know what we did with the candy and have seen photos, but SHHH!), the kids know the candy exists and they know that I'm probably going to use it to stuff eggs. It seems rather to defeat the purpose if they already know what will be IN the eggs, so I may have to have Oz pick each of them up a chocolate rabbit just so they have a little surprise. We'll see. Last year the Easter Bunny stopped by. I suspect a repeat performance may be in the cards this year.
I started the beginner digital photography class last night. It's the first class I've taken in years, and it's lovely. I'm very glad Oz pushed me into signing up. Apparently the classes are usually quite full - 18-20 people - but our class only had nine people enroll, of which only seven showed up last night. The instructor seems knowledgeable and kind, and he's been doing this long enough that he knows more or less what to expect. It's a four-week course, and we're covering the basics - metering, aperture control, shutter speed, ISO settings, and white balance. It's just what I had been hoping it would be, and I'm already starting to think about the 'final,' which is a photographic scavenger hunt.
Finally, I finished a 9-week exercise program yesterday. I used EA Sports Active 2 for the Wii, and it wasn't easy. The program asks you to work out four times a week for those nine weeks, and I can see a difference in my body shape. I have more of a waist now than I think I've had since before M1 was born. I weigh about the same as I did then as well. It's a massive accomplishment, something I've been wanting since M2 came along, and I'm finally there. I'm not done, though. I have Jillian Michaels' No More Trouble Zones workout DVD, and I'm going to use that through April, then go back to the Sports Active 2 program and see what the 'hard' setting is like. It'll probably kill me. If it doesn't... well, you know the saying.
Hope things are starting to warm up where you are; I'm so very ready for spring!!
Last week was largely spent preparing for and executing plans for M2's 8th birthday. She had a slumber party with a few of her friends, and it went beautifully. M1 had a difficult time understanding why he wasn't allowed to participate in (read: take over) the girls' plans, but Oz and I distracted him with a flight simulator and time on his Kindle Fire, so I don't think he missed too much. This week my grandmother turns 89, and we're going to go up and visit her. She wants to have a birthday party at her retirement home, complete with cookies and root beer floats. I sincerely hope that when I turn 89, I'm able to have cookies and root beer floats! How fun is that?
Easter is on Sunday. Usually I have candy bought and stashed by now. This year I've bought candy, but for reasons that have to remain secret because Oz is still in the dark (some of you know what we did with the candy and have seen photos, but SHHH!), the kids know the candy exists and they know that I'm probably going to use it to stuff eggs. It seems rather to defeat the purpose if they already know what will be IN the eggs, so I may have to have Oz pick each of them up a chocolate rabbit just so they have a little surprise. We'll see. Last year the Easter Bunny stopped by. I suspect a repeat performance may be in the cards this year.
I started the beginner digital photography class last night. It's the first class I've taken in years, and it's lovely. I'm very glad Oz pushed me into signing up. Apparently the classes are usually quite full - 18-20 people - but our class only had nine people enroll, of which only seven showed up last night. The instructor seems knowledgeable and kind, and he's been doing this long enough that he knows more or less what to expect. It's a four-week course, and we're covering the basics - metering, aperture control, shutter speed, ISO settings, and white balance. It's just what I had been hoping it would be, and I'm already starting to think about the 'final,' which is a photographic scavenger hunt.
Finally, I finished a 9-week exercise program yesterday. I used EA Sports Active 2 for the Wii, and it wasn't easy. The program asks you to work out four times a week for those nine weeks, and I can see a difference in my body shape. I have more of a waist now than I think I've had since before M1 was born. I weigh about the same as I did then as well. It's a massive accomplishment, something I've been wanting since M2 came along, and I'm finally there. I'm not done, though. I have Jillian Michaels' No More Trouble Zones workout DVD, and I'm going to use that through April, then go back to the Sports Active 2 program and see what the 'hard' setting is like. It'll probably kill me. If it doesn't... well, you know the saying.
Hope things are starting to warm up where you are; I'm so very ready for spring!!
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Friday, March 22, 2013
The Curse of Snow
I love snow. I hate winter, and I hate cold, but I really do enjoy a good snow, largely because it gives me an excuse to hole up in the house and it makes everything look pretty while it lasts. Last year we didn't really see snow, and we haven't seen much of it this year, either (those of you in Canada who, at this point, may never unearth yourselves, have my sympathy, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't love snow nearly as much if I had to deal with it as much as you have/do).
M2's birthday is coming up, and I have long promised her a sleepover for her 8th birthday, since M1 had a couple friends camp out in the back yard with him when he turned 8. She's been excited and planning for months - more specifically, since right after she turned 7, though she's only become really manic about it since January.
Now, there's something you should know about M2's birthday parties. They're memorable.
Three years ago, when she turned 5, we held a birthday party. It snowed.
Two years ago, when she turned 6, we held a birthday party. It snowed.
Last year, I told her no party. No snow.
This year, given the lack of wintry precipitation we've had, I suspected we'd be safe. So I scheduled the party for this weekend.
Guess what the forecast says?
Now, we're not expected to have any accumulation, but still. It's March twenty-freaking-third already! I would really, really like to host one birthday party for her where we can send the kids outside and let them run riot rather than keeping them indoors.
C'mon, Spring! Act like it!
M2's birthday is coming up, and I have long promised her a sleepover for her 8th birthday, since M1 had a couple friends camp out in the back yard with him when he turned 8. She's been excited and planning for months - more specifically, since right after she turned 7, though she's only become really manic about it since January.
Now, there's something you should know about M2's birthday parties. They're memorable.
Three years ago, when she turned 5, we held a birthday party. It snowed.
Two years ago, when she turned 6, we held a birthday party. It snowed.
Last year, I told her no party. No snow.
This year, given the lack of wintry precipitation we've had, I suspected we'd be safe. So I scheduled the party for this weekend.
Guess what the forecast says?
Now, we're not expected to have any accumulation, but still. It's March twenty-freaking-third already! I would really, really like to host one birthday party for her where we can send the kids outside and let them run riot rather than keeping them indoors.
C'mon, Spring! Act like it!
Monday, October 15, 2012
Two-Digit Numbers
The boy is 10 now. It's hard to believe that it's been an entire decade since he was a screaming bundle of joy.
He's not much of a bundle any more, but the screaming and the joy have not subsided.
Question: What happens when you put eight boys between the ages of ages 6 and 11 in a game room?
Answer: You don't want to know. But from what I understand, it involves lots of flatulence... and fart jokes... and gas... you get the idea.
We let M1 have a birthday party this year. This is the first year he's really had a lot of friends right around his age (and a couple of siblings) that he wanted to invite to a party, and I couldn't very well tell him no. He picked a Plants Vs. Zombies theme, and he had a great time.
His friends rocked his world when it came to gifts. He scored everything from Pokemon cards to a fishing pole and tackle. After the party, we let a couple of the boys spend the night.
You can take the boys out of the party...
But you can't take the party out of the boys. I was rather impressed, though... they were all asleep by 10:30! Quietest. Sleepover. EVER.
I'm quite sure that when M2's birthday rolls around in a few months, that will not be the case. She's already been promised a mega-sleepover party and has already begun preparing her invitation list.
Back to the boy. The party was held the weekend before his birthday, and since Mama is a good old-fashioned slacker when it comes to getting gift bags and birthday-themed wrapping paper, he didn't have a single thing to unwrap on his birthday. No sirree. Instead, I made him go on a scavenger hunt. He thought it was great!
He scored new slippers, a book of banjo chords, a book of magic tricks and illusions, a cookbook (yes, he loves cookbooks and I found a series that shows every step with a photo... perfect for my boy!), new shelves for his room, and a digital camera.
Then M2 gave him the gift she'd gotten him:
He'd been jonesing for this particular ant farm for a while, and M2 knew it. She's a great sister.
Overall, he had a
I'm now officially the mom of a pre-teen. What an odd feeling. I'm theoretically more than halfway done raising this child. Someone slow time down, please!
Friday, October 5, 2012
Remember When...
Do you remember when your kids were so tiny...
... you could snuggle them for hours on end just to feel their softness?
... they would stretch and arch their backs and curl up their arms and legs and look so adorable you could just cry?
... you could wash everyone's laundry on the same day and theirs would only take up a fraction of a load?
... they babbled "Mama" on accident and you got so excited you called everyone?
... you counted every tooth every time a new one popped in?
Do you remember?
Do you remember when they were so little...
... you could feed them two cut-up apple slices, two pieces of ham, a piece of bread and a cheese stick and feel really good that they had a big, healthful lunch?
... their shoes would fit in the palm of your hand?
... bathtime meant toys?
... you knew you could teach them everything because you were the smartest person in the world?
Do you remember?
Do you remember when they were so young...
... they wanted to help with everything, whether it was making meals, cleaning bathrooms, or dismantling the DVD rack?
... they wanted you to push them on the swing, push them on the bike, read them a story, and cuddle at night?
... they told you everything?
Do you?
Do you remember...
... the first time you got a full night's sleep?
... the first time they buckled themselves into the car?
... the first time you made a chore chart?
... the first time they took off on a bike?
... the first time they used the potty by themselves?
... the first time they read a book independently?
Do you remember? Do you really remember?
I do and I don't. My son turns 10 in the next week, and as I'm looking back, I realize just what an adventure it has been to raise this young man. He has never given me a moment's rest, that's for sure, and it's definitely been a journey of parenthood to get him this far. All the sleepless nights and fretting over the fact that at 5 years old he would stay up till midnight because he simply couldn't hold still (solution: melatonin, which he takes almost every night to this day)... all the effort that went into teaching him to read, clean, cook, talk, etc.,... all the laundry, meals, positive and negative consequences... all the snuggles, books, tears of both joy and sadness... everything... every. last. thing. has been worth it. I see how far we both have come, and while there are a few bittersweet thoughts, mostly I'm looking forward. I can't wait to see what the next 10 years brings, to discover what sort of adult he will become. I know that no matter what, it will be an epic ride. With a boy like M1, how could it not?
... you could snuggle them for hours on end just to feel their softness?
... they would stretch and arch their backs and curl up their arms and legs and look so adorable you could just cry?
... you could wash everyone's laundry on the same day and theirs would only take up a fraction of a load?
... they babbled "Mama" on accident and you got so excited you called everyone?
... you counted every tooth every time a new one popped in?
Do you remember?
Do you remember when they were so little...
... you could feed them two cut-up apple slices, two pieces of ham, a piece of bread and a cheese stick and feel really good that they had a big, healthful lunch?
... their shoes would fit in the palm of your hand?
... bathtime meant toys?
... you knew you could teach them everything because you were the smartest person in the world?
Do you remember?
Do you remember when they were so young...
... they wanted to help with everything, whether it was making meals, cleaning bathrooms, or dismantling the DVD rack?
... they wanted you to push them on the swing, push them on the bike, read them a story, and cuddle at night?
... they told you everything?
Do you?
Do you remember...
... the first time you got a full night's sleep?
... the first time they buckled themselves into the car?
... the first time you made a chore chart?
... the first time they took off on a bike?
... the first time they used the potty by themselves?
... the first time they read a book independently?
Do you remember? Do you really remember?
I do and I don't. My son turns 10 in the next week, and as I'm looking back, I realize just what an adventure it has been to raise this young man. He has never given me a moment's rest, that's for sure, and it's definitely been a journey of parenthood to get him this far. All the sleepless nights and fretting over the fact that at 5 years old he would stay up till midnight because he simply couldn't hold still (solution: melatonin, which he takes almost every night to this day)... all the effort that went into teaching him to read, clean, cook, talk, etc.,... all the laundry, meals, positive and negative consequences... all the snuggles, books, tears of both joy and sadness... everything... every. last. thing. has been worth it. I see how far we both have come, and while there are a few bittersweet thoughts, mostly I'm looking forward. I can't wait to see what the next 10 years brings, to discover what sort of adult he will become. I know that no matter what, it will be an epic ride. With a boy like M1, how could it not?
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
The Photo Post
The new camera is amazing. But, as with anything technological, there is a learning curve.
But I did decide to go play with the flash...
Then I sat down with the manual and learned that I can take sepia or black-and-white photos.
I can soften or warm a photo before I even take it.
This is the first photo that I took with my "new toy," as the family has dubbed it. Notice all the orangey-red. Clearly I hadn't learned to play with the settings.
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| Bokeh |
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| Bokeh-less |
... and was impressed by the difference in the depth of field. I've never been able to play with those sorts of things before.
Then I sat down with the manual and learned that I can take sepia or black-and-white photos.
I can soften or warm a photo before I even take it.
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| His eye skin is prone to the effects of gravity when he rolls |
And I can catch those great action shots that I've always missed before now. I got some great photos of some of M2's classmates doing cartwheels today. I don't have to worry so much about getting the timing perfect, which means I can worry about focus and composition - it's amazing :)
I am totally in love with my "new toy," and I can't wait to use it at M2's school talent show. I can sit all the way in the back and use my telephoto lens to get some great shots anyway! I'm a tad giddy. I'll never be a pro photographer, but if I can get some fun shots now and then, it'll be worth every minute of poring over the manual!
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Well, It Was Memorable
So if I wasn't lazy, I'd be showing you photos I've taken with my new camera because HELL YES I've been using it. My husband and children are already tired of me. The cats may also be done having a lens stuck in their faces, but they've been eyeing me with disdain for years, so I really can't tell a difference.
But. I'm lazy.
So instead, let me tell you about my day. Completely unrelated photos to follow in another post.
My birthday started at roughly 3:30 a.m. with the announcement of a small girl standing beside my bed: "Mom, my tummy hurts. I think I'm going to urp."
My first thought of the day: "Oh, nooooo, not on the bed."
She did not wind up blowing chunks, thank goodness, but she did spend the rest of the night up and down with a puny stomach and nothing to show for it other than an increasingly miserable girl. By 7 a.m., she was full-on crabby. Most of the time I let her have these days off of school as mental health days (I know it's largely due to anxiety over her upcoming violin performances), but she'd been doing better with her anxiety issues, and also she's always fine by 9:30 or 10 a.m. So I told her that she could come with M1 and I while he got his allergy shot and I'd drop her at school on our way home. And I did.
And at 1 p.m., I got a call from the school saying that she had been in the sick bay for an hour and a half (they'd have called me sooner but she'd been napping) and refused to eat anything. I think they managed to get three crackers into her, which is more than I'd managed at breakfast, so I gave them credit. I told them I had to load up the van and I'd be on my way.
Here's what I had to load into the van:
But. I'm lazy.
So instead, let me tell you about my day. Completely unrelated photos to follow in another post.
My birthday started at roughly 3:30 a.m. with the announcement of a small girl standing beside my bed: "Mom, my tummy hurts. I think I'm going to urp."
My first thought of the day: "Oh, nooooo, not on the bed."
She did not wind up blowing chunks, thank goodness, but she did spend the rest of the night up and down with a puny stomach and nothing to show for it other than an increasingly miserable girl. By 7 a.m., she was full-on crabby. Most of the time I let her have these days off of school as mental health days (I know it's largely due to anxiety over her upcoming violin performances), but she'd been doing better with her anxiety issues, and also she's always fine by 9:30 or 10 a.m. So I told her that she could come with M1 and I while he got his allergy shot and I'd drop her at school on our way home. And I did.
And at 1 p.m., I got a call from the school saying that she had been in the sick bay for an hour and a half (they'd have called me sooner but she'd been napping) and refused to eat anything. I think they managed to get three crackers into her, which is more than I'd managed at breakfast, so I gave them credit. I told them I had to load up the van and I'd be on my way.
Here's what I had to load into the van:
- M1, in swim jammers
- M1's bag of swim gear and towel
- M1's schoolwork for tomorrow, complete with sharpened pencils, erasers, glue, scissors, crayons, etc.)
- An overnight bag for M1
- M2's violin
- M2's violin books
- A book for me to read during swim in case the woman I often talk to wasn't there (I haven't particularly hit it off with most of the other moms, which has little to do with them and more to do with the fact that we don't have much in common)
- Healthy snacks so I could try to make M2 eat something
- A giant bag of Oz's old clothes to go to Goodwill
I picked M2 up on the way to swim. M1 swam while M2 lay miserably on the cold, dirty concrete floor of the parent room at the swim school. I kept trying to get her to snuggle on my lap, but she didn't want to. The floor was preferable. After we left swim, I managed to get a small piece of beef jerky into her. It wasn't a banana like I wanted, but it was something. I dropped M1 off at my mother-in-law's house and headed to M2's violin lesson. Two blocks from the teacher's house - I was literally turning into the neighborhood - when disaster struck. I had stopped at a stop sign and turned around to encourage M2 to eat a few bites of banana... when I watched her induce vomiting. She didn't stick a finger down her throat or anything. She was simply staring at the banana and making upchuck motions... and succeeded. Admirably. Sooooooo I turned the van right instead of left and promptly took the child home, where I cleaned out the van and she took a shower. She then declared that she felt hungry and ate a (different) banana.
*headwall*
She went to bed and took a brief nap before getting up, chipper as ever, and finishing off the last of my baked potato for dinner, as well as a piece of bread and butter.
So far she's kept that down. I thought she'd be up for hours after taking two naps today, but she was fast asleep by 9. I checked on her a little bit ago and asked her - both kids are prodigious sleep talkers, something they get from Oz - how she was feeling.
I got a grin. "FAAAAANtasky," she announced before rolling over and curling back up.
The best part of my day? Oz mowed the lawn and made me dinner - grilled steak, baked potatoes, salad, and lemon meringue pie. With beer.
He salvaged what had been a horribly rough day. I am grateful to him. And to everyone else who has sent birthday wishes my way today. Thank you all, and I hope your week is going better than mine!
Monday, April 16, 2012
SQUEE!!!
OK, so I'm not very amped about my 30th birthday being less than 2 hours away. I'm really not.
I AM, however, totally psyched (Like my usage of archaic teenage phraseology? I could have gone with "But it's totally sick..." but I didn't want to. I am a product of the 1990s.) about the gift that Oz got me.
See that? It's not my table and it's not my camera, but it is the type of camera that I got. It's a Canon Rebel T3i. Do I have all the specs? No. But I do know this. It's beautiful. He also got me a second lens, a telephoto, so I can finally take those faraway shots that I've always despised my Elph for.
I'm trying not to drool on it.
I AM, however, totally psyched (Like my usage of archaic teenage phraseology? I could have gone with "But it's totally sick..." but I didn't want to. I am a product of the 1990s.) about the gift that Oz got me.
See that? It's not my table and it's not my camera, but it is the type of camera that I got. It's a Canon Rebel T3i. Do I have all the specs? No. But I do know this. It's beautiful. He also got me a second lens, a telephoto, so I can finally take those faraway shots that I've always despised my Elph for.
I'm trying not to drool on it.
Monday, April 9, 2012
Spring Busy-ness
I haven't really had too many chances to get on here and post lately; I've just been busy. But I wanted to get on and immortalize some of the best times from the past few weeks.
M1 has discovered a love of model making. He's graduated from models that snap together to models that glue together, and he's thrilled about it. He loves the painting and the putting together of pieces, and I can't wait to see what the final product looks like.
The kids had two weeks of Spring Break. The first week was sunny and brilliant, and we spent a lot of time outside. The second week, though - the week that all the public schools were on break - was rainy. And that was brilliant, too, because we went to an almost-vacant zoo on a misty day, and I let the kids puddle-duck on a rainy day. They loved it.
M2 turned 7 at the end of the break...
... and she had a wonderful party at a local pottery painting place.
She doesn't look 7. It's scary how fast they grow.
This past weekend, the Easter Bunny paid our house a visit.
The kids always love hunting for eggs...
... and they got to have TWO hunts this year, one at home and one at Granddad's house with their cousins (step-cousins? How do you relate your step-sibling's kids to your kids?)
Mostly, though, we've been doing a lot of this. Working. Plugging away. The kitchen has been completely repainted, and we're waiting on the contractor to get a date set to come do the foundation piers and leveling. The kids and I did some painting on the exterior of the house today. I need to steam clean the carpets, Oz has to repair a couple of floor pieces, and once all these things are done... THAT'S IT. Other than cleaning like my life depends on it. The end is in sight, though. I'd love to get the house listed next week!
Fingers crossed. It's been an eventful spring! :)
Friday, March 23, 2012
My Baby
My baby. My little M2. I love telling her birth story because she decided to come into this world three weeks early, bound and determined that she was coming out RIGHT NOW.
But I'll spare you those details.
Oz and I had considered several names for her, but there was only one that seemed right. When we told our mothers what we had decided, they hated it. My mom remembered a girl from her college with that name who was abrupt and took no crap from anyone; my mother-in-law had similar reasons for disliking our choice. But Oz and I didn't care. And once M2 was born, everyone saw that the name fit her to a T. Is she a little abrupt? Perhaps, sometimes. She takes after her mother that way Does she take crap? Oh, heck no. Is she aptly named? Yes, unless M2 decides that she's Freya that day, which is a whole other post.
Tomorrow, this little imp turns 7. It seems like only yesterday that she was a tiny little 1-year-old sitting on the front porch...
... or a 2-year-old who desperately wanted her hair long enough to be in a pony tail...
... or a 3-year-old who begged to have earrings and all her hair chopped off...
... or a 4-year-old who couldn't wait to be in school ALL DAY EVERY DAY so that there were lots and lots of people to play with...
... or a 5-year-old going on 15 with enough attitude to stick her hip clear into the middle of next week.
And now, of course, she's my 6-year-old.
She's sweet and charming and funny and empathetic and oh, so smart. She loves animals and anatomy and art. She loves reading, playing her violin, and being outdoors as much as humanly possible. Her moods are as changeable as ever, but even when she loses hope that there is such a thing as a positive tomorrow, a few cuddles from Mama can still make things just a little bit better.
Happy Birthday, M2. I can't wait to see what the next year brings, and no matter what, I love you always!
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