malt-o-meal

I've been making the boys hot cereal almost every morning for over a week, did you hear that? I've been making breakfast. you know. cooking. IN THE MORNING.

I'm pretty sure this makes me the best mom ever.

my favorite things, vol. VI

chocolate chip scones:




I usually make them on nights when Chris works late and the boys are already in bed. I eat some for dinner, then I eat some for breakfast the next morning, and then more for lunch. I might need a normal meal after that, but then I'll probably want some for dessert.



scones are delicious.

sad

Today Michael and I went to a funeral, a funeral for a little girl who, four years ago, shared a due date with Michael.

it was beautiful and wrenching.

happy birthday to me

28 things.
about me.
for reals this time.

1. The pseudonym spliz was given by kat, who had an unfortunate habit of telling unflattering stories about me her blog. This was back when we used to know many of the same people, and since she didn't want to flat-out insult me she would cleverly disguise my identity by referring to me as "spliz."
And I would refer to her Spkat.
And I believe this was all rooted in a Buffy episode.

2. Christofer was my first (and only) boyfriend.

3. I don't like dogs much because I think they are dirty. And I am not wrong about this. They're like toddlers, but without diapers and the constant supervision.

4. I do not have a high school diploma or any of the equivalents. I do have a Bachelor's. The story behind this is not nearly as interesting as I just made it sound.

5. Whenever I feel shy I come off as snobby.

6. I'll read pretty much anything.

7. I like gray hair. I keep hoping I'll go prematurely gray.

8. I like peanut butter and I like chocolate, but I don't especially like them together.
Although I will still eat them together because I don't say no to chocolate.
But that chocolate would have been better without any stupid peanutbutter on it.

9. I am both embarrassed by and proud of my blogs.

10. When I was in college, someone, and I can't even remember who, asked me if I ever "play that game where you add up the cost of everything you're wearing", and now sometimes I do. I think about the cost of every individual item of clothing on my body, and then I hate myself because there are starving kids in the world and I'm wearing a lot of money to chase babies all day and get spit up on.

But even more, I hate the person who taught me this stupid game. What a terrible idea.

11. I like to buy expensive clothes.

12. I am completely uncoordinated. Whenever I say this people wonder why I like to wear tall shoes, but since I'm as likely to fall with them as without them, I might as well have awesome legs. am I right?

13. I did not go to a football game my entire college career. When Christofer discovered this not too long ago, he nearly died. "Why not?" he wanted to know, and the answer is that no one ever asked me.

It's not like I was going to PAY for my own ticket to a stupid football game, that would be weird.

14. I quote things all the time, but rarely remember what I'm quoting.

15. I hate 'friending' people on facebook because I feel lame asking people to be my friends, but I've been doing it all the time lately because I am trying to show christofer I have more friends than him.

16. I might be a little bit competitive.

17. My biggest unreasonable fear is needles; my other is somehow driving into a lake/ocean/river with all my kids in the car and experiencing my own hellish "Sophie's Choice."

18. I hate being late to things, and I hate other people to be late. I don't mean within, say, five or ten minutes--things happen, clocks are different, whatever. But there is no excuse for chronic severe lateness, it is selfish and inconsiderate.

that being said, now that I have three kids I am late ALL THE TIME.

19. I love the ballet. I wish I was a dancer.

20. I hate the opera.

21. I own an excessive number of black skirts. I don't know why I thought they were all necessary. If you ever see me about to buy another black skirt, remind me I'm covered and maybe suggest diversifying.

22. I hate talking on the phone, with few exceptions. I have the uncanny ability to cause even brief businessy sort of phone calls to become almost unbearably awkward.

23. For a long time I wanted to be an actor, but then I discovered I really couldn't tolerate being around actors all the time.

also, I was only moderately talented.

24. I had a severe case of mono while my husband and I began dating seriously, and many of our "dates" involved me falling asleep on the couch while he did homework/watched TV. Sometimes he would nap with me. At the time I thought it was a really sweet gesture; now I know he just loves to nap and would sleep 14 hours a day if possible.

25. I'm cranky when I'm hungry.

26.A. I love (Love LOVE) having clean sheets.

26.B. Especially when I'm pregnant. When I was expecting Michael I
washed our sheets every other day.

26.C. I also made up a song, called (creatively) The Clean Sheets Song. Chris made fun of me, but now whenever we're putting clean sheets on the bed I catch him singing it.

27. I like my maiden name better than my married name. I have sometimes regretted changing it. However, if I had the choice again right now, I would still change it.

28. I enjoy my own company. I think I'm pretty awesome.

a very important month-long project

check.

slackers

today was a balmy 50 degrees--perfect for taking the kids out to play,
































for leaning back and enjoying blue skies,


and for finally taking down our Christmas lights.






























oops.

irritable

Michael would prefer I not take a picture of his new haircut to show Grandy.



He would prefer to be left alone.



















He would also prefer not taking a nap, William never touching another toy in our house ever again, and maybe a cookie for dinner.

life is hard, little buddy. life is hard.

at the Draper Temple open house

taken by a stranger, using Dave's iphone.

this blog illustrates two very important things about me

first, that I choose girlfriends who are very awesome and delightful:

second, that I only remember to check my mail every other week.

the beginning of the end

The boys are good eaters, and by that I mean both they eat a good deal and also are not picky about what they eat. It's pretty remarkable, actually, the things my kids like. They love broccoli, asparagus, salmon, avacado, oatmeal, peppers, too many things to list.
They hate pretty much nothing.
It's not that my kids love healthy food more than anything in the world--I mean, if you give them a choice between some broccoli and a cookie, those guys are definitely going to eat that cookie. and then ask for another three-- but if they're given broccoli to eat, they'll eat broccoli. If they're given curry, curry. and so on.
And, barring any handy baked goods, they do like vegetables.
(as a matter of fact, right at this very moment William is sitting at the counter declaiming his Great Love of celery. whatever, dude.)
However, are these halcyon days coming to a close? I have discovered something that I cannot, under any circumstances, in any fashion, no matter what, disguised or not, convince them eat:



roasted edamame.
I just hope it's not a portent.

brothers

Yesterday morning the boys were playing in another room when I heard William begin shouting "Jack Jack hair! Jack Jack hair!" followed quickly by maniacal laughter.

I was concerned that he had somehow managed to achieve Jack Jack hair on his own (it's happened before with lotion), so I called out and asked him to come see me.

A moment later he came skipping out of the room. He didn't have Jack Jack hair (thank goodness), but just as I bent down to give him a kiss and tell him he could keep playing, Michael came charging out of the room and jumped between us.

"Mom! MOM!," he yelled. "William is my best friend. I NEED him. You have to leave him alone, please."

"Okay," I said.

and he took William by the hand and ran off.

yummy yummy baby cheeks

and neck and wrist.

valentine's day

For valentine's day this year I made our traditional Fondue dinner

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

and then invited my brother's family over to share it with us.

because I am a romantic fool.

love

Probaby four or five times a day William gets my attention in order to declare "sissy loves me!" or sometimes "sissy loves Lilyem." About half the time it's an announcement, a discovery of something too exciting to be contained; but my favorite is when he phrases it as a question,

"sissy loves me?"

It's not a rhetorical question, but neither is the answer in doubt. His smile is expectant. "Yes," I tell him. "Ivy loves you very much." And this reply is so satisfactory to him, so pleasing, he's almost smug. "Yes," he repeats to himself, "Ivy loves me."

the best part of this story is, she really does.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone. I hope you know you are loved and are not ashamed to enjoy hearing it.

growth

Ivy, 1 week

Ivy, 6 months

my favorite things, vol VI.

My mother-in-law bought Ivy this outfit as a baby gift, and it is my absolute favorite. She's about to grow out of it, which is making me sad.

crib

Just before Ivy was born, I borrowed this little crib from my mom to put in our room. It was made by my great-great-grandfather, and my great-grandmother slept in it, my grandma slept in it, my mother slept in it, and all of my siblings and I slept in it. And now that I've typed that out I'm kind of amazed the thing is not in pieces, because seriously. That is a lot of babies. But it's not in pieces, I assure you: it is sturdy and beautiful, and I've enjoyed having Ivy tucked inside it in our bedroom.

Last week we moved Ivy into the big crib in her own room. It's kind of a funny thing; with all three of my kids, I positively long for them to move into their own room because everyone's sleep improves exponentially, and then when it finally happens I find myself standing in the middle of my empty bedroom feeling...bereft. It's like early-onset empty-nesters.

Of course, after the first solid night's sleep in months, that feeling passes and I feel nothing but the AWESOMENESS of PURE SLEEP, that's a high I've missed.

baby jack jack hair

That's what it's called in our house.

































because we've seen 'The Incredibles."

A lot.

(wait, what's that? why yes, I am recycling pictures from the other day. Sorry you noticed. It had to be done. I think 2009 is out to get us.)

monday morning lightsaber battle

procrastination

I had big plans to begin the Great Closet Purge 2009 today.
I was also going to post a more interesting picture.
but I got distracted.

by this (among other things):






comedy gold.

I miss my sister

(I miss my other sister, too, but she hides from my camera:

loser.)

sick, part infinity

you'll never guess what William did this morning.

(I'll give you a hint: it ends with me petting my own head.)

my favorite things, vol. V

this shampoo was a baby present and it smells heavenly. I use it on all the kids, and whenever they're on my lap I love to bury my face in their hair and smell it.

lost

do you ever find pictures you didn't know you had on your computer?
This must have been taken just a day or two before Ivy was born. I found it buried in a file with all the pictures of us at the hospital.

William and Grandma, July 2008

cows and stuff

We went to the doctor today.

again.

and Ivy is sick.

With RSV.

and croup.

again.

so that was pretty awesome.

Here are some pictures of baby cows:

I understand that in some places baby cows are commonly referred to as "calves."

but not here. around here (and by "here," I mean my living room), we call them baby cows.

I don't know anything about cows, and I don't especially want to, but it just seem so sad that the little ones are out in the snow. I mean, really. They're little.

comparatively.

and that one on the right is totally going to charge.

...I'll try to have something more interesting to show tomorrow.

the end.