Now I'm just bragging

Can I brag about my husband for a minute?  Ok, good.

He is good at many things.  He won't tell you that, but I will.  Without him I would be technologically illiterate instead of just mildly dumbfounded.  If he wasn't around I'd never know where my keys, phone, slippers, camera, sanity or children* are.  Not to mention his ability to make me smile even when I just. don't. want. to.

Before we married I knew he was handy.  He could rip down walls and ceilings (without my knowledge) and change furnace filters without searching for where it goes for 15 minutes first and he knew the difference between a reciprocating and circular saw.  (I do now too but I wouldn't if it wasn't for him.)

Our previous house was so small that we just didn't need a ton of furniture and what he and I had before we moved in together filled most of the house.  The one room, a family room in the basement, that we finished/redecorated we purchased inexpensive matching furniture for.

Now that we are in larger home and we intend to stay in for a much (if not indefinite) longer time we want to furnish rooms the way we want them instead of (what Kevin lovingly refers to our former style) dorm-room-shabby-chic.

The budget hasn't changed though.

In the last year, however, he has really impressed me with his woodworking. First there was the frame for our bed.

And now I give you, Madeline's book shelf.




Isn't it lovely?



Ooo, even better with her books on it, ey?




The bead board backing was my only contribution to this piece.  I thought it would add some interest in dimension.  I love the clean lines, the solid frame and he was able to build it so that even her tallest book, Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans would fit without a fuss.



See it there on the bottom left?  A perfect fit.

It is solid as a rock.  Painted beautifuly AND it cost us less than half of what an almost identical book shelf at a upscale retailer would have charged.

So yeah.  I'm bragging.

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*Just kidding about that children part.

Three things

I found this in my drafts folder from way back in the spring some time.





I can't recall what we were making.  I can however assure you of three things:

1. It probably involved chocolate.
2. They probably ate a lot of it.
3. They totally made a mess of my kitchen.

Three things I love about this photo you may not have noticed:

1. Lydia and Madeline are standing on the same chair.
2. Madeline's chef's hat is down over one of her eyes because that is the only way it will stay on her head.
3. Madeline is wearing a ballet leotard and skirt over her clothes but under her apron.

Three things you can't see but I know because I was there:

1. Madeline and Lydia's aprons are from my childhood.
2. One says "This sure beats the hell out of reality" but I always tell them it says "It sure is a good day to make (insert name of item we are baking that day)"
3. The other says "Eat, Drink and Be Quiet".  That one speaks for itself.

Om nom nom nom

One of Lydia's favorite things to do these days is talk about eating.  She like to talk about eating just about as much as she loves to eat.  I took this video on Lydia's birthday.

I have no idea where she picked up that hand gesture while saying "nom nom nom" but I am going to guess it is from me.  Even if it is just genetically ingrained for her to hand talk and use nonsense words to get her point across!

When did she get so big?

Happy Birthday Lydia! Love, Your Sister

Madeline was more excited about Lydia's birthday than she was.  She sang Lydia Happy Birthday 20 times today.

I wish I could say that is why her voice is horse, but that would be the cough/fever combo she's been fighting. :(

Happy Birthday Lydia!

Today my baby turns two.  Two.  Yep.  Two.

I love this photo.  She is my funny guy, my face mugger and my little trouble maker.  You can see all of that in this one photo.  I tried at least three different times during the day to get a photo of her.  Can you believe that THIS is the best I could get from her.  You ask her to smile, she frowns.  You ask her to stand still, she runs away.  You ask her to frown and run away, she does.  She spunky and lovely.  Cuddly and vicious.  Hot and cold.  I love every inch of her. 

Today wasn't a typical birthday celebration for us. Madeline is sick and has been home from school for the last two days.  (And will be home at least one more day.)  So we stuck around the house and tried to make the day as much about Lydia as we could.  It is freezing and raining outside anyway so why leave?!?   I am really just saying that to make myself feel better.  I like to make a big deal out of birthdays.  I had plans to spend a fun morning with her while Madeline was as school and then a yummy lunch, naps and a party for cake tonight with her grandparents, aunts and uncles and her cousins.

 Instead she got a full day of play with her sister.  (Who, although feeling crumby, did an amazing job of playing with her sister and acknowledging her sister's birthday.  This is NO EASY TASK for a 4 1/2 year old.)  A yummy lunch and cake with just her grandparents.  All that to say she was none the wiser.  I am more disappointed that she was!

I always forget how resilient kids are because I am not.

I have more to share from today but for now I leave you with a photo I took a few days ago.

If that photo* doesn't sum up Lydia I don't know that any photo ever will.

I love that girl.


PS.  All the photos in this post were taken with this:

My new birthday present from Kev and the girls. Although I still love my DSLR I am excited to play with this little gal and the convenience of just slipping it in my pocket is going to be awesome. Maybe this means more blogging?  Who knows! 

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 *Why yes, she IS licking the table.

Did ya miss me?

Did ya miss me?

Aww. That's sweet!  I missed you too!

So I have heard you.  (I'm talking specifically to Aint B, Sue, Deb and Jenny!)  I have started to blog too many times to count just to get interrupted or not knowing what to say.  I look at that last photo of Lydia I posted and I am shocked by how quickly she is growing up even just since early July. 

I started this blog as a way to keep a running journal of our life.  Which in the begining was super boring.  That is until Mads showed up!

Mom, my audience deserves better than this!

I love being able to look back on those early days of parenthood and see how much our life has changed.  But maybe the neglecting of the blog is just as much a representation of how our life has changed.  I have said it before: I want to keep up with recording our life.  I want a record of our daily life, not just the milestones the girls reach.  I want that. 


Whether or not that will happen, that is another story. :)