la vida evita

post-photo session

2012-01-29T20:13:00.000-08:00

So after our photo shoot, and after looking at a gazillion photos and purchasing half a gazillion, we wandered back to civilization and ALL THE CHILDREN spotted Santa strolling somewhere.

Dude needs a Pope Mobile, because he was MOBBED. Even from far away, I'm pretty sure I could smell his fear.

Maybe if I'd allowed Charlie to stuff mac & cheese into his face during the photo shoot, he would have managed to stay in one place for more than ten seconds.

boys

2012-01-29T20:10:00.000-08:00

It's unfair to say that the only good pictures from our photo shoot were of Noah & Eva and Vivi & Eva.

Those were just the only good pictures of my children.

But my brother's boys managed to look adorable:

And this picture of all the boy cousins who could be directed is pretty fantastic too:

noah ups the cute factor

2012-01-29T20:03:00.000-08:00

Cousin Noah.

Peacemaker:

Hand-holder:

Faux-hawk & chuck taylors wearer:

And BFF with Eva:

The pictures of Noah and Eva were the best by far. I imagine that getting pictures like this is what makes all the drama of having twins worth it.

begone, grumpy frown!

2012-01-29T19:59:00.000-08:00

Would you believe that this little one was perpetrating a grumpy frown all over the studio?

They are sweetness personified.

I would be less bitter about getting awesome cousin pictures if I had ALSO gotten a good sibling picture.

Still, three cheers for happy smiles!

awkward family photos

2012-01-27T08:03:00.000-08:00

Thank goodness these will live on forever on the internet, so that when my children are teenagers and obsessed with their appearance, I can harass them with pictures like this:

I actually bought this one. I'm a sucker for Eva jumping.

This one is an awesome example of how SOMETIMES your leg just NEEDS TO BEND!

If it was your job to take photos and they turned out like this, how would you feel?

I am fairly certain that our photographer had a hangover. I can see why.

herding cats

2012-01-27T07:55:00.000-08:00

Is there anything more fun than trying to get six children to do the same thing at once?

Because we are a family that is ever-hopeful, we decided that since all the Care grandchildren would be in town over Thanksgiving, it was also the perfect time to get a group picture taken.

How wrong we were.

Vivi (2) and Charlie (15 months) were less than enthused at the prospect of sitting in one spot, looking in a particular direction, and smiling. (although Vivi did demonstrate her ability to produce a self-described "grumpy frown" at will)

The following photos would make an awesome flip-book:

It's like you can actually WATCH Charlie pushing the block out of the picture!

big red

2012-01-23T13:44:00.000-08:00

Alternate post title: What a little medicine & a nap can do for your attitude.

The day after Thanksgiving, Charlie woke up with a cough which sounded suspiciously like it was turning into something "interesting." He also looked like crap. So, he & I, and the rest of Lincoln apparently, headed to the walk-in clinic.

And then I missed going to the Nebraska vs. Iowa game. More specifically, I missed TAILGATING, which is a bummer.

And then, after some meds & a nap, this appeared:

Oh happy baby, where were you a few hours earlier?

outtakes

2012-01-23T12:30:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the outtakes from our family picture photo shoot, Be advised, these are the best of the worst...I did not include any photos in which I appear to be 6 months pregnant (particularly vexing because I am NOT pregnant) or anyone in the family resembles the Elephant Man.

To be fair, this one was almost our Christmas card:

Look! Up in the sky! My dreams of a decent family photo are floating away!

Perhaps this would have worked with a "Wide-Mouthed Frog" themed Christmas card. There's always next year.

Here we are demonstrating some fine negotiation and baby wrangling. You can see how well THAT worked.

contenders

2012-01-23T11:42:00.000-08:00

Yes, Virginia, these were the best of our family photos.

All were equal contenders for our Christmas card.

Since I didn't even manage to get a Christmas card OUT last year, you would think these would be a small improvement.

Except that they aren't.

So I ended up going with a family photo from May.

Which featured Paul wearing a yarmulke. Which is fine, except that we are not Jewish.

charlie gives thanks

2012-01-22T20:10:00.000-08:00

Since Charlie was less than 24 hours away from an exciting visit to the walk-in clinic in Lincoln, he was in "a mood" for much of Thanksgiving.

Luckily, Charlie's moods are punctuated with activities like these:

Oh, he is delicious. Even when he almost has bronchitis.

Really, Charlie just wanted to get away from me (can you hear it? "Geez, Mom, leave me alone!") and go play football with his cousins.

Here, he tells me to step off.

If only he was that spirited the next day, when I would miss the Nebraska v. Iowa game because of his persistent cough. SOMEBODY nominate me for next year's Heroes Award, stat!

eva gives thanks

2012-01-22T19:45:00.000-08:00

So, Thanksgiving happened.

And, since it is now JANUARY, I have limited memories from back in November.

But here's what I do remember:

The weather was awesome.

And that was great, because 20 people invaded my parents' house.

And a chunk of those 20 people were so excitable, they couldn't help but do this:

In an attempt to take a family photo, I tried to get Eva in the mood by convincing her to do "princess poses" with Vivi.

Which quickly degenerated into this:

They are looking for dog poop. I kid you not.

Can you hardly wait to see the family photos? I know you can't.

sickie mcsickerson

2012-01-22T19:21:00.000-08:00

Apparently, Charlie believes that since we HAVE health insurance, we might as well use it.

Whereas Eva and I did not go to the doctor ONCE last year for illness, Charlie went, on average, twice a month. In the photo above, he was dealing with croup for the first of three times this winter, one of which was so bad that I got to stay up all night with him on my chest, listening to his breathing and knowing that if it got worse we were heading to the ER.

The next day we ponied up the $200 for the nebulizer.

Not content with respiratory drama, in December Charlie had a big fat allergic reaction while at "school." Like, eye swollen shut, hives, go to the doctor immediately allergic reaction. We had no idea what caused it, so we left the doctor with a steroid, non-penicillin antibiotic (because, naturally, we had been to the doctor less than a week before with an almost-bronchitis episode) and an antihistamine. And things were fine. Although I did get a speeding ticket on the way home from picking up the prescriptions.

And then it happened AGAIN. And again, I was not there, resulting in a prescribed dose of Mom Guilt (in addition to another steroid & antihistamine). This time, we were in Lincoln over Christmas (I was in Omaha SHOPPING - oh, the pain) and the reaction was much, much worse. Like, texting in capital letters "GO TO THE ER" worse. But then things were fine.

Except that we identified that Charlie might have ingested cashews. And that there was trail mix in the house the first time that might have had cashews, and that he might have eaten.

One more trip to the doctor (first time in 2012, holla!), three vials of blood from a finger-stick, one phone call, and boom. My child has a severe allergy to cashews. And almonds. And we need to stay away from peanuts (despite a solid six months of peanut-butter eating) and fish.

There are times as a parent when, all of a sudden, you are painfully aware that the world can be a dangerous place for your child, and the day you start practicing injecting an epi pen into your thigh is one of those times.

pajama time

2012-01-14T09:25:00.000-08:00

We spend a significant amount of time in pajamas in the winter...mostly because changing out of warm jams feels almost painful.

True to form, Eva has randomly decided that she is only willing to wear "footie pajamas" now. Naturally, I had an entire drawer full of NON-footie pajamas purchased last year on clearance. Guess Charlie will be wearing them in a few years - I hope he likes pink.

Crafting and pajamas - two of my favorite things.

Pajama time is also cuddle time!

And really, internet, if I can't be bothered to change out of my pajamas, can you really expect me to blog regularly?

squeaking this in...

2011-12-14T12:49:00.000-08:00

... before it is officially the middle of December. See how sneaky I am, internetz?

Part of my recent blogging hiatus is that I took approximately eleventy thousand photos in October and blogging them all is a CHORE, even though they are adorable. (parenting metaphor, anyone?) And want to know what I do with chores? I AVOID THEM. (that part should not be interpreted as a parenting metaphor. please do not call DHS.)

Anyway, back in October the kids and I took our annual trip to the state park to play with leaves. Someone was having a wedding there, but we were not deterred.

And yes, it was something like 80 degrees that day, so all of my fall pictures are of the kids in summer clothes.

I am not complaining. (unlike the majority of Iowans who can't seem to function without snow in December. wth, Iowans?)

There are no clever comments because, seriously, if I had to say something about every single one of these photos I might never blog again.

children of the corn

2011-12-02T09:43:00.000-08:00

Our pumpkin patch is surrounded by corn.

So is pretty much everything else in my life these days, but today we're talking about the pumpkin patch.

Here's a classic Frozen Kid photo in honor of my Grandpa, who used to force my mom & her siblings to stand in the cold staring at the horizon. Grandpa turned 85 a few weeks ago!

Also at our pumpkin patch? THE ABILITY TO HANG OUT IN A BUNCH OF CORN.

If you've never swum in corn, you haven't lived.

(not joking. go do it.)

the best part of the pumpkin patch?

2011-12-01T17:05:00.000-08:00

JUMPING PAD.

pumpkin patch 2011. two months later.

2011-12-01T13:44:00.000-08:00

Remember October? I barely do too. Still, photo evidence suggests that we went to a pumpkin patch, and that it was AWESOME.

Let the record show that it took eleventy million tries to get Charlie to stand here.

When we were in Florida, we saw several pumpkin patches in parking lots.

Ours has cows.

And face-cut-out-thingys, which intrigued Charlie.

While Eva and her friend played with the laws of proportion and perspective in a giant chair...

...Charlie and his buddy played house.

There was much climbing to be done. Much of which was way too high for someone who was 16 months old. Naturally, Charlie scaled every structure like a monkey. (and mommy got new grey hair - hooray!)

If you look closely in the background, you can see the woman who got all Judgy McJudgerson on me when I turned away from Charlie for a second and he promptly ran off, leaving me in a state of panic. Dear Judgmental Stranger: instead of sitting back feeling smug, how about you help me look for my kid? Because I OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T LOSE HIM ON PURPOSE.

Note: Charlie obviously did not stay lost. No thanks to her.

cookie cheeseball

2011-12-01T13:25:00.000-08:00

Charlie loves Cookie Monster.

He calls every Sesame Street character "Cookie."

He calls diapers "Cookie." (they have pictures of Sesame Street characters on them)

Occasionally, he calls anything with giant white eyeballs "Cookie."

And then I found this awesome Cookie Monster hoodie:

ohhelovesitsomuch.

But do you know how many pictures I actually took this day?

LOTS.

And yet I am only posting three. Why? Because the majority of the photos featured Charlie looking down at the Cookie Monster on his chest (and saying "Cookie!). Which made using those motor skills a bit challenging. Bump.

buddies since birth

2011-12-01T12:50:00.000-08:00

Despite the fact that one of my mom friends is an actual professional photographer, we have hardly any pictures of Eva with her best buds. So, we have been planning for MONTHS to take a pic of them all together in some sort of matching outfit.

When it took at least a month to find a day that would work for everyone, it became clear why we hadn't done this before. Still, we persisted, and on a beautiful fall day, we headed to the country for some tutu pics.

The process of getting four girls with (shall I say) strong personalities to smile at the same time was challenging, to say the least.

Although there WAS plenty of corn to wade through. (bonus!)

See how short mija is? (the friend on the left's mom IS a basketball player, to be fair, but still.)

After one casualty (due to bad attitude, shirt too tight, and strong dislike of the headband), three of the four girls managed to create this shot:

Obviously, they will have to pose in this exact same spot, in the exact same outfits, before they graduate from High School. We should probably get that onto the calendar today.

the birthday party circuit

2011-12-01T06:04:00.000-08:00

Fall brings a flood of birthday parties for Eva & friends, since her closest buddies are all from a Mommy & Me group that was separated into sections depending on the age of your infant. The local birthday party circuit also provides some awesome opportunities for creative dressing.

For example: would you believe this was a Dora & Diego themed party?

And that this was a spa party?

And, one of my friends should obviously be a party planner, because she coordinated this incredible LIFE-SIZED CANDYLAND party. (and there was a bar!)

And her family dressed up as the characters from Candyland. For realz.

And, because I know he might be worried, don't worry Grand Papi - I'll never ask you to do this.

winter park: the wrong side of the tracks

2011-11-30T16:43:00.000-08:00

Fact: there are train tracks running through Winter Park.

Fact: there is a "sketchy" area of Winter Park, and it is, in fact, on the other side of the tracks.

Fact: I let my children play on the train tracks because I thought it might be a good opportunity for artsy photos. And then I realized this was insane and got them the heck off of the TRAIN TRACKS, OMGWHATWASITHINKING.

(fact: other parents were doing the same thing! surely that counts for something!)

Obviously these photos would be better with some fancy editing, but my guilt prevents me from doing that.

Final Fact: My freshman year of college, I lived pretty much ON TOP OF some frequently used train tracks, and I am fully confident that I would hear a train coming. Because really - trains are loud. But Mom Guilt is a powerful force, yo.)

mas vinter park

2011-11-30T15:55:00.000-08:00

Winter Park, Florida is amazing, especially when it's starting to get cold in the Midwest. Also amazing? Charlie's appetite. Los Abuelos made some home-made gnocchi, which Charlie devoured with both fists, earning himself the nickname "Gnocchi Monster." The stuff you buy at Trader Joe's just doesn't compare.

The kids had plenty of time to enjoy playing the piano. The adults enjoyed it, shall we say, LESS.

See how happy Charlie is? See how close to the street he is? The two are connected. He thrives on danger! (and gnocchi)

Also popular? CHURROS.

Eva was content with frequent trips to the candy store and Hagen Daaz.

con abuelo y abuela

2011-11-30T14:55:00.000-08:00

Obviously, we didn't just go to Florida to hand Mickey Mouse all of our hard-earned money.

We went to see Abuelo and Abuela! Since Tio Ale is off to college, their house has been very quiet. We quickly fixed THAT problem.

Somehow, Abuela got stuck pushing Eva while Abuelo got to have fun on the swings.

Abuela also got to spend lots of time following Charlie around Winter Park. Guess who thinks running for the street is a fun game? (hint: not Abuela)

Abuelo instructed Charlie in the fine art of hand-holding. Charlie was not the best student, but it made for some fabulous pictures.

Los Abuelos even managed to snag some quality Disney time! (although they declined Eva's suggestion that they get their faces painted too. maybe next visit!)

chillax

2011-11-10T19:44:00.000-08:00

Charlie perfected his casual, relaxed style at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Just like his big sister, we had to unplug the phone in an effort to keep him from constantly calling room service.

highlights from the mother of all zoos (part 3)

2011-11-09T10:06:00.000-08:00

In retrospect, yesterday's post was perhaps a bit negative.

I'll explain yesterday's mood in a second. But first: Highlights!

We happened upon an interactive exhibit where one of the guess-the-animal clues was using a giant (fake) pile of poop to help figure out the animal in question. Eva was thrilled to have her picture taken with said pile of fake poop. Unforgettable.

Not only did we capture this photo, we avoided being talked into spending $90,000 on the Disney Vacation Club. Double score!

Eva was incredibly patient in the line to meet Minnie Mouse. She did, however, give Minnie our full address when asked where she was from. Maybe Minnie & Rapunzel (from last year) will make a road trip.

Even more exciting than Minnie, though was Pocahontas. Eva had made the difficult decision to visit the Animal Kingdom instead of the Magic Kingdom, knowing that she would not be meeting any princesses. AND THEN? Pocahontas showed up. (and was also provided our full address)

Finally, at the end of the day, I realized that Paul & Charlie were dressed in matching outfits. What tourists!

Now I'm going to explain some of yesterday's negativity. Feel free to stop reading if my inner core of rage is a turn-off for you.

First, some background. Eva is at a new preschool, one we chose for its strong academic focus, use of technology in the classroom & Spanish program. Since the beginning of the year, it's been fairly clear that one of the teachers just isn't nice. She's a fine teacher, but she does not appear to enjoy her job and is nothing like what you expect a preschool teacher to be. I have chalked this up as good learning for me, because I will not love every teacher, and that is ok. (Eva is learning A LOT at this school.) (she is also learning A LOT at her previous preschool, but I digress.)

I've already chronicled the BUTTERFLY POOP INCIDENT here. And again, the teacher never responded to my (seriously, very friendly) email or discussed it with me, but whatever.

Then yesterday, Eva informs me that she did not meet the real Pocahontas at Disney. Who she met was someone dressed up as Pocahontas. I asked her who told her that, and she responded Ms. Teacher-who-hates-her-job.

And then my head nearly exploded.

To be fair, this was within the context of learning the story of Pocahontas, as part of learning about Native Americans and the first Thanksgiving.

But you know what? If you're going to present a child's version of the Pocahontas story (not to mention the whole European/Native American "thing"), you should also accept that my kid met the real Pocahontas, because both ideas are FICTION.

And how dare a preschool teacher take away the magic of that experience?

It has been more than 24 hours and I'm still wavering between furious and just sad. Eva is fine, and hasn't brought it up since. Conferences are in 1o days.

ps. have you ever been to Disney? seeing your child meet one of the characters is enough to melt even the coldest heart.

the mother of all zoos, part 2

2011-11-08T08:08:00.000-08:00

Let me assure you, Disney did not sponsor this post.

After a day at Downtown Disney, we woke up early (ish) and set off for the Animal Kingdom. One major advantage to staying on the Disney property (see how I sound like an insider there) is that you don't waste an hour parking & taking a shuttle to the park entrance. Also, people on the shuttle are very excited and happy. Yay, Disney!

Before we even entered the park, Eva decided she needed sunglasses. I had spent the ENTIRE day before trying to convince her that she would want sunglasses (somehow, I had forgotten to bring ANY of her 10 pairs on the trip), to no avail. I can hardly wait till she is 12!

It was at this point that I realized that Eva had inadvertently dressed like Minnie Mouse. Despite the fact that people commented on this every 10 minutes or so, Eva held fast to the idea that she was wearing a dress, NOT A COSTUME. Hello, black and white thinking!

Still, how adorable is this?

Also: it kind of smells when you get close to the park.

After a misguided trek through the "Tree of Life" (don't ask), we headed to the Safari.

Charlie promptly took the opportunity to nap as we bumped through the savannah. I got to spend our (thankfully brief) time in line explaining why we got to see a video of dead, poached animals as we waited. Want to know something? THERE IS NO WAY TO EXPLAIN THIS.

I am OBVIOUSLY against poaching, but Disney, if you could not show my 5 year old pictures of dead and dismembered animals before we go on a ride, I'd really appreciate it.

The safari was kind of awesome because we got to see things like this:

And less awesome because there was a forced "chase the poachers" bit. Again, why ruin my kid's awesome ride through animal habitats and viewing of a baby elephant (for realz, yo) by reminding her that people want to kill them for ivory? Eva was concerned that there were ACTUAL poachers at Disney. Since I had just finished explaining to her that this was a SAFE PLACE where we could LEARN about poachers but not actually encounter any, this was extra fun!

See what I mean about Disney not sponsoring this post?

Moving on.

Charlie shows off some awesome wounds while exploring:

And we got to meet Baloo and King Louie from the Jungle Book! I was excited.

Then, as we approached DinoLand, Eva decided that she was afraid of dinosaurs.

Does this surprise you? It should. Eva LOVES dinosaurs.

I BLAME YOUR STUPID POACHER FEAR MONGERING, DISNEY.

In a desperate attempt to get the day back on track (at this point, I had suggested returning to the hotel at least once because I DID NOT NEED TO SEE ANY MORE OF THE PARK, THANKYOUVERYMUCH, SO IF EVA COULDN'T BEHAVE WE SHOULD JUST LEAVE), I positioned myself at a Whack-a-Mole game with a bunch of children and won Eva this giant chameleon. Oh yes, I did.

It kind of worked.

We headed to Rafiki's Island with smiles on our faces.

Bronze statues! Just like at the Lincoln Children's Zoo, but with an 80% markup in ticket prices!

It was at this point that I began to grit my teeth.

A petting zoo? WHERE MY CHILD SPENT FOREVER BRUSHING A GOAT?

1. SMELLS

2. GERMS

3. IOWA. We live in Iowa. We pass goats EVERY DAY ON OUR WAY HOME. Not to mention that this petting zoo was no more fabulous than the ones in Nebraska.

4. Again, SMELLS. And GERMS.

Gah Gah Gah!

Still, Eva loved brushing the goat. And Paul and I had tons of fun preventing Charlie from picking up goat poop and eating it! Hooray!

the mother of all zoos, part 1

2011-11-07T07:38:00.000-08:00

In case you don't know me personally, know this: I really don't like zoos.

They smell. And that smell makes me sick to my stomach. And gives me chills. And kind of makes my head spin. Oh, they are so awful.

In case you don't know any children personally, know this: they really love zoos.

What is a zoo-phobic mommy to do?

If you are me, somehow you find yourself visiting the zoo four times in four months over the summer of 2011 (note: zoos smell extra bad in the heat). Then, you find cheap tickets to Orlando and go see los Abuelos. And your husband convinces you to tell your daughter about Disney's Animal Kingdom, which you grudgingly do, KNOWING that there is no way she will choose to go to the Animal Kingdom (she has been to four zoos in the last four months!) instead of the Magic Kingdom where she can meet Ariel, which she has been planning since you bought the tickets.

And then, on a sunny day in October, you find yourself at the Animal Kingdom, because apparently the universe wants you to be a more flexible person.

To add insult to injury, you end up staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Oh, you don't know what this is?

IT IS A HOTEL INSIDE A ZOO.

See, this is what you can do outside the hotel (in addition to the pool, playground etc.):

And this is what you see:

Truth: for someone who hates zoos, the Animal Kingdom Lodge was actually totally awesome. No matter what you think of Disney, their hotels are amazing, and the African-themed restaurants at the hotel featured three things I love: tomatoes, grits and sausage. Plus, Disney's poop management skills are to be applauded... I didn't get the chills or the head spins once.

Oh, and the kids loved it.

halloween pre-party

2011-11-04T06:38:00.000-07:00

You know how every once in awhile, there's an article in something like the Wall Street Journal breaking the news that young adults "pre-party" before going out? (because really? why not just have a few drinks at home - we're in a recession, people, and THIS IS NOT NEWS)

My lifestyle is such now that we pre-party with the kids. At the zoo.

Hold me.

We happened to be in the Husker Nation the weekend prior to Halloween, and Boo at the Zoo is a proud tradition from my childhood. (although both the amount of candy and the cost have increased in the last 30 years) Basically, you pay to walk through the zoo at night and people give you candy. And there are no animals.

But it still smells.

Since the peacock costumes were unfinished, we had to pull from the costume box. Luckily, we could costume a small child army with little notice, so this was no problem.

Super Daddy with his super babies:

Super Charlie in a moment of reflection. I neglected to spend the extra $2 so he could actually Trick or Treat (oh, yes. the predatory nature of Boo at the Zoo means that you pay to get in, you pay more to Trick or Treat, and you pay even more to ride the train.)

Charlie quickly caught on to the fact that NOBODY WAS GIVING HIM ANYTHING and became full of baby rage. Good times!

Spider Man and Super Girl. Chillin on a porch swing.

You'd be this happy too, if you were having your first Amigo's Cheesy Burrito. And if it was 2 am and you had been, um, OUT.

Spider Man shooting webs. Super Girl flying.

Aunt Kate and I were overly impressed with this. Eva and Noah? Not so much.

Aunt Kate dressed up like a cat three days in a row. The fact that it was Halloween weekend was a happy coincidence.

Am I smiling or clenching my jaw? A little of both, internet. A little of both.

Next up: the mother of all zoos.

by the skin of my teeth

2011-11-03T15:48:00.000-07:00

Let me just say that my mother made all of our costumes growing up, and I don't remember going to school and telling my teachers that my mother was up all night completing my costume. It may have happened, but I don't remember it.

Eva was not so lucky. We left town October 19 for almost two weeks, leaving behind two very unfinished costumes. Sunday night found me painting fabric through bleary eyes, and I was relieved to finish Charlie's costume before dark on Halloween night.

Behold, the fruit of my labor:

She's a peacock, y'all.

And before you judge me for my terrible time management skills and general odd conceptualization of the peacock (much less the fact that it is actually the MALE peacock that has fabulous feathers), just know that this entire costume was Eva's idea, from concept to execution, and I am powerless over her requests for me to make things for her.

Also, I like shiny things.

Those feathers are what I was painting in the dead of night.

And what was Charlie, you might ask?

Also a peacock. Because Eva had a VISION of a PEACOCK FAMILY.

She was extremely disappointed that Paul and I were not dressed as peacocks. (seriously. I did not have time.) (or the desire.)

And how did Charlie FEEL about being a peacock?

Not so great. At all.

Apparently, I will never learn the lesson that toddlers hate costumes involving headgear. (recalling the Princess Leia tragedy of 2007)

While Eva fluttered from house to house trick or treating (a skill which she hasn't particularly honed - she picked houses based on their decorations, which is INEFFICIENT AT BEST), Paul bribed Charlie with candy and promises of OUTSIDE, and eventually the hood went up.

Costume construction details:

Because I am an idiot, I decided to make Eva's costume entirely sans pattern. This was stupid. Especially because the jacket needed to be fully lined, for reasons I cannot currently recall. Also, I am incapable of calculating yardage for things like tutus. (I had originally devised some awful plan that would have been THREE TIMES bigger on top than on the bottom. FOR NO REASON OTHER THAN I AM BAD AT MATH.) And then, believe it or not, my late-night-free-handed fabric-painted feathers were less than symmetrical. breathe breathe breathe

But you know what I figured out? I could just make a peacock tail and attach it to one of Charlie's jackets, AND THEN TAKE IT OFF.

So, now we have one complete peacock costume, one jacket with large peacock eyes on the hood (I may keep them because they are INTIMIDATING and HILARIOUS) and one slightly used peacock tail attachment. (available to rent or purchase)

first days

2011-10-17T07:16:00.000-07:00

This year, Eva is attending two preschools. She's spending another year in the four-year-old room at the preschool she's been attending since age two, and we're branching out to another school which is super academically focused. (and has a Spanish program! which means that all of a sudden, Eva is speaking Spanish, despite the fact that Paul & I have been speaking Spanish to her FROM BIRTH. she treats this as a cool, new phenomenon and I grit my teeth.)

The fact that I have to take the children somewhere different EVERY SINGLE DAY OF THE WEEK is a little crazy-making, but it has been good to branch out. Because guess who doesn't like change?

ME.

Here is Eva on the first day of her new school. Preschool trend forecast: knee socks will be huge this year!

And Eva and Charlie, heading back to the Infant and Four year old rooms, respectively. I know you can't tell from the picture, but I am extremely gleeful behind the lens. Finally, I can do things like buy groceries ALONE!

Sometimes people ask me if I get pedicures and massages while the kids are at "school."

Here is what I do:

Junior League meetings

Groceries

Return crap that I purchased with children in tow that either doesn't fit, isn't the right item, or is just something that I wouldn't have bought if I was in full command of my facilities

Get my hair cut (once)

Make phone calls without someone trying to grab my phone and play "Angry Boids"

Vacuum

Throw away ripped costumes, Happy Meal toys, and anything else that will provoke shrieks if I do it in front of Eva

I have a very full life.

feeding things

2011-10-16T17:21:00.000-07:00

The Lincoln Zoo has many, many opportunities for feeding animals.

For a small fee.

Eva could not believe that she had the chance to feed an alpaca. (for a small fee)

I personally was amazed by the camel feeding.

Want to know how to feed a camel?

WITH AN ICE CREAM CONE FILLED WITH CAMEL FOOD THAT YOU HOLD OUT TO THEM USING A PIPE.

How crazy is that? Props to me for not knocking the ice-cream-cone-camel-pellet-pipe out of the children's hands so I could do it myself.

But the best thing to feed, hands down, is Leo, the Paper-Eating Lion. This time Paul wasn't there to insert his (incorrect) opinion that Leo is a glorified trash can, so we could all enjoy feeding Leo in peace. And, since Aunt Kate brought a chunk of the Sunday paper, we had plenty of feeding to do.

For those you you who are keeping track, that is THREE ZOOS in four months. I deserve an award.

mariposa

2011-10-14T07:37:00.000-07:00

Would you let a stranger squirt butterfly juice on you?

Is that question going to get my blog the WRONG TYPE of internet attention?

So, at the Lincoln zoo, there's a little butterfly exhibit staffed by a lone zoo employee who stand around squirting your children with juice so that butterflies will land on their arms. I am certain that they do thorough background checks.

And you know what? Totally works.

Eva was quite concerned that I would distract her butterfly. She took this process terribly seriously.

Again, cousin Noah does this all the TIME, yo, so he was relatively unimpressed.

Although he did manage to coordinate his outfit with the butterfly.

Supposedly, Vivi was terrified of the butterflies on her prior visit. I can only assume that my presence, with all of its Godmotherly goodness, was a calming influence.

Or maybe she just wanted to keep up with the big kids.

Eva performed a full inspection to make sure no butterflies escaped the exhibit.

And then we WASHED OUR HANDS, because ACK. BUTTERFLY JUICE.

Bonus butterfly anecdote: last week, Eva's preschool class went on a field trip to a local nature center. The next day, one of the parents informed me that, when the tour guide asked if any of the kids knew any insect facts, MY CHILD proudly raised her hand and announced that "butterflies don't poop." Her teachers told her she was wrong.

Naturally, we had learned this (among several other butterfly facts) at the Omaha zoo back in May. So I went home, googled "butterfly poop" and emailed the teacher a link noting that butterflies, in fact, DO NOT POOP.

I have received no response.

Also? The teachers at the preschool we've been going to since Eva was two would never have doubted this.

oh, hello ponies

2011-10-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

Eva's room is flooded with ponies.

I know this because I step on them regularly.

And at the Lincoln Zoo, Eva finally got to ride a pony.

Although this pony is not pink and did not have glitter extensions in its mane, Eva was thrilled.

Really, seriously mega-watt thrilled.

Cousin Noah is the proud holder of a zoo pass, so he rides ponies like it's no big deal. He was gracious enough not to rub this in.

And we may or may not have taken Vivi on her first pony ride without considering that maybe her parents might want to be around for that. We may or may not have considered removing her "I Rode a Pony" sticker and denying it upon questioning.

Years ago, Aunt Erin took Eva to the zoo and Eva was terrified of the ponies, to the point where she would shriek "no ride ponies!" whenever Erin walked into the room. How times change.

the only thing less interesting to me than a football game.

2011-10-08T20:16:00.001-07:00

Is the zoo.

Except for the otters!

I seriously love otters.

But I really don't like zoos. Still, I happily took Eva since it was her birthday week.

And my sister Kate, because she is a glutton for punishment, brought not only her own child, but another one along for the ride.

(actually, this was just one of Kate's many good deeds related to another sister being HIT BY A TRUCK and out of commission for awhile. believe it, internet - people be crazy.)

Luckily, the Lincoln Children's Zoo is light on animals, but heavy on photo opps.

Example: gigantic hollow eggs!

And, um, corners!

And animal tattoos, which result in ANIMAL POWERS! (according to Eva & Noah, who gained PONY POWERS and ALLIGATOR POWERS respectively.)

birthday week...

2011-10-07T20:07:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the week of Eva's birthday, we spent ten hours in a car!

And captured this Christmas card contender:

Maggie gave Eva her ticket, so Eva got to go to her first Husker game. She, Paul and Uncle Chris had a surprisingly good time.

to eva, almost twenty days after her fifth birthday

2011-09-29T14:20:00.000-07:00

There's no denying it - five is a milestone.

At five, Eva:

wears dresses, skirts and shirts, but not pants

is a vegetarian (except for chicken nuggets and the occasional turkey sandwich)

picks out all of her own clothing

is now the oldest kid in her preschool class

loves dinosaurs, My Little Ponies, and anything with small parts

remembers that when she was 3, I told her she could have gum when she was 5

wants to live with Paul & I forever.

She also insists on putting her own candles into her cake (chocolate with homemade buttercream frosting, dyed as red as we could get it. it was not red enough.)

We made the executive decision to do another year of preschool instead of sending Eva to kindergarden this year (she was within the cutoff by five days). When the year started and she seemed so much older than all of the other kids in her class, I was regretting this decision. Twenty days later, I am confident that we did the right thing, if only because it means that we have this year together. We spend lots of time reading, crafting and drawing while this guy sleeps:

And also, I think it would be insane for Eva to start college at age 17. So, there.

I love my girl so much, I can hardly stand it.

Happy Birthday, Eva! I can't even imagine what five will bring!

oh, did i mention?

2011-09-28T06:47:00.000-07:00

That the birthday party featured NOT ONLY face paint BUT ALSO a bouncy castle?

Because we actually HAVE a bouncy castle?

Don't judge. It is kind of a black market bouncy castle. True story.

And fun for adults!

We also have a home-made ball pit. Which pales in comparison.

Want the story of how the bouncy castle came to live with us? You will seriously have to message me directly. Although it does not involve organized crime, it may or may not have fallen off a truck.

partay

2011-09-27T19:59:00.000-07:00

I had many, many party theme CONCEPTS which I floated to Eva throughout the month of August.

She vetoed every single one, and insisted on having a "Meat Eaters Party."

Eva is a vegetarian.

She is, however, "interested in carnivores."

So, we had a Meat Eaters party with a "subtle" pink wild animal print theme. It was like the New Jersey Housewives vomited all over my house.

Ok, but not really. It wasn't too bad:

And then we had face painters! Seriously! The same people who painted Eva's awesome pink tiger at the Farmer's Market.

Except that instead of getting painted like WILD ANIMALS, everyone got painted like butterflies.

Despite the fact that Eva had vetoed my "Butterfly Party" suggestion.

Are unicorns meat eaters?

Want to throw an awesome party? Hire face painters.

Hello, Christmas card!

Charlie thought he was hot stuff sitting outside with the big boys.

And eating mac & cheese with his hands.

Five!

birthday morning

2011-09-26T19:29:00.000-07:00

Eva's birthday fell on a Saturday this year. We usually have her birthday party on whatever Saturday is closest to her birthday. Basic math can tell you that this was a recipe for chaos.

We began the day with presents from family. And sequined headgear.

Eva considers any hairwrap to be a "sweatband." The 1970s are alive and well in Iowa.

Present opening has become a group effort. This resulted in some high pitched shrieking before mommy's second cup of coffee. NOT COOL, KIDS. NOT COOL.

Here I attempt to distract Charlie with the camera. For about three seconds.

Eva also created this "fabric craft" for her party and insisted that I not make any changes to it. Deep breathing ensued.

invitations

2011-09-23T07:46:00.000-07:00

After the photo shoot veered off in its own direction, I experimented with some other birthday party invitations. (again: I am insane.)

Believe it or not, this was Eva's favorite:

Who'd have thought?

This suffered from a little something called TOO MUCH EDGE BLUR:

And this was just kind of uninspired. Let's just say it was late at night and the party was quickly approaching.

But this? This is exactly right.

Don't worry. The unicorn made an appearance inside.

birthday invite photo shoot

2011-09-22T16:11:00.000-07:00

Eva's September birthday meant we needed to do a little backyard photo shoot for her invitations.

I had A VISION that involved fancy dresses (of which we have MANY), leaping, and posing. Or (because I am flexible), an animal-print ensemble and some exciting animal acting.

Eva chose to wear a leotard and do poses like this:

This picture nearly made the cut until I realized Cleo was "doing the business" in the background.

This one, while showing lots of... personality... was deemed inappropriate.

Had Eva agreed to a ballet party, this would have been perfect. (more on the party theme later)

This shot made it as far as the photo editing before I decided it just wasn't "right." Because I am insane.

And this, while capturing my little one's personality QUITE NICELY, didn't have the "feel" I was looking for.

See what actually made the cut tomorrow!

you know what? i quit.

2011-09-20T09:16:00.001-07:00

No, not blogging, although you would never know that from the frequency with which I've been posting lately.

I quit trying to recap everything from the summer, because it just puts me more and more behind. It's like credit card debt, without the financial anxiety.

So, this is the last post about summer. And then I'll catch up on what we've been doing so far in the fall. Since it's late September and all.

First, I attempted to teach Charlie to drink from a yogurt cup. (fail)

We all got addicted to Trader Joe's Cheesy Puffs. Charlie couldn't stop to put clothes on before trying to claim them for his own.

Charlie developed a pretty profound love of artistic expression (largely displayed through various wall murals). Naturally, I encouraged this through finger paint.

Resulting in this:

Baby likes bacon!

Baby went to jail! (actually, baby likes to play with gates at the pool)

Eva found time to critique the dress she insisted I design for her.

And we managed to be in town for long enough to pass swimming lessons.

Up next: fall!

hiz-ouse

2011-08-26T20:35:00.000-07:00

Operation: Keep the Children Busy was a semi-failure this summer.

However, keeping this house/tent/ball pit on the main floor provided a success. Although I occasionally kicked it because it was in my way. A lot.

I picked up all of these balls EVERY DAY. Except for the days when I just couldn't face them, and therefore ended up stepping all over them in mini fits of rage.

The tent/house/ball pit is now in the basement, where it belongs.

Let the healing begin.

balloon glow, yo

2011-08-25T08:47:00.000-07:00

After nearly five years in suburban Iowa, we finally made it to our local balloon glow.

Oh, you don't have a balloon glow where you live?

THEN YOU HAVEN'T LIVED.

Hyperbolic? Only a little.

Do you want to know how close you can get to ACTUAL HOT AIR BALLOONS at a suburban Iowa Balloon Glow?

CLOSE.

Still confused about what a balloon glow actually IS?

Small children run around a giant mansion lawn (really) while hot air balloons are blown up.

Also, lots of opportunities to pose as a rock star.

Eva and I went on a Mommy & Eva date. We also brought a "bug protector." Which also worked.

Hot air balloons actually glow in the dark. BECAUSE THEY ARE FULL OF FIRE.

The balloons were slightly loud, promoting much drama and talk of how they "might be ruining everything."

But then Eva got camera privileges. And actually took all of the following (awesome) pictures.

blueberry boy

2011-08-24T14:49:00.000-07:00

Charlie has the blues.

Blueberries, that is. And therefore, blue poop.

In reality, black poop. Sometimes so full of blueberry goodness that it dyes his tush.

Want to make this guy mad?

Take away his blueberries.

(sidenote: I have gone from having a child who poops so infrequently that we were on a stool softening REGIMEN for about a year to THIS KID, who poops so often, I question if it's normal. kids are strange.)

more of what charlie does while eva performs

2011-08-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

Part of the reason the videos I shoot of Eva's performances are so shaky is my 22 pound assistant, Charlie.

It is somewhat challenging to wrangle a small child while filming another. I've learned to entertain Charlie with the camera (which obviously sets me up for failure during the times when I am unable to entertain him with the camera, such as when I am filming his sister).

Luckily, one of Charlie's favorite things to do is smile for pictures. Somehow, the places where Eva has her performances occasionally have awesome light.

So, while some Charlie photos turn out like this:

Others look like this:

Isn't he just delicious?

He is absolutely one of my favorite things.

while eva has held the blog hostage with her dancing...

2011-08-18T08:44:00.000-07:00

... apparently Charlie has been in the basement, listening to the Cure and getting all Goth'd up.

Although he seems a bit cheerful. The happy whale t-shirt really doesn't go with the black lipstick either. (Gene Simmons hairstyle, though? PERFECT.)

Even if nobody else seems to, Charlie thinks I am HILARIOUS.

ps. THIS is why I will only buy washable markers.

revisiting the royal wedding

2011-08-17T08:28:00.000-07:00

Remember the Royal Wedding?

While the rest of the world was speculating what designer Kate Middleton would choose for her wedding dress, my mama friends and I were planning an EPIC PLAYDATE.

Observe:

Individual wedding cakes. Seriously. While our usual playdate fare is mac & cheese and goldfish crackers (often eaten directly from the floor), my friend Jenni kicked it up SEVERAL notches and made individual wedding cakes for all guests. Then my friend Erica cooked actual british food, and it was actually good. Although it did not feature blood sausage of any type.

Target's dollar section Easter clearance provided fancy favors:

With Cadbury chocolate favors for the moms. Note: Cadbury chocolates taste like vomit. Worst favor ever.

And, because I have a little "thing" for personalized cups, all of the kids got teacups with their names inscribed along with the phrase "Royal Wedding Playdate." Because they will want to remember this insanity FOREVER.

We also made British crafts! Turns out you can make a fascinator by simply hot-gluing a bunch of gaudy things onto a clip, and they will still look better than that beige bedpan hat one of Fergie's girls was wearing.

Pretty maids all in a row?

Pretty fake smiles all in a row?

Believe it or not, the little boys were less enthused about getting dressed up and crafting. I KNOW. But fear not - I made them all little bow ties.

Also not popular? SITTING DOWN.

And wearing pants.

Prince Harry's reported shenanigans ain't got nothing on Iowa, yo.

party like a wok staw

2011-08-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

Despite her refusal to register for anything but Princess Camp, once Eva got to spend a week with Ms. Megan, she insisted that a) Ms. Megan should teach "Horse Camp" and b) I needed to register her for Wok Staw Camp (aka Rock Star Camp). Since, to my knowledge, the DANCE STUDIO does not offer Horse Camp, I broke down and registered Eva for Wok Staw Camp.

Believe it or not, Eva had very specific ensembles picked out for camp.

This one is a particular favorite. Because nothing says "Rock Star" (or "Wok Staw") like a Christmas dress. While Eva neglected to add the matching bolero, she did accessorize with yellow socks and teal crocs.

Oh, and we got a dog. Interweb, meet Cleo!

For the performance, each of the kids made "Rock Star Tank Tops" (for realz) and got a cheap colored hair extension. Naturally, this far exceeded any gift I have given Eva (or made with my own hands) by about a thousand awesome points.

They also made fake paper guitars. Which allowed for some quiet introspection and fake guitar strumming. Rock star style.

mo' performances, mo' videos.

2011-08-15T09:20:00.000-07:00

I was not lying when I said that I was catching up on an insane amount of performances. I SPEAK THE TRUTH, INTERNETS.

Earlier this summer, Eva spent a week in Princess Camp. How is this different from any other week, you might ask? Most notably, Eva refused to wear a costume every day. I can hardly wait for the teen years.

The performance was on the last day. I arrived two minutes late due to an unfortunate diaper incident and missed the entire first dance AND got stuck in the back of the studio. (bonus: close to the door!) Still, you can see Eva in the grey dress with polka dots. (again, see all the other girls in tutus and costumes? not my baby, despite the fact that she wore a princess costume to WAL-MART today.)

pandamonium.

2011-08-14T20:21:00.000-07:00

alternate post title: VBS, part deux.

As I mentioned in the last post, VBS is totally what frugal moms use for childcare. Plus, this VBS included a t-shirt! (so did one that we used last year, but this year Eva actually WORE THE SHIRT. I KNOW. Progress!)

For whatever reason, Eva was NOT FEELING going to another Vacation Bible School. Perhaps she knew that Charlie and I would spend our mornings grocery shopping and sweeping WITHOUT HER and was mad jealous. I thought that the theme of VBS would be my ace in the hole: PandaMania. (remember how excited Eva was to see the pandas at the National Zoo?) Like an idiot, I mentioned that not only would she get to learn more about PANDAS, she would get to talk about God too!

Eva informed me that she would only participate in the parts that involved Pandas.

Remember, this is the church that entrusted me to teach teenagers just a few months ago.

It all worked out just fine, though:

SO fine, in fact, that Eva broke down in tears for two nights after "Pandamonium" ended, crying that she missed it. You could possibly blame the fact that on the last day of PandaMania, Eva had not only a performance, but also a birthday party, so she was perhaps on a performance and sugar high which took two days to come down from, but whatever. I love Vacation Bible School!

a secret. with video.

2011-08-12T12:11:00.000-07:00

Parents, I'm going to let you in on a little secret.

Vacation Bible School is the cheapest childcare you will find this summer.

Oh, and it's chock-a-block full of God and Jesus too. Bonus!

If you're like me, you can take advantage of Vacation Bible School at the Methodist church where your kiddos attend preschool AND at the Catholic church you attend. Because, want to know another little secret? The curriculum is so non-denominational that various churches just trade it around every year.

And my friend's VBS program BROUGHT IN A REAL. LIVE. CAMEL. on the last day.

Have I convinced you yet? Perhaps some music might sway you?

Check out my baby's rhythm! And the fact that she's pretty much the only one in her class coordinated enough to do the sign language! Also: sign language is the hot trend for VBS classes this year. More on that later.

a performance of a different kind

2011-08-11T20:20:00.000-07:00

For the first time in three years, Eva made it through every. single. end-of-year performance without running away, pouting, or lifting her skirt.

Mommy is so proud.

She also got to graduate, despite the fact that she'll be returning to the four year old room next year. (September birthday, yo.) I get all misty-eyed when I think of how great her preschool experience was this past year - her teachers really loved her for who she is, from her awesome clothing choices to her ability to convince/force others to bend to her will at playtime.

There were some seriously sweet moments saying goodbye to friends who she's known since she was two. Here is good buddy Nichole. Eva and Nichole are "very interested in cheetahs."

After school had been out for a few weeks and we were discussing Nichole, Eva reminded me that she and Nichole liked to play cheetahs on the playground.

She mentioned that when they were being cheetahs, they wouldn't look at the two year olds.

I immediately responded with a caring and compassionate discourse asking how Eva would feel if older kids ignored HER and discussing how it is important to be friendly to everyone.

Eva sighed loudly and informed me: "We don't look at them BECAUSE THEY ARE OUR MEAT."

ladybug

2011-08-10T11:51:00.000-07:00

For starters, I'm going to get something on this blog every day for the rest of the month if it kills me. I'm still finding things from April to post, and that is insane.

Now, here's a video from a dress rehearsal for Eva's recital. My sneaky plan to have one of the other mothers purchase the DVD and then make copies for all of us bombed, as I have not recieved my pirated DVD. Moral of the story? God hates people who copy FORTY-FIVE DOLLAR CHILDREN'S DANCE RECITAL DVD'S without permission.

there will be recitals

2011-07-27T20:55:00.000-07:00

And therefore, there will be flowers.

And backstage photos!

Maggie came to Iowa to witness Eva's debut. Thankfully, she gave the dance studio two thumbs up.

And deemed Eva "a star."

After dressing Eva in this costume for a week straight, I inadvertently dressed myself in an adult version of her ensemble.

So proud of my baby!

Paul had a few years off from watching dance recitals after his sister Julie graduated, but is now back in the game. Only now, he has an iPad.

there will be dancing!

2011-07-26T18:05:00.000-07:00

If you aren't a fan of preschool ballet class (what, you mean you think it's crazy to spend hundreds of dollars for a four year old to take tap and ballet? me too. that's why we didn't start at three.) then you should probably take a week off from the blog. Maybe two.

Because I have LOTS OF DANCING to catch up on.

For starters, back in May (seriously), Eva had her very first dance recital.

Which meant that we had many, MANY dance rehearsals. How do people do it? Full hair and makeup, plus costume. Simply putting her hair in the bleeping "ballerina bun" was enough to make me need a cocktail. (and, true story, by the time we got to the actual dress rehearsal, which was about the fourth day of this madness, some other moms and I were all too eager to step out for some Mexican food. which I think everybody knows is MOM CODE for "I NEED A MARGARITA. QUICKLY.")

But, can you handle the cuteness?

Naturally Eva decided that she would play hide and seek during some downtime. Which involved hiding in the DIRT AND DUST IN HER WHITE COSTUME.

I hand-washed those stupid white gloves each night. EACH NIGHT. Do you know the last time I hand-washed anything? It was the 90's. That's all I'm saying.

Eva also decided to play dinosaurs with her buddy Lee. Blessedly, this did not involve rolling around on the floor. Unfortunately, it lasted about 30 seconds.

When I did Eva's makeup the first time (following instructions I had been given by the studio), I was appalled. Let me paint a picture: I took Eva to the cheap makeup area of Target and instructed her to pick out whatever eyeshadow she liked. Of course, she chose a quad featuring pink, purple, blue, and white shadow. And then insisted that we use each color in her makeup.

I also purchased some dark burgundy lipstick, again following studio instructions.

When we arrived at the first rehearsal, everyone else had (against instructions!) merely ENHANCED their children's features with subtle earth tones and pink lip gloss. Which confirmed my suspicions that I had tarted Eva up like an Avon lady from 1984.

She was then asked to step to the front of the class and I was mortified.

Until the teacher went on to instruct everyone to do their child's makeup JUST LIKE EVA'S.

She was thrilled.

I was still kind of mortified and stand by my initial assessment. (1980's Avon Lady for the win!)

on top of everything else: friends!

2011-07-21T12:50:00.000-07:00

In DC!

While Paul worked, the kids and I got to spend time with friends from Florida who we realized we hadn't seen since 2005. Pre-Iowa, pre-babies, pre-grown-up-mature life.

Luckily, they have a baby too and we are all still awesome.

Franklin and Charlie are less than 30 days apart in age, and let me tell you, it is fantastic to travel with someone who gets the nursing/napping/meltdown schedule.

Franklin and Charlie also got along swimmingly.

In general.

Captured here: the moment right before a full-on-baby-brawl broke out over a toy. Our friend Andy had this insightful commentary: "It's funny to JOKE about baby fights. It's not so funny when they do it." Heh heh heh.

Here is where you would expect to see pictures of all of us with our babies. Except that we didn't take any pictures like that. Instead, here are Eva and Charlie at Founder's Park in Old Town Alexandria, where we spent our last day in the DC Metro area. (and where Paul used to live)

If Eva looks pensive, it may be because she realized that just because Paul lived on Princess Street, he did not actually live in a castle. Luckily, she rallied when she received the full tour of "Places Where Daddy Cracked His Head Open When He Was A Little Boy" and "Rocky Road" (a cobblestone street that Paul would force his mother to drive on, thus ruining the shocks in her car.)

Also: walking.

(Paul may have taken some of his first steps in this exact same park. feeling a bit sniffly at that? me too.)

more reasons why it's awesome to have children at a wedding

2011-07-17T20:47:00.000-07:00

1. Because sometimes your children are so cute that they will sucker Tias into holding their sweaty little bodies on their laps, thus freeing you from an additional 30 pounds of body heat for a few blessed moments.

2. Because you can dress them like Little Lord Fauntleroy and they will still smile like this:

3. Because they can wear big poofy dresses.

4. Because you can get a decent family photo for the first time since your son was born and THAT photo was taken in the hospital on the day he was born AND YOU HAD JUST GIVEN BIRTH. In this photo, you are wearing makeup!

Family photo for the win!

why it's not so great to have kids at a wedding

2011-07-16T09:51:00.001-07:00

Our experience having the kids at cousin Peter's wedding was not all rainbows and unicorn toots.

Here's why it is not always super awesome to have kids at a wedding. Particularly at a smoking hot outdoor wedding.

They will try to play in the dirt:

At some point, they will tease you by inching even closer to the dirt you have just pulled them out of. BECAUSE THERE IS DIRT EVERYWHERE OUTSIDE.

They will insist on walking, even though you really need them to sit down both during the wedding and for the remaining three days of your vacation.

They will make you look like this.

why it's fun to have kids at a wedding

2011-07-15T10:40:00.000-07:00

Kids are perhaps the greatest part of a wedding.

A huge part of the reason that we flew the entire family across the country was to get in some quality cousin time. As you can see, Eva was thrilled. (kids make wedding pictures extra fun!)

Plus, it's fun to put groups of kids in a corner! (discipline makes any event extra exciting!)

Maggie loves her two oldest granddaughters! (parents can have fun while grandparents watch the kids!)

How exactly did we go out to lunch without the little iPad? (so easy to have kids at weddings with technology!)

Nora still loves baby Charlie. (who doesn't love pictures of toddler hugs?)

Poor Ellie was feeling crummy and was therefore quarantined outside. Charlie had already been to the zoo, so he knew just how to observe animals behind glass. (kids: sleep anywhere!)

The best part of cousin time:

a tale of two zoos, part 2

2011-07-10T09:01:00.000-07:00

The kids and I ended up spending a few more days in Nebraska than previously planned, due to some awesome friends being in town from Vegas. (holla, Matt & Sunny!) Because I love my children more than I dislike zoos, we ended up at the Henry Doorley Zoo in Omaha one day, meaning that I visited TWO ZOOS IN ONE WEEK. I think my family didn't believe me until viewing this photographic evidence.

Now, here's the thing about the Henry Doorley Zoo. It is best to not visit it in the same week as the National Zoo. Why? Because the Henry Doorley Zoo is a) not free b) not in Washington DC c) serves mostly hot dog based lunches and d) has a very smelly structure involving desert animals that I can't even talk about without cringing. Also, no pandas.

It does, however, have these cool bubble things where kids can get up close and personal with the animals.

And an impressive variety of animal statues. Why look at real animals when you can climb on fake ones?

Hello, Christmas card! Just need to photoshop a Santa hat onto this orangutang.

The one thing that the Henry Doorley Zoo has that the National Zoo doesn't is GIRAFFES. (and seriously, National Zoo, wth?) Eva was seriously disappointed by the lack of giraffes in Washington DC and insisted that the first thing we did in Omaha was find the Giraffe House.

You might not realize that she is actually in this picture, because (according to her) the giraffe dress provides excellent camouflage.

How excited was Eva about the giraffes?

THIS EXCITED.

(when my dad reads this, I am certain that he will turn to my mom and say "she gets this from your side of the family." just like I said to Paul when I saw this picture.)

a tale of two zoos (part one)

2011-07-06T12:04:00.001-07:00

It was the best of zoos, it was the worst of zoos.

Not really.

The National Zoo is actually pretty much completely amazing (and free!) (and nestled into an adorable neighborhood in DC!) (and across the street from a build-your-own-yogurt shop!) (and within walking distance to a fantastic thai restaurant where they like having kids dine with you!).

But it was REALLY HOT.

Other than that, amazing.

Eva was excited about the panda exhibit and dressed accordingly.

The petting area of the zoo was farm-based, naturally. Just like home!

The pandas were smart and kept out of sight during the heat. Eva was not deterred.

The zoo also has some nice play areas for kids who insist on learning how to walk even though it would be much easier on their parents if they would just spend the rest of the vacation in the stroller. Here, Charlie experiences what it would be like to be a prairie dog.

As an added bonus, the zoo has strategically placed misters throughout. I resisted pushing all of these children out of my way so I could cool off. (long enough to take this picture. after that, it was every woman for herself.) (note: strollers are excelled when used as battering rams.)

An additional point for the National Zoo: decent food, including cheese sandwiches and veggie burgers. Plus cute little lunch bags that you get to take home. WHICH ARE FOLDABLE. Well played, National Zoo. Well played.

Tomorrow: how does the Omaha Zoo compare?

if you're in dc with small children...

2011-06-30T20:52:00.000-07:00

Run, don't walk, to the National Building Museum.

Because a) it is air conditioned, and b) there's a big old playland full of building materials (natch) for your small folk to play with.

And they'll be so happy, they'll look like this:

And they'll build architectural marvels like this:

And your friends' sweet babies will be so into you that they'll look like this:

Seriously, why wouldn't you go to a place that will make your child make this face? What is wrong with you?

(although really, I have to say that the museum overall was a bit meh. although it would be an awesome place to get married, if you're into that kind of thing. but the playland is tops for the baby crowd.) (and there are frequently moms groups who meet there. in fact, there was a moms group meeting there when we went. and we got invited to join. and, though we declined, moms group who meets at the building museum on wednesdays, YOU ROCK!)

oh yeah, we went to dc

2011-06-29T20:37:00.000-07:00

As I catch up on months of activities, it occurs to me that we went to DC a month ago. Huh. (Actually, Baltimore for Paul's work, and the kids & I commuted into DC every day. Because we're all urban like that.)

DC is now one of my favorite places to go with kids. Everything is free (except for the crazy expensive food) and every Metro stop has ELEVATORS. If you've ever carried a stroller up the NYC Subway steps, you will realize how awesome this is.

Also, the Metro is so easy, even Charlie could figure it out.

Eva is a veteran train rider and knew to bring the iPod. Or, as she calls it, the "little iPad."

When we planned our trip, Eva insisted that we visit the "Dinosaur Museum" (commonly known as "the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History") first. She was so pissed that I stopped to take a picture of the Washington Monument that she refused to even be in the picture.

Luckily, the museum is just minutes away from the National Mall. Here is Eva with the "King of the Plant Eaters."

She was fascinated by this "Eleventh Hour" exhibit. Yay - more talk about death and dying!

She also insisted that we take several pictures of dinosaur fossils for specific friends back home, which I find incredibly sweet.

rock lobster 2011

2011-06-26T19:49:00.000-07:00

Now that we live in Iowa, we eat lobster once a year.

Which is about once a year more than we ate lobster before.

Truly, there is nothing in the world quite like eating lobster in an Iowa field.

The boys and their brews.

Eva spent the vast majority of the party running. And running. And running. And then hanging out under the table for a short bit.

Also, she ate a clam.

And had her face painted like a tiger. Pink tiger.

Also, this is what passes for appropriate lobster party dress in our household. I am considering starting a fashion blog on Eva's behalf.

eva reaches her limit

2011-06-24T19:32:00.000-07:00

We treated Paul to a lovely Father's Day last weekend. He slept in, which is the best gift of all, and decided he'd like a picnic lunch to celebrate.

When I was pregnant with Charlie, I craved watermelon like nobody's business. Charlie continues this tendency. Most of his shirts bear permanent watermelon stains.

Eva loved the idea of a picnic lunch, especially at a park with hills (kind of exciting in the midwest) to roll down.

There came a point in the day, however, when Eva reached her limit with other people's special days. We had Mother's Day, Charlie's birthday, my birthday and Father's Day, all within a month. ALL DAYS WHERE EVA CONCEDED THAT THE PERSON OF HONOR GOT TO PICK THE DAY'S ACTIVITIES.

About midway through Father's Day, Eva mentioned that the next day was "Kid's Day." As Father's Day wore on, Eva began to plan elaborate Kid's Day events, including "doing whatever I want all day (because it is Kid's Day)" and "keeping the house as messy as I want (because it's Kid's Day)." Also, she wanted to go to McDonald's.

Happy Father's Day to Paul, who is a most wonderful father to our two amazing children!

surprise!

2011-06-18T20:26:00.000-07:00

For Charlie's birthday, Eva was committed to the idea of throwing him a surprise party. Which was really easy, since we could talk about the party in front of him. If anyone wants to coordinate a surprise party, I really recommend doing it for a 12 month old.

Charlie was extra surprised when he woke up from his nap to discover a house full of friends yesterday. Eva and her buddies did the usual dressing up. Eva, however, was "bored" by getting her picture taken. I can hardly wait for the teen years!

Eva and the hose continued to surprise many party guests.

Charlie quickly abandoned the pool (thus avoiding the hose) and held court in his car. Attempts were made to share. They were unsuccessful.

The Jello Poke Cake cupcakes, while still pink, were a much bigger hit than the previous birthday cake. Charlie may or may not have had two.

twelve.

2011-06-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

So last week, Charlie had his first birthday.

My plans for a birthday celebration (handmade banner! special outfit!) went in the tank, as the kids both spent the week in a feverish haze.

By the actual day OF the birthday, they were well enough to go spread germs at Target and pick out cake mix and frosting. Obviously, I mean that Eva picked everything out; Charlie received a lemon cake with pink strawberry frosting.

He was a little underwhelmed.

(until the next morning, when he discovered a cupcake that Paul had left out on the end table and FLIPPED OUT when I tried to pull it from his kung fu grip. he proceeded to eat the entire cupcake and much of the paper.)

Eva took one for the team and helped Charlie unwrap presents.

In lieu of a big birthday fiesta, we let Charlie choose how he would most like to celebrate: he spent the day carrying around the remote and sans pants.

I did insist that he wear a birthday bow. IT IS TRADITION, people!

(I had planned to write a heartfelt note to Charlie for his birthday, but was too exhausted by sick children to make that happen. let me just say, though, that I am so very glad that my Charlie and his million-dollar smile are in the world.)

off.

2011-06-13T19:34:00.000-07:00

Turns out losing a pet, going out of town for two weeks with two small children and coming back to some pretty exciting Junior League drama-trauma (don't worry, internet, all is happy again in Junior League land) is not conducive to regular blogging.

I now have two full months of pictures and stories to catch up on.

Starting tomorrow. Right now, I'm still just tired.

remember easter?

2011-05-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

Although it was months ago, the Easter Bunny DID remember stop at our house. I simply forgot to post about it.

The Easter Bunny may have found a Barbie Cruise Ship on clearance at Target after Christmas and hid it in the basement for a few months, then realized that it was SERIOUSLY WAY TOO BIG for an Easter present, but decided to give it anyway.

Because, dude, TEN DOLLAR BARBIE CRUISE SHIP.

Apparently the Easter Bunny also watched some horror movies prior to making his delivery, because stuffing Fischer Price Little People into these eggs is really disturbing.

(it's like the chicken ATE Farmer Jed!)

Wouldn't you have nightmares if this was on your chair?

Charlie seems to be fine.

(I can hear him thinking: so you stuff the egg shaped like a chicken with a toy, then I stuff eggs into my mouth? then, do I poop a toy?)

goodnight, sweet prince.

2011-05-20T07:41:00.000-07:00

We had to say goodbye to my handsome Cassius this week, as he was living with severe arthritis and a host of other problems. I am a firm believer that when you adopt a pet, you also take on the responsibility of granting them a peaceful exit from the world whenever possible, but boy, does it suck.

I loved Cassius despite his many, many faults (including a tendency to snack on other dogs) and always felt invincible with him by my side. He was my protector from the drug dealers and riff raff in our "gentrify-ing" neighborhood in Florida and made me feel like nobody could mess with me when we moved to the god-forsaken Iowa suburbs (or at least that's what they felt like in the early days when it seemed like nobody had a single kind thing to say and I was so very, very lonely).

We had some very good years, and I am thankful for all of them.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Eva with Cassius. Some nights, I would go upstairs to find that Cassius had camped out in Eva's room for the evening, and I always wondered if he knew she needed a little extra looking over that night. She probably just had some food stashed up there, but still, allow me my delusion.

Charlie was beginning to get a huge kick out of Cassius, especially since he was the only one who would eat the partially digested food that Charlie so loves to "share" with everyone. Cassius would always let Charlie pet him, despite (we now know) the fact that he was severely arthritic in all of his limbs.

I am so very grateful that we had Cassius in our lives.

(Eva has moved on quite well - she initially wanted to get two new dogs and one new cat, and name them Gracie, Cassius and Jackson, just like all of our other pets who have died. After much discussion, she is now planning to get a new dog: a girl, named Gazelle, who gets along with other dogs and will play fetch. Mommy might need a little more time, but I'm sure I'll get there too.)

and yes, eleven.

2011-05-17T20:17:00.001-07:00

Why yes, Charlie IS eleven months old.

Time to start planning a party! Amid trips to the doctor for a never-ending ear infection! The Urgent Care Clinic is so fun!

Charlie, however, has no cares in the world:

In our family, WE ACCESSORIZE.

He's even cute as a blur!

(truth: I keep a hat in the diaper bag, as a means of keeping Charlie entertained. who's up for a game of "put the hat on, take the hat off"???)

(also, it appears that Charlie's eyes are hazel, and change color depending on what he's wearing, just like Grand Mary's.)

also? ten.

2011-05-11T20:36:00.000-07:00

Not only did I neglect to document Charlie turning 9 months old - the 10th month slipped by as well.

He now sports four teeth, and four more rear their ugly heads upon occasion. Mostly when it is least convenient to have a fussy baby.

Charlie now says "dada" and "Eva." He mostly screams "Eva," if I'm telling the truth. And "book." You may remember from the nine month post (you know, yesterday) that he said "mama" first. That would be a lie. His first word was "more."

Sometimes my children are so beautiful that it actually stops me in my tracks.

And then there are times like this:

oops. nine.

2011-05-10T19:57:00.001-07:00

Way back in March, my little Charlie turned nine months old.

He celebrated the day at the doctor's office, which is normal, since we seem to be there every three weeks or so.

Nine month milestones? SAID MAMA. On St. Patrick's Day. In the car. Repeatedly. And since then likes to yell "MAMA" whenever he wants something to happen.

Also: clearly, spent most of the month working on the railroad.

Cheesy smile? Check.

Midwestern babies fear not the grass. (unlike their Brooklyn cousins)

Someone made the mistake of showing Charlie the pictures on the digital camera. Expect many, many more pictures like this from now on.

i know what boys like

2011-05-08T19:41:00.000-07:00

Dress up clothes!

Cousin Noah is frequently Eva's knight in shining armor. And now he has the duds to match.

Plus, the back of this outfit is extra-awesome!

perhaps the greatest children's museum in the world.

2011-05-03T19:52:00.000-07:00

Hyperbolic? I think not.

The Omaha Children's Museum has a special exhibit, internet.

ZOOLAND. From Richman Gordman's.

A playland IN A STORE. Why don't they have these anymore?

This incredible slice of Nebraska history has been lovingly restored (I imagine - it would have been loving if I was in charge of the restoration) and installed in the Omaha Children's Museum. (ps. I finally understand why people want to amass incredible amounts of wealth. BECAUSE SOME DAY SOMEONE MAY WANT TO NAME A ZOOLAND ANIMAL AFTER YOU IF YOU JUST PAY THEM.)

My favorite was always the elephant slide.

When I was a child, this seemed incredibly high. Like, two stories high. It's probably eight feet tall.

Ah, children playing in the belly of a hippo. The stuff that dreams are made of.

And the camel was just as odd as it always was - you climb in a strange shape. And that's it. But you can kind of climb on top. Hrm.

The kangaroo was always at the bottom of my list (the slide has no incline, people!). Now, as a parent, I understand that IT IS FOR BABIES.

Seriously. Greatest Children's Museum in the world.

(there is an actual website sharing actual history of Zooland. who knew?)

i lied.

2011-05-01T19:39:00.000-07:00

I forgot to document my favorite part of Disney:

the Mr. Potato Head accessories.

this must end.

2011-04-30T19:32:00.000-07:00

I have spent all of April recapping a trip that ended in March.

Spring has refused to arrive in Iowa, and I wonder if somehow I am responsible.

Here are the final two photos from our Florida trip:

Tio Ale got his braces off!

Eva chose to celebrate with a dance party.

seriously, more disney

2011-04-25T18:28:00.000-07:00

We attempted to take Eva, a very fussy Charlie, the Abuelos, and ourselves to Downtown Disney.

Luckily, there was a Ghiradelli ice cream shop on site.

And more princess paraphernalia.

It was here that Eva laid eyes on the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique, where your daughter can be transformed into a hair-sprayed and teased monstrosity for the low low price of $50. (basic package) Knowing our history with princess-related hairstyles, we avoided the Boutique at all costs.

We also ate at the AWESOME dinosaur restaurant. The meteor show went off several times during our lunch.

Since this lunch, Eva has repeatedly questioned if the whole earth was like Florida in the time of the dinosaurs.

She also mentioned that she wants to stay away from volcanoes.

I'm not sure exactly what sunk in from our lunch amid the (fake) fossils, but I thought it was awesome.

and now! in 3-d!

2011-04-22T20:17:00.000-07:00

Even though Eva got to pick whatever she wanted to do on our Disney trip, she didn't get to control the length of time we waited in line. Even I, perhaps the most oblivious to all things football-related noticed that there seemed to be an insane number of New Orleans Saints shirts in the crowd. Turns out that not only did we choose to go to Disney during Daytona Bike Week, but that it was Mardi Gras week and everyone (who's anyone) in Louisiana leaves NOLA when the tourists invade. And they all managed to get in line ahead of us.

Nowhere was this more apparent than when we scoped out the wait to meet Rapunzel.

TWO HOURS.

Do you have any idea how difficult it is to communicate how long TWO HOURS is to a four year old? Here's a hint: indulge them in a two-hour wait to meet a princess. The wait will forever be a barometer by which to measure time (example: how long is the drive from Cedar Rapids, IA to Lincoln, NE? Five hours. That's even longer than we waited to meet Rapunzel.)

Do I need to inform you that we didn't wait in line for two hours to simply say hello to a princess. There was a full-on Meet & Greet. With coloring pages. And dancing.

It was the dancing that sealed the deal for Eva.

I realize that it appears here that she is shy and mortified here. She was simply trying not to look at me when she told Rapunzel and Flynn Rider OUR COMPLETE ADDRESS. I anticipate that they will show up any day now.

What I love? There was absolutely no question that this is the real Rapunzel. She just is.

Imagine what the smile would have been like without the two hour wait.

las princesas, 2-d version

2011-04-21T20:02:00.000-07:00

Honestly, I was quite surprised that Eva's DisneyWorld priorty was the rides, considering the amount of princess memorabilia in residence.

Somehow, even after seeing Cinderella's castle, Eva was amazingly focused (and willing to wait in 45 minute lines).

Until she saw this:

Why so impressed? Potentially, I could re-create this in my basement.

Even Sebastian got a high fashion pose:

The two-dimensional princesses were just a taste of what was to come...

best. day. ever.

2011-04-17T19:19:00.000-07:00

We had planned to go to Disney as a family, but Charlie was still dealing with a fever, fussiness and approximately four teeth coming in. The thought of dragging him along made both Paul and I clench our teeth. HARD.

Then someone - I believe it was Abuela - suggested that Paul and Charlie hang out back at the house while Eva and I visited the Tragic Kingdom.

Internet, it was the best day in the world. I feel like I spend my days correcting Eva's behavior and telling her that she needs to wait until I'm done doing x with Charlie. Having a day where Eva could do whatever she wanted and we could just enjoy each other was amazing. And totally worth the cost of admission (which, by the way, was INSANE. to think that I complain that the Iowa Children's Museum charges for adult admission!)

Eva wanted to go on EVERY. RIDE. She studied the map intently, and planned her attack. We began on Aladdin's Magic Carpet. (see us in 2009 here)

We briefly watched a parade en route to another ride.

We also enjoyed exquisite $5 corn dogs and topped it off with ice cream.

We had a moment of confusion when Eva demanded that we go on the "Little Earth" ride next. I finally figured out that she was talking about the "Small World" ride.

And for the record, having experienced it for the first time at 33, I LOVED IT.

We also loved the tea cups. Except that Eva was too busy trying to turn the cup to take a photo of me.

In the moments where I'm JUST TRYING TO GET HER TO WEAR APPROPRIATE FOOTWEAR FOR THE THIRD TIME THIS WEEK, I am very thankful to have a day like this in my box of memories.

tradition!

2011-04-15T11:48:00.000-07:00

...am I the only one who can't see that word without singing the song from "Fiddler on the Roof" in my head?

Moving on.

For whatever reason, the city of Winter Park, Florida has a St. Patrick's Day parade in early March. This is the second year we've managed to be in town for it (see pics from 2008 here). Compared to the parade in Cedar Rapids, it is quite tame. (that is, most people are sober. and nobody gets in fights over Tootsie Rolls. I know - lame!)

Uncle Mike lounged on the sidewalk with the kids:

Until we saw this awesomeness:

Which really brought some more "flavor" to the parade.

Charlie chose to honor St. Patrick's Day by looking like he'd been in a bar fight:

Mommy is so proud!

there's a hurricane coming!

2011-04-12T19:30:00.000-07:00

and it's headed straight for Winter Park!

After a week in St. Petersburg, we hit the road to visit Los Abuelos (and Tio Ale). Uncle Mike and Tia Jessica came up from Miami to point and laugh at our pasty white skin.

Tia Jessica perfected her baby-chasing skills while living in NYC and was well prepared to dart after Eva.

We were only there for an hour before Eva convinced Abuelo that the day would not be complete without Hagan Daaz.

the tribe

2011-04-11T20:16:00.000-07:00

Oh, Florida.

The chance to spend time with my tribe makes me want to move back.

Except that the tribe is over-represented in social services, which are being, shall we say, DECIMATED by recent budget cuts.

There is nothing better than friends who happily feed your baby with their bare hands.

The only thing that makes up for not getting a picture of me with my ladies is having some pics of them with Charlie.

Charlie was maybe a little upset that he was not given a ride on Rachael's chair. Next time, Charlie.

(sadly, after leaving this party, Charlie spiked a wicked fever and we missed out on meeting with yet another tribe - my fabulous grad school sisters and their beautiful families - the next day. must. return. soon.)

playdate

2011-04-10T19:39:00.000-07:00

After taking the kids to a BAR to see a BAND, I decided it was best to focus on more traditional activities like playdates. Eva and Katie were happy to oblige.

And then we stumbled upon an outdoor stage!

And performances ensued!

feliz cumpleanos, abuelo!

2011-04-06T06:36:00.000-07:00

While in Florida, we spent time with Abuelo & gave him some pre-birthday hugs.

Three generations of Sanchez-Masi men.

And one Eva.

oh yes we did.

2011-04-05T14:09:00.000-07:00

Because the Santores made us!

They lured us to the Old '97s show in Tampa and convinced us to bring our children!

And then they made their girls pose with Eva in front of beer signs!

Ok, fine. That's my beer on Charlie's stroller. Even I can't blame that on someone else.

At least the kids had earplugs...

...and at least our children are well-loved.

... and at least we stood in the back and let the younger girls pass out. AFTER they heard the song that Mike asked the Old 97s to play for his girls. Now THAT is good parenting.

(full disclosure: not only are the Santores awesome parents, but they were completely innocent in our choosing to take our kids to their first rock concert. and the kids really did have fun. and if you're going to bring your kids to a rock show, a WMNF-sponsored show at Skipper's Smokehouse is the way to do it. the birkenstocks and granola crowd seemed to get a kick out of seeing the kiddos enjoy the music.)

bad influences

2011-04-04T21:04:00.000-07:00

The Santores may look wholesome (they are, in fact, some of my favorite Republicans), but they are bad influences on the Sanchez-Masis.

More details tomorrow.

beach baby

2011-03-31T06:53:00.000-07:00

Unlike Eva, Charlie is not a native Floridian. Therefore, it was much easier to keep him out of the water.

He did, however, enjoy the sweet taste of sand.

add water and place in sun

2011-03-30T06:17:00.000-07:00

When we got home from Florida, I noticed that Eva had grown two inches.

Mija is like a plant.

florida. a lot like nam.

2011-03-29T19:36:00.000-07:00

You know, cute, cuddly, smiley.

On second thought, maybe not so much.

we commune with nature

2011-03-28T19:49:00.000-07:00

... or as close to nature as I'm interested in getting.

Which means that we walked around a lake in an office park.

Gator or sun-damaged Floridian?

Also spotted: big sister (intrusive species).

She approaches!

Gah! She's close enough to eat my face!

we love a parade

2011-03-27T20:11:00.000-07:00

Per Eva's request, we walked in Cedar Rapids' St. Patrick's Day parade again this year.

Here's a secret: I hate parades. However, I'll take walking in a parade over watching a parade any day of the week.

Also, I love walking in this particular parade with my other Junior League mom buddies, because I feel like we totally look like the Baby Mafia. (or as I think of it, a cautionary tale about what can happen if you get too drunk on St. Patrick's Day)

The morning of St. Patrick's Day, it rained buckets and Eva was DEVASTATED (tears and all) that we would not get to walk in the parade. We devised an elaborate system where I would pick her up before lunch if the weather cleared up. I arrived moments before lunch started and she was resolutely refusing to even wash her hands, because it WAS NOT RAINING and SHE WAS GOING TO BE IN THE PARADE.

She took her hand-waving duties most seriously.

There were also moments of candy throwing. Terribly exciting!

By the end of the parade, Eva was so tired that she was unable to hold her head upright. But still, she had her arm up and her Miss America wave going.