To All the Non-InstaPals I've Loved Before

Here's a highlight of what you've missed, complete with the original captions:

"Juniper Betty with her head so sweaty."

"#popawheeliesfordays"

"At the end of August, the plot on the top will have the house on the bottom built on it.  As of today, it will be ours."

"Hey Mom!  Can I take a picture of your shadow?  It makes you look really weird and ugly." #surethingkid

"The Little Sisters"

"No more training wheels.  Took off like a champ. Best of all, no falls, no scraped knees, no tears."

"Are you letting Juni play house too?  Are you including her?"

"Yah totally, Mom.  She's our hairless cat."

Poopoo Prize

Guess who hit a wall and decided she was DONE changing big stinky BMs? Me. Guess who was terrified to poo in the toilet? Olive. Guess who had a change of heart once she feasted her eyes on this little get-up? Rapunzel.

What I Want

This next phase in our life is providing me with a new beginning, a chance to think about my life and what changes I'd like to make.  I have so many, it's sort of overwhelming.

"What I Want", presented in bullet points.

-I want to have a positive attitude no matter what my circumstance is.  We are coming up on a whole lot of unknowns. Basically everything is up in the air right now.  This is mentally and emotionally uncomfortable for me.  I can't choose what happens but I can choose how I react to it and in turn, how that reflects on my life.  If I whole-heartedly believe that things aren't that bad, then they won't be.  My attitude will become my reality.

-I want to be truly happy for the good things that happen in the lives of those I love, no matter what's going on in my own life.

-This sort of goes with the statement above, but I want to completely squelch the emotion of envy or jealousy from my whole being.  It's so unbecoming and just gross.  I used to be pretty good about this but in the last little while, I have notice it creep back in and it's time to stomp it out completely.  I believe this can happen by actively seeking ways to exercise more gratitude.

-This goes along with the above, but I want time the time to notice more things to be grateful for and express it.

-I want to build my relationship with God.  I want to feel His presence more in my life and as a result, I believe I will be able to see His hand more clearly, which is something I think is really important.

-I want to get used to having a husband and father around. I don't know if I can explain this one very well, but I've learned to function really well without Go.  On the weekends when he's around, I'm all out of sorts, I have a hard time being productive, I'm out of my routine, it messes with me and I can get cranky.  What a waste of something good.  I would like to figure out how to turn this behavior around.

-I want to focus on health rather than weight loss but without really focusing on it, if that makes sense. Going to the gym now will be completely up to me and for the first time in 9 years, not because I *have* to be there to teach a spin class.  I would like to adopt an active lifestyle and most of all, eat clean.  The other side to this is that I would like to do this without having to talk about it all the time and not let it rule my life.  Just do it and shut up about it like it ain't no thang. I admire people who live their live this way and don't feel the need to constantly talk about it...it just...IS.

-I want more order. I lived the first part of my life being extremely sloppy. I was just born that way; it's my nature to be disorderly and helter skelter. Every year since  I've been married to my OCD neat freak, I've become more orderly and more tidy to keep the peace and out of respect for him and his space.  It's been really hard to literally change the course of my DNA. Today I am in no way on the same level as Go but I'm really proud of the strides I've made in this area.  I'd like to keep continuing down that path.  Living at my in-laws will be good for me and my continuous battle to become more clean and tidy.  I'm going to try very hard to be conscientious about keeping their home in order and not feel like we've completely bulldozed their whole life with our crap.

-I want to be more careful about the way I react to my children.  I want to slow my mind and really think about what I say and how I say it rather than just let the first thing that comes to my mind fly out of my mouth because oftentimes it can be sarcastic, more harsh than is necessary or instead of explaining things, just say whatever is quickest or easiest.  They deserve for me to be more careful with them verbally.

-I want to live more deliberately.  It's something I've been thinking a lot about lately and another blogger, I forget who, mentioned this and it was like "YES!  Exactly!" It's hard to put into words what I mean but the things I do, from the smallest to the largest need to hold greater purpose than they do or have been.  I generally don't think about the reasons I do things or don't do things; I just go and do or don't do. I'd like to spend my time more wisely, slow down, find greater purposes and let them soak in.

-I need to spend less time with things that are electronic and more time with things that are organic.  No longer having a photography business will be a huge part of this.

-I need to give my children more attention and can do this by the sentence above.  I want to incorporate them more in the things I love to do and share that joy; realize that every moment holds the potential to be a memory.  This doesn't necessarily mean that I have orchestrate some big project or activity on a daily basis.  Just being together and smiling is important.

...19 days more and then it's the start of something new.  And now it's time to get off the computer and do something fun with my girls.

The First Day of School, K & 3

My little buddy left me today. Because her birthday just missed the cutoff for kindergarten last year, May has been at home with me for an extra year and I've grown quite fond of her. Here's the more-than-ready-to-go-to-kindergarten kindergartner.

My eyes were tearing even as I took this first photo.

Then things got weird.

I think she might be a little excited?

And here's the third grader (who is looking SO old to me lately),

my tender, wise, old soul of a girl.

But still as goofy as the rest.

And just as graceful. In fact, it is her middle name.

No, seriously. It is.

Olive and I will miss these goof balls.

Ornaments

For today's advent calendar activity, I took the girls to go pick out their own ornaments.

I was smart to wait until this late in the season.

Miss Cheapy Pants won't stop high five-ing me.

Each girl chose an ornament that completely fit them to a tee.

Ruby:

An animal.

Mom, did you know polar bears eat seals?

Mom, did you know their fur is extra thick because they live in such a cold climate?

Mom, did you know that if they do get too hot,

they just lay down and rub their bellies on the ice?

May:

Bright.

Sparkly.

Pointy and long: perfect for chasing/poking/teasing people with.

Olive:

Pink.

Sparkly.

Reflective.

Round.

Perfect to dance with.

Atta Girl.

May: Mom, Paul McCartney is old now.

Me: Yah, kinda.

May: He's still cute, though.

Me: Totally.

May: I just love the Beatles, Mom.

...I have no words. Just an exploding heart.

Project Runway Reynolds Style

Tonight I constructed Ruby a Native American dress for her second-grade Thanksgiving feast tomorrow. It didn't exactly turn out like Austin Scarlett's beautiful, beautiful corn husk dress,

but it was pretty cute, only took me about 10 minutes, used only 2 brown bags and only a yard or two of twine. If I'm on my game, I'll take a picture of her in it tomorrow before she rain-dances off to school. And if I'm really on my game, I'll do a tutorial for all you mamas with little squaws out there.

Mama Says

Me: Oh, this is a good song, girls.

Ruby: What song is it?

Me: You Can't Always Get What You Want.

May: You always say that!

Ruby: Is "Fun is wherever we are" a song, too?

Pure Delight

May: Mom, I'm going to be a singer when I grow up.

Me: Cool. I think you'll be a great singer.

May: I already am a great singer.

Me: This is true.

May: Will you come to my singing shows?

Me: Of course.

May: But what if I live far away from you?

Me: I'll come to as many as I can, then.

May: Never mind. I don't think I'll live far away from you.

Me: Oh good. I'd like that.

May: Will you clap after my songs?

Me: Totally.

May: Good. Because that means you like my songs.

Me: Yes.

May: I don't want to sing songs that other people sing. I just want to sing my own songs.

Me: I think that's a good idea.

May: Can I sing you a song right now?

Me: Sure.

May:
Nemo! Nemo!
On a see-saw!
On a see-saw!
On a see-saw!
Nemo! Nemo!
On a see-saw!
See that Nemo!
On a see-saw!

Me: *clap*clap*clap*

May: That means you liked it?

Me: Oh yes.

I'd Like to Thank the Academy

for:

1. The wonderful smells coming from my yard right now. Basil, thyme, rosemary, lavender. Would it be weird if I started rubbing a bunch of rosemary in my arm pits instead of using deodorant?

2. And thank you to all fonts in general. Except for Papyrus and a hand full of others that I really don't care for. I could waste a lot of time on this site. And by that, I mean I do waste a lot of time on this site.

3. The writers of Modern Family. That show always, always make me laugh: "If an accident does happen, I hope he kills me, because I don't think I would be a very inspiring disabled person."

4. The week Go has off in a little while. We're driving 7 hours to Toronto and staying for a wee bit! And then we're driving 7 hours back home to wash our clothes and go to the bathroom and shower in our own shower which I would bet money, has even lower water pressure than the humble hotel in which we will have just come from! And then we're driving 12 hours to Nashville! And staying for a wee bit! And then driving 12 hours back home! All within a week! Also, we might be insane!

5. Olive, who is inseparable from her baby lately. It's one of those little ones with the cloth bodies and plastic head and limbs. She keeps it inside a beanie like a little sleeping bag. All day long, she carries it around, kisses it, loves it, cuddles it, feeds it, sings to it and puts it to sleep on anything soft she comes across, giving it a kiss goodnight, says "Ni-ni, bee bee!" gives it a couple of pats for good measure, then picks it back up 10 seconds later. She requires that I give her baby kisses about every 15 minutes. My kids have done lots of cute things in their day but this might take the cake.

6. The constant singing in my house during the day by my two youngest. May's always been prone to wander around in her dreamland singing, making up songs with lyrics consisting with phrases such as "in your heart", "truly believe", "madly in love", and "forever and ever" , which I really don't know where these cheesy lyrics come from since Go certainly doesn't listen to songs with such sap and I'm a total tom-boy when it comes to music (and well, most other things) but I love it. What I love more is that while May is on one end of the room (or often, car) singing her heart out to random melodies, Olive is on the other end crooning away as well, a completely different melody and lyrics with eyes squinted and brow furrowed, giving it her all and often holding out the length of notes for an impressive amount of time. I want to secretly record these two one day so they look back and listen to their weird duets.

7. Chicks with acrylic nails. I like watching them try to things and look normal while doing those things. I am reminded of an SNL skit with Kristen Wiig where she worked up in an air traffic control tower. She had long acrylic nails and was trying to open a bag of Sun Chips. She's so genius.

8. Kristen Wiig and the other funny ladies out there that I have girl-crushes on. This includes but is not limited to: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and my pal Alisa. (Alisa, if this makes you feel uncomfortable reading this, I promise to keep it platonic this weekend.) And though she's not funny, Nigella Lawson. Just because.

9. Again Olive, for being a really fun age. She's becoming extremely verbal, which is a great vehicle for her vibrant personality, always cheerfully saying "Thank you! Your welcome!" as she hands you random stuff she's found around the house. It sounds like "Deek Doo! Wow Cuh!" She has also started saying little sentences. Here are some of her latest words: (and this list, I am aware, only interests my mother and my husband)

-most of her sentences start with this: "I want...": (Uhhh)
-"cookie": (tee-tee)
-"peanut butter": (pee-a-bow)
-any sort of liquid to drink is "juice" (which is odd since she never has it): (joo)
-"May-May": (Mah-May)
-"Ruby"-(Woo-Bee)
-"I want down" (which means go down in the basement): (Uhhh dowww)
-"bath": (bow)
-"toast": (tow)
-"shoes": (shee-yews)
-"Me too!": (Ah do!)
-She has started letting me know when she has a dirty diaper: she walks to where I am, says "poo-poo" and turns right around for me to check her diaper. I think potty training is in our near future, which doesn't mean much since after my experience with Ruby and May (struggled and struggled for months when Ruby was 2, threw in the towel and 6 months later, she trained herself and May just trained herself when she was about 2.5, so I'm a big believer in letting the kid lead the way, although I'm aware it always doesn't go this way, and I don't expect to be as fortunate with this every time, but so far, we're off to a good start.)
-What a kitty says: (eee-ow)
-What a doggy says: (fff-fff)
-What a cow says: (noooooh)
-puppy: (bob-bee)
-yogurt: (yo-gee)

10. Scheduled mail carrier pick ups for packages, which require me to stay away from the post office, otherwise known as My Own Personal Outer Darkness.

Favorite Moments From Today

1. Trying to talk to the pediatrician over the squeaks, squeals, zips, screeches coming from the Zhu Zhu pet in my purse while we both pretended not to notice.

2. Wrestling (I usually use this word as hyperbole, but this time I really mean it) May, trying to keep her still so she could get blood drawn while singing/yelling "May May, come out and play with me! And bring your dollies three! Climb up my apple tree! Slide down my rainbow..." in front of four recoiling phlebotomists.

3. After the doctor's/lab, instead of taking Ruby back to school for lunch, we took our lunch to a park where we were attacked by bees thanks to my beloved Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom & Honey Cologne and wait for it...wait for it, I stuck my hand in a fresh pile of dog poo.

4. Taking Ruby back to school and chatting with her school nurse while I held Olive who insisted on repeatedly pulling down my scooped neck t-shirt and sticking her hands down into my shirt, causing some major Northern Exposure. Nope. Not just a TV show from the 80's.

5. Dinner with the girls at Costco. Olive, who was already covered in remnants of various samples (chocolate milk, yogurt, pot stickers, sticky buns, chicken soup, chocolate mousse) was really excited to eat and so overcome with love and joy for her dinner, hugged an entire slice of pizza against her chest and lovingly rocked it back and forth. I still had 2 more errands to run after that, which if it hadn't been such a chilly evening, she would have worn just her cow-print leg warmers and her diaper rather than her cow-print leg warmers and a light green onesie covered with chocolate milk, yogurt, pot stickers, sticky buns, chicken soup, chocolate mousse and a grease stain the exact shape and size of a gigantic slice of pizza.

Still, it was a good day.

Friday Photos: Just Us Today

I have not mastered the self timer. And that's ok.

She's so serious.

Well, not really.

Next

I have a few projects to finish up (some Family Tree illustrations, some Etsy orders, the book the girls and I started from last summer, my art room which looks like it was burglarized) but after that, this:

A Euro pillow made from this top I embroidered like a year ago of the alphabet. Embroidering, how I love you. Dramatic sigh.


It will be backed and trimmed with piping made on the bias (is there any other way of making piping other than the bias? I do not know. But I felt it needed to be said. These stripes will be slanted, ya'll!) out of this ticking stripe.


I was too lazy to get out my camera, upload the photos blahblahblah just for this measly post so as you can probably tell, all of these pics were taken with Photobooth.

So we had ourselves a little session.