the family torrone

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T15:15:00.000-07:00

the patch.

the ragamuffins and their miniature masterpieces

bang! pow! crash!

the dynamic duo!

and our little hallo-weenie

"I skirred mommy, I skirred!!"

and a little chocolate,

saved for a midnight snack.

and for the record char was "robin, wit a bat-man mask"
because he wasn't allowed to also be batman.
a small identity crisis never hurt anyone.

i usually keep an eye on my kids...

2011-10-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

found this on our gross retro countertop

after chris, will and i finished a (maybe) 3 minute house project.

me: "Charlie, where is all the gum?"

C: "mom, da dum dough in my mouf!!!"

mer-man

2011-10-06T20:53:00.001-07:00

our little mer~~maid~~-man.

truth is he's way better than his big bro.

and he loves it.

he asks to "dough swimmin' 'day" every single morning.

he's also almost dying at the end of this video from inhaling h2o.

he was a bit frustrated and scared

and pouted and wouldn't listen to the teacher for the next 15 min.

but after 2 timeouts

and his lack of long term memory kicking in

he rallied and finished class with a big cheesy charlie grin.

update.

2011-10-03T05:32:00.000-07:00

well, the jeans in timeout worked like a charm.

the dude was a gem all weekend.

chris was out of town and the boys and i actually

had a really fun, no tantrum weekend together!

shocking.

and he was so excited to wear the jeans to school tomorrow

he's wore them to bed :)

when they said "it's a boy" i did not expect this...

2011-09-29T21:40:00.000-07:00

at least not at 4.

this dude is obsessed with what he wears.

i've said it a million times but he worships his BLUE jeans.

he's moved on to specifically "skinny" blue jeans.

getting dresses is a disaster every. single. day.

unless his skinny blue jeans are clean.

we've also been having a hard time with consequences for bad behavior.

he doesn't seem to care anymore about things being taken away.

or thrown away (which has worked like magic for us in the past).

UNTIL my genius hubby thought of throwing away his skinny jeans.

aahhhhhh!

now i'm not crazy enough to actually throw any of them away

but they are currently in "time out" until school on monday.

(see below :)

he may never get to wear them again...

stuff

2011-09-27T22:48:00.000-07:00

w: "dad, what am i going to be when i grow up?"

chris: "i don't know bud what do you want to be?"

w: "what do you do dad?"

chris: "i'm a lawyer."

w: "i'm going to be a lawyer too, dad! (brown noser)"

peanut gallery (ie. char): "i goin' to be batman!"

2 year stats.

50th percentile weight.

60th percentile height.

90th percentile head circumference.

dude's got quite a noggin.

this is what happens when dad goes to picture day.

we get a group photo, a 5X7, 2-3X5 magnets and eight baseball cards.

and spend $38.

and most of the info on his cards is made up.

it should read:

age: 4 uniform: too cheap to buy numbered jerseys

height: i have no idea weight: maybe 40 pounds (def not 55)

position: what's a position? this is t-ball.

bats and throws: right

fav pro: what? he def. doesn't know who ichiro is.

but i do love that they voted to be called the volcanoes. fierce, right?

this is what happens when dad goes to the mall.

we come home with 2 hillbilly trucker hats.

and spend another $38.

and now i'm stuck having to make up reasons

why they can't ever wear them in public

every time we get out of the car.

my mom wanted to spend $149 on a linen bulletin board from pottery barn.

i made her this one for $23.

including the flower pins which would not have come with the one from p. barn :)

cute substitute, right?

my sister and her friend chelsey were in town

and took the kids to pump it up.

you can decide who had the most fun.

kid number one worships his dad.

and wouldn't mind if i never came home from work.

this goon won't even let his dad

get him out of bed he loves me so much.

and i don't want summer to end

because i want endless evenings like this.

fisher-men

2011-09-11T14:10:00.000-07:00

We took ~~Chris~~ the kids fishing today.

Some genius from Metro Parks

thought of filling the out of commission

Titlow pool with trout

and letting ~~parents~~ kids come and round 'em up.

Chris might have had more fun than anyone

and I was pretty sure he was going to head back to the pool

after the kids went down for their nap.

We caught 5 fish

and ate them for lunch.

The best part of the day was that they had

kids there cleaning the fish for you!

Actually, the best part of the day was watching these two

and their dad enjoy their new favorite past time.

so much fun.

he's missing his terrible

2011-09-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

Char.

2 looks good on you.

you're a cool little dude

and i love watching you become

the kid you're going to be.

I don't feel sad about you growing up

because you just get more and more fun.

I think someone forgot to put the terrible into you.

about you at two.

every little brother does it

but you copy EVERYTHING that Will does.

absolutely everything.

word for word.

action for action.

scream for scream.

hit for hit.

throw for throw.

the two of you generally love each other

but got into your first brawl a couple weeks ago.

you've stopped putting up with his junk

and i think you're going to give him a run for his money.

you love most foods but have started pretending you can't hear

when i tell you you need 2 more bites of veggie before dessert.

you just quietly remove yourself from the table

go play

and then sweetly return as soon as the freezer opens.

you love to swim.

and think you're pretty awesome at it.

you prefer that i don't catch you when you jump in,

hold you when you kick and paddle

or tell you how to do a bob.

problem is you sink like a rock if i don't.

we'll keep working on it.

you wake up every morning screaming

"maaaaa, maaaaaaaa"

with a bit of a jersey accent.

and then switch to

"daaaaa, daaaaaaaa"

when you get no response.

you then beg for juice, your bibi's, bunny and doggie.

love that morning snuggle.

your favorite show is still Curious George

but luckily (and def. not because of my parenting)

you've chilled out on your TV obsession.

your dad pointed out yesterday that your chattering

is like a constant run of your stream of consciousness.

you talk a lot.

if you tell us you see a motorcycle or a big truck

or a ball or a bird

and we don't respond immediately

and mention what you said in that response,

you keep shouting it over and over,

louder and louder

until we do.

ex. c: "maaaa, big truck right dere...."(split second)

"Big Truck Right Dere!!"

me: "oh yeah, char, cool"
c: "BIG TRUCK RIGHT DERE (split second),

BIG TRUCK RIGHT DERE

Maaaa! Big Truck Right Dere!!!"

me: "cool, char. you see a big purple truck over there?

c: "yeah." (end of discussion)

over and over all day.

and most days it makes me

~~wanna pull out every little strand of hair on my head~~

kiss that loud mouth of yours.

you love chucking balls all over the house

rapid fire style.

your personality is really sweet, sweet, sweet.

i am going to have to watch myself with you

because it's easy to let you get away with things.

you're quick to apologize, sit quietly in time out

and admit when you're naughty.

not a whole lot of drama in you.

you love to scream "Bad, Mommy (Daddy, Will, etc.)"

when we do something you don't like or tell you no.

it drives me absolutely bonkers.

and you've probably been in time out 50 times for it.

but the other day you were choking on something

and i smacked you on back to help you get it out

which apparently hurt because you looked up at me

with huge alligator tears and started bawling

saying ":( bad, mommy :("

you and Will are obsessed with sticker books right now.

you work on them every night with your dad before bed.

you have the best run!

you kind of hop every right step.

and you swing just your right arm.

and you have the biggest gap toothed, overbite grin when you do it.

you also love to walk on narrow walkways/balance beams.

you love waffles with pb and syrup, WILL, kicking and throwing

anything, your bibi's, doggie and bunny, juice, the girls in the Y nursery,

playing with friends (esp, henry, lucy and owen), wearing everyone's shoes,

your grandparents, saying "my do it!", the kittens, mowing the grass,

the bounce house, looking for bugs, pizza, taking a shower, playing pickleball,

picking noni's not ripe yet tomatoes and throwing them,

riding your scooter, eating snacks, begging for snacks, pointing

out motorcycles, the park, reading books, fruit snacks, pirate's booty and fish

crackers, pillow fights, wrestling with dad, teriyaki chicken, balancing on the couch

and a good squeeze.

we appreciate all these little things about you Char

and we love every sweet inch!

happy, happy day to you!

how NOT to woo a girl, part 3

2011-08-11T20:49:00.000-07:00

"MOM! Wook at dis! Wook at dis, mom!"

Brooke...I think this should become a regular post topic.

Rico Suave doesn't live at our house, either.

I'm in.

2011-08-02T22:08:00.000-07:00

I think I might be a camper.

Besides the packing up and putting away gear when you get home.

If someone would just do that for me I'd go a couple times a month.

I don't want to do anything crazy like hike into the campsite.

Or do my business in the woods.

But I like being kind of dirty.

I like throwing together meals with friends.

I like my kids to pass out exhausted after a long, perfect, no nap day.

I like stinking like a campfire.

I like waking up with Charlie grinning at me from 2 feet away.

I like being on vacation without spending a lot of money.

I kind of like sleeping on my air mattress.

I really like getting to know my friends and their kids better.

"We" (Fynn's dad) played fetch with the dog (and the kids).

Charlie

Will

and Hads coated themselves in sand.

And thought it was so funny.

{LOVE}

Hads, the jumping bean

(this might have been as high as she got off that ball

but she thought she was high five-ing clouds.)

cute

posers

Niamh's supermodel pose.

I could just sit in a room with him all day.

that face.

the nicest, most chill kiddo

with an "I love mommy" handmade sign on his helmet

that he wore for an hour on the beach before

remembering he still had it on.

Don't know how I missed Fynn

but he and Will had a blast together!

Thanks for letting us invite ourselves on your adventure, girls.

We loved it!

8 is great.

2011-07-31T15:50:00.001-07:00

Our 8 year anniversary is on Tuesday.

Fun, right?

We've been together since we were 15.

We've experienced most of life together.

At this point we've had more years together than apart.

We've had our bumpy patches.

But I wouldn't trade him for anything.

And not just because he surprised me Friday after work

with a night without kids in Seattle.

Not just a night but a day and a night and a morning

to ourselves!

It was heaven.

We walked, we talked, we enjoyed the quiet.

We laughed, we ate, we caught up with friends.

We ate Molly Moon's, we tried to sleep in and

we ended our vacation with our fav breakfast at 5 Spot.

Did I say it was heaven?

I appreciate you.

I appreciate your hard work.

I appreciate your love for our dudes.

I appreciate our love of all food that we shouldn't eat.

I appreciate your patience with my crazy tendencies.

I appreciate your love of all things fun.

I appreciate your enthusiasm for all things that make me happy.

I appreciate your compliments.

I appreciate that you always say you married up

when I think it's the other way around.

I appreciate our past.

I appreciate our future.

I appreciate you.

Here's to 80 more!

xoxo.

an afternoon with the ponies.

2011-07-25T00:10:00.001-07:00

Chris and Fred swear that when ~~Nostradus~~ Will was little

whoever he picked at the races won.

I think that maybe once he "picked" a winner

by slobbering on the right horse in the program.

Today was not his day.

or Chris'.

or Fred's.

Erin won a bit.

And Charlie slobbered in the right spot once.

Just to keep the tradition alive.

I was the biggest winner because I didn't bet a thing.

I just enjoyed my fried food and ice cream

to the tune of Charlie's temper tantrums in the background.

Do we trust him?

Char was just happy they had ketchup.

Favorite quote of the day.

Chris: "Will, which horse do you like out there?"

Will: "I'm not quite sure, yet."

C: "Well, look at their jerseys

and when your favorite walks by

tell me which number it is."

W: "I like that one, Dad, number B!!!"

C: "I think that's number 8 buddy."

camping 2011

2011-07-17T22:39:00.000-07:00

We hadn't camped with kids until last week

when we set out for 5 nights in the wild.

We ate fruitloops for breakfast,

stayed cozy around the campfire,

hung out with our favorite dad,

played with our fav cronies

for hours and hours and hours,

enjoyed our amazing surroundings,

went on boat rides

with Liz, who is way nicer and more enthusiastic

about boats than I will ever be.

She and Chris were almost swallowed by quicksand

getting Charlie out of that boat.

We washed dishes in the sound,

got rescued by Brodie after taking off into the woods,

(the dog seriously might have saved his life!!

not my best parenting moment.)

practiced our funniest faces,

jumped in hay piles,

puffy painted t-shirts (80's style),

threw a million rocks into the water,

went on little adventures,

lounged with our pals,

went fishing for the first time,

collected crabs,

caught jellyfish,

ate great food,

made s'mores,

played in the tent,

got really really dirty,

went swimming

and had a total blast.

I would go back tomorrow.

The kids had the time of their lives

and I loved having a carefree week

with my dudes and some really fun friends

both old and new.

Can't wait to do it again!

seriously?

2011-07-15T22:24:00.000-07:00

I tell people that Charlie is an easier kid than Will was.

But it might just be that this face

is pretty hard to take seriously...

another good day

2011-07-14T21:45:00.000-07:00

The weather this summer may stink

but the new digs at Wright Park definitely do not.

We could stay there for days.

And do.

Will runs around like a crazy person.

Char runs after him and copies everything he does.

They ask for some juice.

They run around some more

and go up and down the slide 200 times.

Then ask for a snack.

They then strip down and hit the splash pad.

And come shivering back to me 20 minutes later.

And want another snack.

Then they swing for as long as i can stand pushing.

Then we feed the ducks.

And have lunch.

Or meet friends.

Or just spend time loving summer.

these are the days they'll remember.

2011-07-12T13:15:00.000-07:00

"I have friends in overalls

whose friendship I would not swap

for the favor of the kings of the world."

Thomas A. Edison

Haul us off to the loony bin...

2011-06-21T16:06:00.000-07:00

because these two little creatures now live at our house.

if this doesn't make you want 2 boys...

2011-06-16T23:36:00.000-07:00

This is the present Will asked for

for his 4th birthday.

A Batman suit for him

And a Robin suit for Char.

And if this doesn't make you want 2 boys,

Absolutely. Nothing. Will.

must love shoes.

2011-06-15T23:27:00.000-07:00

Someone in this family

has a shoe fetish.

And it's not the mama.

4.

2011-06-14T21:46:00.000-07:00

Today's the day.

The dude is Four.

And I hate to say it but I can't believe it.

It feels like we started this crazy new life

just a few minutes ago.

And now it's 4 years later and we're so glad that we got you.

You just finished your second year of preschool which you loved.

You played "soldier guys" every. single. day,

loved going on bear hunts, being number 1, snack time

Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Winfrey and playing outside at the park.

At the end of the year assembly your teacher awarded you

"best comrade"

for you love of playing "soldier guys"

but also for your sense of camaraderie and fairness.

She said you always included the other kids and made sure

that whoever wanted to play could join in the fun.

My heart just about burst

because your dad and I always say to each other

that we don't care if your the smartest

(although, for the love, please learn your freaking letters)

or the coolest or the best athlete

but we want you the be the best kind of friend.

We want you to be inclusive and non-judgmental,

have enough self assurance to speak up against what's popular

and pick up the kids who may be down each day.

We want this for you because although it may be hard day to day,

it will make you happy and content as you get older.

You will be able to stand proud about who you are

and you will have some really cool people standing next to you!

You are the best brother.

Charlie worships you and copies EVERYTHING you

do. If you run into the wall he follows. If you do a

somersault he tries. If you smart mouth me he mumbles

at me in the exact same tone. If you're excited he's excited.

If you love Curious George, he loves George. If you hit he hits.

If you scream, he screams. If you need a snack so does he.

etc. etc. etc.

I don't love but do appreciate that when you get really mad at him

for taking something of yours or for hitting you, etc. now, instead of slapping

him back or body slamming him you grab him by the shoulders

trembling with fury and tell him "Charlie. Don't do that!"

Or you try and put him in time out.

You two are the best.

You're really into knights, dragons, pirates, board games,

Henry McDougall (you ask about him at least 15 times a day),

Batman, your grandparents, coloring, reading books,

playing baseball, teriyaki chicken, pizza, gum, going to the park,

Legos, talking about how big you are now,

asking how old you have to be to do certain things,

hanging out with your dad, pump-it-up, the park,

water balloons and playing in the mud.

You've just starting asking about what we are going to do

"after it's dark and we have a nap"

(meaning tomorrow).

You LOVE babies right now and constantly ask

if the most recently born baby we know is

"still sooo cute?

and has cute feet?

and cute little ears?

and cute little toes?"

And you want to know when you are going to have a baby.

You like art projects.

Especially coloring and painting.

You are starting to stay in the lines but have a

tie-die effect with what you color.

You love working (playing) in the yard

and collecting bugs and worms.

You got a new bug catcher for your birthday

and caught a ladybug today.

You asked me what you should name it

and I said "how about Socrates?"

You said "No, I don't think that's a very good name,

how about Reggie?"

You still wear jeans every. single. day.

And they have to be blue jeans

not grey or another color cause

"They're not looking cool."

You've moved on from your green converse

to dragon VANS slip-ons.

And you don't like sweatshirts or coats.

Or your footy PJ's. You say they're pokey.

Some things aren't worth arguing over.

You call directions to things (legos, ikea furniture, etc.)

"constructions"

which we think is actually a better word.

You used the phrase "Well, actually dad..."

correctly last weekend which made us laugh.

And dread you continuing to get older and smarter.

We love you Will.

You've got a huge fan club

and we can't wait to see what the next year brings.

Happy 4th Birthday!

my tiny little baby

2011-05-03T22:56:00.000-07:00

In my mind he is tiny.

And loves to snug his mama.

And eats everything I give him.

And smiles happily at everyone.

And quietly listens while I read to him.

And only has 4 teeth.

But in reality he tells me "NNNNoo" 3 thousand times a day.

And hits. (with the look of the devil on his face)

And screams.

And sword fights with his brother.

And runs away when I tell him to come.

And tries to ride his bike.

And knows to say "chees" when the camera comes out.

And demands to be "uuuuuup" all day.

And says 3 word sentences like "up pees daddy!"

And tells me anything he doesn't want is "HOT."

While putting up his stop hand.

broccoli? "hot"

change your poop? "hot"

hop in your stroller? "no! hot"

But we still love his booger-y little face.

put them boys to work.

2011-05-03T22:09:00.000-07:00

This view does not get old.

Will is so serious.

And believes he is mowing.

And wishes his mower needed to be emptied like his dad's.

And has done this every time Chris has mowed

this ~~spring~~ extra long winter.

ahhhhhh

2011-05-03T21:13:00.000-07:00

SUN-day we met my family at Chamber's Bay park for a picnic.

Might be my new favorite reason I love living in Tacoma.

hip hop hippity hop.

2011-04-26T21:30:00.000-07:00

Charlie working on his Easter skills

with Will's homemade basket.

I happen to think they're both to die for.

the dye job.

the hunt.

Charlie was surprisingly good at hunting.

He was super serious and loved being one of the big kids.

I think the treats inside had something to do with it.

hop hopping for those eggs that were a little too high.

No shame.

sometimes they surprise us.

2011-04-14T22:03:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else think it is amazing that

there are 7 kids in this picture and

nobody is crying,

everyone is sort of looking at the camera,

and most of them are smiling?

It lasted about 8 seconds

but we'll take it.

Tuesday we met up with friends from my days in Spokane.

We were all either newly or not married and childless

the last time we were together.

Things have changed a bit

but we had a fun day at the zoo

and it was great to catch up

and meet their sweet kids.

Hope to see them again soon!

jump, jump

2011-04-14T21:36:00.000-07:00

goofy little dude.

2011-04-14T21:26:00.000-07:00

silly boy.

channeling his inner Woody.

{such a treat to find pics on the camera that i didn't take.}

ummm mom...

2011-04-08T11:18:00.000-07:00

playing baseball in the backyard

while I was in the kitchen,

with my feet up, eating bon bons.

(insert Char crying)

W: "ummm, mom."

me: "what Will?"

W: umm mom, somethin' happened."

me: "what happened bud?"

W: ummm, somehow the ball hit Char right in his forehead."

i need some bloggy love.

2011-04-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

Why the (insert any/all expletive{s}) is the spacing on this blog

that I've had for a really long time

so crazy?

Why can't it just do what I say?

And not double, triple, quadruple space what I write?

For the love of god,

please someone,

anyone

tell me why

and how to freakin fix it.

{OK...so I just read some of the help sites

and maybe using google chrome

instead of internet explorer will fix it.

we'll see.}

talent.

2011-04-07T08:02:00.000-07:00

It took a lot longer to go get the marshmallows

for these Curious George inspired crafts

(George built a bridge for ducklings with his)

than we actually spent making them.

I recommend not using (really, really) old spaghetti noodles

that break in half when you glance in their direction.

Charlie liked it though.

heaven

2011-04-03T19:54:00.000-07:00

I went a little overboard on the pics for Rachel.

Off to Maui... We spent the first 3 nights in Wailea And then moved to Kaanapali and settled into our little piece of heaven. This was our breakfast nook with a view of the humpbacks The kids loved the pirate ship (and yes I made them wear these matching mullet hats the whole week) BIG deal that our completely freaked out little swimmer is sliding head first into the water. It was abnormally windy while we were there so the beach was not a happy place. The kids tolerated the sand whipping their faces for about 20 minutes and then we were out.

The best part about the trip was hanging out with my sister

and her boyfriend, Sam, who live in Anchorage.

Rich and Chris had a hard time keeping up with 23 year old Sam

but loved the excuse to golf, snorkel, watch basketball games,

visit the pool bar, etc. with him.

Our favorite travel companion, Auntie Deesh.

The dudes new favorite thing is to hug and then

body slam eachother.

Sweet but I see many bloody faces in the future.

One of many reasons the worship their Bomp.

We all slept hard.

We waited in line for almost 2 hours for breakfast at the Gazebo.

Charlie was not impressed.

Charlie was frozen in this position for about

10 minutes while Lulu gave him a back tickle.

One of the million reasons they worship her.

Waiting for our car to go to dinner

We probably ate 10,000 calories a day.

And had some of my favorite meals ever.

Heading home.

Not happy to be back to normal.

We miss you Maui.

And will be back in 730 days.

Our friend is back.

2011-03-10T22:37:00.000-08:00

So relieved this little dude is finally feeling better.

We thought our sweet little Char was turning into the devil.

But he is back.

A little sassier than before

but nowhere near as naughty as he was while sick.

hardy har har

2011-03-10T22:02:00.000-08:00

That little one is laughing so hard

he can't catch his breathe.

And they did this about 36 times.

I hope there is just one time in my life

I make someone laugh this hard.

Big bros are so fun.

The anatomy of a picture of Will.

2011-03-10T21:52:00.000-08:00

In his defense I think I was taking pictures of something

that could potentially be used against him in the future.

I wish I could remember what it was.

This is how things go down when the camera comes out.

#1 crying, whining, slapping away at me.

#2 running (think distance between subject and camera)

#3 anger. (can you hear him screaming "STOP!!!!!!!!!!")

#4 Defeat?

Is it sick that I love that I can do this to him so easily.

Remember the sears catalog?

2011-03-10T21:39:00.000-08:00

I don't think I ever got one all to myself as a kid

but I worshipped the one my next door neighbor had.

I think I remember borrowing it and making a deal

with Santa or god or whoever was in charge "out there"

that if I could just have one myself I wouldn't need any presents.

I think I also "knew" that it was ok to make that deal

about no presents because I "knew" that whatever

got circled in the catalog would be all mine.

Cause thats how it works, right?

Well, our little friend is now obsessed with Playmobil.

He got a Playmobil catalog in his hot little hands last weekend

and has fallen asleep with happy little fantasies about

owning all those $200 castles and boats and fighting a

pirate/knight/dragon war right there in his room.

nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea

2011-02-27T10:56:00.000-08:00

We've had it all around here this weekend.

Every blanket, sheet and towel has been washed at least once.

By Chris I might add...lucky me! (thank you)

Every muscle in my body has turned to flab

because I have not left the couch in days.

If I get barfed on again I might lose my mind.

But they are both pretty sweet and super pathetic

and we're enjoying the snugs and lap naps.

Please, please let these dudes get better

and the snow melt so we can leave this dungeon!

brotherly love.

2011-02-23T21:59:00.000-08:00

This probably shouldn't have inspired me to take pictures.

(Chris says "nice camel clutch?")

And I probably should have stopped here?
The joy on Will's face is kind of disturbing?

Charlie, here's a list of moves we can start working on.

Might I suggest the reverse frankensteiner,

gorilla press gutbuster or

the facebreaker knee smash?

For some reason I think this makeup hug was forced.

Hopefully my camera will be ready when Charlie turns on him.

my fav time of day.

2011-02-23T21:27:00.000-08:00

They're so lucky that bedtime exists.

I love that you love them again

almost enough to wake them up for a snug

5 minutes after they go to bed.

I worship that little bum in the air,

those crossed ankles,

those arms hugging that giraffe,

that chubby tummy for sleeping,

his big head shoved in the corner,

that whispy, unfortunate hair like mine,

those out of season Halloween bat pj's,

those pinchable toes worn out from jumping all day and

most of all those long eyelashes and

big eyeballs that won't open again for at least 10 hours.

right now...

2011-02-19T08:54:00.000-08:00

Will has had a nasty little fever the past few days

so we've been laying low.

He is still snoozing at 8:55.

Chris went back to bed.

So this little dude and I are hanging out.

We just discovered he thinks headers with the soccer ball are hilarious.

Good Morning.

zoooooooo!

2011-02-14T20:44:00.000-08:00

We visited Point Defiance Zoo for the

first time of the "season" on Thursday.

Charlie really got it for the first time.

He loved every little part.

Especially the tigers and sharks.

This is Will's "year of the dragon hat."
Probably the most ridiculous thing I've ever spent $20 on.

Except he'll wear it without a fight...

and as we all know, that is priceless.

He's a grown-up.

Sitting with the big kids.

Watching the crazy scuba divers.

In the shark tank.

And this sweet "little" thing is either

Bima or Mali,

the baby tigers at the zoo.

They are teenage size. A slightly smaller,

definitely fluffier version of their mama.

a valentine's day ditty.

2011-02-14T10:02:00.000-08:00

I've got a lot of work ahead of me.

Today at Costco...

Chris: "Will, what should we get your mom for Valentine's Day?"

Will: "How 'bout some of that girl stuff

over dere (pointing at the clothes)?"

Chris: "I don't know if we should be picking out her clothes, buddy...

How about some of that shiny jewelry in that box over there?!"

Will: (insert duhhhhhh voice here)

"No, Dad...dat stuff is not for mommies,

it's for princesses."

Will: "And dad...they have some of dos things dat

pirates wears in theirs ears, too! Right, dad?"

Friends with girls, don't count him out just yet.

I've got time.

yoooooo hoo

2011-02-13T22:26:00.000-08:00

Hello?!?! Anyone there?!?!
I have been so bad about blogging I feel
guilty even stalking my normal bloggy haunts.

So I better get back to it.

updates.

Chris is skinny.

Seriously skinny.

He'll weigh less than me soon.

He makes me happy (despite my previous statement).

He plays basketball everyday of the week.

He watches the worst TV shows that put me right to sleep.

"Ancient Aliens", anyone?

He works really hard so he can take good care of us.

I'm lucky he's mine.

The kids are lucky he's their's.

Love, love, love.

Appreciate, appreciate, appreciate.

I took my first sewing class with my new sewing machine,

had my first mammogram (super fun!) and

have read these

Books (I go on kicks).

You should read them all.

(The Hunger Games trilogy, The Millenium Trilogy

and the Sookie Stackhouse series)

Will is obsessed with jeans...everyday or

there is a complete meltdown.
He got dropped off at a school friend's house

to play for the first time.

He's in love (really) with his swim teacher, Hailee.

He makes HUGE piles of everything he can find

for example...

and makes up names for what they are

(like "mom, look! I made a dimmin schnammin shnitzin").

They're a parents worst nightmare of a fort.

And awesome to clean up.
Charlie is getting long and skinny.

He is in that lovely phase where he spends

3/4 of his day screaming "anhhhh, anhh"

and pointing until he gets what he wants.

Talk already.

He's still obsessed with his (now filthy despite the wash)

stuffed animals and his binky.

He's super serious about eating.

He prefers cookies and candy.

He understands that time outs are not cool.

He likes to sword fight with his brother

and climb like a monkey.

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

xoxoxo.

wwf style.

2011-02-13T20:37:00.000-08:00

monkey

2011-02-13T20:32:00.001-08:00

monkey see.

monkey do.

There's a little goomba at our house

who loves to copy, copy, copy his cool big bro.

costumes recommended

2011-01-04T23:00:00.000-08:00

before and after

2011-01-04T22:19:00.001-08:00

Pretty happy with his tent pole as a sword

held in place by his belt loop

and

the letter t (that is supposed to be part of

Charlie's initials on his door)

that happens to have a loop-de-loop at the end

(tucked into the cuff of his sleeve to

hide the cross on the t)

as his hook.

The real dang deal.

This was the theme of our Christmas

(and now our life).

He put the costume on Christmas morning

and never took it off.

If there was only some way to know which

ONE

of the millions of presents is the one they

will actually use and we could buy just that.

I could have spent $23 on this getup

and bought myself a new wardrobe.

Yes, he has a pillow between his legs,

a piece of the rug gripper thing as his blanket,

his sword in hand

and his cape (which his Noni made)hood on.

We woke him up to see if he wanted to change

or go to bed and it was an adamant no.

But at 2 am he got too hot.

stop growing, please.

2011-01-04T21:56:00.000-08:00

somber sisters saddle up with Santa

2011-01-04T21:36:00.000-08:00

We got to the Santa line EARLY

and he was already there.

They had him all to themselves

for as long as they wanted

and this....

is all the emotion they could muster.

They sat there Just.Like.That for

5 minutes while we jumped around like a bunch

of idiots trying to get them to crack a grin.

They never even turned their hard little heads

in his direction.

He should have brought coal.

second base

2010-12-11T18:45:00.000-08:00

smoooooooth operatooor.

day 6 & 7

2010-12-07T22:24:00.000-08:00

day 6

Monday I worked.

The dudes got candy again

and then got to watch Polar Express.

They now have something new to worship.

Even Charlie sat transfixed for most of it.

day 7

today we were supposed to go

pick out kids to give to on the giving tree.

failed again.

but we did talk about if forEVER.

We'll be going on Thursday

because tomorrow Fred and I are

(hopefully) finishing this

the mantel that we ripped out in February.

I so wanted to say we took it out in June

so we wouldn't look quite so lazy and pathetic

but blogs don't lie.

dang.

we've got work to do so Santa

has a spot to hang our stockings.

day 5

2010-12-07T22:00:00.000-08:00

day 5

we drove up to the mountain

singing Christmas carols all the way

ventured deep into the woods

the kids happily walked for hours

found the perfect tree

will and chris excitedly cut it down

we loaded it onto the top of our car.

and peacefully drove home.

yeah right.

we actually drove 5 minutes to Home Depot

were inside maybe 5 more minutes

paid $32.97

chucked the tree

on top of the minivan

and raced home.

our family tradition is fast, cheap

and over before anyone can complain.

hmmm.

i do love the tree.

we decorated when we got home

i like our house so much better decorated.

Will loved the snacks

and Char loved chucking the glass balls on the floor

and shattering them.

he was saying ba (ball)

(see the word forming on his lips?)

as he did it so how could we deny him?

the dude has to learn to talk.

anyway...my favorite little houses

from last year

and my favorite new decorations.

and our extremely top heavy finished tree.

last but not least

our example of why preschool teachers

go to heaven.

they take time out of their life

to put together stuff like this.

thank you Mrs. S and Mrs. W???

days 3 & 4

2010-12-07T21:52:00.000-08:00

day 3

new Christmas books were the treat today

well, last Friday on the real 3rd day.

we talked about baby Jesus

and that Christmas is actually his birthday

and that is why we celebrate.

Will demanded a cake for the occasion.

Charlie ripped out half the pop-ups in the new book.

day 4

we were supposed to go get our tree on day 4

but that didn't happen.

(i've found that making all these plans

really just sets you up for failure every morning)

so the dudes got plain old candy in their boxes.

they were thrilled.

day 2

2010-12-02T21:51:00.000-08:00

Today I worked.

The kids got candy in the advent calendar.

Cop out.
When I got home from work

I started on these little ditties

and can't wait to finish them.

Goodies for some of my favorite peeps.

Christmas geek out

2010-12-02T21:15:00.000-08:00

I'm childishly excited for Christmas

and as usual, have a million things I want to do.

I'm pretty sure only 1/3rd of those will get done.

I stayed up crazy person late one night

to make the dudes an advent calendar

to maximize my chances of following through

with all my ridiculous ideas.

I would love to blog everyday

but seeing that I'm already almost 2 days behind

and haven't blogged in weeks

I'm pretty sure that won't happen either.

here's to giving it a try...

December day 1

This mess...

turned into this.

(yes, there are 2 number 22's

and no I didn't fix it.) this big day is our goal.

Will was pretty stoked about his loot

and they got right to work
obviously a snowman and

Happy Holidays sign, right?

seriously.

2010-11-21T20:48:00.000-08:00

ridiculous.

token snow shots.

2010-11-21T20:21:00.000-08:00

checkin out the scene

and the wimps who wouldn't brave the weather.

yes i know his enormous dragon hat is a bit much

but it's the only one I could get him to say he'd wear.

thank you "How to Train a Dragon."

i'm just going to be happy there is something on his head.

this dude loved the snow.

and did not love coming inside.

Will's best day.

2010-11-21T20:01:00.000-08:00

Of course it involved Henny.

Hen came over to play for the afternoon

and Will was in paradise.

I was kinda there too.

A whole afternoon of crazy playing

and complete happiness

at my house.

normally an afternoon stuck inside

would drive me bonkers

but they had so. much. fun.

we made foam reindeers,

colored, cut, drew pictures, wrestled,

ran, shot hoops, woke char up and laughed.

and when liz came back I hoped she would

let him stay.

or at least come back next week.

we love you henny mcd.

bring your sister next time.

a Mariner and a golfer

2010-11-02T20:03:00.000-07:00

These are the best and only pics I got (dead battery).

Halloween was great this year.

We stayed home which we've never done.

It must be his age but Will either has no idea that

more houses visited = more candy

or he just doesn't care.

He was excited to go and collect candy

but when we said we were done he could have cared less.

He has also been sleeping with his candy next to his head

and has not asked for or eaten even one piece since Sunday.

The kid is weird.

He even took a bag to school to share with his friends.

I never would have willingly shared my candy with anyone.

And Chris and I both would have stayed up all night

devouring that basket when we were kids.

Come to think of it,

we have devoured a bucket of candy since Sunday.

he didn't get it from my family...

2010-10-28T20:12:00.000-07:00

Will is lucky to have a Noni (chris' mom) who is an amazing artist.

She must be rubbing off on him.

He is all about cutting, coloring, painting, etc. right now.

Today he showed me these and told me what each one was.

Don't worry, there were plenty of brown blobs

that were also labeled with horse, cat, etc.

but these were pretty right on, eh?

And yes, I did provide him with ten pretty colors

but his first move is always to mash them all up together.

filthy

2010-10-27T20:43:00.000-07:00

a 2 bath kind of day.
he had so much yogurt up his nose

big blobs would flop in and out with every breathe.

carve that pumpkin

2010-10-26T21:17:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin carving was serious business this year.

Lucy won for best scooper.

Henry for picking the most complicated design for megan to carve.

and Will for being most OCD.

See that gash above our gnarly dude's left eye?

Will sawed that thing the ENTIRE hour we carved.

Holidays get more fun every year!

what a difference a year makes...

2010-10-26T20:59:00.000-07:00

sassy, opinionated, snuggly, sweet char.

can't get enough.

repeat

2010-10-26T13:12:00.000-07:00

w: "mom, let's play hide and seek."

m: "ok, I'll hide first."

w: 1-2-free-4-5-6-8910.

w: "mom, where are you?"

he looks around but not too hard because really

he's scared to find me.

"mom, where are you?"

m: "wiiiiillll."

w: "mom, where are you?"

m: "wiiiiillll."

w: "mom, where are you?"

etc.

then he finds me behind the laundry hamper.

w: "ok, now it's my turn to hide!"

m: "1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10. ready or not, here I come!"

I walk around yelling "where is he, Char?"

opening and closing doors.

looking under tables.

etc.

until I "find" him...

behind the laundry hamper.

repeat.

he finds me behind his bedroom door.

I find him behind his bedroom door.

repeat.

he finds me under the crib.

I find him under the crib.

repeat.

he finds me behind the couch.

I find him behind the couch.

repeat.

This game will be replayed exactly

one million times in the next five years.

I think I am way to lazy to be a parent.

harvest fest

2010-10-24T19:39:00.000-07:00

Will's school had the most perfect little fall party on Friday night.

It was like we went back in time to Geiger Elementary, 1987.

And it was carnival night.

the. best. night. of. the. year.

I'm sure every school did the same thing

but I can't remember anything MORE fun when I was a kid.

We did the cake walk, bounced in the bouncy house,

ate hot dogs, popcorn and cotton candy,

fished over the water wall, shot hoops, tossed bean bags,

rode ponies, played with balloons, followed Char around,

knocked over milk bottles, pet rabbits and goats,

collected candy and laughed a lot.

Oh, and Will won the cake decorating contest

with his "HUGE spider cake!"

It was such a sweet, innocent, perfect little night.

Wright Park

2010-10-20T21:27:00.000-07:00

Wright Park is kind of our new hang out.

It's close to the kid's schools

and is full of fun.

It was really creepy and trashy when I was growing up

so I am thrilled to see it in all it's glory.

This little dude thinks he is so rad.

The second I put those boots on him

he started strutting and hasn't stopped.

The Arboretum was the perfect "haunted" house

for our little chickens.

Char was obsessed with the giant rats.

We posed.

We fed the Koi.

Henny acted really scared.

Will was pretty scared.

And Char picked his nose.

Then we fed the ducks,

played on the playground,

collected chestnuts and acorns

and called it a day.

I am so thankful for our friends

and these amazing fall days.

just because...

2010-10-05T22:55:00.000-07:00

dudes love dirt.

2010-10-05T22:44:00.000-07:00

this was a couple of hours after their first bath

and change of clothes of the day.

we've upped the laundry load by about three fold

since the rain hit and made mud

and Will decided he's

"planting a garden and

making a compost like curious george"

in our back yard.

they're very serious about their work

and lucky for is it occupies about 3 hours everyday

between the actual play time, baths,

new clothes wrangling and laundry.

all snuggled in...

2010-10-05T10:38:00.000-07:00

with baby supplies packed up and ready to go

right next to the bed.

work, cont.

2010-10-03T22:31:00.000-07:00

i started my "work" post (see below) last week

and then today stalked this, this and this.

you can add what they say to the bottom

of my little blurb.

i heart the people i work with!

work

2010-10-03T21:44:00.000-07:00

work has been hard the last few weeks.

i always say there is no place else I'd want to be

if i have to be away from my dudes.

i go to work with my head held high,

excited to meet the challenges that are presented

to me/us every second of our 12 hour shift.

...

we laugh, cry, sweat, worry, pray,

hope, advocate, feed, clothe, bathe, baby

talk, hug, snuggle, cheer, suction, soothe,

comfort, revive, travel, play, diaper,

run, coordinate, share, clarify, teach,

serve, collaborate, search, discover

and much more on most days.

...

we bring it.

because we have to.

for our patients, their families and our coworkers.

...

and because it's what we do.

it's what we've dedicated our lives to.

and it's what we love.

...

having that intention brought into question

has knocked the wind out of us.

there's an overwhelming sadness

over what has happened.

and what is happening "out there."

...

but we will persevere.

because we owe it to our sweet patient who died,

the nurses who took care of her,

and the thousands of patients who need

our heads to be in the game.

...

we will always remember

what is happening right now.

and we will be better at our job for

experiencing it.

...

not many can say they've seen a miracle.

i have.

we have.

we've seen lots of them.

we each have our list.

and i look forward to

adding to mine.

splash park

2010-10-03T21:23:00.000-07:00

last saturday chris golfed

and the boys and I played.

we went to the park.

it was beautiful outside

and the splash park was sprayin'.

we had no suits

so they stripped down to their undies

and we had the best hour

splashin' in the splash park

all by ourselves.

why do kids always become comfortable

with stuff at the end of the season.

Charlie was in heaven

sticking his face in the spray

and Will ran around like he owned the place.

i'm excited for fall to be here

but i'm already looking forward to next summer.

some days make me love my job.

2010-09-24T22:40:00.001-07:00

they're always watching

2010-09-12T21:44:00.000-07:00

nice outfit, dad.

you should probably be wearing something

cooler than a tank top/b-ball jersey to weed-wack

when you've got such a captive audience.

they sat there the entire time he was outside.

party #1 and party #2

2010-09-12T21:00:00.000-07:00

we kicked off the birthday week by celebrating

at aunt iris' with grandma torrone

and the rest of the torrone clan.

we pigged out on donuts, chocolate zucchini bread

and delicious mini ham and cheese quiche.

on the big day we went to grandpa t and grandma steffi's

for pizza and banana cream pie.

delish.

the dudes then had a total blast

playing outside with Katie and Mike.

and char passed out before we made it out of the driveway.

da bus

2010-09-12T20:32:00.000-07:00

we rode the bus to the farmer's market on thursday

it's amazing how a kid's little piece of heaven

can at the exact same time be a mom's nightmare.

it ended with me sweating from haulin' it to the bus stop

30 seconds before the bus was supposed to be there

because i forgot i had to ride the freaking bus

only to be yelled at first by the driver of the bus before

ours because i didn't wave him by when he pulled up

(isn't stopping at bus stops their job?)

and second by the driver of our bus

because I left my youngest birthday boy

in the stroller, apparently breaking

ALL new safety guidelines.

you'd think they'd have a clueless bus rider radar.

potty talk

2010-09-12T20:17:00.000-07:00

inside the open bathroom at costco yesterday

(with all the cute old ladies lining up

their "little snack" carts outside)

insert screaming.

will: "no, mooooom (slam stall door)

I don't wanna dough in dis one!!!"

me: what?

will: (looking around like he's trying to find something)

"i wanna dough tinkle in da big kind!!!!"

me: what???

will: "i wanna dough in da man's room!"

apparently he recently learned the way of the urinal.

char's a star.

2010-09-07T23:20:00.000-07:00

to my sweet chubby char.

you're one today.

hard to believe.

before you were born, we worried a little bit

about raining on your brother's parade.

he liked his parade and didn't seem like the type

that was particularly great at sharing the spotlight.

but, as you've done with all of us,

you lit up his life.

he A-D-O-R-E-S you.

you guys love to:

play with balls, body slam each other,

walk around holding hands

(he really just drags you since you're still a bit slower),

play in the bath, chase each other on the couch,

really get going in the morning only after the other is awake,
wrestle, throw fits at the same time when we're running

errands so we "have" to leave, dig in the dirt,

play in the pool, snuggle on the couch under a blankie,

build forts, play together in your crib,

"work" with tools, share your juice, cookies, etc.,

and laugh like hyenas.

watching the two of you together is my greatest joy.

your dad and I are also pretty pumped about the kid you are.

we love that big goofy grin.

we love that you arch and scream when getting

into the carseat but are really easy to distract.

we love that you eat like a torrone.

we don't love the scream fest that ensues between 5pm

and dinner but can appreciate that you know what you

want and it is to be held...by us. now.

we love that you sleep through the night and

go to bed without a fight.

we don't love that you are not a great napper.

we love when you say "uh, oh", mama, da da da,

or "ffffff" and point at the fish.

we love that you point. and grunt for things.

we love the complete and utter joy in your eyes when

you smile at people.

you make their day.

we love how thrilled you are when we let you get out

and walk at the store.

we don't love that your favorite food is rocks.

you have probably consumed 3000 this summer alone.

we kinda love that you're obsessed with the toilet.

we love your chubby thighs and waxy ears and rat tail hair

and big head and buddha belly and big blue/grey/green? eyes.

we love that you DID NOT MOVE for 9 months

and then walked at 11.

we love that you like to read before bed.

we love that you love being outside.

it's where you'd be all day if you could choose.

you aren't allowed that choice because you eat rocks. a lot.

we love when you're brother literally throws you up onto

the couch and you think it's the bee's knees.

we love that you're starting to use a fork and spoon.

we love that when ready, you'd die for a bottle and binky.

we love that we get to be your parents!

how lucky are we?

Happy Happy Day sweet Char Char!

xoxo, mama, da da da and yo, big bro!

facelift

2010-08-29T20:38:00.000-07:00

(really old picture but the best I could find.)

Before: ugly blue porch + worn out door + tired "white" trim +

chintzy metal windows = BORING.

after: old chintzy metal windows with new trim +

new black painted porch + shiny new trim paint +

newly painted red front door =

much happier little home owner.

We gave our house a facelift a couple of weekends ago.

we have a long way to go but I adore it

and it makes me so happy every time I pull up.

And for the record, I spent all day Sunday painting

the white trim, overhang, etc.

Monday Chris called me at work to tell me

he wasn't into the cream that I picked out.

really?

again

2010-08-11T15:03:00.000-07:00

Still hard to let it go,

but not quite as hard as last time.

He seemed to enjoy himself

and felt very grown up.

schreunion 2010

2010-08-11T14:21:00.000-07:00

We rocked the Schryver Reunion last week.

My mom's mom, Tutu, and her sibs

have been hosting our family reunion

every other year for about 20 years.

Dang I'm getting old...

we bought a portable dvd player for the trip

and it was the BEST money I've ever spent. Ever.

We swam.

we had squirt gun fights.

we rode horses.

well, we whined through one lap

and then screamed until we got off that horse.

we bounced.
we whined.

who whines with ice cream in their hand?

we laughed.

we ate more ice cream with Tutu.

we fed and admired horses.

we rode and rode and rode our bikes.

and we celebrated Patsy, Jim and Sally Schryver.

here's to Sun River in 2012!

back in vogue

2010-07-29T20:51:00.000-07:00

Rhonda's back.

I caught him playing with her at naptime.

He was a little bit embarrassed

I saw it.

I played it off like it was no biggie

and she accompanied him out of his room after his nap.

Tonight I showed off my burrito wrap skillzzz.

He thought it was hiiiillllaarious.

"rhonda's a burrito, HA HA HA!!"

all night.

Then he came slithering out of his room

after being put to bed.

me: "Will, what's going on?"

will: "umm, mom? Can you make

Rhonda into a taco for me?"

auf wiedersehen

2010-07-29T20:38:00.000-07:00

in the spirit of Project Runway,

which starts it's new season tonight,

before

before
after
after

we said goodbye to the mullet/rattail/ragamuffin

hairdo that charlie has been rockin.

my sister thinks we went a little too

GI Joe.

can't.get.enough.

2010-07-22T14:54:00.000-07:00

enough already...

2010-07-22T14:50:00.000-07:00

i know you've seen enough of these two,

but when did they turn into grown-ups?

for heidi, hayden and caroline

2010-07-22T14:08:00.000-07:00

lucky girls to have such a sweet daddy...

hippy dippy day

2010-07-18T20:57:00.000-07:00

We went to the best hippy, dippy

Strawberry Festival on Vashon Island last weekend.

There wasn't a strawberry in sight

but we were definitely entertained.

??????

chris and I need some free time...

The Vashon ZUMBA group

the king and queen

loved the dog

but this was my fav...

dancing nurses and docs calling themselves

"the inoculators"

they were singing and gettin' their groove on

to songs like

"we give short shots"

and "2, 4, 6, 8 when do we inoculate?"

Vashon has one of the lowest vaccination rates

in the country (made that up but it IS close)

and I thought this was genious.

I've taken care of way to many babies

with preventable diseases.

off my soap box.

mesmerized by every little thing

esp. the pockets full of candy being thrown at him

mesmerized by his first sucker

dipped in rocks, concrete and dirt.

henny! henny! henny!

2010-07-17T22:33:00.000-07:00

Happy, Happy Birthday to one of our very favorite dudes.

You couldn't be any cooler, Henny!

We love you and hope your fourth year is your best yet!

Will says he thinks you are the best,

"because I looooove to play baseball with him."

xoxoxo.

blogger block

2010-07-15T20:59:00.001-07:00

where's will?

2010-06-30T14:48:00.000-07:00

We might have lost him if it weren't

for those blue eyes and pink lips.

splash.

2010-06-26T13:11:00.001-07:00

Will, Charlie and I braved the splash park up the street yesterday.
Normally it is full of slightly trashy, slightly too big and old,
slightly not enough clothes on their mamas, slightly too little supervision,
slightly too little swim suit covering up their bums, kids.
Yesterday wasn't so bad and there were only about ten of us.
Will had a B-L-A-S-T.
Since the sun never even poked out he kept coming back
to me saying "mama, my chin is bouncin'!"
SO much fun.
Then it was time to leave.
An hour and a half past both of their naptimes.
Sob city. Scream city. Tantrum city.
Then he realized he HAD nicked his big toe
when he fell down the third time.
And "it hurts Wiiiiiilly (really)bad." sob, sob, sob.
"mama, I broke-ded my fuuuuuut (foot)" sob, sob, sob.
"It hurts wiiiiillly, wiiiiillly bad"....on and on, forever.

Then this morning after putting on his shoes,
he remembered that big toe.
And it was like it had just happened.
Sobbing hysterically.
"mama, it hurts WILLY, willlllly, bad."
"I need the medicine to make it feel better."
"I need some ban-bains (band-aids) and medicine."
"mama, I broke-ded my fuuuuuut."
"I need daaaaaddy. Why isn't daaaaaddy comin' home?"
(chris is golfing for the weekend)
Seriously, I hope your dad is coming home soon
because you must have inherited this wimp gene from him.

Maybe you'll play World Cup soccer...
you've got the drama when you fall part down.

charlie chuckles

2010-06-25T21:42:00.000-07:00

Only your brother

or being out WAY past bedtime

can make you so delirious that

you laugh this hard...

we'll have to do it more often.

props

2010-06-20T06:45:00.000-07:00

I'm not good at being overly mushy
but I must give props where props are due,
and Chris deserves big props in the dad
AND husband department.

I mean he's not perfect...
but perfect is boring, and not real
and he's THE REAL DEAL.
the bombdiggity
the big kahuna
our superdad.

He works hard all day.
Up early, home late
we don't even let him change his clothes before
we attack (dudes)
and sometime snap (me)
he grins and bears it.
he showers the dudes with kisses
and then heads straight out to play baseball
or legos or cars
or some other mind numbing thing
when all he wants to do
and deserves to do
is put his feet up
and take a deep breath.

I love him because he compliments me everyday.
he makes me laugh.
he makes a big effort to make me happy.
he watches the WORST shows on television.
he knows that if he is embarassed by something
on TV he shouldn't change the channel
because it is my favorite part of the show.
he does ALL the yardwork
and claims to like doing it.
he finally admits he likes romantic comedies.
he knows how to calm me down in ANY situation.

he's understanding.
he's calm.
he doesn't raise his voice.
he's handsome and (newly) skinny.
we've been together since we were 15
and married for almost 7 years
and I would still rather hang out with him
than anyone else.

we all know that he loves us because

he tells us every day.

the kids love him because he's fun.

he's never said no to playing with them.

he's the best book reader.

he buys them gummies.

he takes them to work with him.

he comes back each morning ten times

if asked for another hug and a kiss.

he doesn't put water in their juice.

he lets them watch movies before (instead of) bed.
he takes them to the driving range.

And, he's a sucker for one moment of sweetness

after hours of bad behavior.

thanks for all that you do...

we love and appreciate you!!

9 months and 9 days

2010-06-18T14:04:00.000-07:00

9 lbs 9 oz on 9/9/09

9 months and 9 days old

it should be a good day.

actually everyday is a good day with you, Char.

you are such a smiley guy

and you make all of us around you happy.

you started crawling last week and are now a force.

you get into and eat everything you can get your hands on.

you are becoming more opinionated about what you want

and when you want it (which is now!).

you would be held all day if someone would do it.

you worship your brother and dad.

you favorite thing is emptying baskets that we fill with toys.

you still wake up once at 4 am, guzzle a bottle

with your eyes closed and sleep again until about 6.

you pull yourself up onto things and then fall over

and cry about 10 times a day.

you weighed 19 lbs 12 oz at your check-up.

you have a total meltdown at and 12:30 and 7pm...sleepy time.

you'll eat whatever we throw at you.

you LOVE the girls at the Y nursery and they spoil you.

you've started grinding your teeth and it creeps me out.

you are wearing you brother's 12 month summer clothes.

you protest when put in your carseat or stroller

for about 3 seconds then you're fine.

you cried at a stranger for the first time today.

we call you chubs, char, char-yee, bo's and chubby char.

we're lucky to have you little boy.

i am thrilled I get to see you grow up.

i'd love for you to stay just as you are forever

but know you'll only get better with age.

happy 9 month and 9 day birthday sweet boy.

we love you!

birthday mania

2010-06-16T22:26:00.000-07:00

It's been 3rd Birthday mania around here.
Zoo party Saturday.
Family party Sunday.
Birthday day Monday.
I'm confident in declaring him a fan
of the world revolving around him.

green is good

2010-06-15T14:41:00.000-07:00

"wook at my awesome new shoes!"

He's obsessed with these suckers.

He has a weird obsession with what shoes he will

and will not wear so I am just happy

I don't have to fight with him in the morning

to get them on.

the real culprit

2010-06-15T14:22:00.001-07:00

We've been hounding Will about helping to keep

his playroom clean.

The place is a disaster within minutes of cleaning it.

We've been especially annoyed at his habit of

pulling out books and leaving them everywhere.

We've been drilling him about putting those books

back on the shelf he took them off of.

After about a week of these conversations

I was sitting in the room pitching to Will and observed this:Charlie was systematically pulling the books out

one by one and chucking them on the floor.

Now we know the real mess maker.

It's a little (just a little) more pointless to try and teach him

to clean up after himself.

one! two! three!

2010-06-13T20:14:00.001-07:00

How is it possible that my first baby is 3 today?!

6 months

My sassy, sweet, busy, opinionated, dude.

How are you possibly 3?

You're an adventure everyday, Will.

You test us, you push us, you melt us, you make

us laugh, you make us want to cry, you exhaust us,

you make us get up and play, you make us HAPPY.

Most of all you make us want to be better...

better examples, better people, better parents.

I love watching your 3 year old brain work.

This morning you woke up whining like it was nobody's business.

You grouched and covered your ears when we sang Happy Birthday.

You wouldn't go potty.

You didn't haaaaave to.

You wanted oatmeal, you didn't.

You waaaaanted cereal.

You wanted Handy Manny, you didn't.

You waaaaanted Curious George.

You wanted your new guitar but you didn't liiiiike it.

You needed a blanket but didn't want it ooooooon you.

Could I take a shower? Noooooo.

and on. and on.

Then about 3 minutes into my shower

you peeked your little head in

smiled your gapped tooth grin

and in the most sweet, polite, heavenly voice asked

"mom, may I please have a Spiderman gummy?"

I said yes.

Worked me over.

Chewed me up and spit me out.

You know your assets and you use them to your advantage.

We often think we've completely screwed you up

but then decide we're skating by because we really like

the little guy you're turning into.

My favorite thing about you right now is

how much you adore your little brother.

He is the only one guaranteed to make you smile

morning, noon or night.

You've taught him how to be gentle.

You play a tickle game with him where you walk

as far away as you can and put your hands into a

tickle claw and come "get him".

He thinks it's hilarious and your dad has copied you

to get a laugh out of Char.

You love sharing your bath and especially playing

splash mania.

I often find you in his crib with him, jumping, making

funny faces or whatever else you have to do to make him smile.

He worships the ground you walk on, and he should.

A few of my other Shooka loves...

I love the way you pucker your lips to give a kiss.

I love your gap tooth grin.

I am thankful we can finally brush those gap teeth without a brawl.

I love that you worship Pump it Up and are sweaty when we leave.

I love that you put yourself to bed and often say

"I need to go shleepy, mooooom."

I love that your fav foods are teriyaki chicken and RTP.

I am thankful your temper tantrums are more spaced out

but they are vicious when they happen.

I love that you love playing with your friends.

I love that you are obsessed with diggers and balls.

I loved that when I asked you to color on you thank you notes today

after each and every one (all 30) you said "does that look-ed nice, mom?"

I love that you've forced me to think outside the box when answering

the question "why?" for the thousandth un-answerable time.

I love that you can finally sit through an entire book.

I love listening to you read to yourself in bed.

I love that you have really weird shoe obsessions.

I love that you'll do ANYTHING for a gummy or a piece of gum.

I just love your smart-mouthed, moody, sassy little guts.

Happy, Happy, Happy Birthday, Shooks!

We love you.

we snuck away...

2010-06-04T20:41:00.000-07:00

the bowling

the beach

the kites

the puddles

The dudes and I snuck away to Long Beach

with Liz and her crew on Tuesday night.

We didn't even know we were going until the last minute.

We were only there 33 hours but packed a lot into it.

We got in at 11pm Tuesday and interrupted

Liz's Twilight time.

We were eating donuts by 8 am Wednesday.

We went home and let the kids play

before heading to Astoria for bowling and pizza.

Naps for the kids (and I) came next.

When we woke up it had stopped raining

for the first time in days

so we packed up and headed to the beach.

Charlie played in the sand for the first time.

The weather was perfect for

Will and Henry to fly a kite for the first time.

Liz and I got a huge kick out of the kite, too.

On our trip home from the beach we stomped

and splashed in the huge mud puddles.

Lucy especially loved it

(even when she fell in face first)

As you can see in the pictures,

she was not happy when we left.

Will then rode Henry's bike back to the house

(first time really riding by himself).

Baths all around when we got home.

Liz made super Tuna Casserole for dinner.

Henry barfed it back up.

We read books and the tired rugrats

hopped happily into bed.

We woke up Thursday, stripped the beds

ate some breakfast and were on the road by 8:30.

I can't describe what a treat it was to have a mini vacation,

come home and still have the whole weekend to hang.

I am so thankful for the McDougall's friendship

and willingness to keep inviting us to the beach.

(in spite of Will's attitude and mood swings)

And I'm thankful to Kathy and Mike

for keeping such a perfect little house.

I love it there.

I can completely relax

and feel right at home.

until next time...

our world

2010-06-04T20:31:00.000-07:00

Chris: "Will, do you think the world revolves around you?"

Will: "Uhhmmm, uhhh, I think so it does."

caught

2010-06-01T14:41:00.000-07:00

Will likes to whip blankets over the top of Charlie.

Normally he piles them on until Char can no longer sit up

and he ends up in the splits with his tummy flat on the ground

crying for his life.

And then Will's fun is over.

Dad caught them playing together in their fort

and both were pleased as punch.