Scenes from a Lego party.

Colin's birthday extravaganza is OVER. Finally. There were 13 kids between the ages of 1 and 7 here today. It can be a challenge to keep kids in such a large age range busy and happy, but these kids were all busy and happy! They're great kids.

We started the party with the kids working on building the tallest Lego tower they could. They were all pretty engrossed in this activity. After 10 minutes or so we moved on to working in teams to build a Lego car. The kids all worked together, despite their age and gender differences. I was so proud. After the teams finished their cars they raced them on the skateboard ramp.

The Lego building really worked up some appetites so then it was time for snacks and cake. Then that was it.

Colin was so happy. Riley, too, was happy since he's likely going to get to play with Colin's new toys. The cake was just...so-so. It tasted fine, but I was super unhappy with the look. Frosting the little Lego nubs was not fun. I'm making this cake again next weekend for someone else so I was happy to get to practice today. I'll have the kinks worked out by then. At least the kids didn't seem to mind the funky looking Lego nubs.

Avery pretty much went with the flow during the party and wandered wherever the big kids were. She ate her cake all by herself. This piece of cake was her only motivation to sit still the entire day.
Such a motley crew.
I stuck by my party-planner friend's advice to keep the party at an hour and a half. I must hug her next time I see her.

I love grocery shopping.

Let me clarify that title: I love grocery shopping ALONE. Without kids. It is such an enjoyable experience. I knew I'd need to go to the store today to get things ready for Colin's birthday party for friends tomorrow. We did his family party last weekend and - mark my words - this is THE LAST TIME we do two parties. I'm over it! This week long birthday celebration has worn me out! (Sorry...was I yelling?)

So I had to go to the store this evening to get some last minute necessities. I looked forward to this trip all day. It is soooo nice to be able to walk through each and every aisle at the store, to linger in the natural food department, to not have anyone ask me for the millionth time if we can buy Fruit Loops Cereal Straws. (Um, no, we can't buy colored sugar in the shape of a cylinder that you can suck your milk through. That's gross. I hate commercials.) It was refreshing to be able to browse the magazine aisle and read about having a library like Oprah has at her Maui house. I like Oprah, but is it really realistic for us to read about how we can have a room like Oprah's? Is there anyone that can really have a room in their house that looks like a room in Oprah's house?

I got home and was hoping that Gary would have the house all spiffed up and ready for the party tomorrow. Some vacuuming? Dusting? A girl can dream. Instead he was working on his laptop. He's been working like a maniac lately and is super busy at work until the spring. Then it will be party time. But, until then, he looks a lot like this when he's home in the evenings.

He was so excited when he saw I was taking pictures of him.

I tried to convince him he needed to take a break and model.

He took a small break to model.
Then, after a few minutes of silliness, it was back to work.

That's OK. Somebody's got to pay the grocery bill.

Random Friday happenings

It's been quite the exciting day here! Sooo much going on. Very glamorous stuff. Really. OK, you got me. Not really. Here's a sampling:

Riley has officially been brainwashed by his father. Today I was asking him if his class had met with their 5th grade buddies yet. He told me they had met this week and worked on a little project together. I asked if his buddy was nice, and he said yes, but that the buddy wasn't very smart. I asked him why. He said, "Well, I know things that he doesn't." Like what?, I asked. "Well, I had to tell him who my favorite singer is and I said Stevie Ray Vaughan and he didn't know how to spell his name. I had to tell him." Huh. When I told this story to Gary I think it may have been his proudest day ever. Riley and Colin have been able to identify a Stevie Ray Vaughan or Jimi Hendrix song on the radio for at least 3 years now. Gary is determined to make blues fans out of them.

Riley and Colin have a new "thing" they're saying to one another. Riley says "Thanks, Bud." To which Colin replies, "You're welcome, Stud." Colin has no idea what a stud is or that stud is even a word. He just knows it rhymes with Bud. It cracks me up to hear them saying this.

(By the way, these pictures have absolutely nothing to do with the stories. I just think they're cute)

Colin was frantically looking around the house for some miniscule Lego. I found it for him and I heard him run to tell Riley, "Mom found my Lego! She's awesome!" That's right. I'm awesome, folks. (Until I make him clean his room. Then I'm a "mean-o". Such is my life.)

Avery has been CRACKING UP at Riley lately. Belly laughing. It makes my belly ache to watch this.


Yep, an exciting day it was. Avery did have her first playdate today, though. More on that some other time.

Putting pen to paper

I love paper, notes, and stationery. (Wait: is it 'stationery' or 'stationary'? I need to look at dictionary.com... OK...-ery is paper, -ary is not moving. Now I know!) I have a lot of stationery, but don't use it as much as I'd like. I really do like writing notes, but I just either a) don't think to do it often or b) don't have the time. Which is really sad. It's great to get an email from a friend, but there's something very special about getting a letter or note in the mail. It's a little more personal. And who doesn't like to get mail that isn't a bill?

I got this super cute stationery from my friend Amy's baby shower a couple of weeks ago. (I won a game where you had to match the celebrity with their baby. Like Brad & Angelina match with Knox & Vivienne. I matched all 20 or so celebrities/babies correctly. I'm so ashamed.) Anyways, back to the stationery. Isn't it cute?

I love this flower stationery below as well. I just love the pattern and colors. And this card is special to me. My friend Wendy used to make cards and sent me these along with some others when Riley was born. (She doesn't make cards anymore because she's too busy being a wife and mom and getting her name and picture and artwork in Elle magazine. She's a total slacker.) I bought this pad of note paper from Target because it has polka dots (and because Gary complained about not having anything to write on in the kitchen). I've been on a big polka dog kick since Avery's first birthday. I threw her a polka dot birthday party so now I seem to have polka dot radar.

This is my other favorite. There are two little blue birds sitting on the flowers - I love it!

I love writing notes with good pens. My favorites are this blue one made by Pilot and this black one I "borrowed" from a hotel Gary & I stayed in. (For the amount they charged us for parking I didn't feel too badly about borrowing their pen!)
I think I'm going to go write a few notes now. This cute paper has inspired me. Maybe I'll write an apology note to the hotel for stealing their pen. Nah.

How sweet the sound

I watched the most moving story on Good Morning America this morning. Lately I haven't had the TV on in the mornings because it tends to distract me and then I get off schedule and then I'm rushing and then I get irritable with the kids because we're running late and then...you get the picture.

Anyway, this morning they ran a story about a young woman named Jessica who had to make a choice to, in effect, either save her life or lose her hearing. She had a tumor growing on her brain stem and had to have an operation that would leave her deaf. Before the operation she went around with her video camera and filmed all of the noises that made her happy: waves crashing at the beach, the sound of her blender making a smoothie, her family, her dog. Her hope was that after the operation watching those movies would bring that sound back to her, if only in her memory. Needless to say, I was crying. The way she and her family dealt with her situation was extremely inspiring and was a terrific lesson in strength, courage, and plain just not being a whiner.

Jessica's story got me thinking about the sounds I would miss if my hearing was suddenly taken from me. The obvious ones are easy: Colin's laugh (arguably the best in the world)....the way Riley greets Avery by saying "A-ver-ee!" in a sing-song voice....the sound of Gary playing guitar.... Avery's sweet little voice saying "Mama"....the sad doves in my backyard....the swings creaking when the boys are swinging outside....the sound of kids playing soccer coming from the park...there are probably countless others you don't even realize you'd miss.

On a semi-related note, one sound Avery discovered this morning was the sound of her shoes clicking on the wood floor. She usually wears soft-soled leather Robeez, but this morning she wore some sparkly clear jellies that my mom bought her. They are so over-the-top cute. Since she always wears Robeez, she never makes any noise when she walks. With these jellies, however, she was prancing through the house just to hear her shoes click on the floor. She was so impressed with herself. I'll have to add those sounds to my list.
She was quite the moving target, so it was tough to get a picture of those jellies.

My goal for the day is to appreciate the sounds in my life. Even the in-the-moment irritating ones, like bickering and arguing and whining. Even those are precious, and I'm sure Jessica from the GMA story would agree.

I apologize in advance.

I'm sorry for what I'm about to do here. I really am. But I can't help it. I have to share this. I have...a problem. A pistachio problem. Someone that I thought was my friend introduced me to these demon nuts (that sounded bad, sorry) and now I'm hooked. If you're not a pistachio person, like my husband, you might as well stop reading now, as this won't have any meaning for you. If you are a pistachio person, you may want to stop reading here as well, because I might pass my same affliction to you. These, pictured below, are the very core of my problem:
Everybody's Nuts Salt & Pepper pistachios. (They come in other flavors, but none come close to the Salt & Pepper variety.)

They are bad, evil, awful, horrible, and oh so good. They sell them at grocery stores, but at Costco (you know what's coming here) they sell the 3 lb. bag. I've also got both my brother and my dad addicted (he's a big fan of pistachios anyway, but I think these have taken it to a new level for him as well). Just look how yummy they look. AND, do you know another great thing about them? 99.99% of them are open already. It's so annoying when you get a pistachio and have to try and pry it open with your teeth. Not so with these.

Seriously, if you come across them, you must try them. They're fantastic.

Don't you love Costco? Do any of you not have a Costco near you? I'm pretty sure there are some areas of the country that don't have Costco. To those of you without Costco: I give you my most heartfelt, sincerest apology. Costco exposes me to things I've never encountered before. The pistachios, for one. Another is dried mango. I know these are in grocery stores as well, but for some reason I never saw them there until seeing them at Costco. My kids love it. (On a side note, someone told me they like to dip dried mango in salsa. They said it's delicious. I haven't tried it, so I can't say. I might need to conduct some research...)

Finally, my last fun Costco find of late is this:
I saw this Flip Video camera today and bought it. I love it!! It's a little mini video camera that can take movies up to 60 minutes long. It has a built-in USB connection so you can just plug it into the USB port on your computer to upload the videos you take. So cool. I feel like an unofficial member of the Geek Squad. Or maybe I'm just a geek. (Once again, more research may be necessary.)

So, in conclusion, it is no mystery why Costco trips wreak havoc on my "grocery" budget. It's bound to happen in a store that sells pistachios, cameras, and - yes - caskets all in one place. At least I haven't been tempted by those yet. Maybe there's hope for me yet.

Ready...Set...First Grade.

I think we're ready. The backpack is packed, the first-day-of-school outfit is folded and ready to wear, and lunch is (about to be) packed. Tomorrow morning, bright and early, we'll head out the door to first grade.

I can't believe Riley is old enough to be in first grade. It was hard for me to send him to Kindergarten last year, but I think this year is a little harder. This is all day. This is the first time in his life that he'll be gone all day and I'll have no idea what he's doing. He'll have lunch in the cafeteria and recess on the "big kid" playground. With some of the "big kids". Yikes.

I think he's a little nervous. None of his really close buddies are in his class and I think he's worried that he won't know anyone. I'm not very worried about this, since he makes friends in about 1.8 minutes flat. (We were waiting at a restaurant once and he began talking to a boy his age and was asking me for a sleepover with his new friend after 3 minutes. He works fast.)

We've been talking up first grade all week. Today we took him to his favorite restaurant for dinner and had our final hurrah before starting school. It was a nice send-off to summer.

Then, come bedtime, we read some pep-talk books. First Gary read this:
Notice Colin and the thumb. This is a thorn in my side. The dentist promises it's nothing to worry about and he'll stop soon. I'm not so sure.

Then I read the boys my favorite back-to-school book. It's a book I first discovered when I was teaching and would read it to my students the first day of school. It's the story of Sarah who doesn't want to go to her new school. She does everything she can to get out of attending her first day. She whines, she makes excuses, she dawdles. She's nervous. But when she finally makes it into her new classroom the reader discovers.....she's actually the teacher! It's a great story and I was trying to impart to Riley that he's definitely not the only one with the jitters.

Then it was a chapter of The Great Glass Elevator (sequel to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), bedtime prayers, and lights out. I hope Riley is dreaming of new friends, books, and great teachers.

Now, I'm off to make his lunch. He has decided he no longer likes PB & J so I've got to get creative. I'll let you know what I come up with. Wish us all luck for tomorrow....

I wish I'd known...

I was at a baby shower this morning for my good friend Amy. She's pregnant with her first baby and has about 6 weeks to go before D-Day. Including Amy, there were FIVE first-time moms-to-be at that shower. Apparently there's something in the water over there in Sonoma county!

During the 60+ minute drive home after the shower, I started thinking about things I wish I had known when I was pregnant with Riley seven years ago that I know now. Here are just a few:

1. It's OK to give a baby a pacifier right away. It doesn't give them nipple confusion. It gives them, and you, and the neighbors peace. Just please don't send them to Kindergarten with a paci in their backpack.

2. Generally speaking, babies (at least mine) HATE "tummy time". Despite your worries that because of this they will never learn to crawl or do algebra, they will. It's fine.

3. Mylicon doesn't work for fussy babies. I'll go to my deathbed saying that.

4. It's OK if your baby doesn't say mama or dada at the same time as the other babies. Most likely they'll start saying it the week after you've taken them to 7 specialists to see if they have a developmental delay stemming from their lack of tummy time.

5. A good baby sling or wrap will solve a multitude of your problems. Namely: helpful in soothing fussy babies, aids in the ability to nurse discreetly, invaluable in covering up baby weight not yet lost around midsection.

Anyway, those are just a few things I wish I had known when I was a first-time parent. Of course I'm not going to share these things with Amy or any first-time mom unless they ask. I don't want to be one of those moms that claim to know it all. Plus, some things you just learn for yourself.

Friday is cake day.

I spent a lot of the day today making cakes. I always have great hopes of being able to finish any cakes I'm working on by mid afternoon. It's a lofty goal that I've met maybe twice. Oh well. I like to dream big.

I had two cakes to make today and just finally finished the second. The first one was picked up a couple of hours ago, and then I got to work on the second. My kitchen is officially covered in frosting and fondant and I really don't feel like cleaning it up. Maybe some nice kitchen elf will visit overnight while I'm asleep. (Remember, I'm dreaming big here!)

These are the cakes I did today. One was similar to the beach cake I did for my buddy Ansley a few weeks ago and the other is a baby shower cake for one of my best girlfriends. I'll be driving that cake to the shower tomorrow morning. I hate driving cakes. The two times in your life you feel every single pot hole in the road is when you're in labor on your way to the hospital or delivering a tiered cake.

Here's the baby shower cake. The second picture is what's underneath the blanket. A little tushy!

I'll bet you never thought you'd think a fondant tushy was cute, huh. But nobody can resist a little baby tush - even one made of fondant.

Having said that, I'm off to bed to dream of kitchen elves.

Hello, pretty house.

I've always wanted to live in a house with a wrap-around porch. I've had many dreams of sipping coffee and reading the paper alone on that porch in the morning, or sitting with Gary in the evening and talking about the neighbors. I need a porch. I need a cottage. I haven't decided whether it's going to be a beachy, mountain, or city cottage, but I do think that I need one.

I don't have a great eye for decorating. I know when I like something, but I have a hard time creating it myself. That's why I buy magazines. I bought this issue of "Cottage Living" because I loved the house on the front. I love that porch.

I admit it, I bought the magazine underneath "Cottage Living" because I needed to see the Brangelina twins.
You know you wanted to see them too.

I don't see a house with a porch in my immediate future. I'm trying to convince Gary that when we retire we'll need to move out of California and find a really great place to buy our dream home. (Why not California? Umm...with real estate the way it is here, by that time we'll probably be able to sell our current home and invest in a lovely van down by the river!! - Chris Farley? SNL? Nevermind.) He's not really going for that idea. I still have a few years (20?) to convince him. I'll have to convince our kids to come, too, though.

Do any of you have a porch? Do you sit on it often? Does your coffee taste better outside? Tell me how un-fun your porch is. Please? Then I'll feel better.

Probably not.

Smell this blog.

There's a change in the air. I've felt it for the past few days. It's still warm outside (even though here in the Bay Area it's never really that hot - not like a Texas heat), but there's a change in the way the sun looks. Have you noticed it? It's starting to look like fall. Eee!

I love fall. The air smells different, it has a crisper feel even on warm days, the sunlight is muted and softer. And I love fall sunsets. We had a great sunset the other night that reminded me of fall. The clouds almost looked like a reflection on water.
Pretty.

For some reason, at this time every year, I buy candles. I don't know why, but every year, as fall approaches, I get in the mood to burn candles. It's always some kind of cinnamon apple scent. When I started burning it on Friday even Gary said when he came home, "It smells like fall in here." I guess that means I'm kind of predictable. I wish you could smell the candle I bought Friday. It wasn't an expensive one (I do love those Yankee candles), but the cheapest candle they had at Kohl's. It's yummy.
You know who makes a great cinnamon apple candle? Glade. Yep, Glade, the air freshener. They're in the supermarket in the Glade aisle (I know, I'm so helpful). Try it. You'll like it!

Forgive me, Dr. Atkins.

Last Monday, I put myself on the Atkins diet. I need to get rid of these last 10 Avery pounds. (See that? If I call them 'Avery pounds' I'm kind of blaming them on her. Works for me.) I did pretty well last week. I'm doing less well this week, but still OK. But then, last night, I encountered something evil, horrible, and un-Atkins.

I saw the recipe from Pioneer Woman awhile back and made it last night. Sweet cream with blueberries. Oh. my. goodness. It's good. And definitely fattening. The recipe uses heavy cream. You know, the stuff that coats the inside of your mouth and makes it feel kind of greasy. Love it. I know Dr. A isn't really concerned with fat, but still. The recipe also calls for plain yogurt. I did use non-fat plain yogurt. (That makes me feel better.) But back to Dr. Atkins...what is his opinion on brown sugar? I'm thinking he wouldn't approve. This has brown sugar. But it does have blueberries, does that redeem it at all? It can't be all bad, right?

Just to make myself feel a little less guilty, I ate it with this:
Does two pieces of cooked-to-a-crisp turkey bacon (or fakin', as well call it) make the yogurt cream any better?

I'm sorry Dr. Atkins. I'll do better as soon as I eat all of the yogurt cream tomorrow.

When my camera is "borrowed"...

...I end up with pictures like these. Who would want to steal my camera and take a picture of my Starbucks Breakfast Blend and Silk creamer, you ask? (By the way, Silk creamer = oh so yummy.) Gary. And why is he taking these pictures? And why at 7:15 in the morning? Because his brain NEVER truly shuts off. Believe it or not, this photo is work-related. Research. In the next Pixar movie there is some shot that requires Gary to model the texture of a cup of coffee. So he took photos of my coffee this morning.

This is not an isolated incident. You would think that there would be certain times in his life that would take his mind in places furthest from work. Times like, oh, the birth of a child, for instance. Oh no. Check out the picture that I found embedded in the ones of Avery's birth.
This is looking out my hospital window. Hmmm. Wouldn't you know there are clouds in the next movie as well.

Exhibit C:
This photo was taken as he went to get the car from the hospital parking lot to come pick up newborn Avery and me. Again, is this really the time to be thinking work??

Finally, THIS is what he made me do on the car ride bringing Avery home.

More clouds.

So, when you watch "Up" next June, keep watch for the clouds. And know that there is a man somewhere in the Bay Area that had his head in those clouds for at least 2.5 years. Now that's dedication.

My Dad Loves Me

My dad is awesome. He's one of the smartest people I've ever met. Not just book smart, which he also is, but also real-world how-to smarts. I know there are some dad's out there that don't know how to screw in a light bulb. My dad is NOT one of them. He knows how to do/fix anything. Any question I ever had about fixing, building, home repair, I always know that he'll know the answer. My dad is a woodworker. A self-taught woodworker/carpenter. He built the house I grew up in (and the one he & my mom still live in), and a few years ago he built a fantastic wood shop in their backyard. It's a woodworker's paradise: every saw, tool, and wood gadget known to man. He's been making beautiful mission style furniture for my mom for several years now.

Looky looky what he's making in that wood shop right now:
A china hutch for me! I'm so excited. It matches the dining table we bought a few years ago. I love this hutch. This is the bottom portion that he's been staining all weekend. the top of the hutch is built but not yet stained. I love the little rosette in the middle.
This is what the doors look like. I love the farmhouse clapboard look. He's working on their stain as well.
Look how pretty the quilted maple is. It looks like mother-of-pearl. Beautiful!
My dad is SUCH a perfectionist. He's also very hard on himself and is never truly happy with his work. I guess such is the case with any artist.Thanks, Dad - the hutch is gorgeous and I can't wait to use it!

By the way, I could have titled this post "I Love My Dad".

Beach Party

One of my favorite little people celebrated her birthday today. She's Colin's buddy and my good friend's daughter. She's truly one of the funniest kids I've ever met and I couldn't wait to make this cake for her. Her eyes lit up when she saw the cake, and that made my day.