mr. trouble pants turns two

6 days, 2 months, 4 months, 7 months, 9 months, 14 months, 18 months, 19 months, 21 months

i sat down to celebrate everything levi- blue eyes, broken bones, laughter, swirly hair,pot banging, and power tools, but my words are feeling quite inadequate. just know that today will be a happy day because he is a happy boy. his gigantic smile has spread ear to ear and everywhere since his first hours. on this day, like the 730 that came before it, the boy baby will be loved.

very, very loved.

miss miley has her day

it was the first week of january- mia had returned to school and our boring household routine had been reestablished. so i asked the middle monkey what she wanted to do one day, expecting a request for cookie baking or park play.

i want to go to school!

i asked her every morning for a week, hoping to get a different answer. no dice. the girl was ready. i had been enquiringly about schools since the incident and mom after mom recommended the same one. i called the escuela fabuloso with my list of questions and found out that a child would have to get through 2 alarmed gates before finding themselves in an unsupervised public place- sold!

before
today, the entire family took the bug to school. she was a bit excited.

during
she got right to work. the teachers were welcoming, enthusiastic, and organized. i am happy to report that today's drop off included no red flags or falling tears. they were present, but they didn't fall.

after
a very energetic miley waved and called to her new friends as we made our way to the car after class, and a very drowsy miley talked about how much fun she had as we drove away.

boy babies and birdie burps

while i was out shopping for my first set of embroidery needles, grandma c was busy welcoming her fourth grandchild into the world- a beautiful baby boy with two doting parents and one awesome name.

i have always wanted to learn how to embroider, and it's turned out to be the perfect craft for a girl with ADD and a tight budget. one tutorial from this crafty site, a few rad patterns from this talented lady (the cute bird is one of them), a couple tips from this sweet seamstress in scotland, and we were in the handmade gift giving business.

for my chubby little niece- a set of birdie burp cloths to help with all the drool of teething.

how we rung it

mio, old friend, new friend

my original plan for new years eve involved nothing but warm blankets and an early bedtime. then chelsea called and threw a big wrench in my awesome plan by inviting us to her place for a family friendly party complete with finger foods and a wii.

so we jammied up the crew and set off down the hill to ring it in with our peeps, making the traditional stop for beverages on our way. i couldn't help but laugh at the message repeating over the grocery store loudspeaker "assistance needed in the liquor cabinet," as i pushed my cart full of diet coke and dr. pepper toward the checkout.

the kiddos enjoyed a few hours of play time with their friends before all 8 of them were tucked into 3 beds and the adults were left to party like only a crazy group of mormons can. we played that wii into the morning- the ladies were hilarious to watch, while the boys played strait faced and unmoving. boring boys.

thanks to my old friend and my new one for ringing in the new year with so much laughter.

(for unattractive pictures of the wii action go here and here)

the handsome face of help

4/2006 brian & jason

i laid guiltily alone and awake in bed. i cursed money and watched the clock- as is my routine when brian has to work through the day, the night, and into the morning hours. i thought about what a good man he was. i thought about how he excepted such a burden without hesitation or complaint. i wished desperately for a way to help him.

i didn't find out until the next morning that help had come to brian. jason was supposed to make a quick stop by the shop before heading home for some much needed rest, but when he found brian with hours of work still ahead of him, jason picked up a wrench and started working. no hesitation. no complaint.

the old friends talked, laughed, and worked together through the night finishing the job in record time. thank you my dear jason for doing what i couldn't.

thank you for helping.

the schooling of a sensitive soul

i will never forget the strange feeling i had when mia came home from her first day of pre-school singing a song i had never heard- the first time her education was out of my control.

now she arrives home daily spouting wonderful tidbits of knowledge. today's kindergarten lesson was about martin luther king and this is what her quivering voice had to say: some people didn't like what he was saying, so they shot him. all dr. king wanted was peace for the world mom, and they shot him! i cried when teacher told me that. it made me so sad.

sweet mia, it makes me sad too.

come on and shine

it feels like it's gone from a thankful giving, to a merry christmas, to a happy new year in a few short days. i enjoyed being thankful, i wasn't prepared to be merry, but i am so ready to be happy. the more effort i put into planning my 2009, the more my mind wants to re-walk the journey of 2008. so please, take a walk with me.

this year started with a surgery. a surgery that fixed my kidney, put me on my back for a month, and led me to rediscover the wonderful man i married. a surgery quickly followed by a 1st birthday, a 5th, and a 3rd. another sudden move. a few days to pack our lives into boxes to be stored for an undetermined duration of time. we then tucked our 5 member family into a small space in my in-laws house- an unexpected necessity that i will be forever grateful for.

one delayed, complicated, and emotional escrow later we were handed the keys. the keys that made us jump, cry, and shake our heads in disbelief. we put those keys in the deadbolt and unlocked the overwhelming generosity of our friends and family. we ground, grouted, planted, painted, scrapped, and spackled a home for our family in the quiet low desert of southern california.

meanwhile, a blog was born. mia matured, made us laugh, and taught me about myself. miley started pre-school and then quickly stopped. tragedy was avoided, and i was given the gift of time with my swirly haired beautiful girl. levi made us all fall in love and showed us what life is like when raising a boy. autumn classes started, work quickened, while home construction slowed.

the whirlwind year ended with overwhelming finals, unforeseen obstacles, and fabulous holiday festivities. the suddenness of everything left me swimming, but i've reached the surface. i'm breathing easy. i've purged the last piece of christmas from the house, and i'm ready for 2009.

thank you for walking with me last year-

i hope this one shines for ya!

christmas in nutshells and collages

we kicked off christmas early at tiff's, and then headed to crazy grandma's for a week of
food, fun, and bonding with 20 or so of our favorite people.

generous surprises waited under glo mom's perfect tree. after all the love had been exchanged,
brian treated everyone to his famous beef stroganoff and baby izabella took
a long awaited liking to her aunt marisa.

we built a chill little man, jumped on a frozen trampoline,
and threw lots of snow.

christmas eve morning we buckled sleeping babies into their carseats in my moms dark snowy driveway and unpacked
the gang 10 hours later in LA, just in time for a yummy meal at g-ma and g-pa's.
there were cousins, aunties, & presents galore.

we loaded the hyper flannel jammied crew back in the car letting the short ride home lull
them to sleep, not to awake again until their very own living room
was filled with morning sun and christmas magic.

and then we slept.

a christmas card controversy

2008 christmas card

i love everything about modern / lifestyle photography- especially crazy crops. when i decided on a different look for this years card, i knew it wouldn't be liked by all, but i was surprised that it was disliked by so many. i got tons of funny comments / questions about the card. my favorite inquisitor was my dear aunt adline, who sincerely asked if we got the cards at half price.

i assure you there was no mistake- i loved it! my bff chelz totally came through for me. as usual, she took what i wanted and made it better. i insisted that she only take one group shot, but the photog in her was determined to capture the kids- and i'm so glad she did. all pictures shamelessly stolen from her blog- doesn't her new watermark look great.

this one is gonna be big next to the front door.
i don't believe it- is that a natural smile out of my mia bug!?

miley wasn't in the mood to sit for pictures, so her and chelz played a little game of tag

this just makes me happy.