mr. potter

Harry is still here with us, and he's fond of pb&j with the crusts cut off.

He also enjoys long walks, and will "Fwipendo!" any dog that barks at him along the way.

Cali just posted about him on her blog.

(I know it has been almost a year since she posted, and it is totally my fault. She asks about it, but needs me to help her out. She is very patient with me. )

let me explain

I love it when my kids explain things to me.

Kimi explained why bandaids help:

"The soft part of the bandaid is comfy and it calms down the owie."

Ian explained why he likes root beer:

"Its so bubbly and spiky and its too much and it makes my body CR-AZ-Y" (Imagine his eyes bugging out as he emphasizes the last word.)

school's out

School's out for the summer.

Cali came home on the last day and was nearly inconsolable because of how much she will miss her teacher. Since then she has written to her teacher, and her teacher has visted her once and written back to her. All in less than a week. She's quite a lady. (And Cali is quite a girl, in her letter to her teacher she thanked her for helping her feel better on the last day and said, "it was much appreciated.")

Two days before school got out I went to the school to walk with the first grade to a nearby park to play there for the day. There is nothing like being around other people's children to make you really appreciate your own. It was a fine day, and thanks to our police escort, we got there with out any first graders going missing or getting squashed.

Cali and her friends spent a lot of time building sand castles. One of the girls was helping by collecting every pinecone in sight and bringing them back. Note the other bored chaperone in the background. We had 3 hours to kill in the park.We also discovered that 50 kids to 1 parachute isn't a good ratio.

I was glad to have that chance to go be with Cali who still thinks I am cool and I have to appreciate that for as long as I can.

And as much as she loves her teachers, I'm glad to have her to myself for a few months.

you might have small children if. . .

you have to wipe the toothpaste off of the toilet seat before you can use the toilet

nemesis

These guys don't really have a tough reputation, but they are a bane of my existence in the summer.

Just ask my marigolds.

These poor guys were the first to go last year too.

I was hoping it was all due to the rains last year and they would escape this year.

No luck.I hate using chemicals, but in this case they may be called for.

For now they see a close up of the bottom of my flip-flop. It's not for the faint of heart.

(I have to close my eyes and hold my breath.)
Hello, my name is Jana the Gardner. You killed my marigolds. Prepare to die.

why not?

I don't enter all giveaways. Just those that seem like I would be deliriously happy if I won.

Usually I just enter Pioneer Woman's because she gives away things like Nikon D90's and KitchenAids. Oh, to have the power to give things like that away.

Anyways, I saw a giveaway for a Bosch Mixer this morning. That is another thing I have been dreaming of so I figured writing this post for an entry couldn't hurt.

Here's the website if you want to check it out yourself. Deals to Meals Bosch Giveaway

I have pretty much accepted the fact that I won't win, but that one time in high school when I was drawn to win that cd player in a raffle gave me some kind of false hope concerning these matters.

it came

Yesterday was the day I have long been hoping, and wishing, and saving, and waiting for.

The UPS man dropped this off on my steps:
BAAAAAHHH! I was so excited! (Please excuse my chipped fingernail polish.)

So I ripped it open and after patiently staring at the battery charger for 2 hours, Kimi and I were off to take some pictures.

These are all SOOC (that's straight out of the camera with no editing, I'm learning a new language) and my first shots with my DSLR so I know they aren't the best, but I knew I was in love.
We found some flowers
and some flip flops.

Along with many other things, but I hate to bore you.

Something tells me these kids are going to have to get used to seeing a camera lens pointed at them a whole lot more.

(Harry Potter has a cold, please excuse his messy face.)

memorable memorial

I read another mother's account once of the perfect outing with the kids. They went and had a day of fun and there was no whining, no crying, no fighting, no complaining. She said that she was glad to have that one perfect memory to always think about.

I thought maybe they had entered the Twilight Zone.

If that is so, we found our own portal to the Twilight Zone on Monday, because now I am happy to report we had our own perfect outing for Memorial Day.

This is the true account of my own perfect day:
We had a picnic lunch and played at the playground for a while. Natalie got to try swings for the first time.

After we did that we were off to the main event for the kids: carnival rides.

Cali could barely squeeze her knees into the plane.

I guess this is the last year for that ride for her.

Then came the part that surprised me.

Do you see Cali peeking over her bar on the Ferris Wheel?

Cali and Kimi rode it together. Ian and Scott went in another seat. I thought for sure we would get someone crying and want to get down when they got stopped on top, (that's why I don't ride it) but they all loved it.





Then it was off to the Merry-Go-Round.
After some more time walking around in the park and playing on the playground it got pretty hot and we took the kids home.

On the way, Scott decided to introduce them to what they called "smurpees."

It was unanimously voted in as a new part of our Memorial Day traditions.
The End.

foraging

As soon as I start making dinner, Natalie wants to eat, NOW.

I can try to start dinner earlier, but its not the time that matters. Her hunger is signaled by the sound of me working in the kitchen.

A few nights ago she was rustling around in the pantry closet as I was making dinner, and I heard the "whoosh" of something being poured onto the ground.

It really is too bad you can't hear the "mmm" noises she was making or get the affect of how proud she seemed to be about feeding herself.

Since the picture also showed her usually scraggly-hairdo, (please, grow hair!) and adds to her poor neglected child look, I thought I would put in another photo that shows her cute little pigtails she wears sometimes.

It involves a wrestling hold and a lot of jelly beans bribes though, so it's not an every day occurance.

the boy who lived

Look who has come to visit us now.

Harry Potter has been here for the past three days.

Don't worry if you forget to call him "Harry." He'll remind you.

At first I didn't realize what he was doing as he was waving a pencil at things at yelling, "NINTENDO!" ("flipendo," for you muggles)

Then he starting sneaking around looking for lotions (potion) to drink.

That was about when he came and introduced himself to me.

Now he has put together his whole ensemble and I don't think Ian will be back for a while.

Harry is very well mannered though, as well as entertaining, so I told him he can visit as long as he wants.

geeks unite!

This collage was inserted only for attention getting-purposes. Kimi is not a geek. :)

Did you know that it is GEEK PRIDE DAY today?

I feel like asserting some of my rights as a geek.

I didn't make these up, but you would think so from how well they apply to me.

Rights:

1. The right to be even geekier.
2. The right to not leave your house.
3. The right to not like football or any other sport.
4. The right to associate with other nerds.
5. The right to have few friends (or none at all).
6. The right to have as many geeky friends as you want.
7. The right to be out of style.
8. The right to be overweight and near-sighted.
9. The right to show off your geekiness.
10. The right to take over the world.

HAPPY GEEK PRIDE DAY!

a knockout

Remember the night I attacked the stair railing, and it won?

I went back for round two, and round three, and round four and ended up with this:
Much better. I must say. Perhaps "knockout" is a little too strong of an adjective, but I didn't have time to think of a wittier post title.

After I had battled with it some more after that first night, Scott decided it was time to take it outside.

Really outside.
The sight of the banister missing was kind of weird.

I actually liked it, but then envisioned little Natalie plunging over the side to the bottom.

I decided having it gone wouldn't be prudent.
I told Kimi to blame Ian in the picture.

It came pretty naturally.
So anyways, we coated it with an orange paint stripper that was supposed to be safe to use.

Look how it all bubbled and peeled.

Problem was it didn't take it all off, so I had to take another trip back to Walmart.

This time I came home with a paint stripper that wasn't safe.

The paint fell off.
That had taken all day so we had to put the stripped banister back up for safety and wait a few more weeks for another nice Saturday.

This last weekend we had some nice weather again so out came the banister and out came the spray paint.
I love spray paint.

It makes me feel like some kind of graffiti-spraying rebel no matter what I'm painting.

And Viola! We have this in the end:

dinner and a show

One thing I love about dinner with children is that it is never dull.

Natalie is learning to feed herself, and has begun to refuse help.

This is okay with me because I enjoy eating my dinner while its warm.

She is doing better now, but a few weeks ago she was having a little trouble finding her mouth.

Ian's new crash landing spot has become the dinner table.

I was taking Natalie's picture when Scott told me to look at Ian.

This was the first time, and now it is repeating quite frequently.

The other night people were asking for things at the table and he asked for a pillow.
I also wonder if anyone else has noticed the strange phenomenon of the toddler being drawn to anyone who is sleeping.

(A few days ago Ian fell asleep in a snug little corner, next to a basket of blankets, in the basement, and Natalie went straight to him when she got up from her nap.)

We moved Ian from the dinner table to the couch and Natalie (after she was cleaned up) went straight over to poke him.

I, of course, didn't protect my vulnerable child.

I took pictures.

Ten

Today marks ten years since the beginning of this family.

I'm glad I found someone who loves me through the good and bad, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, and through thick and thin (literally).

I can't wait to see what the next ten years will hold.

GOAL!

Soccer has been going about as predicted. Cali's team has scored one goal so far, the other teams have scored. . . more than that against them. But the most important thing is they all seem to be having a lot of fun. Even when it is only 40 degrees and raining. They are troopers.

Another thing to do when it is 40 degrees and raining: go run a 5K.

I don't know if I would have actually gone this morning if I hadn't set a goal to do one at the beginning of the year. A friend of mine told me about one that was in my price range (aka: free) and we ran it together.

I went into it thinking I would do it to get it over with, but I had so much fun!

This is the face of someone who just did something she never thought she could.