thursday evening briefing

I just made up my own version of tamale pie with chicken, Ranch Style Beans, taco seasoning, diced tomatoes, and Jiffy cornbread mix. It just came out of the oven, and it could totally be gross, but it looks like I knew what I was doing.
But I didn't have to leave the house to get any ingredients.

I also made a peach pie from the peaches from our backyard. They were really tasty just off the tree and I'm worried that baking them will make the whole thing suck-- but again, it just came out of the oven and it looks pretty.
-----
While I was baking, Baby R unrolled my entire spool of black thread off of my sewing machine. He is now in his room for that. He was still tangled in it when I put him in the room so I had to snip the thread at the bottom of the door to clean up the mess on my side.

Speaking of the boy, he's been stepping up his tantrums. Beating toys really hard into his door, screaming at the top of his lungs. I just ignore them like any other tantrum, but I think we'll have to replace his door and possibly buy me a hearing aid by the time he turns 3.
Oh I can't wait until he turns 3, or better yet, 4.
----
I realized I wanted a few things to bring on our Cozumel trip next week and I ordered a bunch online yesterday, and now I'm slightly concerned the packages won't get here in time. That would be sucky.

We're still not really sure what we're going to do when we're there other than he's going to read some books and I'm gonna rent a scooter. A bunch of people have recommended "snuba" and Tulum. Let's hope Kevin is up for those things.
Our flight leaves Wed night and we don't get there until 11am Thurs morning. I am going to take some Tylenol PM and pile my traytable high with pillows and pray that I can sleep for most of it. We stop in Houston, I'm sure that will mess with my r.e.m.
----
I went to IKEA and dropped Kid C off in Smaland, the kid-care area for the first time. I was kinda bummed she only got 45 minutes in there. It gave Baby R and I some quality time and she was happy. Yet another reason why I love IKEA.

i know, i know

Baby Tue is late once again...I uploaded a TON of photos to Flickr.

So until later today, when I actually do it, you can look at the Flickr ones...

Baby Tuesday

We just got back from the Boardwalk (sorry again Jim and Sue since I guess my email went to lala land and didn't tell you we were going there tonight!).
I am in need of some TUMS after the hot dog, the funnel cake and the big Pepsi. I guess I'm lucky I didn't barf like Kid S did after her carnival food. But of course, I stayed off the rides. That helped. The kids had so much fun, the Boardwalk was never so joyous as it was with the 2 and 3 yr olds. So- fun!

I'm super tired, but I thought I'd post just a few and then later put all of them on Flickr. Because I took A TON of photos.

Childrens Discovery Museum visit. We now have a membership, we're in deep.
Somehow we missed this "self-face-paint" room on our previous visits. It's a really cute idea. Kid C was very delicate with her face design but he was very heavy handed on his nose. And there was no talking him into another idea.


This was the result: war paint.

This is one of the cutest things Kid C has done ever. Curious George in the fur was at the museum to mingle with the kids. Kid C went straight up to him and gave him this huge hug(!)

Who knew she had it in her?!


And then smiled so cutely for the camera. Such a good girl.


Me and the tots in the water zone. Love that zone.

Now fast forward a few days to Tahoe with the Everetts!!!


Baby B turned one year old on Friday!! We had a party for her at the lake and so all her dad's family was there to have a party-- as well as us Thayers too.


I got that cute little cake from Safeway (score on a decent cake!) and the cousins wore their matching jumpers. From behind, it was hard to tell them apart. And some strangers thought they were twins.


This is the kids on the ride up to the lake, watching Little Mermaid. Thanks to Nat for regulating the wandering fingers of a certain 2 yr old on the laptop. And thanks to the laptop for existing. Love this laptop.


These balloons barely made it to the park in time for the party before being annihilated.




I think he must have seen a plane or a helicopter in the distance. That's the look of love in his eyes.


Kid C in the murky first few feet of the shore at the lake. She was so well behaved all vacation. I can't sing her praises enough. This makes up for all that colick, really. She has been great.


I think Kid C is doing less of a smile, and more of a "game face" here. Like she's saying "this party is ON!"


There are traces of green icing on her mouth, if you look closely.



And here's someone who's not happy-- with me anyway. Here are the cousins in their carseats on the way to camping at KOA Santa Cruz. I have lots more pics from that excursion, but I'll have to save them until next week. I'm too sleeeeppppy....

like a spin class but without a bike

So, today I have 2 of the 3 major things that I needed to have crossed off my work list.

The stain glass panels, those are done and everyone is mostly happy with them.

The website layouts, well they are good enough for now, until we get more data, blah blah, not interesting--

The missions booklet, it'll be done, at least as much as I can do on my end.

But I'm scrambling to get all our stuff together for our Tahoe trip tomorrow morning....

(I'm sweaty!)

Baby Tuesday

I can't make this darn slidehow to work! I have too many photos, and I uploaded them, and well crap!




Allright, why don't you just go look at them on my Flickr page. Geesh.



**click the little mister's pic**

mostly done with one project

My faux stain glass panels are more or less done. I have to do some minor stuff but I could practically check it off my list.

My assignment was one that represented "Love God" and "Love Your Neighbor".

In these pics, they are against my sliding glass door, so not only do you need to ignore that big vertical shadow but also the trees that make the "white parts" tree-colored.







(from Matthew 25:40, f.y.i.)

Now I have to get the booklet done and all the web graphics. Two more days!

this is not good

I have now lost my:

1. keys

2. iPod

3. Kid C's floatie swimsuit


I really have no idea where any of them are. I have had to use the spare car key, listen to crappy radio stations for about a week now.

And the house is basically clean, so it really is puzzling.

Baby Tuesday later, I'm teetering on the edge

I officially have too much going on.

And as I type this Baby R is jumping on my thoracic spine and putting a toy on my head.

I have an ENTIRE WEBSITE that needs to be designed in ONE WEEK from today. Did I mention, I don't know what I'm doing? Because I totally don't.

And I have two GIANT stain glass art pieces that need to be done in ONE WEEK from today.

The Killarney people emailed today and want the images in an TOTALLY DIFFERENT graphic type. Which means I would have to start over from scratch (!!!!)

I also have a 28 PAGE full color booklet, postcard, and 19 keytags designed by FRIDAY. By next week, I have to have two giant banners designed as well.

And next week I have my 5 people from my family and my friend flying out to visit.

Oh and I have a 2 yr old and a 3 yr old keeping me from working on it all day long!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

do not mix

Today's recipe is as follows:

Preheat to 85°
Sleep for only 3 hrs.
Eat a corner of a cornbread muffin and drink a large mocha.
Pack 5 hours of work into 1 hour timespan.
Then, eat a bowl of microwave popcorn and a can of coke.
Stir until combined. Fold in small children.

Now, collapse. You're done.

Baby Tuesday

I've got a ton of new photos because the new camera came. Hizzah!
But I don't have a ton of time to explain them. Plus, Go Diego Go is on, so that I can type this while Kid C watches it, but it's hard to string a thought together with all that "animal rescuing."

The kids are in VBS this week. A mom at MOPS tipped us off to the fact that this one church accepts 2 and 3 yr olds. Score! Now I did have to pay, which churches usually don't have people do, but this church kinda struggles, so it's okay.

The website didn't give a registration deadline, but apparently there was one, and I was a couple days late with their papers. So they were all out of shirts. I didn't care at first, but then when I saw that ALL the other kids had them except MY kids, I had to rectify the situation.

So off I went to Michaels to buy two blue t shirts and some printable fabric. Then we came home and printed out the VBS logo and appliqued it on. I was proud of myself. And bonus, their shirts are WAY cuter than the ones they would have got in the first place.


She wanted to use a "prop" for this shot.


Note the metallic iron-on flowers. Fancy!


Another landmark moment: a visit to the huge International Swim Center pool here in Sockswithsandalsland. I always knew it was a famous place, but it wasn't until I was in the lobby that had all the plaques about the Olympic sweep that the team from here made in the 60's Olympics. Mark Spitz was from here. Crazy.

Anyway, Kid C and I didn't have an Olympic kind of visit there. The place is divided into two pools. A big serious laned pool, and a 3 ft pool. We got the latter. And it was 103° on Sunday so EVERYONE without A/C in the whole city seemed to be there. The water has not the cleanest, but I don't think any filter could have withstood that kind of population.


She was happy though. Very very happy.


It was just her and me, so good quality mommy-daughter time. Even if we were way too close to half-naked strangers.

To top off the experience, upon exiting we saw a big ol' turd (most likely dropped out of some kid's swim diaper) just sittin on the pooldeck. It was so hilarious, I wasn't as grossed out as I should have been. All the lifeguard did was put a "wet floor" tent-sign over it. Sanitary.

Oh and since Kid C wanted to take a shower in the locker room, we had to see a naked woman in there. I knew that would happen. Everyone else was "decent" but there's always someone with no shame whatsoever.
Note to those kinds of people, if you take a shower with your suit on, you wash it out too, bonus. I'm just sayin.'

Another MOPS mom told me about this free art thing up in Mountain View. I was excited to go to it because it was a) free and b) supposedly indoor.
It was over 100°, like I said, and half of it was outside and I was dissappointed. The kids didn't seem to mind.


Good ol' tissue and ink crafts.


Flower shape, one step above coffee filter shaped.


We each took our assigned child. Here Kevin is with Baby R. You can't really see him, but you can almost make out his cute little arms behind Kevin. They were making "hand flowers."


Who doesn't love a big wall of white paper and paint brushes?
She asked me to help her paint Hello Kitty and I couldn't resist.


Precious cuteness moment. They sat in there with their blankies all by themselves to watch TV.
If they were cute and good like this all the time, I would give them whatever they wanted.
I tell them that fact, but I guess being naughty is just too much fun.



The men. Baby R kinda upstaged Kevin here.


Baby R does NOT like baths. I don't know why he decided this, but it's been this way for months. Because of that I bathe him in about 60 seconds and he's unconsolable for about 5 minutes afterwards. I'll be glad when this stage is over. He loves the pool, he hates the tub. Weirdo.


Here he is trying to be so cute that I won't bathe him. It does work to stall me, but eventually he got clean. Look at him, so cute.




These are some of the first photos we took with the new camera.


I'm not sure what the "claw" was all about. But I'd be lying if I said she doesn't do that claw kind of alot. Especiallly when she's punchy.

online bill pay preparation for the Sabbath?

I try to get any real work done all on Saturday so I can observe a real day of rest, or at least the best I can with two barnacle kids who, like any other kids, think I am their personal butler (and often times butt-ler).

Tonight I did 2 hours worth of bills. And several times I wanted to just stop and chill out because after all it's saturday night, but I had to keep going because I couldn't put it off until tomorrow.

There are a few things I put in a pile that weren't really bills and I'll work on them later this week (because I wrote them on the chalkboard, my prehistoric-style day-timer.)

But I am spent now.
Kevin came in from the garage and asked where some cord was and I could barely form thoughts, much less words. I stared off and looked confused for way longer than I should have.

I really wanted to go eat some chocolate ice cream when I was done. But it's 11:30 and that will definitely end up as neck fat. That is the punishment for late night snacking: neck fat.

thermal gun thermal fun

Kevin borrowed a thermal camera from work so he could see how our new insulation is working and what parts of the wall let in heat more than others, etc.

So of course I wanted to be photographed and then he got a pic of the little hot dogs under the table.


Can you tell who's who?



The funny thing was that after I moved away from this spot, there were little heat mark footprints on the carpet in the next shot.

packaged deal

Back to the local pool designs.
They picked one of the four designs, and now I've expanded it. I made the shirt grey because they thought people wouldn't want a black shirt in the summer. Fair enough.

not sure

I bought these empty frames off eBay for 5 bucks from China. I couldn't try them on so it was a gamble. I'm not crazy about them, but it could because I have weird hair today. I haven't tried them on with my hair down.

I don't want to pay 300 for the frames I really like at a place around here. But I dont know if I like these cheap ones enough to use my vision insurance allowance to put real lenses in them.

Baby Tuesday

Our new camera is still on it's way from Tennessee, so we have a bunch of laptop photos this week.


Thursday afternoon cupcakes. She has a mouth full of frosting, and I can't fault her for it.


Sprinkle application. I bought fancy Wilton ones from Michaels.


These are random from this morning. It was no easy task getting the boy to back up. He was happy just looking at this little man body.


They were trying to showcase wearing my shoes. Baby R has my black maryjanes on and Kid C has my purple suede BCBG heels from Salvation Army.


And here is Kevin's Father's Day gift from me. It's reversed because I took it with the laptop and I'm too lazy to go in and reverse it back. But I think it's pretty cute. I made it for his cubicle at work, but I hung it up on our wall in the interim and now we kind of like it there.

more layout of the website

"I'm New Page"


"expanded" version of above page

Baby Tuesday

Yes, I remembered. 10:30, I still have an hour and 1/2 until Tuesday is over.

The camera has still not been replaced, so not much to show. But here we go.


I took this one with my phone earlier this afternoon. This is the fountain at Santana Row.
It clearly, in bronze signage, states "do NOT throw rocks."
You know where this is going.
He was a repeat offender, so we had to get out of there.

And yes swim classes have begun. Tomorrow will be day 3 of 10. I'm sorry I don't have action shots of them in the pool. Baby R is doing so good. Especially since he cries like I'm really hurting him whenever he gets in the bath. It's the saddest thing, him in the bath these days. Hence, I let him go grubby alot.
Anyway, he's good. And his giant swimsuit is so cute.

They're modeling the suits *with* the inflatable inserts. But they wanted to take them out, and the class said no floaties anyway, so there it is. I'm glad to have them for when we're at other pools.


Not bad for 6.99 a piece at Marshalls. Baby R's is an age 4-6, but they didn't have his size. He's helft, so it's not that big on him.


The problem today was that Kid C found out that she can stand in the shallow end of the pool, which makes her less motivated to swim, because she can walk. We'll see how this all unfolds at the end of next week.