A week in pictures

Mini baking soda and vinegar volcanoes.  Yet another activity where what I thought would be cool (fizzing!  foaming!) was not nearly as cool as something else (smooshing the baking soda around with his hands).

It’s fun hanging out in Mom and Dad’s bed on a lazy morning.

A week in pictures

Yes!  Just one!  Because there are some good ones this week.

Yes!  Halloween!  I’m a bad sewing mommy and didn’t make either of my children’s costumes.  I didn’t have any fun ideas, and thus lack of motivation to go to the crazy lengths that I see other sewers online going to.  So we had a daytime racoon/nighttime hot dog (you’re welcome Dad), and a skeleton trying to eat his candy before it has even been unwrapped.  We made it to probably 7 houses before calling it a night.  But it was fun, even if the two times I attempted to get video, no one answered the door (come on people, get with the program.  Lights on==Halloween fun, okay?)

Big Brother is disappointed in my cleaning efforts.  He got out the vacuum, took all the cushions off the couch, and then left the vacuum there for me.  I did not take the hint.  In my defense, I did vacuum the sofa within the last two weeks.

For those of you who can’t tell what’s going on, Big Brother is taking Little Brother’s measurements (so he can sew him some clothes, don’t you know?).  After careful observation, he recorded the results in his notebook.  He did this back and forth at least 10 times.  Meticulous, that one.

My artistic endeavors.

Sad lack of photos

I owe you (or myself in ten years) two weeks worth of pictures.  But I just emptied my camera and there wasn’t a whole lot for the taking.  I’ll blame it on having too much fun, and then on being sick, and then on having fun again.

Little Brother (almost 4 months now) is growing by leaps and bounds.  The semi-reclined position, as seen in car-seats, swings, and bouncy seats?  That’s for babies.  He’d like to sit, thank you.  Or at least play with his toes.

It’s a little bit of a lie.  I did take some pictures.  It’s just that a number of them were pictures of sewing projects I was preparing to put in the mail.  Little Brother accompanied me outside for the photoshoot.

Big Brother is really starting to show his imagination (or actually, he’s just getting really good at imitating us).  He’s warming up to his doll (which, apparently I never blogged about… for shame!), and I recently found him attempting to diaper his brother.  He wasn’t going to have much luck, as the baby was doubly swaddled, but it’s pretty funny to watch the process through his eyes.

Two weeks in pictures

We were on the road last Monday, so here's a double photo dump.  I finally got Little Brother to smile for the camera.  He smiles for us a fair amount, but when the camera comes out, it's all business. 

We hit the road for Ohio last Thursday after A. got off work.  Big Brother was asleep before we even started playing "Family Vacation," and Little Brother wasn't too sure what he thought of that musical interlude.  Both boys enjoyed time with their great-grandparents, cousin, and aunt and uncles.  Big Brother also enjoyed his first hot dog at the "World Famous" Hot Dog Shoppe. 

We drove back on Monday, just in time for Grandma S. to arrive for the Quilt Show.  Unfortunately, when she's here, I seem to slack off on the pictures, so you'll just have to imagine it.  We brought a cold back from Ohio, and had a really rough night with Big Brother right after she got here.  Welcome to Michigan Grandma!

Big Brother has been rapidly developing new interests, including rice hair treatments and fort building.  Also, helping me sew, going for tricycle rides, telling us he needs a diaper change, and cheering for my high school football team.

9/3/2012.  Edited to fix broken picture link.

Photos from the week

More time outside this week, despite my foreboding about the coming autumn.  We finally brought Big Brother's Tee-Ball set outside.  Thus far, the best part is putting the ball on the tee.

Our sophisticated outdoor storage solution.

Big Brother's self portraiture.

When Big Brother gets up from his nap, Little Brother is usually asleep.  When we hear Little Brother stirring, Big Brother perks up, signs "Baby," and after I confirm that it is, indeed, the baby, he runs to the bassinet to peer inside.

I've gotten on another be-a-cool-mom-and-do-fun-sensory-stuff kick.  We tried shaving cream+fingerpaint.  A lukewarm success.  Hands had to be wiped every ten seconds.  And it's not like the child usually has qualms about getting messy, at least when the mess is edible.

Gametime reprise.

9/3/12.  Edited to fix broken picture link.

Photos from the week

It feels like summer is coming to an end.  School supply sales are all over the place, and just this morning it was a little cool to be out in short sleeves.  The nice part of that is that it's also now cool enough to use the oven!  We made a couple loaves of banana bread, and even had soup for dinner once!  We've also made a couple of servings of juice in the new blender.  Grape strawberry juice is delicious! 

Big Brother has developed an interest in blankets and actually snuggling underneath them, so Little Brother's new quilt from his great-grandmother is a big hit for both boys. 

My aunt came through on her way north to pick up my cousin from camp, and brought some new toys for Big Brother, including some blocks that belonged to my sister and me.  Mom gave them to our cousins when we were older, and now they're coming full circle.

This week

It seems Peter can't make up his mind about water.  On the one hand, he loves water--drinking it, pouring it, splashing it.  On the other hand, we went to the neighborhood splash pad and he just stood there watching.  Chasing the other kids was far more fun.  But going to the lake with Dad?  Nothing better.

Tiptoe through the tulips

Last summer we went to Europe with some friends and their daughter, my birthday buddy.  She was seven months old at the time.  In honor of her, for Peter Potamus’s seven month birthday, we took my mom to Holland.

Holland, Michigan, that is.  The Tulip Time Festival.  Etched in our imaginations from childhood readings of The Bobbsey Twins in Tulipland, Mom and I have been making plans ever since we learned that A. and I were moving to Michigan.  So, despite the fact that she’s barely been home, between tax season, heading to Florida immediately afterward, she came this past week to see the tulips, and as a tiny little bonus, get grandson snuggle time.

Mom and I went on Wednesday, toured Windmill Island with all of the retired people on bus tours, went to the quilt show, and found a spot on the sidewalk next to the bucket filling station for the Volksparade.  You see, before the official parade, there’s the streetcleaning.  Families who apparently have been the streetcleaners for generations walk down the street in costume with buckets of water and brooms, ostensibly sweeping the street clean.  The bucket filling station was a center of action.  We got a little wet from overenthusiastic bucket fillers, but it was hot, so we didn’t mind too much.  All the excitement got to Peter, and by the time we got back to the car, he looked like this: 

A. didn’t want to miss out on the fun, so we headed back on Saturday.  Unfortunately, the weather was not nearly so nice, so we got wet again, but this time it wasn’t so exciting.  But we did get to see the Dutch Dancers.  And another parade.

Now, just because this post would be incomplete without them, some tulips.

Wordless Wednesday: Saturdays on the Lawn with Peter

One year!

It's been one year since I married that man o' mine. Thanks to everyone who celebrated with us, in body or in spirit.

And, as a special present to y'all, since I haven't done this yet...want some pictures? (what? twelve months isn't a long time or anything!).



Photos credits all belong to our photographer, the wonderful Cherry Li, high school friend of Adam's and photographer extraordinaire. Seriously people. These are all un-retouched and done without any additional lighting. A girl and her camera. And we don't look too bad, considering it was super hot and muggy (as it is apt to be at the end of July in Boston).

Tales of Long Ago and Faraway Places

After Adam got done with classes, we headed out for a post-exam, pre-internship, exploratory tour.

We were actually in two new states for Adam (North and South Carolina), but we weren't even in SC long enough to see a welcome station.





Near Charlotte is an absolutely amazing fabric store--Mary Jo's Cloth Store--and it just so happened that I needed some fabric (of course I needed fabric. Have I ever not needed fabric?). Quilt backing, for our summer "let's try to not spend the inheritance of our firstborn on air-conditioning" bed-covering.


We quite enjoyed wandering around downtown Charlotte, though it was less-than-spectacularly-active on Saturday night. Highlights included:

• A little mini-library next to a park (which we didn't really get to see because someone was having a wedding reception).


• Pizzeria Uno's. Despite having earned a reputation in college for being anti-Uno's, we were both in the mood for some deep dish pizza. And I guess it's a good thing. When we got back, we looked it up, and the only Uno's in the state of Tennessee is in Maryville. The only one.


• Wachovia plaza. Pretty. A really dark photo, though.


• The building with a quiz. I can't remember what it was called, but it had these touch pads, and if you touched them, there was a sound (gong, bell, etc.). Apparently if you hit them in the right order (there's a clue on the side of the building), there's some extended song that plays and the building lights up). I didn't try to test Adam's patience by actually doing it though.


• Staying in a hotel with a tv. I guess that's not so crazy now that we have a tv in our place (thanks Mom and Dad--we actually watched it for the first time last night for the Lakers/Celtics game). But in Charlotte we watched Top Chef, or something of the sort, and an episode of Project Runway.
  

And that was just the first (full) day!