meeting in the middle

On Saturday, we headed up to Baltimore to meet up with friends of ours who live in New Jersey and were in town for the Os/Mets series. Since they were hankering for some crabs, we meet for lunch at Obrycki's Crab House for a dozen or two...and a beer or two. Well, the beer was just for John, Jason and me...the kids and Stef, who's 8 months pregnant, abstained. And none of the kiddos had crabs, but man did they *love* the mallets that came to the table!

The kids were relatively well behaved...but started to get antsy toward the end. And since we had already confiscated the aformentioned mallets we let them have at it with some of the paper reserved for covering the tables.

After lunch, we walked down to Fells Point to catch the second half of the US v. England World Cup game. John assured us that it was only a 3 block walk. Not so much. More like 15 block walk. In 90 degree heat. With kids that weren't really keen on walking 15 blocks in 90 degree heat.

Nevertheless, we made it, and got a couple of tables with our own personal TVs that had the game one. The kiddos were psyched and chanted "USA! USA!" over and over and over again. And over again.

The older kids really did watch intently...they apparently like to watch sports together.

A was the first to fade. She tried to chant some more...

But she this is how she really felt.

After the game ended, we got some gelato, and then headed back the 15 blocks in the blazing heat carrying with non-walking kiddos back to the car. It was a quick visit, but tons of fun! We should really do it more often. Except for the 15 block walk in the heat, of course.

career day

It's Career Week at E's school. It's apparently much like Spirit Week, except they lamely tie the days to careers. Yesterday, she wore slippers because it was "Dream Big!" Day. I kid you not.

Today was dress up like your future career. As E and I drove to pick up A from school, we discussed the endless possiblilities.

Me: Grandmom bought you that cute jacket and skirt that looks like a suit. You could wear that! Businesswomen, lawyers, and Presidents of the United States wear suits!
E: No.
Me: You have that fire hat in your room. Do you want to go as a fireman?
E: Firegirl, mommy! And, no.
Me: Why not wear jeans and a cardigan and some ballet flats and you could go as me! You know, someone who works with computers!
E: Ugh! Never!

So, in the end, she put on her leotard, a tutu, and had me try and finagle her hair into a bun. Yep...she wants to be a ballerina when she grows up.

I guess since it's been a year since she's actually taken a dance class, I should really look into signing her up. Ugh.

And, it was not Career Day at A's school. Which worked out well for her. Because she really only wants to be a dancer, not a princess.

She just thought the tiara added a nice touch.

take me out to the ball game

This weekend, the Reds were in town to play the Nats. John's parents came into town to join in on the fun. On Friday, John and his dad went to the game solo. Then, on Saturday, we all headed in after a quick stop to see our precious nephew.

John and I sat a few innings with our friend, David while the kiddos stayed with Grandmom and Granddad. It was nice to enjoy the game without entertaining the kiddos.

The girls were troopers and we made it almost to the bitter end. Of course, they did not go hungry, having cotton candy, popcorn AND gelato during the game.


I had to giggle because A apparently thinks the polka dot dress is what you wear to baseball games. It's what she wore when we went back in 2008. Vive la hand-me-downs!

a good day, indeed

Fridays are always a fan favorite around these parts.

For A, it's Pizza Day at school. She loves pizza.

For E, it's car rider day. I drop her off and pick up her up in the car rider line...avoiding SAC. She loves doing that.

For me, it's Green Friday today at work. I can work from home (and not work a full day, even) provided I make up the hours over the pay period. I think I'm good.

The only thing that could make this day better? Donuts.

 

Lucky for us, it's National Donut Day. We all got a free donut with the purchase of a beverage. A and I got chocolate glazed. E got a powdered. Mmmmmmm.

don't believe the hype

A few weeks ago, the girls mentioned wanting Silly Banz. If you are unfamiliar with these things, they are the NEXT.BIG.THING. Basically, they are jelly bracelets that are shaped like things. But, according to Facebook status updates and Twitter tweets, they were very, very hard to come by. As such, whenever wanting to get Silly Banz came up with the girls, I always changed the subject because, well, I'm lazy. I didn't want to drive all over looking for these things.

But, on Saturday, John and the girls' quick trip to the grocery store somehow turned into (I kid you not) dropping stuff off at Salvation Army, an hour at Chuck E. Cheese, and lunch at BW3s. Note the lack of actual grocery shopping. I went to join them for lunch, and on the way, stopped by the Hallmark in the shopping center, which was rumored to have the Silly Banz.

I walked in, spent 5 minutes trying to figure out which Silly Banz I should get the girls, considered buying them Zhu Zhu pets, paid and left. And arrived at BW3s a hero. Either our Hallmark is the most kick-ass store ever, or our neck of the world is immune to the hype around the rest of the country.

 

 

I got them both the Princess Banz. If there's anything I learned from parenting two closely spaced girls is to just get them the same thing to avoid any sort of strife.

They were thrilled. Not thrilled to hear that they couldn't wear them to the pool or to school. But thrilled. And me? I'm still loving my iPhone. And, Hipstamatic.

 

 

pickles came to town

When I walked through the door on Thursday night, E broke out a red backpack and announced that Pickles had arrived. Pickles is the pet stuffed monkey of Mrs. S (her K teacher), who has been spending one night with each student. The students then write about what they did with him in a notebook and return it the next day. No pressure though. Thank GOD this didn't happen in the last few weeks when things were super crazy.

Since they were going through the classroom alphabetically by last name, and Slacker is at the end of the alphabet (oh how I miss my middle-of-the-alphabet maiden name!), the book was almost full. And, just like Valentines, these parents went all out. Luckily, we held our own. I forgot to take pictures of the journal, but here's what Pickles did on his visit Chez Slacker.

The funniest thing was how A was constantly trying to insert herself into this whole process. She watched over me like a hawk as I transcribed what E wanted me to write, occasionally telling me "I don't see my name in dere. You write my name in dat book!" Also, when I told E that I would take a picture of her going to sleep with Pickles, A asked me, "How you gonna take a picture of ME going to sleep with Pickles?"

Alas, just like a flash, he was gone.

iLove it

For an Anniversary/Mother's Day gift, I got an iPhone. I had long wanted one, but was unsure if I would use it. My old phone was your basic free phone (albeit in a cheery pink color), and I coudn't seem to remember to charge it. Nonetheless, I finally took the plunge and it's been true love ever since.

I like not having to log into my computer to check my e-mail. I got the armband so I can use it when I run (although it is kind of bulky) and ordered the Nike+ sensor so I can track my running mileage (you know, since I'm a big time runner after finishing my race). But thus far, my favorite app has been Hipstamatic.

I'd seen a bunch of other bloggers mention how cool it is, so it was the first app I bought. I haven't had much time to play with it...but so far, I think it's awesome. In fact, one of the pictures I took the other day is my current favorite picture ever.

I think the lighting on this looks pretty cool. And I love that, at first glance at least, it looks like the girls are running through a forest or something. When, in reality, they are running from giant, gaping hole in our side yard to the front of the house to go play on the building supplies. Maybe it's the sleep deprivation talking...I don't know.

So, what about you, fellow iPhone users? What's your favorite app? What do I need to get up on my phone, and pronto?

a land down under

As if we didn't have enough going on with work and the end of the school year fast approaching...we decided that this would be the perfect time to finally finish the basement. We've been talking about this since we moved in almost five years ago...and now it's finally happening.

Like, super duper fast.

I came home from work yesterday expecting to see a pile of lumber in my driveway. But there was also a bulldozer (backhoe? I have girls, I don't know the difference) in my yard. And a big hole by my house where the egress window will be installed.

 

The girls were fascinated by this. And the bulldozer/backhoe trailer. And the lumber pile.

 

But the fun ante was totally upped today when the inside stuff begins. By tonight we should have the aforementioned window installed, and the basement rooms framed out. The girls were delighted to watch the hubbub this morning.

 

So, I'll keep you posted as things progress. Hopefully, by the beginning of July, we'll have pictures of the finished project!

light at the end of the tunnel

Unless you are my husband, children, or parents...there's a good chance you might believe that I've fallen off the face of the planet. And, even the aforementioned people haven't seen me so much. The last few weeks at work have sucked. Big time. The good news is that they actually sucked less than last year. I mean, I was still working until 1AM, but I was able to tuck the girls in and do the late shift from the comfort of my own home instead of the office. Except for the night morning I got home at 3AM. That really sucked.

Anyway, the stars aligned this weekend and I had no work that *had* to be done. I mean, I could have done a 1,001 things...but nothing was pressing. I was even able to kick back, put my feet up, and relax with the fam.

And, when I got in this morning, I got some *great* news that brings us one step closer to finishing up this project. Yay! I'll just overlook that I've got two more coming up on this one's heels for now.

So,hopefully, you'll see me around a bit more from here on out.

(barely) alive and kicking

I'm still here. Just totally swamped with work. And, by swamped I mean that I've already worked 40 hours this week. We've got a big deadline on May 18th...but then two other related projects will start up. Not really much rest for the very, very, very weary.

That's not to say that it's been all work and no play. Au contraire. Last weekend, the fam headed down to Charlottesville to go to Foxfield, which are steeplechase races that are a total drunkfest UVA institution.** (Trivia fact: John and I met/exchanged numbers at Foxfield. Twelve-freaking-years ago.) The weather forecast was very gloomy, but as our friend Pete always say, "God smiles on Foxfield." And, sure enough, it not only didn't rain, but was occasionally sunny and warmer than expected.

This weekend, we head up to Philly for the big race. Training for this race in the midst of my crazy work schedule has been difficult at best...but I'm still looking forward to running it. Actually, I look forward to casually mentioning that I ran 10 miles just to sound badass...but same difference, right?

Finally (WARNING: SHAMELESS BRAG!), I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the Slacker household is home to a 2-time Computation Queen. I wasn't able to make it to the ceremony this time (see also: Work Sucks), but John represented and took this incredibly blurry picture for me. It was almost like I was there...you know, if I were drunk or had vertigo.

So, that's what's been going on in our neck of the woods.


**EDITED TO ADD: Lest you think John and I got hammered this weekend, Foxfield *used to be* a total drunkfest. Wrangling the kiddos and just generally being adults have made it much, much less of the par-tay it used to be. But it was fun to see our friends!**

time flies when you are having fun

This morning, as E was dancing around our kitchen and singing along to Lady Gaga's Bad Romance (don't you judge me!), it hit me.

Every ounce of baby, toddler, preschooler and little girl is gone. My oldest daugther is a big girl now.

 

But as I tell her every night before she goes to sleep, even when she's grown up and has kids of her own...she'll always be my baby.

it's been a while...get used to it

So, I've been meaning to post pictures from Easter since...well, Easter. But I'm swamped at work. It's not as bad as last year (thankfully!), but I'm super busy nonetheless.

Anyway, Easter was fun. The fam took off Good Friday to hang out together. We went hiking. We played tennis. We grilled out. Then Grandmom and Granddad came to visit. Good times were had all weekend.

Easter was a success, despite needing an eleventh hour trip to Target to get basket stuff. (I swear, one of these years I will purchase stuff in advance.) On the bright side, I have successfully established a tissue-paper-in-the-basket policy...which is far less aggrivating than the Easter grass. So, I think that puts me slightly ahead of the game.

We tried to recreate our Christmas miracle of a great family picture. We failed. This was the best we got.

Thanks again to Grandmom for the girls' Easter dresses. I realize that the time for matching dresses is coming to an end...but damn they look cute dressed alike. And when the girls busted out the dresses again for our trip to the Dentist...*everyone* commented on how cute they were.

Alrighty...gotta get back to work!

the prude and the polygamist

After our anniversary dinner last night, the fam all sat on the deck and enjoying our wine (me and John) and dessert (E and A). We started talking about marriage.

Marriage According to E

E, how old do you have to be to get married?
25, maybe.
And, what happens when you get married?
You kiss a boy...EW!
So, what you are saying is that you won't kiss a boy until you are 25?
YES!
Uh...can we get that in writing?

Marriage According to A

I'm gonna marry one-hundred boys!
100, A. Wow, that sounds like a lot.
Yeah! And one-hundred girls, too!

two years until italy*

Eight years ago, I married the love of my life. It was freezing that day (unlike the temps near the 90s we are expecting today)....but I didn't care. I forced my bridesmaids to trapse around Arlington in pink halter bridesmaid dresses so I could get gorgeous shots of the Washington monuments in my wedding photos.

I was *so* happy that day. And, the last eight years have been wonderful, indeed.

I was 27 when we got married. It seemed so old back then...but now? I look back at pictures and we look so young. Though one day, I'll look back at pictures from now and think the same thing.

Happy Anniversary, John! I love you!




* For our 5 year anniversary we went to Ireland. We're headed to Italy for our 10 year anniversary. I cannot wait!

picture this!

E has taken an interest in photography. She has one of those V-Tech cameras that she loves...but after World War 3 broke out between E and A over sharing the camera, I gave E my old point-and-shoot to use. Since then, she's been taking tons of pictures. So much so, I've found myself having to delete some every few minutes because the memory card was full. I finally broke down and uploaded all her pictures to my computer so we could clear the memory card. Which will buy me about 10 minutes when she starts taking pictures again.

I thought I'd share with you some of E's work. As you can see, she focuses primarily on three subjects.

Still Life with Toys

 

Family Portraits

 

Self Portaits

 

I'll also be posting some tips for parents when their kids are Photography Prodigies. Basically, it will be how to pose for your kids to avoid having The.Worst.Pictures.EVAH taken of you. I'll be writing it as soon as the shock of learning that I have a triple double chin and the world's largest stomach pooch wears off.

future plumber

One of the things that absolutely cracks me up about A is that her...um...crack is *constantly* on display. Now, I know that most kids have this issue (big bellies, teeny heinies), but A's seems to be more pervasive of a problem than most kids. And, a long standing issue at that.

When we went to the Please Touch Museum, Philadelphia was afforded the opportunity to check it out! And, so can you!

 

This weekend, as I was rummaging through the 4T bin of clothes to find A a short-sleeved shirt that would cover her oh-so-cute Buddha belly, I also grabbed a pair of 4T pants. I figured maybe she just needed bigger pants to fix the problem. But, as we were skating on Sunday, Liz passed by and said,

"I love how A's pants don't seem to reach all the way up!"

So, not so successful.

Hopefully, the problem will remedy itself before she gets to thong-wearing age.