I just LOOOOVEEEE

introducing new friends!!!!    Our friend Amy has been waiting like an eternity for her precious little son Gabriel.  She waited with such grace and she's entered parenting with that same grace.  Maybe she puts on a good front. Maybe she doesn't share with me since we're not like BFF's (yet) but she seems so calm, so relaxed, so in the moment.  Her little guy Gabriel, Gaby Baby, Abite ... has definately benefited from his mom's laid back ways. He seems like he's been with her forever.  Honestly, maybe he's honeymooning her right now but serious he's a 15 month old guy who acts like, well, a 15 month old guy.  A little shy at first, grabbing his mama, peeking out ... he takes a crawl away from her, turns back (is she there???, ahhh yeah there she is) and the takes another crawl (glances).  We (the non moms) swoop in, only to scare him back to the shelter of his mom's lap.  A few minutes later and Gabe the toddler emerges!  He crawls, he climbs, he grabs HE IS PERFECT!   Ahhhh Amy, thanks for stopping by, really lifted our day and we know that forever we have a new 'Opia friend. 

it's ok Gabriel try not to be overwhelmed by all the ladies wanting your attention

"I have a lot to teach you about life in Minnesota, let's talk"

"see Gabriel, read up on what they are telling our moms to do and we can stay one step ahead of their game"

"that's right, tear up that page that describes how to tame a tantrum, you're gonna need those tantrums, your mom doesn't look quite worn out enough yet"

7,8,9, 10

March 2007

March 2008

March 2009

March 2010

at the beginning of March

we have lots of evenings during the week with our friends (we babysit for them)

excited that when we leave the house for short trips lucy can wear a spring jacket!

we hang with morgan at least one night a week

balloons - cheap but fun

and the diva of fashion strikes again

i mean who else can pull of tap shoes, cherry pants with a swimsuit as a base

we started our veggie garden - cant wait till the seeds sprout!!

ahh yes spring is definately in the air.  it's been dreary and cloudy the past couple days but the snow is melting, the huge ruts of ice are almost gone and the yard is almost ready for the big spring dog de-pooping experience of 2010 (anyone want to join me????).  I love spring. Lucy loves spring. My heating bill loves spring.  Next week we find out if Lucy "won the lottery" for a spot in kindergarden at a school I really really really want her in.  Send winning vibes our way please. 

kitchen updo

as a reward to myself for all the purging and organizing I've been doing I decided that a kitchen redo was in order.  When I moved into the house the kitchen was really nonexistant.  It had a bathroom sink/cabinet, no counters, no cabinets it was not functional.  We got some inexpensive laminate cabinets from Menards and made a countertop out of tile.  I painted the trim bright red, got a red ceiling fan and a bunch of chili pepper accessories.  The kitchen was happy, bright and functional.  It's been about 12 years.  The kitchen needed fixing again.  I didn't do before photos because the process of priming all the red trim was slow and it NEVER occurs to me to take before photos.  I dug one up that shows a little of the kitchen before:

I decided to go bright again but this time tone down the trim and jazz up the walls.  I love the outcome. It was just what I needed to get through the end of winter blues!

Our Journey East

This weekend we decided to head east.  It was the 2nd annual February gathering of really cool people.   We journeyed nearly all the way across Wisconsin and ended up in the O.C..  We had a wonderful time.  Really really really.  It's so awesome to know now that Lucy (and I) can handle (mostly) chaos and schedule flopping.  I was sort of doubting this ability on Saturday morning but we bucked up and made it through.  Thanks to our awesome wonderful most coolest friends, we had a blast and made lots of new and good memories.  Lucy also ate her first hotdog.  Never could get her to eat those before. 

when we arrived Jayme and Diane were creating a hashbrown masterpiece that went wonderfully with the amazing cauliflower "hotdish" that Jayme made off of Deidre's blog that forever and forever changed my relationship to cauliflower and expensive cheese. Gimmeee more!

B-boy and Lucy Loo teamed up to get some laundry sorted.

Lucy and baby beautiful cleaned up some chips and salsa

the kids took turns roasting hotdogs over the fire

these two hardly had anytime to fight because there were so many other kids to distract

everyone had to help frost and decorate the half-birthday cake

baby beautiful was all over those pink sprinkles

all of a sudden my photos aren't self turning and i am at a loss for how to do it.

we walked through the snow and played at a park

we celebrated

it was a wonderful weekend.

so sorry we trashed your house D. 

What's been going on ...

We feel like we are coming close to the end of winter.  Things feel more managable, more hopeful. 

My New Years Resolution of catering less to Lucy's picky tastes in food is really paying off.  Our meals are more enjoyable, more diverse and healthier.  Lucy has started eating oatmeal (hearty oatmeal) for breakfast.  She's had lots of roasted veggies, black beans and rice, split pea soup and a bigger variety of pasta.  We are definately on a good road here.  Whew.

Lucy hasn't lost her spunkyness, her defiance or her spirit but she has grown a lot and when she is well rested and not hungry her extreme behaviors have centered a little.  She is easier and each day that goes by without extreme struggles seems to roll to future good days (much in the same way a bad morning can lead to a bad afternoon, to a bad evening).  We are having more good days then bad days and that is saying a lot given that we're still neck deep in ice and snow here.  NECK DEEP.

I leave you with a sample of the after dinner show that Lucy put on tonight.  Very cute.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Dear Nancy ....

May your eternity be filled with music, warm sunshine, beautiful flowers, majestic birds and the peace you deserve.

we love you.

cancer sucks.

What a nut ...

She's all sorts of fashionable.

Lucy loves ...

Lucy loves anyone her Auntie Jen wants her to love.  I support this but I really wish Auntie Jen would start wanting Lucy to love Bob Dylan, Ani DiFranco, Leonard Cohen, The Beastie Boys, Neil Young, Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc.  

For now I endure:

There are times when the only way I can stop her from misbehaving is to say "OH Lucy, Adam Lambert would not be happy if he saw you doing this/heard you saying that"  

Finding Sanity

Sunday morning started out on a very surly foot.  Whew.  My kid was a sassssy pants.  We needed an outing.  One that got us outside, amongst other people and moving our bodies.  We headed to the zoo.

Lucy found a soul mate.  We must have spent 1/2 an hour outside at this bear exhibit. 

Lucy and this bear talked to each other.  They touched each other through the glass.

I really think he soothed her soul.

When we got home she was really balanced, very nice and had a good attitude about helping me shovel.

ahhhhh the healing power of animals, exercise and outdoors. 

WE NEED SPRING

Things that don't make sense:

Lucy decided to fight with a brick wall at school.  The wall won. 

This bump had absolutely no impact on this child's energy level and

ability to talk talk talk talk talk.

Lucy is one of those kids that people like to "figure out" (and I am one of those people).  She's a mystery and it's futile to really try to solve the puzzle that is Lucy because she is also a shapeshifter.  OHHHH she's a tricky one.  

I've learned LONG ago not to cling to any particular food likes that she has.  The minute she loves somehting and I run out and buy more, Lucy decides to divorce that particular love.

Friends are the same story.  One minute Lucy and Yaime are dying for a playdate, they have one and then for weeks after they are sworn enemies.  

I might spend some time lamenting about how crazy active Lucy is, how I can't interest her in puzzles or books.  Lucy will walk in, grab a book and look through the pages for 10 minutes.

Today her teacher told me that Lucy shocked her by singing a song the class had been working on.  Seemed as if Lucy was not listing at all the past couple weeks, definately not participating but today she sings in as if she's been joining in all along.

Tonight I made cheesy rice for dinner.  Nothing offensive, pretty child friendly.  Lucy did not like it.  She really needed to be pressured to eat it.   After dinner I had her help me make "green puree", which is a mixture of 2 parts steamed spinach, 2 parts steamed brocolli, 1 part steamed sweet peas ... pureed.  The plan was to freeze it and add it to different foods.  I talked to Lucy about the power of the green vegetable.  Lucy decided to start eating the puree right out of the processor.  She probably ate about 1/2 cup.  Huh?  Whatever, tomorrow she won't even want to look at it.

I give up.