Baby Tuesday

Last thursday was take your kids to work day at eBay.
They pulled out all the stops, all the kids got name badges with their photos that looked just like the real ones.


He already looks like he's tired of working. I would be too.


Cardboard aquired. Commence munching.




They lasted about 2 hours, which included alot of feeding the fish in the koi pond.
I'm sure the fish have doubled in size since my kids left.





(This Kevin's boss's cubicle. He worked from home in fear of sticky little hands)

******Click here for the plethora of potty party photos.*******

Yes, there are 72 photos, so I had to upload them to Flickr, because there were SO many.
Bottom line, she likes the potty more now, but she is definitely not potty trained.

But I'm not going back.

We are on Pull Ups and real underwear exclusively. It's maddening but I'm just gonna bite down and do it.

Most of the day on Saturday was really stressful, it was like acting a part for 8 hours. But it was fun when our friends whose children are her friends came over as the finale. Thanks everyone for coming! And happy birthday to Baby A, who we had cupcakes for (see pics).





******************************

Lacy requested potty party details, okay generally it goes like this:
When they wake up, you have the house decorated (and pee-proofed) and a present for them in the bathroom, which is a babydoll that drinks and wets.
And the goal of the morning is for the toddler to teach the baby how to use the potty (complete with sticker chart for babydoll and treats).
Then after naptime, you excitedly tell them there's another present for them in the bathroom, which is a bunch brand new of big girl undies (which included Charlie and Lola underwear that I had to buy direct from England). And then they are supposed to then be excited to use the potty.
But she wasn't so much.
She wanted to keep pretending with the babydoll. :/
But she's more interested in it now, and whether *that* is worth all the $$ I spent on her mental conditioning day, I'm not sure.
I will say that this Bear Potty DVD was a big hit and helpful.
It felt like a game of who's on first when Baby C kept asking what Bear's name was. And I told her it was "Bear" and she said "but what's bear's name?" about 7 times.

help a penguin out

When we went to the Aquarium, the waterfowl keepers told the kids that they were "penguin heroes" if they turned off the water when they brushed their teeth.
I still don't see the correlation.

However, I am offering you all a chance to be penguin heroes, regardless of your dental hygiene habits:

Sam's (a.k.a. the arizona penguin) has only met 12% of her Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Run funds!

Here's a breakdown of how your donation helps *real* people that need help.

A donation of $25 provides patients and their loved ones with FREE booklets that contain up-to-date information on their disease and help them make informed decisions about their treatment options.
• A donation of $50 makes possible a Family Support group with a trained facilitator where comfort can be found and experiences can be shared among patients and family members.
• A donation of $100 helps supply laboratory researchers with supplies and materials critical to carrying out their search for cures.
• A donation of $1,000 makes possible one- on-one conversations with health care specialists who provide patients with information about their disease, treatment options, and helps prepare them with questions for their health care team.
• A donation of $5,000 is transportation for 13 out-of-state bone marrow donors.

Click here to donate.

so why does my blog still look old?

Here are two possible designs for a new group-blog I've been invited to participate in.

Who likes which design better?!
Who likes my clever blog name?!
Comment away!

(yes, the tagline is painfully cheezy, but I just threw it up there as a placeholder, same with the links)

today I made

I don't think this is a real band yet. Because Google said it wasn't. But I was asked to do a promo card, and I did.
That background photo was given to me all hued and contrasted like that, fyi.
Now Google, now will you acknowledge her?

little gwynnie

It's 9:40p.m. on a tuesday and I'm painting my hallway.

Lookout people! We got some Yolo 'round here.

new baby banner

it matches her new scheme

(baby tue fans, see below)

Baby Tuesday

It's early. It's Monday, I know.

We couldn't get enough of the Baby E and Baby R2. We formed an attack on a pregnant couple of friends of ours. Baby R *might* have broke a speaker and definitely smooshed chips and other food bits into the carpet. They were very gracious to have us over, and Josh and Anne if you're reading this, I'm sorry for any other damage they did.
Baby R and Baby RII are painfully cute together, because they are only two weeks apart in age, both blonde and sweet-natured.

Oh and Jon was there too. He's on film only because he wasn't helping cook anything.
His wife, not pictured, was workin' her butt off, off camera.
I didn't help much either. But I'd like to think that more things would have been broken without my "supervision."



Hey hey, the pool works great. Thanks neighbors!




Was that overdoing it on the pool photos?
Probably.


And a HUGE thanks to Auntie Dianne who sent a ginormous care package to us.
We opened it right on the front porch.
Baby C's favorite item was the umbrella, by far!
(You can't really tell, but she's holding it in the photo.)
I also have used many of the cosmetic items enclosed.
I'm pretty sure that 50% of my cosmetics in my life have come from Dianne.
I don't know what I'm going to do if she ever cuts me off. Be ugly and less kempt, I guess.
I've learned from her products that although glycolic acid sounds like some sort of biohazard, it isn't, and my skin appreciates it.
Anyway, it was perfect timing, because Baby C was sick and mopey and pouty and cranky and the package perked her right up.

I can see it now "Peanut Everett"

Scott Everett, this post is dedicated to you and your search for a new dog.

(insert Barry White's You're my First my Last my Everything here)

Scott, your dog is waiting for you.
He's in Greenville, Texas.

His name is Peanut.



And he's a chug.

Please Scott, you must get Peanut.

Look at the jersey of the person holding him!

It's a sign!

ladies night out

I know I should wait to show this on Baby Tuesday, but look at me I'm not.

Baby C made a friend last night, Baby E. She's a year older and has very long hair, and that's exactly the kind of thing that Baby C looks for in a friend. They were inseparable, running around, snitching cupcakes, and popping bubble wrap.


Baby C did have a microphone, but then she just settled for using a coffee stirrer. They both were pretending to sing before I turned the camera on.
Joe, Baby C's arch nemesis makes a cameo at the end. He's always really nice to her, but she's convinced that he means her great harm.

this morning's task

A little bird named told me that an old friend of mine and Kevin's needed graphics for her "City Serve" ministries in Fremont.
I got on the stick! Because Christine's like family. She was there when Kevin and I met.
I preface by saying the basic background image came from istockphoto.
istock is like my 7-11.

It's part of the "compassion network." Do you see how it all works? It totally does.


Basic logo.


her business card






Hey I recognize that website design!
Oh yeah, I pulled it out of the political trashcan and cleaned it off.



I hope they use it!

Baby Tuesday

"Won't you take me to toddler town? Won't you take me to-- toddler town?!"


(look at Mojito the fecaphiliac searching the potty for goods! Sorry, Momo, I wish there was!)
It's "Pile Week" in Sockswithsandalsland, and everyone's throwing out their crap.
Our excellent neighbors behind us have 4 kids, the youngest is now 7, so they were going to throw away all their Little Tykes outdoor plastic-y stuff unless we wanted it.

Oh yes, we wanted it.

Now I think we rival most day care centers. If you can't tell from the photo, I'll break it down for you:
Big blue pool
2 playhouses
slide
picnic table
see saw
fort with slides
(We already had the fort and the brown house.)

I keep it sequestered all to one side of the yard so I don't feel like a total cuckoo parent-- letting my kids takeover the yard. The other side is very dignified albeit overgrown with crabgrass.

I had to scrub off all the snail poop and dead bugs in their final resting webs. Totally gross. But now they are suitable for toddler consumption. Baby R sat at that picnic table and ate a whole piece of pizza yesterday for lunch by himself. Totally unprecedented performance from the butterball. I think I'll feed him out there more often.


I was at my wits end last week at about 5:30pm and I decided to blow up the frog pool int he living room and fill it with plastic balls.


It worked for about 45 min.

In statistical news, Baby R can now say "doggie" which he also applies to the cat, "daddy," "[ba]nana" for food, and appropriately "mom" for milk. He does say "mama" but it means less "mommy" and more "hey lady-that-does-stuff, do this!"

rice and s.a.t. scores

I stumbled upon this Free Rice site just now.

And my vocabulary prowess has already earned 660 grains of rice.
I didn't know what doddering or carapace meant, but I knew pecuniary and gamin.



I think high school exit exams should somehow earn rice for riceless people.
I might have studied harder.

Although this has nothing to do with the above post, I have to tell you that minutes ago, Baby C crept out of her room (where she is supposed to be napping) and into the bathroom where she pulled all of the dental floss out of the dispenser and into the hallway. And then began knocking on her brother's room saying "R*****! R*****, wake up!" Anti nap peer pressure.

Yay!!

Last year I heard about a summer 08 mission trip to Haiti.

And then I forgot about it.

Then on Sunday I saw the flyer!


It's ON!!

June 29th - July 8th.
I could be doing any of these things:
Vacation bible school, puppet ministry for kids, painting, garden work in those that can’t do it, building an underground cistern,Clothing distributions, clinics, food distribution, homeschooling, conversational English, playground ministry with the kids, data entry.
I'll be packin' my bags so darn tight with stuff and I hope to come home with only a dress and some flip flops.

And hooray for GiGi agreeing to come out to watch our precious babies while we're gone!

Now all I have to do is turn in my/our application[s] and deposits. Get my name changed on my passport and send out letters!
Oh and make a week's worth of casseroles to freeze for my mom. :)

I wonder if the anyone would notice if I brought one of these little boys home as a carry-on?

No?

this exactly the kind of fix I get myself in

The same small voice in me that told me to learn Japanese, buy a mouth harp, practice Jujitsu, and try silkscreening, is speaking again.
It's telling me to crochet.
I've tried to stuff a sock in its mouth for about a year.

But ever since I signed myself up to make the Living Center's 2008 Christmas gifts the most fabulous ever, I've known that crocheting was inevitable.

Acutally, I want to convince other people to crochet too, seeing that we need 100 blankets.

Okay, we don't need blankets. But we need something handmade.
Something handmade that makes you feel better when you're sick and miserable.
If I felt like I couldn't scrape myself off the floor, I would want a blanket [made by someone who cared about me].

I want to try to convince my mom-group (pop. apx 100) at church to do it. And I know this sounds unbelievable, but I think God wants me to ask them. I'm not quite sure if He's going to tell them to agree, but I'm pretty sure He wants me to ask. I have another 2 weeks to feel squidgy about it before we meet again.

Until then I keep navigating to this page.
And looking at this

and multiplying 4.5 times 100.

Baby Tuesday

Yep, this is it.


Instead of telling her to say cheese, I told her to make a guinea pig sound.
Those of you who are about to receive "book exchange letters" might recognize these stickers.


"Um, what? It's just old sucker wrappers and pinecones.Why are you supervising me?"


"Hey, something I can eat."
Thankfully, he already had a mouth full of whole-wheat-bunnies-- slowed him down.

I wish I could have recorded Baby C last night talking to her "friends" and playing in her room until about 11pm. 3 hours after bedtime.
I had to wake her up this morning. She looked like she partied hard.

the date has been set

I marked it on the calendar, so I will start believing it.
The Potty Party is set for Saturday April 26th.
I have chosen the "Splish Splash Beach Party" theme from page 161.
It involves alot of decorated cardboard, ping pong balls and beverages.
If my mom reads this, she will be shaking her head.

But Baby C is an oak of diaper fortitude.
She wets her pants in public without shame.
She gets leprosy-like diaper rashes.
She can fully articulate "Mommy you need to change my diaper"
She knows she can't go to school if she wears diapers.
And still she goes on...but doesn't go on the potty.

So she watched me write it on our kitchen calendar and I've already started to hype it up.

I think what the book doesn't include is alot of prayer is needed.
I feel it's going to take a miracle....(and apparently some cardboard seagulls).

words learned from word racer

Kevin and I play Word Racer alot. It's like Boggle, I think.
We never come close to finding all the words there are to find in the puzzle before the cowbell clinks.
It allows you to review the words you missed and I present you with a few that I had to look up tonight, because, well you'll see.
(Click the title links for pictures)

testoon:
(actually the word was "testooned" which I found to be without definition completely. But we joked about how to use it in a sentence.)

1. A 16th-century French silver coin.
2. An English coin stamped with the image of Henry VIII's head. In this sense, also called tester³. [French, from Italian testone, augmentative of testa, head, from Late Latin, skull, from Latin, shell.]
   

ha·bu
Pronunciation: 'hä-bü
Function: noun
: a dangerously venomous pit viper of the genus Trimeresurus (T. flavoviridis) common in the Ryukyu islands
(sadly, it was not a cebu habitat, as I had hoped. In fact, cebus must beware of habus!)

Shist

1. Shist\, Shistose \Shis*tose"\ See Shist, Schistose. (Um, didn't I just "see shist"?)

sutta
1. Hinduism Any of various aphoristic doctrinal summaries produced for memorization generally between 500 and 200 B.C. and later incorporated into Hindu literature.
2. also sut·ta (sŏŏt'ə) Buddhism A scriptural narrative, especially a text traditionally regarded as a discourse of the Buddha.
(Though this has nothing to do with Mr. Sutter, I found his biography facinating)

well, since my hair looked okay

I took some self portraits. And for once they weren't taken in the bathroom!



Good thing flea season hasn't begun, otherwise I would have been in serious trouble.


Yes, I like tools.


Get it while it's hot, I'm being serious for 10 seconds!

can't stop clicking

I've been clicking around this site and all it's links for the past half hour.

It's addicting and slightly overwhelming.

ain't workin for Blockbuster's farm no mo'

I finally switched over to NetFlix, and I love it already.
I love mail, and I love off-beat movies.
It's so nice to go to choose a movie and I don't get assaulted by all the dumbest "unrated" or "uncut" boobs and gore movies.
Just my pleasant independents and documentaries, ahh.
It only took me 8 years to catch on.

when John Denver meets Frank Zappa

I was rabbit-trailing on iTunes just now and I found a new genre of music that I didn't realize I was a [nominally] a fan of.
"Freak Folk"

Highlights include M.Ward, Iron and Wine (of course), and Vetiver.

I don't like all of it, just like I don't like all of any genre. But hey, it makes me feel a little more cool knowing it doesn't just fall under folk.

Baby Tuesday

I'm cheating.
I haven't taken any photos of the babies this past week.
Even when I put them in one of those car-shopping-carts yesterday, I didn't take a photo.
Sorry.
It was really cute, and Baby R was really confused.

These are the outtakes that didn't make last week's cut.






Grizzled.


What are we doing again?




Good thing Baby C doesn't get grossed out about poop. The cuddly little sea otter had just relieved himself when we reached his tank.


Why, that's not a penguin at all. That's a butterball.


Kevin always looks cute with he does the self-portrait.
I usually look I suffered a head injury.


My legs look like I'm a runner or something. Nothing could be farther from the truth.