and now for my final TRICK

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Here Comes the Bride

WOW - Wedding summer it is!

First, Severin and Colleen got married in Washington D.C. and we wrapped our PA visit into their celebration. The whole Hanou clan was there to help out with the kids and help the couple celebrate a beautiful wedding weekend. The weather was perfect, as was the location. The rehearsal evening was HOT and Ev lost his shoes and his shirt!

An amazing garden backdrop highlighted the ceremony. I was a bit nervous for the flower girl and ring bearer. I was thinking Everett might snatch Purple Baby and run away or Holden would shove Everett into a fountain, but low and behold they did a super job and Ian and I both actually saw and enjoyed the entire ceremony!

I think Severin and Colleen had a fabulous time and we are all so excited to welcome Aunt Colleen into the family!

AND, We just got back from a weekend getaway at Keystone Resort for My great friend Jessica and her husband Jay's wedding. Marsha and Frank were in town to help with babysitting the kids, so Ian and I could enjoy a grown up time!

Again, a perfect location with perfect weather.

The girls all went up a day early to spend the night with Jess on her last night as a single girl.

They may have waited 12 years, but it was worth the wait!

I was completely honored to be the officiant for the ceremony. I am thinking of turning pro as this was my third wedding I have performed.

Quote of the Day
"To love someone deeply gives you strength, being loved by someone deeply gives you courage."
-Lao Tzu

Monday, June 28, 2010

2nd Worst Camping Trip Ever

I will preface the story with this....

We checked the tent poles!

Which is why this is the second worst camping trip and not the first. I have been DYING to get out and camp. We finally found a free weekend and some nice weather and drove 1 1/2 hours to Brainard Lake, just outside of Nederland Colorado.

My first question is this, how did Ian and I end up with two children who hate the car? Before kids, we loved road trips and long driving adventures cross country. Both of these children have an intense aversion to the car. Forget cross country, we can't drive for more than twenty minutes without someone screaming, yelling, crying, demanding lollipops and treats, kids music and Finding Nemo, chocolate milk and juice boxes. So as we hit the road on Friday at 4:15 we were not optimistic about the ride when Ev started crying and screaming before we got out of our neighborhood. The screaming continued the entire drive. We did a lot of singing Old McDonald and Wheels on the Bus and a lot of lollipop eating in order to curb the misery but nothing worked.

However, when we arrived the sky opened up and the light shone down on us. We found a great camp site and the kids ran around digging in the dirt and exploring close by while Ian and I set up. They were completely entertained with the forest and our first big camp out!

We ate dinner and basked in the glow of camping with our children. It was nice (for a couple of hours) to share this big part of our before kid life with our own kids who are a the ages to kinda get it and have fun.

We were ready for the bedtime challenge. We brought the Pack-N-play for Everett to sleep in. I thought if we sing and rock him into a DEEP sleep one of us could get him in there without him waking up and we would be golden for at least five or six hours. Well, apparently Ev had other plans. The tent was WAY too exciting for any sleeping to be had. He wouldn't sit still for one minute. He jumped out my arms repeatedly when I tried singing and rocking. He grabbed and scratched the fun and shiny tent fabric every chance he found. He rolled around on the pillows and sleeping bags in complete bliss while a tear rolled down my cheek and the realization hit....

we will not be getting any sleep tonight

I think Ev slept for a total of 2 to 3 hours in 5-10 minute chunks throughout the night. Ian and I took turns trying to settle him. Holden slept through most of it, but she did get pretty cranky and yell at all of us a few times. Finally at 5, Ian got up with Ev and let me sleep with H till 6:30. Then we switched and H and Ian slept till about 8 when we all got ready for our day. No one was all that happy to be awake.

Eventually, Everett passed out on Ian and slept for maybe an hour.

We finally got our acts together around 10 and loaded our two tired babes into backpacks and went on a very nice and peaceful short hike. Lunch went smoothly, but when our afternoon nap time went as well as bedtime, we decided another night was not in our cards. We packed up and came home early. Oh well, there is always next year right?

We are hoping that when Ev learns to sleep in a bed he will have an easier transition to tent sleeping and his will get easier. I just don't think Ian and I are ready to give this up!

Quote of the Day

"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin"
-Shakespeare, Trollus and Cressida

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Mmmmmm

Everett discovered pudding.....

And Chili Mac

Enough said.

Quote of the Day

"The belly rules the mind"
Spanish Proverb

Climb Every Mountain

Well, she did it! Holden finished filling up her first "Good Girl" chart. It is going so well. She loves being rewarded and putting the stickers up there. It has been a nice motivation for her and she is so proud when she does helpful and responsible things. Last weekend Daddy took her to climb a mountain per her reward request.

Ian guesses she hiked for 5 out of the 45 minutes and he carried her for the rest. But it was worth it. They had fun, she got her big prize, and now we are on to our second sticker chart. This time I talked her into the prize of going to the mall with mommy to try on fun play jewelry and eat ice cream.

Quote of the Day

"Believe me, the reward is not so great without the struggle."
-Wilma Rudolph

DIY

So, now that school is OVER, (YAY, Well, I am finishing up my portfolio, but that should be wrapped up any day now) I am tackling a few projects I have been dying to try.

Sewing class is coming up next month and I am also signing up for a knitting class. Always wanted to try that too. But right now, I am having a jewelry situation. I don't like the typical jewelry boxes and I found a cool idea in Real Simple magazine for a picture frame jewelry organizer and after searching the internet for more ideas I tackled my own! My inspiration....

I am totally on the lookout for this type of frame at a thrift store

Love the drawer pulls
(but I couldn't get mine to actually stick to my frame)

I would also like to try these types of hooks

Using just what I had at home already I made my own. I used an old frame, cardboard for the backing, hot glue gun, drapery hooks, fabric hooks, artificial flowers, fabric I bought last year and couldn't decide how to use, and eye hooks from a hardware kit. Here are my creations....

I love the color it adds to our bedroom, that my necklaces aren't a tangled mess, and that the kids haven't yet figured out how to reach it! Ian thinks they are too "busy." HMM maybe different fabric?

Quote of the Day

"Creativity id inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun"
- Mary Lou Cook

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Paparazzi

My friend Nichole from Colorado Springs is an AMAZING photographer. She was up with her kids a few weeks ago and took these beautiful pictures at the park. She just started her own business and I am so happy that we get to be her guinea pigs!

We love you Nichole and best of luck with your new venture!

Quote of the Day

Our job is to record, each in his own way, this world of light and shadow and time that will never come again exactly as it is today.
- Edward Abbey

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

It's About Time!

Everett is 18 months old and until about a week ago his language repertoire consisted of:

1. mama
2. dada
3. NO

But finally, finally, finally, he is showing some promise! While the words do not sound perfect they are definitely words!

4. elmo (melmo)
5. baby
6. big bird (bi-bo)
7. peek-a-boo (pee-boo)
8. ball
9. nemo (memo)

He is also getting good with his animal sounds: meow, woof, baa baa

It is the most amazing thing to hear these first words, hear his voice, and imagine actually having conversations with him. It's like I have a whole new kid with this unbelievable dimension of language and communication. His voice is beautiful and truly the sweetest sound in the world.

Here are some recent pictures too....

Who LOVES their dog?

Swimming with friends.

Everett and Troy

So grown up

This is how a butterfly flaps it's wings.

"I love my Ev-E"

Quote of the Day

Mischief all comes from much opening of the mouth.
-Chinese Proverb

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.