I Do Love Flowers

Fresh flowers in my house just make me happy. I couldn't help but share these two because they are so amazing. First the peonies. I picked them up at Trader Joes awhile back and could not believe how they blossomed. When I got them they were the size of a small fist. And within a week they had opened to the size of my hand. Unbelievable. And just beautiful!

And this orchid has a great story. Two Julys ago it was given to me by my dear friend Kim. She gave it to me after I had Gavin and it blossomed beautifully throughout the month of July. Eventually the fun fuschia petals fell off. But sure enough, each July they come back and remind me of the time I had my second baby.

Yep, I do love flowers.

Gav's Bday

It just so happened that Gavin's birthday fell on a very busy week for us. My parents were here visiting (fun!) and we were plowing through a bunch of home improvement projects (not fun). But we managed to celebrate the day with a couple giant balloons, a fancy hot dog dinner, and a favorite--chocolate ice cream cones. This face says it all.

Gav got a lot of great gifts on his big day, but I thought I'd highlight the one Owen gave him. I'm really happy with how it turned out.

It's a book about feelings. Owen and I made it during Gavin's nap one afternoon. We had a lot of fun practicing all sorts of facial expressions, and Gavin loves to see pictures of his big brother in a book. Here are some of the pages:

A very fun gift to make and give. Now that I've made this one, my mind has been busy thinking up lots of other books that would be fun to make.

Gav 2.0

He stands 35.5 inches tall. He weighs 32.5 pounds. He's all boy. And he just turned 2.

He's my sweet little heavyweight. And I can hardly contain myself when he wears his European swim trunks. I just want to squeeze him.

What a difference a year has made. He is so much more independent; less baby. This summer's beach trips have proven it. He can go nearly all day at the beach and busy himself with jumping waves, digging holes, eating snacks and wandering around. It's like he's a kid or something!

He LOVES his daddy. Actually he is fairly obsessed with keeping tabs on Owen and me too. But if ever Mark is at work or traveling or at a church meeting, Gavin is constantly inquiring about him. Con. stant. ly. And if he gets to go somewhere with dad it's the best day ever.

The kid has no fear. He does a lot of things that probably shouldn't be done. I often say he's "an accident waiting to happen" because even if his tubby body can't keep up, he is willing to try it. Second children. They're amazingly grown up.

He's a funny one. He does things that make us all laugh. And if he knows we'll react to something, he'll take it up a notch or do some more. He insisted on wearing this little number to pick up Owen one day from preschool. Would NOT let me take it off. I don't think he thought he looked cool. I'm pretty sure he was going for a reaction. And someday I'll have to share a video of the infamous "bum jump" where he drops from a standing position to an immediate sit position on any surface. On the carpet, the kitchen floor, the bath tub. We've tried to discourage it for fear of long-term damage. But seriously, it's hilarious.

Boy, does he love Owen. They've got a serious brotherly relationship forming. I've seen them act so sweetly toward one another, sharing snacks and helping each other out. They play really well together most of the time and make each other laugh. Yet there's the screaming and the wrestling matches and the teasing and bickering. True siblings.

All in all, I can't believe how he has grown. He's practically a kid. If it weren't for the recent onset of terrible twos, I'd say this child was practically perfect in every way. And we love him.

Spring Baseball

I guess since t-ball ended a month ago, it's time I blogged about it.
I had such a great time watching O play t-ball. And I think that was mostly because HE had such a great time playing.

Our experience was very different from that of last fall's soccer. He actually participated from the get go, without prodding or pushing. And there was a lot less frustration with this sport. He also had a wonderful couple of coaches that always brought excitement to the game. I was amazed by how much his swing improved over the season. And can I just tell you how cute it is to watch a team of little boys in their clean white uniforms with matching shirts and ball caps?!. Loved it.

One of my favorite shots from the season. This man sat on the bench watching his grandson at a practice one day. Gavin decided to join him on the bench. And there the two of them sat.

The squint.

The stance.

The swing...and strike.

The slide.

The spirit

See you next spring!

Fourth of July Fun

Among our usual Fourth of July festivities was a soak in the sprinklers.

May Catch Up

I feel like I need to bridge the gap in between posts. But there always seems to be something else to do that is higher on the priority list, and posting gets pushed aside. Also, I tend to sabotage myself by feeling like my posts have to be finished products. Something I will continue to work on...

So here's to rough drafts and posting more regularly!

My month of May in a nutshell:
1. A toothache turned out to be a cracked molar...the molar needed a crown...the crown upset my tooth's nerves...the nerves called for a root canal (through the new crown)...and four dental visits later I now have a happy, fake molar with a filling.

2. My iphone is hanging on by a thread...it fell out of my pocket and dropped on concrete, cracking the face pretty badly. It still operates, but is hard to read. The apple store took a look at it and informed me it also has water damage (oopsy-maybe it was that time it fell in the toilet?) So it was recommended I pay for a replacement or wait until December to upgrade. What to do?

3. I made a new batch of pendant necklaces to sell at a local spring boutique. I wish I'd taken a picture of the finished products all cutely packaged up, but here are a few I worked on.

4. I put on another ladies' activity night at church. We had dinner and some classes. I made the flyers (below) and managed to take home some extra flowers we used as centerpieces. Believe it or not these beauties all came from people's own backyards. The vibrant spring colors were amazing. I felt happy every time I walked by them.

5. And finally, I was busy helping plan a wedding reception. This was the first (and maybe last) time I've ever been asked to help with an event outside our activity meetings at church. A wedding reception is a much bigger affair. And I was slightly intimidated. But they assured me they only needed some ideas to get started. And really it was just the decorating aspect. Food and activities were already being handled. Thank goodness. I would have no idea how to feed that many people! Anyway, these are some inspiration boards I gave the couple to get started:

Black-Eyed G

It's a sad story really, so I'll spare you the details. Let's just say it involved the regular mischief and a fall. In fact there's been a lot of that lately. Mischief.

Gav is TROUBLE. And he thinks it's all fun and games. His latest antics include filling his mouth with drinks (any drink-water, milk, juice) and spitting it out everywhere. The thing is, there's no telling when he's going to do it. Just whenever.

He also likes to destroy things. He will break Owen's creations, scatter neatly-folded laundry, push buttons that shouldn't be pushed, climb things that shouldn't be climbed, and basically take apart the house tornado-style.

And worst of all, the scribbling. He's written on tables, walls, windows, himself. Just this week while I was changing a load of laundry he wrote with an inkpen on four separate cushions of our couch. I spent a good part of the morning cleaning it up. Luckily it all came out, but I fear for our furniture.

It's exhausting trying to keep up with him. And so far the time-outs don't seem to phase him much. When I give him the "no-no" talk, he smiles and replies, "OK Mama." He even looks remorseful. Then he proceeds to wreak havoc on something else in a happy-go-lucky way.

Wondering if the black eye incident will slow him down. Doubtful.

Why Don't I Have More Photos?

After sweet talking, then begging, then bribing, I was able to convince my boys to take some photos on Easter Sunday. I quickly grabbed the camera for a three-minute photo session, wherein I got the following photos.

"Ok guys, can you please stand together?"

"Gavin, get up.
Owen, can you help?"

"Just give me a quick smile please!"

"Owen, can you sit by Gavin or put your arm around him?
Gavin, stop making your pirate face."

"Aaaaand, we're done."

Hey Batter Batter

We decided to try out spring baseball since fall soccer went so well (not really). And Owen has really enjoyed it so far. He willingly goes to practice and actually participates without prodding and tears. We actually signed him up for coach pitch t-ball, which means a tee is used only after three missed swings. Here's Owen up to bat at his very first game.



What I did NOT capture on my iPhone was the last hit of the game. The other team was up and their star player was at bat. She was dang good. On the second pitch she swung and whacked that ball directly between second and third base....right where Owen was standing. It smacked him right in the head (or rather the bill of his cap). Immediately the coaches ran over to see if he was alright. No reaction. He just stood there. Silent. I think the coaches and other parents were freaked out because he didn't react AT ALL. No crying, no words, no response.

I knew, however, that Owen absolutely hates any kind of attention when he gets hurt. He usually runs away. But in this case he just stood there. Eventually he walked off the field and he was totally fine. But he has an amazing coach who felt so bad about the whole ordeal that he gave Owen a special game ball.

On it he wrote:
Owen
Cubs vs. A's
4/9/11

Inside, Outside

Is it just us, or are you having wishy-washy weather too? Some days we spend entirely outside in our short sleeves and sandals. Then it rains and we pull out sweaters and turn on the heat again. Here are a few ways we've been spending our spring days.

INSIDE. We've been crafting with beans, marshmallows, toothpicks, leaves, and other household supplies. Owen spent a good afternoon decorating this bean monster.

OUTSIDE. We've been breaking out the sunscreen and shades. Gotta love kids in glasses.

INSIDE. Renaissance of the toys. We have brought out a whole slew of toys that were forgotten. This racetrack was up for a week straight. Owen drew up a plan, we built it, and the boys took turns sending car after car down the raceway.

OUTSIDE. Day trips to our nearby Happy Hollow are always a hit. Carousel rides, animal sightings, and lots of space to run and play.

INSIDE. There have been plenty of Easter preparations. We've made bunny hats, grown flowers, and had lots of living room egg hunts.

OUTSIDE. It's all about the park. Last week we hit four different ones. Basic need of boys = getting energy out!

INSIDE. Movie after movie after movie. Sick days called for TV. Rainy days called for TV. I'm kind of done with TV.


Still waiting for that week of outside, outside, outside.