extraordinary ordinariness

Explanation Coming

2009-12-12T13:59:00.003-06:00

In repsonse to Kyle's comment, I will compose a post to explain how Michael Franti's "Say Hey" takes me back to some wonderful times but not right now. After this weekend passes I will be one happy lady (not to mention a lot less busy) with time to write the post. Until then Kyle (and anyone else who's curious), know that's it's in the works.

Say Hey

2009-12-11T09:15:00.003-06:00

Heard this song on the radio last week and loved it. I then heard a interview with Michael Franti, the singer/songwriter on NPR about the song and the video. I checked it out this morning and was transported to another time and place. Brings back such memories...

AWOL

2009-12-10T08:54:00.006-06:00

I've decided that today is the day that I return to the land of blogging. My kitchen is a mess right now from breakfast, but hey something's gotta give. These days blogging is kinda low on the priority list, so I've decided to change priorities (at least for today).

First of all, can you believe that it's 12 degrees right now? What??? Yesterday I took the kids to run some errands and was almost blown over by the wind. Running from the car to the storefront was a bit like those prairie stories when people would get caught in winter storms and perished 20 feet from home. But, the good news is we made it and I'm alive to tell the story.

After Thanksgiving, Christmas-Concert-Craziness 2009 commenced and so far I've been successful at keeping atleast my nose above the water. Last week I was a soloist in The Bach Society's annual From the Garden Live broadcast on Classic 99 (most likely our last due to the sale of the station- booooo) and Tuesday I was interviewed for this segment on KSDK. A little bit of holiday 'cheese' for you. Seriously though, it was fun and I scored two free tickets to our Candelight Concert (sorry, I've already given them away!). This week I have rehearsals each night for Handel's Messiah with the St. Louis Symphony Chorus and Orchestra (performances Fri/Sat/Sun) and Sunday I have a double header between the Symphony and the Masterworks Chorale Christmas Concert (you've officially gotten your fill of onomatopoeia in this post). After this jammed packed week, that leaves the Candelight Concert next Tuesday and then it's bonvoyage for the Southern Regions to visit family for Christmas. All I want for Christmas this year is for December 22nd to arrive.

I missed my opportunity to post something for Eva's one year check-up so I'll make up for that now: weight 10th %, height 25th %, head 80th % (yowza- let's blame this one on Rodney). She's talking like crazy. She adds new words everyday (today she said 'Go Che', her first 2 word combo). Looks like head size is not the only thing in which she takes after her brother.

Not much to report with Will other than we're pretty sure he has asthma. Will's been in a big boy bed since Halloween and that's going really well. They sleep in the same room at night but Eva's in the pack 'n play for naps in our room still. It's a good arrangement.

I'll leave you with some amazing photos that my friend, Marisa took. She is a promising new photographer with a blossoming business and I am so excited for her. Please visit her website and check out her amazing holiday promotion. I LOVE these pictures...

To the Grandparents and Great Grandparents

2009-11-10T11:58:00.004-06:00

Video time.

The first is a capturing of Eva's first clear word (previously mentioned) taken the night she said it (that's why I sound so dorkily excited). For some reason I had her repeat it like 5 thousand times.

The second is of Will dancing due to his overwhelming emotional state in response to the timer going off for lunch. Translation: "Yay for the lunch." then "I'm all done."

One

2009-11-05T20:23:00.008-06:00

On Halloween, our baby girl turned one! I really can hardly believe it. It seems like just yesterday she was hooked up to tubes and machinery to monitor her delicate state, being born 6 weeks premature. Now she is completely healthy and thriving, matching her brother developmentally in nearly every way.

It's funny how now that she's reached the milestone of turning one, she's doing so many new things, almost as if to live up to her new age. For example, just last week she took eight consecutive steps (Gma and Gpa got to witness this on Skype- unfortunately Daddy was out of the room :(), she said her first distinguishable word last night in the bathtub ('go') and today she pointed for the first time. She also plays peek-a-boo on her initiation, claps and makes her voice mimic a "yay," clicks her tongue, and crinkles up her nose with a big cheesy smile when she's trying to be cute. She has 4 teeth with 2 more pushing through and is a tiny girl (she wore Will's first Halloween costume as a one year old- he was 5 months old). I love her more than words can express.

We had a great time celebrating Eva's birthday with our good friends Jess and Evie, who turned two the same day. Thanks to Susan and Brent, I didn't have to clean like a mad woman before the party! Thanks for hosting, guys =).

Check It

2009-10-29T22:32:00.002-05:00

Remember that one post a while back when I mentioned that I'd been staring at my calendar a lot? Well, a friend today wanted details thinking it was something more glamorous than the truth, so I've decided to explain lest anyone else out there is thinking that I'm pregnant or something.

I decided that a photo (albeit blurry) was the best way to explain. Basically I was bracing myself for this craziness:

Pink= voice lessons, Orange= Bach Society, and Yellow= Symphony Chorus. These past few days I've been able to come for air, just in time for Eva's birthday party and Halloween.

Novemeber will be a more "normal" month, even though I have a few Octoberlike bad-boys left before summer hits. Here's a shot of Turkey month:

December will got back to relative craziness, but nothing like October. October takes the cake, so to speak ;).

Sunday was the first day in almost a month that I got to spend time with my family with no agenda. Here's what we did with our time:

[Once again, sorry for the blurriness. I've discovered that the pictures show up on my computer fairly clear but then blur-up when posted on Blogger. Also, the last two photos were taken at dusk and I'm no expert photographer!]

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-09T14:32:00.006-05:00

Last year we didn't make it to the pumkin patch because our own little pumpkin, Eva was being born. So, this year we are happy that we made it because the day was absolutely beautiful. It was about 68 degrees and sunny, perfect weather to visit a little place called Stuckmeyer's Farm in Fenton. Nestled in the ozarks, it was a cute little place. There was a gigantic pumkin patch, picnic tables for lunch, hayrides, a petting zoo, a mini-corn maze, and a really cool wooden play-area. The best thing about it was the lack of people (I'm assuming because it was earlier in the day and a weekday).

They had a gigantic stash of Radio Flyer wagons for the patrons to cart children and pumkins. There was no charge for using these, as well as no charge for entrance. Score 2 for Stuckmeyer's.

The Great Pumkin Hunt

"How 'bout these?"

Dum Ditty Dum

She Ain't Heavy- She's got two pumkins...

So Fast

2009-09-30T15:12:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, Will picked his nose and ate it. Last week, he held his blankie up to his body and declared "Mom, look at me. I'm a woman!" The other day, he picked up his fallen Little Tykes basektball goal and said to Eva, "I'll move it for you, sweetie pie." [parroting his father's pet name for Eva.] Today at the zoo he had full conversations with Caden Wayman (our godson and fellow 2 yr. old) about lunch and which animals were his favorites, and yesterday in the car he told me about a picture he had made on the computer with Mike and Kendra when they watched him the other day (he explained every detail and- I saw the picture, only he didn't know it- he explained it perfectly). How is it that he is growing up at breakneck speed? Can't I just slow things down a little bit?

To be honest, I don't really want to slow things down. It's fun seeing the developement take place. Also, it makes me laugh and laughing is good. But it sure is mind numbing to watch him turn into someone different (new and improved at times, other times, notsomuch) almost overnight. How did he pick up on that so fast? or Where in the world did he get that? are frequent thoughts jumbling around in my befuddled brain. And all my brain can say back is "C'mon, Gina. Keep up the pace. This is nothing- only the beginning." To which I reply "Alas brain, you are right." [note: I don't usually say 'alas' but I also don't really carry on complete dialogues with my brain, so just go with it.]

I have a feeling that this is going to be a recurring theme for some time to come. Maybe this is just what being a parent is like. The fact that something you made can become it's own independent creature, with it's own thoughts and feelings and personality is difficult to grapple with at times. But it's also one of the most exciting things I have yet to experience in my lifetime. And in the midst of dirty diapers, constant laundry, teething, and time-outs, that excitement is like a drug that I can't get enough of.

Fall Already

2009-09-23T14:59:00.013-05:00

I really can't believe that yesterday was the first day of fall. This summer flew by, let me tell you. I've been spending quite a bit of time gazing at my calendar these days (I'll go more into that later) and am shocked that it is almost October. In just a month it will be ONE YEAR since our little Eva decided that it was time to be born! WHAT?!?

Eva is growing like crazy and learning new things all the time. Physically her new tricks are clapping (a few weeks now) and waving (newly acquired). She is a happy girl. This past Sunday in church she laughed through the whole last part of the service at seemingly nothing. As I've mentioned before, she loves her brother and one of the fun things they get to do together is "jump." Will gets on the futon (the only piece of furniture where jumping is allowed) and Eva stands on the floor holding the edge and they go crazy. Recently, Rodney said the word "jump" and Eva started bouncing up and down on his lap. She is a good sleeper, taking two naps a day but also she's able to skip it or catch a quick one while we're out and still sleep later in the day.

Will is still a sweet natured boy, but is definitely testing limits lately. He's decided to see what will happen if he hits Eva (sometimes when he thinks we're not looking) and "tackling" has become his favorite pastime. "Mom, tackle me!" is one of his favorite phrases along with "I fumbled the ball!" as he throws himself to the floor [today he tripped and fell pretty hard and through tears said "I fumbled the ball!" I had to laugh as I held him.] We're spending more time in time-out, but it's really still managable. We're pretty lucky. Now, sleeping and eating are two different stories, but you've heard enough about that!

Pic of the Week

2009-08-28T15:34:00.005-05:00

I've been fruitlessly trying to post a super-cute video of Will and Eva playing and giggling together for the past 3 days now, so I'll just give up my dreams move on. Instead I will post a picture of sir William from last week.

The other day we were heading out for the morning and I let Will play in the back yard so I could finish getting us packed up. When I came outside I took a quick scan of the backyard expecting to see him playing with the ball he had when he first went out and was puzzled when I didn't see him. Then, I saw him.

Sitting in the chair. Reading a book that I didn't even realize he had brought outside with him. He even stayed a minute while I ran in to get the camera. Love it.

Her World...

2009-08-16T14:00:00.007-05:00

Having a crawler in the house again reminds me of just how precarious this stage of development can be. Atleast with toddlers the world is less about discovering every single shiny and potentially dangerous thing in their line of sight (and putting it in their mouths), but about balls and playing with the dog and books and toys. Also, toddlers can avoid getting hands and legs covered in dirt and crumby stuff when you don't have time to vacuum and sweep every 2 hours.

So it seems we are back into baby-proofing mode. Due to the fact that we moved downstairs after Will was past this stage, everyday it seems I have to find new ways to make this apartment a good place for a crawler. Take the dog's water and food dishes for example. When we lived upstairs the dog dishes were conveniently locked behind a baby gate in the pantry. Downstairs there is no pantry, so I find myself continuously putting them up high when Che is not using them. And let me tell you, when I forget Eva sure does make the most of that oversight.

Aside from the challenge of having a crawler in the house once again, It's been so cute to watch Eva discover her environment. She's especially interested in what her brother is doing. The absolute best thing is when Will and Eva start to laugh at one another, the very first signs of playing together. We've been trying to catch this on video with little luck. For now I'll post a video of them sharing a good laugh as their dad reads a book.

Projects Completed

2009-08-11T15:44:00.001-05:00

After 2 long months, the house projects involving the mold removal have been completed. Coupled with the awesome feeling of being back in our own home after a month away is the great feeling that comes with getting these projects behind us. Here are some photos of the completed areas and if you want to see some before shots (minus the basement) go here.

Project #1: This is just a small portion of our basement, but the section that holds our new organizing shelf. The new system along with the extensive cleaning that was done has made this area of our home a place I'm no longer scared of.

Project #2: We were approved for a 5 year forgiveable loan based on our income that is meant for environmental hazards in your home (and some other things) like mold, so we were able to apply that money towards contractors for this project. I decided to play around with color and am happy with the outcome.

Project #3: Kitchen ceiling. While the contractors worked on the bathroom, Rodney set to work at finishing the kitchen ceiling.

The only major project left is the sunroom. Months ago Rodney gutted the room and this summer he sprayed it with the same chemical solution that the other areas in the house got, but it's still in decontrucion mode and therefore unusable. The plan is to have it completely finished by next summer, but I am so so so overjoyed that these first 3 projects are completed that I can wait for the sunroom to be done. Rodney keeps saying that we're no longer poisoning the kids and I have to say that this is probably the best feeling of all.

Summer Fun

2009-07-23T13:48:00.008-05:00

Every summer since Rodney and I got married we have done some extensive road-tripping. Even after we started a family we continued the tradition with our biggest roadtrip ever. This year (minus one weekend away for me and a week for Rodney) we have needed to be home to work on our house. That being the case, we have still managed to figure out how to live out of suitcases for much of the summer.

This housesitting gig has probably been the biggest summer adventure for us, making it feel truly as if we are on vacation. The home we are staying at in Clayton is lovely and I've been spoiled in many ways. Even Will has had some spoiling being able to play with some pretty cool toys thanks to the three year old boy who lives here. One of his favorites is a legitimate, albeit child's sized, drumset. Rodney has schooled Will on the different names of each drum and cymbal and Will relishes in remembering them aloud whenever he plays. Even Rodney and I have taken turns playing. Here's a video of some awesome rock star action.

Besides pretending to be Ringo, we've been enjoying trips to the playground, Monkey Joe's, and all sorts of other shenanigans. Here are some of my favorite photos from the past few weeks. I would like to draw your attention to the underware around Will's neck in the first photo below. Crazy times.

Whirlwind

2008-07-01T12:56:00.004-05:00

This is definitely an apt word to describe how things have felt these past few weeks. And since we have officially entered the "travel" portion of our summer, it will continue on this path for the next few weeks.

It started with the news of Phil's death, sending us on an emotional rollercoaster of grief, mourning, and laughter (in reminiscing) and continued with saying goodbye to both Rodney's childhood home and hometown. The physical aspect of long road trips has served to add an extra element to the "ride" (sticking with the rollercoaster analogy) indeed. We look forward to another even longer road trip on Thursday which will take us from St. Louis to Northern Michigan to Columbus Ohio onto Greenville South Carolina then to Florida and, finally, home. We brace ourselves for gas prices and frequent stops while looking forward to spending time with cherished family and friends.

We just returned from the second trip to McPherson in as many weeks and most likely our last for some time. This particular trip was for Phil's memorial service. We got back last night and are "picking up the pieces" only to turn around and (as mentioned above) leave for 2 1/2 more weeks. Phil's service was amazing. I think there were atleast 800 people there (I admit I'm bad with judging crowd numbers, but there were loads of people there) and the stories and tributes offered were so incredible I began to wonder whether or not Phil was a real person. He of course was, and it's evident that to many he was one of the best they knew. What a privelege to share in something so big as was his impact on those around him. We got a chance to talk to Esther a little after the service and watch Anna run around laughing and playing. Esther is incredibly strong and showed such a peace that made me marvel. Certainly much of this was due to the fact that she had already been through two services and one can only grieve publically so much. Once again, we will be praying for them and the Penner family.

In other news, Will is walking. About 4 or 5 days ago he decided that he'd rather spend more time on his feet than his knees and his wobbly waddle is so cute to watch. Here's a video taken last week:

Hopefully our travels won't keep me from posting atleast once while we're gone, but knowing my record I can't promise much. In the meantime, here's to summer travel and the continued whirlwind.

Month In Review

2009-07-14T20:54:00.012-05:00

It's been almost a month since my last post, which means that lots has happened. I'll do a little trick my friend Evie does and highlight the important stuff:

-Rodney started his campaign to rid our house of mold, beginning in the basement

-Eva started sucking her thumb

-Eva started crawling

-Started housesitting in Clayton so that contractors can rennovate bathroom

-Gina debuts as the Soprano Young Artist for the Bach Society of St. Louis

-Eva gets her first teeth

-Rodney's parents and brother, Brett arrive for visit

-Cousin Yuri turns 2

-Baby Kye (cousin) is born

-Rodney goes to emergency room for a sore neck and arm, starts physical therapy for a pinched nerve

-Gina and Eva take a road trip to Michigan for a memorial service

-Rodney leaves for New Orleans with a group of students for Habitat for Humanity relief work

That brings us up to date. As you can see, it has been a busy month for our girl, Eva. This would explain some overall fussiness and honestly, who can blame her. So much development in such a little time for such a little person. It's funny how when they start crawling a whole new level of parenting begins. Here are some photos of the month closing with a video of Eva crawling.

Thumb Sucker

Stingrays w/ Uncle B

Yuri's B-day Party

Grandma and Grandpa Malone

Great Nonna, Eva (namesake)

3 Evas: Nonna Eva, Cousin Evamarie, Eva Sophia

The other day...

2009-06-19T21:40:00.005-05:00

I walked into the living room to see this.

Don't know when Will got the crazy notion that playing horsey with Eva would be a good idea, but she didn't seem to mind. Will has actually been paying much more attention to his little sister lately and will get real close to her and say "hey, sister" or "hi, Eva." Sometimes he'll spontaneously give her hugs and that is too cute, I tell ya. I realize that someday they may start squabbling, but I think at this rate they are on track to being pretty good friends. Or atleast good playmates.

Loud and Clear

2009-06-17T08:18:00.005-05:00

There are times I feel like God is trying to tell me something. Sometimes it's just something little. Sometimes it's huge. I'm not always really certain what it is he's trying to say or what I should do, but there are times I feel like I should atleast stop and listen. The other day I was in the grocery store and I smelled my sister's perfume. At that exact moment I heard Sting over the store's stereo system, my sister's favorite pop musician. What was God trying to say??? Probably nothing. But I decided on a prayer for Earon.

The two themes that I've noticed lately are death and living amidst chaos.

Death
On Friday the mother of my best friend growing up died of colon cancer, a battle she had been fighting for the past 3 or 4 years. She was only 55. She was a very important person to me growing up, a motherfigure and an example of love to all those around her. A year ago yesterday Rodney's good friend from high school, Phil passed away. Why does death have to be a part of life? What can death teach us? What is God trying to tell me about death?

Chaos
Two nights ago we had a totally unexpected visit from good friends who were just driving through St. Louis on their way home from vacation. Let me tell you, my house was ABSOLUTELY TRASHED. I was so embarrassed. Had they come just two hours later, after dinner and the kids' bedtime, I would have had mostly everything picked up and the house in relative order. But there was something very intimate about having these dear friends stop by in the middle of my chaos. God was trying to tell me this: don't be so concerned with appearances. Relax. Care about people, connections, relationships. Forget about trying to control your environment. Oh, and their house is probably just as messy (they have three kids).

So how do these two things connect, if at all? Maybe in that life is too short to sweat the small stuff. Or even the big stuff. [We have HUGE projects in our home this summer that Rodney is tackling mostly himself. The rest we have to pay for with money we don't have....Don't sweat it, life's too short. We have a big mold problem in the house and we just found out we have lead...Don't sweat. Trust.] Trust.

So for now, I'm trusting that everything will turn out fine and I'm trying to enjoy the little things in life because who knows what may happen to me or my loved ones. I'm trying to smile more, enjoy my kids more, say "yes" more (isn't there a Jim Carrey movie out about this???).

If you haven't seen the movie from the link I posted above, make sure you watch the clip. It makes me cry everytime. I often need this reminder of God's gracious love, waiting for me to return to his open arms, sins and all. Even when I might not be listening...

8 Years

2009-06-13T16:22:00.006-05:00

Next week is our 8th anniversary and in all honesty I've been too consumed with Birthdays and Baptisms to spend much thought on how we might celebrate. Well, last week Rodney declares to me, "Gina, don't make any plans for next weekend. We got a babysitter and we're going out to celebrate our anniversary. Oh, and think about what you wanna do 'cause she's staying overnight."

What more could a girl possibly think of to want? Good work, Rodney. Now to decide where to go and what to do. Due to lack of funds we had to dismiss the first few ideas that popped into my head (stay at a B&B or a hotel downtown, maybe see a show). Then I remembered. I used to camp. I used to bike. Rodney and I used to do this a lot together. Then I got pregnant and someone stole my bike. But, we could borrow someone's bike for the day and we could find a great place to camp that wasn't too far (oh, and I'm thankfully not pregnant right now). I didn't have to convince my outdoors loving husband that this was a good plan. The very instant the words "camping" and "biking" made their way out of my mouth he had the perfect place in mind. Pere Marquette State Park along the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi Rivers. The plan was to make it there by dinner and return before Will and Eva woke up from afternoon naps the next day. Done and done.

Victoria and Dan arrived at our house at 4pm. Victoria is a colleague of Rodney's and Dan is her boyfriend. They babysat the kids a few times on Thursdays during my voice lessons when Rodney had tutoring in the spring. They were so awesome to give up close to 24 hours of their summer freedom to enter the world of schedules, bottles, naps, and Play Doh. I didn't think I was very nervous about leaving the babes overnight until I started explaining our routine. I honestly couldn't shut up. I kept finding the most random things to tell them about that I had to remind myself that they too are adults and can figure out lots of stuff. Then we got in the car. Crap. I forgot to tell them about Che's eating schedule. And how to turn the monitor on. And that the fan in the dining room makes noises so don't use it. I have two words for you. Control freak.

But, we did it. We made it to the site, set up camp and had a great hotdog-and-s'mores dinner. At one point Rodney turned to me and said "Look at us. What have we got to do? No kids to worry about and no responsibilities. This is amazing." He was right. I couldn't believe that we had 6 whole years of this before the awesome job of child-rearing took over our lives.

I did have one thing to do, however. Pump. After our lovely camp meal, I started getting sleepy and knew this must be done before settling in for the night. I'll share the start of the ensuing conversation:

Me: "O.K. I'm gonna go pump before bed."
Rodney: "Alright. I'm just gonna sit and watch the fire for a little bit."
Me from the tent: "Crap. I forgot the pump attachment."

There was no way I could make it until two o'clock the next day without pumping. Can we just say uncomfortable? So, we started deliberating. Do we go home? Can you (sorry about the TMI) hand express? No. O.K. Rodney remembers seeing a Wal Mart on our way to the campground. We'll just go buy a hand pump and make do. Not something I was that pumped about (I do like a good pun, people) but we're having a good time, so I'll suck it up. I will say that I don't really understand why anyone would every buy a hand pump, but in this instance I was happy not to have to buy a whole new electric pump for just a night and a morning.

I made the best of this situation (not without some grumbling, I'm not gonna lie) and the rest of our trip was amazing. The bike ride was so much fun and we spent some inspiring moments beside the river discussing dreams for the next 8 years. After a tasty lunch of "hot fish" (there were several establishments in the "touristy" burg of Grafton advertising this delicacy) we made it home in the middle of naptime to a house intact and two very tired 20-somethings (Eva apparently was up from 4-5 am). I am ever thankful for Victoria and Dan's bravery and can think of no better way to celebrate marriage than in the stillness and beauty of bluffs and riverfronts.

Happy 8th year, baby.

Celebrations

2009-06-09T21:16:00.010-05:00

We were lucky enough to end the month of May with two very important events: Will's 2 year birthday party and Eva's Baptism. I worried that planning both for the same weekend would make me a crazy person, but much to my surprise I was able to maintain an appropriate level of sanity. And I had a really good time too. Thanks to Mike Dando for taking such great pictures of the weekend.

Backyard Birthday Bar-B-Q (or Bubble-Q if your into puns)

We had a wonderful time chasing bubbles, eating hamburgers and hotdogs, and trying to beat the heat. So many great friends and family were able to make it and Will seemed to really enjoy all the attention. I cannot believe that it has already been two years since this little guy entered our world.

Marked As Christ's Own

Shortly after Eva was born I was approached by a woman in my church who wanted to make her a christening gown. Her daughter had gone into pre-term labor about the same time I did only her granddaughter did not make it. She makes a hobby out of designing antique christening gowns and Eva's was the 4th one she had made. This gown is amazing. With imported fabrics from Europe and made with such love, there is little else we own that is worth more. On the back hem is embroidered: Sealed By the Holy Spirit in Baptism and Marked as Christ's Own Forever. Eva Sophia Malone, May 31 2009. It is a family heirloom that can be worn by all the female members for generations. As you can see from the photos below, there is quite a bit of room to embroider subsequent babies names and their bapstism dates.

Happy Birthday

2009-05-27T21:08:00.004-05:00

Today you are two and I cannot believe it. Where has the time gone? It amazes me that I have you to love, care for, cuddle with, play with, and nurture. It is the joy and wonderment of my life that I get to watch you grow and grow until someday you'll be too big to hold.

Your dad and I say to each other almost everyday how lucky we are. We think you are going to be an amazing person. So kind, sweet, and fun. You even apologize to the fan when you bump it with your baseball bat. What two year-old does that? You are so cute when you want to share something with us. "Mama, look," "Daddy, watch," are currently two of your favorite phrases. You are so proud of yourself and so am I.

If the coming years are anything like the last two, then my heart will surely burst. Happy, happy birthday sweet little boy.

Love forever,

Mom.

Springalicious

2009-05-20T15:17:00.007-05:00

I know, I know. Everybody loves this time of year so why risk sounding redundant? Because spring is freakin' awesome and I have to enjoy it while it's here. St. Louis has an uncanny way of shooing spring into summer before you can say 'where's my frizz serum?'. Here are a few reasons why I can't get enough of Spring these days.

1. Honeysuckle
If you could only scratch and sniff this picture you would realize what amazing smells we've had wafting into our kitchen from the backyard for about 4 days now. We are lucky enough to have a massive honeysuckle vine all along the eastern perimeter of our yard. Not only does it smell like heaven, but it gives us a bit of privacy. Nice when I'm trying to not-so-discreetly breastfeed Eva on the back porch while letting Will run around the yard.

2. Walks in the Missouri Botanical Gardens. I realize that I am a little slow sometimes, but an entire morning at the Bot Gardens and no pictures of the flowers in bloom? Not so bright. Will, Eva and I had a lovely playdate with Heather and Eleanor at the Gardens today and we'll be going back as much as we can while it's nice. I did get a cute photo of Eva in her car seat though. I'll do better with scenery pics next time, I promise.

3. Celebrations: another year of life and a new life in Christ. Will's 2 yr. birthday party and Eva's baptism will be taking place on the same weekend in a little over a week. I am so looking forward to having family and friends in town and only wish my parents lived closer =(. We haven't decided yet what we're getting for Will, but Eva's baptism gift was getting her ears pierced. I didn't take a photo of her getting them done (seemed cruel- who wants a picture of their child getting a shot? which is essentially what it's like) but here is one after we got home. She really did awesome- only cried while they were doing it and was fine immediately after. Click on the photo to see the earings better.

Happy Spring, e'rybody!

Stuff

2009-05-13T14:58:00.007-05:00

So I have atleast 5 blog posts swimming around in my head and I will never get them written unless I just summarize these thoughts and reports now:

-Eva's 6 month check up went well, minus some number corrections: she is in the 10th% in height and weight and was last month as well but they told me 30th%. This makes much more sense. Eva is an itsy bitsy spider. She started solids last month, is rolling around like crazy, and is pushing herself up while on her tummy. Two mobile children, here we come.

-Will is in his bed crying hysterics after 2 times rocking and one more telling him it's time to go to sleep. He is clearly tired but simply refuses to sleep. He hates naps about 50% of the time. Wish I could change this.

-I've been running for the past two weeks and I can now leap tall buildings in a single bound. Not really, but that would be fun. The first few times were kinda hard (especially pushing the ox-cart that is my stroller/children) but it's getting easier and easier. I decided that something had to be done because my waistline was refusing to return to it's pre-child days despite nursing (I'd even take pre-Eva waist).

-Bach Society and Symphony Chorus seasons have now come to an end. It was my 6th season with BSSL (Bach Society of St. Louis) and my 1st with SLSC (St. Louis Symphony Chorus). I am definitely planning a seperate post for my thoughts on Symphony Chorus because it was an unparalleled experience for me. I wish I could put you all in my pocket during rehearsals and concerts so you could see. Please come to a concert. It's really for your own good.

-I need a day off. Many of you wonder why I let Rodney go camping and it's really a practical reason. It is my way of putting money in the bank. When I feel that I need a day all to me, I don't feel so bad for taking it. There was an article in Parenting Magazine this month urging moms to take a day and explaining how to actually do it. My perfect day would involve good friends, good food, a manicure/pedicure, maybe some shopping. Any other moms want to join? Now, if only it was REAL money in that "bank"...

My Little Sponge

2009-05-07T22:36:00.004-05:00

Well, it happened. Will is no longer the dog-like, non-understanding creature that he was for so long. Today he finished a song that apparently I've sung quite a bit in his short lifetime because he knew the next line (and I honestly can't remember the last time I sang it).

Me, getting crumbs off of Will's hands after dinner: "Shake, shake, shake. Shake, shake, shake."

Will: "Shake your bootie"

Thank you, Will for making my day.

Love, Mom.

Last Week in Review

2009-05-05T22:28:00.011-05:00

Last week was a busy one. And yet, lots of fun. Here's the shakedown/summary of the fun times.

Rodney Turns 30 On the 30th. Complete with an early pre-dawn breakfast, dinner with friends and fam at the Royale, and a "score" on the gift (I got him a Book of Common Prayer and Bible in one) it was a memorable golden birthday.

After our Pre-Dawn Breakfast

Yard Sale. We participated in the neighborhood wide yard sale on Saturday to unload some unwanted stuff. Glad we stayed open till the last minute cause we made most our money in the last 5 minutes. We didn't get rid of everything, but the money we did make we promptly spent it on Trivia Night a few hours later.

Anybody Wanna Buy a Plant Stand?

Trivia Night. Rodney's student service group, Project Badili held their 2nd anual trivia night to raise money for this year's service trip to New Orleans. Glad I'm not having a baby this year because he will NOT be allowed to travel while I'm pregnant in the future (you'll recall that Rodney was scheduled to travel to Africa with this group when my water broke 7 weeks early). Anyway, OUR TABLE WON 2ND PLACE!!! Being a geek is sometimes fun. Rodney and his co-workers did an amazing job. I had a really good time.

The Dream Team

Feverishly Working on Answers (Yes, this one's posed)

Zoo With Good Friends. Laura and I decided that Will and Emma (their youngest who is a month older than Will) should get married because then we could share grandkids. I like it. Emma Malone has a certain ring to it.

Will with Future Wife

Reason #567 that I'd rather be in Michigan for the summer

2009-04-28T09:43:00.004-05:00

Imagine my disgust when upon making breakfast, this nasty creature decided to crawl into my sink from the drain.

I just about threw up.

This is the time of year in St. Louis when these little guys rear their ugly heads if you live in an old house. And we do. I've been told that they eat other more harmful bugs, but come on. Aren't good things suppose to also look good?