buffet-like post

i have been neglecting this space. i keep thinking of tiny things to say here, but haven't been finding the time. so here goes.

********************

big news for me is that i finally joined the local y. i have been dreaming about it since before henny was born. i never felt that we could afford it financially or afford the pain it would cause by leaving a tiny baby. but hen is bigger and we have this long, unscheduled summer to contend with. so now i have the option of leaving the kids off in a fun place, "full of plastic toys", so that i can exercise for a few minutes. heaven. (once hen will really let me leave!)

something that struck me as funny was on the application for enrollment at the y. they ask all sorts of expected questions, the usual. i got stuck when i got to the question that asked, "what do you hope to get out of your experience at the y?" hmmmm..... now, i couldn't possibly write the truth: "i hope to get a break from my kids for 45 minutes at a time. possibly coordinate this break with the airing of the view." i had to think for a minute, long enough to make up a little white lie.

*****************

in child development news, henny has been going through a lot of changes. he has 7 teeth now, is LOVING strawberries and has found that he has a mind of his own, and a voice to go with it. at dinner he just yells. yells and yells until the next bite is presented to him, or sprinkled on his tray. he has also started to pull up on EVERYTHING. and if he gets something that he can't have and you take it away, watch out! he will let you know what he thinks.

it's cute to see him exploring his world and to see things that he really enjoys. he loves golf balls and the play kitchen. he also loves the bathroom, a lot. but on the other hand, it is in sharp contrast to the baby of a few months ago. let's just say that i have some adjusting to do.

***************************

this past sunday was father's day. we had a very full day with lots of fishing and good eating.
we started off the morning with a 5am wake up and some very early fishing. it was nice to be out so early and fun for bee and D. bee likes fishing for about 5 minutes, and then she goes into her pretend world, catching fish her own way and making up her stories. it's all good. 

the fish weren't biting, but we still had fun. looking back, this was probably the nicest part of the day. after we left the lake there were more tantrums than you would like on father's day. it's funny though because if i sat down to write this on sunday, the whole post would have been about the "not listening" and "sassy" behavior. but now that some time has passed, all i can remember are the good moments. i guess that's how this parenting thing works.

it's hot

it's VERY hot here, and that's about all there is to say.

we have been keeping cool by staying close to home and the fans. we have the kiddie pool out but honestly, it's just too hot to even be out in the yard. we visited the sprinkler park, that was a relief. mostly though, i am at a loss.

today we ended the day with an "ice bath". that's a fancy name for dumping all the ice trays out into the tub. 

the kids loved it, of course. and the day ended on a good note with cool bodies and happy spirits all around. the heat wave is supposed to break tonight, i'm hoping for a big thunder storm to see it out. that would be a relief!

photo booth fun

going along with her current love for photography, bee has found that she can spend endless time playing with photo booth on the laptop. she calls it the "scary faces on the 'puter". she tries all different effects and makes the craziest faces. i set the mouse up so that she can just click on the button to take a picture. often i will just go about my business because she is just so involved, she doesn't even notice me. when i check back on her, after my few minutes of peace, there are countless pictures. it's like watching a movie scene by scene, she moves mere centimeters between frames. 

it's hilarious to watch, especially when she uses the crazy effects. i guess it's the modern day version of a fun house mirror. she moves slowly to watch her face stretch, spin, shrink or split in two. the best part is when she touches her face, just to make sure it's still normal.

here are some of the shots from today. they are good, although she has done way better in the past. but, you get the idea.

tiny dancer

bee has been taking ballet class for several months now. this came in response to her begging for lessons and trying to convince us that she was already a real ballerina. i found a wonderful, small ballet school close by and we got her enrolled.

when we signed up we were told about an end of the year performance but i paid it little mind. but as time marched on and there was more and more talk of the recital, i became more nervous.

i thought there was no way bee would go on stage and dance. maybe i was projecting my own fears on her, but mostly i think i was accepting her personality, which is sometimes shy. i figured she would enjoy the experience, talking about it and practicing, but would opt out in the end. and that would have been fine. in fact, i already had my speech prepared in advance.

boy was i wrong! our little girl got on that stage and did every move. i would have been thrilled enough with the way that she bravely got on stage at the dress rehearsal, but then she did the real thing in front of a (semi) packed crowd. she kick-walked, galloped, bowed and pranced! i don't think i took a single breath. and all throughout i wanted to go up to every person in that audience and tell them that my baby was on that stage. my baby!

and if the show wasn't enough, you should have seen her face when i found her after her number. she was even prouder than when she took her first steps. i felt like the words i saidto her couldn't even express my pride enough.

who knows if dance will be something that she sticks with. frankly, i don't care a bit. maybe she will move on to karate, or baseball or furious reading. whatever her passion is, i will be proud, but this first feat of bravery and independence will stand out to me for years. maybe even a lifetime.

joann's fabric and their enormous carbon footprint

this past week i placed an order with joann's fabrics online. i ordered two little rolls of thread that i couldn't find locally. i hated to do this mostly because the shipping cost 3 times what the thread cost. but i thought, what the hell, and placed the order.

little did i know that the most regretful part of the whole transaction would be joann's amazing lack of environmental conscience with regard to their packaging.

this is how i received my thread:

dear joann's,

get with the times. 

signed, 

planet earth

wrist twirlers

my sewing machine was returned to me yesterday from it's first tune up. this is a big deal because the machine may be as old as me. it was long overdue. 

i tried it out last night on this quick little project. and boy was it smooth and tight! loving it! i made these little wrist twirlers for bee. they're basically scrunchies with ribbons and a flower sewn on them. they are pretty cute and satisfying for a instant-gratification lover like me.

and of course bee loves them. she calls them "wrist tutus".

random happenings

no big news here... just some quick notes....

***********************************************************

at last count henny now has 6 teeth. 4 on the bottom and 2 nice big ones on top. and he will bite you. watch out!

***********************************************************

bee almost put me over the edge today when she knocked a glass on the floor and it smashed. ok, i know that maybe she is too young for a glass, and that it happens to everyone sometimes, even me. but her response as i was cleaning up a cup's worth of water and shards of broken glass was just astonishing.

the first thing she said was, "can i have some more water?" i mean really, how self centered! (*sarcastic*)

that was followed by a string of versions of, "can i get up?" (i made her stay in her chair so she wouldn't be cut. how mean of me!)

and finally the loud sigh and moan of, "mom, i'm so bored!"

**********************************************************

henny learned how to climb stairs yesterday. it was truly the cutest thing to watch his brain and body work together to make it happen. he just kept lifting is little knees up until he made it up all 5 deck stairs to the top. and boy did he look proud! and boy are we screwed!

**********************************************************

i went to the movies alone on the weekend. this was kind of a big deal for me but was actually really fun. i recommend it.

***********************************************************

finally, the long, unscheduled summer has begun. i know it should be fun, but i really need to figure out a way to make it more fun for me. i know bee would just love to "hang around the house" all day, making mess after mess and watching me clean it up while simultaneously asking, "can you play with me?" but i think i need a little more. 

goal for the rest of the week..... work on that.