Gabriella, at 2 years old said:
She also knew several signs, all of which I can't remember now. More and Thank You were her most often used ones.
Little Man, at 2 years old says:
He does know the signs for more, all done/ all gone, hat, and fan.
Bubblehead says the ratio is probably the same with the two of us. So I guess this further proves that girls talk more than boys - at any age.
I would like to call you attention to a fellow blogger - a wonderful person and friend - who is having having a huge blog party at her place this weekend. What is the occasion you ask? It is her 41st birthday!!
In honor of her twin brother, who is serving with the Jersey National Guard, Liz will be donating $1 for each comment she receives to the Fallen Soldier Patriot Fund. Let's take a moment to remember what Memorial Day is all about - please go visit my friend at This Full House, and wish her a happy birthday for a good cause!!
I'm sure you're all wondering what has been keeping me from my usual updates. Well, I suppose since we know each other so well now I can admit this to you: it's another man.
Yes, I know you may all point a shameful finger at me, screaming "What about Bubblehead? What about us?!" I'm sorry internet. I'm sorry Bubblehead. I'm putting this man above all others for the next few days.
The truth is, I'm working late into the nights on a very important event in his life. He turns two years old on Wednesday, you see. Later today we are having a party in his honor, complete with homemade decortations, and TWO homemade cakes, all done by me! (No worries - pictures to come.)
So for the next few days, I am devoted to honoring this very special event in his life - and in mine.
Dear pups, you know I love you so. We have dragged you across the country with us, and you have been only too happy to follow along. You never complain (well, except during thunder storms - I'm sorry, I have no control over that.) After Gabriella was born and you were demoted in the family, you took the whole thing with grace and dignity.
I was just out cleaning up the yard after the two of you. It's been a week since I did this, and I have to wonder where in the world you two are putting it all? Seriously, is that all for a whole week? Are we feeding you enough? (Kabiel, you are plenty fat, so don't lie to me!)
Also, if it isn't too much trouble (I know how very busy you are napping and patrolling the fence) couldn't you just STOP when doing your business? Is it really necessary to keep walking during this process? It really makes it easier for me to clean it up if you can leave it all in one place. (I know you don't complain about the way I do my business, but then you don't have to clean up after me either, so I'd say we're even.)
And Kabiel, thank you for being so patient with Little Man yesterday when he discovered how your ears twitch when tickled. You were very nice to let him giggle at you like that. Good dog!
That's all for now. You can go back to your sleeping.
Dear Ms. Landlord,
I have always been relatively satisfied with you as a landlord. And I dare to say we were very good tenants. We left that house cleaner than it was when we moved in, and you complimented me on that fact when we did our final walk-through FOUR WEEKS AGO.
I know there are new tenants living in that house. So WHY ARE YOU HOLDING OUR DEPOSIT?!?!?! This is outrageous, and I want that money NOW! Do you hear me?
I have put my husband in charge of the task of communicating with you on this matter, but hear me now - if I have to take this up myself you will wish you could deal with him. He is being far too nice and far too patient with you if you ask me.
I will be back in town Friday night, and if need-be, I will be on your doorstep. I know I seem so nice and quiet and polite, but trust me, there is a side of me you don't want to see, and I will get it out if I am forced to.
My money - in my mailbox - tomorrow - or you will wish you had rented that house to a rock band with a destructive streak - are we on the same page?
Thank you,
Christine
**Update: The check arrived today. I guess I told her! And a note to our new landlord: Let this be a lesson to you. There's something funny about you - don't mess with me! (I have back-up!)
Mike told me to choose a picture, so I took him up on his offer and decided to show off my Titanic books. I've been collecting them for about 10 years now. A few of these are historical fiction, but for the most part they are all non-fiction. (Mostly books, but I do have some other collectables there, including a piece of coal from the ship herself, trading cards, replication brochures and tickets, and newsletters from the Titanic Historical Society. I also have about a dozen videos, which are not pictured.)
"What do you think of our funny little house?" Labels: quips
Bluegrass Mama and Jazzy asked to see our piles of boxes. I picked three of the worst stacks. (I'm proud to announce that since these have been taken, they have been widdled down a bit.)
These are the worst stacks inside the house. The first one is the "spare room", which we are going to set up as a play room for now. The second is a pile of boxes in Little Man's room. We have boxes here and there all over, but these are the two worst piles.
This stack is from the storage shed - this pile may not be attended to for quite a while. Because we are renting while looking to buy, we are storing things we don't need right away, or furniture that won't fit into our rental house. I can't believe we own so much junk!
The Queen asked to see my tea collection. Although there are a few things missing, this is the bulk of it. (Click the picture to enlarge.)
These are my two tea-related books. They contain recipes, and information. All of the more "technical" information I've learned I've gotten from the internet.
More requested photos to come....
"There was a little girl
Who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead.
When she was good
She was very, very good
But when she was bad she was horrid."
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
In fact, I Tivo-ed it. Did you expect anything less?
They call me Dr. Worm. Good morning how are you I'm Dr. Worm....
And on a related topic
Him: "So it isn't really John and John so much as it is John with a band and John."
Me: "No, it's John and John. They are equal."
Him: "Look at them! John does all the singing. John is just playing his guitar."
Me: "Don't be silly. John sings as well. Not all their songs are sung by John."
Him: "No. I think John is riding John's coat tails."
Hey Bubblehead - I'll have you know as soon as you left John sang "E Eats Everything" in its entirety.
Just incase you didn't follow that, it made perfect sense.
When I found out I was pregnant with Gabriella, I joined an online group of other mothers expecting the same time I was. We've seen people come and go, but there is a group of us who have stuck together now for over four and a half years! These women are beyond wonderful, and I don't know what I would have done without them during this time in my life.
Gabriella wasn't the only baby born in our group on March 30th. Several were, in fact, but I'd like to tell you about one in particular. Walker.
Gabriella and Walker share a birthday. Walker has an older brother, and I remember their mom T talking about how much the two brothers loved each other. They were so sweet together. T and I chatted online one night, about our kids, and motherhood, and life in general. She is the most wonderful person.
Then around February of 2003 T posted that Walker had the flu. Or it seemed like the flu, but no one else in her family was getting it. It lasted long enough that she finally took him to the doctor. I remember her saying her husband thought she was a little silly for taking him in, because after all, it was just the flu, but she just couldn't help but feel something else was wrong.
Sadly she was right. It didn't take long before Walker was diagnosed with a brain tumor. At almost two years old he had been walking, and talking, and suddenly he was losing these skills.
All of us in the group were stunned, and scared. That little boy was one of ours! This couldn't be happening! It was a roller coaster of good news and bad news over the next few weeks. First there was nothing they could do. Then there was some hope, and we even believed all would be well in the end. Then devestating news - they couldn't do anything more. Walker left the hospital to go home, where he got to spend his second birthday with his family. Just days after he was back in the hospital - the end was near.
Walker passed away April 4, 2003 in the arms of his mother. Just five short weeks after his diagnosis. Our entire group felt the loss. We raised money for his family, we lit candles in his memory. The day he was put to rest we all had our toddlers release balloons in his honor. (To this day everytime Gabriella sees a balloon floating away she asks if it's going up to Walker.) Several mommies in the group even made the trip to be there for his funeral.
I was so touched by what Walker and his family went through. Because of him I am reminded daily to charish my children, and my family. Every day is precious. I never pass up an opportunity to donate money to cancer research in his name.
Gabriella will never have a birthday where I don't think about Walker, and his family. He was such a precious little boy, taken far too early. His life was a gift, and his death was not in vain. My heart has been permenately stamped by him - the little boy I knew, but never met.
Curlytrouble tagged me with this musical meme. I have already done it, but because that was several months ago, and I'm too busy taking pictures (Yes, I know - I asked for it.) I'm going to send you off to take another look.
Musical Meme revisited
In order to keep my blog updated regularly while trying to wade through these massive amount of boxes, I will for a limited time be taking photo requests. (Oh you know the game: You tell me what you want to see a picture of, and I will, within the bounds of reason and my good judgement, comply.)
Ready..... Go!
Update: Requests are now closed. (I honestly didn't expect a response like that - guess I'll be busy taking pictures tomorrow!) Thanks everyone - all great suggestions. Be watching for these in the coming days.
Gabriella is so generously teaching me Spanish. Here is what I've learned so far.
Moose-a-blay - welcome
a-see-toe - stop
Hees-a-doe - Alex
tubb-ee - cup
bibby - bad
mevie - mommy
starva - starve
meeza - Magna Doodle
ee-ish - tea
de-de - daddy
ella-ish - Ella
Is this what they are teaching them on Dora?
As I have noted before, Gabriella is in that "why" phase. I really try to be patient with her, as I know that she is just trying to learn about the world around her, and at four years old there is much for her to learn. However it does wear on me after about the 42nd "why", and I have to resort to one of my "shut her up" answers. (Usually "because I said so", or "I don't know". There is no fear of this child growing up thinking her mommy knows everything, because I am constantly breaking out with "I don't know"!)
This question is so ingrained into her right now that it comes out of her subconscience - literally. A true story:
The other night Bubblehead went to check on Ella before going to bed. When he went in she was sitting up, but still asleep. He watched her for a few moments and then softly put his hand on her back and said "Lay down, Baby."
Without ever opening her eyes, she replied "Why?!"
I don't know.
For those of you who don't already read finslippy, (and especially you parents out there), you need to go over and read this right away. Now that we are on to their master plan, perhaps we can organize a coup!
"Come look at your sunset, Baby. I got it just for you."
Click to enlarge
I don't get freaked out about my age usually. At 30, I still consider myself relatively young. (And it helps that my mom still refers to me, my brother, and our respective spouses as "the kids"). But I had one of those moments recently when you realize you aren't 17 anymore.
I received in my mailbox last week a graduation announcement. From the little boy I use to babysit. The one who is still about 4 years old in my mind. The one who was a ring bearer in my wedding. The one I thought of as a little brother. Yeah, he's graduating high school this month. Quite the good-looking young man, too! (I didn't just say that.)
Congratulations Brandon!! I'm so proud of you! (And I take the smallest amount of credit for your success - after all, I did teach you to snap your fingers.)
So I think I've got everything all "ship-shape" here now. I changed all the font colors and such so they match my pretty new look. If you see anything "weird", or have any troubles with anything here, please let me know.
A HUGE thank you goes out to Amy for doing this for me. She worked really hard, (and now knows exactly how high maintenance I am!) and did a terrific job!! Everyone together now: "Thank you, Amy!!"
I've been wanting to add Flickr to my site for a while now, but have been a little weary. I'll give it a go. I do love seeing those pictures when I load my site!
Okay, enough template talk. Back to business here.
Because I said so....
Many of you know that we just completed a move, that was a necessity after Bubblehead lost his job. This is the second time this has happened to us, the first time being just about a year ago. Both times it blind-sided us.
Okay, the first time it did make sense. He worked in the airline industry, and after September 11th, lay-offs were happening left and right. He made it through several "waves" of lay-offs, but then it happened. We didn't see it coming only because he was the best manager they had there - the GM couldn't seem to run the place a day without him. Office politics being what it is, though, it happened.
We picked ourselves up, decided to go spend a little time with my family, and the first Monday we were there he went out and got a job. That was it - we were moving.
This time, though, it was out of the blue. He was accused of something that didn't happen, had witnesses to attest to that, but was let go anyway. We believe it had something to do with him telling the truth about the owner's son's performance. That's not a place he should be working anyway, but still it put our lives up in the air again. We couldn't believe it.
So here we are, "settled" once again, with an income and insurance. We are renting while we look to buy. (But then, that is what we were doing before as well. Thank goodness we didn't buy!) Our little town is beautiful. We are looking forward to the summer - taking the kids up the mountain and getting involved in our new community.
BUT. (There is always a big but, isn't there.)
I'm having a hard time with the whole idea of moving out here and putting down roots. I want a home of my own again, but I'm afraid of buying. If he loses this job, we would certainly be moving again. I even find myself wondering as I'm unpacking boxes how long before I have to pack this back up again.
I know I should just let it go. What are the chances.... (knock on wood.) And even if it were to happen - AGAIN - we can't live our lives like that.
Twice the other day while out in the backyard with the kids I heard a car door shut and my first thought was "he's home". Having him come home early use to be an exciting, fun thing. Now to see him home early would put knots in my stomach.
This one is "it" I think. I haven't taken the time to change font colors and the scroll bar yet, but I plan on it. If you see any other problems let me know!
I love the colors - it's fun to have a bit of a change for spring! And those two kids she found to put in there are ADORABLE!! *wink wink*
Again this one would need a little "tweeking", but again I think Amy did a really nice job. The colors are nice, and the font is lovely.
Stay tuned - I'm saving the best for last. ;)
- I am saving my favorite new template for last, which will be on it's way soon. In the meantime I'm going to post one more of Amy's new looks for me a little later on. She has just been fantastic, doing all of this for the fun of it! You really should pay her a visit to her own blog. (She also recently designed a blog for her mom!)
- I have noticed that no matter how much time I spend in the morning primping my hair it never quite looks the way I want it to. Come 10:00 pm, though, it always looks fabulous and sexy, in that slightly disheveled way. It just isn't right that it only looks good right before I go to bed! Perhaps I should try showering at night, and then sleep standing up so as not to get "bed head"....
- Two full days of rain (with some snow and hail mixed in for good measure) got me feeling down, but it looks like the sun is out, so hopefully my mood will pick up as well. And it's Friday!!! (Bubblehead will be home tomorrow to take care of all these little jobs I have piling up for him!!)
- I am honored to be a guest blogger at Over The Road. My first post will appear on June 3rd. Topic ideas are now being accepted! (Translation - help me! ;)
So what do you think of this one? (Imagine me standing in the doorway of a dressing room modeling new outfits for you while you sit in that one chair wondering when the hell I'm going to be done so we can just get something to eat already!)
I think Amy did a wonderful job on this one, as well! I'm not sure it's "me", but I like it. (Obviously some of the font colors would have to be changed with this one, but since I'm still just "trying them on", I'm not going to bother with that yet. You get the idea.)
So, does it make my butt look big?
Soooo.....?
I'm going to be playing with my template and the look of Mommy Matters over the next few weeks. A blogging friend of mine has been having fun (or so she reports to me :) creating some new headers and backgrounds for my humble little site.
Keep your eyes out - new look #1 makes its appearance later today...
Our move dragged on a bit because of a broken furnace, but we are now all under one roof again, and the unpacking can begin.
When the possibility of moving came up I was consulted on the subject, and I assured my husband that I would do what I had to do, and support him. At the same time, it's no secret that I did not want to move, and this has been very hard on me.
Now that it's done, there is a sense of peace that has come over me. It is hard not to fall in love with our new little town. (I haven't lived in such a small town in such a long time - I'm a little nervous about it. At least the population is larger than the elevation.)
The mountains are in our back yard, and our neighborhood is quiet. Deer walk down the road here, and I was excited to hear that Bubblehead saw some moose last week while fishing. (I love moose!)
We had a very Norman Rockwell-esque evening last night, complete with the kids running in the backyard, chicken on the BBQ, Bubblehead mowing the lawn. The weather cooperated nicely. I'm hoping for a summer full of these kinds of nights. We would like to start taking the kids hiking, as we use to enjoy day-hikes before they came along. I'll look into swimming lessons or dance classes or art lessons for Ella, and there is a fantastic park right around the corner for us to walk to.
We want to buy a house, but after losing his job twice in about a year's time, we are both feeling jaded, and are afraid to let our roots grow too deep. It will just take some time.
So here I am in our new home, kids eating lunch. I will put them down for naps and watch a favorite TV show. This afternoon we'll go out back and play in their sandbox. I have so much cleaning and unpacking and organizing to do I don't know where to begin, but I have time. Finally today, in more than 3 months, we are going to have a "normal" day. We've proved that moving can take a long time, but settling - that takes even longer.
You may remember I posted a while back about my conundrum with my blogroll. The blogroll you see to the left are the blogs I consider my "must reads", however there are MANY more terrific blogs that I enjoy. I think all these wonderful blogs deserve a link here, but adding more than one blogroll, I'm afraid, will clutter up what is already an over-cluttered sidebar.
In an attempt to rectify this problem, I have created a complete blogroll, with a link in the sidebar. This benefits me, because now all my favorite blogs are listed in one place. (And now all of you can see everyone I enjoy reading.)
There are still a few missing I'm afraid, as some of my bookmarks are on the desktop. I will get those added soon.
The Mommy Matters Almost-Complete Blogroll
To all mothers out there (especially mine!) I hope you have a wonderful Mother's Day!!
In lieu of a post today, I'm going to flash you back a few months to something I posted in January. I am not a poet, but I was inspired by my feelings as a mother to write this, and I am quite proud of it.
In the process of Little Man being born, my tailbone was bruised pretty badly. It took forever for me to be able to sit down without any pain. In fact, there are still times now when I can feel my old "injury".
Of course you know what this means - my son actually *is* a pain in the ass.
As you may know, I generally avoid memes, but I thought this one looked like fun. (And with being so busy, I haven't had time to write anything else.) I found this at Out In The Open. My initial thought was this would be difficult, but then decided to give it a try.
The idea of this is to Choose a band or musical artist and answer the following using song titles by that band or musical artist.
Name of the Band: They Might Be Giants
Are you male or famale? She's Actual Size
Describe yourself? If I Wasn't Shy
How do some people feel about you? She's An Angel
How do you feel about yourself? I Am Not Your Broom
Describe an ex boy friend or girlfriend: Bastard Wants To Hit Me
Describe your current boyfriend or girlfriend:(husband) Lucky Ball And Chain
Describe where you want to be: Next Plane To London
Describe how you live: I Hope That I Get Old Before I Die
Describe how you love: Kiss Me Son Of God
Share a few words of wisdom: A Shooting Star Is Not A Star
The spa day was lovely. My face is rejuvenated, and my muscles are relaxed (or were until I got back home.) Apparently Norwegians have "the best" skin (who knew?), so I've got that going for me.
I've come to the conclusion that there is nowhere to buy clothes in this state. I must plan a vacation to a large, metropolitan city. I'm looking for suggestions, and room and board. Applications are now being accepted.
After my relaxing day out I took the kids for a walk to a near-by park. Here are a few of the phrases that came out of Ella's mouth as we were walking.
To top off my "me" day, I'm treating myself to some extra sleep, so I'm going to bed "early" (meaning before midnight). Forgive me for not reading blogs today. (GASP!) I will back on my usual rounds tomorrow.
I can't come to my blog right now, because I'm out enjoying a spa day all by myself, followed by lunch, and shopping! I will return to the blogosphere this evening, hopefully a happier, prettier, more relaxed person. If this is an emergency, please contact Busy Mom. Otherwise, leave me a message, and I'll get back to you.
BEEP
Have you discovered the newest addition to Playhouse Disney, yet? (Bubblehead, you're going to just love this!) The Doodlebops are from Canada, and apparently they just had to share them with the rest of us. You know the drill - grown adults dressed up in silly costumes who dance, and sing sugar-sweet songs about all the usual stuff - sharing, and being friends, and being afraid of the dark. (Didn't we have that covered with The Wiggles?)
But as with any of these new programs, Ella is instantly interested, and then before I know it we're watching it. And then (damn it all!) my memory for all things musical works against me again, and I'm driving around town singing those freaking songs! So it looks like The Doodlebops have another fan. (I'm talking about Ella, not me. Honest!)
Little Man loves this. I'm not even sure what it's all about. A photo of a baby, computer-generated action, in an animated world. It's creepy. But we love the happy look on Little Man's face.... SIGH
Kids.
I was recently laying on the floor (because kids will do that to you), and Gabriella was asking me about my naval ring (which, by the way, she's seen many times before. I don't know why it's necessary for her to have the same conversation with me 72 times).
Gabriella: "Where did you get that belly button."
Me: "I was born with a belly button - just like you."
Gabriella: "What is this?"
Me: "It's a belly button ring. Kind of like an earring."
Gabriella: "Well where did you get it?"
Me: "I got that a long time ago, Sweetie."
Gabriella: "How do you take it out when you die?"
I know - it's not that funny, but it was to me. I think I might will that task to her. That is assuming it can still be found at that point.
Yes, that's right. You.
Think I'm kidding? I'm not. I really did....
*Oh I could really just leave you hanging like that. (Although it was a little fun! ;)
My dream was about all of this moving crap, and all the stress in my life. I received a "care package", and inside were all these wonderful little gifts (a lot of it was old stuff relating to the Titanic, like sheet music, magazine articles, etc.). These gifts were from all of you - my wonderful blog friends!
I realized later that this dream isn't far off. I receive all kinds of wonderful support and friendship from you every day right here!
So I suppose that would make it a dream come true?
A Wyoming boy, known only as "Little Man" was inadvertantly smothered this morning after his mother kissed him for two straight hours. The boy is 23 months old.
Officers on the scene reported they had never seen anything like it. "The poor baby was just lying there," said one unidentified officer. "You could see the smooch marks on his cheeks and forehead."
When questioned, the mother said "I just couldn't stop myself! His cheeks were so squishy, and he smelled so good. I had an uncontrolable urge to kiss and kiss and kiss! My only crime is loving him so much!"
An interview with the child's older sister revealed, "Mommy kisses too much! I don't like kisses!"
The boy was taken to Wyoming Medical Center, where he is recovering. Any further details could not be obtained until all the Care Bears have been notified.
The mother is being held by police until bail, set at 37 jelly beans, can be posted.
This is the first such injury recorded in U.S. history.
This story is, of course, false. My son is just fine, and very well-loved.
My good friend Crystal has tagged me with this meme that has been going around, and I'm only too happy to fulfill her request. (because really, what else was I going to write about today?)
You know the drill: Pick 5 of the following professions and complete the sentence:
If I could be a scientist... If I could be a farmer...
If I could be a musician... If I could be a doctor...
If I could be a painter... If I could be a gardener...
If I could be a missionary... If I could be a chef...
If I could be an architect... If I could be a linguist...
If I could be a psychologist... If I could be a librarian...
If I could be an athlete... If I could be a lawyer...
If I could be an innkeeper... If I could be a professor...
If I could be a writer... If I could be a backup dancer...
If I could be a llama-rider... If I could be a bonnie pirate...
If I could be a midget stripper... If I could be a proctologist...
If I could be a TV-Chat Show host... If I could be an actor...
If I could be a judge... If I could be a Jedi...
If I could be a mob boss... If I could be a backup singer
If I could be a CEO... If I could be a movie reviewer
If I could be a musician, I would be famous concert pianist, and make a gazillion dollars playing concerts all over the world.
If I could be a judge, I'd make sure all those rapists and child abusers got what they deserve through the justice system.
If I could be a mob boss, I'd make sure all those rapists and child abusers got what they deserve bypassing the justice system.
If I could be a movie reviewer, I'd actually get to see movies when they are released in the theaters! ;)
If I could be a painter, I'd spend my days in the most beautiful and historic cities of the world drinking tea and eating pastries - oh yes, and painting!
I am passing this on to anyone who wants to play along. (and if you do please let me know, so I can be sure to stop by and see your answers!)
Please note: Mother's Day is one week away. Do not forget to recognize the mothers in your life (and for those of you who may be a little slow, just because she is your wife and not your mother does not get you off the hook.)
You don't have to do a lot or spend a lot to mark this occassion, but please be advised it must be marked in some way.
This isn't hard guys. In just a few minutes on the computer I found this and this and this and this - all great gift ideas.
I can think of scores more. A spa certificate, time to herself, let her sleep in, a digital camera, a special dinner out, a handmade cards by her kids, a special picture of those she loves, a laptop, a heart-felt card, more time to herself, a mother's necklace, that book she's been wanting, her favorite movie on DVD, lots of time to herself, a poem, a blog redesign, help with the dishes, a new car, a pretty new watch, her favorite perfume, a solo vacation, lots and lots of time to herself....
For best results, please consult individual mother on her preference of gift. Gift should not be made or purchased on Mother's Day to avoid hurt feelings and crying. Individual results may vary.
Seriously though, speaking as a mother, no matter what else we do in our lives, this is the most difficult, most impacting, and most important thing we will ever do. Please be sure to let the mothers in your life know that they are wonderful, they are doing a fantastic job, and that they are appreciated. It's a little thing, but it really means so very much. And you've got one whole week to work on it! ;)