Baby Tuesday

All of the photos this week are jumbo size (when you click them) because I wasn't able to shrink them in Photoshop.
Because my "scratch disks are full."
Anyody know what a scratch disk is?
Yeah, me neither.
When I asked Kevin he made a face like I was making the term up.



Sears portrait studio, eat your heart out.


Unlike Baby C did at this age, Baby R gets really excited to see me when I come around.
Terribly charming.


"Here, let's entertain you-- I'll tie this ribbon up here and stick a few toys on it, and them I'll velcro a rattle to your left hand and slip another rattle over your left hand! There! Happy?"
Oh and note his unbuttoned pants, he just doesn't know when to say when. Milk binger.


And he's out, ladies and gentlemen.


It looks like she just finished a competitive jazz dance routine, doesn't it?


"Daddy, get out of my way, I need room to frolic!"


Sandbox shmandbox. Little minibark and a cup, that'll do.

I feel the weight of an impending minivan

I was looking for SUV's with 3rd row seating when I came across this article.

It sounds believable...even though Mercola can get quacky sometimes.

I found this one too.

Darn those frumpily safe minivans.

I think the 08 Subaru Tribeca may be my only hope.

41% of the population favors blue

This is what I did tonight.
AIDS Walk T shirt designs.
Our team wanted orange, but after designing orange ones, the people [men] with the money said "we want blue."
Of course they did, right?
So I did these.
I think the last one is stinky, and I fear that's the one they'll pick!

beauty is pain

Ok fair warning everyone: I'm getting the piercing/tattoo bug again.
I'm really really happy with the one tattoo I have. It was worth the pain and worth the fight with the artist who didn't want to do it for me.
I've never regreted it and I said I wouldn't get another one.
But lately I've been brainstorming about getting another one.
I'm incredibly picky so I haven't come up with one I think I'll be eternally happy with yet.
Should I put it on a place on my body that I don't like, so that it'll be "decorated" and then I'll like it more?

I want people to see it, but do I want everyone to see it all the time?
No, I'm pretty sure no. Like as much as I think arm tattoos on women are cool, I know that there will be many occasions in which I don't want to look like a badass, so I won't be getting anything like that. If they made them only last a few years, I would go for the arm.

I'd like to get something that reflects my faith, but I'm not happy with any Christian symbols, and I don't want text either.
I like my pink star that I have, I almost want to get another pink star somewhere else, but that's dumb.
I don't want any black in the design. I want it to make sense on the symmetry and compostion of my body...yeah the jury's still out. I'm up for suggestions, as always.

So until I figure it out, I think I'm gonna pierce my nose.
ha
But yeah seriously I am. :)
Not a big ol' honkin' ring. Just a tiny stud like Sandi or a pleasant Indian woman you might meet while eating Chaat.
I've always wanted one, but hated my nose. Now I've come to terms with my nose and I might as well spice it up.

Kevin thinks I'm crazy, but he also disdains things like belts and hair products. He's a minimalist. I don't expect him to understand.

I wish I was this cool

to think of this:

news flash that can't wait a week

Baby R slept for 3 hours last night in his bassinet!
Hooray!

And right now, he's napping in it!
Hooray!

(for those of you who don't remember, he has slept soley in his swing for his entire life)

This would be my compromise

My sister Aurora loves camping.
I'm not too crazy about it.

I mean, I like cabins and things with doors. But tents, no thanks. I'm convinced that if I can't lock killers out, they will come and kill me.

RV's are fine with me if you just happen to have one lying around.
But I think this is more "cost effective" for people like me, the hesiitant camper.



How cute, right? And it has a door!

So Aurora, they rent them here. Yosemite + HardTent = fun for both sisters
Okay, $100 a night is kinda absurd, but we could split it?

Baby Tuesday

Her best friends are the dogs, can you tell?
Mojito carries the rope around in his mouth, why can't I?


Kevin took this one...he was *really* excited about something.


Apple cheeks full of apples.

I'm trying to ween him off the swing as a bed and onto his back. Pacification is key.


Baby E, V and C.

fair warning

Baby Tuesday will most likely be posted very late in the day tomorrow.

Because I was working on this and this:


(For Westgate's Family ministries)
I've been staring at it too long and I don't like it, so I'm going to bed.

I love the Faire!!

We just got back from the Maker Faire and it was FUN!

I could have spent thousands of dollars on all the fun Bazaar Bizarre crafts, but instead I took business cards and have decided to try and make alot by myself. After all, what's an art degree good for, if not plush carrots and silkscreened underwear?
Once again I didn't buy anything from Jenna because Kevin cut off my funds after I blew 25 bucks in about 10 minutes.

Speaking of silkscreening, they had free silkscreening, as long as you brought the article of clothing. I just happen to have a long sleeve (unisex) baby tee in the diaper bag, so now Baby R will have a cool "Save the Bees" shirt when he's 12mo's old. :D

Kevin talked to the Stirling engine guy (who looked like Morgan Freeman), while we (the babies and I) cruised around and bought stickers and ate cheese sticks and watched weird guys fight with swords.
The only downer was that I bought a board book for Baby C and then she tossed it out of the stroller at some point during the day and we never found it. Oh well, it was only 5 bucks.

We also saw Grant Imahara from Mythbusters there at one of the booths! I wanted to say hi and get his autograph, but Kevin and Devon agreed that that was a nerdy thing to do, so I didn't. ;)

I loved seeing all the cool crafty families there with their kiddies like us. Ours were very well behaved and had fun too (snacks, flowers and stickers go a long way with a toddler).

woo!

books for the short attention span

I just bought some books.

Wanna see?

Look into my virtual shopping bag:

The Book of Baby Animal Butts

D.I.Y

Comedy Thesaurus

Currently I'm re-reading Case for Christ .
And when I'm indisposed I'm reading the silliest girl book ever written that I got for free in the mail from MOPS, but I keep reading it because I have ovaries.

(Hmm, add those all up and it's symbolic of my life...the comedy of do it yourself baby butts, Jesus, and hormones.)

Mommy S.A.T. studyguide

I remember before I had babies, I would interact with toddlers that would gibber something and the moms would interpret it into English for me. And I thought "how did she get that from that?"

And now I have my own little "nell" and it's like breaking a Navajo code trying to understand her sometimes.

This is a sample of Baby C's dictionary:
(I have organized to emphazise minute similarities in sound)

ahaugh- n. apple, apple juice, pear

awh!- n. Olive the cat
(She always yells it, because most of the time that I say the cat's name, I'm yelling it)

bah- n. blanket, bottle

buwh- n. Big Bird, "Can I watch Sesame Street?", any bird

beaw- n. bear, or Baby Bear

beh- adj. big, n. goose

bey- ?, *undertermined*
(she says this occasionally and no one can figure out it's meaning)

dada- pr n. daddy

daw- n. dog

dawdaw- n. pl. The dogs, Franklin and Mojito

momo- pr n. Mojito

frefre- pr n. Franklin

sawbees- n. pl. strawberries

sawee- adj. sorry

taigh- v. to tie, or adj. tight
(this homonym is maddening like who's on first)

jayjay- n. Ernie, Bert, Grover, or Cookie Monster
(where this term came from, I have no idea)

jews- n. juice

jeez- n. cheese
(many times she will say jeez when she really just means food, hence, she eats alot of cheese)

fooh- n. food

frooh- n. fruit

faoh- v. to fall

muh- n. milk

moh- n. more

pawpaw- n. Grandpa, pinecone, penguin

off my back!!

I finally did these logos!





I know, they're kinda weird looking, but I had to use some other guy's logo and make them match. (poo!)




And this is our newest series at Westgate. It's very manly, action-adventure, Nicolas Cage-y.

Baby Tuesday

Blooper pics from the Mother's Day card photo shoot.


Baby R at super fun-park-day, with Thayer clan.
(Don't tell him he's wearing a girl's sweater.)


Baby C on the Wildcat Railroad. They let us bring the dogs on board, how great is that? (Dogs, not pictured, were not as happy as C to be riding.)


Also on super-fun-park-day, BabyC's 1st carousel ride. When it ended, she had a mini-meltdown.

Daddy teaching her to throw rocks. (gre-at)


Jousting? Beekeeping? She's ready.


While Baby C was supposed to be playing with Baby E and V, she instead chose to play on their enormous leopard print bear.


Who knew that other babies love to climb into boxes?



Failed attempt at taking a photo of both of them.



I see London I see France, I see sewn-into-skirt-underpants!

my mother's day card

(made by Kevin)

it's 11:07 and I should be sleeping

but before I go to bed, I must share where we booked to stay in Hawaii:




We're not going to leave the hotels grounds I'm sure. 'Gotta stay near the sea turtles.

Baby Tuesday

I keep forgetting to report that we have a problem with Baby R's name. Whenever people ask "what's the little nipper's name?" they think my reply is "Branson" like as in Missouri.
No, not his name.
Just like my name isn't Charleston (yes, people often think that's what I said).



Cutest photo of him to date! Feel free to make it your desktop background, people!
Sweater vest courtesy of Auntie Dianne, Ralph Lauren shirt by Auntie Sandi and his tacky mama bought the corduroy pants at Goodwill at 50% off.


Lately I look at Baby C and think "you look like a kindergardener."
My apologies that this is the only pic of her this week. As you can see, she's quick!



Does he look 2 months old here? No, he's like a super baby from Brazil.



Enjoying a John Cougar Mellencamp moment, with his 7o's muscle cars carseat, his plaid shirt and overalls on our front porch. I think I hear a harmonica...


Man I love these shorts! Thanks Dianne!


"I'm ready for my job interview. "


"I'm excellent at delegating responsibilities like diapering and pacifier maintenance."



Kevin said not to put this one in, but I think it's cute.



Total old man pics.



He has no concept of Mojito yet, but if he did this look would say "why do you bark at the mailman everyday and wake me up?!"


"I'll never talk, coppas'. I'm no stoolie"

(Not to be confused with no snitchin')