3.28.2012

scattered updates

- i think it is super cute that chunk says "anks" when you give her what she wants / asks for. pretty proud that gage, her daddy, and myself are good role models creating a polite little 18 month old monster.

- i have 8 boxes packed.

- we have a place to live in virginia. a house. with a big yard. and a great kitchen. that was stressful.

- gage is giving us a run for our money - 4 is a hard age, but i applaud his search for independence and his fighting spirit while he figures it out.

racism is alive and well.

- ugh.

- gage has been using chunk's barbie to "dust" our house this week in preparation for the move.

- charli is talking like crazy. she talks so much that i can't even keep track of all the crazy words coming out of her mouth. when she talks like a sheep, she screams "BAAAAAA" and that is pretty darn funny.

- we took gage on his first train ride in strasburg, pa. he loved it. he thanked me for the educational experience and told me how much he enjoys that we help him learn.

- my 4 year old is going on 40.

- chunk's doctor ignored my requests to look at her diaper rash the last 2 months resulting in an emergency appointment where i learned (from a new doc) that she had a serious yeast infection. i was not a happy mom.

- balsamic, mustard, rosemary, and garlick make an awesome marinade for almost everything. 

3.06.2012

trout

today is my sister's birthday!

happy birthday, brook!

my sister has always been the person i look up to in my life, the person i fear getting slaughtered by in a debate (she's wicked smart, yo), and the person that has always been so consistently her that i marvel at everything she is. when we were younger my sister had the coolest chemistry set and the best color me badd tape on the block. when my sister graduated high school she spent her days hiking with the little red dogs out by the buffalo and mastering the art of drinking tequila better than everyone else. when my sister goes to work for a company she becomes the balls of the operation - men and women fear and respect her brilliance and her take no prisoners approach. when my sister decided she could cook she became the gourmet goddess of the kitchen and she fed us the most glorious food that all we could do was take a nap. when my sister decided she was a photographer she killed that, too. i would be jealous if i wasn't busy wondering how the hell she does it all and still maintains an amazing sense of humor. plus, she will kick your ass if you fuck with the people she loves. be warned.

my sister is going to be a mother soon and i know without a doubt in my heart that she will be the most amazing mother, the most poised mother, the most beautiful and outstanding example for her daughter. you see, my sister is a strong person. she is stronger than almost anyone i have ever met in my life and she never boasts that. she never says, "hey, i am better than you!" but you know it when you are in her presence because it is impossible to ignore. she is well spoken, intelligent, strong, confident, humble, and just plain fucking awesome. i am proud to say that my sister is, like, totally my bff. and stuff. when we moved to the east coast she gave us a place to vacation, she fed us food, she made charli love her and her amazing tricks, and she became gage's most favorite person of all. in short, my sister is better than you.

so happy birthday, brook, i love you so much. we all do. thank you for being the person i can always look up to and for always being there for me. having you in my life makes every day better and i am constantly grateful to have you here and to know you. you will always be my big sister, but most importantly you have become an amazing friend and presence in my life. <3


3.05.2012

monday morning blah blah update

this weekend was full of much needed family time and relaxation. we played tons of games with the kids, had movie nights on the kids' new pillow mattresses, tried out elevation burger (yum!), had some homemade sour cream chicken enchiladas (double yum!), played at the park, and finished it all up with espresso cheesecake and a yuengling. like i said, much needed and full of awesome.

yesterday when we were getting ready to walk out of the house the husband asked chunk where her coat was - she threw her hands up in the air and said, "i don't know!" a first for her and a hilarious moment for us. she has also started saying, "bless you", "thanks", "princess", and "want yogurt". he daddy has been gone for the last week and a half or so and was blown away by how different she is speaking and acting. i think sometimes i forget how much she grows on a daily basis and it is a fun reminder when he slows down to pay attention to all of it.

charli is growing up a bit and is starting to enjoy playing some games on her own for a bit. we keep her cupcake kitchen in their tent in our dining (play) room and she is often sitting in front of it making cupcakes for everyone in the house. i love that when she puts the cupcakes in the oven she will go, "tick tick DING! all done!" and will come out and present us all with her fresh baked plastic treats. she has so much pride in figuring out all these little things on her own and i absolutely adore watching her imagination bloom right in front of my eyes.

gage man has really started taking this being 4 business seriously. this week he decided that he was open to watching new movies and has really started enjoying new concepts in shows he has never watched. yesterday we all sat down and watched beauty and the beast; he asked questions every 5 seconds about what was happening, who was good and bad, and where the hell is the princess's mom!? i didn't know if he would enjoy the movie, but he did and even asked to have it playing in the background again today. he also started playing dora on the wii all by himself. watching him figure out how to play the wii all by himself was absolutely adorable, and the smile on his face as he plays is priceless. i love that we can play that game on a cold day inside because it gets him standing and moving around a bit and keeps him engaged with thinking about his next move.

our little hall monitor is so cute with how he treats his little sister and how he tries to take care of her. the other day he complained to me that chunk doesn't like to cuddle with him enough, but today when she wanted to share his prized new pillow mattress he was all "get off of me, baby, this is my space!" and then, "you can cuddle with me later because i know you love me." if anyone in the world tried to hurt his baby sister he would be first in line to battle because he is just amazing like that. we have had a bit of a fight on listening and lying lately, but nothing that isn't typical 4 year old boundary exploration. he knows that if he doesn't listen enough in the day the consequence is losing his leappad, and that has worked out effectively for the most part.

the husband is working his ass off and we are still just waiting for news of when everything is going to go down. he rock-stared his financial analysis class and is getting more comfortable with his new role in his company. i couldn't be more proud of how well he is doing and how much he does for our little family.

i am really starting to find my stride with everything. sewing has been such a great outlet for me and i am enjoying taking on new projects and learning all about my pretty little machine. i have never felt particularly crafty, but sewing is different for me. i look forward to learning more about what i can create, even if that means my seam ripper is going to need to be replaced soon. i am going to start working on a project for rapture (my sister's soon to be here baby) this week and am hoping that will go swimmingly. i have never been in this good of a place in my life before and it feels incredibly gratifying. feeling happy is really starting to grow on me.