a little bit random

a [baby] update.

2012-02-13T12:51:00.000-08:00

-- i haven't thrown up in over a week and a half. and it's been awesome. i still occasionally feel a bit sea sick, but that doesn't happen very much either. in short, i feel pretty darn great.

-- baby likes to hang out on the left side of my stomach, making for a very lumpy and strange looking bump. i remember cash doing the exact same thing. the left side is the good side apparently.

-- my current cravings are still chili, peach iced tea snapple, milkshakes and sandwiches. oh my god, i would kill for a giant turkey sandwich with lots of cheese on sourdough bread. mmmm. (which is funny...i had these EXACT cravings last time. i'm awfully predictable.)

-- i still can't touch meat (except if its in chili, of course) and i'm kind of starting to miss chicken. but every time i make some, the thought of eating it makes me want to hurl.

-- we're 2 short weeks away from finding out what baby is and we CAN'T WAIT. i've got some serious nesting urges going on. we both sort of feel like it's another boy (to be honest though, i don't have super strong feelings either way) but we'd be happy with a girl too. despite what everyone thinks. nate and i were talking about it the other day and he said, "If baby is a girl, I'm sure she'll be funny and gorgeous and a giant pain in my ass. Just like her mama." to which i replied, "That's what I'm afraid of." cash is enough like me for the two of them - i don't need another personality clone.

-- baby's kicks aren't quite strong enough for nate to feel (he's only felt the babe once) but they're getting there. i'm excited for cash to be able to feel them because it's totally going to freak him out. i'm so mean sometimes.

-- we still don't have any idea where we're giving birth and have absolutely zero plans for a 'birth plan.' long story short, because cash ended up being an emergency c-section, i can't deliver vaginally at the salem hospital, which is where i would prefer to deliver. mostly because my doctor is awesome but also because we had such a great experience there the first time (despite nothing going according to plan.) but i really want to avoid unnecesssary surgery and want to give a VBAC a go. my next closest option is the silverton hospital and i'm having a hard time committing to it. i don't really know why - most of the people i know that have delivered there have had great experiences. i, for whatever insane reason, don't really want to go there. in any case, the decision has to be made soon.

a 'school' update.

2012-02-10T09:04:00.000-08:00

cash's at-home preschool is still going strong.
there are some days that he couldn't be less interested and getting him to sit and pay attention is a bit of a nightmare.
but then there are other days that he grabs his markers as soon as he hops out of bed and runs to the dining room table to do 'cool.' it's cute, but 7:30 is a little early for this momma to be doing anything other than savoring a cup of coffee. which is, unfortunately, decaf right now so it's really just a lie.
his vocabulary is getting better but he still prefers to speak jibberish (though, thanks to a very cute sesame street video, he knows the word 'cornrow.' ha!)
and he recognizes his letters...when he feels like it.
so far, a moderate success.

when i started this whole preschool thing, i didn't expect to enjoy it as much as i do.
but at the start of every week, i get all excited to take down his projects from the previous week so that we can fill up his wall with new stuff.
and most of the crafts are really more for my benefit.
like this:

ummm...ya. those are toilet paper roll gnomes.
cash did the one on the far right. which means he painted the bottom half (sort-of) and then ran off to do something more fun.
i may have also gone a little overboard with the valentine's crafts. my kitchen cabinets are an explosion of hearts and glitter.
also, my dining room floor has looked like a disco ball for over a week.
nate is not amused that somehow all of his clothes sparkle.
i told him he needs to get over it.

nerd alert.

2012-02-08T21:16:00.000-08:00

cash has zero video game experience (nate only plays late at night when he's up and the rest of us are sleeping. i much prefer it that way!)
but chances are pretty good he'll like them.
he was sold on the headphones alone.

shenanigans.

2012-02-07T08:36:00.000-08:00

when left to his own devices for too long, shenanigans ensue.
like finding new and inventive ways to use his trampoline.

moments like this.

2012-02-04T20:06:00.000-08:00

it's moments when i recognize a vague reference to firefly, one that only someone whose seen it would notice or appreciate, that i miss him.

or when i'm reading up on gardening tips for the proposed 'crawford garden' we plan on planting this spring and memories of stuff he told me (stuff that, at the time, i tacitly ignored) comes flooding back. turns out, he really did know EVERYTHING. and apparently those marigolds he always planted actually had a purpose, beyond just being orange and pretty.

or when cash is being particularly stubborn and awful, i think of how i sometimes acted for my dad (which was, primarily, whiny and full of complaint) and wonder why he wanted to spend so much time with a stubborn little pisser like me.

i miss him.

week 1.

2012-02-02T15:45:00.000-08:00

ETA: Stop the presses people - cash pooed on the toilet today. CASH. POO. TOILET. i'm so shocked that i can barely form coherent sentences. now, technically, he started going in his underwear but i happened to be in the room to catch it and made him finish his...um, business on the little potty chair. AND HE DID. and he didn't freak out. you guys, i feel like i've won the poo lottery or something. one small step for cash, one GIANT step towards potty training. ACES.

and no, it doesn't escape me that cash has managed to do something (basically) within the first week of potty training that typically takes kids ages to figure out and accomplish. poo in the toilet? sure, why not? pee in it? are you freaking kidding me? my kid is so wonderfully weird.

also, i'd like to take a moment to thank christina aguilera and her mulan music video for keeping cash sufficiently distracted while he sat. i think i may have found the key to training this kid. and that key is pretty blonde women that sing. apparently.

someday i'm going to be whining about my moody teenage boy, wondering how i'm going to deal.
and then i'll remember potty training.
and i'll thank my lucky stars i'm not doing that shit anymore (literally.)
we've taken teeny tiny baby steps this week.
he still recognizes when he needs to go (except now he lies about it.)
he flat out refuses to wear a diaper.
he still won't pee in the bathroom. period. which means my washing machine is getting a serious workout.
and he won't go in the potty either.
BUT he will sit on it.
this is a big deal, people.
granted, we typically have to distract him with a movie, videos on my phone or food.
but i'm not above bribery.

ps - nate was the first one to get him to sit on the toilet.
first thing he did when he got up on his first day off was tell him to sit on the potty.
and he did.
i'm pretty sure steam was coming out of my ears i was so pissed.
nate later said he was a little afraid i might punch him.
i told him that i was pretty sure i would. (for the record, i didn't. though i may have used some choice words behind cash's back. i'm blaming it on pregnancy hormones but...that's a lie.)
in any case, he'll sit on the damn thing - maybe someday he'll actually pee in it.
in the meantime, i'm buying more underwear.
A LOT more.

a river runs through it.

2012-02-01T14:13:00.000-08:00

a couple weeks ago we experienced a bit of crazy oregon weather.
it started with snow (actual snow! not much, but still) and ended with massive amounts of rain and flooding.
nate and i are freaks and love crazy weather so i thought it was great fun.
even though our driveway did turn into 'the river crawford' and made going anywhere challenging.
not impossible, but challenging.
cash and i did spend one day stranded because nate was working a day shift and had to take the subaru to work (because his car wouldn't make it.)
so cash and i spent the better part of the afternoon freezing our butts off playing in the muddy water.
naturally.

these were taken pretty early in the flood - the water eventually went all the way over our driveway in 3 seperate places and was especially deep by the grove of trees.
but our roof was free of leaks and no water showed up in the basement, so all was good.

all this reminds me of the floods we had back in 1996 (man, that sentence made me sound like an old person.)
at my parents old house, the drainage system in the backyard was...less than stellar, culminating in what we and our neighbors liked to call 'the river fordyce' every time it rained a little bit.
my dad eventually dug up the whole yard and replaced the old clay tiles with fancy plastic stuff, but i'll never forget that winter when i had to cross the 'river' to rescue some stranded kittens on the other side.
dad thought it was great fun too.
we were both really weird.

a homicidal rage.

2012-01-30T12:50:00.000-08:00

every time i hear of YET ANOTHER toddler younger than cash being potty trained, i kind of want to break out in a homicidal rage.
because the mothers of said toilet trained tots are always so helpful. so full of ideas that will help even the most difficult child start using the toilet.
you guys - these women have not met my child.
or if they have, they haven't spent enough time with him to recognize that difficult doesn't fully describe him.
i'm beginning to think he's actually super human - the level of commitment he puts into being stubborn is, frankly, a little inspiring.
and up until recently i've been happy to let my 3 year old that is the size of some 5 year olds run around happily in diapers.
and then i noticed the rub marks on his hips.
you know, rub marks caused from the diaper being too small.
the next size up in diaper DOESN'T EXIST.
so i figured now was as good a time as any to try out this whole 'toilet business.'

let me start off with my biggest regret: being pregnant while trying to potty train the most stubborn child in the history of the universe. because i know for a fact this whole process would be made A LOT easier if mommy could have a beer. or five.
the first day ended with lots of tears over soaked underwear, tears over being terrified to sit on the potty chair, tears over being terrified to sit on the actual toilet, tears over being terrified to pee standing up, tears over desperately needing that beer (ok, that last one was me.)
this morning i was completely prepared to put a diaper on him, at least until i got showered and ready for the day.
but when i went to put his diaper on, he said, "No! Pants-ai." [[for those who don't speak cash, all words have either a 'Y' or an 'AI' at the end of it. i don't know why.]]
me, "What? You don't want a diaper?"
cash, "Pants-ai, pants-ai, pants-AIIIII."
this is about the time that i went, HOLY SHIT, we're getting somewhere.
ya. we weren't.
he happily spent the next 2 hours in his big boy undies. i asked him every 15 minutes if he needed to potty (to which he emphatically replied, "NOOOOO!")

here's where i should mention that the day before i tried every bribery under the sun to get him on the potty.
movies, sesame street videos, gummi bears, frozen blueberries, a lollipop, uninterrupted phone time....nothing.
i also tried the 'aim for the cheerio in the toilet' trick - to no avail.
so when he said, "Potty?" grabbed my phone and took off for the bathroom, i was practically giddy.
then i tried to sit him on the potty chair.
it was like i tried to strap him to the electric chair.
same went for the toilet.
at the end of which he said, "No potty!" and ran away.
with all this toilet talk, i needed to pee (which isn't surprising, i ALWAYS need to pee right now.)
just as i was finishing up washing my hands, i heard "Uh-ohhhhhhh" from the living room.
BIG. HEAVY. SIGH.
sure enough, i found him on the couch, sitting in a puddle of pee, crying.
and he continued to do this for the rest of the day (until i ran out of clean, dry underwear.)

i love when people say, getting them to recognize when they have to go is half the battle!
no, it fucking ISN'T.
getting them to actually SIT ON THE GODDAMNED TOILET is half the battle. [[grandma, sorry about the swear words. you can blame my dad for that.]]
what gets me is i know he can tell when he needs to go. he'll even voice it. but then he refuses to sit on the damn toilet.
and you know what else? he's freaking heavy. and shockingly strong. and wrestling a nearly 50 pound, pissed off toddler onto the toilet is not high on my list of 'things i want to do while pregnant.' (granted, it's not high on my list of things i want to do...ever. still.)
here's hoping that both of us survive this.
without jail time.

freaking genius.

2012-01-30T09:03:00.000-08:00

my aunt sent me this link and i want to print it out and laminate it.
and then maybe frame it.
because it is that genius.
i'd also like to point all child-less people to this article (you know, the type that think they've got this parenting thing on lock down, despite never having actually changed a diaper) and say, LOOK. kids have a tendency to be evil. and sometimes assholes. and you are going to have no idea what you are doing and will probably screw them up in some way, however minor.
it's inevitable.
make your peace with it and move on.
i also want to give a copy to cash when he gets older and say, "It's alright that you were such an evil little pisser as a child - someday your kids are going to be assholes too."

the snuggler.

2012-01-29T10:45:00.000-08:00

so, i'm a cuddler.
i like to show people that i love them by giving them hugs - that's just me.
it annoys the hell out of nate and up until very recently, i assumed it bugged cash too.
because i grab him 50 times a day to give him a hug or quick snuggle.
i can't help it, he's quite cuddly.
still, it never once occurred to me that he might actually enjoy it.
or need it, for that matter.
until this week.
my bestie julie was hanging out with us for the day, giving me reason to have glorious grown-up conversations (that is, grown-up for us, which probably isn't. but whatever.)
which left cash to his own devices to entertain himself.
he was all fine and dandy until the afternoon rolled around and he started acting like a little demon.
and i, for the life of me, couldn't figure out what his deal was.
i thought he might want to some play time (nope) or maybe some sesame street videos (nope again.)
he was in mid-fit when i sat down on the couch, pulled him into my lap and said, "buddy - what is the DEAL? why are you acting like this?"
and it was at that precise moment that he snuggled into me and gave me a hug.
we sat like that for a few minutes and then he jumped up and went off to play in his room.
he just wanted some snuggle time.
go figure.
sometimes, i'll admit it - i get a little annoyed when he insists that i drop everything to sit on the couch and snuggle for 10 minutes.
and then i remember that in a few years? i'll probably give pretty much anything to have some cuddle time with my sweet boy.
so really, i just need to get over myself.
and soak up that snuggle time.

a goodbye.

2012-01-27T09:21:00.000-08:00

last week we made the really difficult decision to take the ferrets to a shelter to be adopted.
i've alternatively felt really good and really horrible about it.
but i think it was the best decision for everyone.
their quality of life has suffered ever since cash was born, but especially within the last 6 months.
even being at home, i couldn't keep up with poo clean-up and special diet needs for boston and getting them enough exercise....and it was only going to get worse once the new baby arrives.
so we took them to a no-kill shelter in oregon city (the oregon ferret shelter.)
the lady who runs it was awesome, her facility (with 150+ ferrets) was cleaner than our cage ever hoped to be and she already had a foster home lined up to take the two of them once they get vaccinated (they will remain in that foster home until they die - they are too old to adopt.)
i cannot explain how relieved i was to hear that.
we'll miss the stinky little bastards but are so glad that we were able to find a better place for them.

alien baby [month 4]

2012-01-26T09:07:00.000-08:00

-- i'm excited to say that i haven't thrown up in 3 days. THREE DAYS. dudes, you have no idea how awesome that feels. i still occasionally feel a little sea-sick (especially if i have to cook meat for any reason - yuck.)

-- i'm having mad chili cravings. even the gross, canned stuff. i'm obsessed. (it's funny, i had the exact same craving last time.)

-- ever since i had cash, my left hip has never been the same. when i was at the restaurant and on my feet all day, there were times where my entire leg would be numb because it hurt so bad. this pregnancy is not doing that hip any favors. some days i hobble around here like willow.

-- for the most part, i haven't experienced any new pregnancy symptoms - that is, until this week. all of the sudden, i'm getting nosebleeds all over the place. it's so gross.

-- i'm feeling lots and lots of baby movement these days. especially after i eat ice cream (kid after my own heart, i tell you.) nate finally felt some kicks last night - it was pretty awesome.

-- pregnancy the second time around is really strange. the first time, everything goes by so fast and you're in love with every new little experience (for the most part.) this time it's like...ya, i've done this before - i want the baby to be here already! needless to say, i'm a little impatient over here.

-- cash and i had this conversation the other night, while we were snuggling in bed (MY bed - have i mentioned he still won't sleep in his own? sigh...it's about to get really crowded in there.)
cash: mommy. cash. seepin. (sleeping)
me: yup buddy, it's time for us to go to sleep.
(after a pause) cash: and ba-bee.
me: ha, yes bud - baby too.
[[sometimes it completely knocks me out the stuff that he 'gets' without really letting on.]]

-- in one short week, i went from looking 'just kinda fat' to 'bam! there's a baby in there!' i'm still at the awkward stage where it's not totally obvious (especially depending on what i'm wearing.) it's the worst. i've managed to only buy one piece of maternity clothes (leggings - the most comfortable things in the world) but it's getting about time for me to buy some jeans. i can still wear my regular ones but there getting hard to keep up (being completely unzipped will do that to you.)

he's best when he's sleeping.

2012-01-23T14:39:00.000-08:00

this, right here, was reason enough to have another baby.
how could you not want another one of those running around?

the caped crusader.

2012-01-22T09:56:00.000-08:00

we got cash this cape for his 2nd birthday.

and up until last week, he flat-out refused to wear it.

i don't know what changed for him, but now he wears it with varying frequency.

and i'm pretty sure there is nothing more awesome than seeing him terrorize the house wearing his cape.

it makes me really, really want one.

a snow day.

2012-01-17T09:52:00.000-08:00

we FINALLY got to enjoy some real winter weather this weekend.

we don't get a whole lot of snow in the valley where we live so we headed to silver falls for some sledding.

and this is what happened:

note the GIANT smile on cash's face. it was plastered there the entire time. the boy loves to sled.
these next photos are my favorite - the run that made nate decide he may be too old to sled.

i love that nate's face says, PAIN! and cash's says, LET'S DO IT AGAIN!

we're crossing our fingers and hoping there's more snow in our future.

adventures in toddler bedtimes.

2012-01-14T21:16:00.000-08:00

just when i was starting to get used to cash's sporadic sleeping habits, he decided to one-up me and refuse to sleep in his bed.
like, at all.
ever.
the first night i chalked it up to a late nap keeping him up until 10:30 when i finally dragged him into bed with me.
the second night i went into his room 45 minutes after he went to bed and found him looking at books with every light in the room blazing.
i asked him if he wanted to come to bed with me and he said, "bed?" grabbed his blanket, and headed straight for the bedroom.
i would get annoyed but within 10 mins, he's out like a light.
plus, he keeps me warm.
which allows me to overlook the occasional elbow in the face or the fact that he snores like an old person with a sinus infection.
if he keeps this up, i may need to invest in some earplugs.

but c'mon - would you kick him out of bed?

my little insomniac.

2012-01-11T17:27:00.000-08:00

turning 3 has flipped this little boy's sleep schedule completely on its ear.
ever since he was a couple months old, he's slept through the night, no problems. often times for 12+ hours at a time.
it was a simpler time.
now he maxes out at 8 hours and that's typically in spurts.
it's getting a little old, let me tell you.
last night (or rather, early pearly this morning) nate brought cash into our room at 5 in the hopes that he would snuggle with me and maybe fall back asleep.
apparently he had already been up for an hour and since he's never (EVER) managed to fall back asleep in bed with me i wasn't holding my breath.
but then, after cuddling with me for about 20 minutes, he drifted off.
and slept for almost 3 more glorious, snuggly hours.
which of course meant that i couldn't get back to sleep because sometimes life is just really unfair.
in any case, i'm crossing my fingers that this wasn't a once-in-a-blue-moon occurence.
because i could really use some more sleep.

a first for everything.

2012-01-08T18:37:00.000-08:00

cash has taken up a sudden fascination with the toilet.
we've been cautiously encouraging it because we really want him to get this potty training show on the road. (ps, the big boy undies that i thought would get him super excited? didn't.)
in the last few days he's been taking the fascination to a whole new level and has been flushing entire rolls of toilet paper down the toilet (which doesn't work, i might add.)
he also emptied half a box of kleenex into that bad boy.
needless to say, cash has been spending his fair share of time in time-out due to toilet related naughtiness.
but nate and i were thanking our lucky stars that he hadn't flushed something else.
you know, until yesterday.
i had a bit of a rough night sleeping wise so i was moving a little slow that morning.
i was fixing breakfast when i suddenly realized i didn't hear him in the living room.
in fact, i didn't hear him at all. which is always a sign of trouble.
right as i was walking towards the back of the house i heard the toilet flush and cash exclaim, "where'd it go? where'd it go?"
F BOMB.
i found our sweet little three old holding a plastic cup, grinning ear to ear, standing over our open toilet.
which seemed rather innocent until i remembered that his fish bathtub toy was in that cup.
and now it wasn't.
didn't take a genius to figure out what happened there.
long story short, that little toy was really wedged in there.
so we are now the owners of a shiny new toilet.
on a positive note, we don't have to jiggle the handle anymore.
and it happened on one of nate's days off, which saved me from having to call a plumber.
so you know...there's that.

christmas.

2012-01-05T19:51:00.000-08:00

i always consider it a win if i get at least ONE picture from christmas day that is even remotely good (ps - this year, this is it.)
christmas seems ages ago already but i'm still trying to get the house back to normal.
i have a feeling the gingerbread house is going to be here till next christmas because i keep forgetting to throw the damn thing out.
anyhow, our holiday was wonderful.
cash's favorite present was this thomas the train/pirate ship thing.
nate's was a toss up between his ipod deck and the 'game of thrones' book set.
and mine was a tie between my silver glitter toms (you know, the ones i've been lusting after for YEARS. my mom RULES.) and a set of new frying pans. frying pans get me excited, y'all. especially when i've been using the same crappy wal-mart ones for almost 6 years.
[[i should note that all of these came from my mom - she's a champion gift giver.]]

an alien baby update.

2012-01-04T14:30:00.000-08:00

-- first off, this picture is a little deceiving...for whatever reason, that shirt made me look WAY more pregnant than i really am.

-- that being said, i've definitely got a bump going on.

-- i had been feeling pretty fantastic until i hit 12 weeks, literally. ever since, i've been sicker than ever. yesterday i couldn't keep anything down until about 1 in the afternoon. to say it was not a good day would be an understatement. i'm loading up on B6 and crossing my fingers that it goes away soon.

-- now every time i go to the bathroom to ralph, cash whines and cries at the door. he's just as over it as i am.

-- cash is starting to grasp it a little more (i think.) he points at the ultrasound picture and says, 'baby!' but when i tell him the baby is in my tummy, he just looks at me like, 'oh mom! you're so weird.'

-- we made our first big baby related purchase (a jogging stroller that i scored a KILLA deal on at the consignment store.) cash tested it out and approved.

-- i've started feeling little baby movements. at first i thought i was hallucinating because it seems super early (i'm coming up on 13 weeks at the end of the week) but its becoming more and more distinct. its one part super awesome, one part super weird. maybe i'm missing the 'everything about being pregnant is magical and amazing' gene because most of this whole process just weirds me the hell out. seriously.

also? giving birth kind of gives me the 'ick' face. there. i said it. sue me.

ETA: because my doctor likes to whip out the ol' ultrasound machine at any possible moment (ok, not really - it just feels that way.) we have another little picture of our little alien. the tech was trying to get some specific measurements (testing for down syndrome, etc) and baby was stubborn as can be. an omen of things to come, i'm sure. fantastic.

the movie buff.

2012-01-03T18:57:00.000-08:00

my dad was a bit of a movie buff.
aside from airplanes, guns and being a big ol' nerd, watching movies was probably one of his most favorite things to do.
he loved to go to the theater and as my sister and i got older, his birthday dates always turned into a movie followed by coldstone. (i can't tell you how many stupid sci-fi movies i slept through. i even managed to sleep all the way through terminator 3. i saw the very beginning and the ending credits. my dad was not pleased.)
he was one of the first people to have a netflix account (seriously - we had to wait a week to get a new movie because they weren't any distribution centers in oregon.) i didn't even know what it was until he explained it to me.
and he constantly emailed me at work, giving his opinion on whatever movie he watched the night before.
so every once in awhile, after i've finished watching a new movie, it'll hit me that it was a movie he never got to see.
a movie i'll never hear his opinion on.
a movie we'll never get to argue about.
and it makes me incredibly, ridiculously sad.
it's funny - there are so many other things that i feel like i should miss about him more.
but honestly, this is it.
i miss those daily movie emails.
the saturday morning talks that always started with, "have you watched anything good lately?"
the trips to the theater.
i don't think i'll ever be able to leave a movie theater without instantly thinking of him.
and frankly, that's freaking depressing.

2011.

2012-01-02T21:20:00.000-08:00

2011 was quite the year.

a year full of change. lots of it.

but it was also a year full of joy and happiness.

and we're ready to see what this year brings us.

here's a little recap of our year:

january.

february.

march.

april.

may.

june.

july.

august.

september.

october.

november.

december.

the hat stealer.

2011-12-30T21:02:00.000-08:00

the boy who would not wear hats is suddenly completely ok with hats.
but not his own hat. goodness, no.
he has to wear dad's hats. or one of my hats.
and its completely hilarious and sweet.

a self-dressed man.

2011-12-29T20:57:00.000-08:00

cash is all about picking out in his own clothes now.
which means he wears alot of mismatched crazy, often including jammies all day long.
it's pretty sweet.

recovery.

2011-12-28T13:08:00.000-08:00

we're trying to recover from christmas 2011 madness over here in the crawford household.
unfortunately, the house is still decorated, new toys have still yet to find homes and the goodwill donation box overfloweth.
despite all that, our holiday was pretty wonderful (albeit, exhausting) and it's a little hard to believe that this christmas will be our last as a family of 3. weird.
off to begin operation 'take my house back.'
i may or may not ever resurface.

[[pictures from our trip on the 'polar express' in hood river. it was fun but far too long of a train ride for a squirmy 3 year old who had just spent 2.5 hours in a car. poor planning on our part. but he didn't punch santa in the face, which was a legitimate concern, so i'm calling it a win.]]

2011-12-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

this boy in december.

2011-12-23T10:00:00.000-08:00

- he is so sweet and patient with me in the morning (you know, while i'm hanging onto the toilet for dear life.) sometimes he'll stroke my hair, other times he'll wipe my face when i'm done. it absolutely kills me. of course, there are also the times that he tries to shut the lid on my head. you just never know with this kid.

- the other day, my bestie julie was visiting. she was giving me an update on something that is going on with her family and she was getting a little agitated about it when cash came in from the other room and gave her a hug. then he grabbed my arm and made me give her a hug too. he doesn't miss a beat, that one.

- he is obsessed with our christmas tree and has lovingly redecorated it countless times. so far, no broken ornaments (that i've found at least.)

- he still has a complete lack of interest in the wrapped presents; our tree has tons of gifts under the tree and he doesn't give them a second look. not gonna lie, its kind of awesome.

- he's finally to the point where it isn't a chore to take him to the grocery store and loves to 'help' in any way that i'll let him.

- he is adding new words to his vocabulary every single day. he never stops talking, though most of the time it still doesn't sound like english.

- i'm cracking down even harder on bad words in front of him (mostly on nate and my friends...i don't swear that much.) the other day nate let one slip and cash repeated it clear as day. nate looked at me and said, "did he really just say that?" "yup." "wow...i really need to watch my mouth." um...duh honey. sheesh.

- the days of him sleeping straight through the night (or sleeping for 12+ hours a night) are long gone. he's been getting out of bed at random times, having difficulty falling asleep and comes into our room at 6:30 most mornings. considering he's never gotten up that early since...ever, that's freaking early.

- bathtime is a screaming match and more than once i've considered just wiping him down with a baby wipe.

he's such a rad kid - i'm so lucky to be able to stay home with him.
even if it means lots of tap dancing videos.

this week and a gratuitous belly shot.

2011-12-21T10:00:00.000-08:00

we're on week 3 of at-home preschool and it's going...ok.
last week was full of hits and misses but i did experience the best day cash has had yet.
julie was here visiting for the day so maybe he was just doing it to impress her (which is fine by me) but he paid attention the full half hour, watched the sesame street video more than once and was just being pleasantly cooperative.
it was awesome.
the start of this week was pretty rough - he was running a fever and sick all day so it was a bit of a struggle to get even 10 minutes out of him. but 10 minutes is better than nothing.
i'm starting to at least get some of a glimpse as to how he learns best (by watching, not doing. and dear god, don't put him on the spot.)
i'm constantly changing and adapting the curriculum and pretty much spending our entire 'school time' talking his ear off.
i know that he's listening, he's just too stubborn to interact much (and when he does, it comes as a total surprise to both of us. today, out of the blue, he pointed to the picture of a C that he had colored and yelled, "C!" and when i congratulated him, he got mad and sulked off. sigh.)

and in pregnancy news...i'm still sick every morning but typically go the rest of the day feeling ok.
-i think this time of year is the worst to be pregnant and 'trying not to gain too much weight.' this baby has had a steady diet of oatmeal cookies and banana-almond muffins. it's bad. and delicious.
-i'm weird about different things this time (ie, not punching people in the face when they touch my belly. i do reserve the right to slap any stranger that tries it, however.)
-this time, i am getting irritated when people ask if we've chosen names. i don't know why - i can't even explain it. (for the record, we haven't. which makes it even weirder that it bothers me.) apparently i won't be telling anybody once we do. because my pregnant self is insane.
-this time around the aches and pains are hitting me shockingly early - i instantly feel a difference in the morning if i skipped yoga the day before (not that it stops me from skipping...i'm not very smart sometimes.)
-cash keeps pointing to our ultrasound picture and asking "is that? is that?" when i tell him it's the baby, he gets the most puzzled look on his face. it's adorable.

and that's about what's happening in our neighborhood.
nate finally gets some days off starting thursday and we all can't WAIT.
we're taking cash on the 'polar express' up in hood river and i'm pretty sure nate and i are the most excited. (we get to see santa! what? that's exciting.)

the best christmas surprise.

2011-12-19T11:30:00.000-08:00

not gonna lie - probably the best part of our christmas party was when this girl walked into my house and totally surprised me.
nicole is one of my closest friends (and cousin) but lives in washington so we rarely get to see her.
to say i was completely shocked would be a serious understatement (reality: i almost peed my pants. i'm gonna blame it on gestating a human, but thats probably not entirely fair.)
i'm thanking my lucky christmas stars that i got to see her.
and can't wait for the spring when we get to see her again!

(also? she won best ugly sweater award. her sweater had BELLS for god's sakes. it was amazing. and her antlers lit up. girl knows how to show up unannounced at a party.)

the ugly sweater party.

2011-12-18T18:38:00.000-08:00

i've been wanting to throw an 'ugly sweater' christmas party for years and this year we finally did it.
we served tasty white trash treats (including a tater tot casserole which was embarrassingly good. i ate far too much of it) watched christmas movies till the cash monster went to bed and then played a cutthroat game of apples to apples.
i'm already making grand plans for next year.

[[note that even cash and piper are wearing ugly sweaters...this is why i have children and pets people.]]

boston.

2011-12-16T10:00:00.000-08:00

our furry little ferret monster turned 5 this past summer.
with a life expectancy of not much longer than 6 years, we knew this next year could be it.
so it shouldn't have come as much of a shock when i took him out of the cage the other day and he was skin and bones.
his weight has always fluctuated from season to season but he's never been this thin.
i'm afraid that this winter might be it for him.
and while i whine and complain about changing their litter box, tripping over their toys in our dark bedroom and finding teeth marks in our leather belts...i'm really going to miss this guy when he finally goes.
he was our first pet together.
sure, sometimes i still wish we had gotten a cat.
but i love this smelly little guy.
and i sure will miss him.

[[just wanted to add, he does still seem to be eating/drinking regularly but he's just not gaining weight. nate thinks his hips might be going out too because he walks like a stiff old man. i loaded up on ferret vitamin supplements at petco the other day so we're hopeful that will at least keep him from getting malnourished.]]

2011-12-15T19:42:00.000-08:00

this year's tree hunting was interesting, as always.
it was cold as hell but beautiful and sunny.
cash ran around like a crazy person (nature lover!) while i picked out 3 perfect trees.
we got the biggest tree to date for our house and nate commented that, "we're a real family now - we've graduated to the big trees!"
cash kept trying to feed tree branches to the sheep in the field next to the trees.
we lost him for about 5 minutes while he hid from us.
and he pitched a big fat fit when it was time to leave. it was epic.
all in all a pretty perfect day.

and this is totally blurry and out of focus but i cannot stop cracking up about how cash looks like bigfoot.

the animals.

2011-12-14T21:35:00.000-08:00

awww, these two.
some days they get along great - kisses all around with an added bonus of shared goldfish.
and other days i'll find them in the living room, cash screaming at her while she stubbornly lays on the blanket he's trying to snuggle with.
cash has even learned to tell her to get on her bed (in fact, when we look at pictures of her he'll say "bed!" as often as he says "piper.")
she gets highly offended when he does this and hardly ever listens.
i keep telling her she should be more grateful to the one that makes sure she gets lots of treats.
either way, i'm so glad we have these two - my day is never dull.

on stay-at-home dads.

2011-12-12T21:26:00.000-08:00

this thread on offbeat mama made me really weepy today (pregnancy hormones!)
i never really thought about how fortunate (or how unusual) i was to have my dad be a 'stay-at-home-dad' for a time when i was a toddler.
i'm not exactly sure how old i was, but i imagine between 3 or 4.
my mom worked and my dad was doing some consulting stuff (i think...i'm going off a 3 year old memory here) while he looked for something permanent. so that meant that he was at home with me all day.
and for the most part, it rocked.
when it was nice, we spent all day outside.
we ate completely un-balanced lunches (i distinctly remember a lot of peanut butter covered bananas.)
and we watched a lot of star trek.
in short, it was pretty rad.

in fact, i might have nothing to complain about had it not been for him starving me.
dad believed in no snacking. as in, you ate 3 big meals a day and that's it.
i for one, have never been able to operate that way and i especially couldn't as a little kid.
i'll never forget one morning i told dad i was hungry - he looked at the clock and said, "It's only 11:30. We eat lunch at noon."
i must have asked something along the lines of, "When's noon?" because i remember him telling me that it was when both of the hands were on the number 12. (looking back, that's probably how i learned how to tell time.)
i sat there in agony, watching the time slowly tick by.
dad couldn't understand why i was so upset. he was so clueless sometimes.
by the end of the day, i was seriously missing my momma.
i was laying on their bed, wearing her nightgown and watching him work on something in his office.
as soon as i heard her car pull into the driveway, i shot out the door yelling, "Mommy's home! Mommy's home!"
she got out of her car and said something to me (i don't remember what she said at all) and i promptly burst into tears, exclaiming, "Dad STARVED me!"
i'm sure that lent itself to an interesting conversation between them later.
in the end, he never changed his stance on no snacking.
and mom took to hiding little baggies of grapes, carrots and crackers in places that i could get to myself so i wouldn't 'starve.'
i never, EVER let him live this down.
when i would start in on him starving me, he would roll his eyes so hard i swore they were going to fall right out of his head.

despite all that, i really loved having him around.
he was there when i learned how to tie my shoes.
he was the one who found pet frogs for me while we were outside.
he was the one who showed me the wonder that is peanut butter toast.
as i got older, he got a job and mom stayed home. there were days that i didn't see him for longer than 15 minutes because of his commute.
i don't think i fully appreciated having that time with him until i was much older.
we were exceptionally close and i think that time may have had something to do with it.
i hope he knows how much it meant to me.

this week.

2011-12-11T13:55:00.001-08:00

cash likes to keep busy and when the weather is nice, it's a cinch.
we can spend hours upon hours outside and he's happy as a clam.
during the winter, it's a bit more of a challenge.
and since this is the first winter that i'll be at home, i decided that cash needed something to help keep him occupied.
thus, the plans to do at-home preschool was born.
i'm following (loosely) a curriculum i found online that focuses on a letter, number, shape/color and overall theme per week, in half hour chunks over 4 days. in addition, we're doing some sign language and simple spanish words just for kicks. (little known cash fact: he says boots [as in his rubber boots] in spanish. i called them botas one day and it stuck in his little brain. it's the cutest.)
i'm not gonna lie - putting all of this stuff together took me ages. towards the end i felt like i was in construction paper hell.

hopefully it will all be worth it.
last week was our first week of pre-school.
the first day he was totally into it for the full half hour. the second day he lasted about 20 minutes before asking to watch tap dancing videos (his reward for participating.) the third day was rough - 10 minutes in he was over it. i even tried to bribe him with sesame street videos about squares (which was the focus for the day.) 5 seconds into 'its hip to be square' and he was screaming. then again, that may just be because i was dancing and singing along. the fourth day involved finger painting so he was in like flynn.
and now i'm crossing my fingers and hoping he starts to enjoy it.

we hang all of his projects for the week here in his room.

each week i take everything down and start over.

eta: i found this video while i was searching youtube for 'number one' videos and it cracked me UP. and now i find myself saying, 'make it so, number one.' cash thinks i'm crazy.

the walkies.

2011-12-10T14:13:00.000-08:00

we've been having some beautiful, rain-free (albeit, freezing cold) weather lately so cash and i have been trying to spend as much time as possible outside.
lucky for us, we have lots of room to explore.
also, we'd be terrible hunters - we both lack the ability to walk through a forest quietly.
i think every animal within a ten mile radius ran for cover when they heard us crashing through.

the decorations.

2011-12-09T14:04:00.001-08:00

this year is the first year that cash is showing any interest whatsoever in anything related to christmas.
when i busted out the decorations the other day, he immediately claimed my snow globe and light up christmas tree as his own.
it was pretty sweet.
today we're headed out to get our tree (nate FINALLY has a day off, woo!) and we're both pretty excited.
christmas is just the best.

i swear this isn't going to turn into an 'all baby, all the time' thing.

2011-12-06T17:15:00.001-08:00

but if i don't write this stuff down somewhere, i'll just forget:

- i get sick about every other morning but i dry heave every day (if that's too much information, i'm sorry.)

- i don't want to eat anything but breakfast food. it's a french toast party over here.

- i already look like i ate a big lunch (aka, i'm a little ummm....poochy down there) and it's a bit depressing.

- i could do with at least one nap during the day. which i never get because cash doesn't nap anymore. ever.

- i actually have days where i genuinely feel pretty good, which is different than last time. then again, last time i was a big crabby pants and i think i made myself worse subconciously.

- i also think i may be mellowing out because i let two (TWO) people touch my stomach the other day and i didn't punch either of them in the face. granted, it was two of my closest friends but still...no one was safe from a throat punch last time.

taken last week. see? big lunch.

i had my first ultrasound today (an experience that i'm a little scarred from, not gonna lie. when she whipped the internal wand thing out, i thought i might faint.)

baby is measuring about 9 weeks with a strong heart beat at about 170.

so all is good in the ol' uterus.

(and before you whip out your 'baby girls have higher heart rates than boys' theory - cash's heart rate was between 165 and 175 my whole pregnancy. sorry heather!)

and while i was pretty sure we were having a human, turns out we're having a snowman.

don't see it?

total snowman, am i right?

a couple of bums.

2011-12-05T11:39:00.001-08:00

good days are sort of hit and miss around these parts...some days i feel so sick that i don't want to leave the couch.
which means that cash stays in his jammies pretty much all day.
i don't think it bothers him one bit but it makes me feel a little like a bum.
on the upside, its less laundry to wash.
there's always a silver lining, am i right?

the third birthday.

2011-12-03T10:01:00.001-08:00

this year we threw cash two little birthday parties, one with my family and one with nate's.
cash got really overwhelmed with so many people in our house last year so we thought this would be easier on him (which it was.)
i completely forgot to take pictures at the party with nate's family and these are really the only good ones i got from the other.
he wouldn't unwrap his presents (again) though he did have a blast throwing wadded up bits of paper at his uncle buck.
and he wouldn't touch his dirt cake, but did eat a couple of the gummy worms from the top (which i had completely expected.)
he got loads of awesome gifts but his favorite was art supplies from his aunt 'eesa' and uncle buck.
he literally hasn't stopped painting since.

white christmas.

2011-12-01T18:32:00.001-08:00

cash has always been a big fan of tap dancing.
one of his favorite disney movies is mary poppins (which, can i just say, for a kids movie it is RIDICULOUSLY long and frankly, kind of dull. and he loves it.)
so when i busted out the christmas movies it didn't take him long to fall in love with white christmas.
we've watched it dozens of times already and i couldn't be more fine with that.
because it? is my favorite movie of all time. seriously.
i've seen it probably a thousand times.
so little does cash know....everyone time he brings me that movie and asks, "watch? watch?" I'm pretty much going to say yes every time.
it's my weakness.

by george, i think we've done it.

2011-11-30T13:00:00.001-08:00

just to get all the awkward (to me) questions out of the way: yes, it was planned; yes, we are very excited; no, cash doesn't have any idea what the heck we are talking about and why yes, i AM feeling quite barfy.

i think that about covers it.

[[here's a fair warning: i tend to be not very nice while i'm pregnant. so...sorry about that. but you better get used to it. just saying.]]

the birthday photo tradition.

2011-11-29T19:44:00.001-08:00

cash in november.

2011-11-26T18:48:00.001-08:00

-- he's really starting to play the 'repeating game' - i love watching him try to connect his brain to his mouth to get the words to come out right. (couch is almost always church on the first try.)

-- he is in love with a stuffed christmas dog toy he found at petco.

-- he uses "m's" when he should be using "b's" and "o's" when he should use "m's." trying to decipher what he's saying is not unlike speaking to an angry foreigner.

-- he throws 10-second tantrums. that's typically all it takes in time-out before he comes to me with his apology hugs.

-- we've watched the original cartoon grinch movie about 7 times. and it's not even december yet. i shouldn't have busted out the christmas movies in front of him.

-- he's always the best behaved when i least expect it.

-- he ate nothing but peas and cranberries at thanksgiving.

-- he likes to run around shirtless in the morning. even when it's freezing cold.

-- every morning he comes into the bedroom, flips on the light and climbs in to snuggle for 10 minutes. it is hands down the best way to start my morning (i could do without the light though.)

-- when we're at target, he'll point out certain clothes and yell, "cuuuuuuuute!" he actually has pretty good taste. most of the time.

-- anything that is not HIS idea, is a BAD idea.

-- he tried to cat-nap his aunt lisa's cat when we were leaving her house. he wants his very own kitty SO. BAD. (no, santa isn't bringing him one. the pets don't need to outnumber the humans here, thank you very much.)

-- he hardly gets any milk anymore because i refuse to give it to him in a bottle and he refuses to drink it out of a cup. i don't think he realizes he's dealing with the MASTER of stubborness.

-- he takes a nap about every 3rd day. i'm learning to live with it.

-- he gets his little feelings hurt so easily. i always feel like crap when i do it without realizing, only to find him standing there in tears.

giving thanks.

2011-11-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

this year, i'm thankful for a hard-working husband that willingly sacrifices for his family.
having just enough.
snow.
a warm house in stormy weather.
a little boy that would rather collect sticks and rocks than sit inside and be warm.
sweet snuggles.
my mom.
some of the very best friends.
being healthy.
memories.
wonderful grandparents.
warm blankets.
handmade things.
a dining room table lovingly decorated with marker by a certain boy.
christmas music on the radio far too early for me to admit enjoying.

and i'm thankful for the ability to be content with this life.
i'm so very lucky.

wishing you a wonderful thanksgiving!

[[here's what i was thankful for last year and the year before that.]]

accessorize.

2011-11-23T11:36:00.001-08:00

sometimes the perfect accessory IS a wreath of flowers in your hair.
this boy is endlessly entertaining.

[[as if to hit this point home, he's currently outside playing in the yard in the pouring rain. no hat, in his tennis shoes, soaked to the bone. and happy as a clam.]]

three.

2011-11-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

cash - you're unlike any little boy i've ever met.
you're messy and complicated, sweet and kind, quick to anger and stubborn, generous and loving.
you're wonderful and unique and i wouldn't change a single thing about you.
(though your affinity for leaving bits of play-dough all over the house i could do without.)
you were a most unexpected surprise but there was never once a day that you weren't wanted.
it's not all sunshine and lollipops - sometimes being your momma is downright difficult.
but i wouldn't trade it for anything.
ever.
i know that someday i'll just embarrass you and you will much rather spend time with your friends.
just know that your dad and i have always loved you.
and we always will.

happy 3rd birthday sweet boy.

xo - your momma and daddy

on sarcasm.

2011-11-18T22:36:00.001-08:00

ok so THIS, is kind of awesome.
"An inability to understand sarcasm may be an early warning sign of brain disease."
i have a couple of high school teachers that need a brain scan STAT.
i was so misunderstood.
or just a jerk. that could be it too.
this also means that cash is going to be brilliant, since this article basically says that if you understand sarcasm, you're just a teensy bit smarter.
i'm pretty sure cash will speak fluent sarcasm before he fully masters english.
actually, i'm positive of this.
i have no idea who he could have possibly inherited this trait from.

yesterday.

2011-11-17T18:55:00.001-08:00

[nate, rooting through the freezer] why is the cool whip in the freezer? how am i supposed to eat it?
me: you are not supposed to eat it. it's for cash's birthday cake so HANDS OFF.
nate: well that's not very nice.
me: i swear, if you even LOOK at it, i will beat you.
nate: you know, i think you've gotten meaner.
me: oh, whatever. SHUT THE FREEZER.

nate happens to have a pretty wicked sweet tooth and there are certain things that he just can't be trusted with.
cool whip being one of them. (along with frosting and any sort of sour, gummy candy.)
i've learned to take extreme measures over the years to keep him out of stuff i don't want him to eat.
he more than makes up for our kid that doesn't like sweets.
good thing he's cute.

the cuddle-bug.

2011-11-16T20:48:00.001-08:00

cash has become quite the little cuddle monster.
it's absolutely the best part of my day.
sometimes he lies down on the couch and make me put my head on his chest while he sticks his fingers in my ear (which isn't really as annoying as it sounds.)
sometimes he sits on my lap, making sure my arms are securely around him, and place his head on a very specific part of my cheek.
and sometimes he'll just lean his little face against mine, so our cheeks are touching.
when he does that, i forget to care that he filled the couch with bits of blue play-dough or that he snuck into the kitchen cupboards and ate half a box of fruit snacks.
i love that sweet boy.

[[remember the boy that wouldn't ever wear hats? now he won't take this one off.]]

home.

2011-11-14T10:21:00.000-08:00

cash and i just got back from a quick 5 day trip to california to see our family.
it was the first time cash has ever been out of state, first time on a long (ish) road trip, first time meeting a lot of our family.
it also marks the first time we've ever been away from nate for that long (myself included.)
it was a little rough.
when nate got home from work the morning after we got back (the first time we got to see him) i've never seen him look so happy.
this is the last time i'm ever leaving the state without him though - while we were gone he went car shopping and found the perfect car (which we bought) and we may have also adopted a cat.
clearly he can't be trusted.
in any case, i don't ever want to forget:

-- cash getting worried and scared the first night when we kept driving and driving. at one point he realized there was no way we were going home and started crying. i had to call nate so he could talk to him and calm him down.

-- stopping at rest stops to pee and run laps with cash to burn up energy.

-- trips to the coolest park down the street from my grandparents house; trips that always ended in epic meltdowns.

-- cash giving himself a black eye when he ran into a door knob.

-- cash and i going swimming at 8:30 in the morning. he loves the water and spent the entire time jumping off the edge into my arms.

-- walking laps around the hotel in our jammies to let mom and lisa sleep a bit longer.

-- breakfast at the hotel (omelet and hashbrowns for me, bacon and cantalope for him.)

-- my grandpa teasing cash just like he used to tease me. cash didn't take to it too well at first but eventually started dishing it right back to him.

-- cash watching the wizard of oz, holding hands with my grandpa and lisa.

-- daily starbucks runs (as soon as we got into the car at the hotel cash would say, "coffee? coffee?" awesome.)

-- cash falling asleep on the couch, goldfish in hand, with a house full of loud, crazy people. he snored away for 2 hours.

-- at night when he was ready to turn the lights out and sleep, he would grab my head and put it on his chest. i wasn't allowed to move until he finally drifted off (if i tried, he would grab me and put my head back.) it was the best. until 3 in the morning when i would get a finger up the nose or a knee in the rib. we haven't slept in the same bed since he was an infant and i won't lie and say i didn't enjoy it.

-- cash and i cuddling in the big grey chair, him eventually falling asleep so soundly that i had to eat dinner with one hand, my plate balanced on the arm, because i couldn't get him to move.

-- cash completely forgetting how shy he is, saying a great big, "Thank you!" to my aunt and uncle who gave him some Thomas the Train toys.

-- cash eating a package of tortillas almost entirely to himself. my grandpa makes them the best. (cash agrees.)

-- getting completely embarrassed when my grandma started making perverted jokes. i'm going to need so much therapy.

-- getting a sweet little kiss from my youngest cousin.

-- cash getting a huge smile on his face every time we called nate.

-- sending nate a billion picture message updates about what we were doing.

-- completely biffing it on this spinning toy at the playground. like, bad. it was hilarious.

we can't wait to go back.
with nate, of course.

halloween 2011.

2011-11-09T20:17:00.000-08:00

a monster, adam levine and a pirate.

of course, piper was costumed too. duh.

eta: cash isn't a trick or treater (he hates strangers. and candy. kind of a bogus holiday for him) so we hung out at mom's house eating lollipops (the only type of candy he likes) and watching charlie brown. a successful halloween!

fall has officially left the building.

2011-11-07T11:51:00.000-08:00

we'll miss you Fall, but this family is ready for some snow!

the accent.

2011-11-06T19:20:00.000-08:00

now that cash is talking more and more, he's picked up a distinct accent.
a boston accent, in fact.
words that normally only have one syllabel now have two or three.
haaaaa-eeh -- hair
deeeee-aaaah -- deer
eeeee-aaaaah -- ear
it's all very hilarious.
and a little unfortunate, since i've picked up the habit now too.
we sound AWESOME around here.

happy birthday to my momma!

2011-11-04T09:14:00.001-07:00

we love love love you.

wherein i practice chemical warefare.

2011-11-03T13:34:00.000-07:00

cash got his first bee sting yesterday. and his second. and his third. and possibly fourth.
he was outside playing while i was in putting away the groceries.
he had already managed to get his gloves tangled up in some blackberry bushes so i was keeping a closer eye on him than usual.
i had just opened the front door when i heard him let out an earth-shattering scream.
i bolted outside to find him standing in front of a bee's nest, covered (literally, COVERED) in bees.
they were all over his little hat, on and inside his gloves and crawling all over his jacket.
i whipped his gloves and hat off and was carrying him inside when nate came dashing out, wondering what the hell was going on (he said he thought cash had lost a limb, he was screaming so much.)
cash is a toughie and stopped screaming hysterically fairly quickly but he got stung pretty good on his hands so i set him up on the couch with a movie and a bag of frozen peas.
and then i started plotting my revenge.

i've always had a fairly cavalier attitude towards bee's for some reason. they just don't frighten me. (i remember getting right up close to the bee hives in the blueberry fields to investigate. stupid, i tell you.)
i've known that the bee's had made a nest there but up until today they haven't been an issue.
so i started researching inventive ways to poison them with homemade remedies.
and i after a little google education, i came up with a little concoction of red pepper flakes, pepper, dish soap and warm water.
and thus began my 'chemical' assault.

this is another one of those times that i'm glad i don't have neighbors.
because the lady who screams, "DIE BITCHES, DIE!!" while holding a bowl of poison doesn't get invited to block parties.
i'm happy to report that it worked and killed dozens of them.
unfortunately, i think its going to take a couple rounds before i get them all.
which is fine.
cause those bastards are going DOWN.

sharing.

2011-11-02T11:04:00.000-07:00

cash is all about sharing right now, especially if it's something he happens to be eating.
he'll almost always offer you a bite (word to the wise: proceed with caution. i've ingested more dog hair this way then i'd care to admit.)
the other day i was in the other room when i realized cash and piper were being profoundly quiet.
and i came in to this:

piper was most upset when i made him stop.

the carving.

2011-11-01T14:28:00.000-07:00

cash could not have been less interested in carving pumpkins this year.
so i gutted (my favorite.)
nate carved (his favorite.)
and cash sat on the kitchen floor eating goldfish (HIS favorite.)

we're a pretty good team when it comes to carving pumpkins since i can't be trusted with sharp knives and he hates gutting with a fervent passion.
he's way better at carving anyway (he did this completely freehand. makes me a little angry.)

the halloween outfit.

2011-10-31T15:00:00.000-07:00

ok - no secret, i LOVE halloween.
dressing up is my favorite.
ergo - i put just as much thought into what i'm going to wear during the day as my costume.

outfit details: boots/leggings - Target, socks - made by me, dress - thrifted, shirt - no clue, it's old, headband c/o Punkscrapper.

happy halloween!

2011-10-31T09:43:00.000-07:00

the patch.

2011-10-29T21:08:00.000-07:00

we went to the pumpkin patch like....12 times this year (not kidding.)
these are from a couple of different trips...man i'm going to miss having the patch to go to this coming month!

i just have to point out - my husband is hot. that's all.

i never get tired of it.

the heat hog.

2011-10-28T20:12:00.000-07:00

we tend to keep our house on the cold side (we have an oil furnace and filling it is EXPENSIVE.)
not only that, but nate and i both like a cold room when we sleep so it works out well for us.
piper, on the other hand, isn't comfortable until its at least 75 degrees inside.
considering she was an outdoor dog before she came to live with us, this is a bit ridiculous.
every time the heat kicks on, she comes running from wherever she is in the house to park her butt in front of the largest heat register.
she'll even wake up from a dead sleep if she's cold enough.
and now that i have a fire going most nights, she parks in front of there as well.
its pretty cute until i want to stand in front of the fire too and we both have to jockey for the best spot.
it's shameful to admit this, but she usually wins.

yesterday.

2011-10-27T14:45:00.000-07:00

nate: do you mind doing a load of whites today? i'm out of socks.
me: sure, i didn't realize you were out...wait, you're OUT of socks? you have like 900 pairs.
nate: well, i can't wear a pair that doesn't match.
[deep breath]
me: right, how silly of me.

bear in mind, when he says a 'pair that doesn't match' he means one sock says Hanes on the bottom in red and the other one has it in black.
no, i'm not joking.

good thing i love him.

the family photos.

2011-10-26T14:01:00.000-07:00

gear up peeps - you are about to enter photo overload.

nate will kill me if i don't explain this picture - nate suffers from what we like to call 'the chandler.' which means that most of the time, he smiles like a crazy person in photos. and he's a good sport and felt the need to demonstrate. charming, huh?

[[there are more, but blogger is being LAME and won't upload vertical shots...so for now, this is it.]]
i think that very last one is my favorite.
i don't have nearly enough pictures of cash and i that i actually like.
and i have NO idea how i am going to pick one for our christmas cards (though i'm pretty sure it's going to be one of the slide ones because...they're hilarious.)

and heather - i can't thank you enough. i love them. LOVE. you're the best.

the here and now.

2011-10-24T21:49:00.000-07:00

this article rocked my world.
parenting these days is one giant 'my kid is better than your kid' marathon and the expectations are exhausting.
i'm thankful that i'm faced with these expectations instead of the harsh reality that my child won't live long enough to achieve any of them.
i'm thankful that my son has what i hope is a great, very long future in front of him.
and i weep for those mothers who aren't that fortunate.
i hope that every time i feel inadequate as a mother, i can remember this brave, wonderful woman.
and remember to love cash, here and now.

the 'no hat' rule.

2011-10-23T13:52:00.000-07:00

this boy has always had an aversion to hats.
he's just not a fan.
but the other day, while nate was pulling out some winter beanies, he grabbed one of nate's hats and promptly put it on.
(this hat, by the way, is my favorite. it's so 'old man.')
he didn't take it off all night.
maybe this year will be the year that i can actually keep his head warm in the snow.
maybe.

fall.

2011-10-22T10:28:00.000-07:00

we love the fall season around here and this october has kept us busy with twice-weekly trips to the pumpkin patch, baking countless loaves of pumpkin bread, fall crafts, starting christmas gifts and enjoying as much time outside as possible before the inevitable rain starts. it's been awesome.

also, my obesession for harry potter is in full force - i've started re-reading the series (i never finished book 6 or 7. full disclosure: i did read the last chapters of both. because i'm insane. and that's how i roll.) and i watch one of the movies pretty much every night. crazy lady over here.

it's pumpkin coloring time - happy weekend y'all!

the sneak peek.

2011-10-20T18:41:00.000-07:00

the beautiful and talented heather took our annual family pictures today.
and she has pretty much rocked my world.
per usual.

we can't wait to see the rest heather!
no pressure.

seep.

2011-10-18T15:45:00.000-07:00

nate works graveyard so he sleeps during the day (how he does this, as loud as cash and i tend to be, i have no idea.)
one of cash's favorite things is to climb into bed with him when it's time for nate to get up.
nate isn't so fond of it.
something about cold toddler feet and getting poked in the eye?
i can't imagine why he doesn't like that.

some days cash will go in there, climb into bed and say, 'seep? seep?'
not that he actually sleeps, mind you.
which would ordinarily annoy me, except that he always chooses to sleep on my side so at night my pillow smells a bit like stinky little boy.
and that's pretty rad.

whip it, real good.

2011-10-16T14:57:00.000-07:00

ok, i'll admit it - i'm not exactly a stellar driver.
especially when it comes to reversing. ahem.
whenever i have to back down my driveway, i inevitably end up driving through half my yard.
nate doesn't find this nearly as funny as i do.

anyways, a couple weeks back when amanda and i went to the coast, i had the unfortunate (for me) task of backing down a rather steep, curved driveway.
with a car parked next to me.
all of which spells disaster.

amanda, peering out the window on her side, trying to direct me: oh, whip it.
me: am i close?
amanda: oh man, whip it. whip it real good.

and that's the precise moment that i had to put the car in park because i was laughing so hard.
she didn't even realize what she said until i said, whip it real good, eh devo?
ahhh, i love her.

his monkey.

2011-10-15T15:28:00.000-07:00

cash has never been one to get attached to stuffed things - he's always been more of a 'blankie' boy.
until this month, when he's suddenly gotten very attached to his stuffed ferret (whom he calls 'monkey' - ferret is hard to say apparently.)
he won't sleep without him and it's pretty much the cutest.

day 7.

2011-10-12T14:35:00.000-07:00

cash hasn't napped in seven days.
SEVEN DAYS.
and while i know i should be thankful that he at least lies down for a bit and then plays quietly in his room for an hour, i'm not.
because cash is much like me in that he needs a very specific amount of sleep to function like a normal human.
without it, we turn into neurotic asshats with a propensity to run into shit. on purpose. because we're INSANE.
every day this week i've woken up thinking, YES! today he will nap!
and every day, about 4 o'clock, i start eyeing the benadryl while this tiny demon runs circles around me screaming like a banshee.
look, i get it - in the big scheme of things this is a very 'first world problem' and i should just shut the hell up.
but that's not very like me, now is it?

tomorrow i may just be praying to whatever god that will listen to give me the strength not to spike his apple juice.

birthday shopping.

2011-10-10T13:12:00.000-07:00

a certain someone is turning 3 next month (holy crap.)
and i've been trolling etsy looking for some gift ideas for this picky little monster.

i'm pretty sure he's going to be getting one of these. granted, the cape i got him last year is still refusing to be worn HOWEVER. he loves him a crown.

this is just stinking cute. i love how it sort of mirrors fisher price little people except...you know...wood.

i've almost bought him these several times already. who doesn't love a matching game? especially one with cute little animals on them.

and this has been on the list before too. i think every little boy probably needs a catapult at some point. i'm thinking this year is the year.

i may or may not have an etsy problem.

confessions.

2011-10-08T14:10:00.000-07:00

-- i wonder constantly if this tantrum throwing, little tyrant thing is just a phase or if i'm raising an unbelievable little brat.

-- i almost always lose my temper when cash is having one of his fits and i feel awful afterwards. one time, i was carrying him back to the house, trying to pin down his arms and legs so he couldn't flail when he kicked out really hard, causing my engagement ring to embed itself into the palm of my other hand. it took me so much by surprise that i let go of him and he fell right on his face. thankfully we were in the dirt and he didn't hurt himself, but i felt like the worst mother ever. when we got back to the house i shut myself in the bathroom and cried. those days i feel completely worthless and defeated.

-- we occasionally eat dinner in front of the tv, watching a movie.

-- cash will still only drink milk from a bottle (this is a HUGE one to admit.) because yes, he's three. and yes, he still has bottles. he refuses to give them up and i'm at a loss as to how to reason with him. frankly, any suggestions i've ever received regarding anything baby/child rearing related just hasn't worked for him. he's a different kind of kid and desperately needs an instruction manual.

-- i'm not trying to push him into potty training. at all. i'm ready to be done with diapers and he's just not. every time i attempt to push the subject, it always ends in tears. for both of us. if it means he'll be in diapers till he's 4, so be it.

-- i wait to wash the silverware until we run completely out of spoons, even though i wash dishes at least once a day. silverware is the worst.

-- i'm a compulsive list maker. i have them taped up all over the house.

-- i'm a surprisingly quiet person, a trait that cash has picked up on. there will be times where he and i will play together or work in the kitchen side by side in complete silence. it isn't until i look at the clock that i realize that neither of us has said a word out loud in an hour, both of us completely lost in our own thoughts and imaginations.

-- i'm completely inept at hiding my feelings. if i'm not feeling well, i'm surly and unreasonable. if i don't like you, you'll know it. i like to call it honesty. some people just call it being a bitch.

-- i find myself doing and saying things that my dad would more and more these days. its embarassing.

-- i'll never tire of looking through old family photos. never.

why i love living here.

2011-10-07T16:57:00.000-07:00

a deer and i just scared the crap out of each other.
i was headed to the shed to get piper some dog food.
she was minding her own business, munching some tasty grass right off my back step.
i opened the back door and startled the crap out of her.
and i just about peed my pants.

i love living here.
and i'm awfully thankful it wasn't a skunk.
otherwise i'd be taking a tomato soup bath right about now.

this day in crawford history.

2011-10-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

today was a day that will go down in crawford history.
because today cash asked to sit on the toilet.
holy moly, was that music to my ears!
he had just finished taking a bath and was clean and zipped into his jammies.
we had just finished our nightly teeth brushing when he proceeded to lift the lid on his potty and sit down.
then he started tugging at the zipper on his jammies and said, pee?
-- i have never disrobed that child so fast --

in the end he got too scared to sit on the potty without his diaper on.
once i put it back on, he sat back on the potty and said, pee pee pee.

holy shit.
i think the end is in sight.

ned.

2011-10-04T16:07:00.000-07:00

we were plus one pet last week.

ned, the caterpillar.

cash wanted to name him "cute," but i thought ned had a better ring to it.

we found him in our driveway after a rather dreadful walk to the mailbox.

cash refused to let me set him free, insisting on bringing him inside.

i made him a sweet little home in an old mason jar to keep the little tyrant happy.

he didn't pay him much attention to him after that.

of course.

i, however, spent the next week cleaning up caterpillar poo and foraging in the yard for tasty leaves for ned.

caterpillars poop a surprising amount.

lesson learned.

ned, i'm happy to say, is now living out his life outdoors.

phew.

i thought maybe his love was restricted to cats and caterpillars only, but yesterday he found a salamander in the wood shed.

he wouldn't touch him but cried when i set him free.

that little boy, he's the best.

from the beach.

2011-09-30T14:01:00.000-07:00

ETA: i had great plans to write a post about how awesome my husband is, it being his birthday and all. and then i decided to bake birthday cookies instead (time well spent.) so i'll just say this: husband, you're amazing and i love you - thanks for being born.

amanka and i took a little day trip to the coast last weekend.
the weather was perfect (albeit, a little windy) and cash INSISTED on getting in the water.
[[for those of you who don't live in oregon, the water is COLD. like, melted from the ice caps cold. but the ocean is actually at its warmest in september (no, i don't know how or why i know that) so it wasn't too bad. we'll call it mildly refreshing.]]

the tantrums.

2011-09-28T21:42:00.000-07:00

this boy can throw a tantrum with the best of them.
and he's been doing it ALOT lately.
toddlers are fickle little creatures.

this week.

2011-09-27T13:34:00.000-07:00

-- it's cash's last week of daycare, which we're both pretty excited about (although it means i really need to start busting my ass to get mom's attics cleaned out.) it also means i've got cupcakes to bake.

-- october is quickly approaching, which means i need to get my costume put together and DECORATE.

-- nate's birthday is on friday and i've got NOTHING planned. because i suck. (also, he has to work. mer.)

-- speaking of mom's attics, i'm actually pretty close to being done. i'm really losing my motivation. i kind of hate going to the house now. nothing is the same and i wish it would just be completely empty - the in-between is terrible. i completely understand why my grandpa bob said of his mom's house (the house we now live in) that, "he didn't care if he never saw that house again." i want to remember it for what it was, not the falling apart mess it is now.

so there's my pity party.

an update.

2011-09-22T17:07:00.000-07:00

just in case you were wondering, we're freaking miserable around here.
cash can barely eat because of the blisters on his tongue and the fever is making him alternately loopy and cranky as hell.
which just makes me...cranky as hell too.

it certainly doesn't hurt when he does super cute things like this:

i'll take infectious diseases for 200, alex.

2011-09-20T21:42:00.000-07:00

so cash has hand, foot and mouth disease.

ya.

it's apparently making the rounds through the kids at daycare.
and (OF COURSE) cash got it.
keeping him in daycare for the month because we already paid for it was a terrible idea, obviously.

he spent a miserable evening lying on the couch trying to eat an apple without disturbing the sores on his tongue.

it was so sad.

guess who is likely going to be watching ice age on an endless loop tomorrow?
this girl.

skeletons in my attic.part 1

2011-09-19T12:54:00.000-07:00

i've spent the last couple of days going through mom's attic to unload it of all its...crap. and i've found some amazing things.

the good:

e.t. tea party anyone?

play kitchen tupperware! i'm ready for a pretend tea party my friends.

this was a letter from my bestie/cousin nicole. it's WAY embarrassing.

remember when i regretted not buying this at goodwill? well i found one in the attic! sweet valley high for the win!

and this was my highchair from when i was a baby. why it was still in the attic 24 years later is a fantastic question.

the bad:

intense reading.

i don't even know.

80s charm necklace!!! man, its ugly.

umm ya...so i was the owner of that ugly sweater. eesh.

and behold my sisters glasses from eighth grade. sexy.

and the terrifying:

this right here is why i hate dolls. look at its misshapen claw!

and this is why i hate clowns.

and this is about the time i made a goodwill employee want to cry.

mind you, this is car load one of what will probably be at least 3 loads.
i, of course, didn't tell HIM that.
no need to get black listed from the goodwill drop off.

elton.

2011-09-18T22:42:00.000-07:00

cash loves to wear my sunglasses.

which is funny, since until very recently he refused to wear his own.

so most days i have a little elton as my co-pilot.

the torture session.

2011-09-17T14:01:00.000-07:00

cash used to love brushing his teeth. LOVE.

then something clicked.

and he started HATING IT. just like that.

at first i thought it was just because he hated the taste of the toothpaste (he doesn't like the fruity toothpaste, which is a problem since all the fluoride free stuff for kids is flavored that way.)

so i got him new toothpaste.

still hated it.

so i bought him a super cool 'spinbrush' toothbrush (he picked out the cars one even though i was heavily influencing him to pick captain america. whatever, kid.)

still hated it. even more so, i think.

which makes our bedtime routine real fun.

most nights about 8 o'clock you'll find me pinning him down with my legs so i have both arms free to torture him.

last night he screamed so hard and loud that he popped blood vessels in his face.

his commitment to being stubborn is inspiring.

to whom, i'm not sure.

because i'm sure beginning to not appreciate it.

the little helper.

2011-09-15T21:17:00.000-07:00

cash is all about helping these days.

helping put away dishes, helping sweep (even taking it upon himself to sneak the broom outside and 'sweep' the front porch.)

and his helper mentality has extended to making bread.

it was...interesting.

he looked awfully cute doing it too.

first things first.

2011-09-14T20:39:00.000-07:00

I'M NOT WORKING ANYMORE!! (cue the music, because this shit is exciting.)
with nate's new job we don't need two incomes, especially not having to pay for daycare anymore.

its pretty much amazing.

cash is still in daycare through the end of the month (we had already paid up) but its giving me time to help mom clean out the old house. (and have i found some AWESOMELY BAD stuff up in that attic. stay tuned for more.)

moving on....to an ode to my bestie amanda.

she made me realize the other day that this year marks us being friends for 10 YEARS.

holy crap, she's put up with me for a long time.

i'm so lucky to have her in my life.

i love her.

9/11

2011-09-13T19:34:00.000-07:00

10 years ago on the morning of september 11th i was getting ready for school.
my mom always had the news on in the morning and i remember her sitting in front of, jaw dropped, unbelieving.
she woke my dad and told him, 'you have to see this - a plane just hit the world trade center.'
being an ignorant teenager, i couldn't even remember what the two towers were.
the only thing i even knew about them was that years ago my dad slept on a park bench in front of the trade center, after driving cross country to deliver a car for a friend. (i'll never forget that story - he said the one thing he took away from new york was that the whole city smelled like rat urine.)

i remember the long bus ride to school, our driver listening to the news on the radio.
i'm not much of a morning person and i was having a hard time understanding what the heck they were talking about.

first period i had p.e. and our teacher made us dress down and then said, "we're going to sit in the common room and watch the news - its important that you guys see this."
i remember sitting in my gross gym clothes, amanda right next to me (the same amanda that is still my closest friend today) as we watched the second tower fall.
the rest of the day was a mixture of teachers trying to get us to focus and teachers putting on cnn and trying to comprehend this mess themselves.
i'll never forget the moment in my sixth period health class when someone asked if the rest of the country was safe. our teacher just said, "i don't know."

the events that unfolded 10 years ago changed this country and our lives forever.
its a day that i'll never forget.

this podcast is amazing - grab some tissue and take a couple of minutes to listen.

never forget.

2011-09-11T09:08:00.000-07:00

[picture found here]

we plan on taking cash to the waterfront today to see the field of flags. more on that later.
for now i just want to say, to all the men and women who lost their lives on this day 10 years ago - i'll never forget.

i think cash is ready for a baby.

2011-09-09T21:18:00.000-07:00

or maybe just the baby stuff.

the sprinkler.

2011-09-08T21:24:00.000-07:00

don't be fooled, he actually kind of hates it.

i'm pretty sure that i use it more than he does.

thrifting [ugly christmas sweater edition]

2011-09-07T20:42:00.000-07:00

amanda and i are planning an incredibly awesome ugly sweater christmas party this year and have been searching for the perfect polyester gems to wear.

behold:

she got the one on the left (though the one on the right was reeeeally tempting - it still had its original tags on it!)

and i got the one on the left as well - i'm going to be highly flammable.

we decided this would be perfect for an ugly sweater easter party. yikes. also, i'm pretty sure my sister had this sweater.

this would have looked fantastic on a kindergarten teacher. i'm not really even sure what it was.

we'll take a quick break from awesome sweaters to take a gander at this:

and to think, someone donated poor elf orlando bloom.

80s prom niiiiiight!

it had a see-through back AND see-through shoulders. sexy.

i'm just going to let this shirt speak for itself:

also, my face is kind of priceless.

heh heh heh. classic.

this doesn't look nearly as awful in the picture as it was in real life. trust me, it was bad.

and this is my newest favorite thrift find - a mustard yellow blender! best part? it was 25 cents. RAD.

this.

2011-09-05T13:04:00.000-07:00

not a whole lot of this going on these days.
which is a damn shame, i've got to say.

the pox.

2011-09-02T19:58:00.000-07:00

the house of crawford has been sick all week with a particularly wicked cold, so when cash started acting under the weather i didn't really think anything of it.
he stopped eating and was running a lowgrade fever but nothing that truly alarmed me.
then i noticed he had a rash of little pimple-esque bumps on his face.
i figured it was baby acne.
then i noticed it on the back of his neck and started to wonder.
over night more cropped up so i figured i should take him in to the doctors.
and thus began the worst experience i've had in a doctors office EVER.
first off, we had to wait for almost an hour to even see the doctor. cash hates this doctor and was completely uncooperative the whole time (to the point of needing me and a nurse to restrain him while his doctor looked in his ears.)
we discovered he had the beginning stages of a bad ear infection.
but she dismissed the rash entirely saying, "it doesn't look like 'typical' chicken pox, but it still may change. if it does, he'll need to stay away from other children for at least a week."
to which i said, "if its not chicken pox, then what is it?"
"a rash."
no shit, doc.
i'm so glad i fork out all kinds of money for your expertise.
doctor or not, i think its safe to say he has the pox:

i've started noticing him visibly itching his head and legs (strangely, where the rash is least prevalent) and he's damn cranky because of his ears.
and a couple of the bumps are starting to...bubble up, for lack of a better term.
it's going to be a long, LONG week.
please send coffee.
or adult beverages.
this momma is gonna need it.

randoms.

2011-08-30T19:39:00.000-07:00

gear up for a brain dump:

-- it's a sad day when the almost-three year old is starting to complain about the music i listen to in the car. fine - some of the music i listen to is ridiculous. still - this is a kid that still thinks twinkle twinkle is the shit. perhaps he should keep his loudly expressed opinions to himself.

-- my biggest pet peeve is when teenagers (or as i like to call them, worthless hoodlums. yes, i'm 80) mosey across the sidewalk as if they have all the time in the world. and then they look at me like, what - you're not going to hit me. and what i really want to do is shout out the window, you know what buddy!? i would love nothing more than to bounce you off the hood of my car. pick your pants up and MOVE THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY.

-- i'm currently reading laurie notaro's latest book it looked different on the model and it's literally the funniest book i've read in ages. when she starts talking about what its like to live in eugene, i actually shot water out of my nose. the line about the hippie carrying a ferret in a baby bjorn just kills me.

-- nate and i had a really refreshing conversation about the future of cash's education. we have never really broached the subject before, but it happened to come up the other day and we were completely on the same page. i love when that happens. (nothing groundbreaking, just that we both agree that homeschooling isn't outside the realm of possibilities for him.)

-- we try and take piper to the dog park at least once a week and today was the day. piper is a completely chill dog and never has a problem getting along with other dogs at the park (in fact, if othe dogs start to get into it, she just runs off. bit of a chicken, that one.) but today there was a dog that she did NOT get along with (to be frank, that dog was not well behaved. s/he kept trying to bite piper. piper was not amused and ran off to play with another dog.) i was headed to the trash can with my little baggie-o-poop courtesy of miss piper when the 'mean' dog started walking with cash. piper spotted them from all the way across the park and came RUNNING. like, the fastest i've seen her run since she was...well, thin. she came tearing over to cash and instantly put herself between him and the 'mean' dog. she was being such a sweet, protective little mama bear. i think they must like each other.

on being brave.

2011-08-28T21:33:00.000-07:00

cash is shy. super shy. painfully shy. (he totally gets it from me. shut up, i'm actually really shy.)
so anytime he is put into a new situation, he really has to ease into it.
like, take 10 minutes to even get near the water when we're at the splash pad.
i feel the same way most of the time so it never occurs to me that this is weird.
nate is completely the opposite - he jumps feet first, no questions asked, just goes for it.
and he has a really hard time giving cash the time that he needs to adapt (bless his heart.)
so when we took him to the splash pad the other day, i was prepared to spend alot of time waiting for him to get up the nerve to get in the water.
which still sort of happened.

and then he just went for it.
i was so proud of my boy.

granted, it was pretty short lived. but i'll still got it a victory.
(sidenote: no need to adjust your monitors, i'm THAT sunburned. i'd spent the day volunteering for habitat for humanity. and it just so happened to be 94 degrees that day. we were at the splash pad more for my benefit.)

(picture taken by the lovely julie who was along for the fun. love her.)

and then, just yesterday, we went to the silverton resevoir to cool off.
and instead of being timid and shy, he waded right in.
immediately.
i was geeking out about it the rest of the night.
he never ceases to amaze me.

the shirt.

2011-08-24T20:40:00.000-07:00

the resemblances between this boy and my dad are pointedly obvious.
and i love that, truly.
but i feel a bit sad every time someone brings it up.
not because it makes me miss him more.
but because i feel sad for cash. he's going to grow up being constantly compared and reminded of a grandpa that he won't even remember.
so i make a point of not making those comparisons.
and i don't buy him clothes or toys just because they make me think of dad.
HOWEVER.
this shirt was too cool not to get.

vintage star wars?
heck YES.

thrifting.

2011-08-23T20:17:00.000-07:00

this weekend's thrifting trip was one of the best hauls i've had in a loooong time.
it also produced some gems like these:

if this hadn't been see through, i might have bought it. amazing.

not one, but TWO. and they were velour. with fur on top.

this went home with amanda because it was 2 dollars. and it is a print of cats wearing santa hats. clearly, a must have. (actually, she's saving it for our ugly sweater christmas party.)

ummmm, ya. i really regret not buying this.

this may very well be the best vintage dress i've ever found. and it was only $7. and it came with that belt. i pretty much want to wear it every day.

and this i just couldn't pass up. i have no idea when i'm going to ever use it.
i also scored tupperware, a vintage glass juice jug and a little ceramic lawn gnome.
epic goodwill trip.

the artist.

2011-08-22T19:24:00.000-07:00

most of the projects i've attempted in the past with cash have been epic failures.
so when i busted out the finger paints and the canvas a few days ago, i wasn't going to hold my breath.
and then this happened:

cash is obsessed with all things art again.
so obsessed that i caught him making designs with his paintbrush in the dust on my desk.
it was awesome.

the second visit.

2011-08-18T15:13:00.001-07:00

we took cash to the zoo again a couple of weeks back.
he was only interested in the animals that were in water.
and even then, he was mostly just interested in saying 'water' over and over again.
clearly we just need to go to the aquarium.