green.

March is such a green month.
The fresh leaves are coming in on trees...
the hills here in northern California are green...
and of course St. Patty's day, for us {mostly} Irish folk.



{basil}



{izze...i'm straight up addicted.  one-a-day.}



{an old tool caddy that now holds bills and other desk junk.}



{to be juiced.}



{my mam-ma's jadeite batter bowl.}



{happy little strawberries.}



{nice legs.}



{to be unloaded.  sigh.}



{jade plant.}



{our realtor gave me this plant in 2002 when we bought our first house and i haven't killed it.}



{a cherished piece of green portugese pottery from my cherished friend in portugal.}



{and my three favorite little people, in a frame from a friend.}

Also green?
All of the money we dropped yesterday to get new front and rear brakes on our suburban.
Holy shamrocks.

a new kid in town

My parents got a new puppy a month or so ago.
The kids are *obsessed* with him,
talk about him all the time,
and count the days until they get to play with him again.

His name is Murphy
and he's a scottie dog.
And he's got attitude.

He wants to chew your hands constantly
and loves to bite socks.
While your feet are in them.

When he's gnawing on my thumb my parents
tell me to tell him 'no' and to give him a little thump on the nose.

Ya, right.
How am I supposed to tell that face 'no'?

Bribery Works.

Did I miss the weekend?
It already happened, right?


It's hard for me to tell. 
Gary worked yesterday and is working today
(and is still there now...at 9:30.)
This schedule will continue until around April.
I may need to be committed to an institution by then.

Friday morning Avery learned the beauty of when catalog meets Sharpie.

Friday afternoon I taught an art lesson in Colin's class.
We were doing a study on Kandinsky.
The kids always blow me away with what they do.

Friday night was such fun.
It was our town's annual Christmas tree lighting,
which we go to every year,
but this year was a little different.


This year Avery was wearing a purple tutu
(underneath her warm jacket and sweats)
and performed with her dance class.

When we got there she said, 
"I just want to dance in my class."
I guess she didn't realize she'd be dancing on the street
in front of a hundred smiling parents and grandparents.


I told her if she did the dance I'd buy her a zhu zhu pet.
She danced.
:)


And then as we walked on down the street we came to The Big Guy.
The boys didn't want to sit on his lap
but realized Santa was the means to an end.
(Candycanes, of course.)

Candycanes ... cookies ... hot chocolate.
It was worth it.


Our town's tree lighting is, to me, perfect small town fun.

The streets are crowded
and filled with people we know.
There's music and carolers and drinks and Santa.

It was a great night.
And the zhu zhu pet I bought Saturday morning was worth every penny.

the outtakes

Tonight I tried {again} to get a Christmas card picture of the kids.

::insert deep sigh here::

Here are some of the unedited outtakes.

::another deep sigh::

I think I got one that will work,
but it was painful.

At least I have one child that stays still for photos.

{Then again she stays still pretty much all the time.}

Around the house today...

 

And...just in case you're thinking it was all rosy...

Wah.

Tonight...

...bedtime could not come quickly enough.
Today was one of those days that makes you think,
"why was I looking forward to summer again?"

BUT...I've decided that I'm going to focus on the positive.
I'm not going to discuss the behavior in my house today.
The whining...bickering...fighting...and bad attitudes.
{theirs and mine}

I'm just going to focus on the nice stuff.
Like the most loved baby grasshopper in history.


He was well taken care of,
until he decided to jump into the Lego bin
and was never seen again.

Have you discovered the Drumsticks ice cream mini drum sticks?
No?


They are evil
and delicious
and perfect treats for summer evenings in the backyard.
{pre-bath treats, obviously)

The boys set up shop this afternoon in our driveway.
Selling candy on our {not busy at all} street.


They hung out in the back of the car for about 90 minutes yelling
"candy for sale!"
"get your candy here"
They bagged up Smarties and jelly beans and suckers.

I bought 2 packs of Smarties for $1 and I figured I would be their only sale.
Until our sweet college neighbor and his girlfriend came over
and bought $2 worth of candy (plus a 25 cent tip).
They were thrilled.

When the shop closed they ended with $4.15.
Not bad for 3 hours of sitting in the car.



And finally...


this girl that just turned three
and is now 100% potty trained
{even at night!}
is in a big-girl bed
{that finally arrived yesterday after I ordered it in February}.

There is no longer a crib anywhere in my house
for the first time since 2001.

Now I guess I really need to get her quilt finished, huh?

Reunited...And it Feels So Good.

FINALLY.

We're back together.


I've missed it so.


I've also missed good photo quality.


So. much. better.


First time ever a manufacturer's warranty has come through for us. My faith is restored!

To my lens: Welcome home, friend. Let's get reacquainted!