and now for my final TRICK: 04/01/2011

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

It Wasn't the ER Exactly.....

So I will keep the poll on the right open!

Mr. Trouble ran head first into the island in our kitchen. The bottom corner of the counter plunged into the middle of his forehead.

Puncture Wound....

Big and gross.

Off to the Children's Hospital Urgent Care. I may go there next time I need urgent care! It is the same place I took Miss H when she had Hand, Foot, and Mouth and needed IV fluids. It is bright and cheerful with TONS of cool toys and games, DVD in each room with 100 movie choices (We picked Madagascar this time), stickers, freeze pops, and stuffed animals.

Ev was HYSTERICAL when they checked the boo boo, when they put the numbing gel on, when they tied him in a straight jacket, and when they held him down to clean it.

Verdict was, no stitches needed. He will have a scar either way. This kid is going to look like an NHL player by the time he is 5!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Meaningful Art

I made a fun art piece and posted the whole story at Too Much Time...go check it out!

http://kim-toomuchtimeonmyhands.blogspot.com/2011/04/meaningful-art.html

Monday, April 25, 2011

Hippity Hoppity

AHHHHH Easter was an insanity, fun, and candy filled extravaganza.

Chocolate at 7 AM?

Why not?

When else do we eat jelly beans for breakfast except for Easter morning!

It started on Saturday with the egg dying, it went better than expected and no one spilled dye on themselves, which is a victory in my book!

A little brother/sister time after the egg dying! Love it!

Ev was up bright and early at 5:15, say what? Yes, 5 :15 and he ran right in to wake up H. We all tried to go back to sleep, but no one got very far. They knew what was waiting for them downstairs!

"A chocolate bunny! Just what I always wished for!"

Everyone loves Holden's new sunglasses!

And our favorite little monster was in a very lovey mood for our evening Easter dinner!

xoxo

Thursday, April 21, 2011

bad, bad, bad

I feel so guilty for slacking over here. I do love this blog and sharing our funny life with everyone, but man alive, I am into all these projects, gardening, building, and blogging over at Too Much Time.

Just need to share a few things....

1. Tonight after dinner the kids were playing outside while we sat at the table talking and watching them through the open door. All of a sudden Ian screamed super loud and bolted out the door. I turned around and our little baby tree which we planted last year was bent in half. I think Ev was swinging on it. He gave the kids a stern lecture about how we need to treat the baby tree gently, just like a real baby and then get this....

He made them apologize to the tree

Well, it is Earth Day!

Ok, stop giggling, he really did. He really made them say "sorry, tree." I burst into laughter, just waiting for the next step...make them hug the tree, but he didn't go there.

2. Everett may in fact be the devil.

I am convinced he has been put here on Earth to be my sole embarrassment and insanity.

He is still my favorite little guy in the whole world, BUT he has hit the "terrible two's" with a vengeance. He is working it like he wants to go down in history as the terriblest two in the history of the universe.

(like the bruises? Don't even ask)

He is a maniac who, when unleashed (like say from the car, front door, a shopping cart, a classroom) bursts forth like a wild animal who has been held captive for 3 years.

When I say, I can't take him anywhere....I mean

I CAN NOT TAKE HIM ANYWHERE

He yells, screams, runs, pushes, and does not listen to a word I say

not a word

Am I failing? Everyone I cry to assures me he is just a 2 year old boy. Ian's mom was asked to not return to the grocery store after Ian knocked over a display of glass bottles and Severin tore down an entire spaghetti sauce aisle...on the same visit! Ok Ok Ok we haven't had to deal with anything quite that crazy yet, so maybe we are ok over here.

(a BRIEF moment of relaxation with a bowl of Cheerios and Super Why)

Holden is of no help.

(She is feeding him paper mache paste!)

Ian doesn't seem too concerned either....

A phase, right? Please assure me it is a phase. I know Holden gave me a run for my money and I definitely blocked out the worst of it, but I REALLY don't think she was like this.

However, and lucky for Everett, he is still such a sweet cuddly snuggler. He gives me fierce hugs and millions of kisses every day. He is talking up a storm and cracking me up with it. Today he was hugging Holden and telling her, "You are MY chick!" She just let him and it was so sweet.

Oh, I love that kid, but wow, he is a handful!

Recent Reads

Honolulu by Alan Brennert- 4 Stars
A lovely tale told by a Korean woman who came to America as a "picture bride." We learn of her challenging and oppressive childhood in Korea, her journey away from all she knew, learning the new culture in Hawaii, escaping an abusive husband, becoming an entrepreneur, finding love, becoming a mother, and living a fulfilling life. I previously read Molokai by the same author and loved it, which is why I snatched this one up as soon as I heard of it. I think I enjoyed this one even more! The writing is smooth and easy, the tales are gripping, and the experiences are harrowing which keep you wanting more of this woman's incredible story.

The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha- 2 1/2 stars
This book is a collection of vignettes celebrating the awesome things in life. The cold side of your pillow on a hot night, finding money in your coat pocket, popping bubble wrap, when cashiers open up a new line at the grocery store, and watching Price is Right when you were home sick from school. This guy also has a blog where people can submit more awesomness. It was fun to read, but not as great as I was hoping. I will probably read his blog though, because he is pretty witty and definitely made me chuckle and remember to appreciate the small things in life.

Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson- 3 stars
PAGE TURNER! I read this in 1 1/2 days. The story begins with a woman waking up in a bed, next to a man, in a house and she recognizes none of it. Over the next few minutes she learns that she has amnesia and every night when she goes to be she forgets most of her life. She begins working with a psychiatrist who convinces her to write in a journal, so she can reread it each morning and hopefully begin to build memories. The mysteries of how she ended up in this condition and her relationships with friends and loved ones kept me on the edge of my seat.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - 4 1/2 Stars
Another winner here folks. This book was AWESOME (and a bit shorter than Cutting for Stone). This was a new perspective on World War II for me. The story follows a boy growing up in a Chinese household in Seattle during the war. He befriends a Japanese girl, which is STRICTLY forbidden by his domineering and emotionless father. He realizes he is in love with her just as her family is removed to a Japanese Internment camp for the remainder of the war. The stay in touch through letters and his enormous risks to visit her . I don't want to give away any more, but you simply HAVE to read this book. The relationships between the children and their families and even the public during these war years was an interesting perspective for me. The twists and turns kept me up till midnight and the ending was wonderful!

Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese- 5 Stars
Oh my! I LOVED LOVED LOVED it. It was long and delicious and I did not want it to end. The premise is a nun working at a clinic in Ethiopia dies while giving birth to twin boys. The story explores the people and relationships in these boys' lives through the eyes of Marion, one of the twins. He grows up in the clinic in Ethiopia with amazing adoptive parents who were friends with his parents and gives us a taste of the culture, food, and everyday life of an Ethiopian. He heads to America to pursue a medical career and his birth father. We read this for book club and had wonderful and rich discussions...I wish there was a part 2!

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton- 3 stars
This was pretty darn good. It took me about 100 pages to really get into it and the ending was a bit too quick, neat, and tidy. But not nearly as terrible as the ending of Handle with Care by Jodi Piccoult (I threw that book across the room and into a wall as I read the last word). I was hooked and couldn't stop myself once I was into it. It was a book club choice and there was more discussion than I remember in 3 years of book club. We were talking over each other and jumping into other conversations. I couldn't even keep up. This story centered around the lives of three sisters who grew up in a castle in England from World War II to the present. They had an eccentric family and extremely odd and famous author father. The mysteries weave through history and the walls of the castle, revealing themselves to the woman chosen to write a piece about the famed play written by the father. It was very good and I would highly recommend it.