Schwartz Family

2011-04-17T21:06:00.013-06:00

In case you live outside the greater Baltimore/DC area, you may not have heard that Sonja turned three. If you have seen us in the past two weeks, you were likely told that that very day was her very birthday. We probably confused her by celebrating her birthday the Saturday beforehand, by giving her a credit card. Actually, that is the business card of Bubbles the Clown.
We went to Port Discovery and happened upon Bubbles making balloon animals.

Some little folks were thrilled.

After a few hours of playing in the water works and bounce house, we strolled down to the Inner Harbor to find lunch. Our waiter was somehow given the impression that it was Sonja's birthday that day and we weren't going to bring up technicalities as he was handing her a brownie sundae.
After lunch, we watched The Fudgery crew make fudge and Anna had a double-decker ice cream cone while we watched a street performer ride a 12ft unicycle. It was a lovely day at the harbor and we returned home happy though some of us were a little worse for the wear.

Sonja's true birth date was on a Tuesday so Chris surprised her at Story Time with a balloon. I didn't take a photo because her face was precious and I couldn't take my eyes off her. She's so captivated by her daddy, and princess balloons.
Chris joined us for lunch with some of our Story Time friends and we had princess cupcakes. Well, everyone but the birthday princess who touched nothing after one carton of Chik-fil-A chocolate milk.

I had a hilarious time making those. (The crowns are Laffy Taffy's...har har.) Anyway.

That evening, we had Sonja's birthday dinner with Oma and Opa. I had asked her what she would like (and made Anna be quiet so the answer wasn't pizza! McDonald's! Chucky Cheese!) and she said, "Rice." Rice? Okay, what else? "Risotto." Both? Both are rice, pick one. So she said, "Risotto, carrots, broccoli and chicken." See why I heshed Anna? She's too young to know that you don't have to pick normal food.
So, we had a nice birthday dinner. And birthday cake.

(This was the easiest cake I've done for the girls' birthdays, and my favorite. If you have a 103 tip and 5 minutes, and obviously a cake and frosting, you can whip this up. It's Martha Stewart's ruffle tower cake if you want to google directions.)
Sonja's face was fun to watch as she opened her gifts.

Happy birthday, little princess!

2011-04-15T18:58:00.007-06:00

The Orioles picked up a new fan this season.

I love this kid. =)

Now believe it or not, the O's started the season winning games, so when we were offered tickets, we jumped at the opportunity to see them during the hot streak. But then, after one home run, we realized the girls enjoy the game much more when nobody is screaming, howling or scoring runs for our team. The O's, realizing the danger of ostracizing their cutest fans, aimed for the Ranger's mitts until we left in the 5th and then homer-ed for the win. Win, win.
Anyway, the real reason we go to the games is to enjoy the extracurriculars:

These and cotton candy = they love going to Orioles' games.

2011-04-02T10:04:00.000-06:00

Who do bamboo? You do bamboo!
Congrats to Elaine! (and baby Walt!)

I'll be mailing out your wipes next week!
Thanks for entering and happy Saturday, friends. =)

2011-03-26T13:50:00.004-06:00

My first giveaway:
Bamboo wipes.
I love them. And when you really love something, you give it away. Unless it is your kid.

Anyway, let me try to convince you to love bamboo wipes, too.

As I said in my original post, I was wary to try a reusable wipe, but then I felt how plush and soft bamboo velour is and thought, "Surely, I could not deny my baby this." (Although my first two daughters happily endured Huggies wipes.)
However, I still was not convinced I needed to deal with poopy wipes, especially as I use disposable diapers. So I decided to use lush wipes for wet, Huggies for the other. When Rachel was born, she turned out to be a very infrequent "diaper dirtier" (as in every couple weeks!) so everything turned out nicely.

I've been trying to convince my friends to try bamboo wipes, but so far I have zero converts. So, I'll show you how easy it is to incorporate reusable wipes for wet diapers at least, and also give away one set of 10 so you can try them...and once you feel them, I'm telling you, you'll never go back.

Every few days, I restock Rachel's wipes warmer like so.
Microwave 1 1/2 c water for two minutes. Add a 1/2 tsp baby soap and a few drops each of baby oil and tea tree oil. (I keep these mini sized containers in the kitchen cabinet so the operation takes 2.5 minutes.)

I place a cut-to-size wash cloth at the bottom of the warmer to prevent the last wipe from over drying, then a stack of wipes.

Pour the solution over the wipes and up to the nursery you go with a steaming cake of wipes. =)

There are all sorts of stylish wet bags available to for storing used wipes until laundry time, but I simply toss the used ones into an open ziploc. Again, I don't deal with dirty wipes, so I wash these with towels or any other load of hot laundry.
So, it's all very easy peasy.
If you would like to try some bamboo wipes, leave a comment before noon EST, April 2. US addresses only please.

2011-03-24T19:02:00.009-06:00

"Before and after" pics of the guest bedroom/nursery.

Before: The guest bedroom wall:

That'll wake you up. Good morning! He's a-happy to see you!

He was outlined in Sharpie permanent ink...priming and priming some more.

After: Rachel's tame room.

For the first six months we lived in this home, Anna and Sonja referred to it only as "the frog house." I'm sure we'll call it that too, when we eventually move out. You just don't forget a frog like that.

2011-03-17T19:25:00.014-06:00

This happened some six months ago, but I have to share with you this treasure. Last fall, we were treated to a photo session with the talented Emily of Willa J Photography.

We met up near the city docks in Annapolis and had a lovely time walking around the pretty buildings and shops.

Emily stopped and positioned us along the way, or suggested to the girls to play in the leaves, or simply snapped shots of our family being ourselves.

I was particularly impressed by Emily's ability to engage the girls, especially Sonja who was still in her anti-social phase at that time.

In addition to the candid shots, Emily was also able to capture the girls in studio-quality close-ups whenever the opportunity came up (ie. they were ultra happy because a puppy had just walked by.)

Emily articulates perfectly why I am so in love with her work:

"My goal as a photographer is to find the uniqueness of a person, the beauty of a subject, and the essence of a relationship. I aim to capture real people in real places. Gone are the days of stale, stilted, overly-posed studio portraits! I hope that my photographs will not simply adorn your walls or serve as a display on your tables. I hope they will truthfully record a memorable season in your family's history."

I am so thankful for her creativity in recording this season in our life.

Not long after our photo shoot, Willa J relocated to Western Pennsylvania, BUT she is scheduling MD/VA/DC photo shoots for specific times during the year. You can visit her site to learn more.

Also, even if you are not close enough to take advantage of Emily's talent, or if you are a photographer yourself, check out the Willa J blog for inspiration! You can also follow Willa J on facebook, which is how I learned of her fabulous giveaway!
These are a couple of my favorites from her blog:

I just love her creative eye!

(Photos use by permission from Willa J.)

2011-03-15T19:07:00.004-06:00

When Chris and I graduated from college, we moved straight away to Philadelphia where I lived in a school dormitory and Chris set up in what was to become our first apartment. My Terp loving then fiance hung a large Maryland University banner showcasing the Maryland Terrapin in the dining room. I remember a conversation like, "So, once we're married, do you want to hang the banner over the couch or keep it in the dining room?" My response was...basement? And yes, when we wed, the Terrapin took up residence in the basement of that and every other homes. Until...

Last week, I was browsing my Facebook feed and, being a fan of Pottery Barn, came across their March Madness contest in my newsfeed. Pottery Barn was taking photo submissions of "Game Watching Headquarters." I just started laughing. "Chri--is? Where is that Maryland banner?"

I'm just tickled pink about the whole thing!

2011-03-12T20:36:00.017-06:00

Time for my quarterly update, I suppose.
I can't believe how quickly time is going by these days. I felt like I updated this blog maybe week before last? Actually, it was January. And before that October.
So, three kids has sent our little world into warp speed. I say goodnight (for the fifth time) to the girls on Sunday night and it seems almost immediately we're waking up to Saturday.
We are not doing too much outside of daily home life and many days are nearly identical. Still, post kid-bedtime, I have about two ounces of creative thought power, enough for two complete sentences or the Times crossword with a cup of tea. And that has been a nice way to wind down, but it means this blog stagnates and come December, I will have no idea what we did all year and you will receive a Christmas letter filled with random trivia I picked up from Will Shortz.
So, moving forward. Here is an update on the bitty baby.
Rachel had her 6mos appointment and is shaping up like her dad. 25% in weight, 75% in height. My little string bean.

She is the easiest thing I do all day. I think that is a built-in on all third child installments? She's starting to sit up on her own but predictably falls over if I dash for the camera.

She rolls about in her crib, but stays put on the floor. Sonja is not allowed on the playmat so I think Rachel views it as a safe zone and wanders not.

She makes us smile, a lot.

I think she is the best baby in the world and I tell her so fifty times a day. =)

Sonja bear. She is the kid in the center attempting to touch the crocodile. Need I say anything more? =)

Sometimes I do not know what to do with this little girl. But most of the time all she really needs is for me to sit down and read "Good Dog, Carl." (Those books make me wonder if Carl really could exist. "Now Carl, I'm going out *by myself*. You take care of these children and sic Social Services should they knock on the door.")
Anyway, Sonja has two loves. Rachel and her pink baby. Her pink baby doll smells like cupcakes and Sonja can no longer fall sleep without her pink baby directly under her nose. Her pink baby also attends all meal times and the child cannot eat if the pink baby is not sitted up and facing her. Her pink baby needs to be sitted up against the wall for all bathroom events. I do not permit Sonja to take her pink baby outside our house, other than in the car, because I don't quite know what would happen if we lost her. It is very sweet how consistently attentive an almost three year old is with her dolly. (Except the time she stuck play-doh in her eyes. A spa treatment?)

Taken at 11PM when our little insomniac called down the stairs, "Come see me!"
The Sonja we know and love...

And now, Anna.

Anna has matured in the past six months, faster than I can stand.

She is eager to learn, everything, and has six hundred questions about jet planes, marshmallows and punctuation. We are honestly planning on giving her an encyclopedia for her birthday, as a gift to ourselves. She spends hours a day reading to herself, and another hour reading "Good Dog, Carl" to her little sister.

She loves the idea of school so we began a penmanship workbook several weeks ago.

I know she would be interested in doing more schoolwork, but she can never go back to these "goof off all day as you like" days so I'm not going to start anything else until fall. Even then, I think we'll just continue penmanship and start a little math workbook. I need to blog about this whole homeschool gig...another time.
For now, I'm just enjoying these three girls, and Sonja's pink baby.

2011-01-12T22:46:00.002-06:00

Sonja bear. =)

2011-01-12T22:17:00.004-06:00

To acquire a tree.
The past two years, we have found our fir up by the PA state line. The farm is lovely, but the owners failed to realize that Christmas trees continue to grow after December and that new ones take years to grow.
So:

Also, this tree was very sappy. Sap in the girls' hair, on the rug, all over the tree skirt. I don't want to make any rash decisions, but an artificial is gaining appeal...

2011-01-12T21:52:00.003-06:00

Winter break of my sophomore in college, my mom picked out a Thomas Kinkade cross stitch pattern and asked me to make it for her. I made excellent progress during the break, but stalled out during the school year. My mom only asked that I finish it before I got married. In 2005, she asked that I finish it before we have our first child. Or second. Or third.
Here is the photo of the completed project SHE made me...and my slacking progress.

Mom, before I'm a grandma, I promise.

2011-01-12T21:38:00.005-06:00

Port Discovery in Bmore.
Anna is in the bubble.

Geometry with Grandpa.

Plumbing with their Pa.

I Love Lucy: the chocolate factory.

Super fun place. If you want to go, I have extra tickets...

2011-01-12T19:57:00.008-06:00

Check check? One, two?
Boy, it has been awhile. My Grandpa visited, then my parents came up, then we went to PA for Thanksgiving, then the holidays swamped me. Oh, and our computer died. And I would rather get an arm chair than another computer so...
Anyway.
This is most of the gang in Georgia for Christmas:

Cousins and two aunts.

An epic Christmas morning.

Sonja finally warmed up to Uncle Rob...who secreted her cookies at any time of day.

We had a Christmas celebration here the week before Christmas. It was very, very exciting:

On New Year's Day, we had another celebration with the Schwartzes.

I plan on posting more pics...
I'll be back.

2010-10-30T21:45:00.011-06:00

Our bitty baby is two months old, already.

She started rolling over from tummy to back this week.

She's got the cutest little dimple I ever did see.

We get pretty excited about these smiles. Way too excited to focus the camera...

She is settling into a predictable routine, but has yet to sleep through the night- she wakes up to nurse sometime between 2-4AM. If I went to sleep when she does, I'd be getting two 4-5 hour stretches on either side. If. I. went. to. bed.

Her sisters are very into her.

Speaking of, these two are nuts. Here they are going to sleep in the playhouse.

I think Anna gave up and crawled into her bed pretty quickly. Sonja has spent a couple nights in there. We've become pretty lax about their sleeping arrangements. Maybe a month ago, they agreed to switch bunks so Sonja sleeps on top now, when she sleeps in her bed, that is. (One evening, we went upstairs and found her on the bedroom floor, another time in the hall...) Never a dull moment.
Okay, MY bedtime. Night, folks!

2010-10-18T12:23:00.013-06:00

Welp, it is Monday and for the first time in many moons we are hitting the pavement at a dead sprint. I mean it. Except about the running part, which is metaphorical.
Our dinner for tonight is already made. I made a beef stew last night and put in the fridge overnight to allow the flavors to develop. A completely unrelated fact- we had cereal for dinner last night because the beef stew wasn't ready. Anyway, Chris was home most of this morning to meet the electrician, which meant I could take a shower in the AM and also that our house is less Twilight Zone-y. The electrician coming meant that I tidied up everywhere yesterday because you never know where an electrician might go. Additionally, having an electrician around, I didn't feel I could chat with my mother in my usual Monday fashion, so bathed the children and worked on projects until he left and I could return to standard operations.
So, my clean home, self and children, dinner already made, projects worked on Monday is probably an isolated event. Unless we always have cereal on Sundays and electricians on Mondays.
Anyway, the real reason I came on here was to put up pics for the relations. These are from a visit to a local farm last Saturday.
Anna had been asking for weeks about milking a cow. This was the best they had, but she seemed satisfied with the experience and hasn't asked since.

The girls rode horses and Sonja uncharacteristically participated and asked to be on the big horse instead of the little pony.

They had a very fun bouncy obstacle course.

The final wall was a little much for Sonja and most of the little kids, so Chris went in and tossed kids up for awhile.

The Saturday before the farm festival, in which we went to the farm on the wrong day so played at the park.

Alright then, I'm down to one kid still asleep, so things are getting crazy here.

2010-10-07T11:42:00.000-06:00

What we've been up to the last couple weeks...
Playing with Rachel. =)

My Anne Geddes moment.

Napping.

I turned 28 and don't know how I managed the candles before children.

Anna and Sonja started taking ballet.

Anna adores her teacher and endeavors to please her.

Sonja sidles away from her teacher and strives to avoid any physical contact. She does like the bears used in class.

Rachel made it to one month...

...despite persistent loving from a certain sibling.

The girls are still very enamored with their baby sister.

And we're generally learning to live life with three chilidren. Currently, that means I type one handed, which is slow going and means this post is done. I plan to be back soon. Although, knowing how well my "plans" go these days, that means nothing. Cheers for now.

2010-09-15T08:38:00.009-06:00

Something has happened.

It's happened to me!

Yesterday, I was only three.

But when today came through the door...

Suddenly, I turned to four!

Happy Birthday to our little cupcake. =)

Anna's friends had cupcakes while she opened her gifts. After most folks had left, Anna asked Chris if she could have one...I completely forgot to give the birthday girl a cupcake.

(The above may or may not have contributed to a dramatically increased blood pressure resulting in Rachel's early delivery...)

2010-09-14T19:00:00.003-06:00

Chris and the girls are out at the Orioles' game...I think all blog posts for awhile will begin something like that.
We've been on our own for two days now. My mom was here until Saturday and she is sorely missed, by everyone. Sonja sometimes just sits on the guest bed with a book, waiting for Grandma. =( I sometimes just sit at the kitchen table with a plate, waiting for Mom. Just kidding. Thanks, Mom, for being a huge help to our family!
So, it is onward to reality. Forward, ever forward. Actually, I feel like we've been pretty stagnant the last two days. We aren't running errands, I'm not doing projects, the house is on basic upkeep mode. I guess we're just easing into this party of five scene. My goals for today were 1- dress everyone. That was it. Baby steps.
Anyway, let's go back a bit, before baby came, to a day of productivity... A week before Rachel's arrival, we had a wonderful time celebrating a wonderful little Anna turning four. I can't believe we've had Anna for four years. Alas, no time to wax reminiscent. The clan will be returning soon and little R is starting to wake up, so here go pics... Nope, blogger isn't cooperating and Rachel says time's up.
Pics will have to wait...will I ever be productive again???

2010-09-02T18:19:00.015-06:00

Hello, hello! Here is Rachel Aileen!

August 29th, 5:12AM.
6lbs 1oz, 18in

Chris has the girls out at the mall, Rachel is snoozing, and there is an empty candy bar wrapper next to the computer (and an ice cream sandwich wrapper in the trash bin...yes) so I'm feeling pretty peachy. =)
We are just thrilled with Rachel. She surprised us a bit, arriving at 37 1/2wks, but we were hoping she would come early. If you'd like to hear the story, read on. If not, squinty up your eyes and scroll down for some pictures.

So, Monday last week, my blood pressure went up and I had proteinuria. My ob scheduled a non-stress test for Friday, checked my cervix to try to get things moving, and said to take it really easy. Cancel upcoming beach trip...

On Friday, my bp was pretty high and they said I wasn't going home unless it came down. Cancel any fifth anniversary plans??? The NST showed baby was doing great, my bp came down, the doc swept the membranes and I came home. No contractions or anything so Chris and I left the girls with his parents that night and drove up to the outlets in Lancaster, PA. Contractions started on the drive up, but were not getting any more intense, so we continued to drive away from the hospital. We walked around the PB outlet to the rhythm of ctx every five minutes, found nothing to buy, and decided to make for home. I felt bad about dragging Chris all the way up there, not finding any furniture and heading home, but I felt even worse about possibly delivering a baby in an Amish barn somewhere north of the MD border. So, for our fifth anniversary dinner, we had Panera in the car and talked of ctx.

Once we were within 40 min of the hospital, the ctx petered out and stopped. We stopped by C's parents' house to check in on the girls and I walked the neighborhood, but all was calm. I was a little bit bummed, but then I remembered that NOTHING was ready for baby. So, we went home, just we two and I resolved to get my mama act together the next morning.

Next day, random ctx in the morning to keep me on task preparing for baby. Chris and I went to the post office and mailed out my last, and biggest, sewing obligation and I felt free as a bird, light as a pregnant feather. I told Chris that NOW, we could have the baby whenever... We went to Chipotle, sat outside and chatted...discussed if we would still name her Rachel if the baby had red hair, etc. Came home, did all the laundry, including baby's first load, organized everything including my purse(?), put all in its rightful place, nested my little heart out. Chris finished putting up new doors in the house.

That evening, C's parents brought the girls over and some dinner. It was a very nice dinner, but I didn't want to eat at all, which I figured was because of Chipotle's five pound burrito. Anyway, at 9PM, a very strange feeling came over me. I was irritable, which is not really that strange, but for no reason I felt like I was going to die if I heard the football announcer say one more word. (Chris had earlier asked if I could kindly wait to have the baby until after the Raven's pre-season game 3. I was not having ctx then and said sure, but I was taking that back, swiftly.) So, I shut myself in the bathroom with the lights off and plugged my ears so I wouldn't hear anything or yell, or die. Ctx started right then, every three minutes. I filled in the mister, who turned off the tv and started getting things ready, just in case this was it.

Ctx continued and increased in intensity for a couple hours. I finished packing a few things and laid around, hoping each ctx would be stronger so we really would be in labor. C's mom came back over around midnight and we got into the hospital around 1AM. Ctx were completely tolerable, but I've never gone into labor on my own, so we didn't know how fast or slow things would go.

I went into triage, they monitored ctx for awhile and checked me- I was at 3cm. We went over to labor and delivery at 2AM. Ctx were still manageable, I just needed to really focus on relaxing and thanking God that I actually did go into labor on my own. At 3AM, my ob came in, I was 4/5cm and we decided to break my water. That ramped things up and ctx were getting pretty intense. Chris used a hot pad to apply counter pressure to my back at each ctx, but even that was losing its appeal. As with Anna, Rachel was prone with the back of her head against my back so it was all back labor. At 4AM, I was ready to be done getting through ctx and asked the nurse to check me. I was at 5/6cm, which is not 10cm. I was more than a little discouraged and said so, emphatically. C and the nurse pointed out that I was almost to 7cm and things would go much faster then. It wasn't that helpful to hear, but I had nothing better to do than continue so we went on. 15 more brutal ctx later, I was overwhelmed by the urge to push and made it known to the greater Annapolis area. The doc and nurses came flying in and I shrunk when I realized it was really time to push her out. As the first ctx came, I held my breath and pretended to try but did not push because I didn't want to. The doc looked at me and said, "Okay, you need to try." So, I took another breath and did push, and out came Rachel. Also, a small explosion of amniotic fluid which soaked Chris alone. And there we were. Rachel, and Chris, were cleaned up and we praised God for bringing us through.
We came home Monday and have just been hanging out. The girls love fawning over their new sister and Rachel has been a tolerant child, except when she was sat on momentarily.

Okay, here are the pictures of our little lovely:

2010-08-26T20:54:00.018-06:00

Summertime photos.
Chris' company picnic was at a park on the beach. We didn't know about the beach part until we arrived though so did not have swimsuits for the girls. But what was that when there was such fun to be had? We drove home with two naked children.

Another Saturday, we went up to see C's grandmom.

Then had lunch with Opa and started for home well into naptime. En route, some friends phoned to say they were at the pool near our house. We decided to stop by to just say hello as we didn't have the girls' swimsuits. Again, swimsuits are optional, apparently. Second Saturday of driving home with naked children.
Later that evening, we went to a neighbor's birthday party.
Scavenger hunt:

Anna earning her Junior Camper badge.

Going fishing.

Another Saturday, we enjoyed a backyard bbq with a sandbox.

And a juice box.

Summer days are made for bike rides.

And of course, we've had lots...

...and lots...

and lots of frozen treats.

So, we have had some fun this summer. =)

2010-08-22T12:57:00.014-06:00

We moved into our house the weekend of July 4th. Chris and a buddy worked until the wee hours that Friday night to get most of the wood floor done on the main level so we could move furniture over. Saturday morning, the girls and I headed out to Virginia for the day- pregnant women and small children are best out of state during a move, apparently. My college girlfriends were in the area for the weekend so it just worked out well to spend the day away.
Second Floor North reunited. =)

We came home that evening, ate chinese take-out amongst a hundred boxes in the living room and spent our first night here.
We woke up Sunday morning to find someone was a little disoriented by the move. (She did have the presence of mind to bring water with her for her hallway camp out.)

Church on the 4th.

Sunday night, C put the last board in the floor...

...and was mighty glad to be done with his marathon installation.

That evening, we had our first house guest...so we put a temporary door on one bathroom and my college roomie slept on Anna's bunk while the girls slept-toe to-toe on the bottom. A week later we had the pleasure of hosting the Kirklins from Ohio. They got to have the guest bedroom, with a door even. The day they left, we had C's bud from college stay the night. And then we realized we were crazy and haven't had any overnight guests since.
These are pics from the Kirklins' visit.
Making coffee.

Jason and Chris installing the microwave. Nice to have some method of cooking since our stove didn't work that weekend...it's a good thing the Kirklins are really good friends.

The Simmons, from Philly days, were visiting family nearby so we all met up that Saturday for a rousing game of croquet and a walk around the Annapolis harbor.

"Find your toes..." Or your nose.

Thanks, Kirklins for being the most understanding guests ever. Next time, we'll have it together.

2010-08-21T20:04:00.024-06:00

Two months...sorry about that. I kept meaning to post pics of the house, but I would then think, "I'll wait to take a picture of that room until the light is installed." And then "The outlet plates are not on yet...I'll wait until that's done." But now, I've wisened to the realization that we will always have something more to do on the house. And besides, I'm getting way behind in pictures and events. Without further ado, here are before and after pics of our first home:
Before:

During:

After:

Dining room before:

During:

After:

Living room before:

During:

After (I took this picture right now for you. See blogger on the laptop screen?):

Girls' room before (wow):

During:

After:

Our bedroom before:

After:

The guest bedroom is hosting boxes and extra furniture at the moment so I could not get a picture. And the bathrooms are done, but I didn't take pictures and that involves going upstairs, which post-Anna's-party-sloth-mode doesn't do. We're getting there...
Chris is doing an awesome job. Love this guy. =)

2010-06-21T19:24:00.013-06:00

Howdy friends.
Welp, we officially became homeowners last Monday.

And Chris has been working to beat the band since. I knew it was going to be busy, but things have been insane of late. Chris comes home after work to change clothes, sometimes eats dinner and then is over at the new house until wee AM hours, snatches a little sleep here and heads back to his day job. I can't comprehend this stamina. He's a Power Ranger. The blue one, I think.
I've spent very little time at the new house. Within hours of getting the keys, C had all the carpet out making the house a death by tack strips trap for children. So, the kids can't be over there at all until the new flooring is in. And someone needs to watch them. So, my job is to parent the kids and pack up this house. It's going fairly well, actually. I put the kids in the first box I packed. =) No really, God has been very, very gracious in granting me patience. And C's parents have taken the girls a couple times to give me a chance to help Chris out at the house or go to Best Buy and enjoy(?) a non-interrupted conversation about dishwashers.
In spite of the craziness, Chris was forced to take an afternoon off on Saturday to visit with J&J in from Texas. Here are some pics of the girls from that day:

Anna was dubious as to the bouyancy capabilities of arm floaties, but finally was coaxed to swim to Jonny.

Sonja was frightfully confident. Kind of freaks me out how daring this child is.

See what I mean?

Just kidding. She's not that crazy, thank goodness.

Okay, I've got to get to bed. Another day to get at tomorrow. As soon as I get a chance to be over at the house, I'll take some pics to give you a rough look at our future home.

2010-06-11T13:46:00.006-06:00

Projects of late:
Most of my evening time has been geared towards the new house...which we STILL are waiting to close on, hopefully Monday...researching appliances, etc. But, after a week or so, I miss my little Viking lady and find a reason to sew something. Once inspired, I always stay up too late, and always regret it, and spend the next day flat on the couch as often as possible (not very with these two). Anyway, this is what I've been making:

My friend Rachel made this sweet dress for her niece last year and lent me the pattern. She warned that the pattern ran large, so I made the newborn size and ended up with a shirt(!) for Anna:

This quilt was finished in the eleventh hour so this pic is swiped off Rachel's blog:

Guess what these are:

Baby wipes!

Friends of ours used these bamboo velour wipes with their first child and loved them. They asked me to sew up a second set for their newest edition and sweetly gave me enough fabric to make a couple extra sets. When I heard the idea of reusable wipes you had to wash, I was not interested at all. And then I felt the fabric...double.ply.plush.velour...so soft and buttery, and in a solution in a wipes warmer? Wow. Luxury and thriftiness meet. We'll try these with baby girl in September and I'll let you know how wipes-washing goes.

And last, quilt for WICP.

Alright, my brain just walked out the door. Like a light switch, it's gone, so I guess we'll end here. Happy weekend!

2010-05-31T08:20:00.002-06:00

Some of the big cats of C's work invited him on a fishing trip a couple Mondays ago. Chris reeled in the only catch of the day.

I don't know if that is a good thing or not. They didn't throw him off the boat. And he shared most of the fish because 3/4 of the homestead do not eat seafood.

2010-05-31T07:21:00.007-06:00

Tomorrow is June and summer officially begins sometime therein. I love summer about 90%. The other 10% is due to humidity, mosquitoes, but mostly daily bathing of sweated and dirty feeted children. However, there is something to saying goodnight to fresh washed and tuckered out children, while it is still light even. So, I suppose I like summer 93%. Enough for an A. Or A- in grad school.
Anyway, so far we have enjoyed our first of season corn on the cob.

We received our first of season free tickets to the O's, and attended alongside forty other fans... O's are the worst in baseball at the moment so attendance was second to lowest on record. Also, it was rainy so the bounce house was not up and the playground was wet. Had there not been t-ball practice and sweet friends to meet up with, the night might have been a loss for all parties involved. Well, except Kansas City.

We had our first BBQ of the summer. (And the last one in this teeny house, I hope. Eleven people and rain meant grown men sat at the girls little table...) Chris with a couple of the guys.

We have broken out the sunhats and crazy sunglasses. And Sonja has busted out her dance moves.

Hurrah for summer time. =)

2010-05-31T07:08:00.008-06:00

Sonja's actual birthday:

After some birthday surprises first thing in the morning, we headed out to a real estate office to spend two hours in paperwork as we placed an offer on our house. The dream birthday of every two year old, yes? We spent the remainder of the day making up for it:

Love love love this little girl. =)

2010-05-24T09:00:00.007-06:00

Our little Sonja turned to two last month.

We started the celebration a few days early with Oma, Opa, Uncle Bill and Aunt Gloria. Uncle Bill made the girls this adorable hutch to match the table and chair set he made them last year. And Aunt Gloria brought little snack pack foods to stock their cupboards.

Sonja loved riding her bike from Oma and Opa.

Sonja's makeshift cake. As the layers were cooling, I pulled out the cake decorating basket to find it, uh, empty. Forgetfullness, you thick friend...I had lent everything to a friend months ago and had quite forgotten, naturally. Another friend had just given me the Hello Cupcake book with instructions for ziploc bag decorating and I found a set of four drippy primary colors in the back of a cabinet:

I felt accomplished until Sonja saw the cake and cried because there were ladybugs on it. (She still is freaked out by bugs...even M&M ones.)

2010-05-22T20:47:00.002-06:00

Been a little behind lately. Funny, as I've simultaneously grown a bigger behind...ahem, pregnancy.
Anyway, what is going on here:

We are in the final throes of purchasing our first home. It is very exciting to us, but C and I both are pretending to be nonchalant about it, because it isn't really a done deal until it is a done deal, which will not happen for another week or so. And we're cautious persons. But, I'm pretty sure we'll both have a few tears when we finally have the keys in hand. Me because of excitement, Chris because of all the work ahead of him.
The house is a town home in a nice little neighborhood, but 20 years dated. The plan is to put down wood floors on the first floor, take out a wall, replace carpet for the upstairs, replace appliances and hvac whatever, and paint, paint, paint. (The current palette just isn't "us"- Ming red, fuchsia, and painted frogs. I'm serious about the frog.) These are the big items we'd like to have finished before moving in; there are other projects we can work on while living there and I secretly have fifty other ideas C does not know about, yet. So, he's definitely going to be busy.
We're hoping to move in two weeks after settlement, Lord willing and the creek don't rise, and the floors are finished, and the AC is installed. Mid-June means warm temps, and third trimester for baby. That so, I'm trying to be better about getting prepared to move a little at a time instead of in a frantic flurry at the last minute, as usual.
So, I have a list. Lately, I've had to write things down, and I hate to write things down because of the accountability involved with a visual to-do list (and the anxiety of someone discovering my list and holding me to it...), but my brain is no longer reliable to remind me of things or to retain anything. So, I must list. And I must do something on the list every day, because dogging my step is the realization that every day I'm going to get larger and the weather is going to get hotter so I better pick something to cross off. Anyway, progress is being made. (Updating this blog was on my list.)
Also on my list is paint colors. I have been told to start with something you love and base your house palette off of that piece. But really, I'm just trying to find a workable palette that matches all the furnishings we already have. I've fallen in love with the idea of green cabinets in the kitchen and have twisted the rest of the house to suit that idea. And then, when I realize my house is mainly green, I remember that I like blue best so begin again with blues until I come to my dear cabinets and cannot reconcile the blue and green. So, I'm still staring at fan decks.

I was going to say above that considering my intimacy with paint chips, our baby could actually be named after a paint color, and that is of course not true, but does lead me into what else is going on here: Baby. =) As most of you know, we found out we are expecting another sweet girl. And she has been a very good passenger. I would not know I was pregnant if not for the extra pounds (By the by, do not attempt Wii Fit while pregnant...accusations of late night snacking and what else...demoralizing) and that I cannot keep my eyelids up between 1:30 and 2:30. I am very, very thankful for an easy go so far as these other two little scampers and the looming move give me much to do. (Also, I really did forget to add, that FORGETFULNESS is a major doozy this pregnancy. Every morning, without fail, I begin the day by forgetting the husband's coffee. The day continues likewise.)

Anyway, speaking of those two little scampers... This past Saturday, we were at a birthday party at a park. Sonja had just used the potty chair in the car and I was about to empty it in the grass just in front of the car. I didn't want her to fall out of the car- she was in the front seat- so I closed the door and a moment later heard the locks go down. The diaper bag was in the car with my phone and keys. After extensive sign language, Sonja unlocked the doors. Relief. What an awful feeling! But, just in case I didn't really get the full effect:
Same day, back home, after naps, the girls and I sat in the sunshine on the back steps and had popsicles. We had a lovely time and afterwards, Anna hopped up the steps back inside and Sonja took the steps in an up-two-down-three manner. I was standing in the doorway watching Sonja when I was nudged by the door closing behind me. Anna had casually closed the back door, which we never unlock as it has one of those twisty childproof knobs on it and is a real pain to unlock. So, I was locked out once more. Anna was on the inside, but the knob had the twisty cover, of course. Again, much signage through the window and I successfully showed Anna how to open the childproof knob. So, there you have it. This is why baby must not cause any trouble. I'm borderline as it is.
Well, it isn't cohesive, but that's the gist of what is going on about here. I have pics for Sonja's bday...soon. Earlier today, Chris started making a shelf modelled after this one:

We all know where it's from. I've been wanting two of these- one for each of the girls to keep their bedtime books on. The current system results in books sliding back between the bed and the wall and I certainly don't fit under the bed to fish them out. So, I'm off to see how the project goes. =)

2010-05-06T09:39:00.016-06:00

Easter celebration:
We went up to visit Great Grandmom the Saturday of Easter weekend.

Oma planned an egg hunt for the girls...

...and packed the eggs...

...with interesting goods. The girls were bananas over it. =)

Back home, the girls colored eggs.

Anna was REALLY excited about it.

Sonja, casually cool, per usual.

After a wonderful sermon and church on Sunday:

After defrocking, the girls started in on the candy.

2010-04-30T09:16:00.017-06:00

The next spring activity- Smithsonian Kite Festival.
We took the metro down to DC one Saturday to see kites and cherry blossoms.

The girls made their own kites at a booth on the mall.

Our friends Jenn and Simeon joined us on our kiting adventure.

Beloved PB&J.

Anna ran all over the mall "flying" her kite.

We figured we'd head home around naptime, but the girls seemed happy chilling in the stroller so we went to the Museum of Natural History.

And then took five hundred pics with the blossoms.

Last stop was the Capital building.

We had a fantastic time down in DC...

...and then we, and five thousand other people, attempted to take the metro home. Let's not talk about the lines of tired people, including us with two un-napped children, trying to take a double stroller through the crowded station, finally reaching the entrance gate to realize I lost my ticket, finally getting on the packed metro with both kids in my arms and turning to see the doors closing with Chris on the other side, Sonja crying most of the ride...sigh. Yes, let's not talk about that. Remember those pretty cherry blossoms?

2010-04-30T08:37:00.009-06:00

First day of spring.

We went to the park and walked down to the lake.

A nice man lent Anna a fishing pole.

After PB&J's...

...we walked around the lake.

We explored some bridges and docks.

After naps, we took Rita up on her free italian ice.

We're so glad you're here, Spring!

2010-04-14T19:51:00.005-06:00

Beginning of March, the girls and I took a quick trip up to Philly to visit with the Liv's and company.
Erin is raisin' those boys right.

So so right.

And Dem was a wonderful help too.

During the day, it was great to catch up with a few other families who stopped by and dinner that evening with 8 kids:3 adults was very fun chaos. =)

Thanks again, Liv's. =)

2010-04-14T19:21:00.009-06:00

Let's go back to..ahem..February to catch up with pics.
MarioKart with JK- the girls adore having this guy in town. =)

We had some friends over that evening a sang an early birthday to Chris. After most folks had left, I was back with the girls in their room and told Sonja she could go out and say goodnight to the guys. She had no intention of returning:

For C's real birthday, we invited his parents over for dinner and enjoyed this professionally decorated cake:

No parent blows out their own candles.

Also on Dad's b-day, we went to our friend Adeline's birthday party.

Anna pinned the nose on the bunny perfectly!

And then Lynn tied the scarf so she actually could not see...

End February.

2010-04-07T20:19:00.008-06:00

I'm here! I am here!
Wow, let's not talk about how long it's been...
Back to it.
First of all, the most exciting news since last I blogged- we're expecting a baby. =) Lord willing, we'll welcome this little one mid-September. More on baby later.

Second- we've been house hunting. Every spare minute, I'm on redfin.com and lately I've been boning up on mortgages. Gah. More on that later...hopefully some news soon!

Third- Sonja is potty trained. Did it herself, I just supplied the M&M's. Totally different experience than with Anna. I deserve no credit; she seriously decided to be potty trained and I handed over the underwear.

Fourth- Anna is reading. Starfall.com is largely responsible for that...

Fifth- I started doing legal work from home for a lawyer who is a family friend. It's not that big of a time commitment. (So, it just *sounds* like I'm crazy, I'm not, that much.)

Sixth- Big ultrasound coming up next week...we hope to find out if we're three for three or going for a change up. My mom keeps mentioning the prudence of not knowing baby's gender as motivation during delivery, but I remember thinking during labor with Anna- I don't care if it's a boy or a girl or a puppy, I want it OUT. NOW! Besides, I think our household needs a little adjustment period if we're to have a little boy coming our way. (I simply have no idea what is on the righthand side of PBK's store...I'm kidding!) Seriously kidding, especially if we are buying a house this year. Gah.

What else? I have taken 500 pictures since we last met. Some of those need to get up here.
We're enjoying very fine weather.
Sonja is turning two on Monday!
We've been baking a lot of baguettes.
What I Call Pretty is still going on, for kicks, for now. We'll see what happens when a watermelon belly is between me and the rotary board.
I think that is everything interesting to update you on. I'll be posting lots of pictures of what else we've been up to, but here are a few for now. To get my mom off my back. =)

Snug as a bug...

The girls' favorite place to read together during the day is up on the top bunk. Note my hole-y slippers and remember that on my birthday. Ahem.

Their favorite place to read once dad is home:

"And both sisters agreed that the day wouldn't be complete without a swing after supper."

Okay, it's bedtime. See you soon though, promise. =)

2010-02-14T21:03:00.020-06:00

Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
I'm updating this blog.
The moon must be too.

Blue. The moon must be blue...once in a blue moon? Chris said I lost him. Sorry if I lost you too.
Anywho. Hello! Happy Valentine's Day.
Since last we chatted, we've seen some five feet of snow fall and boy are we ready for Old Man Winter to move on out of here. We're expecting snow tomorrow evening, so I guess his answer is no. So what have we been up to aside from washing snowsuits daily?

At the end of January, Chris generously let me fly out to Wisconsin to spend five days with my best friend, Sonja, and meet their new baby girl.

Mark, Sonja's husband, taught me how to shoot a revolver.

Chris had a bit of a rough go at home...the girls, who had not been sick since March, came down with chest colds the day I left, Anna had to get liquid nitrogen for a wart on her toe, and the power went out for 24 hours. It made for a very welcoming husband...
After I came home, Anna made the bold move to the top bunk. I have no qualms about Anna being up so high. She has that firstborn cautious gene. Her little sister, on the other hand... The original rule was no going up on the top bunk during the day and Sonja was never to be on the ladder. The law has been ammended- no socks when climbing the ladder and NO FALLING. So far, so good.

Other than that, we've just been snowed on. Here are some pics from before the storms hit.

Sonja kicking back, watching Anna play Wii.

Starting to dig out of the first storm.

The Honda hibernated for the week.

For the second big storm, we went over to C's parents to be snowed in there for a couple days:

"Hey, look at me. I'm an icicle!"

"Me too!"

Bowling on the Wii.

"You got a STRIKE!"

Good form.

Okay, it's time for bed. I hope things are starting to thaw where you are. I, personally, can't wait for spring...

2010-01-15T11:51:00.005-06:00

My friend Rachel shared this awesome printable grocery menu with me and I had to pass it along. It has been helpful to list out exactly what I'll need for each meal so I don't forget silly but key ingredients (like the $0.16 jalepeno, my personal pet peeve forgottee.) My favorite thing about using this menu though is the lunch planning. I don't plan so much for the girls and I, but I need to have a plan for a good lunch to send to work with Chris. And really, it's best to have that written out than to think on the fly in the AM whilst squinty eyed and blinded by the fridge light. It also helps me to think of the leftovers I'll have from each dinner so I can use those for lunches instead of them getting shoved to the back of the fridge and forgotten...for weeks...until we can host molec/bio lab in our very own kitchen. (That does not happen so very often, mostly thanks to C.)
Anyway, just thought I'd share. Rachel is focusing each month this year on a different aspect of Proverbs 31, so if you're the homemaking type, check in often on her fabulous blog.

Other news around here- the girls continue to sleep toe to toe in the bottom bunk. Warms my heart to see it. =) I think most mothers' hearts are warmed to see their children asleep at all, but it's especially sweet when they are snuggled in the same bed. Speaking of...Sonja is goofing off in her bed at present rather than warming her mother's heart, so I just went in and snapped this:
Chris crafted this bed rail to keep one little monkey from falling out:

The rail perfectly matches the top bunk, including the eased edges, but is a shorter length so Sonja can get out when the ladder is in place. Thanks for being so fantastic, Chris. =)
(Last time I posted a project by Chris and referenced Norm Abram, we had, and continue to get, at least 10 Google hits a week from folks searching, "Is Norm Abram married?" In case you've come back, I believe he is.)
Anyway, what else is new.... ah, I broke into a new pack of fabrics for WICP. These are a few fabrics from the new colorway.

Okay, I think Sonja's motor just ran out. On to a bit of sewing...
Hope everyone has a great weekend! The weather is finally above frigid here and I hope it is where you are too. =)

2010-01-11T13:04:00.009-06:00

Christmas time.
We celebrated Christmas morning here in our own home for the second year in a row. We waited until Christmas Eve, when the children were snug in their beds, to place gifts under the tree so the morning involved a great deal of excitement.

Anna asked to read each book right then as she opened them.

In Sonja's right hand is a dollhouse baby. She has yet to let go of it still.

At mid-morning, we made the 20 min trek over to join the rest of the Schwartzes. We have few pics of that nice time, but once our new camera battery charged, we have 400 pics of the rest of the weekend. Here are two...(naptime is over)
Visiting Great Grandmom.

Being fed "in the zoo."

We had a splendid weekend with Opa, Oma, Uncle Roo, Aunt Manda and Great Grandmom!

2010-01-06T20:23:00.006-06:00

The week before Christmas, we enjoyed a great snowfall. It began late Friday night and continued through Sunday morning. The last flakes fell onto two feet of snow which drifted nicely to five feet, covering all of the Honda except one side view mirror barely poking out. We took the girls out on Saturday, but with the flakes still falling and a chill wind blowing, it was not the best experience. But look how excited they were to go out:

Anna could hardly walk, partially because she was wearing ten layers, but also because of the snow being deep. Still, she struck out for the swingset.

Then over to the picnic table and chairs.

Sonja was entirely immobile in the snow. We went for a quick swing which is not so very fun with snow blowing in your face, but we caught one smile before heading inside for cocoa.

Sunday morning, church was cancelled and there were no snow plows up our road until the afternoon anyhow. When the girls went down for naps, Chris and I joined the neighborhood in digging out the vehicles. It was a nice weekend of hibernating. =)

2010-01-06T16:19:00.005-06:00

I know I need to catch up on the past couple weeks, but I've been thoroughly side-tracked playing with our new camera.
Lots of changes going on in this casa. Sonja resolved to give up her pacifier on New Year's Eve, as in we could not find her lone remaining pacifier at bedtime, anywhere. The day before we had disassembled her crib. Something was tragically wrong with this syntax.

Sonja has made excellent progress and no longer asks for it. The past two nights, she didn't get out of bed once and last night, she even insisted on staying in bed...(we don't have the mattress for Anna's top bunk in yet so she goes to sleep on our bed, Sonja in Anna's bed, and at our bedtime we conduct a small scale Chinese fire drill and Sonja gets a crib mattress on the floor.) So, last night, when Chris and I gave up on conquering Super Mario world eight's castle, I put sleeping Sonja down on the crib mattress and went to get Anna. I turn as I walk out the door to see Sonja scrambling back in to the big girl bed. I go to take her out and she insists, "Bed, bed!" while patting the pillow. I try to coax her to come down on the crib mattress, but she begged to stay in the big girl bed. A real mattress is much more comfortable than a crib one. So, the two little girls slept Willy Wonka style:

Okay, dinner! I'll be back. =)

2009-12-22T13:39:00.004-06:00

A few Fridays ago, we went to the Walters Museum in downtown Baltimore for a bit of culture. A friend of mine got the ball rolling, and random events led us to a small homeschooler group meeting at the museum. So the girls and I strollered up Centre Street to find out about the Heroes of Ancient Greece.

The museum's children director did an excellent job and Anna was fascinated by her narration of Heracles and Ulysses. We couldn't take pictures in the exhibition halls, but she had the kids under sheepskins crawling out of Polyphemus' cave and wrestling a duct tubing sea monster. She ended with the kids sing the teapot song like so:
"I am an amphora from ancient Greece.
Here are my handles, here is my scene.
I am made of clay and painted black.
Ancient history on front and back."
It was very cute and well done. The final part of the class was an art activity, which was not so thought out. The kids were to color circles which would be their hero sign and glue it to a folded piece of foam which would be a pocket. Glue the pocket to an apron which you could twist behind you to be a cape? Lackluster, but the girls had fun coloring.

(The final apron product was a sad story...the marker never dried because it was plastic and after a week of sitting on the desk untouched, it found it's way into the trash. The next day, Anna asked for it for the first time and was very sad that it was gone. Tears and regret.)
Seriously though, how do you discern what to keep and what to toss? I grew up getting to keep almost anything and my room was full of...junk, really. I've since turned a 180 and now throw away wedding albums...just kidding...but I do get rid of a lot. I don't want to throw away my kids' treasures, but I don't want unimportant paraphernalia cluttering up our lives. Looking for a line to walk...

2009-12-12T13:58:00.009-06:00

This year, we returned to Applewood Farms to acquire the Christmas conifer. Last year we were too cold to take the girls on the train. This year we went the first weekend of December on a sunny afternoon so it would be less cold and less dark. And the train was out of order for the weekend. The sign said it only runs in frigid temps, and only when you are in the midst of potty training and/or nursing children. Or it said to come back next weekend. Either way, we missed out on the train again. Also, there was no pony ride this time, as the horse had evidently gone blind. But this tree and reindeer weren't too bummed.

The tractor pulled us out to the trees and we made our selection pretty quick. But, as Chris drew the saw, the girls changed their minds...

After felling our find, we realized we missed the customary photo op, so here we are in front of a stand in tree.

Then we said hello to a sheep, a pig, two goats, and a blind horse.

Anna feeding the sheep; Sonja looking on anxiously.

Sonja was more into the John Deere.

They had a paved area with different little bikes and a Sonja sized Deere.

There was also a ring toss with reindeer antlers, which I didn't get a picture of, but when Anna saw it, she said, "Is this Ring the Gack?" (Dr. Seuss fans appreciate.)
Back home, tree trimming.

We let the girls hang everything but the really fragile ornaments wherever they wanted to. They moved them around a little bit the next day and lost two of the metal hooks. After spending twenty minutes on the side of my face scanning the floor, I finally found the tetanus-laden sharps and we moved everything up. Someone told me about plastic hooks, but for some reason, this month has been kind of busy and I haven't had a chance to look for them. And the girls haven't minded, and I don't mind our tree looking like it's in a flood zone.
Anyway, hope everyone is having a jolly Saturday!

2009-12-11T08:20:00.003-06:00

Chop chop.

Fab or folly?

2009-12-09T21:43:00.011-06:00

Georgia.
Sonja enjoyed several breakfasts each morning- hers and whoever sat at the table subsequently. Grandma is the lucky winner here:

The dogs always ask for someone to come say good morning and the girls happily oblige:

Liking the mild weather outside:

Three on the piano:
So thankful for thirteen at the table for Thanksgiving.
On the way home, we stopped in Richmond to ride the train at the outdoor mall.

And to swing feet over the counter at the mini general store.

When we finally made it home at 11PM, unpacked and went to bed way too late, we realized we never slept a full eight hours the entire trip. What is wrong with us? I don't know the answer to that, but I do know that we set a curfew of 11PM, unless a football game is in overtime, and it is 11:08PM. Goodnight folks. =)

2009-12-09T20:59:00.013-06:00

Hello and happy December! Boy is December a busy month...I'm sure you can relate...and only two weeks until Christmas. Yipe as I type!
Anyway, last we met, we were headed for the south. We left the girls in good hands and said howdy to five days of pretending to be in college again.

C was in the groom's party, so he spent Thursday night with the guys. I met up with my college roomie Erin who treated me to a fabulous night at the Dallas Symphony.

Then we were busy with wedding things until Saturday afternoon. The wedding was wonderful. Chris' buddy since middle school, who was also in college with us, tied the knot with a real gem. Here are the two guys, (gem in the background.)

At the reception, Chris and Bryce did some boot scootin' and we hung out with more Grovers.

And I got to dance with this fella.

After sending the happy couple on their way, we went downtown to some texmex place...

...to hang out with all these fun people.

Sunday, Chris and I spent some time walking around a ritzy mall, going to the movies, having champagne and pizza...it was a great time. And it was a good length of time- we were definitely ready to see the girls on Monday, but I'm glad we had as long as we did to just hang out. Thanks Mom, Pop, aunts and uncle Rob. =)

2009-11-16T11:43:00.002-06:00

The girls are asleep and I should be folding this load of laundry and starting the enormous task of stain spotting the kids' load, but I figured I'd update the blog real quick before the two week hiatus.
'So what?', you say, 'You rarely update us more than every two weeks in the first place.' Okay, you are right. I just wanted to tell you about the monumental (to me) vacation that is about to happen:
Wednesday morning we're headed for Georgia. Thursday morning, JUST the Mr. and I are flying to Texas, for FIVE days, JUST US. The kids will not be with us. Only Chris and I. For five whole days. Without kids. Can you believe it?? I can't. =)
Okay, skipping off to finish laundry....

2009-11-12T12:18:00.010-06:00

Today Sonja turns 19 months. Tipping the scale at 21 lbs, she continues to make her own curve (well below the established chart norm.) She's the first one up most mornings and insists on the following regimen: throw pacifier into the crib (we're on restricted paci time...tried to give it up cold turkey, but that did not go over well, for anyone involved), put on penguin slippers, take pink fleece blanket out to couch, open dvd drawer and choose Pooh or Boz the Bear, run in place to show enthusiasm, get bowl of dry Cheerios, cozy up on the couch with blanket and cheerios. Exeunt mom, back to bed.
Same thing, every morning. Which is nice as I can get her all set up without ever opening the other eye. Anna wakes up a little later usually and joins Sonja on the couch with a purple Ravens blanket and her own bowl of dry cereal. And this is our morning life for the first hour of the day. A gradual entrance into the day.
I know it's a little different from the hot breakfasts and bustling pre-7AM hours we once knew, but everyone seems happy with this winter morning schedule. We're conserving energy.

Anyway, just yesterday, Sonja developed a fear of bugs. As there was just one gnat-like bug in the house, she ran out of bugs to fear so began to fear crumbs, specks, pieces of fuzz, anything small that could possibly pass as a bug. At first, I thought she was pretending to be afraid, but after several episodes of near panic attacks, I realized she really was scared of things that could be bugs. And her sister, in true sisterly form, capitalized on the new phobe and showed Sonja every bit of fuzz she could find. Until parental intervention.
Anyway, here are some picture of our specko-fuzzo-crumbo-bugophobic little girl:

A little girl with a pony tail...sniff.

And some pictures of Anna, my little sous chef:

Ballerina sous chef.

And taste tester.

And silverware unloader.

That's all for now. Dinner needs to be in the oven soon and ingredients are still at Food Lion, unfortunately.

2009-11-06T08:07:00.003-06:00

Chris noticed a crack in the plaster of our ceiling awhile ago. I never saw it until it opened up an inch on Monday. Then, everytime I looked at it, it grew, and grew and GREW until the ceiling hung with vines and the walls became the world all around. I mean, until there was a serious gap between the plaster and ceiling. I began to feel like Chicken Little. Wednesday night at 4AM, it fell, giving myself one heart attack. My sweet husband, incorporated the noise into a dream, until receiving a death grip to the bicep.
We had company over last night to dine under this fine aesthetic...

Exposed brick walls are classy. It's just like that, right?

2009-11-03T22:38:00.014-06:00

Few new things going in the shop this week-
First, a new fabric for aprons:

A couple knitted scarf patterns:

And finally, flower hair clips. I'm in love with these.

Stop by and check out the shop, if you're so inclined. =)

2009-11-02T22:28:00.003-06:00

My sincere apologies to Google Reader users...I think I got it.
Hopefully this works- If you want to direct your feet and others to What I Call Pretty, you can "grab" this button using the code in the box. Bloggers can post it as a html/java gadget in the Page Elements section of Layout. That's all I know. This is way too techy for me. Thanks for the idea, Lynn. =)

2009-11-02T21:24:00.014-06:00

So October flew by. With only one post. Really? Okay, let's just get back to it. October was busy- Chris was in PA solo for a wedding, I was in PA to see big Sonja, the girls went to VA, we all went to OH. I don't remember anything else from the month. It just went by in a blink. A blank blink.

When we went to Ohio, Opa got a new puppy-

Also out in OH, we went to a pumpkins festival-

These four are really excited about pumpkin ice cream.

Appreciate the 1600lb pumpkins in the background...

Also in Ohio, we were able to see the Kirklin's!

The girls with Uncle Roo and Daddy.

Back in MD, this fuzzy bear loves getting to pick up the puppy.

Other than busy weekends away and the usual runaround, the etsy shop has been keeping me busy. I'm hoping we have enough sun tomorrow to get some pictures of the new little product line- Flowers, dots and a little bit of cashmere.
Okay, say goodnight, Gracie. Goodnight, Gracie.

2009-11-01T21:52:00.002-06:00

Ravens' fans.

2009-10-10T22:00:00.005-06:00

Future grovers.

Inspired by AK's and Rock's GCC submissions, I tried to get a picture of both the girls in their GCC shirts to send in to the alumni magazine. I couldn't for the life of me get them to both look at the camera at the same time. I started getting grumpy after twenty pics of one kid looking away. Sonja started getting grumpy too.

You seriously want me to smile again?

At least they are cute.

2009-09-30T16:50:00.002-06:00

Somebody is growing up....

This is in Anna's bed. Just for a nap. Just because she wanted to.

2009-09-21T06:54:00.000-06:00

Hello faithful blog readers. This is what I've been working on for the past month:

And the announcement: I'm a small business owner. A very small business. These items make up the first product line for my little shop, What I Call Pretty. For now, we're running on Etsy. You can check it out here- http://www.WhatICallPretty.etsy.com.

This adventure is about five miles outside of my comfort zone, but with the Mr's encouragement, I figured it was worth a try. I'd love to hear what you think! *Plugs nose, hops off diving board.*

2009-09-20T17:12:00.004-06:00

Great Grandpa flew in from AZ this weekend. We hit the mall with its carousel and Panera Bread. Had a nice chat while the girls napped. Went to our favorite restaurant on the harbor. Spent time at the park. Worked on the crossword over waffles. Had a wonderful time. I really appreciate each one of his yearly visits here.

On another note...tune in tomorrow for a special announcement. =)

2009-09-18T20:13:00.007-06:00

Blogging didn't happen last night because the laptop was in pieces, drying after Sonja poured one half glass of water on the key board. I think it's okay now...other than the fact that the current date displayed is May 15, 2005.
Anyway, before this thing fritzes for good:
This past Monday we went to the O's game one last time. Anna LOVES that Oriole bird.

Here she is being asked, "Do you like the Oriole bird?"
On Tuesday, the girls and I 95'ed it up to Philly for a day. Sonja and Havah sizing each other up.

Dem and Anna "at the beach."
Anna and Charlie. =)
Charlie opened a little umbrella and asked Anna, "Share my shade with me?" Most romantic line I've ever heard from a four year old.

2009-09-17T12:55:00.006-06:00

We've been doing a little biking lately.

We live pretty close to the Baltimore-Annapolis trail so this biking thing should happen often. Maybe I should make a rule that we only go to the Annapolis Mall by bike?
I do wish there were sidewalks from our house to the grocery store, library, post office. It would make running errands fun, and old fashioned feeling. As the weather gets cold, I could bundle the girls in, give them baked potatoes to hold, put hot bricks under their feet...it would be just like Laura Ingalls. Chris thinks I'm nuts, but I think I just read a lot as a kid.
Anyway, Sonja is handing me a diaper, indicating she would like the be changed. I will blog more tonight! =)

2009-09-07T12:49:00.008-06:00

Little Anna turned three, two weeks ago. We had a wonderful celebration at home and then went to every three year old girl's dream- an NFL game. Really, it just happened the tickets someone gave us were for that night. Anyway, as you can see, the girls were terribly unimpressed. And the beerman, and everyone else, was terribly loud. We left after the first quarter. To make up for exposing Anna to B-more's finest fans, we let her stay up pretty late cooking- here's the video.
Uncle Roo and Aunt Manda were visiting this weekend so we had another birthday celebration up with Great Grandmom, Oma and Opa. Anna was launched into the world of dress up. =) We didn't do another cake, but one of my college roomies Julie joined me on another royal icing adventure. Things have been a little crazy around here. I've got a little something going on...not a baby...that I'll tell ya'll about soon.

2009-08-30T15:15:00.002-06:00

A couple of days ago, the girls and I made a run over to the post office. Anna most always brings a dolly or stuffed animal wherever we go and that day brought her dolly. We stepped into an empty post office and went right up to the counter. Before I finished paying there were 6 or 7 people in line. I knew Anna was right next to me, but I never really looked at her. The people in line were smiling at us when we headed for the door, but people usually smile at little kids. So we walk out and Anna is right beside me but I guess I still hadn't really looked at her. She stops at the edge of the sidewalk to jump off and I turn around to watch.

And I see blue underwear.

The first thing through my head is, "Oh no, did I not put shorts on her? Did I just take her to the post office without pants on?! Have I really lost it?" But then I realize I had put her in a dress, which she had pulled clear to her armpits in order to "nurse" her dolly. Then I remembered how in the car she had been chatting away about her doll needing to nurse, etc. Cue discussion on nursing discretely as a 3 year old.
All those smiling people...

2009-08-28T18:38:00.021-06:00

Two Saturdays ago, we were making ready to join the beach bound traffic when a few fire engines pulled up. Our neighbor's alarm was sounding simply to make Saturday morning eventful- there was no smoke, no fire, no CO, nothing but irrate nieghbors. Not us though, largely due to Chris' morning run to dunkin' d, but also because Anna loves her some fire truck.

Anna could have chatted in the truck for hours, but inside Sonja was clearly ready to be in water:

We waved goodbye to our friendly fire folk, loaded the girls and embarked for Fenwick Island. Anna and Sonja stopped off in Nod, making it a quick pleasant trip for everyone.
Oma arrived a couple minutes after we did and the pool was immediately visited.

After a while, I enjoyed a book poolside and was joined by this bathing beauty:

The next morning we were at the beach:
Sonja preferred frisbee, and anything else, to going near the water.

At least this time she didn't hate the sand too...

...thanks, Daddy.

I puzzled over the Times and Sonja inhaled fruit snacks.

Ever socialable, Anna found some little friends to play with so most of our pictures of her from that day were on zoom.

Another day at the beach- Anna's friends were not there so we have some in focus shots.

Lunch on the beach.

(Short lived) nap on the beach.

Sonja applauding for....

....dolphins!

More soon!

2009-08-13T10:58:00.014-06:00

We went to Howard County's fair last night with Chris' parents. The girls had a wonderful time and we came home with more fish than I've ever wanted.
First we visited the Children's Barn:
Chick.

Duckling.

Corn.

Anna got to ride a cow, albeit backwards. =)

Both girls got to ride horses, albeit plastic ones.

The Fair-ness doctrine: Every child should be entitled to a corndog.

Firetrucks!

Sonja hanging out on the Rescue Boat.

Chris wanted to win a huge stuffed animal for the girls. He made two shots in a row, despite the very elliptical rim and the the carni's staredown.

Anna with the bounty, a 4ft clownfish.

Thanks Oma and Opa for a fun time at the fair!

2009-08-12T11:34:00.006-06:00

Monday night, Oma joined us for a night at the Yard.
The playground and bounce house on Eutaw St start things off nicely.

Anna serving up a little heat at 6mph.

Sonja in shocked amazement- ice cream at 9 PM?!

As the time to go home became readily apparent in the form of squirmy Sonja....WHOOSH:

The sky plain opened up. Thankfully we were in covered seats, but that rain had us pinned for a good 45 min. Here's one last shot of the Chris, the fun parent as always. =)
These things don't enter my head. What does enter my head is, "Giardia. Definitely giardia. Bath as soon as we're home."

2009-08-10T10:23:00.005-06:00

A Sunday evening walk at the airport park.

(I know...if not for Anna's blue sandals, I'd be obligated to provide insulin. What alotta pink. I don't know where it all comes from, but my apologies to the diabetic viewer.)

Everytime we go, and everytime I see these pictures, I think "I'm just sittin out here watching airplanes, take off, and fly-y-y..."

2009-08-08T15:07:00.004-06:00

Chris had to work today so the gals and I skipped Sonja's nap and spent the morning running errands- including a $1.23 Joann's run- and then stopped by Dad's work to take him lunch and the customary high fives. We came home and Sonja took a 4 1/2 hour nap, (If this is what life without morning nap will be everyday, I would be elated) and I "baked" with felt and beads:
Aren't these fun??

And $1.23 makes an even dozen. =)

2009-08-02T18:51:00.007-06:00

Okay, to finish off July-
There has been a lot of Rita's:

The Saturday night of the softball tourney, we went to dinner with Chris' mom and our good friends the Thomases. (The Mrs. Thomas being approximately 41 1/2 weeks pregnant.) After dinner we went where else but Rita's, then put the girls to bed at Oma's and went over to the nearby Thomases' home. Megan and I chatted and then laughed for an hour watching the guys play Wii intensely. We left, picked up the sleeping girls and went home. The Thomases stayed up the rest of the night yielding:

Later that week, Chris left for an Alpha Charlie Reunion. Ten of his twelve best buds spent a long weekend at the beach in DE and he had a real good time.

The Saturday he was gone, the girls stayed with Oma and Opa while I spent the day in Lancaster with some gals. (PB Outlet, how I love thee....) That Sunday, Uncle Bill and Aunt Gloria came to visit, and the girls loved seeing them. And in the evenings, I kept busy making this for that cute baby above.

I could knit baby sweaters all the livelong day...
Sunday night, Chris came home and brought these guys too.

The most exciting news, to me, for July though: Anna has made the connection of putting the sounds letters make together to sound out words! She's not reading books or anything, but she can sound out and read three letter words. Since she realized the letters spell actual words, she's been asking nonstop, "What does cat (baby, ice, drink, refrigerator....) start with?" It's like she's just understood that you can spell anything with letters. A lightbulb moment.
Okay, that catches up through July. Whew.

2009-08-02T15:14:00.031-06:00

August? Truly? Sorry to my regular (non-google reader using) readers for my lack of posts through July...I'll try to turn things around for August!
So what's been going on?
Chronologically:
A couple weekends ago, Maryland and Kentucky battled it out on the sand. Maryland relied heavily on their fans to pull out initial victories. But the tide turned as Chris and J, demoralized by their fans' departure to LL Bean, gave way to team KY who were fueled by their newly appeared fan base. In the eleventh hour, Maryland poured on the heat to win North v South Sand V-Ball 2009.

We then chilled, literally, in the pool.

And fraternized with the enemy...

The next day, the girls and I headed out to meet up with friends at the beach while Chris represented at the GCC get together.
I was a little anxious about taking the girls on vacation without Chris. What kind of "vacation" would this be, single parenting in a new place with children who only sleep well in their own beds???

Turns out my friend Chelsea really did think of everything and had wonderful Anna H along to nanny.

Five girls in pajamas in a baby pool.

Going to the beach.

One sister hated the waves and the sand...
...while the other was hesitant at first...
...but then begged Chelsea to take her in farther, FARTHER!
Anna climbed this rock wall by herself- with Mom's hand on her back pockets, just in case.
One afternoon, we found these two buds reading on the back porch.
We had a wonderful time with our dear friends. =)

The day we came back home, we picked up my college girlfriend, and AUTHOR!, Erin Claxton. You can check out her new book on Amazon! Anyway, she is very multi-talented and I roped her into taping cardboard together to make a cookie cutter and learning about royal icing so we could make these for a wedding:

Self control, self control...
(Actually, I walked into the room and she said, "I licked one." Looking at an angle, I did find the marked cookie, so nobody had a licked one. I'm pretty sure.)
That weekend we went to see Bye Bye Birdie. Here's Anna and her buddy Jen at intermission:
Conrad and his steady. =)
We spent that night at Chris' parents' and the girls were up at the crack of dawn to go fishing.
After all fish were caught and scattered, we went up to visit Great Grandmom.
And to take Opa for a wagon ride.
Anna befriended this quiet boy and his silent puppy.

Then we left the napping girls with Oma and went to Chris' softball tourney. I read MSL cover to cover in one sitting. And I did watch Chris play ball, see-

The girls having happy meals with Oma:

Okay, I will have to finish up July later. It is taking forever for these pics to load up. So, here's one mongo post....

2009-07-08T14:28:00.002-06:00

Got a little on video! (Sorry, you'll have to tune out Bobby Darin.)

2009-07-08T14:00:00.004-06:00

Sonja is developing a very entertaining personality.

Her newest trick is whisting! She did it yesterday morning, by accident I suppose, but it made me laugh so hard, she's been whistling dixie every since. It is the funniest thing to watch her pucker those teeny lips and whistle. She will not do it for the video, but I'm still trying to catch it on the sly. Oh it's funny. And she still doesn't talk, so I call her Harpo. =)

2009-07-06T08:33:00.005-06:00

Good morning Monday. =)

This past weekend was one of my most favorite ever. Chris had Friday off and the morning involved haircuts, hydrangeas, softball and daisies. Chris and his buds spent the afternoon playing v-ball while the girlies napped. Then we met up at Chris' parents with some friends for a car washing party and dinner. The girls went to sleep at his parents while we visited with friends. Chris hit upon the fantastic idea of leaving them to sleep overnight as we were planning on being there the next day anyway. His parents generously agreed, (the girls wake up awful early for a Saturday...), and Chris and I went skipping home. This was the first time I'd left Sonja overnight and the only time I've left Anna was when I was in the hospital having Sonja. Anyway, it was supernice to sleep in! Chris and I went out for breakfast, lingered over a crossword, and even went to JoAnn's fabrics.

We spent the afternoon vacuuming and detailing cars at C's parents. The girls played in the pool and ran around barefoot all day. Anna fell asleep at the dinner table. We swapped out seeing the fireworks for the hot tub and a foot rub.

After church on Sunday we just stopped at McDonalds instead of me cooking. Everyone took naps. We had smores after dinner. After the girls went down, the Mr. and I sat the by the firepit finishing the other crossword.

So now it's back to work. It's Monday and laundry is churning away. Hope everyone else had a great 4th weekend!

2009-06-30T12:02:00.011-06:00

Father's day festivities were held yesterday. Chris was out of town for the actual Sunday and we've been kept so dang-busted busy we ain't had time to since. (Who knows where that busy phrase is from?)
Anyway, we went mini golfing-

Really though, Anna played broomball.
She was pretty efficient at sweeping the ball into the hole.
Here they are, held up by folks who had started out 8 holes ahead who obviously didn't utilize the key sweeping motion. Sonja pressured Dad at each hole to sink his putt fast so she could hold the ball.
18th hole sadness...
"Thanks for going golfing, Dale E...I mean Daddy!"

We then bought ourselves a few more minutes like so:

So Daddy could hit a bucket of balls.
So it was a happy Father's day indeed. =) We sure love that sweet Daddy.

2009-06-26T07:23:00.006-06:00

Well here we are long about knee deep in June...

We're having a nice and busy summer. Anna started swim classes and that's been fun for just her and I to do something together. Chris is still playing tennis, softball and frisbee most every week. Sonja is close to running. The girls and I go for runs with the jogger a few times a week. It's just nice being outside before the heat gets oppressive.

Earlier this month, our dear friends from KY finally gave in and moved near us. =) Another couple friends were engaged. Another couple friends were married. Chris finished his pre-req classes for his master's. June's been a happenin' month.

I took a quiz on Facebook yesterday, don't judge me, to see "Which Famous Couple Are [We] Most Like" with the result of John and Abigail Adams. (For the record, I have taken two quizzes in my entire Facebook life...it's not like that.) Anyway, I was saying so because...Chris went by himself to Canada, we stayed home. The girls and I go to the beach in a few weeks, without Chris. Chris then goes to the beach with the guys, without us. During the week- I go to Bible study, he's home. I go to coffee, he's home. He goes to dinner, I'm home. Etc, etc and so on. We promise, things are not on the rocks. It's just the way of life for people like John and Abigail...well sorta. It's not like he's going to France for years. And I don't have to worry about smallpox.

Anyway.

I don't have too many pics of late.

Here is Sonja laying one on a Kentucky boy. =)

When Chris was in Canada, we recovered and added padding to the jogger cushions:

And this is the "before pic." I had already taken the other cushion apart to use as a template. Anna and Sonja practicing synchronized begging. The IOC is considering adding the sport to the 2012 Summer Olympics. Anna and Sonja plan to compete.

And one last thing- this morning, I halved a biscuit recipe. I realized after I poured in the buttermilk, that I had forgotten the sugar. In the heat of the moment, I added the whole recipe amount of sugar. So, basically, we had buttermilk shortbread at breakfast. And it is evident in the girls' energy level. We better get ourselves to a park...

2009-06-08T06:13:00.007-06:00

The weather this weekend was plain wonderful. Almost summer, but not frying hot yet. We didn't have any obligations other than hanging out as a fam, so we did that.
First Popsicle. The gardener. The stroller.
The pool.
Actually, Sonja didn't like the pool at all. The water was a little cool when we first put her in. After two more buckets of hot water, it was plenty warm, but she held the grudge. Pardon me, I need to go pick the bathroom lock. Someone must have locked it and pulled the door shut. That same little someone now needs to go, so I've gotta scoot. Happy Monday!

2009-06-03T05:51:00.011-06:00

Project post.
Here's what I've been making, besides dinner.

Argyles for two little chaps born this year.

It was a little bit sad to send these away...the only bit of blue in our very pink world.
See, back to pink.

I started this jumper for Anna a long time ago and was so excited about decorating it with embroidery. But once it was knit up, I was flummoxed. I don't freehand. I tried a few different things, ripped each one out and ended up doing these daisies. I'm still not happy with it- ideas?

A bag for Sonja, for putting things in. I would use a stiffer interfacing next time.Chris made this frame and helped me stretch canvas on it. Then, inspired by a plain flower canvas I saw in you-know-where, I graphed my version, sketched it in pencil, traced printed and cut out numbers, and filled everything in with paint. I don't know if you would call that painting. Paint by number? And lastly, some of you ladies know about SewMamaSew!, a blog/shop with lots of sewing inspiration. Last weekend, they organized a giveaway with some 400 crafty blogs. I spent several evenings browsing through all the giveaways and commented to enter on probably 15. There were two that I was really interested in- a lady in France was giving away an adorable notebook cover and another lady in the US was giving away a really cute quilt pattern. On Monday, all the blogs announced winners. I didn't win the notebook and I kept checking the other blog to see about the quilt, but by afternoon no news on the blog. Then Chris came home and we were fixing hamburgers for dinner. I sent the meat out to the grill and checked my email real quick and...I WON the quilt pattern! I was super excited. I flew out the back door- I won I won I won!- Chris and girls stood there blinking for a minute while I hopped around but then Chris was a good sport acting excited too.

Look, isn't it fun?! Okay, that's all I've got for now. =)

2009-06-01T10:37:00.016-06:00

We returned from Georgia Tuesday last week. (Chigger free- that is important.) It was very restful and laid back. So much so that it has taken us five days to get back into our old groove. Here are photos:

Sonja getting to know Hunter dog.

Anna helping Uncle Rob sweep the floor.Wii bowling.

Chess with Aunt Hannah.
Feeding time at the zoo. This was Anna's favorite activity. The iron bars around the stairs comprised her cage. She spent half of our time there in her cage, asking to be fed through the bars.
Corn husking for the first time. DW dog and the look alike aunt and neice.

Warmed up to DW. The girls in Sunday best. =)
The four of us.
Sonja's first corn on the cob and she was a-happy about it.
Anna's first time strawberry picking.
So the girls had a blast there. Things were a little rough the first few days home on account of a drastic drop in the entertainment venue. I simply couldn't fill the void of four aunts, two uncles, two grandparents, two dogs and of course daddy too. But the girls are back to entertaining themselves most of the time so we're functional again.

2009-05-20T13:57:00.006-06:00

We're two hours into Georgia roadtrip #2.

Cheers!

2009-05-19T12:22:00.004-06:00

The girls are still napping. The new Martha Stewart Living magazine is on the kitchen counter, unread. I would love to sit back on the couch and immerse myself in her other-world but I know the moment I open it, naptime will be over. It just works that way around here. My kids have sensors- beep, beep, mom's not working, beep. Quick! Whine, potty, require, divert her attention to yourself, etc. Sigh...
Chris has a sensor too, if only subconsciously. If I really want him to come home early, I just turn on the computer, prop my feet up, have the girls to dump all the legos out on the living room floor and fight over them. It also helps to have no idea what's for dinner.
Is it just me?

Okay, Sonja's up. She has extra sharp sensors today. I was only thinking of looking through the new pbk catalog...

2009-05-11T08:55:00.007-06:00

These three made Mother's Day a wonderful day round here. Sonja decided to start the morning pretty early, but Chris was a good sport about that. I was wakened by an aproned man serving up breakfast. He wouldn't let me post any pictures of him Williams-Sonoma-ed up, but it was cute. Real cute. After church, we had a quick lunch and then we three girls all took naps and Chris did the dishes. We spent the rest of the afternoon in the backyard taking in the gorgeous weather. Chris grilled up an excellent dinner paired with a fantastic wine from a local vineyard. And then he did all those dishes too. A VERY nice day in my book. Lots of sleep, food prepared by someone else, no dishes, sunshine...makes a mom feel real special. =)

And today, we're back to reality. But I'm recharged- I need that every 365th day. I was inspired to get a hot breakfast going this morning so we could all eat together before Chris left for work. That doesn't happen as often as would be nice. I bathed my kids- which also doesn't happen as often as would be nice these summery-playing outside-covered in mulch-days. And THEN, it wasn't even 8:30AM and we drove to a trail near our house and I went for a run with the kids in the jogger. I seriously did. This is so not me and I'm sure I'll be feeling back to normal by tomorrow morning. Until then, I should get as many major house cleaning tasks in while I'm still riding this wave of rechargedness goodness...

Here a couple pics from out back.

Getting a little help up the slide.

Getting cut off and saying "Hey!"

The reason I get up in the morning.

(That's not really a sweet sentiment, it just really is the reason. I wouldn't get up if I didn't hear "I need to go pooooooootty!")

Okay, back to work. Hope everyone's having a good Monday!

2009-05-07T13:25:00.008-06:00

Happy Thursday. It's been raining all week here. Lots of random things going on here so here are snippets and pictures.

Last weekend, Chris' bro and sil were in town. They brought a little something for Sonja, and she just couldn't believe it:

On Monday, her big girl carseat arrived and we buckled her blue eyes in.

On Tuesday, I finished painting this growth chart for the girls.

On Wednesday, the girls and I made a quick trip up to Philly to see big Sonja who had this cool chair swing from Mexico. Anna loved it.

We cruised back into MD in time to meet Daddy for Anna's soccer class:
And today is Thursday. Anna had an appt with her eye doc and will be getting bi-focals next week. It wasn't raining when we came out from her appt so we stopped at the park to try out my early Mother's Day present! We had picked up a double jogger from craigslist because, once upon a time, I was athletic and the jogger seemed like the best way to reclaim some of those sarcomeres. Anyway, we just squeezed in a run between cloud bursts, stopped by Dad's work for a high five and scooted home for lunch and naps.

So, those are the random events that made up this week. Sorry for the choppiness...Chris just came home and has those girls out for a walk so this is prime time for dinner starting. More articulate blogging later...

2009-04-29T07:23:00.005-06:00

A contracter at Chris' work gave him tickets to Monday night's Orioles game so we packed a million snacks to appease the girls and headed up to Camden Yards. We had some extra tickets so fellow grover Steve and his fiance joined us. Nitrate overload. I had no part in this.

At inning 6, we moved over to an empty-ish area so the girls could run around. We were still in foul ball territory though so Chris and I, okay mostly me, were in hyperactive hyperdrive every crack of the bat. I just wanted to be close enough to get between the ball and my kid's head, you know. And it's not like you have a lot of time to get there. Stressing me out just remembering it. Anyway.

We left during the 8th inning. The O's were losing. It was way late for the girls. We got out to car and realized Anna's pink Oriole monkey, Markakis, was still watching the game...(She had just got him at last week's game and he is her new VERY FAVORITE EVER stuffed animal.) So, Chris took a little jog, returned with the monkey and we went home.

2009-04-27T11:46:00.013-06:00

Welcome, summer weather! Welcome warm sunny days, the smell of sunscreen, the salty taste from kissing your sweaty kids, sleeping with your feet sticking out of the covers, the snowball stand...summer, I just plain love you.
To celebrate the wonderful sunshine, we went to the Baltimore Zoo with Chris' parents on Saturday.

Here is a Chinese Alligator and a volunteer who incorrectly thought the language barrier was suitable to keep gator and child apart. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I liked the fence.

Checking out the giraffes.

Sisters.

Best way to view the kudus (or whatever those African gazelle type things are that are on every single crossword puzzle...)

Lily pad hopping.

Playing Pooh Sticks.

Anna inside an Oriole's nest and a good lookin' Orioles fan.

Tortoise shell.Anna brushing a headless goat. Just kidding. It had a head; just seeing if you were paying attention.
Well, now that I've spent most of the girls' nap posting these pics for you, kindly leave a comment as to what's for dinner this week. Okay, back to my list...enjoy the weather! =)

2009-04-23T09:13:00.001-06:00

Got out of the shower to this:I didn't even know she could open the fridge...

2009-04-22T07:23:00.005-06:00

This is Birdland.

Chris and Anna at the Orioles' game last night.

They went with Chris' dad and our good friend JT. I stayed home with Sonja, who went to sleep ten minutes after they left, so I had almost 6 hours to myself! I was pretty excited about it for the first hour...then I was ready for them to come home. I'm a people person, I like the people. Or more so, a Chris person. I like my evening hang out time with the man. However, with screen support from Steve McQueen, I left off my couch slumping and put some time into projects.

Anyway, I need to log an update on Sonja:

We had her one-year check up last week. She isn't on the chart for weight. We feed her ice cream every night.

She is walking around a bit, but still crawls everywhere. The most I've counted is five steps in a row. Her first tooth- bottom right- came on tax day. Her second- top left- came three days later. The other five are bulging the seams. She'll have a whole smile by next week.

She says- Hi, Mama, Dada, Anna, All done, Help, GROWL (what does the tiger say?), Duck and quack quack. Her main form of communication though is a series of whines and "Eh" sounds.

She is a mama's girl. On Sundays, I stay with her in the nursery for the sake of everyone.

She is Anna's constant follower and part-time antagonist. They do play well together 75% of the time. The remaining quarter is usually Sonja trying to take everything Anna looks at. Sometimes vice versa.

2009-04-13T11:34:00.019-06:00

Yesterday, Easter Sunday, this little girl turned one...

The girls woke up in the morning to surprise Easter baskets. I was even surprised- Chris put them together on the sly. He's the fun parent like that.

Anna sporting the new stuffed animals, bunny slippers, training pants...

After church, we photo documented.

Then the girls went down for naps and we set up for birthday...
Sonja woke up from her nap and saw THIS! And clearly was elated.
Oma and Opa joined us for a sweet little party time.

(My dear cousins, THANKS for the matching water bottle, but silly REI sent it without water in it. I was marginally disgruntled...and threw something of a small fit.)

The fringe benefits of sibling birthdays. After dinner, Sonja was mildly alarmed by the fire on her cake. Going for a handful.

Not happy about the gooeyness and the fact it didn't come off her hand. Such a girly girl...

And finally, with some forced hand to mouth action, she tasted it, and things were alright.

So Happy Birthday Sonja! We think you're great.

(And you are currently calling from your crib...)

I will post more, often, later.

2009-03-26T06:27:00.002-06:00

I know it's been awhile...but I have no pictures to post. I have taken pictures but I can't upload them to the computer because the C drive says it's full withthe other eight thousand one hundred eighty six photos. Chris needs to figure out what to do- burn them onto cds, get an external hard drive, delete half of them without my knowledge, etc- but he's booked up until next Thursday studying for a big certification thing. So, no pictures. =(

This week was scheduled in my heart for spring cleaning. My new favorite homekeeping manual, Home Comforts by Cheryl Mendelson, made it sound irresistable:

"It is delightful to begin the new season with a home that has been scoured top to bottom, every drawer emptied, every piece of china washed, every bit of metal polished, every fabric washed, every square inch of all surfaces washed, polished, scoured, waxed, or otherwise brought to its finest state. This helps you feel motivated to keep things as pleasant as they are after spring cleaning. It also means that you do not have a dozen big jobs constantly hanging over your head, getting in the way of your free time."

It's almost like she's promising me free time if I do all my cleaning... Except waxing, I don't know anybody who waxes. Well, furniture at least. Also, she promises that 'a full spring cleaning takes the average suburban household 2-3 days, rarely more.' (Really? Even with one worker and two dis-workers?) But she warns not to have any guests and to only do light cooking. So, we started the week with no plans but cleaning, no week menu because light cooking is surely Chic-fil-A or similar franchise, and health. I was so excited to start, I even status-ed it on facebook.
Sadly, health checked out Monday afternoon. That brought us through Wednesday with only half a day's cleaning. Last night, as I was laying plans for the morrow with renewed spring clean fervor, my sweet college girlfriend phoned and will be staying here today through tomorrow. I gladly pushed back cleaning until Friday. This morning, Chris calls and some dear friends from Philly will be coming down, for all day Friday.

I tried. I did try.

2009-03-07T11:58:00.002-06:00

Anna has a book with the different names for animals- ram, ewe, lamb etc. She was looking through it today with Chris and quizzing him. He got all of them right until, "What is a mama dog called?" Uh....

2009-03-05T08:49:00.002-06:00

What have we been doing this morning? Wasting time? No, wasting thyme.
I personally thought we were having a productive morning. We all were up at 6:30. French toast was on the table by 7, we even had family worship before Daddy left for work. I updated our blog (below), responded to emails, and tidied up a bit. The baby went down for her nap and I jumped in the shower thinking we were well on our way to a productive day. Meanwhile, the elder daughter prepared a gourmet fare for her stuffed dog- plastic play food spiced up with real thyme. Lots of it. In fact, all of it. So, I came out of the shower to find our thyme was wasted. I know there are a billion puns I could get out of this, but I simply don't have thyme.

2009-03-05T07:12:00.010-06:00

On Monday, Dad came home early from work so we puffalumped the girls up and played in the snow!

These two LOVE sledding.

Her first snow angel.

"MUSH!"

Sonja and I came in to point out the window and make hot cocoa, respectively. Dad and Anna stayed out for awhile longer- Anna really enjoyed being pulled around on that sled. =)

2009-03-03T11:04:00.002-06:00

I'm trying to plan out this week's menu and am so overwhelmed with trying to put together healthful meals that Sonja can eat too that can be leftovers for Chris' lunch and that include the meat or poultry on sale at Giant. I've made several lists out this morning, but I just can't get it all together today. We were going to leave for the store at 10:30- the girls were all dressed and ready- but I didn't have my list set. And I still don't. And it's noon. And tonight's dinner needs to be on the table by 5 because tonight is Viking Club, which I'm still excited about, but slightly stressed about the time limit. So why am I wasting time blogging? Uh... Actually, I started this paragraph in an email to Chris, but it was a little whine-ish and I know he's pretty busy at work, so I figured I'd clean it up a bit and put it on the blog where you other mothers can read sympathetically. Ho hum...back at it...

2009-03-02T09:18:00.004-06:00

Who sews Sue's socks? Sue sews Sue's socks.

In December, Chris found a little quilt shop not too far from us that I didn't know about. He gave me their newsletter and gift card at Christmas time and, guess what! They have sewing clubs for the different brands of sewing machines! So, once a month, you come in with your machine and do a project that helps you learn how to better use your machine. How long have I been looking for this??! Chris, you rock my world.

Anyway, I somehow found it difficult with two small children to get to the quilt shop during the day and it closes at 5 most days so weeks passed. Then this past Saturday, I ran out by myself to finally check it out. I signed up for Viking Club (!!!), picked up my class supply list and spent an hour looking through all their fabrics. I picked these two for this month's project:

I came home pretty giddy about the whole thing. I was too excited to wait until Tuesday's class to sew so I pulled the big lady out and made these coasters Saturday night:

(There's your picture, Mom.)

So, that's the sewing news. Other news- Snow! We've got it. We're still getting it. There's maybe five inches or so on the ground so far. Most of it came down last night so we haven't been out in it yet but we're REALLY excited- there's a sled downstairs that Anna doesn't know about... =)

2009-02-27T06:59:00.002-06:00

2009-02-25T21:06:00.010-06:00

Some pictures of these two little monkeys...

2009-02-23T13:15:00.006-06:00

Did you know I married Norm Abram? Actually, the younger, better-looking version, and without the beard. But I'm pretty proud of my budding woodworker. This is his first big project: Chris just finished up these shelves for the girls and we moved them in this past week. The girls LOVE them, almost as much as their mother does. They've played in their room so much more this week because their toys are right in front of them. (That or because I keep putting the toys away when they are out of the room and they are magnetically drawn to cleaned up toys.)
Their room is a little cramped with everything in it- that dresser isn't going anywhere. We slid Anna's bed down and the changing table had to go to the basement to make room.

But we're real happy with the new set up and REAL appreciative of dad. =) Thanks again darlin! Your next project can be found on page 24 of the pbk catalog. Just kidding. Sorta.

2009-02-16T19:12:00.005-06:00

On Friday, we hit up Columbia Mall for two firsts:

Anna had her first haircut! Thomas the Tank Engine entranced her whilst the stylist spent two minutes evening up her little wisps. Anna remembers nothing but Thomas.

Then we met up with Chris' parents and, after the food court (where Sonja threw a fit because she wanted fries...) she had her first ride on the carousel!

Yeehaw!

2009-02-14T08:29:00.007-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Oma and Opa, LOOK! When I uploaded these pics I realized we had a picture of your card before Anna colored over your names. (She wrote these ALL BY HERSELF! and mom is slightly proud...)
And Chris is at work today, sigh, but this is in the works:

La bete noire. The black beast. Our v-day tradition has involved flourless chocolate cake for the past five years but this is a new recipe. We'll see how this turns out... Hope everyone has a peachy pink valentine's day. =)

2009-02-12T12:16:00.002-06:00

Ten months old today!

2009-02-10T17:42:00.003-06:00

Wearing wool and looking sheepish:

So, this is half of what was a little sweater I was knitting for Sonja.

Fortunately, for all involved, we spent this morning at the Annapolis Mall and I had enough residual serotonin to simply sigh and reach for the camera...

2009-02-09T09:57:00.003-06:00

Courtesy of Facebook tags, here are my 25 Random Things.

1. I long for the quintessential country life: farmhouse on a hill, 1/4 mile driveway with the mailbox at the end, dog sleeping under the porch, hanging triangle for announcing supper, firewood pile and chopping block, aprons with big patch pockets, egg-laying hens, vegetable gardens, clotheslines and knee high grass.

2. The Annapolis Mall placates me in our current non-country domicile.

3. I have an incorrigable black thumb. No photosynthetic life flourishes in my care. =(

4. In college, I did 84 girl push ups in freshman fit/well. I don't know if I've done one since but I do know my triceps have atrophied to the size and consistency of an office rubber band.

5. The minute I met Chris, I was attracted to him. After our first long conversation, I had the biggest crush on him, and I never recovered.

6. My favorite book is Little Britches by Ralph Moody. This book had a profound influence on me as a kid and I still think of parts of it at least once a week.

7. During the emotional turmoil of early college years, I found solace in Caedmon's Call's Table for Two. That seemed to be the fad amongst Grovers.

8. When my older brother and I were really little, our parents took us camping in FL where we went swimming in a little pond with life jackets on. At the far edge of the pond was a large bumpy object that resembled and could have been an alligator. My brother wouldn't go near it, but I paddled over and touched it. This, and the fact that he cried on Space Mountain, lead me to believe that I am braver than Nick.

9. I held the record for the 100m dash in middle school, but my dad has always been faster than me and probably always will be.

10. I have a recipe box that has space for 400 cards. Only recipes that are huge hits are allowed in. So far I have 30 and half of them are desserts.

11. When I was 7, my parents gave me a computer game called Jenny of the Plains. A wagon train had accidentally left Jenny behind and the responsibility to collect food, find shelter and protect Jenny from foxes rested solely on the player's shoulders. The game traumatized me. I got shaky every time I tried to play it and cried when Jenny died because I couldn't find enough berries. After a couple days, my parents threw it away.

12. Even as a kid, I was fascinated by Martha Stewart. She always made things so pretty. My enthusiasm for her has tempered with age, but I still think she makes beautiful things. And I still faithfully read Martha Stewart Living.

13. And, speaking of, Martha put a home keeping book out a couple years back that improved our home's daily appearance greatly. Her one line, "stacked dishes are both unsightly and unsanitary," stuck and has kept our kitchen sink empty for two years now. Thanks, Martha.

14. I think my little girls are wonderful and I am crazy about them, and sometimes going crazy because of them.

15. I'm a planner. I cannot freehand create something. I want to draw it out first on graph paper or at least picture it in quadrants in my head.

16. I hated taking baths as a kid. I once blew out the pilot light on my grandparent's water heater so I could tell my mom there was no hot water.

17. Growing up, we spent a lot of time at my grandparents' in AZ because my dad was on military deployment for six months at a time. My brothers and I ran around the Mojave Desert without shoes on half the time and I still have callused heels to show for it.

18. I read all the Hardy Boys books and adored the older Hardy brother, Frank. Senior year of high school, I learned that my AP Lit teacher's grandfather wrote the books. I liked her so much more for that.

19. I have a penchant for all things Pottery Barn. Call me a lemming, I can't help but fall for clean lines and classic styles.

20. As a college freshman, I read AW Pink's The Sovereignty of God and never was the same.

21. It has been two and half years since I have gone 12 hours without wiping someone else's rear.

22. Not much grosses me out more than kids losing teeth. I dissected an entire human cadaver and would rather do that again than see a kid wiggling a loose tooth with her tongue.

23. Also, mice really gross me out. When Chris had to tell me that he found one in our basement, I thought someone had died the way he started out- "I'm not sure of a good way to say this, so I'm just going to tell you..."

24. And further, (don't anyone be offended), I truly wish I had cat allergies so I could diplomatically say, I can't touch or be near your cat. I just don't like cats. Not even the ones prefaced with, "I'm not a cat person, but I like this cat." I cannot be reformed.

25. I loved Square One, especially Mathnet. I wanted to be Kate Monday.

2009-02-07T20:23:00.002-06:00

Kind of a low week this one.
Everyone was sapped out on energy from last week's virus bout. Nobody had an appetite. I was sucking wind by 4PM everyday. Thursday afternoon, Sonja was feverish. That was on and off and Friday afternoon she seemed back to normal. I was really looking forward to finally, a Saturday with Chris at home where we could hang out and do whatever we wanted- it had been since December, I think. (And though it's been a year since Chris started working every couple Saturdays, I still feel completely entitled to Saturdays with him.)

So, Friday night, the girls were asleep and Chris and I were in the basement where he's been working on a project. He let me help paint primer on and I was feeling pretty peachy about hanging out with him and looking forward to all weekend (and the paint fumes could have played a part of this overwhelming sense of well being...) Reality rapidly returned in the form of Sonja fussing upstairs. Her fever had returned and by 2AM had soared to 105.2 F. We waited, sans slumber, until morning then took her in to see the doc. Spent a couple hours doing tests, waiting for results, doing more tests, waiting for those results. Thankfully, everything dangerous was ruled out and some cultures are being done, but it looks to be some virus which will just run its course. She spent most of the afternoon asleep on us. Pretty crabby all evening but when I put her in bed tonight she was down to 98 F.

So my elusive golden Saturday, you have escaped my grasp once more...

2009-02-01T16:24:00.011-06:00

1- bathroom in our home.

2- nights Anna slept in our bed.

3- combined total of hours the parentals slept during those nights.

4- persons in our home knocked out by a stomach virus.

5- times I caught a child's throw up in my hands.

6- cups of grape flavored pedialyte consumed.

7- hours I've stewed about a regurgitated pedialyte purple stain on the rug.

8- loads of laundry churned out since Thursday (and still waiting to be folded.)

9- miles a minute Anna is talking now that she is feeling better.

10- stars for Chris for working from home most of Friday, staying up two nights in a row and still working Saturday, and for being superman.

So we came down with a little stomach bug. For the first time in our parenthood, both our children were vomiting at the same time. Thursday night it hit Anna, Sonja then me in the span of three hours. That night was insane- with three tummies sick, any given ten minute interval involved someone's contracting. Sonja and I got over it within 24 hours, but Anna was out until late last night and had us pretty worried for awhile. Then, this morning, just as we were cleaning up the last of Pukefest '09 decor, Chris decided to keep the party going a little longer. Poor guy.

Anyway, I had kind of thought I would start the new year in February, to make up for missing the boat in January, but that plan was tossed down the toilet, so to speak. I guess '09 is the year of behind.

We had a great week prior to getting sick though- my best friend from college was down from Philly on Saturday, we had a family from church for dinner that night and then Chris spent the night in DC with a couple college buddies. Sunday morning, we all met up at church, the guys came back to our house and Bryce made an incredible lunch for us all. Monday was laundry day, only semi fun. And Tuesday thru Wednesday we three girls went to Philadelphia to visit with old friends.

Big Sonja and Mark.

Mav and Bryce.

Bagging, with care.

Sleepy Sonja melting Mav's heart.

Up in Philly, Sonja and Anna Kate, her favorite baby, ever.

She seriously LOVES Anna Kate.

All the kiddos, except for Amelie.

And, Em, I just realized that Josie is in this picture, albeit in the clutches of the chair of death:

Okay, back to re-ordering this home.