it's been a mommy day. or two. we've all got colds/allergies/other maladies and if someone isn't screaming at me another is crying for me.
this morning nash ran out of diapers. i scoured the house top to bottom, car too, looking for just one (please!) random diaper to put on him that would get us to the store and back. none to be found. so, i called in a favor to laura and then put nash in his 2T army undies from grandma. he tugged at them and screamed in terror at them. finally he fell asleep and when i heard screaming again i knew what had happened. only it was worse than i expected because apparently we've got one more bug running through the family. laura pulled up with the much-needed diapers just as i got nash all cleaned up. later, nash threw up into his bowl of mac & cheese and cried for more. only i'd just eaten it. then there was the two hour battle for a cookie which we don't have.
finally, now, it's quiet. i look down and see what i'm wearing and have been wearing for two days (steve went for interviews in LV). i've been wearing sweats, a pony tail, and broken glasses. that's right, my allergies are so bad that i can hardly blink or wear contacts and last night in my blindness i sat right on my glasses. so now they are missing an ear stem. this is how i console myself: if i had somewhere to go i'd have nothing to wear. and while i'd be scrounging for pants that fit and shirts that are cute and comfy i'd have someone screaming at me and the other crying for me. so i'll just try to see the advantages to sitting here in my sweats watching baby einstein for the umpteenth time.
8.29.2008
mommy days
8.28.2008
more love for nie nie
i am in awe at the amazing people out there organizing and participating in events like nie nie day, and now the nie nie benefit sale scheduled for september 23 & 24th at etsy. its comforting to know so many strangers are out there helping to take care of their fellow bloggers, don't you think? to find out how you can donate goods to be sold in the nie nie benefit sale etsy shop, click here.
happy nie nie day!
sometimes i think i'm burned out on blogging. then things happen that make me so glad to be a part of the blogosphere and its power. this is one of those times. i'm sure most of you have heard about stephanie & christian nielsen (of nie nie diaglogues) who were crititically injured when their small plane went down in arizona. stephanie suffered third degree burns over 80% of her body. she is mother to four and, although i don't know her personally, i am convinced is an amazing, inspiring person. i've spent hours reading (and crying) through her blog and her sister, courtney's blog, and have been blown away by this family.
so, gabrielle at design mom declared today nie nie day. and she challenged bloggers to hold silent auctions to raise money for the undoubtedly long and expensive recovery for the nielsens. i couldn't come up with anything to auction, but there are over 165 auctions going on today, and for some seriously amazing stuff. strollers & baby goods, photography sessions & packages, jewelry, paintings (some custom!), books, cake stands-you name it!
spread the word, go find your coveted item and start a bidding war! if you lose, i'm challenging you to donate at least $1 to the stephanie & christian paypal fund. you won't get anything in the mail for it, but at least you'll feel all warm & fuzzy.
8.26.2008
tales from the ghetto
for those of you who don't believe me when i say we live in the ghetto; and for those who don't understand why, when we hear fireworks, we fall to the floor to take cover thinking it's gunfire:
emilie came home from her trip to florida to find that her newly fixed car (which had been parked on our street) had a bullethole in it. a 9 mm bullethole, to be exact. an officer came to the scene and immediately called in the crime lab. they took loads of pictures from all angles (which we can apparently purchase for $5 from the station), and collected the shell, casing, and bullet to dust for fingerprints. from the angle of entry, the position of the shell (in perfect condition), and the damage inside the car it has been determined that the car fell victim to an isolated drive-by. unless we have some enemies out there that we are unaware of...
***UPDATE (8/30)***officer lawrence called emmy to let her know that there were in fact three similar shootings in the area, but despite all the evidence there are no leads. the case has been closed. we were hoping prints would lead to a sweet mugshot to post for our loyal readers, but no such luck. maybe next time.
knock on wood.
8.23.2008
i was working on a collage for a post the other day and wouldn't let stevie see it. i said it was a surprise (it's a collage of his latest house project). so stevie said in his mocking tone, "oh, is it my birthday post? why i love my husband. 1. because he's so strong. 2. because he's so handsome and smart...and then he went overboard with reasons not suitable for the blogosphere. reasons i can't attest to the truth of. so, as much as he despises these types of lists (and blogging in general), i'm doing it anyway! i'm such a rebel.
10. he rubs my feet even though feet make him want to throw up.
9. he's a master of bribery. he rubs my feet even though feet make him want to throw up because he will later use that against me for things that mommys and daddys do. he'll also use any type of chore or favor he's completed within the last week against me.
8. he's such a good dad to nash and haven between the hours of 7 a.m. and 12 midnight. (during the other times he's either asleep or mad that they aren't sleeping).
7. his t.v. watching skills are unmatched. he still "a got good grades" despite hours and hours of television watching. he also has the amazing ability to tune everything else out when he's watching. i manage to have entire conversations with him that he later has no memory of. this can work to my advantage. just imagine the possibilities when nash catches on...
6. he's oblivious to detail nearly 99% of the time. but in that 1% of the time when he's not he's soooo proud of himself (because it only happens when i'm abnormally oblivious to said detail). he rubs it in my face with a huge grin not unlike that in the photo above. and its cute. and i try not to laugh, but he still makes me.
5. he's a huge endorser of treats. any event (big or small), trip (long or short), or movie (in theatre or at home) has to involve a trip to the gas station. usually 'the mav." and despite all the treats he still manages to be the skinniest guy i know (second only to andybob). lately the other boys have been commenting on his skinniness and he's adorably worried about it.
4. he helps out with all the chores. he makes dinner more often than i do. only in his world does it make more sense to clean the foreman grill before use (meaning he puts it away dirty after grilling his greasy meat and then cleans it next time. gross i know, but i don't eat meat so it's not my problem). and when he does the laundry he stops after he sorts and so all our clothes cool into a big wrinkled pile. or he throws them on the floor.
3. he thinks he's extremely funny. no matter what we're talking about he can pull in some trivial fact or plot from one of the four S's. and he can barely make it through the telling of the plot or punchline without laughing so hard that we can't understand him. his brain is like a sponge for t.v.
2. he first told me he loved me under the influence of painkillers and i ran away terrified. i eventually came around (and made sure his head was clear), but he thinks i settled because i was getting so old and desperate at the ripe age of 24.
1. i think he settled because he's clearly a better person than me and i love him for it. when i was a young girl (voice cracks here)...i made a list titled "the perfect husband.' then stevie came along and aside from "a full head of hair," i was able to check off every item listed. he's not perfect (thank goodness, because i am far from it and he'd have even more leverage for mommy and daddy activities), but he's perfect for me. i don't say it enough, especially to his face (because it makes me cry and i like to pretend i'm hardcore). i love my stevie bevie. happy birthday, buddy.
8.22.2008
hellos & goodbyes
we had a fun week with family. bri bri & adi + emery & sage came to visit from vegas. sage is just five and a half weeks younger than haven, so this was their first chance to meet (read: first chance for the mommies to take pictures of them together). although they're just itty bittys and have no idea what's going on, it's fun to think ahead and know they'll be play buds. sage was blessed on sunday and looked so cute in her little white dress. and i made my best batch of cake bites to date-strawberry and chocolate!-pictures to come (?).
grandma debbi took everyone to thanksgiving point to the discovery farm and noah's ark. the kids had a blast. riding the pony was by far nash's favorite part. {more pictures here.} nash is now 21 months old. he's such a character-one of a kind. he's been such a good helper with haven and loves her to death. his laughter is contagious and he loves to put on a show for anyone and everyone who will watch (especially strangers).
haven went swimming for the first time. {more pictures here.} she's now three months old and i can hardly believe how the time is flying. i swear nash didn't grow this fast. she's been a great baby so far, sleeping well and is generally happy despite colds, thrush and g.e.r.d. now that all that's under control she's getting happier and can focus on getting stronger and smarter! she's slept through the night several times at random, and the past two nights has slept at least eight hours straight. she loves the jumperoo and smiles at the little animals on it. i'd almost forgotten when nash used to do that. it's fun to remember nash as a baby because of the similarities between the two.
finally, we had a goodbye party for beeta & jp. they're moving to oregon tomorrow for work. we're sad they're leaving. they're both so great with the kids. nash adores beeta and loves to jump into the pool with her. we're proud of them for moving on and know it will be good for them, but we can't help but be a little sad...
