Ah, Darius...

How could you not love that face?

Darius is like the little peacekeeper of the family -- well, when he's not causing trouble, anyway ;o). He has no problem being the perpetual sidekick in Taye's constant role playing games, he is quick to help out, he dotes on Mya, he let's Taye win. He likes to tell me, "Mama, it's good to be here" and has taken to barking out "Mama, I love ya!" He had the waitress at Friendly's laughing one time when she overheard him say, "Mama, I love you, but can we have ice cream now?" Well, when you put it that way...

He loves to make people laugh, and his giggle is infectious. We've been telling a lot of really funny jokes around here lately. Knock-knock jokes in particular. After hearing the "Orange you glad I didn't say banana" one a few times, Darius made up his own:

Knock-knock.

Who's there?

Guitar.

Guitar, who?

Guitar you glad I didn't say vacuum?

Some may say he was just using random objects from around the room, but I choose to believe he meant for it to work that well. He is pretty darn smart, after all.

Last week the kids were going to Nana's for a few hours. As we were getting ready, I joked with Darius and told him he had to stay home.

Me: "Nana said you can't come, she changed her mind."

Darius: "No she didn't, she still has the same mind!"

(What he doesn't know is that she actually lost it a long, long time ago...it's all Uncle Bunny's fault, I had nothing to do with it!)

Lately I've noticed that almost all his "babyness" is gone, he is definitely a big kid. But no matter how big he gets, he is still totally squishable. He still likes to snuggle, and that's fine by me. Speaking of squishable, I could still sit and watch this video of him all day long:

I can't be the only one. He is yummy.

The Perfect Storm

Yesterday, I experienced the Perfect Storm. I was out running errands alone...my route brought me past the Salvation Army...I was reminded that Darius desperately needs pants (plus, I'm addicted, fine!)...and as I was walking in, I saw a sign advertising a one-day only, everything in the store (except furniture) 50% off sale.

I can't even describe the excitement. I went through the kids clothing racks with an eye towards the summer stuff (and pants for Darius). I left with 10 pairs of pants (6 of them jeans), 13 shirts, 2 pairs of shoes, an iron, and 2 small Easter items...for $20.37. I don't know how people can shop anywhere else.

My favorite find of the day? These:

I don't even care that she already has sneakers in this size. They were $1, and look at them! So cute.

Recent Favorites

Fashion Show

Every time I see fabric listed on Freecycle, I ask for it, even though I don't really sew. Because I like fabric, and someday I may sew, and I have people who will sew for me. The vast majority of the fabric gets passed along, but there is usually at least one piece that I love and want to keep. Last week, there was a flurry of pattern searching and buying, and sewing awesomeness done by Tia. We got everything this weekend, and Mya modeled for the camera.

Probably a year ago, I got a huge piece of fabric, which we have affectionately called "the ugly fabric" from the beginning. It's so hideous that it's awesome, I loved it. I instantly knew I needed it to be made into something for Mya. I then decided -- you may want to sit down -- that what it should be is a dress for Mya. I gave it to Tia, and we worked on finding the perfect pattern. I wish this picture wasn't blurry because it came out so cute.


I also had a second 'ugly fabric' though not as wonderfully ugly as the first. I found a pattern for a tunic online that I loved, and asked Tia to make 2 of them. This one has the ugly fabric #2 as the trim (and I think it's my favorite):

This other tunic is made from 2 purples that I got together, and quite honestly, the trim on this is a pretty ugly fabric as well. I love the color of the main shirt:

Last, but not least, is this awesome kimono coat. It has super soft fleece on the outside, and is lined with my favorite ugly fabric. I love the way it wraps, I love the hood, I love it. Now we just need it to be a bit warmer so she can wear it!

And then, as you can see, the fashion show was over!

Thanks Tia!!!!!!

New Bed!

We've been wanting to get the boys bunk beds since we moved in here. Their room was really congested, and we wanted the space. We finally headed up to the Mill Store in NH this weekend to get one. We got there just in time, as they were all sold out except for the floor model. We waited while they took it apart, and took it home. The kids were so excited, and spent the rest of the day playing on it, only pausing for dinner.

Here is Taye, holding up the ceiling:


and Darius, holding up Taye:

Daddy whipped up a cool fort:

Three little monkeys:

I love this picture. Luis had them yelling "New Bed!" for the camera, instead of "cheese!" and it was, apparently, very funny.

16 Already?

Coming Along

Taye's skating classes are almost over. There is one left, but he told us he doesn't want to go skating, ever, and doesn't want to play hockey any more either. So, we'll see this Sunday, but he may be done. He seems to have fun while he is there, and has learned quite a bit, despite the teacher's best efforts. We have not been impressed with them, at all. Taye was adamant that he wanted a teacher to teach him, and not one of us. So, this class served that purpose, and he has now basically taught himself to skate, but if not for that, this would have been a huge waste of money.

No more wall clinging:

Keeping his balance:

all the way to the other side (and a nice, big grin).

Go Away

OK winter, the giant icicles hanging from our house were pretty cool. They're bigger than Mya, which is impressive for an icicle (though not for much else). The kids got a thrill out of them. And now I've finally got pictures so we can remember them always. So you can go away, and take your giant icicles with you. Now.

My Funny Valentines

Normally we don't really 'do' Valentine's Day. We're pretty lovey-dovey every day, so we don't need an excuse. Plus, I'm cheap, and don't like wasting my money on candy and such just because Hallmark says I should. So there. But this year, the day before V-Day, I had a mini crisis of conscience. Am I a bad mother if I don't get my kids Valentines? Should't we do something to make it special? After all, my mom got us Valentines every year. And she gets them for my kids. And Kathy brought them candy. And it's Valentine's Day, it's all about love, and I do love them. And...and...

Ah, Mommy guilt. So I talked to the more rational (read: less hormonal) one in this relationship. We decided on a nice, low key, non-commercial Valentine's Party. We made Valentines with construction paper. Two cut out hearts, each with a message from Mama and Daddy, stapled together, with a few small trinkets inside (stickers, glitter glue, and yes, some candy). Then we made pink, heart-shaped pancakes, scrambled eggs, and strawberry smoothies and had a nice, sit-down, all-together breakfast.



Then we just spent the day together. I'm very lucky to have the best little Valentines around.

And one big one, of course. How could I not love him?

This kid...

is just non-stop. Running, jumping, climbing, web-slinging, laughing, running, fighting, pretending, talking, running...



I like him. I really like him. One night recently, I was leaving their room after putting them to bed. When I was at the door, he said, "Mama, do you know that sometimes I just love you so much?" Ditto, kid.

Apparently Darius just isn't cutting it as a playmate anymore. Taye created a new friend for himself:

A couple of weeks ago, we all had a cold. The kids all had nasty coughs to go along with it. The other day, Taye was coughing, and we had the following conversation:

Me: Hey, stop coughing!

Taye: I can't because I'm very sick.

Me: Well, stop being sick!

Taye: I don't know why I'm so sick. Hey - maybe I should stop eating my boogers!

It's a theory.

It's been a while...

since I showed off some craftiness, so here goes.

I have been trying to find the perfect pattern for baby booties for the longest time, and not having any luck. It seems like all the really cute ones are either crocheted, or use double pointed knitting needles, and I don't want to go there. So I finally decided to just make my own darn pattern. I spent a long time envisioning before I began, and finally I got to work on these:


They came out just the way I wanted, and I was so excited. I couldn't stop there, and since I had the basic pattern down, it was easy to make a few other variations. I made these for Ella (if they're the right size) - little Mary Jane style:

This one (I haven't finished the other yet) was actually a mistake, I meant to have the straps doing something else, but I love the way they turned out. I think this is my favorite so far:

I have at least 2 more styles to do, and I can't knit fast enough. I'm also excited because since it is my own pattern, I can write up the pattern on Photoshop, and sell them in my shop!

Too Big

Lately I find Mya is doing many things that make her seem just a bit older than I think she should be. She is non-stop motion (much like a certain big brother) and practically lives on top of the dining room table, despite falling off twice. She has been going up the stairs forever, but yelling for us when she wants to come down. Yesterday I heard her calling, and by the time I got there, she was backwards with her feet on the top step. I stopped halfway to see what she would do, and she proceeded to crawl down as if she had been doing it for months.

She has also become quite the chatterbox. She loves Frog, and even more, she loves bossing him around. She has always liked to give him treats, pointing to the bag and saying, "puppy?" when she wants one. Now she holds it up and says "sit! sit!" She doesn't actually wait for him to sit, but she's getting there. She will also throw her arm out and yell "go!" if he is pestering her. If I ask for a hug, she throws her arms around my neck and says, "ooooh" and when she gives kisses, she loudly says "muah!" She likes to show us things of interest, holding them out and saying "see? see?" When I tell her it's time for a nap, she heads straight up the stairs, pulls me through the gate (in case I can't quite make it on my own), shuts it behind us, does the same with the bedroom door, then climbs up onto the bed and over to her spot. When we're both lying down, she askes for the "bay" (blanket) and "mi" (milk). She does all of this as if she were on a very serious mission. It cracks me up to see such a tiny bug working with such purpose. If she is having a hard time winding down, and I tell her she needs to go to sleep, she closes her eyes and fake snores. She is not so babyish anymore, and I'm not sure how I feel about that yet, but I like her either way.

Enjoy

I have been meaning to share this little gem with you all for ages, but I keep forgetting. Luis found it one day when he was really bored and had nothing else to do but Google random nonsense. Lucky for us he has so much free time. I'm sure you'll all enjoy having it stuck in your heads as much as I do.

Frog the Dog

The Silver Lining

Do you know how often this has happened in the last year? (Mya was napping too).


The answer is never. Not once have I had all three sleeping at the same time, during the day. We're all sick, which has been miserable, but the naps are a nice bonus. Unfortunately, I've been feeling too crappy to do much, but at least I've got Lost on Netflix to keep me entertained.

No rest for Spiderman

Spiderman has been under attack lately. If it's not one bad guy, it's another. First, he was attacked by Venom, who even managed to grab Mary Jane.




As soon as he rescued her and defeated Venom, Dr. Octopus showed up. That was a long, tough battle, but Spiderman won again.

This is one of Taye's favorite games...put his toes in his eye (or nose) and then laugh hysterically when I say "Eeeeww!" He's very talented.



Good times.

Savers Treasures

While we were visiting the Dorseys, Jean took me to a new Savers. Since I'm pretty much addicted to thrift stores, I couldn't wait to go. This store was huge, and clean, and very well organized. I could have spent hours there. I was excited to find two games for the kids that I had been wanting to get them - Don't Break the Ice, and Chutes and Ladders. My favorite find of the day was a wooden folding puppet theatre for only $4. The next day the kids had a blast playing with all three.