smackdown...

at a family gathering the other day...

coconut was gnawing on my shoulder. no really...
GNAWING on my shoulder.

another (very cool) mama that i've met through family (a kind of a family through family sorta thing)...remarked that her daughter often does something similar to that when she wants to nurse. and she asked if coconut does that same thing?

no...i replied. she usually just smacks me on the face.

and then i realized. how weird is that? why does my little daughter smack me when she wants to nurse? is she the only baby that does that? how and where did she get this hitting thing? (she hits whenever something doesn't go her way...) we don't hit in our house...i try not to even lightly pop a hand when she's touching something that she isn't supposed to. is it inborn...do they just know HOW to do that? belly never did it!

oops. comparisons are no good!

belly was talking at this age...oops - i did it again...

but...
maybe that's the difference. and a light went on for the speech-language pathologist mommy. (imagine that?)

maybe this will just disappear as she acquires more words and language...she's ahead of the game for most one year olds...but i'm sure as this develops further...her alternative means of getting her point across will diminish. a woman can hope...can't she?

for now...we are just doing a lot of praising "nice touches". because any mention of "hitting" brings it on in full force. (oh...you thought THAT was a hit...let me show you a real hit...)

anyone else out there have any tricks that have worked for you to reduce the hitting?

side note...but i have to add it...rainy (our monster cat) just went after belly's leg...and i got them both (girls...not monster cat) laughing by telling rainy to use his nice touches...a little humor can go a long way.

foolin' around...

so, i was fooling around on a site that i found through another blogger (who just happens to have the cutest baby girl)...

and this is what i came up with...

super fun...and easy! try it...

hey you...look at me!

i think i figured it out!!!

all by myself.

um...and if any of you are wondering...i'm not very smart. i just had to click a button. seriously.

but i did fool around with the colors/saturation a little in order to make it a little more sepia toned. and i did find that button on my own. long before any of you answered me. but then again...not many people answer my questions on here anyways...so it was kinda up to me (and it did help that it is raining AND coconut went down for a nap AND g-ma still has belly at her house playing barbies...)

yeah me!

how does it look?? does it make you want to comment more?? because i really would like to know who reads this...then i won't potentially offend you... just kiddin'.

help me!

can anyone help me??
i want to personalize my look....
and i have a picture that i would like to use for my header...
any suggestions on how to go about doing that??
(and keep the browns/tans/colors that i like from this template??)

or...

should i just suck it up and hire someone to do it for me??

any suggestions are greatly appreciated...

here's what i have so far...

so...here are some of my ideas...i wish i could make the header picture more sepia toned. i also want the flexibility of changing my "creativity/sanity/whatever else strikes my fancy" word on a whim. i want to keep mostly browns/tans/sepia colors...but i also like bright colors as well...so i'm willing to be flexible on the colors. i think that's all. anyone have any ideas?

(attempt at a) one word meme...

1. Where is your cell phone? ottoman (oops...see #5)
2. Your significant other? flying
3. Your hair? un-washed
4. Your mother? babysitting:)
5. Your father? calling (and i have to mention...my cell phone is no longer on the ottoman)
6. Your favorite thing? necklace
7. Your dream last night? weird
8 Your favorite drink? margarita
9. Your dream/goal? un-employed
10. The room you’re in? bedroom
11. Your hobby? craftiness
12. Your fear? heights
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? biggerhouse
14. What you’re not? organized
15. Muffins? tops
16. One of your wish list items? horse(s)
17. Where you grew up? minneapolis
18. The last thing you did? putbabytobed
19. What are you wearing? ugh....don't ask
20. Favorite Gadget? scissors
21. Your pets? everywhere
22. Your computer? needsmorememory
23. Your mood? relaxed
24. Missing someone? alittle
25. Your car? carminivan
26. Something you’re not wearing? makeup
27. Favorite store? r-home
28. Like someone? depends
29. Your favorite color? purple
30. When was the last time you laughed? onehourago
31. Last time you cried? lastweek

ok...i suck at that...like i said to the person i stole this from...i'm a speech-language pathologist...i'm DESIGNED to use more than one word.

what i learned while camping...

hey again, husband is mowing the lawn so i get a little more time to write the post that i wanted to write about our camping trip (and not just a sad rememberance of our pets)...so here goes...

1. i need to put things down more often and just do imaginary play with belly -she had a blast having our full attention and playing things like horse riding on our back around the campsite. i taught her to say "whoa" to stop your horse, click and give a little kick to go. i taught her that a kiss and a slightly bigger kick means that you want your horse to canter/gallop. i learned that running around a campsite with a 40 lb. kiddo on your back is tiring in the 75 degree sun. but i loved every minute of our pretend time with her. and it was awesome to see her imagine and create without anything made out of plastic in our vicinity.

2. belly has some pretty good photography skills - and may need her own camera in the near future because she LOVES taking pictures - but my question is...do you get her one of those child-proof ones...or get her an actual camera and expect some amount of responsibility? here is why i ask...she's got an eye for that sort of thing.

oops...he came back in and needed lunch...but - no fear, my dear - i'm back...onto number...

3. i love having small (er) feet - my dad, having bought belly a pair of keens, told me awhile back that he would contribute $50 towards a pair of keens for myself if i found some. well, lo and behold, on our way out of town we had to stop at a camping store for a necessary 2nd child's camping chair... and i was checking out the footwear selection and i found adult women's keens for $94.99 and children's keens for $49.99. and they had a size 6. ta-dah...a 6 fits a small (er) woman's foot. see here...

turns out that he was still willing to offer $50 towards my keens :)

and honestly...if you camp or hike...these are the way to go. husband was kinda sad that he doesn't fit in children's sizes...sucks to have big feet, huh?

4. my girly-girls are so lucky to have such an awesome relationship with their boppa - no explanation necessary...see below.

hmmm, interesting...no pics with coconut...oh yeah, that's because i was probably carrying her!

5. breastfeeding while camping is the way to go - it would have completely sucked having to have bottles around. it was so easy to just sit and nurse her as she needed. we nursed on a rocky shoreline, we nursed in the tent, we nursed by the campfire, we nursed at the jack johnson concert dancing in the sling...
i would not have been able to imagine having either a bottle or cooled milk during all of those times. i'm enjoying nursing her during this final period and am so glad that i kept it up...

6. not everyone can define "flat" in the same way - we were brought to our campsite camping area at the jack johnson concert. the man on the 4 wheeler told us, "don't worry, once you are down a little ways on the hill...there are flat spots." what? a hill with flat spots?? i think not. a hill is a hill buddy. we slid all night long. we had to adjust our sleeping bags several times during the night. coconut found it funny to roll during an attempted nap. seriously...i'm guessing 20 degree angle.

7. i am glad that i am no longer 18-19-20-21 and still partying - although they looked like they were having a blast (and i'm sure many of them were)...i know all-too-well how crappy they will feel the next morning. and i think waking up to 2...i mean...3...smiling faces next to me is way too much fun.

8. my baby is NOT just an accessory - one girl commented (in a sickly sweet voice), "oh, that's super cute, you brought your baby." another group of boys whispered to one another (in voices loud enough for us to hear), "man, that would suck having to bring your baby along."

honestly, i didn't say to myself on sunday morning...hmmm, what should i wear tonight...oh yeah, my green pants would look really hot with my baby in her sling. i think i'll wear that.

or...

should i, shouldn't i bring the kids? these are my children...someday...i promise that most of you will understand. you bring them because seeing all of these things through their eyes and experiencing things with them is ultimately so much better than doing it alone.

9. i LOVE rock hunting - i love looking for agates on the north shore. i have ALWAYS loved looking for agates on shores of lake superior. it's like finding a buried treasure. i love collecting the rocks and filling my pockets and i am super excited that the girls are finding as much joy in doing it as i am. an agate is definitely worth the sun-burn.

10. i'm a lucky mama - i have two beautiful girls (that are growing and growing - did i mention that coconut started walking at the jack johnson concert?), an awesome husband (that will fill his pockets with rocks if asked), wonderful friends (and beautiful children to spend time with), opportunites that other's don't have (and keens to walk me through them), a terrific man that is my daddy (and my girl's boppa) and i love my life.

p.s. anyone know how to crop that and make it into my header?

i love my bed.

yes, it's true. i can safely say that after sunday evening's camping/concert adventure...I LOVE MY BED. specifically my mattress, but whatever.

friday's return from camping on the north shore was a mix of sadness from leaving (we had so much fun)...and excitement to be home and continue our plan filled weekend. i really did plan to post on saturday, but it was so busy. we ended up on a boat cruise with husband's family on lake minnetonka. ah, it was fun - but just added to the already acquired sunburn. ouch. then we quickly departed sunday morning to a jack johnson concert and camping with friends. i'll write more about these later. - and include some pictures! -

so, that was the fun part.

the horrible parts of the last week included the unfortunate downfall of two (yes, 2) of my childhood pets.

my mom had to put henry to sleep on friday evening following a traumatic fall - we are unsure if a brain injury caused the fall, or if the fall caused a brain injury - he was an older dog. somewhere in the vicinity of 14-15 years old. we acquired him from a dog rescue that i used to help out with. he came to us severely abused. they tried giving him the names "tough guy" and "slider"...but they just didn't fit. he came to be our henry - started out as a foster dog, but flourished and we just couldn't send him to another home. he was definitely quirky. thoroughly enjoyed having people stick their tongues out at him (?) and often wouldn't pee if you were watching...but he was a good dog and it was hard to see him go.

then while we were packing up from the concert/camping adventure...my mom called to say that caliope was not doing well either. caliope was my childhood kitty...she was a gorgeous calico that had the perfect little orange above her nose and beautiful white markings. she slept with me every night...she would jump into my bed and go under my covers as soon as i started downstairs to my room. she loved our old screened in porch and enjoyed the outdoors so much (when we would take her out!). she comforted my mom through some rough patches and, i guess...she just decided that we were ok now and that it was time for her to go.

as i fitfully slept in my bed that i love last night, i remembered the times that she would jump into bed with me and cried as i realized that jet (our black kitty) does a similar thing with belly until she falls asleep at night. and jazzy sleeps the night in coconut's room, with rainy cat laying outside her door. i hope that my girls are comforted by their pets like i was growing up. those animals are a special someone that you can talk to and spill secrets to...and they don't judge or feel any differently about you.

so caliope and henry...watch over us and our loved pets. know that you were completely loved and that we always tried to do the best for you. we're sorry to see you go...but can't wait to scratch your neck and stick our tongues out at you again someday...

what do you get when you mix...

a toddler (not sure i can officially call her that...still working on those first steps), a preschooler, two crazy parents, a father(in-law) and a tent??

i'm really not sure what it will equal either.

i'll let everyone know how our first official camp went on saturday when we get back!

however...if anyone has any amazing words of advice for camping with kids in tow...i'd love to hear it! please comment with any suggestions or words of wisdom!

v.a.c.a.t.i.o.n.

husband is home on vacation for the next - hmmmm, how many days was that? - 16 or so days!

wow...

in some ways, this is awesome...i actually get to have a partner around for helping with this and that around the house!

in some ways...it feels a little daunting...i actually have a partner around.

i'm so used to doing things my way when he is gone. not that i don't take into account, his opinions or thoughts about things...it just that things are run my way. we are kinda used to that.

but we love having him around for more than a 3 day period. we actually get to do some fun things together...things that we never get opportunities to do when he is in and out. this will be fun. we have a couple things planned (which is what i was actually going to sit down and write about...i got sidetracked...sorry.) i'll save those for my next post...maybe later today if you are lucky. :)

wait...no pictures?

looking back over the last several posts...i noticed the complete lack of photographic material.

i mean, isn't that what you are all here for anyways?? surely, you don't really care about my inner thoughts and daily occurrences...

i'm sure what you are really here for are the pictures of my our beautiful girls...so...here ya go.


with added bonus material...
coconut's little friend - T.

and...










belly and her friend C. (aka goose) during their sleepover. -yes, i am that crazy mama that takes pictures of their kiddos while sleeping - no, i did not turn on the light...it was my flash.-









(T and C are bro/sis). and for good measure, here's another one of him...isn't he the cutest (boy, anyways - have you seen my girls?) ? (don't mind the Disney princess ball...that's what happens when you visit an all-girl household)...

it's very fun to have these two around (and their mom and dad aren't too bad, either!) belly and C. are 2 weeks apart in age, and coconut and T. are 4 weeks apart. they are going to grow up together...and i think that's pretty cool. good family, good fun, good friends.

edit to mention...
what is up with that crazy spacing??? i can't figure out how to fix it...and visually it's driving me bonkers. sorry everyone!

maybe i should mention....

after reading through that last post...
(which, quite honestly, sounded a little scattered...we are all seeing the repercussions of lack of sleep on my part - lucky you).

back to the point.
to those of you that ACTUALLY know me - i'm sure it didn't sound weird -
but...
i sometimes forget that this IS the internet...and that someone may stumble upon this and wonder why the husband is in a hotel room.
husband travels for his job -

he doesn't get sent to hotel rooms routinely for driving me crazy. although...

blogging is my new fad diet.

so, blogging away late into the night...
(checking out my "buddies" on allmediocre.com)...

i realized that i had forgotten to eat dinner.

but, now it is (was) 10:00. PM. (OBVIOUSLY...mother of 2 small children - does anyone here believe that i might get the opportunity to blog at 10, AM?)

anyhoo...

yes...i had completely become immersed in reading about other people's lives and loves (reality tv, but, um...real. and not on the tv)...and i forgot to eat. gasp.

now...back before blogging was my late night passion endeavor. i would either do housework or watch TV, sometimes both (that's what commercials are for!). i know. i know...a waste of time, especially compared with blogging. (have i mentioned that i enjoy blogging?)

when i did either of those things (and i should probably admit - yes dear husband...i probably watch more TV than i want to tell you i do...but then again, what else are you doing in your hotel room?)...i ate. i've always attempted to eat somewhat healthy foods...but i ate them at the wrong times (i.e., late at night after belly and coconut were asleep) and often more than i should. as well, i'm admitting that my biggest issue with food currently is wanting to eat it uninterrupted. and i often find myself eating something late at night...just 'cause i want to eat something without someone crying or whining.

but now...this blogging thing (not to mention, working out at curves). well...i'm thinking i'm onto something.

5...4...3...2...1...

ahh, the end of the school year.

(well...for the kiddos anyways)

i have at least one more day...(maybe two). ooo, ooo...a list...(for your viewing pleasure)...it's my "gotta" list...

-gotta clean out and organize my closet room.
-gotta finish up this never-ending saga with finding a communication device for a student - or at least getting everyone to come up with a plan that can be further implemented over the summer.
-gotta finish shredding the confidential paperwork that piled up after my shredder went kaput kapoot died in an angonizingly slow perishment over a single paperclip. (oh, let it be known...i tried to save that sucker...i even found a screwdriver...but alas...it'was not to be). but i digress...
-gotta get all the crap done that i've been saying, "oh i'll get that done over spring break..." - (yeah, right)
-gotta sit down and take some time for myself...see below.
-gotta go and use that massage gift certificate...(oh, can't wait for that one!)
-gotta go and use my spa day.
-gotta get my stuff together to get a little creative this summer - possibly etsy shop? digital scrapbooking...painting my craft area....

i can't wait.