wannabe

I have friends who are real photographers. As you have seen from my pictures, I am not. However, I got bored this week during conference calls and decided to play around with some photos in Photoshop. I thought they turned out kind of cool.

 

 

 

 

Now if only I could convince John to spring for a fancy schmancy camera for my birthday, I'd be ready to go.

five

When I was a new mom I was batshit crazy a wee bit nervous about pretty much everything. I wanted to be a good mom, but then I would read books and it would make me doubt my abilities. Of particular concern was the gem found in pretty much every parenting manual around,

"Eventually, you will get to know your baby's cries."

Because, really? No matter how hard I tried to distinguish them, they all sounded the same to me.

These days, a point of stress with regard to my kids is getting gifts. On the surface you would think this is an easy task. I've been around this kid for almost 5 years...I should know what she likes, right? And to an extent I do. But the life of a 5-year-old is so finicky that you just don't know what she's going to like and what will be the end-all-be-all gift.

Case in point, E loved the books about Kindergarten that Kiki, Uncle Steve and AJ sent...but she screamed with delight "And, look! It came with CARDBOARD! I love to color on that stuff!" And the backpack and lunchbox that Nonna and Pop-pop got her paled in comparison to the birthday card they sent...that had a cut-out crown! That she wanted to wear to school today, in fact.

Cardboard and a crown...who knew?

Since it was E's 5th birthday (and a big milestone), I did want her presents to be special and a reflection on who she was. And, I think they really captured this amazing kid that we haven't ruined quite yet.

1. A new dress. I can count on my fingers how many times she wore shorts or skirts this summer. It was only fitting that we added one to her collection.
   
2. A new Princess nightgown. It was only a matter of time before she started to wear nightgowns pretty much exclusively. And we got her a new one since she so generously donated a Dora nightgown to A, when she wanted to wear a nightgown like her sissy, too.
   
3. Books. We got her two, a new Fancy Nancy book (which she had been begging for) and a Learn-to-Read book about "Princess Ballerinas" (her two favorite things in one book!). She is so close to reading...I can't wait for her to learn and have a whole new exciting world open up.
   
4. An iPod Shuffle. She loves music. Specifically she loves Taylor Swift and Hannah Montana. She knows all the words to Hannah Montana songs I have never even heard before. So I frantically tore the house up looking for found my old school iPod shuffle, downloaded a few new songs, and made an E-specific playlist. She was thrilled and it's never to early to learn the joy of regifting.

Celebrating her birthday at the beach was great. She had a blast going out to dinner with family, and then having cake and ice cream back at the house. John and I *did* get on the ball enough to order a cake...but Grandmom came through with candles and princess party hats for everyone! She also got some great gifts from the family, including a bike-riding Barbie. Who wears mesh leggings. Who knew.

 

All in all it was a wonderful celebration for a wonderful girl.

home again home again jiggety jig

We're back from a week at the beach. We frolicked in the waves. We played in the sand. We were up early (thanks in part to an unshaded skylight in the girls' room) and went to bed late. We met up with friends. We ate a lot. And one of us even turned *5*! I guess you could say the only thing that sucked were the lollipops we got the girls!

 

More to come soon, including an ode to my daughter who somehow turned 5 and went all tween on me.

art critic

I was going through the reams of paper that the girls come home with and found a drawing that E had done. I was very impressed with the drawing, so I showed it to John. The conversation went something like this:

Me: E's really getting good at drawing. Look what she did!
John: Wow! That is great. Is that a picture of you?
...stunned silence...
John: What? Is it a picture of E?
Me: You're kidding, right?
John: No...how am I supposed to know who the picture is of?!?!

FYI...here is the picture.

 

Is it just me...or does it look like a red-headed princess mermaid that a certain almost-kindergartener talks about non-stop?

I think it's safe to say that John will never identify any criminal ever based upon the composite sketch produced by police...

roadtrip memories

The Slackers are OFF on our trip to the beach! I've got a few posts scheduled for this week (I was procrastinating finishing up work and packing)...so that should be fun.

As we've been getting prepared to go, I've been reminiscing about the travels of our youth. And, just like any good parent should, I've been trying to tell E and A just how different life was way back when.

We didn't have the pesky confines of booster seats or car seats to hold us down! Nope. My parents would put an air mattress in the back of our Jimmy (aka, old school SUV) and Kiki and I would sleep until our first stop. We would then spend the rest of the time arguing over taking turns sitting on The Hump (aka, the armrest in the front seat). That is, unless I was feeling puke-y...and then I was sitting outright in the front seat while my mom snuggled with Kara in the back.

For music, there was no Laurie Berkner or "kids" music to keep us entertained. Our family listened to Simon and Garfunkel's Concert in Central Park, which my dad had taped from the multi-record set.

And when we got sick of music, we didn't get to watch DVDs. Instead, we listened to books on tape. We listened to The Little Women every summer at least twice. We also listened to The Little Mermaid. Not the Disney version...but the Hans Christian Andersen version upon which Disney based their version. I thought about forcing my parents to find it so the girls could listen to it, but decided against it because there is no singing, and in the original the Little Mermaid ***SPOILER ALERT*** turns to sea foam. One day I'll let them listen to it, and maybe then they'll carry on the tradition that Kiki and I started of picking up foam at the beach and screaming "Hey LOOK! It's the Little Mermaid!"

Or maybe, they'll be spared the nerdiness that clearly their mother and aunt got.

rock stars

I was actaully going to attempt French braids this morning, and put a pigtail in E's hair to keep it out of the way. She said she'd rather have two like that. Heaven forbid I do any more work than absolutely necessary, especially work that would involve certain so-close-to-5-years-old-you-can taste-it yelling me for pulling her hair, so we rolled with that style instead. Needless to say, the girls were thrilled that I did their hair like that.

 

 

 

 

The girls are on a big music kick 'round these parts, so the necklaces around their necklaces are their "guitars" (or "gibtars", if you A).

In the pictures you can also see that E rediscovered the Hannah Montana microphone that John bought her a few months ago. It had been confiscated at some point and put on the top of the refrigerator where it was all but forgotten. And then John had to be all Hey, E...let me carry you around on my shoulders so you can see what's on top of the fridge and she found it. And has resumed playing it non-stop. Except now the battery is dying so instead of it sounding like an annoying Hannah Montana song sung by Hannah Montana, it sounds like an annoying Hannah Montana song sung by Hannah Montana possessed by the devil (a la Marlena from Days of Our Lives circa 1995).

mr. mom

On Saturday, I had a baby shower to attend in Richmond, leaving John and the girls to sit around and think about how much they missed me have a fun day together. And, boy, did they ever have fun! He took them into DC where they walked around The Mall and saw many of DC's monuments.

 

The funny thing was that a topic of conversation at the shower was "what unusual place is your husband taking your kids?" Answers included a roadtrip to visit a great-grandmom and the zoon. Apparently, John's not the only dad who gets all overzealous when he's manning the fort kid-wise.

Come to think of it, when John's out of town, we always do a movie night or something special. Does your husband (or you) do that, too?

need a vacation from vacation planning

On Saturday, the Slackers are headed to the beach! The sand, the sun, the surf...a week of relaxation...it's going to be great! *If* I can survive the week preceding it! 'Cause this week is all about the packing lists, the packing, the getting all my work done so I can take the vacation.

It certainly doesn't help that a certain someone turns *5* while we are at the beach. So gifts have to be purchased before we leave. Which means we have to figure out what the heck to get her before we purchase them. I am dead serious when I considered getting her ears pierced just to avoid having to buy a gift.

So, if I'm not around much this week, it's because I'm running around like a crazed woman. And, if I'm not around much next week, it's because I'm sandy...and suntanned...and drunk.

ariel would be horrified

My kids have always had quirky preferences when it comes to food. There are many kid staples, such as grilled chees and quesadillas, that they won't eat ever. On the otherhand, there are many grown up type foods, including stinky cheese, that they devour without second thought. As a recovering picky eater, I'm always amazed at what they put in their mouth.

Last Sunday, John picked up some steamed shrimp at Wegmans. They prepare it with garlic and Old Bay and it is beyond delish. Apparently, E thought so, too. Because she ate half of the shrimp...leaving John and I to remark that we will be smuggling the shrimp into the house in the near future.

Last night, Grandmom was in town on a layover, and Nonna and Pop-pop were over, having taken E to lunch and play for her birthday. We headed out to dinner at the new Italian place near our house. And when the waiter brought out the calamari, we all watched with amusement as E asked for some...and some more...and some more. Seeing as I wouldn't even touch calamari until my late 20s...and I lied to John about what calamari was to get him to try it...we just aren't sure where she got it from.

typical saturday morning

This picture pretty much sums up my family in quite a few ways.

 

• The girls are obsessed with YouTube. Their current favorites are Taylor Swift videos (specifically "You Belong with Me" and "Love Story"), some Hannah Montana videos that involves "boom boom clap" and the awesome wedding processional to "Forever."
  
• I'm apparently obsessed with polka dots. I bought both the bathing suit A is wearing and the dress E is wearing. And I noticed that Gymboree had a polka dot line for fall and thought to myself "Why didn't anyone tell me?!?!?"
  
• A's wearing her "babing suit". We're going to hit up the pool today at some point...but A insisted on getting in her bathing suit as soon as we got back from our walk this morning. E's changing as I type this.

So far we're having a good weekend. Hope you are, too!

one day

One day (probably much sooner than I would like), I will no longer be your favorite person in the whole wide world. I'll have to steal my hugs and kisses from you. You'll ask me to stop singing in the car along with the radio. I'll have to drop you off around the corner from where you want to go, so your friends don't see me. One day, you'll roll your eyes at me for waiting up for you to come home. One day, you'll be postive that you don't need me.

But, luckily, that's not today. Today, you greeted me with a hug and a kiss and an "I love you!" Today, you cheered when I told you I was dropping you off at school. Today, you kissed me goodbye in front of all of your friends. Today, when I came home from getting my haircut (well past your bedtime, I might add), it was you waiting up for me. Because today, you wanted me to sing you a song before you went to sleep.

Today was a wonderful day to be your mom.

the new, old job

It's been a crazy week this week! In addition to recovering from an extended weekend of single mom-dom, I started a new job on Monday! Okay...not really a new, new job. It's my same job, except now I'm a full-time company employee instead of a part-time conatractor.

All in all the pros of this change far exceed the cons. Job security! Benefits! Paid Vacation! Holidays! But...that doesn't mean there aren't some bummers. Namely, it's officially a full-time position and I have to be in the office 5 days/week. The full-time isn't so bad...because let's face it, I haven't worked part-time pretty much since I started. But the in the office 5 days/week? Dude...that is going to suck. Luckily, we have "green Fridays" in the summer where we work from home every other week, which will help soften the blow.

Perhaps sensing that I needed some encouragement, E was talking to John tonight. She was telling him how much she missed him this weekend and said,

"From now on I want you to take me with you whereever you go...except for when you got to work. 'Cause I really like school and my friends."

So, at least for tonight, the mommy guilt is a little less.

travellin' light

Ever since A was potty trained, we've had little use for a diaper bag. Most of our jaunts are short trips about town that don't require snacks or anything requiring lugging around. So, when Queen Mommy called this morning from her in-laws in Arlington, and asked if we wanted to head in for some playground fun and lunch, I shoved the camera, some sunscreen and organic fruit jerky that I made in my own kitchen two Wonder Pets Fruit Snacks into my purse, grabbed the girls and headed out.

Well, it turns out the neighborhood playground had a fountain area. No problem...we borrowed from suits from the princesses and their cousin. And, lookie there...they coordinate to boot!

When it gets later in the afternoon and the girls and the girls want a snack and something to drink? Mooch again! And if the girls look like street urchins with their straggly hair (Note to self: they *will* get haircuts tomorrow!)? Borrow a comb.

My mom called during the day, so we ended up leaving Arlington and heading straight to dinner with them. We ended up going to Coastal Flats and the girls started to get stir crazy...luckily I found some Wikki Stix which we got at a different restaurant which kept them entertained...along with a plethora of pens and scrap paper.

Nonna and PopPop were good company as well.

The shopping area has fountains, too...which of course the girls couldn't do since we had returned the bathing suits to the previous owners. We got the girls ice cream, which they got all over. I didn't have any wipes, but luckily Nonna did (along with some band-aids which came in handy for some overzealous injury identification). And they had a concert series, which everyone had lawn chairs set up for. Unfortunately, it started raining right as the concert started, so we couldn't stay long...

Something tells me that next time we take a little trip on a Saturday, I'll throw some stuff in my purse and off we'll go ...right after I pack the trunk full of bathing suits and towels, lawn chairs and picnic blankets, umbrellas and first aid kits, and possibly the kitchen sink...since you never quite know where the day will take you.

reason 1,457,238 that i love my mom

My mom called to chat yesterday and I mentioned that it was just going to me and the girls for dinner tonight. Well, it turned out my dad had plans and she was fending for herself, too! So would I mind if she drove over to my house in rush hour traffic and bring dinner for me and the girls? Along with a bottle of wine? And sure enough, my mom pulled into our drive right as I was herding cats getting the girls and all of our crap into the house.

She also came bearing gifts for the girls. In anticipation of our beach trip next month, she got the girls swimsuit cover-ups, flip-flops and sunglasses. From the Disney store. Now, my mom has pulled this crap on me before, so I warn you, moms of small children...don't ever -- EVER! -- let your retired parents live in close proximity to a Disney store. Or else this is what you end up with:

 

 

Luckily, the food, wine, adult conversation and help with bedtime more than made up for the fact that I will be known as "that mom" (whose kids wear character clothing) at pool this weekend.

give me a v!

Both of my girls had an issue pronouncing the "V" sound. They pronounce (or pronounced, in the case of E, who has sadly outgrown it) it as a "B" sound instead. I can only assume that this is some sign of genius. In addition, it gives the Slackers such wonderful terms in our family vernacular such as:

• Orange Birginia (aka, Orange Virginia or UVA)
  
• Moobie Night (aka, watching Dora or Diego past bedtime)
  
• I lub you (my favorite term of enderment)
  
• Q-R-S...T-U-B...WXYZ (lyrics to the alphabet song)
  

But the "B" is now incroaching on other consanants in A's world. This week, a smoothie place opened up in our neighborhood. When we got back, A went on and on about how she and Daddy and E went to get smoobies.

Don't think I didn't ask her to say

"I lub to drink smoobies while I watch moobies"

at least 10 times this morning. 'Cause that's the kind of mom I am.

meeting in the middle

The girls woke up this morning and got dressed independently of each other. A wanted to wear her polka dot skirt, which she paired with her pink and orange sandals. E had noted that it was cloudy out and insisted on wearing her Hello Kitty rain boots, along with some shorts and a t-shirt (because apparently you can't wear a dress when it's about to rain...who knew?).

When the girls saw each other in the hallway, A immediately ran back to her room to find her Hello Kitty rainboots and E ran back to her room to put on her polka dot skirt.

Though I love me a matching outfit every now and again, most of the matching outfits you see the girls in these days are not my fault doing. Especially when the outfits looks like this:

 

quick on her feet

John and I joke that E is going to make the best lawyer some day because she can argue like nobody's business. Her retorts have left us stumped on several occasions and I fear what it will be like in the teenaged years when she has had more time to hone her skills.

A has recently picked up one of E's oft-used argument of the "Never, Ever." We never let them stay up late...or never let them have desert...or we drive on and on and on and will never reach our destination. Because we are mean, mean parents, I tell you.

So last night as we were pulling in from dinner, a couple of kids were playing in the cul-de-sac. But it was close to bedtime. And they had already had a busy weekend where they were outside all day Saturday and we had a two-hour jaunt to the pool on Sunday. And a certain un-named almost three-year-old had not napped all weekend. So when said three-year-old asked to play outside and was told that she could not, she sighed and said,

"I neber get to play outside."
To which her sister responded, "You went to the pool today, A. Is the pool outside or inside?"

Most times when E steps on our parental toes we are quick to remind her that she is not the mommy. But, last night, we were giggling at her quick thinking and thankful that A had no comeback of her own.

"You're pretty smart for an almost five-year-old," John told E as they walked into the house.
"I know, Daddy. Maybe they'll let me skip kindergarten," was her reply.

do you know the muffin man?

This morning, I made some banana and blueberry muffins with my two little helpers. Overall, it was a relatively smooth process with minimal threats of banishment to another room because of not listening. While they were baking, the girls alternately checked on the muffins and asked me if they were done cooking every thirty seconds throughout the 25 minutes of baking. But, overall it was a success.

 

(And, yes, that is a coffee mug sitting by A. She was begging for some this morning. It was more milk than coffee. Don't you judge me!)

moving on up ... to the left side

When I went to pick up the girls on Monday, I was told that A wasn't in her room anymore. She had been moved over to the other side of the building, in the 3-year-old's room. We were expecting her to get moved starting in September, but apparently she was ready. So ready, in fact, that the ditched the "transition week" where she spent 1/2 her time in the new room and half in the old room since she was devestated to leave the new place.

The 3's room is part of the preschool program at school. They switch between different classrooms/focuses. And, they wear uniforms. So, this morning, she ran into E's room and grabbed one of E's shirts. And, I must admit I got a bit misty seeing my sweet baby looking so big. But my nostalgia turned to joy when E couldn't get her uniform shirt on fast enough. So, for a few more weeks, that'll be nice.

It's just amazing...two years ago, I was in awe of my 3-year-old heading up to the big kid's class.


My how things have changed!

photography fail

This weekend we: had my parents over for dinner, washed the cars, did some lawn work, put together and hung out on the hammock (John's Father's Day gift), played outside, went to the pool, devoured some ribs, went out to breakfast, picked up some fun new pool toys, went for a nice long walk through the neighborhood, went to the pool (again), devoured some steaks, indulged in some ice cream and had an overall great weekend. And the only picture I took was this one:

 

Oh, well...better luck next time.