We recently started giving Scarlett more solid type foods including these cherry flavored fruit puffs. While she’s not quite able to grab them with her little pinchers yet, she absolutely loves them. Really, if you’re not careful while feeding them to her, she will bite off your fingers with those two cute bottom teeth of hers. Anyway, here is a pic that I fell in love with.
I have no story or explanation to go along with this picture…since I’m just starting this site, I really wanted to have a pic of both my kids up!!! But, come on, you have to admit this is one of the cutest kids you will ever see!
I came across this sketch today in search of anything interesting I could put up here. Drawing/painting used to be an everyday thing for me before I had kids. I actually did this one while I was pregnant with Charlie in 2003. I was working at the Visual Arts Center in Panama City where I pretty much did nothing all day…except draw and answer phones. Anyway, one day I will once again be able to express myself through some sort of creative means…for now I’m good with the occasional car, smiley face, heart, or some random shape requested by my son.
I wish I could say I took this picture on purpose, using my knowledge and creative ability of/with my camera…but that would be lying. It’s still a pretty cool story though. I went snowboarding with a boyfriend and his family about 6 or 7 years ago. I had never done anything in snow before, so it’s safe to say that I sucked. I believe this was taken the second day of my little excursion and I remember the exact moment my finger hit the button. I was ever so slowly going down the mountain with my crappy little disposable camera in my hand, trying to get a shot of the view. All of a sudden, I started hauling ass down this slope and I completely lost control. For those of you who have been snowboarding (or have ever been on a skateboard), you know all about “toe” and “heel”. Well, I couldn’t do “toe” for shit. Everytime I attempted it, I’d go tumbling down the mountain; arms and legs flailing about and wondering to myself which body part I was about to pulverize. This is exactly what happened in this photo and I was able to capture it…by accident, of course, but still a pretty sweet shot.
I thought since this blog will mainly be news pertaining to my own children, I could every so often post something relating to children in general….furniture, news, tips, cool toys, clothes….stuff of that nature. I love anything that is multi-functional, so this chair/rocking stool was quite appealing to me.
“Have you seen this yet? If not, take a look. Even if you are allergic to kids, you’ve got to appreciate the design of this little chair. Turned one way, the seat height is 10.5″; flipped the other way the seat height is 14.5″. And, best of all, turned on it’s side it becomes a rocking stool. Super good design. It’d be a good gift for itty bitty humans- not too terribly pricey.” (betterlivingthroughdesign.com)
I know, I know…pictures of flowers are way overdone and, quite frankly, a bit on the boring side. I normally would never post such a thing…except…this one holds some memories for me. I took this a few months ago at Maclay Gardens here in Tallahassee on Mother’s Day. It was my very first Mother’s Day as a mother of two. As hot and sticky and muggy as it was (we do live in Florida after all), it will truly be a day never to be forgotten. Charlie had lots of fun running amuck through the trails and looking at different kinds of bugs and flowers…while Scarlett just sort of sat back and gazed at the new wondrous world surrounding her. Maybe I’ll post some pics of the kids from that day as well….but that’s for another day….I’m beat.
I really don’t care if this is old news…it’s new to me. I was absolutely stunned when I came across this bookstore in Bejiing!!! It’s obviously for children, but if I ever had the chance to step in, you wouldn’t see me coming out for a long, long time, my friends.
“No longer just the world’s ‘workroom’, China is rapidly becoming an international hot spot with a growing middle class hungry for western luxuries and comforts. Beijing kids are the latest to be treated to some western style indulgence with Kids Republic, a children’s bookstore that transports it’s pint sized customers into a delightful fairytale world full of color and fantasy – complete with massive story telling screens and play areas. It’s haven for little imaginations in the heart of one of the biggest cities in the world.” (thecoolhunter.com)
[source: thecoolhunter.com]
This was taken at a playdate with the mom’s group I’m in about 3 months ago or so. Charlie loves transportation of any kind, so you can only image how ecstatic he was when I told him where we were headed. I had one of those proud mommy moments when he decided he wanted to brave walking through the firetruck! So, Dean, if you’re reading, I’m sure you’re loving this!
We recently purchased this inflatable duck bath for Scarlett and she LOVES it! When she was still in her infant bath, she wouldn’t really care when bath time was over. Well, now it’s drastically different…she gets irate when we take her out of the duck. But while she’s in, she just splashes the ENTIRE time and I was able to get a quick picture of her enjoying it.
“Don’t touch the water because it is wet.”
So yesterday Charlie surprised me by bustin’ out with some pretty cool dance moves. Usually he just kind of moves from side to side or jumps up and down….but yesterday he had much more rhythm and booty shakin’. Which, by the way, I have no idea where he gets this from because Eric and I DO NOT DANCE. I may do an occasional little jig in front of the kids only (I wouldn’t want to expose anyone else to this frightening display that I call dancing) but nothing like what he was doing. He even had names for each move he did. Let’s see, one was called the “Shose-e-ha”, where he would do a little shuffle to the side with his feet and point/shake his finger all about. Another was the “Hoo-ha-hoo”, and this one consisted of walking like a duck and shaking his butt. I was able to take a few pics through my laughter. Nothing great, but it still gives you an idea of his sweet moves. (This one was taken while he was dancing on the coffee table) Oh, and when Eric got home I had to show him Charlie’s new passion for dancing. This time he spotted his reflection in the glass doors to the fireplace and kept doing these big pointing gestures at himself while dancing. And to top it all off, he had the straightest face while doing all of this like he was really focused on what he was doing…it was priceless.
Was going through some old photos and came across this one taken by my dad. If I remember correctly, it was taken around 1986-ish which would make me four, and Jodi two (Jodi’s on the left, I’m on the right). Also, I’m pretty sure we were living in Panama City at the time. It’s always been a favorite of mine, so I thought I’d share. Miss and love you, Jodi!
I came across this article, written by Joel Stein, through momsquak and was instantly relieved that I am, indeed, NOT the only person who has an undying hatred for Elmo and Baby Bear on Sesame Street. As the momsquak post touches on, I also remember Sesame Street being all about teaching the alphabet, numbers, manners and phonics. How the hell are kids supposed to learn anything from a bear who pronounces his “r’s” as “w’s” (i.e. rabbit is wabbit). And don’t even get me started on Elmo…that red little bastard. I have vented to many friends and family members about the obnoxious little creep who takes up the majority of Sesame Street nowadays, and encourages our children to be annoying and loud….something that I have strived to discourage everyday of my motherhood thus far. Anyway, read the article at “The Charlotte Observer.”
My goal on this here blog thing I’ve got going is to do at least one post a day…I’m off to a bad start, aren’t I? This weekend was kinda crazy busy…we had Eric’s parents over and they were ever so kind to let us go out and have a night without the kids. YAY! We went bowling with our friends, Shekira and Kevin. Despite the bowling alley being a complete dump, we had a good time. All night I kept thinking I was forgetting something….my kids and all of their belongings that I normally carry around with me. It was strange and foreign to only be carrying around my purse….no diaper bag, toys, pacifiers, or the hand of a screaming toddler. Needless to say, it was a much needed night out.
Yesterday evening was dragging along very slowly, so we decided to brave the heat and humidity of Florida by taking the kids out for a wagon ride. This was a first for Scarlett and she was more than content sitting in front of her big brother. She just stared at every little thing that we passed by, taking it all in. Charlie was also very good (until it was time to go back inside, of course) and didn’t mind that Scarlett was so close. He’s very good with her, but he’s a person who needs his space…usually he sort of flips his lid. I might even go as far to say that he actually enjoyed having her so close. Anywho, here is a photo of them together, enjoying the ride.
OK, I came across these awesome birth announcements at coolmompicks and immediatley regretted not looking into some sort of announcement for my kids. I guess I just assumed they were all the same…blue or pink. I would have totally ordered these!!!! So Jill, since I wasn’t able to, you must!!!! Read more about them at rattle-n-roll.
“At Kaylee’s, we watched the fireworks and they were sparkling in the night.”
(I think we read “The Very Lonely Firefly” way too much!)
Wow, two of these in one day?! Actually, the firework utterance was spoken lastnight. This is a conversation I just had with Charlie:
Me: Charlie, did you know that you’re two years old, soon to be three years old?
Charlie: Three, really?
Me: Yeah, you’re such a big boy. You’re getting old!
Charlie: (VERY upset…yelling at me) But I don’t want to get old! And Scarlett (who was laying right beside us) doesn’t want to get old either!!
Anyway, I just thought this was cute, and of course I agreed with him and told him I don’t want to get old either (although, I did tell him it was fun getting old so I didn’t freak him out any further)! How does someone of his age know it’s no fun getting old?? I mean, sure it has it’s perks… but he was so upset over it like he all of sudden understood life/death/aging etc. (I know he doesn’t understand it all, but that’s how strongly he reacted). Sometimes the things he says blow me away!
When I came across this invisible bookshelf I thought, “Oohh, this would be perfect to do in Charlie’s room!” Then I thought of the mess I’d have to clean up everyday. Really this would be great for a nursery or an older child’s room!
“Amazing disappearing shelf turns ordinary books into an ingenious, modern illusion. Simply secure a large hardcover into the shelf bracket then add a stack of books. The bottom book should be the largest in the stack. Two small, hidden rivets hold the hardcover book in place, so the bottom book becomes the shelf. Hang a few of these modern metal bookshelves to create a cool, floating library.” (chiazzo.com)
source: betterlivingthroughdesign
My Scarlett is getting so big! She is almost 8 months now and is already in 18-24 month clothes (for the most part)!!! Lately she’s been waving hello and goodbye to us and you can tell she’s very proud of herself when she does it. She’s also been starting little “conversations” with us. They tend to go something like this:
Scarlett: bwahloog
Me or Eric: Oh, really?
Scarlett: wahbahdoo
Me or Eric: Well, that’s very interesting. Please tell me more.
Scarlett: mamama
Anyway, it’s just cool how she knows to wait for a response from us. Let’s see, what else? She loves to be on her belly finally. I’m guessing she’ll be crawling in the next few weeks or so. I looked up when Charlie started crawling and it was a week after he turned 8 months. For now she’s rolling all over the place to get where she wants to be. Also, when she’s on her back she does the opposite of crawling, if that makes any sense at all. We have the wood floors now so she’s able to push herself around with her feet…scootching, for lack of a better term. She has both of her bottom teeth and it seems as though her top ones are on their way. I’m still baffled by how calm of a baby she is overall. The majority of the time, she’s pretty content in her surroundings. Here’s a cute pic of her I took the other day…another from her high chair. She’s there alot due to her never ending love for food!
