Inauguration Day

Parker and I were watching the Inauguration today.  When she asked what I was watching, I told her "Barack Obama" which she thought was hilarious, and kept saying "BarrrackOBAMA, BarrrackObamamama, BarrrrrackObamaDADDY!" and so forth.  She only stopped when Arthea Franklin came on to sing "My Country Tis Of Thee."  In a hushed voice she said, "Ohhh, a princess!  She hab a BIG pretty!  Yeah, dats a big one.  wow."  

I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes.

4...going on 37

Last week when I dropped Fin off at school I realized, to my dismay, I had forgotten it was pajama day.  I felt terrible, but Fin just shrugged and said, "Thats alright." and continued on his way to play.  His teacher looked at me and said, "He's so mature!  Just so easy going, does whatever you tell him to!"  I kind of murmured something like, "Oh, really?"  and she continued, "Oh yeah, most kids would be having a fit right about now.  Whatever you're doing, keep it up!"  

The same day, in the evening, I was downstairs folding laundry when Fin came down.  

"I haf to go potty Mommy, and Sissy's sweeping so I came down here so I won't wake her up."

"Okay, go ahead."

As he walks by me he asks, "Oh, are dos my cwothes?"

"Yeah, they are."

He pauses, "Fanks for doing dat for me Mama."

I stifle a giggle and say he's welcome.  He continues into the bathroom, but pops his head out just as he's about to go in.  "I wuv you Mom!"

"I love you too Boogs."

When he comes out of the bathroom, he says, "I went pee but I fink I'm gonna wait till the morning for my jellybean so I don't haf ta brush my teef again.  Good night Mom!" and heads upstairs.

(the jellybean is for potty training Parker, everyone gets one)

Seriously.  A four year old.  Thanking his mom for doing his laundry, taking steps not to wake up his sleeping sister, and forfeiting CANDY for the sake of his teeth.  I guess we are doing alright.  

Trade Off

Since Josh had two weeks off for Christmas and New Year, we spent a good amount of time cleaning and purging the house.  We finally got rid of all the kids baby toys, all the clothes that were too small, and all the weird junk that ends up in your closet.  We also got rid of two big pieces of furniture, Fin's unused train table (he prefers the floor for his train) and a dresser that used to house all the hand-me-down clothes I received for Parker while still pregnant.  Nanny took the train table for her daycare, and we decided to leave the dresser outside with a "FREE" sign on it.  I've never done that before, and I rarely see anyone else doing that, so I was kind of nervous that no one would pick it up and our neighbors would get mad.  But about three hours after we left it, Josh went to take the trash out.  I was upstairs when he shouted at me to come downstairs.  And thats when I laid eyes on this treasure.  Someone had taken our dresser and in its place left this.  A two foot tall ceramic camel.  The questions are endless.  First of all, who buys/sells/manufactures giant ceramic camels?  Secondly, who drives by with the camel in their car already, and goes, "Oh!  Perfect!  There's the dresser.  Lets ditch the camel and take it!"  and Thirdly, who buys a GIANT CERAMIC CAMEL?  I keep trying to imagine what the house he came from looked like, and I can't fix it in my head.  I imagine it involved a lot of gold.  

RIP Polaroid Film

So they're not making polaroid film anymore, which is just kinda...weird, isn't it?  Not that I own a polaroid, nor have I ever, but I mean, to not be able to buy it.  Ever.  Is weird.  But some clever person came up with this download, and it changes your pics "into" polaroids.  Definitely not the same as holding an actual polaroid in your hot little hands (that weight and texture was part of the appeal) its still a fun little thing.  Here's some of my favorite pictures turned into polaroids.  You gotta love that color!  Makes everything look like the seventies.

The BEST Play Kitchen EVAH

What started out as this:

Became this:

And finally this!:

The "decor" it matches (and Tammie!):

So I've been looking at play kitchens for the kids for a while.  Like a year.  But I never found a kitchen that I really could love, especially since the kids "playroom" is actually one half of my living room.  So the thought of putting a giant plastic primary colored toy in there just made my little designer's heart cringe.  I mean Josh and I are two people who make their livings off of our eye for color and composition.  But, in my search all of sudden all these DIY kitchens started popping up.  Kitchens made out of side tables, kitchen's made out of old dressers, even fabric.  Which got my little crafty wheels turning, and every time I saw one I thought, I could do that.  If only I didn't live in a condo with no outdoor space to speak of, and owned more tools than a couple screwdrivers and a hammer.  If I, say, had the space and tools my dad had.  So I started sending my dad links, look at this kitchen, don't you think we could do this??  I sent him so many, he finally asked, okay, just tell me which one you like and we'll go from there.  And so the great DIY Kitchen of 2008 began.  I intended it to be a group project, you know, I get the stuff and bring it to his house for his tools and expertise, we'd build it together.  But he took the idea and ran.  Oh boy did he ran.  He started with an old TV cart on wheels.  The kitchen is absolutely amazing.  He didn't just make it, he designed it, adding trim and a backsplash, finding paint to match the blue in a print on my wall.  It has a real faucet, a removable sink, an oven, a shelf (you know for all their cookbooks).  My help really consisted of a few design elements, and one day of standing outside handing him tools and complaining about how cold it was.  The kids love it, I've already been treated to some home cooked meals of triceratops soup, chicken nuggets, and a couple cakes.  They feed us, then take the dishes back the sink and wash them.  Parker told me yesterday that we needed to go to the store to get her flowers.  I didn't really think anything of it, but we picked up some daisies, and I put a few in a little vase for her.  She went straight to her kitchen and put it next to her sink.  I almost always put my flowers up on the shelf by out kitchen sink.  So now the kitchen is officially complete.  Its so cute.  There is no way I could have done the kind of job he did and I think its so special to have this toy that was built by Papa.  

All Parker Needs to Keep Her Busy

Is some trash and her babies.  This baby bed was made out of some plastic piece that kept a toy in place while it was still in the box.  I walked into the living room and this little scene was set up in the middle of the floor.  She's also made beds for her babies out of cucumber trays (with the saran wrap as a blanket) and egg cartons.  Every single time I have never given her the trash, nor have I ever suggested she use them for this purpose.  

We bought her little bunk beds for her dollhouse for christmas.  I've only seen her touch it to chuck it behind her to make more room for her babies and animals.  Proof that the cliche that kids will always like the box better than the toy has a lot of truth behind it.

Here's To:

• carpooling to weddings
• a fainting bridesmaid
• a giggling bride
• teasing your baby 14 year old cousin mercilessly
• eighty year old women doing the cabbage patch
• magnetic flashing LED lights
• trading your pops your steak for his carrots
• dancing to EVERY. SINGLE. SONG.
• napkins as headbands
• being related to everyone on the dance floor
• leaving late enough to grab all the cookies left behind

Here's to Jackie and Shawn!!  Congrats!