Noodle Haven

Yarny Christmas Everyone

2012-01-06T14:32:00.001-05:00

We had a rather yarny Christmas this year! Kimmy is too too smitten with her rainbow snake.

Halloween in December

2011-12-30T14:03:00.000-05:00

Kimmy's second top tooth came out the other night, giving her the dentition of a jack-o-lantern!

Family Halloween Overload!

2011-11-06T15:10:00.000-05:00

For us this year, Halloween lasted all October. It started with a trip to the pumpkin patch where the girls selected only the most appealing gourds. April was dissatisfied, however, because all the pumpkins were dirty. It took a lot of persuading to get her to finally choose one.

The girls and I had a spooky tea party. We decorated spider cupcakes and make magic wands (pretzel rods dipped in white chocolate and sprinkles).

I made a ghost costume for Kimmy out of a sheet, and April wore ye olde dragone costume.

At the Trunk R Treat I made a shark out of our car. I made the mouth out of posterboard, and the legs are actually pantyhose (finally getting used) with old baby shoes on the ends. I made the kids reach into the shark's mouth to get their candy, and we had music from the move Jaws playing on the car's sound system. I stood next to the shark wearing an empty baby carrier and sporting smeared mascara like I'd been crying. "Go ahead and reach on in for candy," I said tearfully. "I'm sure what happened to my little girl won't happen to you."

Kimmy and April hauled in a ton of candy on Halloween night!

The weather in October was so nice! One day after dropping Kimmy off at school (or "Kimmy-garden" as April calls it) we just stayed on the porch until it was time to go back. When home decorators tell you that a porch can extend your living space outside, I doubt this is what they have in mind.

I took the girls apple-picking. I don't have a picture of Kimmy here because she was a blur of apple picking.

A couple nights before Halloween the whole family went to the Zoo, where we ended up riding the carnival rides and doing nothing else. We had a blast! Here's Kimmy and Kit on the Macaw Something-Or-Other.

And then yesterday we found a tiny frog in the backyard! The girls loved holding him. Also, Kimmy got a haircut! Not by the frog. By a professional.

Um, she's pretty?

2011-10-03T11:05:00.002-04:00

Just so you can see what a difference it makes, having a photographer who cares . . .

I found this in Kimmy's backpack on Friday.

Kimmy couldn't figure out why Kit and I were laughing. "What's 'weird', Mom?"

Look! They're pretty!

2011-09-30T17:19:00.002-04:00

We had some family pictures taken recently by a friend and I just had to share these two shots of the girls. I don't know when it happened that they grew so big and lovely. I measured them against the doorframe at the beginning of September and compared their heights to the last time which was four months earlier. April grew two inches and Kimmy grew an inch and a half. No wonder their clothes don't fit!

AND another thing! How did they end up with such beautiful eyes??

Kids: They're Weird, Vol 87

2011-09-07T09:49:00.000-04:00

Kids sure do say odd things!

Yesterday we were at the grocery store and the girls were looking at the lobster tank, as required by age-old shopping tradition. "Dragons!" exclaimed April. "Lobsters," I corrected. "Dragons!!" she insisted. Okay then.

Also yesterday, Kimmy asked me if she could have some cookie dough. I looked at the time (snack time!) and took stock of her breakfast intake (sufficient!) and said, "Sure!" You'd think I never let her have any, because her face lit up and she cried, "You say sure?!? You a good girl, Mommy! You so nice!"

This morning I was planting a large number of smooches on April's cute little cheek. "I wuv oo, Mommy," she said, and my heart just melted. I took a breath to say I love you back, but she cut me off. "NO KISS IT!!"

Kimmy Starts School!

2011-08-23T14:00:00.000-04:00

Kimmy started kindergarten today! Kimmy, of course, has been ready for kindergarten to start for about three months and this morning was no different.

(Gratuitous beauty shot!)

She wanted me to drive her to school three hours early and had a very hard time waiting. When I tried to waste a little time at the house right before we finally left, so we wouldn't be SO early, she grabbed her sister and the wagon and headed out!

I think I handled it pretty well--it was nothing like putting her on the bus to preschool at age three. THAT I didn't handle so well. I fought off tears while obsessively watching the clock and checking that the phone worked for the next three hours. Or like that time this past February when I went to the kindergarten registration meeting and the "Welcome Class of 2024!" sign made me feel light-headed and faint. Today, though, I walked Kimmy to school and saw her into the classroom

and only felt just a bit emotional on the walk home--luckily I had this little face to keep me company.

Yes. She is wearing a backpack. Everyone knows you have to wear a backpack to go to school!

Googley Update: The Prize!

2011-08-17T16:37:00.001-04:00

Christine received her prize so I've been cleared to show you all what she won in the Googley-Eye Celebration of Ruth Contest! Behold:

Grandma was an avid flosser and had dental floss all over the house. She became a big fan of Vicks VapoRub after reading that it could cure athlete's foot, and would use it on any old sore, much like the father in "My Big Fat Wedding" and his Windex. The googley eyes are Grandma's own personal stash. That's right--these are genuine original Grandmother-approved googley eyes.

Thanks to everyone for participating! This was a lot of fun, and I think Grandma would have loved it. Thanks, Bonnie!

The Googley Eye Contest Winner!

2011-08-10T21:55:00.000-04:00

The Googley Eye Contest is over! It has been a fun couple of weeks seeing what everyone came up with to celebrate Grandma's life and sense of whimsy! Truly Ruth was an open-hearted funny lady. Happy Birthday, Ruth! We miss you.

(Me with my Grandma just before I left for college around New Year's 1996)

The votes in the Googley Eye Contest have been tallied, and the winner is

Christine's Pink Lamp!

Christine, your prize is in the mail! I know everyone is waiting on pins and needles to hear what the prize is. Let me just remind you all that Bonnie is the brains behind the contest, and she carefully selected the prize to be something her mother valued greatly. So I think it would be fun if we could have Christine be surprised when she opens her prize package! Tune in here again in a few days to hear what the prize was.

Come Vote In The Googley Eye Contest!

2011-08-03T12:58:00.002-04:00

What a fun contest it's been! So many different and creative uses for those googley eyes. It's been a great way to celebrate Mom/Grandma/Great-Grandma Ruth and her sense of fun and whimsy.

The next step is the voting. Take a look back at all the pictures and then come back to this post to leave a comment with your top three favorites!

For your convenience, here are links to all the posts with pictures.
MaryLynn's First Batch
Christine's Googley-Eyed Creations
Bonnie's Discoveries
Annette Checks In
Jana and Emma Team Up
Amy Joins the Party
Ruth Ann is Being Watched
Sheri Has Googley-Eyed Friends All Over
Leelou's Googley-Eyed Menagerie New and improved with Ginger Kitty!
Elisabeth Spies Some Googleys
MaryLynn's Second Batch of Googleys

Go forth and then come back to vote!

MaryLynn's Second Batch of Googleys

2011-08-01T16:51:00.000-04:00

MaryLynn sent in a second batch of googley-eyed creatures. Here's a chance for all of you to come up with captions! Leave them in the comments and I'll add them to the pictures.

Elisabeth Spies Some Googleys

2011-08-01T16:49:00.000-04:00

Elisabeth spotted some googley creatures! Take a look.

This one is really on the ball. Hee hee ha. Ha. Ha.

I'm told the mouth on this fellow is guano. Different!

This little guy has lots of arms to hug you with. Maybe?

Leelou's Googley-Eyed Menagerie

2011-07-31T22:32:00.001-04:00

Time is almost up for submitting your Googley-Eyed finds in celebration of Grandma/Mom Ruth! Leelou slipped a gaggle of googleys in before the deadline. Behold!

Well, this is fearful thing to have hanging over your head!

This guy looks torn between his love of onions and his fear of knives.

Man, I am just so depressed lately. People just keep beating on me. What did I ever do to you??

Hey-hey! Whassup! You gonna wash your hands? I LOVE washing hands! That ROCKS!

As Karl sat there, gently ripening, he couldn't help but ponder the ephemeral nature of life, and his own brief sojourn in the sun.

DON'T call me 'ginger.'

Mabel was glad to be in the Hawaiian islands, and no longer down in the doldrums.

Well, pin a rose on my nose!

Quit leering at those buns! So rude.

I just love these fancy parties! Are there any more canapes?

Be our guest! Put our service to the test!

Silent and steady, the sentinel of the stairway stands ever at the ready.

This one makes me think of a snail or something. How about you?

Everytime I look at this picture I see somebody wrapped so tight their eyes are bulging. Sorry. Do you see something funny? Please share!

Dahling, I simply love what you've done with your hair! Oh, this chapeau? It's just a little something I threw together this morning--it's nothing, really.

Sheri has Googley-Eyed Friends All Over

2011-07-29T21:29:00.000-04:00

Sheri spent the weekend at a cabin at Bear Lake and spotted some friends! Check it out.

Aww, dis widdle guy is smiling at me! So cute.

I think maybe this guy got his picture taken while the dentist had a gizmo in his mouth!

When I look at this one I see a little boy with messy hair. How about you? Maybe it's Beaker's little brother.

Gerald was a little uneasy about having his picture on a blog, seen by literally dozens of strangers.

Hector, on the other hand, was thrilled!

Ruth Ann Is Being Watched!

2011-07-24T22:16:00.000-04:00

Ruth Ann has submitted this bit of googley-eyed lunacy. Feast your eyes on this one!

The Supremely Awesome Brotherhood of Studly Office Support Heroes had one major unwritten rule during their Thursday meetings (2:05-2:20 PM, in the downstairs copy room): Never mock each other's appearances. James' big mouth, Chester's buck teeth, Tyrone's crazy big hair, and Joe's vampirism were all off-limits.

Amy Joins the Party

2011-07-24T21:45:00.000-04:00

Amy, one of my cousins on the other side, saw what fun we were having with our googley eye fest and had to join in! Check out her submissions.

I tried to find a funny caption for this but all I could come up with was

and I don't know about you, but I'm practically peeing my pants laughing.

Its camouflage nearly perfect, the rare Tupper-Monster lies in wait for its prey.

Hey, Buddy! Got a light?

Think the French are haughty? Their monuments are downright rude! :(

The real reason Van Gogh went nuts and cut off his ear.

Jana and Emma Team Up To Bring Teh Funny

2011-07-21T21:37:00.000-04:00

Jana and Emma have been hard at work, scrounging up hilarity. Take a look!

[In the voice of Dug from "UP"] Oboy oboy oboy! Are you going to play with me?? I like to go across the floor and give you a ride because I am a toy and you are my master.

Yeah, all the cool kids drink juice. I'm pretty much the coolest thing around. My shades cost, like, a hundred bucks.

The Cylons didn't like to talk about their cousin Larry. As necessary as he was in the progression from toaster to 'human', they couldn't help but feel a little ashamed of him. (I will not be explaining this joke. Find a geek if necessary to translate.)

Id's so hard to talk wid dis fing in by node!

Chester couldn't help but feel anxious; he knew that as soon as Fat Tony put the squeeze on him he'd spill his guts.

Annette Checks In

2011-07-21T21:21:00.000-04:00

Annette has been seeing things! Check out her pics.

This special guy reminds me of Mr. Snuffleupagus from Sesame Street.

I don't know what this guy saw that freaked him out so much but I'm pretty sure it's just over my left shoulder!

You're going to do what to my head?

Fine. Push my nose in. It's what I'm here for. Don't bother thanking me.

Get YOUR pics in! We all know YOU are the most creative person in the family!

Bonnie's Discoveries

2011-07-16T22:10:00.000-04:00

Looks like Bonnie's been seeing the unexpected all over the place! Enjoy.

I'll be honest; this one creeps me out a little.

Bearded old man? Dinosaur? You be the judge!

Cousin Itt? Is that you??

Where are YOUR pictures, hmmm??

Christine's Googley-Eyed Creations

2011-07-16T09:04:00.000-04:00

Here is another set of Googley Eye pictures, this time from Christine. Enjoy!

So demure! So sweet! I think this might be the Pixar lamp's little girlfriend.

Don't you love the latest technology that lets you see who you're talking to?

"RAWR!!"

After being called for double dribbling, Gary chewed out the ref and got ejected from the game.

Where are YOUR Googley-Eye pictures??

Googley Eye Pictures!

2011-07-12T21:40:00.000-04:00

Howdy, folks! Here's our first googley eye pictures for your entertainment and inspiration. These pictures are from MaryLynn.

I have it on good authority that this was HILARIOUS at Jose and Amanda's reception :)

The faucet looks a little worried about his runny nose!

"Here, kitty kitty!"

You should have your own googly eyes by now, sent to your home by Fave, so get cracking! Take a look at things from a different angle, with fresh. . . eyes.

Got Google Eyes? Contest!

2011-07-07T10:17:00.000-04:00

My Grandma Ruth was pretty awesome. She was always ready to laugh, and she knew that a little silliness from time to time keeps you young. This year in celebration of her birthday and her life, her daughter Bonnie (my Aunt Bon-Bon) is holding a little contest, hosted here on my humble blog!

Says Bonnie:

Mom/Grandma really found joy in many things. Even strange things. One of her loves was seeing life in unusual places. For example, in the back yard there is a strange looking chunk of wood with several offshoots. Mom decided it looked like a crab but it was missing one thing......(drum roll enters here)....google eyes!

She loved to glue google eyes onto washcloths, vacuum cleaner plugs ("Doesn't it look like a monster?" said she), and...well you get the idea.

Therefore, in honor of her upcoming August 10th birthday, I am hosting a contest for the most clever use of google eyes. You will be receiving a few eyes in the mail. You may also use your own. Begin looking through new lenses to find the funniest and most clever place to put the eyes.

Send me your googley-eye pictures kortirion gmail com Add in the appropriate punctuation! This keeps me from getting spammed by robots, hopefully. I'll upload them to this here blog for all to see. All entries are due by August 1st. From August 2-9 we'll have a poll up so you can vote for your favorites. On August 10th the winner will be officially announced and will receive a special prize!!!

We hope you all join us in this totally awesome contest!

Kimmy has Moves

2011-06-23T18:29:00.002-04:00

So there I am at the grocery store, deciding between brands of self-rising flour, when I notice the grooving. Kimmy is seriously just dancing her heart out to the elevator music playing. Naturally I whipped out my camera, and now you, too, can enjoy her joie-de-vivre and occasional crab-walking! I had to break it into two parts but I encourage you to watch both to get the full effect of her footwork and, of course, the grand finale.

Kimmy Doesn't Understand Wedding Receptions

2011-06-09T22:12:00.002-04:00

After leaving a wedding reception in tears tonight, Kimmy came home and drew a couple of pictures to express her extreme disappointment over not being allowed to open the presents.

Summer Vacation, Day 7

2011-06-06T11:49:00.002-04:00

"I look like crazy!!"

Two Birthdays and a Godfather Reference

2011-04-23T21:09:00.002-04:00

This last week we celebrated two birthdays. April turned two. Yay for Terrible Two Tantrums and saying cute things!

I love this picture of April. She's got such a Mona Lisa look on her face. She's like, "What exactly is my motivation here? Don't you dare take away my jacket." Kit had to blow out her candles for her because we couldn't get her to do it, even though she loves blowing on hot food so you'd think she'd have the mechanics down pat. April is wearing one of my birthday cupcake hats. You can't see it in this pic but it has a candle on top.

Her favorite present was this little doll stroller. It goes everywhere with us, even shopping!

********

Five days later it was Kimmy's fifth birthday. She had a couple of friends over for a little party and they decorated these little crowns. Kimmy wore hers for the rest of the day.
By special request, her birthday cake was a Rainbow Cake. I'll tell you the secret to Rainbow Cake: food coloring. Kimmy is a huge fan of anything rainbow/multicolored. Her friends even wore rainbow dresses to the party in her honor! Basically all her presents fell into three categories: Rainbow, Rapunzel (who Kimmy calls "Miss Punzel" for some reason), and Electronic Dog (1 present). Grandma W even found a way to combine the first two categories with a multicolored Rapunzel shirt.
There was also a pinata. It had been raining for what felt like days so we clobbered it in the garage. Check out Kimmy's muscles! She whacked that thing good, but got frustrated when it took too many blows without coming apart. In the end she had cousin Nicole beat it to pieces on the floor.
Today while Kit was napping I put the pinata's severed head on the pillow next to him. I thought it was hilarious.

Ode to the Library

2011-04-04T21:20:00.006-04:00

On Saturday I went to the library. I loitered in the New Books section, browsing for interesting reads. I thumbed through the copy of Knit Your Own Royal Wedding. (I especially liked the little hats. Cute.) I found the book I was looking for, and put holds on two others that were out, making two trips to the catalog computers to do so. I searched the shelves for two authors I like, looking for new books I haven't read yet. In the dark corner where they keep the science fiction and fantasy, I cracked open a book and stuck my nose down in the spine and inhaled its booky essence. I moseyed out of the library with three big books to get lost in.

Bliss.

Two days earlier, on Thursday of last week, I also went to the library. The girls raced each other to push the wheelchair access button to open the door, pushing each other aside like football players. We went to the storytime, where Kimmy danced and sang and listened raptly to stories about monsters and I took April to the bathroom repeatedly, because you can't ignore an almost-two-year-old when they holler "Po-Po-POTTY!!" over and over again.

After storytime, we exited the meeting room through the children's book section but didn't stop to loiter because we didn't have time, what with Kimmy's bus coming in 45 minutes and her not having had lunch yet. I managed to keep April away from the kids' computers (barely) but she was upset about not being able to bang on a keyboard, and while I was wrestling her Kimmy found two books at random off the shelves next to us that she wanted to check out. I glanced quickly through her books because one time she wanted to check out a book called My Two Dads and I didn't want that kind of surprise again.

While my attention was thus diverted April made a run for the computers again. I grabbed her little body and Kimmy's hand and hustled us over to the Reserved Books, where I had a book I'd put on hold over the internet from home, even though the computer showed my local library had three copies on the shelf. While I quickly scanned the shelves looking for the little paper with my name on it sticking out of a book, April wriggled down from my arms and tried to pull several other little papers out of other books. I managed to stop her just before absolute chaos ensued. I found my book and picked up April (crying a little because she'd been thwarted) but now Kimmy was out of sight. I called her name (sorry, people reading quietly!) and she reappeared from around the corner, giggling.

We went over to the computer to check out our three books. While the girls tried to both mount the little round rolling step stool at the computer, I entered my card number and password. April won the wrestling match and grabbed one of my books to try to scan it. I hurriedly scanned the other two and helped April with hers. Kimmy lost it completely. She grabbed April's right arm with two hands and bit her. April took a deep breath and screamed! I hit Finish on the computer, snatched up the books, the wailing toddler, and the hand of a very in trouble four-year-old, and fled. We exited the library with three books won with tears and blood (almost).

Sigh.

And We Don't Even Have to Feed It!

2011-03-29T11:07:00.002-04:00

We went to Grandma's house last week and Kimmy immediately latched onto the vintage wooden Fischer-Price Little Snoopy dog she found there. She repeatedly asked if she could bring it to her house. When her devotion to this dog remained undying over the course of our visit, I paid a little visit to eBay and Kimmy's own little puppy arrived at our house less than 48 hours after our return. (Dear Internet, How did I ever live without you??)

Even though Kimmy was sad that his little noisemaker didn't work for some reason, she still insisted on taking him out for a walk.

If only I'd known that this was all she needed to satisfy her desire for a dog I'd have gotten on eBay sooner! She walked up and down our street looking for people to pet her dog.

Here she is looking for worms in our garden, accompanied by her newest buddy.And here's Kimmy teaching her dog a new trick. Roll . . . backwards!
Also, you can see the end result of the hat I made for Kimmy during our visit. I think the pompoms are smashing.

Giveaway in my Etsy Shop

2011-03-16T11:02:00.007-04:00

I'm participating in a giveaway hosted by a local photographer on her blog! (<--click here)

Go to her blog to find out how to enter (it involves Facebook and 'like'ing) and you could win a $30 gift certificate to my shop, or one of the other fabulous prizes xs v zxty y 1!00 bm ,mbggmgm hy n And because I like you all so much, I'd like to point out that I can totally knit you something that isn't a tiny baby hat, in case that's not your bag. This could be your chance to get some custom hand-knitted swag! I know you've been wanting a knitted nautilus or an R2D2 beanie or some hand-warmers or a flower headband or some socks. Or maybe you really want some hand-dyed cheesecloth!

The Tooth is Out There

2011-02-21T11:27:00.002-05:00

Friday morning Kimmy's tooth finally fell out. Who knew a really wiggly tooth would be a liability in opening a plastic container?
Kimmy felt it was really important to leave a note for the Tooth Fairy. The night before it fell out she went to bed in tears because she was convinced the Tooth Fairy would snatch her tooth right out of her mouth while she was asleep. Seriously. Like the Tooth Fairy is some kind of tooth burglar/ninja dentist.
She was very specific that the Tooth Fairy not take her tooth! She left her tooth in a little wooden box I got at a craft store.

Saturday morning I was dreaming about househunting, and was just rejecting a house because it was in an inferior school district (what a boring dream. Why wasn't I dreaming about flying or fighting aliens?), when we were abruptly awakened by our door slamming open and Kimmy rushing in with a handful of chocolate coins and her new toothbrush left by the Tooth Fairy.

So Much Drama

2011-02-17T23:17:00.003-05:00

Reasons Kimmy Gave Tonight For Still Being Awake

Tacos. I want to eat tacos.
I need warmer blankets so I can sleep on the floor.
Where's my note to the Tooth Fairy?
If I don't have that note, the Tooth Fairy is going to take my tooth right out of my mouth! [with crying]
Mommy is mean to not let me sleep on the floor, or re-write my note to the Tooth Fairy at 10 PM.

-NEWSFLASH!-

2011-02-06T20:53:00.002-05:00

Kimmy has a loose tooth!

It's curious that tonight she should suddenly have a loose tooth because last night at bedtime she was practically in tears about the idea of losing a tooth. Some of her worries: she will swallow the tooth and it will be in her tummy and she will have to write a letter to the Tooth Fairy explaining the situation; she'll put her tooth under her pillow and the Tooth Fairy will make off with her precious tooth; the Tooth Fairy will forget her present.

About a month ago Kimmy even drafted a letter to the Tooth Fairy covering these topics. I would post a picture of the letter here but it stays by her bed. The gist of the letter is "Dear Tooth Fairy, Thank you for coming. My tooth fell out. Thank you for the present. Please don't take my tooth. Please leave. Signed, Kimmy"

So Kit and I are thinking of leaving her something other than money under her pillow, like a treat or a small present or something. Any ideas? Also, what's a good thing to store a tooth in so it doesn't get lost under a pillow? I'm afraid this has come sooner than I expected--she doesn't even turn five for a couple more months--and I haven't even given any thought to cute little pillows or whatnot. Honestly, when she ran in to show me her tooth I thought she'd been injured because here she's been obsessing about her teeth and now she has a loose one? It felt a little too coincidental.

+Greeting-s from the girl+s

2011-01-14T18:21:00.003-05:00

-+-+I can't k+
eep April from touching the keyboard+.- so I'm going to roll with it.

Kimmy got a camera for Christmas. It takes little videos in addition to photos. Sadly her camera is limited by the photographer. But here's a little taste of her in video form.

P.S. Those are April's legs flailing around at the beginning of the video.

Will the Madness never end?

2011-01-12T12:58:00.008-05:00

Kimmy is obsessed with rainbows. OBSESSED. Rainbows and 'rainbow color' are all over everything, or else she wishes it was.

A flower.

"Mommy," she says to me in the car on the way to the store, "we need new car."
"What kind of car?" I ask.
"Rainbow car."
Of course.

A rainbow remote control car, with a map showing Aunt Bonnie (pictured) how to drive it.

When she draws a picture it's easy to pick out the stick figure Kimmy in a crowd of stick figures because she always has rainbow hair.

Close up.

This obsession with rainbows has been challenging in pretty much every way imaginable. It has been a trial when shopping for new shoes. It took FOREVER to find a pair that satisfied her.

"They're perspect!" she gasped.

My knitting skills have even had to adapt to her demands.

These two chicks have their own scarf, blanket, nest, and cardboard box home.

I had to make her a rainbow scarf WITH rainbow beads. I've also made rainbow mittens and a rainbow hat, but I think they've been permanently lost.

The rainbows have even crept into my cooking. Witness: rainbow pancakes.

I'm waiting for this to be a phase but it's been going on for so long already!

Holiday Greetings

2010-12-08T11:02:00.002-05:00

Kimmy wishes you all a festive and merry Christmas the way Santa does:
"Ho Ho HO! Merry Christmas tree!"

I don't know how to title this bit of randomness. So there.

2010-12-08T10:36:00.002-05:00

April is potty-training. This sounds great. She's only 19 months, which is kinda early, but let me assure you that this is all her idea, and I have had to go along with it. It's hard to ignore a small person yelling urgently, "Mama! Po-po-POTTY!" in the middle of sacrament meeting.

I have to keep a tiny folding potty in the car at all times because her favorite time to claim she's hearing the call of nature is just as she's being buckled into the car seat. Some days when we run errands I have to stand guard over her tiny figure beside the car three or more times. I think she just likes sitting on the potty, which is puzzling.

Yesterday we were at the Post Office waiting in line when she declared her need for the "Po-POTTY!" I tried to distract her but she was so adamant she tried to wriggle down from my arms and head off in search of a potty all by herself. Luckily a lady further ahead of me in line volunteered to switch places with me.

This is a contrast with my experience in the Kroger parking lot a couple of days ago. I was returning to my car with a cart full of groceries and little girls when an older woman pulled her car into position to take my parking space. Let me emphasize these two details: 1) My car was way out in the lot. Not a prime spot at all. 2) I hadn't even started the embarkation process. I hadn't even unlocked the car when she pulled up. What possessed this woman to lie in wait for my spot? In the time it took to wait for me to buckle two small children into the car and THEN load my groceries and THEN get in the car and buckle myself and THEN pull out of the spot she could have found a closer spot. But instead she chose to lurk there, stressing me out and blocking traffic.

Kimmy Explains Her Art

2010-10-22T13:17:00.002-04:00

My favorite part of this picture is the way "Kimmy" is the same size as "Mom" and "Dad", but "April" is significantly smaller. That's how things are to Kimmy!

A Disconnect From Reality

2010-10-13T13:02:00.005-04:00

Yesterday a gal from church came over and the moment she stepped out of the car Kimmy cried, "Greema!!" and threw her arms around my friend's knees. To be fair to Kimmy, she did look a bit like my mom. More than that woman at Bob Evans the other day, in any case. Luckily my friend is an actual grandma and played along, showing interest in all the many things Kimmy brought her to look at.

Then Kimmy brought out the bubbles and I suddenly remembered that phone call last week. Kimmy had brought me the phone and insisted on calling "Greema". I dialed my mom and then Kimmy got on the line to ask, "Greema, you come my house?" Well. Mom lives eight hours away and can't just pop over, but she told Kimmy how nice that would be, and that next time she came over she would . . . blow bubbles and watch Kimmy ride her bike. You know where I'm going with this.

So after bringing the bubbles to my friend Kimmy brought out her bike and rode it up and down the sidewalk. Despite me calling my friend by a name NOT Grandma, Kimmy kept up the "Greema! Wook! Wook a ME!" Then Kimmy decided to show how fast she could run. She got off her bike and made us call out "Ready, Set, GO!" and she dashed up and down the sidewalk like a gazelle on steroids. She was so excited that when we called out Go she actually ran in place for a couple steps before actually moving forward, just like an old-timey cartoon character, I kid you not.

After a couple of laps she stubbed her toe on the sidewalk and broke her toenail. There was blood and she was crying, so I picked her up and started up the driveway to the house to give first aid. Kimmy moaned through her tears, "I dying. I dying!"

All told, it was a rather surreal hour.

Kimmy Will Be Disappointed This Halloween

2010-10-10T18:51:00.003-04:00

Whenever we get Halloween flyers in the mailbox Kimmy carefully examines the costumes. Twice now she has brought us a flier and told us she wants a particular costume. Here are her choices.
The common thread? She's chosen costumes that she believes will give her special abilities. She'll be able to fly! She'll be able to swim like a fish!

Kimmy is going to be one very disappointed girl this Halloween, no matter what she actually chooses.

Two Projects of Mine

2010-10-04T13:33:00.002-04:00

Here we have Nicole modeling her Griffindor scarf I just finished knitting. Kimmy had to get in on the action.
Kimmy has a message for you all:
ruyvgkknkhihkhmkmnhbjhlujijiuko-p[opoi;kjlhlkjklk kklkhj khkkuhjj khyhjedsszxcwadhllkjhgfdsazxc vbn mwqwe rtyuiop

Thus Spake April

2010-09-16T14:35:00.004-04:00

April has been doing some talking. Some of the things she says:
Get down
Poo-pooh (always informative)
Up (usually: "UP! UpUpUpUP!")
Daddy
Mama
Me-Mee [Kimmy]
Ungy [hungry]
Bath
Breakfast
Backpack
Open Door
Yay!
Uh-oh
I di[d] it!
Kik-kik [cracker]
iPod

Benefits to Being a Goose

2010-09-16T14:24:00.003-04:00

You can water-ski whenever you want by doing that landing-on-a-pond-with-your-feet-out bird thing.
You can stroll nonchalantly across the street, stopping traffic with absolutely no guilt.
You can be cranky all the time, hissing and biting and nobody tells you to get it together, because it's just how you are.
You can lounge around on the grass year-round and no one wonders what you're neglecting.
You can poop anywhere you want.

How We Spent Our Summer

2010-09-01T14:35:00.005-04:00

Giving ourselves cornflake hair treatments

Creating great works of art

Tracing ourselves on the sidewalk:
Kimmy's shadows
April laying down, clutching a chicken nugget
Creating yet more great works of art
Visiting the Zoo's petting farm
Talking to people about the caterpillar we found in the garden
Taking pictures of Kimmy falling forward off the arm of the couch.
After a few misfires
I got the timing down and got some fun pics

Highlights from the Seattle Trip

2010-09-01T13:48:00.005-04:00

In August I flew to Seattle for my brother Alan's wedding. I took the two girls with me. The flights went pretty OK. EXCEPT for that whole "Your flight has been delayed from 1:55 PM to 9PM due to mechanical problems" problem. Luckily we got rerouted and only arrived FIVE HOURS LATE--1AM our time. I don't know how that could have been worse. Maybe we could have been sick. But we lived and the wedding was beautiful. I took the most random photos, though. Enjoy.

There's something about babies squatting that's so cute. They're already so small, and then they fold themselves up even smaller!

April decided all that sand needed to go back where it came from, namely the Puget Sound.

Kimmy loved her first trip to a real-life beach! Too bad she probably won't be satisfied with the wading pool and an umbrella in the backyard anymore when she asks to go to the beach.

My brother Robert and his wife Kristin, looking cute also. Notice the train back there.
And here's Robert again, with a freshly diapered April. In exchange for some winning cards the night before he agreed to change any and all poopy diapers no matter what the hour. He was a good sport, despite the first one coming at 7 AM. April just looked puzzled the whole time.

We're at the zoo a lot. So sue me.

2010-07-15T08:44:00.003-04:00

I had to post these pictures because they're pretty cool. First up, the view from under a polar bear.
Despite her expression, Kimmy thought this was pretty awesome.
Oh. And we went to the Post Office again recently.

This has been your Kimberly news update.

A Bird Spalls; or My Dear Sweet Kimmy

2010-07-14T20:06:00.000-04:00

I should probably warn you that there are likely to be lots of posts mentioning the zoo this summer. We've had a zoo pass for less than a month and I've already lost track of how many times we've been. It's gotta be close to ten by now. In any case, this is one of those posts.

We were at the prairie dog enclosure when Kimmy noticed a sparrow on the ground by the glass wall. I'll be honest with you: it was dead. It must've flown into the glass. But Kimmy was so concerned about the sparrow I just couldn't tell her it was dead. That's a pretty abstract concept; Kimmy can barely handle the concept of later. I want to protect her from hurt as long as I can, and with her communication difficulties I just figured we'd deal with death later.

She decided the bird was definitely hurt and must be asleep. "Bird, wake up! You go sweep?" She was pretty worked up, so I told her the animal doctor would be by soon to take the bird to the bird hospital to make him all better. (This sounds worse now than it did at the time. Cut me some slack.) This seemed to comfort her and we started to leave the scene, and the zoo. I wasn't expecting the next ten minutes to go down as they did.

Kimmy ran towards a group of adult visitors, waving her arms and calling out, "A bird spall! A bird spall!" (I should point out her 'F' sounds like a 'SP') The people were a ways away and deep in conversation, so they didn't notice her.

You know who else didn't appear to notice? The cardinal down the path. I pointed him out, "Look, Kimmy, a red bird!"

Kimmy carefully approached him and said, "Um, essube [excuse me] red bird? A bird spall!" And she pointed back towards the way we came. Because you know the birds look out for their own kind and this cardinal was going to fly right over there to take care of the sparrow. Instead the red bird chose to nonchalantly hop away.

We continued on towards the zoo exit and she kept talking about the bird, going over the facts as she knew them. "Bird spall down! Hurt! [indistinct] Ammal doctor go bird hospital, all better?" By the time we could see the exit and she wanted to go in the gift shop to tell them about the bird I knew I had to do something.

I took her to the stroller rental desk and we explained to the very nice young man looking all official behind the counter in his uniform. He played along and told Kimmy he would let the doctor know about the fallen bird.

I thought this would take care of it, but she talked about that poor sparrow all the way home. Kit got home quite late that night, well after her bedtime, but she couldn't sleep until she'd told him about the bird who spalled.

Sometimes at the zoo now she thinks she sees that bird, hopping around.

Princess Kimmy Deigns to Shop with the Populace

2010-07-09T22:28:00.003-04:00

How to tell if that's a real princess:

She insists on royal garb to visit the grocery store.
Heads turn wherever she goes, with people whispering, "Look, it's a princess!"
Like a true figurehead, she rides on the front of the shopping cart, waving to commoners and peasants.
Upon exiting the grocery store in pouring rain, she stashes her crown inside the bodice of her gown for safekeeping ("Oh no! My crown get wet!").

The Beginning of the End

2010-06-24T00:02:00.002-04:00

Today April learned how to climb up and stand on the following things:

Kitchen stool, followed immediately by

Kitchen island

Computer table and keyboard

Piano bench, followed immediately by

Piano keyboard

Coffee table--not actually new today, EXCEPT for the whole "using the coffee table as a diving board into the box of dress up clothes" bit

I kid you not. She did all that today. It's funny, especially when she holds her arms in the air like a gymnast sticking a landing while standing on the kitchen counter, but it's just a teensy tiny bit stressful, what with the whole potential for head injuries and whatnot.

Two Trips to the Zoo and a Tongue Injury

2010-06-17T15:32:00.006-04:00

First of all, the Tongue Injury. April learned what happens when you toddle around with your tongue hanging out.

Eventually you're going to fall and bump your chin in a way that drives your sharp little teeth right into your tender tongue. Your parents will freak out upon seeing all the blood and proof that the tongue is, well, made of meat. Don't worry--it's been a week and it's healing up nicely without any intervention.

We made a couple trips to the zoo in the last week or so. ("Z-O-O spell words: MONKEY ZOO!!" says Kimmy) The Columbus Zoo is awesome and only like 20 minutes away so we have a membership that lets us go whenever we want, for however long we want. It's great. Here are some highlights.

Kimmy rides the pony!

Kimmy helps hold Bernie the Burmese python. For helping out she got a coupon to go on one ride at Jungle Jack's Landing.
And she chose to ride the little train. It went in a small oval, which was pretty boring, but she just isn't big enough to ride the roller coaster, which is what she really wanted. She seemed to enjoy the train, though.

Kimmy feeds the Lorikeets. "Dey so hungwy, dey EAT!" says Kimmy.
You know you've had fun when even trying to put your own shoe back on fails to keep you awake in the stroller. That shoe entertained April all through the Reptile House but once we got back to the parking lot it just couldn't cut it anymore.

A Nighttime Visitation

2010-06-10T13:02:00.001-04:00

The time: 5:35 AM
The location: My bed
Preceeding level of my sleep: Profound
Distance from my face: Approximately 10 inches
Volume level: Stage whisper
The question: "Mommy!!! What noise make cuckoo clock??"
The groggy answer: "Cuckoo . . . cuckoo?"

A Star is Born Four Years Ago

2010-06-08T09:27:00.004-04:00

Don't miss my Jayne Cobb Hat Father's Day Special on Etsy! I blogged about it earlier today.

But now for some videos of Kimmy! I swear she's only seen American Idol like once.

Jayne Cobb Hats for Father's Day!

2010-06-08T09:16:00.004-04:00

So. I made these and I'm selling them on Etsy. Here's a shameless plug!

My Doppelganger

2010-05-25T16:40:00.003-04:00

My sister Keri recently spent some time in England and sent Kimmy some postcards which mostly failed to enlarge her worldview and broaden her horizons. But this one had an immediate and unforeseen impact on her.
It doesn't seem all that special but if you take a closer look at the woman in the pink shirt on the right, you might notice what Kimmy did immediately.

Apparently I'm moonlightling as a gondolier in Cambridge, England. What Kimmy wants to know is, if that's Mommy's boat, "Where's Kimmy's boat?" What I want to know is, if I'm working as a gondolier, where's my paycheck?

Livin' the Dream

2010-05-25T15:04:00.005-04:00

Back before I was married and was still in college I had this fantasy of how my life was going to be. It's captured pretty well in this thought-picture: me driving my SUV into the mountains with Sam hanging out the passenger window, headed for a life of freedom, fresh air, and adventure. Sam was a dog, by the way.

Fast-forward, um, a few years, and my daily adventure might be driving to the post office in my trash and toy-strewn sensible sedan, with two small children waving their arms out the windows. I get fresh air chasing my rambunctious four-year-old through the neighborhood. Let's not talk about freedom.

But as for adventure, today we reached a milestone. If I had had a hope chest, today might have been a day to plan for. I encourage anyone out there hoping and/or planning to be a mother some day to prepare herself for a day like today.

You'll need a quarter for the vending machine.

Who doesn't dream of applying her daughter's first fake moustashe? I'm getting all teary-eyed just reliving it.

Hugs!

2010-05-22T09:32:00.002-04:00

Awwww! Aren't they so cute? You'd never guess that just before this picture was taken Kimmy was trying to lure her sister into a box with a trail of cheerios.

Bedtime

2010-05-22T09:28:00.001-04:00

Every night before I go to sleep I check on Kimmy. Tonight I removed from her bed, a small toddler bed, the following items:

One really big stuffed bear (named "Paw")
Two smaller stuffed bears
One stuffed puppy
One stuffed duckling

One large stuffed rabbit

But I let her keep the ice pack. Lately she thinks she needs an ice pack in bed with her to fall asleep and we've decided to pick our battles. Also, if I slip it out from under her during the night I may be awakened at 6AM by "Mommy, where ice go?" So I pushed the now-squishy ice pack under her pillow.

Helping Daddy

2010-05-21T12:54:00.003-04:00

Everything Daddy does is FASCINATING! Let's sit on the couch! Let's check email!Let's construct a human pyramid!

CSI: Bathroom

2010-05-14T09:30:00.003-04:00

The Crime:

The Evidence:The Red Herring:

The Real Culprit:

The Quietest Car Ride Ever

2010-05-03T16:41:00.004-04:00

LATER: After Matt commented I realized I totally forgot to write about something. You may notice April has a full size cone. The minimum wage flunky at McD's has apparently never seen a kid's cone, which holds maybe two tablespoons of ice cream. Instead, there I am pulling away from the drive thru window with two big melting cones in my hand. Kimmy is already enjoying hers and April is watching her intently. There's no way I'm giving April six inches of soft serve, so I did the only thing possible. I snarfed down her ice cream until it was level with the cone and then handed it to her. As I'm sitting in the parking lot watching the traffic go by while trying to shovel down ice cream without even enjoying it I suddenly remember getting ice cream at McDonald's growing up. Us kids had a game we played: the last one to finish wins. Today I lost big time.

The Birthday Girls

2010-04-28T10:51:00.004-04:00

April and Kimmy both had birthdays in the last couple weeks. April turned one and Kimmy is four.

Here's April in a birthday cupcake hat. Sadly, Kimmy loved it too much and the candle is as droopy as Shamu's dorsal fin. By the way, I knitted that hat for Kimmy's first birthday.
Here's April's butterfly cake. Lovely, huh? Don't judge. I had exactly 40 minutes to cut, frost, and decorate that cake. AND to put up banners, balloons and such before April woke up from her nap and it was party time. Don't worry, there's worse further down this post.
April decided her cake was too much all in one place and took handfuls of it to spread around.
Kimmy really got into the celebrating.
April was very focused as she unwrapped her present.
Then she was very focused as she tried to re-wrap her present. By the way, sitting in that chair was her idea.

And here we are at Kimmy's fourth "doo-day". The cake was supposed to be a caterpillar, but it fell apart coming out of the pan and then I had trouble frosting it with one arm (the other was filled with April) and then everything I did just made it worse. Let us never speak of this cake again.
For future reference, a four-year-old is perfectly happy receiving two helium ballons and some bubble-making supplies for her birthday. The bike has been pretty much ignored, though I figure that come high summer it'll get lots of use.

Kimmy Tells Us

2010-04-28T09:42:00.002-04:00

Kimmy has been going to a special needs preschool for a year now. Yesterday, for the first time, she came home and excitedly told us about something she did at school. Every other day when I picked her up from the bus stop she would hardly look at me and instead either start playing with sticks or leaves or somesuch, or she'd head singlemindedly for home. I'd ask her, "What did you do at school today?" Pause. "Did you have fun?" Pause. "Yes. Spun."

But yesterday was different. She hopped off the bus and her face was lit up. "A baby kik a crack a egg!! I hold it! Touch a baby kik!" And when Kit came home, he asked her what she did at school and she immediately launched again into the description of how the baby chick hatched and she got to hold it and it was soft and it was yellow.

Maybe this doesn't seem like such a big deal to some people. This is pretty typical behavior for a toddler. It's pretty typical for a two-year-old. But Kimmy just turned four, and finally we feel like we're communicating with her. I have waited three years--since she turned one, when kids usually say their first words--for her to share what she's thinking about. These weren't her first words, but it was significant because she told us about something that had happened in the past without any prompting. Kit asked her questions and she answered. It's a small but significant victory in the communication wars.

April Signs More

2010-04-09T09:45:00.002-04:00

Sorry about the arm.

Easter 2010: A Slightly Premature Photo Essay

2010-04-04T15:01:00.007-04:00

Kimmy and Greema spent the morning and first part of the afternoon just hanging out with their bad selves.

I was rummaging through the cupboard looking for gravy in some format and encountered this item which gave me fond memories of my goofy brother Matt.

I will not be serving this at our Easter dinner. In fact, I'm chucking it now that it has been documented photographically for all time. The can is more than ten years old! I would say Who knows what lurks within?? except that what lurked within when it was originally canned was already pretty horrifying.

UPDATE! Kimmy just found the can on the counter and brought it to me. "MMMmm! Smells good!" I told her to please put it in the trash so she walked into the kitchen. A moment later I heard the clattering of the tool drawer and rushed into the kitchen. There she is with the can opener, trying to open the can.

Speaking of horrifying, here are a couple of Kimmy's drawings that will probably haunt my dreams for some time. Why do they have so many eyes??

The fact that it's smiling is NOT reassuring.

Why does this one have so many legs?? And those eyes--are those insect eyes?

But I think this one is terribly cute, so I'm going to try to use it as a chaser to drive out the memory of those freaky drawings when it's 3 AM and all I can think about is creepy things with lots of eyes and legs.

The News, Such As It Is

2010-03-30T14:56:00.004-04:00

April took her first steps last night. She totally looked like a drunken sailor as Kit and I tried to get her to walk between us. It's like she didn't think her legs could hold her up, despite the fact that she's been standing at things for months. She took half a step forward, then crumpled sideways repeatedly.

Kimmy has started to call me "Weesa," especially when she's trying to get my attention from the other room. "Um, Weesa? C'mere! Wookame!" Then I'm reduced to saying silly things like "My name's not 'Weesa', it's 'Mommy'!"

Kimmy has also been talking so much more! It's been great to finally know what she's thinking about. Kit took her to see "How to Train Your Dragon" in 3D and she loved it. This morning while he was getting ready for work she eagerly asked if they could go see the "Gragon Woobie." "I change clothes, shoes/socks, coat!" She put on some sandals and her coat over her pyjamas and wanted to ride in Dad's blue car to the movie theater. She cried when Kit had to tell her no.

I made the mistake of letting Kimmy see me purchase some Easter supplies and now she keeps wanting to go to her friend "E-E house?" to "spind eggs." So we put some potting soil in her plastic Easter bucket and planted some wheat seeds. It's been growing like crazy for about a week now and will take the place of the plastic grass. A couple of days ago Kimmy was eagerly checking out the seedlings and asked me if "Grass go potty?" Um, no.

Kit and his brother Nathan have been voice-chatting via computer as they work on projects. Kimmy thinks this is pretty fantastic. She rushes into the room and calls out, "Hi, Nayspan! It's me, Kimmy!" Sometimes she tries to show him things, but they're only voice-chatting, not video-chatting, so we have to explain to Nathan that she's holding a picture or a book up to the computer screen for him to look at. Once Kit and Nathan were engrossed in some troubling aspect of their project and Nathan made an frustrated noise about something on his computer. Kimmy immediately asked, "Whass wong, Nayspan? You 'kay?"

The Ferocious Vampire

2010-03-25T11:17:00.005-04:00

BEWARE!!

I captured this photo of April's fangs quite by accident. I was actually trying to capture the essence of a different part of her anatomy. . .

Caution: Post contains the word "Poop"

2010-03-22T16:47:00.003-04:00

Three Interesting Things I've Found in April's Poop, Not That I Was Examining It, But I Just Happened To See While Going About My Regular Doody Duties:

One sequin (green)
One popcorn kernel (unpopped)
One plum pit

What's UP!

2010-03-09T12:49:00.006-05:00

So the last month or two have been kind of hectic. Kit's been working like a man possessed on a big freelance project for Novell; Kimmy started using sentences around New Year's (sample sentence: "I so hungy, I eat it."); April started crawling, waving, and clapping; we suspect Kimmy has ADHD; and then there's all the illnesses. It's been one cold and cough after another, and April had ear infections and pinkeye, which she was kind enough to share with me. Oh, and April is cutting two teeth. She already has her two bottom center ones, so which teeth do you think would be next? Answer: her upper canines. She's going to look like a cute little vampire.

And just to complicate matters I decided to open a shop on Etsy.com. It's a site where people buy and sell handmade and vintage items. I've been knitting and experimenting for the last month and a half after my cousin put a bug in my ear. I've been feeling alternately confident in my skills and and taste---and hopelessly certain that my stuff is shoddy, uninspired, and overpriced. But I finally finished some items I feel good about AND I took decent photographs of them. Boy, was THAT a pain. Just for comparison, here are some of the shots I took that turned out funny or cute, but unusable for one reason or another.
That ankle you see there is actually modeling a legwarmer, not recreating a shot from the movie Signs.I swear my headbands are cute and soft and not annoying to babies!!
I love this picture because of Kimmy's fabulous grin, and because you can see how hard it was to keep April from participating in the photoshoot. She was so thrilled we were doing something interesting! She was climbing on me and tackling Kimmy.
In this shot you can see April's two little bottom teeth and the cut on her chin from falling against a toy.

I did manage to get some nice shots of the girls wearing stuff, but it took probably three days and a couple hundred photos to get these:
And here's a link to my Etsy shop!

P.S. Anyone recognize the beautiful smile in this news graphic??

Waving

2010-02-24T09:23:00.002-05:00

Things
-
4
.......1\\

Ahem! Things have been kind of crazy around here but here's a taste!
(April thinks it's funny to "type" when I'm working on something.)

Spring Cleaning?

2010-01-18T11:24:00.002-05:00

Is it too early for spring cleaning? Because there is just too much stuff under my desk. There isn't even any room for my feet!

Video for Greema and Prepah

2010-01-11T18:22:00.004-05:00

Here we have Kimmy blowing one of those noisemakers you get as a party favor. April thinks it's hilarious.

Saying Cheese

2010-01-09T15:13:00.006-05:00

Several years ago Kit and I invested in a digital camera. At the time we spent nearly $300, but today that camera belongs to our three-year-old. It doesn't take spectacular pictures anymore, and compared to the cameras we now own it's a dinosaur. But this way Kimmy has her own "cammer" and can take pictures of whatever she pleases.

Almost a year ago I explained to you people that Kimmy does a particular pose when asked to say "cheese." We don't know why. But so far you hadn't actually seen this pose in all its glory. Well, wait no more! Not only does Kimmy take pictures, she orders us to take pictures of her, and this is what she wants photographed.

She stands on one foot and holds the other one. That's the "Cheese Pose." I say again: we have no idea why.

And for those of you with a hankering to see Kimmy's photography I've assembled some representative photographs. If you want to see all her photos I've uploaded them to Flickr as a set here.

A lot of Kimmy's pictures fall into a handful of categories. First we have the Unflattering Pictures.
Mmm. My favorite.

Then we have the Random Body Parts. It's like a game--what is it, and who does it belong to?

The shot in the bottom left has been dubbed "Wegs!" by Kimmy.

And then there are the Self-Portraits. When you look at the Flickr set you will ask yourself "Why in the world are there so many pictures looking up Kimmy's nose??" These are inadvertent; she likes to flash herself with the camera.

I hope you've enjoyed this little journey through Kimmy's photography. Go to the Flickr set for more, including Shows Kimmy Was Watching When They Mentioned Cameras, Random Household Objects, Mommy Trying To Nurse The Baby Despite The Paparazzi, and Feet. Some of you may even spot yourselves!

Consider this your card

2009-12-28T20:50:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone! You're not getting a card from us, so look at this picture.

And as a free bonus, look at this additional picture!

"Where Santa go?"

2009-12-26T12:54:00.003-05:00

As soon as she woke up Kimmy rushed downstairs and over to the fireplace. There on the hearth was a plate as full of cookies as it was last night when she filled it for Santa.

"Awwww" she moaned, disappointed. Just to be sure she went to the tree. No presents.

Lest you think we are horrible parents, let me say one thing:

It's December 26.

This Just In

2009-12-21T08:13:00.002-05:00

It didn't work.

It sounded like a good idea, but once again April slept in our bed.

An Experiment

2009-12-20T21:01:00.003-05:00

This morning as I lay in bed trying to stay asleep my brain starting putting some facts together about April's recent sleep habits. My sister Susan recently discovered that her son Mason, who is just 6 days younger than April, sleeps better when he has a boppy pillow at his feet. Go figure.

So about 7:45 this morning I awoke to find I was sleeping on the very edge of the bed, on my side facing away from the center. I had my arms crossed across my chest because that was the only way to keep them from flopping out of bed. I literally could not have been any closer to the edge of the bed without falling out. And the reason I was sleeping so uncomfortably was snoring gently into my shoulder blades.

Lately April has been sleeping terribly at night. She was teething (still just one lone tooth!) and now she's got a cold with a stuffy nose. She wakes up frequently after midnight, not because she's hungry, but apparently because she's lonely. Because if I give up on getting her to sleep in her own bed and just bring her into ours she sleeps like a log til morning. A squirmy, snory log.

So last night I gave up at like 1 or 2 AM. And that's how I ended up on the edge of the bed with a tiny (ok, not so tiny anymore!) person snuffling my back. I carefully got out of bed and skooched her back over to the center. I laid back down facing her this time and dozed back off. Over the next 45 minutes I slept fitfully because as I believe I stated before, April sleeps like a squirmy, snory log. Somehow without ever waking up or even briefly opening her eyes, she managed to wiggle back over to me. By the time I found myself watching her long eyelashes flutter like butterflies, she had her head tucked into my armpit. How did she do that without waking up?? It must be biologically hardwired. Somewhere in that little baby brain is the command: Stick to the warm milky person like glue.

This is sweet and comforting and primal, but it sure isn't very comfortable sleeping with a tiny person you're afraid of smothering. It's like trying to sleep next to eggshells. But the fact is that she slept soundly for several hours once she was next to me.

The back of my brain was working, though, as I watched her snuggle me this morning.

Could she be fooled into snuggling something in her own bed?

And that is why at this very moment in her bed next to her there is a small, firm bolster-shaped pillow wrapped in the t-shirt I wore to bed last night.

Tune in tomorrow for news on whether this experiment will yield the fruit of a comfortable, interruption-free sleep!

Gummy McGee is now Toothy Tootherson

2009-12-01T18:07:00.003-05:00

I just now spotted April's first tooth! This explains why she and I had to spend the night in the spare bed last night. She's had two little white marks on her lower gum for ages but apparently it took chewing on a toy while waiting in a really long line at Aldi to get the little bugger to come out.

Tales from the Crib

2009-12-01T10:02:00.007-05:00

1) Yesterday Kimmy caught me getting into the m&ms we use to reward her potty training. "My croppet!" she exclaimed, and I had to pretend I was just getting some out to reward her pottying. An hour earlier.

2) Yesterday morning Kimmy spotted some wrapped Christmas presents I had stashed in the basement. She was pretty excited so I showed her how we put them under the tree. For the next hour she kept bringing me a present and asking if we could open it. Which, if you must know, sounds like "Boppit, peese, boppit?" I told her we had to wait for Christmas to open them and she cheerfully put them back under the "Chrissy tree". I thought we were doing ok at this whole delayed gratification thing until the microwave timer went off to signal potty-time. She exclaimed, "It Chrissy!!!" and wanted to open presents. I explained AGAIN.

Later, Kit came home from work and she eagerly showed him the presents and asked to open them. "We have to wait for Christmas," he told her.

"Okay! One, two, ree, bore, bive, six, se-yen, eight, nine, ten! Chrissy!!"

So she has the waiting down, but clearly we still have some work to do.

3) Here's April's sniffy face. She scrunches up her nose and snifffs really fast, like she's got some intensive smelling to do. It's way cute.
4) Here are my little girlios. Elapsed time between these two photos: approximately 1.2 seconds.

5) This is my 100th post.

Kimmy does sound effects

2009-11-11T11:04:00.004-05:00

I was working on something the other day when I realized Kimmy was trying to get my attention by whistling and snapping her fingers. Except she can't do either one.

She snaps by rubbing her fingers together and making a clicking noise with her mouth. She whistles by making a sort of shrill "Reee-oooh" noise. Having her try to do both at once was interesting.

She's pretty fascinated with birds lately. Her white noise machine/clock radio has a "Tropical Forest" setting that she insists on at bedtime. It has a lot of bird noises in it. The other night we put her to bed and then went downstairs, where we could hear her singing along with the birds. "Tweet, tweet! Reee! Erree! Oooh! Tweet!"

. . .And now Kimmy insists on writing you all a message:

,,,mm bigbnbgfhgnhhutu
kimmykimmyki mmmmmmm
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
0000000000000
00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
00000000000.00000000000000000000.0000000000000000000000000000

The Rest of Thursday

2009-11-02T10:46:00.004-05:00

After Kimmy got back from preschool we put a face on the big pumpkin. She insisted on making it look like the face on her candy bucket.
She liked pulling the carved pieces out.
The finished pukkies!

And here she is, ready to take the neighborhood by storm

Super Kimmy!

Yes, I did make the outfit. I'm sure you can tell I'm not the greatest seamstress, but honestly I wasn't too stressed about the whole thing. The Super Kimmy logo was designed by Kit. I printed it out on an iron-on transfer paper. It glowed in the dark!
Holy Cow. She got So. Much. Candy. And she was only out for an hour. Some people in our neighborhood brought their fire pits to the front yard and the place was packed.

So Far Today

2009-10-29T14:42:00.003-04:00

Here's what we did this morning. We carved Kimmy's pumpkin she picked out at the pumpkin patch with her preschool class. I can only imagine how much fun she had there. A couple days earlier we bought some pumpkins at the store and she was kissing them as we rolled through the produce section.

Here she is with her pumpkin.
She was very enthusiastic about the gutting.
And, just for her cousin Jackson, here's a shot of her YUCKY HANDS!She drew part of the face. It's a "Happy Pace!" She knows all about circles. You go "around and stop."
Then April woke up from her nap. She's always happy to see that we haven't forgotten about her.
Then we started cleaning "Mommy's pumpkin." It is quite a bit bigger. When Kimmy gets home from preschool we will finish carving it and then prepare for Trick-Or-Treating. Yes, today. Our town frowns on kids having too much fun on a weekend, so they have the official Trick-Or-Treating on a school night. At least they let the kids dance.

Some firsts

2009-09-20T16:45:00.002-04:00

The first week back to school was significant for some other firsts as well:

April rolled over for the first time back to front. She has since taken to rolling at every opportunity and then complaining about being on her belly. She lays there and kicks and kicks while grunting and getting more and more upset, like an angry beached whale. In the last couple of days she's stopped rolling over like it's her contractual obligation and has instead taken to laying on her back, arching her body and shoving off with her feet. She manages to squirm across the floor this way, like a worm with rug burn on the back of its head.

April got her first taste of people food. Brownie batter. I swear it was an accident! For the record, if you hold a baby in one arm and try to scoop brownie batter into a pan mostly with the other arm but partly using the baby arm, somebody's going to shove their fist into the bowl and lick it.

Kimmy is no longer a member of the VLC. She kissed a boy. And to make matters worse, Kit found out through the grapevine at work. Kit's co-worker Thom put two and two together when he heard that some co-workers' little boy was kissing a little girl at school named Kimmy. It turned out that Kimmy and Cooper are in the same class. Apparently Cooper kissed Kimmy, then she kissed him, and then the teachers told them that kissing at school spreads germs.

Learning from a boy's parents that my daughter has been kissing their son is one of the things I dread as the parent of a girl. Thank heavens she's three instead of thirteen.

Playing

2009-09-18T23:02:00.003-04:00

Kimmy discovered that putting a blanket over the arms of the baby play gym turns it into a tent. She tried to have her sister evicted but I wouldn't have it (until I took a few pictures).
April's pretty long-suffering for a five-month-old. Here the girls are both sitting in the baby's car seat.
Sherlock "April" Holmes needs a little help from Doctor Kimmy Watson to solve the Mystery of the Spitup-Stained Mommy. Wouldn't you know, it was the most innocent person possible--the baby did it.

Cute: A Photo-documentary

2009-09-01T17:10:00.008-04:00

Here are some pictures from the last week or so.

I was told at the park yesterday that April looks like a doll.
Um, maybe a spitting doll.
But she's just so dang cute! The stuff on her shirt is yucky vitamin drops.
NIB! Two Cute Grls! No Reserve! L@@K!

Here's Kimmy about to go to the bus stop on her first day of school. I'm posting this awkward photo because she's doing part of her "cheese" pose. When you tell her to say cheese for a photo she crooks her arm and usually lifts one foot.

Here she is outside waiting for the bus to come.

And here's that "cheese" pose again on the bus! When it pulled up she jumped up and down yelling "Bus! Bus!" She was so excited.

What I've Been Up To

2009-09-01T10:18:00.002-04:00

This weekend I was talking with an acquaintance.

"What have you been up to lately?" he asked.

I looked down at the chubby baby I was bouncing on my hip, then over at the three-year-old hopping down some stairs.

"Um, you're kind of looking at it."

For My Siblings and the People Who Love (To Cook For) Them

2009-08-17T11:50:00.008-04:00

Please note I've changed the amount of cumin below--8/18/09
When my family lived in France we became fans of a dish we called, simply, couscous. It's basically a meat and vegetable stew of adjustable spiciness served over couscous. Since our return some 15 years ago (egads I feel old!) I have endeavored to recreate this dish, doing extensive online and in-kitchen research. I've come to the conclusion that what we ate was Tunisian couscous with lamb and vegetables, and that it was the equivalent of Tex-Mex. That is to say that it wasn't entirely authentic, but everyone has different opinions of what authentic is, defined mostly by how their grandmother makes it. The internet is filled with arguments about the right way to make it. So here's my version which I think is close enough to what we had in France to please my siblings who remember it, drooling. The recipe isn't very labor-intensive, but it does take a couple hours to cook, so it's a good special-occasion or weekend dinner that might leave you with yummy leftovers.

Couscous Tunisien à l'agneau according to Lisa

10-20 oz (approx) couscous, cooked according to instructions on box (this is where the Authentic Police would have me thrown in jail, for telling you to eat it from a box)
1 lb lamb (it's expensive, so go with the cheapest cut--it'll turn out great with slow-cooking), cut in large chunks
1 lb beef (either stew meat or some kind of chuck--again, cheap is good--I used a couple chuckeye steaks), cut in large chunks
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 stalks celery, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped (or one 28 oz can of stewed or diced tomatoes)
one 6 oz can tomato paste
32 oz beef broth
3-4 carrots, cut in little sticks (maybe an inch long) or else in disks
2-3 smallish zucchini (probably about a pound or two), cut in half lengthwise and then sliced 1/2 inch thick
one 15 oz can garbonzo beans (AKA chick peas), rinsed
4 Teaspoons ground cumin
dash cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
salt and pepper
2 Tablespoons (approx) olive oil

In a large soup pot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and brown the meat on both sides. Sprinkle with salt. You want some brown on the surface because it tastes good, but you don't want to cook it all the way through. Then add the onions, celery, and garlic and cook until the onions turn translucent. Toss in the tomatoes, tomato paste, beef broth, and seasonings and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Add the carrots, zucchini, and garbonzos/chick peas and simmer until the carrots are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste--it'll probably need a couple teaspoons salt at least, depending on how salty your broth was. Serve over a bed of couscous.

Serves 6-8.

What's in a name?

2009-08-05T17:48:00.002-04:00

Nicknames/Terms of Endearment I Have Used For April Today

Cutie-pie
Slobber-bobber
Spitty
My cute little girlie-goo
Stink-butt
Sweetheart
Gummy McGee

Lessons from TV?

2009-07-31T09:39:00.003-04:00

Timmy, er, Kimmy has some favorite PBS shows, which for the most part have taught her some useful things.

WordWorld--she knows that words are read from left to right and knows all the alphabet
Sesame Street--among other things, she knows roughly how to play a violin and do celtic dance (you stand with your arms stiff and do a lot of kicking and jumping)

However she has also picked up some less helpful tidbits.

Clifford the Big Red Dog--she brings me things in her mouth and says "woof, woof!" then pants
Curious George--she talks to me in very expressive monkey noises ("oo oo Ah AH! Awww."), brings me things with her toes, shuffles around the house like a chimp, and occasionally exclaims "GEORGE!!" like the Man In The Yellow Hat does when the monkey's in trouble

Sometimes I'm hard pressed to figure out which animal my daughter is.

A Contest for YOU

2009-07-25T10:37:00.002-04:00

So Kimmy is finally throwing some words together and doing more talking. The other day I was astonished to hear her spell out her name while "writing" on a chalkboard:

"K! I! M! M! Y! Timmy!!"

Yup, her name is Timmy.

Some of her words are pretty easy to understand, like when she points out the "Bird inna twee onna MESS!" outside our bedroom window. Others are more difficult to grasp, but totally reward us with the humor content.

This is where you come in. I'm going to give you one of her phrases, and you try to guess what it is in the comments. First one to guess correctly gets a prize: glory, or possibly a phone call from Ms. Timmy herself to congratulate you.

So here's Kimmy's phrase:

Croppette nuk

GO!

My Two Girls

2009-07-22T10:28:00.004-04:00

Check out those guns!

Kimberly Age 3 Years
April Age 3 Months

Blue eyes (so far)

The Fourth

2009-07-06T13:50:00.003-04:00

This year we decided to take the girls to a fireworks show for Independence Day. We prepared Kimmy by showing her a scene from "The Sandlot" that has fireworks in it, and then teaching her to say "fireworks". For the record, it sounds like "SPY-ER WOrKS!!!" We also managed to get her to take a nap, since we wouldn't even be leaving the house til after her bedtime.

We arrived at the municipal park with enough time to meet with the Ballstaedts, lay out our blanket, eat cookies, light sparklers, and chase an extremely excited Kimmy around. At one point, I kid you not, she was running in circles in the open area behind us. Just running laps like a small yippy dog tied to a stake.

When the fireworks started she was a little wary because of the noise but quickly got used to it. However, partway through the show a woman with a small baby walked past us and Kimmy freaked out because someone was taking April! She jumped up and ran after the woman, shrieking "Mommy!! Mommy!! Mommy!!" and frantically pointing at the woman. Kit caught Kimmy and carried her back to the blanket, crying. He had to show her that April was safe and sound and even asleep in my cousin Mackenzie's arms. She immediately calmed down. A few minutes later (still during the fireworks) she got up from Kit's lap and went to make sure April was still OK.

Awww!

The fireworks themselves were pretty great--this might be the closest I've ever been to the shooting-off spot. Towards the end of the show I found myself tearing up and I started to think patriotic thoughts (“You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.”--Erma Bombeck) but then I realized that the smoke was getting in my eyes. Literally.

In which I say goodbye

2009-06-27T20:48:00.001-04:00

Adieu, Michael Jackson!

I never knew ye

Contrary to what the kids at school in France thought

Ahoy, the smiling!

2009-06-20T10:02:00.002-04:00

Alphabet Everywhere

2009-06-20T09:29:00.003-04:00

The other day I was starting a sausage and potato soup for dinner when I turned around and the smoked sausage I'd just unwrapped was missing.

Kimmy had the sausage. "U!" she informed me.

Tonight's dinner was brought to you by the letter U.

Sigh

2009-06-19T10:02:00.003-04:00

I was upstairs this morning, having just showered and dressed, and I was putting the crowning touches on my look: moisturizer and a barrette. It occurred to me that my routine was almost complete and in a minute I would have to go downstairs and see what Kimmy's been up to. There was no indication of trouble so far--I left her watching Napoleon Dynamite and I hadn't heard any noises to make me think she was doing anything but signing along with the Happy Hands Club. But it's better to prepare yourself mentally for the worst so that, for instance, you don't scream when you come out of the bathroom after a good cry and find that the three minutes you spent multitasking alone was enough time for a three-year-old to empty the linen closet onto the floor. I brushed my hair, took a deep breath, told myself that she doesn't always get in trouble while I'm showering, and went downstairs.

Kimmy flashed me a big smile and showed me her hands, which were covered in some pale greasy substance. "Dirry!" And there on the desk was the butter dish. She was eating butter.

The writing of the post was interrupted repeatedly by requests to dance along to Napoleon Dynamite.

This Post Should Be In All-Caps

2009-06-14T15:50:00.003-04:00

To the woman in the hallway at church today:

"I have four children and none of them acted like that" is not carte blanche to give rude and unsolicited parenting advice. (Plus, it's probably not true.) Five minutes' observation does not qualify you, a perfect stranger, to tell me to put my daughter's nose on the wall. You don't know me, you don't know my daughter, you don't know anything, and if ever we meet again I will be better prepared to tell you off in a manner unbefitting a church hallway.

School's Out For Summer

2009-06-10T15:17:00.002-04:00

Yesterday Kimmy realized that she hasn't been going to preschool lately. After lunch she suddenly cried "Bus!! BUS!!" and frantically put on her shoes and searched for her backpack. Today she's been wearing her backpack around the house.

It's sad, really, but not as sad as last night when I made her stop playing with the kids next door. The only game those little girls know how to play is Kimmy Is A Monster To Run And Hide From. Kimmy thinks it's fun, but she's three. It really bothers me--gives me visions of my sweet little girl as an alienated teen with no friends. So I dragged her into the house and sat her in front of the computer to play WordWorld (because if there's anything computer games can solve, it's social problems). But after a minute or two she was at the window, watching the kids play outside.

yet another collection of random child-related thoughts

2009-06-02T13:06:00.002-04:00

Kimmy has been talking more recently and it's been interesting to get some insight into how her mind works.

"Tickle"=Pickle
"Piggy"=Pancake, which she also signs as "piggy"
"Weep"=what a frog says (as it jumps)
"Pull, Pull!"=what she says as she goes down the basement steps, going hand over hand on the banister

April has started to smile at people. It's way cute but Kit is unconvinced it's happening since he hasn't seen it yet. Apparently the best time to be social is around 4 AM right after a feeding and a diaper change. It's the moment of maximum contentedness.

Having a three-year-old and a six-week-old lets me see just how much kids grow and change in a short period of time. Already I've had to move April into the next size up pyjamas because the 0-3 month ones were squishing her little toes.

Kimmy has dealt really well with having a little sister. This morning she shushed me and pointed out that April had fallen asleep in her swing ("Beebee! Seeep!") while we were making breakfast. My only concern is that she doesn't realize how delicate April is and tries to pick her up or hug her or help her drink from a sippy cup. Also poor Kimmy sometimes feels picked on when I speak sharply to her--I'm usually a little low on sleep and patience from juggling the two girls.

A Quick Posting of Pics

2009-05-08T14:12:00.005-04:00

Kimmy holds April for the first time. She was thrilled and kept saying "BABY! BABY!"

Kimmy's third birthday was a couple weeks ago. We didn't do much since I'd only been back from the hospital a couple of days. I made cupcakes and Kimmy decorated them, and her shirt and most of the kitchen.
Here she is blowing out all of her candles with one puff.
Kimmy opens her present, wrapped by Daddy in Christmas paper.
It's a tape measure! Yay! She loves these things.

April is three weeks old today. Yes, she has a lot of hair, and yes, she did once grab it in her little fist and scream because Someone is pulling my hair!

Not What I Had In Mind

2009-05-08T14:09:00.003-04:00

You know, many years ago, when I told myself that I would teach my children to love and appreciate nature, this isn't what I had in mind.

A litter and scum-filled drainage puddle/ditch does NOT need appreciation.

In which I learn some lessons

2009-04-17T19:12:00.003-04:00

If my water breaks my contractions will go from ten minutes apart to holycraphowfaristhehospital apart
Telling the nurse in triage that I want an epidural before I even get a gown on does not help make it happen
15 minutes in labor and delivery is barely enough time to get admitted to the hospital, let alone have a patient id bracelet put on or heaven forbid get an epidural
If I HAVE to go natural, it isn't so bad when the pushing is over in like 90 seconds
Apparently I am a yeller, but not a cusser or an irrational blamer
My doctor will think it is mildly funny to come in at 8 AM and observe that apparently I will not be induced today

April Willow Rees
born 4/17/09 at 3:11AM
7 lbs 13 oz
19.5 inches