So that's it...

...February has come and gone. Where does the time go??!! Really, I would love to know. As time flies by, we creep closer and closer to Grady baby's first birthday. Soon, it will have been one full year since we welcomed him into this world on a blessed Friday the 13th. It seems like just yesterday I called our wonderful friend Lindsey crying about how I was pregnant and making awful off-hand jokes about it. Or the night we had our dear friends the Stewarts over and told them...and Tara screamed "I knew it!" I wasn't even showing Tara, but you sure made me feel like a chunky-monkey that night! HAHA.

Ahhh...but time marches on. And bellies shrink back down. Well, mostly. And babies grow into walking, talking toddlers. Who grow into curious youngsters who color and learn and make mud pies. And those youngsters become teenagers who hate you and love you at the same time. And those teenagers eventually become adults and maybe, just maybe, parents themselves. AGHHHH...grandmotherhood, here I come. =)

I really have no idea why my mind is on this subject today. I really didn't have a plan when I decided to post either, just thought I should end the month with one final blog-hurrah.

Bug is napping--I think, I haven't checked, though the monitor is quiet--and I have lots to do, so I should just pick some pictures and get them loading. Bug and I are picking Papa up from work and going to the Chinese Buffet in Monticello tonight. Yum!

Oh! And a big shot-out THANK YOU to all those who remembered my birthday this past Monday. I'm going to list you, but in random order, so do NOT get offended at where you fall on the list...because it's random. Danny and Linda, Glenn and Evelyn, Danelle and fam, Kim and Kirk, Tara, Lindsey, Amanda, Ruthie. There, short and random and I love you all! It was special to be remembered, though we didn't actually do anything special here (and some of you who have talked to us since know just how un-special it was).

Moving on to the pictures.

I bravely held a naked-baby photo shoot in our bedroom the other day. The sunshine coming in was too tempting to resist! Thankfully, no deposits of any kind--with the exception of much baby drool--were left on the bed.


A booty in focus. I loved the light coming in the room. Grady was playing with the lampshade. On Papa's side of the bed of course (I'm so ornery to put his pillows in greater risk than my own). It occurred to me as I was loading this picture that I would never post a picture of my naked booty or J's or even Grady's when he is just a few years older. What is it about a baby booty that is just so much more innocent and acceptable?!


Check it out while you can....Bugga crawling. The days are numbered. Stay tuned to the blog in March for lots of walking updates and video (we've already got some, I'm just holding out on you all).

Here's Bug pondering life and all its mysteries:

Okay, not really. Obviously. But doesn't he look so old here? Ugh. Won't be my baby for much longer I fear. Though J insists he's a Momma's boy...I secretly smile inside. Oh, don't worry. I'll cut him free, I promise. And I promise not to insist no one will ever be good enough for him because I love him most. Though I do. Hehehehe.

Seriously though, I figure now is my time, Momma's time, because as he gets older he'll realize Momma is kind of boring and that Papa is much more fun. So he can be a Momma's boy for now, because I know that when it comes time to really play--time to run and jump, and make messes, and build stuff and plan wacky ploys to trick or scare people (namely me)--that J will be his go-to guy. And that is fine with me. As long as I can find a safe place to get out of their way. =)

Happy New Month tonight everyone! See you in March.

10 things I hate about Sunday night

Ugh. Sunday night. Just...ugh.

Eh...I don't really have the energy to come up with 10 things I hate about it, so let's just skip to the number one reason:

We can't ever seem to get to sleep on Sunday night.

No matter how early we try to get to bed, no matter how tired we are, no matter now much we need the rest, sleep proves a very, very elusive thing on Sunday nights around here.

Maybe for J it is because he has a test every Monday morning, and he never feels prepared for it. That doesn't explain why I can't sleep though, unless his restlessness is spreading over to me through some inexplicable, near-seamless connection that we possess as husband and wife(I'm so sure, right?!). Maybe I'm keyed up from the flurry of weekend activity. For me, there is usually more activity packed into Saturday and Sunday than in the entire week from Monday to Friday. I do more laundry, more cleaning, and more out of the house errands and activities. It's all more and I don't always like it. Sometimes I do, but mostly it all needs to get done and it's easiest when there is someone with whom to share the responsibility (and the fun, don't get me wrong, he's tons of fun) of little mister Bugga.

I just want to sleep! And hopefully since I retreated back out to the computer to blog, J has been able to capture that elusive creature. I suppose he needs it more than me.

And now for the weekend in review....

Farmer Brown joined us Saturday for an outing to St. Cloud. He sowed (haha) the seeds of cuteness with his loud babbling all through Cost Plus World Market, harvested up a heaping helping of his charm on the saleslady in Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and then konked out snuggled up against Momma in his sling in Old Navy (I don't have a farming-themed verb for that one) and even slept through our first ever journey into a packed Chipotle Grill (line clear to the door!).

After we got home, I was so tired I ended up taking a nap (THANK YOU J! I love you, you're the best hubby ever!). Bugga, on the other hand, did not. ;) Shortly after this picture, J reported to me that Grady used the truck to somehow climb onto the lounger--how did the truck not roll away?--and then promptly fell off going after my book that he pushed off first. See what happens when Momma takes a break?!

Moving on to Sunday...today....errr, yesterday now....the day when everyone but Momma was sleeping. Bug took a really long nap, very uncharacteristic for him these days, and J and Paisley and Turdie were snoring on the lounger (okay, not really about the snoring) and Monka was sleeping on the chair. It was so blissfully quiet. Then Grady woke up. Then he discovered all the still-resting family members on the lounger....

....and decided they'd had enough rest. It was time to get up and play already!!!

Now it is the wee morning hours, after midnight, and again it is blissfully quiet. I can hear the refrigerator humming along, the heat just kicked off, and there's that strange buzz of quiet. Buzz of quiet. That's right. What? Quiet doesn't buzz for you? Maybe quiet itself is so foreign to my ears these days that my mind decides to fill the void.

I should really head off and try to turn buzz into simply zzzzzz.....

Crunchy Living

Okay, if you're like me--and some of you unfortunate folks probably are--you may have just glazed over the title of today's entry and read it all wrong.

Case in point, if you need an example: Jeremy recently sent me an email titled "greasiest brownies ever." Well, in my haste, I read it as "greatest brownies ever" and was kind of offended. What about my brownies dude? You're supposed to be my hubby and support me and love my brownies best. Hummpphhh. So, 3/4 through the email, I finally caught on as he wrote about oil-soaked paper towels and not being able to eat the darn thing. Long example, huh?

So go back and read it again. Go ahead. I'll wait.

That's right, I said crunchy living. Maybe some of you would refer to it as granola (as some of you have referred to me as being such!), or green, or tree-hugging, or any of those fun terms. Life is scary out there and in our constant search as humans for more convenience, less hassle, bigger, better, etc. etc. we seem to be steering farther and farther from natural and healthy options in so many areas of life. While I haven't collected all the facts on global warming and am not really sure where I stand on that issue, I do know that for me and my family, we are trying very much to lessen our personal impact on the environment around us and also lessen the potential impact of toxins on our own bodies.

Here's our recent "wishlist money" spending. We're total geeks, granola geeks at that, and we know it.

Do you know when this all started for us? Or when we really kicked it into high gear, if you will? When we got preggo. It started when we found out we were spawning a tiny human and I thought about all those diapers--oh my, how many diapers!--and how full and stinky our trash would be and I just couldn't stand the thought of throwing it all away. Then I started researching it and realized not only would it probably be better in an environmental sense to cloth diaper our little one (though if you do research it, there are claims that it is just as bad as disposables or that in certain conditions it can be worse, like say in drought conditions), but that from a health perspective it might be advantageous too. I could have natural fibers touching his skin instead of plastics, gels, and chemicals. And maybe even save some money, woohoo. ;)

This train of thought just kept spreading....what else am I using that is disposable that could be replaced with something re-useable? What else has a healthier alternative? How much can I recycle? And I don't just mean those plastic bottles or the junk mail. What other common household items might be exposing us to dangerous compounds with each exposure?

Overwhelming? Yup. There are brief moments of pure panic when life in general just seems too scary to carry on. In the end, I decided on baby steps and changing what we could--in terms of what was practical, what was affordable, and what fit into our lifestyle.

The picture above shows our new klean kantene drinking bottles, to replace our old #7 lexan (highly leaching) nalgene bottles. And our new compact shopping bags so we don't have to bring home a plethora of plastic bags when we go the stores. And J's new insulated lunch bag, to replace those plastic bags we hope to not be bringing home anymore. Grady also got some goodies with two new sippies; no chemicals leaching into his drinks. One is even just like Momma and Papa's, so we'll all match. Say it with me...ahhhh. Sharing the green/crunchy/tree-hugging/granola love with our little Bug. What could be better?! ;) (We ordered all this through www.reusablebags.com, in case anyone is interested.)

You may be wondering what else we have done. Or you may be wishing I would shut my environmentally-conscious trap. Soon enough my pretties, soon enough.

We are working on getting rid of most, if not all, of our plastic food storage containers. We have replaced some with good old canning jars; we're planning on getting some more pyrex though too. To be fair, there is some food-safe plastics out there that are supposed to carry little risk (I believe they're #5s, but don't quote me).

I'm really trying to limit my paper towel use and just use more kitchen rags and towels, especially since we have a bigger kitchen now so I can have more towels and such in drawers and close at hand.

As we painted here at our new house we paid attention to VOC levels (volatile organic chemicals), because the higher the VOC, the more off-gassing which can be potentially dangerous to your health. We settled on Dutch Boy kids room paint, which has a VOC level of 5 g/L. Here's some more info if you're at all interested.

We're trying to reduce our consumption of highly processed foods. That one is hard. Really hard. Sometimes it is difficult to beat the convenience and, though more rarely, the yummy-ness of certain pre-packaged, processed foods out there.

There is undoubtably more we could be doing for our health and for the environment, so we're probably just getting started. I'm glad we're thinking about it though. Plus all the info out there just feeds my addiction (ahh, my sweet internet).

Okay, okay. Many of you most likely come here for one reason and one reason alone. And that reason is not to read me (haha, read me, instead of listen to me) babble on and on about our oh-so-exciting daily life and our quest for greater health and sustainability. No, you come here for Grady. I know it, you know it, it's okay. Really. It doesn't bother me. ;) Hehe.

Here the little man is sitting in the reusable bags box...we even reused the box. Look at us go!

Bugga recently finally outgrew his infant carrier and we moved on to this sweet convertible car seat. We're really liking it and we think Bug is more comfortable too. Here he and Dad are working on getting it set up together. =) It brought such a smile to my face because it was like peering into the future. I just know these two are going to have so much fun working on little projects together as Grady grows up. Father and son. I just love it!

We also recently got a little add-on toilet trainer seat for the potty to make Bug more comfortable and not risk falling in. I should probably add that if you didn't already think we're weird enough, ask me about EC (elimination communication). ;) Yes, we put Grady on the toilet. No, we're not "forcing" him or traumatizing him with early toilet exposure. He's been depositing at least some of his, ahem, eliminations in the toilet since he was a mere few weeks old. It sounds really nutso, I was once shaking my head just like you, but what I can say....well, really, I don't know what else to say.


Jeremy loves the above one, his first "reading on the pot" shot.

And here's another picture of Papa, Bugga, and Paisley cuddling on the lounger. I know, you've seen it before. I think each weekend we get a new picture of this same scenario. Happy cuddles.

A Monday Pick-Me-Up

It's Monday. And if you follow this cyber-rambling of mine, you know that last Monday was not so great. The whole week seemed to follow suit, so I'm ready for a fresh start.

Here's a little video that might help if some of you are feeling the same:

I'm snuggled on the lounger with Miss Paisley and the oh-so-big-and-fluffy Turdie boy. I really shouldn't be being so lazy, or indulging Pai like this, but I can't seem to help myself today. Again, it's Monday. That'll be my standard excuse for all my misbehaviors today. ;)

Bugga is napping. Whew. Some days he can be so...well, cranky! Don't get me wrong, he's adorable and sweet and fun and we love him to bits. I know I have my days when I am not so pleasant, so I try to apply that understanding to my sweet little boy, when he's being not-so-sweet. I'm theorizing that some of his recent crankiness has to do with him being on the threshold of that ever-important new skill of walking. I try to think about life from a baby's perspective and I know it must be pretty frustrating. I also know that I can't really think about life from a baby's perspective. I can think about it from the perspective of an adult trying to think like a baby, which really isn't saying a whole lot other than that I'm trying, desperately trying, to empathize with him and not villify his crabby nature when it rears its ugly little head.

So when he wakes up, I'll smile and hug him and be cheery-Momma and hope for the best. Maybe with rest, some of his frustration (or whatever it is) melted away and can be replaced with his more enjoyable happy exploration (even if it's through all the kitchen drawers) and little baby giggles. We'll see soon enough anyway.

~~~~

Even though Bugga took an uncharacteristically long nap today (3 hours, woohoo!), our silly internet and blogspot couldn't finish the task of uploading the video before he was up.

I am very pleased to report that he is back to being my sweet little guy since waking up. It's only been just over an hour, so I won't hold my breath that this will last til bedtime, but for a Monday...it's pretty good. =)

Remembrance

Wow, what a week for blogging, huh? Some weeks are just like that I guess.

But today is not a fun blog. I could really not write anything at all. My head is swimming though and sometimes this poor blog simply becomes my outlet. It can be far easier to type-it-out from time to time than to actually talk-it-out or some other method of coping.

Today is February 15th. It's the birthday of my friend Chris, who is like a sister to me (Happy Birthday Chris! Wait, she hasn't ever seen the blog, oh well). But it is also 3 years ago today that we lost my Mom to cancer.

I remember surprisingly little about it all really. Or at least I feel like I can't remember the important stuff, the stuff I want to remember. Like the last thing she said to me. Or the last thing I said to her. Or even just the sound of her voice.

I remember that the day prior, Valentine's Day 2005, was uncharacteristically warm for winter. It was sunny. My Dad and J and I took Mom up to the nursing home to see Grandpa (her Dad); I think we knew it was the last time. They were both in wheelchairs and the picture in my mind is so sad and so beautiful at the same time. They sat in the sun, their chairs facing opposite directions, and held hands. I don't remember them saying much. They probably knew much better than any of us how to spend precious final moments with someone you love.

We all went to sleep that night, or tried to, knowing that the end was imminent and by morning she likely wouldn't be with us in the earthly sense any more. The idea that she would be free of the debilitating pain of disease was comforting to some degree. I still don't know how she did it those final months of treatment and I know I don't even know the half of it when it comes to how much pain she must have been feeling. Losing someone to disease like that brings such a strange mix of emotions. For me, it was relief tinged with guilt (who feels relief that their Mom is gone?) and then the more general and natural pain of loss, of being just shy of 24 years old and being without my Mom. There was also the pain of having to watch my Dad lose my Mom, a pain that has been ongoing and increasing as time goes by, as I can only guess his pain has done the same.

Here I sit, 3 years later, in a home I didn't foresee, in a place I never imagined living, and with a son I certainly didn't anticipate either. So much has changed. Grady being the most notable thing of course and the most bittersweet too. That she doesn't get to hold our son and dote on him and give him all the love a Grandma has, that has been the most bittersweet experience in my life.

I remember when we found out we were pregnant, all the grief came back full force as if I'd just lost her. My impending journey into motherhood brought her absense into such sharp focus that it dominated my thoughts nearly as much as the little being growing inside me did. The only person I wanted to call was Mom. J and I were in such shock, having not planned at all on being parents yet, that we really couldn't tell people. We weren't ready to tell, just like we didn't feel we were ready to have a baby. But even not wanting to tell people, I know I would've called my Mom and told her. Just her. She would have listened to my concerns and comforted and reassured me in a way that wasn't selfish and didn't push too hard too fast for me to embrace my impending motherhood when I wasn't ready yet.

It is now 3 years later, and she has 2 new grandchildren (Ryan and Lisa's girl Faith and Grady) and another little one, gender yet unknown, arriving to Ryan and Lisa later this year. And her little Riley, the only grandchild she got to cuddle and love in person, is a smart, energetic, and witty 10 year old. Ryan's family even lives in Superior now where she could enjoy her grandkids probably several times a weeek.

No matter what I write, I couldn't possibly do her justice. She worked hard at her job, volunteered countless hours at the Elks, and took wonderful care of her Dad after Grandma passed away. I loved her crab salad; it was imitation crab I'm sure as I doubt you can get real crab around Superior very often, but in my mind it was her signature dish and I don't think I've had crab salad since she's been gone. She was much prettier than I am, and I love looking at pictures of her growing up and in the early days of marriage and kids. She was my go-to person for so many things. If Jeremy and I were facing any kind of practical decision (taxes, buying a car, etc.), she was who I called to talk it over with. We had an unofficial rule that Sundays was our day to talk. If a weekend went by and I didn't hear from her, I usually worried and would pick up the phone myself just to make sure all was fine. It didn't matter that there often wasn't much to report for either of us. It was our weekly way of re-connecting I suppose, so the words themselves weren't nearly as important as the act of it.

I'm lucky enough to have an afghan she crocheted and a baby quilt she started. The baby quilt is kind of a funny story. She was working on it when she came to visit J and I in WA once and she told us it was for Ryan and Lisa (who weren't expecting or talking about more kids at the time). We found out later that she told Ryan and Lisa it was for me and J. Stories like that make me laugh. Ryan and Lisa had the quilt finished and gave it to us this last August. We really treasure it. Now Grady has a quilt made by each of his Grandmas (Linda made a beautiful one too).

I don't have many digital pictures of my Mom. I did find this one from when she and Dad came to my college graduation in May 2004. I was overjoyed that Mom had her last cigarette before she got on the plane to fly to Seattle. I was so proud of her! I knew it wasn't easy, and she said it was sort of a graduation gift to me. We didn't realize it was too late, that Mom already had cancer spread from her lungs to her liver and bones. It wasn't until about 6 weeks later that there was a diagnosis. Less than 8 months after that, she was gone.

It is always hard to know what to do, if anything, when an anniversary of the death of a loved one comes around. Do you go on as if it were any other day? Do you celebrate their life in some way? I guess this year, the answer is that I blog about her. And wish I had a photo of she and Bugga to share. Riley told us this Christmas that she believes "Grandma comes into their {Faith's and Grady's} rooms at night and rocks them." I think that's a beautiful thing to believe. I'll take my cue from my niece on this one and believe that Mom gets her own time with Grady. In the meantime we'll make sure to tell him stories and show him pictures as he grows up and let him know that he had another Grandma that would have loved him very much.

another day, another blog

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

You know, in my younger days, I used to always call it Valenswines Day. I guess I found it funny.

This year, I think I'm really just calling it Thursday.

I'm lucky in that in my new life as a SAHM (that's Stay At Home Mom for those of your not familiar with the acronym), if you will, I don't need a special day to remind me to love those around me and be thankful for them. My job, quite literally, is to shower an itty human with affection--among other things of course, like change messy diapers and try to figure out how to discipline him so that he understands boundaries in this world--and nurture our lovely furry family members, and I certainly shouldn't forget dear hubby Jeremy in all this. Maybe my dear spouse is why I do need a Valentine's Day though. Sadly, he is probably the one that gets the shortest end of the stick when it comes to my attention, my patience, and my affection. Poor guy! Isn't this how it is with so many of us though? I shouldn't feel too guilty or too alone in this, right? Oh please tell me I'm right on this one!

This life of mine as a domestic diva--a term I use when I don't feel like saying SAHM again--isn't too busy. At least not yet, with Bug being so young and us living in a place where taking him out during winter isn't the best idea. I know lots of people who are ten times busier than me. Do I think that makes for happier people? Or more successful people? To be honest, no, I really don't. Of course, that's good because if I did I would pretty much be saying I believe myself to be an unsuccessful, potentially depressed, loser. That's not a healthy outlook, now is it?

What exactly am I getting at? Is that what you're thinking? You can be honest.

Anyway, I guess my point is that I like this life that isn't scheduled so tight we can't breathe, where we're not trying to run from one activity to the next. This life, this amazingly un-busy life, allows for time for all that thankfulness, nurturing, and loving that days like today are supposed to celebrate. So really, I have no excuse for J not reaping all these benefits too, if our life is so un-busy as I proclaim. That just means it is my own shortcoming and one I hope to work on. I imagine--and hope--I'll have years and years ahead of us to master a balance of my energies that doesn't leave him out.

And now for the disclaimer: I am not saying that busy people with busy families aren't full of love and caring and other good stuff. Lots of people provide a wonderfully loving environment for their families all the while running in 8 different directions on any given day. And some people are even happy doing this. All the above statements really just pertain to me and my family. They are not in any way to be construed as judgments on other people. And anyway, I understand that as Grady gets older, it will follow that we will all get busier as a family. So I'm thankful for the slow days we have now, I know they don't last.

Okay, there, I feel better. I started to worry I might offend people in some way. We're all different, so don't go worrying any of your pretty little heads about any of the nonsense that flows from my keyboard.

Oh goodness, I nearly forgot I promised pictures. No, I don't have any cute Valentine-themed pictures of Grady, because I've succumb to convention that dictates hearts and flowers and lovey-dovey accouterments are not for little boys. You'll have to settle for him in his green track suit from Mema and Papa (don't he look cute!).

Roast Monkey for supper, not tonight though. ;)

Bugga up close. Looking rather unsure about the camera.

This is how Bug fell asleep for nap one day this past weekend. I think he literally was playing until the moment he was out. As in the past, after we took pictures, we rearranged him more comfortably in his bed before leaving him in slumberland. Lest anyone think we're totally mean and just let him sleep in this unbearably uncomfortable position. Of course, it was comfortable enough for him to fall asleep in the first place I guess...

Grady enjoying that box a little more; one of the best toys he's had in a while. =) It's still in our living room.

In case anyone was wondering if J and I have plans for tonight, here it is. We're making french onion soup for our special supper. Sounds romantic in a smelly way right? Well, unless you've never been around my dear husband, you realize that's the only state of romance with him. (I'm referring to his gas, his flatulence, his "natural flora" as a doctor once referred to it.) I fear he comes by it completely naturally (no offense Danny and Linda!), so sometimes competing scents are really a good plan. Onion is a good strong one, don't you think?

All the fun that can fit in a box

So, I'm a genius.

Wait...that doesn't sound right.

Okay, go back, now read it dripping, and I mean dripping, with sarcasm. Ahhh...yes, that's more like it.

Yesterday was very much a Monday around here. I scraped my booty on the counter in the laundry room trying to stand up (enter standard joke--stand up much?--here). Then I cut my finger on a knife trying to rearrange something in the silverware drawer. Uh, rearrange much? Okay, that one didn't work as well. Moving on...

But, the topping on the cake really had to be when I attempted to go up and over a piece of furniture--rather than move it out of my way or go around--with my precious little Bug in my arms yesterday afternoon. That was the moment I knew I was a genius.

I, for one, was not designed for "up and over." There are people in this world that were. Hurdlers come to mind. And Tom Cruise. And people that jump the turnstiles to save a buck. My sense of balance, on the other hand, simply isn't strong enough for those kind of maneuvers. I pull them off now and again, by myself mind you, and it really deludes my own sense of what I can, and cannot, do. Being silly enough, and sadly mindless enough, to add a 20+ pound infant to my arms and then attempt something like that...OUCH!

And double OUCH for baby Bugga who had no choice in the matter, no chance of preventing it, and little left to do but cry. And cry and cry. And I couldn't blame him. I found, thankfully, few real injuries on him. Unlike myself as I am acutely aware of about 4 different places on my body that took a hit during the tumble. (My booty, again, being one of them.) At any rate, it seemed the back of his neck and lower part of his head got hit, so we were on concussion watch. Nothing came of it. Again, thank goodness. If my stupidity ever seriously injured him, I don't know that I could forgive myself.

Such an injurious and accident-prone Monday was really a fitting start for this week that doesn't promise much. We are resigned to the fact that we will most probably be having to go file with conciliation court this Friday over our still-unreturned security deposit from the 2 months we were in a rental house when we first moved to MN this past October. UGH! We just can't believe our luck that the only time in our lives--yes, the only time--that we rented and had a landlord, we end up getting stiffed on our security deposit and have to go to court. If anyone has any great tips on the process or words of advice, bring them on. We're beyond mad and extremely frustrated.

It's so ridiculous. Our former landlord seemed to be such an awesome guy and there was a time I was really singing this guy's praises because he took a chance on a young couple, their baby, and 4 pets. I really felt our chances of finding a rental willing to take us was slim to none and he was automatically a "good guy" in my eyes for taking us. And the whole time we lived there, which really was less than 2 months, he continued to seem a pretty stand-up guy. It was once we were out that he began to seem incredibly shady. Not returning phone calls, saying 3 times now "check's in the mail" and still nothing, claiming not to have gotten our many mesages. Our friend Tara thoughtfully pointed out that he sure got our messages when were looking to rent the place. Ahh, very astute Tara, very astute.

Anyway, that's our drama around here.

Oh, big update! We got the blue diaper pins back. ;) HAHAHA. And I'm sure the hostess lady at Old Chicago was beyond impressed when I did a little hop and clapped when she revealed to me that she found them (after first telling me they tossed all their lost and found when corporate came...what?!). Yes, a hop and a clap for diaper pins. Sometimes I'm just too easy to please. Note to J: forget diamonds, stick with pins. Cashmere scarfs on wicked sale don't hurt either. ;) (He picked me up one for less than $7 at Target yesterday, how cool is that?!)

Two videos today. Jackpot right? =) Watch Paisley get all kooky over the popper packaging stuff that came in our delivery of pampered chef stoneware last weekend.

And then watch Grady get kooky playing in the same box. What a funny boy. He spills over the edge a couple times. Don't worry, he wasn't really at risk (as opposed to yesterday). I still don't quite know how he even did it...twice. Maybe it's just that when his weighty noggin crosses over the edge of the box, the rest of his body has no choice but to follow. ;)

I'll call it a day in blog-land now. I have some pics I really want to share, but I'll wait til another day for that. For now, enjoy the live action representations of life for the Jackson family.

Oh, and by the way, I never realized how much I say "woa" til we started videotaping and posting the videos. Very Joey-esque, wouldn't you say? You know, from Blossom? Oh, come on, I know you know, don't deny it. ;)

February, really?!

Funny thing....Jeremy actually pointed out to me the other night that I haven't blogged in February yet. Wow. Somebody's paying attention, huh?! ;) Extra good-hubby points for him. Whatever that might mean.

We finished that Scrabble game. J won. ={ While I was making my case for style points for words like adage, poi, whirl, and aliens, he was racking up 20+ points for such doozies as jug. That's right, jug. Frustrating? Heck yeah. And I don't often like to lose, but the guy's got skill.

What else is going on...let's see. Bugga is taking more and more steps. We're at that stage where it's like living with a tiny drunk guy. Minus the slurring off words and general unease that comes with having an actual drunk guy around. There's falling and swerving and it's just so much fun to watch. He can trail a good 6-7 steps together fairly regularly now. The other night, we were doing the whole routine of walking to Momma or Papa and then falling into them with a big hug. So darling! Especially since all this mobility means more independence which tends to mean less Momma and Papa cuddles.

Okay, so I've been away and I know I've kept some of you captive with my ramblings far too long, you just want to see the Buggem already! Here you go then:

This one cracks us up for the obvious reasons. ;)



J took this one; we think it's fun. You can see his tonka in the background (thanks Aunt Lindsey and Uncle Brandon!) and he's kind of got his squinty-laugh face going on. Plus you can see the tell-tale I'm-learning-to-walk scrape on his forehead.

Another cute one J took. With the same scrape.

And this is the one I call "I live here too." Isn't it curious how I'm absent from most all of the pictures? Okay, so it isn't really curious afterall because a) I'm behind the camera about 99% of the time and b) I'm in sweats and usually not feeling like being on the other side of the camera. Even so, with these conditions well in place, J stole the camera from me last weekend and snapped a few of me and Bug playing and then cuddling a little bit. Notice our bare-bottom boy; he spent all of last weekend that way except for nap and bedtime. Yes, we're crazy. And yes, we plan on replacing the carpet when he's older. ;)

Finally, here's the funny of the week. I've been wondering when he would fall asleep all askew in his bed because he plays so much before falling asleep at nap time (and gets out almost every day now too, grrrrr). Well, it finally happened. Two days in a row it happened actually. I did flip him around and place him in bed more comfortably once I snapped a pic or three.

So that's that. I've fulfilled my February blog requirements. HEHE. There's no requirements, what am I talking about?! Anyway, THANKS so much to those that commented and let me know they come here from time to time! So sweet. I'm still waiting for that random stranger...but not the foe. No, never the foe.