For the birds

Hi, my name is Anna and my Mommy makes me wear birds on my head. This birthday we tried something a bit different. We decided to have Anna's party outside of the home. It had a little something to do with the fact that our dining room (our normal party venue) is currently filled with three beds, a dresser, two nightstands, a mirror, and an end table. (We've already started prepping for our upcoming move.) So, we headed to "Pump it Up" in Roseville. We were thrilled that so many of our friends could share the afternoon with us. We really had a lot of fun.

All hail the queen!

Happy Birthday to our little princess!! She is our little princess even though may never be a real princess. In fact, she even shed a few tears the other day once she realized that she wasn't born to royalty. She started thinking about it all after she caught a segment of the news regarding Prince Harry's visit to the U.S. She asked why people were so interested in the boy on TV. I told her he was a prince from England. She got very quiet and then asked, "Is he married yet?" Only 6 years old but already looking for her Prince Charming!

We had a nice day with our sweet little girl. I made a birthday crown for her in the attempt to start a new family tradition. I thought it would be fun to have a new one with each birthday. I made it based off of a tutorial on the "Skip to my Lou" blog but realized I seriously need some sewing lessons. It was supposed to have a "6" sewn on the front but I didn't want to mess it up anymore than I already had. Instead, we glued hearts on the front to hide the botched sewing. She looked great coming but not so great going as you could see all the stitch lines!! :)

Anyway, we started the day with pancakes. They really do spell out "Anna". The final "A" is hidden behind the strawberry.A few hours later, balloons and flowers arrived from Nana. I had the biggest laugh over this. When the doorbell rang, I called Anna over. She saw the delivery guy standing at the door with the balloons and flowers. "For me?", she asked. She took the vase (or the jug of flowers as she called it) and continued to stare at the florist in surprise. As he was leaving she gave him one of her coy looks, a little smile and then one of those waves where she only wiggled the top part of her fingers. It wasn't until I told her the flowers were from Nana and Poppy that she finally realized that some random fellow hadn't, in fact, stopped by our house just to give her flowers on her birthday!

When Doug got home from his trip to Atlanta for Alaina's graduation (Yeah, Lainey!!), we went out to eat at Claim Jumpers (Anna's selection) and then home for a little present action. She had been waiting for the presents since she got up that morning. She got a ton of fun gifts from Granny and PawPaw, Mommy, Daddy, Lauren, Jacob, Auntie Jan and Uncle Mike, and Grandma Ruth.

It was a very special day and we're so proud of our 6-year old!! More to follow soon...

I think it's going to be one of those days.

What do you do for 12 hours in an empty house? If you're waiting for the punchline, so am I. :)

I really think it's going to be one of those days.

We've been up since about 2:30 this morning. That's really not so bad considering we planned to be up at 3:00. Doug just left for the airport and his flight to Atlanta. He'll be attending Alaina's graduation this evening in Peachtree City. We're so happy for her. I just wish we all could have gone.

As for those of us still here in CA, we have a "fun" day ahead of us as well. Lauren is coming down with what Anna had. This always happens on a Friday. There's nothing quite like a visit to urgent care over the weekend. Anna is responsible for her class snack today, a special one since it's to celebrate her birthday. Her homework for the month (which we haven't finished yet) is due today. Jacob woke everyone up, smiled a lot, sucked on his toes, and then went back to sleep. As for me, I'm supposed to sit in our new and empty house (which we still don't have the key for) while waiting for AT&T to install phone/DSL lines. I don't know if sit is the proper word since I'll have the kids with me. So, probably not much sitting going on. Of course, AT&T was very helpful and told us they would be at the house sometime between 8:00 this morning and 8:00 this evening. I'm hoping they'll narrow things down for me today when I call again. I'd really like to get Lauren into the clinic this morning which requires a call at 7:00 and AT&T won't talk to me until 8:00. So, I'm just waiting to see what happens. In the meantime, I've baked 3 pans of brownies for Anna's class, packed the truck for a day in an empty house, made a few paper flowers, and am cutting out some paper birds for Anna's party on Sunday. I finally settled on a theme and it's all about birds!


In other news, I'm pretty excited about my delivery from FedEx yesterday. For Christmas, my step-mom told me she just wanted a print-out of my blog. I decided to take it a step further and turn it into a book. I finally got around to doing just that two weeks ago. I guess there's nothing like Christmas in June! :) Anyway, Blurb offers a "slurping" option and draws directly from your blog to populate a book for you. Of course, you need to go back in and make it look the way you want it to look. I was really hoping I would be pleased with the quality as I started thinking this would be a great replacement for the family photo album. Two summers ago, I spent Doug's entire deployment putting together 15 years worth of photos into chronological order in albums. I never got around to journaling anything in them and always meant to go back and do it. With this book it already has a post for most daily happenings. As I didn't start blogging until April of last year, I went back and added "faux posts" for the important events I missed. I also really love how compact and light the book is....our album for 2007 must weigh 15 pounds and should really be separated into 2 albums. It's also very affordable! I've spent hundreds of dollars having pictures printed to put into our albums. I always have too many printed and then have 8 billion left over photos that we just stick in a drawer. Blurb offers several options. I chose their most expensive which was the hardcover image wrap with premium paper. With tax and shipping, it was only $75 and I don't have a box full of photos to contend with. Overall, I was very pleased with Blurb, the quality of the book, and the speed of their printing and shipping. I've already "slurped" this year's worth of posts into their software and am going to try and keep it updated through the year. Doug took the book with him on his flight today but here are a few shots I snapped yesterday evening.

Planning a party

I feel like I'm running a bit behind. Anna's birthday party is this weekend and I'm still trying to decide which theme to use. I normally plan things months in advance but everything fell through this time. Anna was sick all of last week and through this weekend so we weren't able to get out and get much party shopping done. She actually missed three days of school and was probably the sickest she's ever been. The doctor said it looked like an ear infection and possibly strep throat. She finally started to respond to the antibiotic and then the very next day, Lauren woke up with a fever. Arrggh. Lauren seems to be doing well though and hopefully she'll beat it pretty quickly. She managed to kill a moth, a ladybug and a grasshopper this weekend, so she's pretty much running at normal speed. Jacob doesn't have it yet and I swear he must think his name is "Stay out of his face!" as I only say it 8 billion times a day!

Anyway, since everyone was a bit better today, after I picked Anna up from school, we ran to the party store. The girls asked if they could get a toy. I asked them if they had any money. Anna said she had $2 at home. Lauren responded, "I have 4." "Four dollars?", I asked. "No", she said, "4 pennies." I told them they could each get something for $1 or less. As soon as we walked in the door, Lauren called to me and said she had found what she wanted. I walked back to take a look but fortunately "Flaming Tiki Heads" cost a lot more than $1. I finally got them back on track and we managed to leave with a few party hats and two baseballs. Now to get the cake ordered.... Here's a parting shot of our son "Stay out of his face."

Conversations with the Peanut Gallery

The girls were pretending that Lauren was a puppy and Anna was her owner. Anna was instructing her "puppy" on what to do. It went like this, "Beg, sit, roll-over, paint." Paint, pant, same difference.

Lauren ran up to me and said, "Mommy, I counted to eleventeen!"

Anna informed me that God must have given Jacob a smiley bone since he smiles so much.

Watching the Memorial Day concert, Anna said, "Hey, there's the Statue of Delivery!"

Doug has been buying different vitamins for the girls. The last batch he came home with was a jar of Flintstone multivitamins. The girls are always anxious to see "who" they got. This morning, Anna picked hers up and said, "Oh, I got Bob again." Bob, Fred, same difference.

Lauren told me she was the cops and she was going to "re-lest" me.

According to Anna, 1+1=One for each.

We were playing outside and Lauren kept saying, "Mommy, I'm spoiled. I am spoiled!" Again, spoiled, boiling, same difference.

We went out for lunch at Utopia Grill last week, next to Ruby Tuesday's. Anna read the Ruby Tuesday's sign and said, "Mommy, Daddy, I want to go to Rubby Tuesday's instead." We stuck with Utopia Grill though and while Doug was ordering for us, the girls perused the different drink choices. Anna read the options for Lauren. They came back to the table and Lauren informed me she wanted a "Month Dew" while Anna would be having a "Dr. Pepper Diet". We finally got our sandwiches and mine and Doug's came with the long toothpicks that hold the sandwich together. The girls wanted to play with them. Anna kept trying to get Lauren's so she would have two. Lauren offered it but then kept taking it back. Anna finally decided she'd had enough and said, "Fine, Miss Snippy Pants, just keep it!!"

I've been putting Jake's feet together and touching his belly with them. Every time I do it, I say, "Namaste". I overheard Anna the other day while doing the same moves but instead she said, "Nama-steak!"

I noticed the girls seemed extra tired the other morning when we got up. Before too long, Anna told me, "Mommy, we watched an entire episode of Little Bill last night." I knew they hadn't watched it before we went to bed. So, I asked her when she had watched it. She told me they had both gotten out of bed (I tucked them in 3 times that night) after I went to sleep and watched it in the playroom. I was shocked and asked, "So, what time did you finally go to bed?" She responded, "I don't know. I don't know how to tell time yet!"

Cement Shoes

I feel like I haven't run since before the invention of the lightbulb. I know it's been at least a year, perhaps closer to a year and a half. Between pregnancy, a newborn and my vertigo issues at the beginning of last year, I've been a couch potato...well, as much of a couch potato as you can be taking care of 3 wee ones. Yesterday Doug decided it would be a nice morning (before the triple digit heat hit) to try out our new strollers. You may remember that he had purchased a lovely BOB Ironman duallie for me that I managed to crush with the suburban. Well, he's been having fun with craigslist lately and found us two new BOBs, a single and a double. A run sounded like a great idea but in this house it's never quite as easy as just strapping on your shoes and going.

First, everyone needs a drink and toys. Doug told the girls they could each bring their Leapsters. Instead, they came downstairs with a bug net, a football, chalk, jewelry, a purse, a makeup kit, a puppy, two dolls, and a princess phone. Doug made them put most of it back and this is what they ended up with. (More POINT & SHOOT photos)

Next, they needed to change their clothes because it was essential that they coordinate. Fashion is very important while exercising.
Sweet Jacob was ready to go and wondering what was taking so stinkin' long. Then it appeared the girls must have grown overnight and so the straps needed to be adjusted. Between you and me I don't believe they sprouted. I think it could have something to with all the stroller rides that the puppies and dolls have been taking in the past week. Finally, ready to go.

Then I felt like I was encased in concrete. It has been a while you know. We jogged a little and walked a little. It was a beautiful day but already getting super hot. I wasn't sad that there were a lot of stops along the way.

We had to stop for flowers which according to Anna were painted by fairies.
We had to stop at the dog park to watch the doggies play. I was finally getting into it and jogging a bit more but after Lauren screamed and cried for 2.5 blocks for us to turn around for a snail she had seen we decided to stop for a park break and of course, snails.

It was a nice morning and felt good to be out there but wow, do I have a long way to go to get back in shape! With a view like this though, who wouldn't want to be out there giving it a try??

Back to regularly scheduled programming...

Wow, what a crazy but fun Saturday we had...2 birthday parties and a baseball game. Here are a few shots of Anna and Lauren at their friend Lucas' party. They had so much fun. They always have a good time at Little Gym. (Thanks to Trish Larsen for the shots of the party!)
After the party, we dropped the girls off at home with the baby sitter and headed to the game. We didn't realize it was a family event but Anna and Lauren weren't disappointed to be left behind. They love our new babysitter and so they didn't even stop to say goodbye as we headed out the door.
I have to say that I'm super impressed with the company that Doug is now working for. When he first began work, they sent a basket of chocolates and cheeses to me, as well as a shirt and laptop case to him. On his birthday he received a handwritten card from the owner. Last night, the company rented out the "Homerun Terrace" at Raley Field. It was so much fun. We had our own little patio with food and drinks. Everytime a vendor came by, the owner or his daughter grabbed them and would walk down the row of lawn chairs asking if anybody needed anything. They were so friendly and genuine. I asked Doug if he could just work there forever or if he could get them to hire me!! (On a side note: I've gone back to shooting ocassionally with our little point-and-shoot as it's so much easier to carry around in the diaper bag.)This isn't the greatest picture of Jacob but I loved his little outfit. It was boiling hot and I took the overalls off of him. This is the only shot of him wearing it.Now this is the way to watch a baseball game. I don't ever want to go back to the bleachers!! Here's a shot from last weekend. Our friend Simone is moving to D.C. and Trish organized a going-away luncheon at Crush 29 in Roseville. The food and company were both fantastic. If you haven't been to Crush 29 yet, I recommend it. (Again, thanks to Trish for the shot.)

Not regularly scheduled programming...

Okay, so I know this is a family blog with pictures for the grandparents and friends scattered around the country but I just had to share these two things. They're not my normal blog fare but please just bear with me. Last night I came across a blog out of New Zealand where a couple made a commitment to go "rubbish free" for one year. I thought it was an interesting idea and went downstairs to share it with Doug. We obviously would not be able to go a year with no trash...I don't know many people who could, but we are one trash producing family. If nothing else I thought it would be fun to take some of the ideas that these folks had used and reduce the amount of waste coming from our home. What followed was a rather heated discussion. Doug was sure that these folks were lying as there "was no way" they could do that. We read a little about their initial plan at the beginning of the year which involved recycling, reusing, trade, etc. Unfortunately, we got caught up on their choice to burn some of their green matter and everything went downhill from there. The conversation soon turned to our recycling or lack thereof, whereupon Doug proceeded to tell me that Lincoln operates a "One Big Bin" system. Apparently, you just dump all of your trash into your regular bin. It all gets picked up and then taken to a "Materials Recovery Facility" where they go through your trash and sort it for you. Now it was my turn to say there "was no way" they would rip open people's garbage bags to discern what needed to go where. Anyway, to make a long story long :), I went online and came across this video. Apparently, they really do all those things. The video is educational and worth watching if you have a moment. I couldn't figure out how to embed the video, so here's the link:
http://www.onebigbin.com/index.php

Speaking of videos, when I signed on to check my e-mail this morning I came across this little gem on Yahoo!. It was too funny not to share. Californians beware!

The Lovely Grind

Early morning shenanigans

Here in our little place we call home, we've been experiencing an event which Lauren considers catastrophic. I like to refer to it as the "Biscuit Trauma". The girls have been seriously scratching each other lately. I mean I'm worried they're going to scar each other. I've asked them not to scratch. I've sent them to time-out. I've yelled. I've cajoled. Nothing seems to be working, so a few days ago, I hit them with this ultimatum. Scratch each other again and you're losing your favorite toy for a week. Duh duh duh (insert scary ultimatum, halloweenish type music here). Well, they said, "No problem, Mommy." and went on their merry way, doing the things that 4 and 5 year olds do...you know the norm....playing with legos, dressing up as tinkerbell, smushing snails, picking their noses, etc. Then it happened. Lauren scratched Anna and it was "NOT an accident" as Anna assured me over and over. So, I grabbed Biscuit and stuck him in the top of our closet. Next, what I can only describe as the appocalypse occurred. There was screaming and yelling and tugging and crying and pleading and begging and rolling around on the floor. I'm proud to say that I did not give in and Biscuit is still in our closet until next Tuesday. After an hour Lauren asked if it was okay if she got Biscuit back. When I told her she had 6 days and 23 hours to go, there was another round of screaming and yelling and tugging and crying and pleading and begging, followed by the requisite rolling around on the floor in agony and despair.

On a happier note, the girls have discovered what Anna happily refers to as the "towel hat". Who knew that wrapping a towel around your hair fresh out of the shower was so thrilling. Once the towel is in there, a trip to the mirror is required along with many silly faces and fancy poses. Jake doesn't quite see the humor in the whole hair hat deal but he does currently find Mommy's pig grunts and chicken clucking to be extremely hilarious...a real riot. Maybe I should consider stand-up comedy!

Lovely gifts: Anna sat down last night and drew pictures for Mommy, Daddy, and Lauren of our favorite TV shows. She knows I love "Bones" but neither she nor Lauren can understand how the two main characters find so many dead bodies. As they put it, "Not that many people really die every day!" Psshaw! Silly screen writers!

We had a professional cleaner come into the new house this week to get it all nice and clean for us before we move in. It was inspiring and made me want to get everything in order myself. Unfortunately, I'm more interested in doing that in the new house as opposed to this one...I need to find some more motivation. Maybe around 42:10 this afternoon, I'll be inspired to clean. Lauren and Anna are learning to tell time and and are still wrestling with the whole idea of time and space. I'm reminded all the time that if we don't leave for school in 5600 minutes that Anna will be late and get a tardy slip and be in trouble for a million years or her life whichever comes first. If they need something and I ask them to wait a minute, Anna normally huffs and then mutters some comment about having to wait for 36 day-hours. Ahh, the joys of childhood when time is a concept that you really don't have to grasp.

I guess I should get going though. It's probably around 82:12 and I've got some cleaning to do before Anna gets out of school in 42 thousand three million hours. Toodle-oooo for now!