I'll Take What I Can Get

Convo I had at the playground with a couple of high school-ish kids today: Them: You are always at the park with those two boys. Do you babysit every day?
Me: Yes, honey. More than you will ever know. Just wish I got paid more for it...

My Goof Balls

Red eyes and all...

Said Jacob

"Thanks for listening, Mommy. It makes so, so happy when you listen to what I say."
Hmmm, wonder where he heard that one before?

I'm no detective...

But I think that hard evidence suggests that our bathroom was sabotaged by the two-and-under crowd.

I can't make this stuff up!

Said the tech support guy at Toshiba when I was trying to get help with our sick computer: I can't help you at the moment because our computers are experiencing technical difficulties.

Mine, too. This is just lovely. Where are the hidden cameras? Joke's over!

Just Sayin'

"I really hate computers," said the woman at Geek Squad whose register wasn't working while she was trying to help me with my laptop. Um, really? Not the best marketing strategy.

Cocktail casual, defined.

And the answer to "What the heck is proper attire to wear to a summer cocktail casual party?" is: Anything you want to wear, really. Some guys wore jeans and button-up shirts. Some wore suit coats. Ladies were in capris, sun dresses, and cocktail dresses. Caleb and I blended in perfectly in our middle-of-the-road wear and had a great time!

Birthday Bash

Recap, in pictures.


Ice cream sundaes, anyone? I scratched my original plan of having ice cream cone cupcakes at the risk of messing up my insanely clean oven. So, instead, cupcakes in a waffle cone bowl. Maraschino cherry on top!


And now for the gifts! You would have thought it was Christmas with the pile of presents waiting for Mason. And thanks to Jacob, gift opening took less than five minutes. It was a whirlwind of paper, boxes, and toys. Ironically, the only present that Mason actually took control of opening was a gift to Jacob!


Pucker up, buttercup! Mason made this face. All. Day. Long. Silly!


Dig in! This kid took the job of eating birthday cake very seriously. He instinctively dug right in, and shoveled cake to his mouth like a robot. Over and over and over.





And then Jacob came to help eat anything that was left over. A funny mess!


It was a great day filled with food, fun, and family. Best gift of all? Mason took his unofficial first step on his birthday, and turned into a walking maniac the next day.

Help!

Caleb and I are going to a function tomorrow night and dress code is cocktail casual. What the heck does that mean? Sundress and flip flops? Dress dress and pumps? Suggestions, please!

First Things First

Mason had a birthday. I will get to that. But first... our anniversary!

It was fancy, romantic, sweet, thoughtful. Perfect. Caleb had us escorted up to the city for a cruise on the lake. The weather was great. The views were spectacular. And it was so wonderful to spend the evening just us two. And how perfectly coincidental is this: Our first dance wedding song played in the car as we were pulling up to Navy Pier. You couldn't have planned that if you tried! Love it.

There were roses. There was champagne. There was dessert. Lots of dessert.

And this is us. Dressed up. Never mind the red eyes. Our computer crapped out, and editing is a no-go at the moment. A story for another day. Or never.

One more detail: Caleb hired a maid service to come clean our house on Friday morning before we went out so that I wouldn't stress about not having the time to clean up before Mason's party. Seriously, not a detail was overlooked. This guy's a keeper, ladies!

He has set the bar pretty high. Can't wait until next year!

Mr. Manners

Jacob set up my lunch (yes, McDonald's) while I was putting Mason down for a nap. Notice the coaster? And I just hope that those two small bites were not missing when we bought the sandwich.

This time last year...

I looked like this.














Makes my stomach itch just thinking about it! And tomorrow my baby will be one. Unbelievable. How can years go by so fast when the days seem to last an eternity?

Meet Baby

After he was carrying around a blanket full of toys pretending it was a baby, I gave in and rescued one of my dolls from the basement to let Jacob play with. And Jacob so adorably read it books, changed its diaper, put it down for naps, and potty trained it all afternoon. Today "Baby" has traded in the dress for some of Jacob's preemie boy clothes to man this up a little. Nothing wrong with boys playing with dolls, yes? (Don't ask Caleb this question.)

And just like that...

We have been married for five years. I went with a mooshy gooshy letter an IPod as a gift for Caleb. It's the same gift I gave him five years ago (only a lot more expensive and hi-tech these days). And for me? A card with a simple note: Dress up. Be ready at 5:30. Wear your little black dress. Everything is taken care of.

I like where this is heading. Can't wait to see how it plays out!

Why Not?

Today we drove 30 minutes to the zoo so that we could spend 2 hours playing on the jungle gym. And sitting in the shade watching my monkeys from a bench made the drive totally worth it.

We were all very tired when it was time to leave! This may become a regular part of our routine.

Already?

Happy birthday week, stinker butt. Are you seriously almost one?

Busy, Busy, Busy

Life has seemed really busy lately, but I have nothing to show for the hustle and bustle. And with a HUGE week ahead, it's time to hunker down. On the agenda: Get ready for Mason's birthday bash. Cake, decorations, menu, and cleaning. Oh, and it's also Caleb and my fifth wedding anniversary. The gears are cranking, but I still have NO idea what to do for that. I'm starting to think a 20 in a card is starting to look mighty special...
It's go time, and all I really want to do is take a nap.

On the Menu

Packed for my work lunch today: Granola bar, Oreo cookies, Cheez-Its, and a PB&J sandwich on white bread. I am a backpack and a 30 minute recess short of first grade. Anyone wanna trade fruit snacks for a granola bar?

Time Well Spent

As part of my “Please go somewhere with the kids a couple of hours each week so I can get sh*t done without someone constantly tugging on my leg” campaign, Caleb schlepped the boys to the zoo on Sunday. The animals were active, Mason cried when the polar bear got too close, and Jacob pooped in a public bathroom. I would consider their outing a success. And me? I scrubbed the kitchen top to bottom. Type A, I sure have missed you!

Guess Who

Brad Paisley. Like 10 inches from my hand. Obviously. Not so obviously? Caleb and I saw him in concert last night and he was AHH-MAY-ZING! And the photo? It will be a constant reminder that I should never leave home without our real camera, because, yeah, camera phones suck.

Eh, whatever.

We bought this clock for Jacob because it changes colors when it is "OK to wake up" (as in 6:30 a.m. instead of 4:30 a.m.). And he is really interested in seeing that it changes to green. He almost always stops his morning activities to go back to his room at 6:30 to check it out (so not working as planned). I pushed the whole "you need to stay in bed until the clock turns green" spiel for about two days before I decided that we are all up by 5:30 anyways, so until I can get The Monster* (Mason) to sleep in, this idea is a total bust. I just never thought I would consider 6:30 to be a sleep-in time. Oy!



Jacob calls Mason "The Monster." I didn't come up with the nickname, but I'll go along with it.

Dare I say it?

We are finished with Week One of potty training, and I would consider it a success. Trained and good to go. Literally.

Frustrated and a little sad.

I have been on a mission to find all of the old emails that Caleb and I exchanged when we first started dating because I thought I could work them into some sort of anniversary keepsake for him and me (but mostly me). And after looking through all of my old email accounts, flash drives, CDs, and shoe boxes for the past few months (seriously), I am coming up empty. I don't have them anywhere. I'm sure they all died with my old computer (you know, the one we destroyed with a hammer in the garage when it finally pushed me over the edge). So now it's back to square one as I search for the perfect gift. Grrrr....

Agreed?

Sandboxes are more fun when they are filled with water.