The Summer of Sole Sisters!

Cooped up all winter, they’re dying to feel fresh air.  Encased in leather riding boots and rubber Wellingtons and suede booties, they’re aching for a pedicure. 

Summer’s here, and it’s time to let your toes loose!

Paint your toenails icy blue or shocking coral or palest pink.  Slide your feet into your favorite sandals, the ones that put a little extra bounce in your step, the ones that insist you tap your toes to your favorite summer tunes as you’re driving with the windows down.

Wearing summer shoes and sunglasses brings out the inner movie star in all of us.

My lovely friend Kir, of The Kir Corner, is a girl after my own heart; we’ve clicked in countless ways, and one of the light and fun ways is that we love shopping and especially love a to-die-for pair of shoes.

Kir and I can’t go shoe shopping together this summer, so we thought YOU might be willing to bring the shoes to us!  We want to see what you’re wearing this summer – link up with your favorite summer shoes, whether they’re the flip flops you can’t take off or the wedges that show off those legs you earned at the gym this winter.

Link up with Kir or with me; we’re both so excited about this summer party that the linky will post to both our pages!

Come on in ladies, and show us your SOLE J

grab the button (on my sidebar) and link up from now until August 19th

The Cat's In the Bag

Bonus (one of Joe & Amanda's two cats)

Abbey says "Bonus is friendly!"

thankfully Bonus is also beyond patient with two little people who love him

Abbey likes to play with him aka relentlessly chase him with his toys

Dylan breaks out into a huge grin whenever Bonus enters a room 

it's tiring having so much fun

S'mores, Rainbow Cupcakes, and Memories

Planning for one night shouldn't have inspired the mixture of excitement and trepidition I felt about our first camping experience with the kids.  I had lists and categories and packing strategies.  Stacy and I studied the campground map (though she is braver and jumped in feet first with two nights of camping!)

Some of my worries?  Absolutely realized.  Dirt-covered fingers ate Cheetos.  Dylan created a five o'clock shadow with lake water, wet sand, and saliva.  Wet firewood demanded an eleven p.m. Meijer run for new wood and firestarters and a quick detour to browse the Goody section for girly-girl hair accessories.

But those negatives?  Those can be easily shaken like sand from a towel. 

Abbey splashed in the shallow water like a mermaid - if mermaids had to wear Puddle Jumpers even in water up to their knees - and built and knocked over sandcastles until her teeth chattered as we wrapped her in our last dry beach towel.

Dylan developed a slight case of hero-worship for the older and cooler Connor, who taught the kids the club version of Happy Birthday, complete with the techno beat "cha cha cha". 

Speaking of birthdays, we all (pretend) celebrated with delectable Play-Doh cupcakes, swirled into a neon rainbow that thrilled the kids and made Stacy's blood pressure rise just a little bit. 

Abbey and Madison hung out and had conversations in our tent, foretelling their teenage years, as Abbey told me, "Mommy, we need privacy!"

Glow necklaces and bracelets allowed for stumbling, giggling games of Ring Around the Rosie, even as we struggled to roast marshmallows on a fire kept burning with pages of coloring books until the kids went to bed, and we were able to drive to get some dry wood.

Well after dark, tired eyes told us what smiling, sticky, s'mores faces continued to deny.  Bedtime, though so very late, happened with minimal fussing, though we may have skipped toothbrushing for the night.

And blissfully, the fire burned at last, warming the adults as we sat and chatted, laughing at old and new adventures, half an ear listening for any movement from the circle of tents surrounding us.

I crawled onto our air mattress, sandwiched between my babies, and realized the dirt hadn't won.

We'll be doing this camping thing again.

a princess tablecloth and a bunch of play-doh

five dollars worth of pre-school heaven on a table 

fascinated by the coolers

he later punched a hole in the styrofoam one 

posing for Connor

they all took turns playing photographer

going for a walk in the woods 

jamming in their jammies with glow toys

snuggles and s'mores

maybe the best part of camping

The Host with the Most and Hostess with the Mostess

Not everyone would be thrilled to hear that Ryan and I planned on rolling into town with Abbey and Dylan in tow.  After all, our kids may be lots of fun, but they do wake up early, like plenty of attention, and really inhibit our ability to have a leisurely dinner at a restaurant, let alone to spend any time at a bar.

Yet, we're lucky enough to have two generous and thoughtful friends that welcome all four of us with open arms, a full coffeepot, and fabulously cooked meals. 

Thank you to Amanda and Joe for their endless hospitality!

they let Abbey make herself at home in the future Baby Cherian's Bumbo 

and allowed Dylan to play in their potted herbs

in his onesie and Crocs, of course

 

and tired them out enough that Dyls crashed on the couch

(check out the unbuttoned shorts, silly guy)

Don't They Already Have Animals?

Picking your battles is a crucial lesson to learn.  This lesson isn't just for parents, but it does become tricky when the battles are being waged with little people whose rationalization skills are still at the preschool level.

It becomes even trickier when those preschool rationalization skills best my grown-up reasoning skills.

We were packing up our things for a zoo trip with our friends Stacy, Connor, and Madison, when I noticed Abbey clutching her current favorite stuffed friend, Grampage Hooligan Ruffie.  I've recently ditched the diaper bag and am enjoying the newfound freedom of only carting around a quarter of my body weight in gear instead of my usual everything-but-the-kitchen-sink. 

I'm fine with Abbey bringing her Lip Smackers, because who doesn't love vanilla chapstick, but stuffed animals?

I quickly formulated my iron-clad argument:

"Abbey, we don't need to bring GHR to the zoo.  They have enough animals there already."

"Not dogs," she said, stubbornly.  And correctly, the smarty-pants.

I switched tactics.

"Well, no, you're right.  But you can't bring dogs to the zoo.  They'll either scare the other animals or get scared themselves."

"Oh Mommy," she sighed, "Grampage Hooligan Ruffie isn't real.  He can come with us."

And that is how I ended up carting around a stuffed dog around the zoo.  Thankfully, he rode in the stroller instead of "walking with his leash," a clever contraption consisting of some ribbon and a fabric measuring tape.

checking out the prairie dogs 

again with the prairie dogs

I never knew they were so interesting 

Grampage Hooligan Ruffie made it out of the stroller for lunch

I'm slightly mortified to say that she PICKED that flower and put it behind her ear

I'm pretty sure last year I commented on a picture about another little girl picking the zoo's flowers

there's a karmic lesson there, a little one, but it's there 

judging how close I actually am and how far he might make it before I catch him

Who Needs Sunshine?

The forecast was dreary, and the high temperature seemed to drop each time we checked the weather.  Still, we had an annual beach streak to continue and a little basket of sand toys in the bed of my dad's generously loaned truck.

We ate before going, so that we only needed to pack snacks and drinks and chairs and toys and magazines, and seriously, the list kept going even without bringing "real" food for lunch!  Amanda and I optimistically threw on bathing suits but made sure we had some warmer layers tucked away.

We scored prime parking.

I've never seen the South Haven beach so empty, seagulls outnumbering the people three to one, in a blanket of white over the sand.  Down the beach a little, a bride and groom were having pictures taken, her dress billowing around her in the wind.

The highest temperature we saw on the electronic ticker was 60 degrees, with an air temperature of 58.

Dylan held my hand as he walked across the sand to our little beach camp, unsure at first about the little grains sliding into his Crocs.  A smile crept across his face, and his steps became more confident, though his grip on my hand never loosened.

Inexplicably, the sand was still warm on our feet, and the cool, slightly damp air meant Abbey didn't have to lug water from the lake to build her little sand castles.  Ryan and Joe tossed a football in their shorts and t-shirts, while Amanda and I pulled sweaters and jackets over our sundresses and wrapped our legs in terry towels.  

Zippered into sweatshirts but bare-legged, the kids played in the sand, laughed on the swings, and didn't notice the lack of warmth or water or sun.

Chasing seagulls with Abbey and Dylan, I marvelled at their innocent ability to find the best in situations, to enjoy each moment, to play on a cold beach and squeal with contented, excited laughter.

We were there less than two hours, but our streak is alive.

sand toys are always a hit 

Dylan pointing at the seagulls - or Daddy throwing a football

Amanda looking cute with our soon-to-be-newest beach club member incubating nicely 

look at that throwing motion! 

so proud of her "little castle" that she made without any help 

I think he only tried eating it once or twice

If you read my review of A Jane Austen Education and think it's something you'd like to read, click here to enter a book giveaway on BlogHer.  If you win, you will receive a copy of A Jane Austen Education AND a Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition of Jane Austen, The Complete Novels.  It's a great giveaway, and all you have to do is comment for a chance to win!  You can comment as many times as you like, and the winner will be chosen randomly on June 24th.

Because You Can't Control the Weather

We don't mess with our annual beach plans.  Honestly, it's one of my favorite weekends of the year.  Joe and Amanda are the best host and hostess, and it's always a fun time.

We've had some iffy weather forecasts (boo) and some unexpected bacteria-prompted beach closings (eew).

Yet, somehow the weather cleared up, and we found another (clean and beautiful) beach to spread our blankets.

The weather isn't looking too, too promising, but we're undeterred. 

Keep your fingers crossed that we looked more like this on Saturday:

 than this

oh yes, that's Dylan's bathing suit over his pajamas

Abbey insisted, and he didn't care 

I don't know where she got the idea that she had to try on her bathing suit to do her pretend grocery shopping

I certainly don't don my bathing suit at the grocery store!

Visiting with Friends

Kir is a blogger-turned-friend I met through The Red Dress Club, and she is one of those people I wish lived around the corner next door.  She can always make me smile, she's girly in a lipstick-loving and shopping and Royal-Wedding-watching way, and who doesn't need a friend like that to be honest about whether that new pair of shoes is absolutey inappropriate for playground playdates?

Also, she is an enthusiastic and fun-loving mother to two adorable little boys, an infertility success story, and someone who treasures her role so dearly.

And she asked ME to do a guest post for The Kir Corner, her lovely blog.  (Insert permanent happy face here!)

At first I was scratching my head about coming up with a "proud mommy moment" that felt right for my first guest post. Some days I feel proud that I got to go to the bathroom without a major meltdown happening three inches from the (open) door. Other days I feel proud of everything, from the way the kids are playing together to the way Abbey knows the words to "Don't Stop Believing" to the way Dylan stops playing just to toddle over for a Mommy hug.

But, as usual, I wasn't at a loss for words for long! Please come visit me over at Kir's this morning and then stay to get to know her.

the virtual Kirsten

notice the fabulous red shoes?

I told you, she's great

Now I Get It

I used to be confused about why certain families started doing reality shows.

I understand why fame-hungry, attractive, twenty-something people do reality shows.  It seems that the best way to score an US Weekly cover and demand lots of money for public appearances at clubs is to do some extremely embarrassing things on TV, so that the rest of us can't drag our eyes and ears away from the trainwreck.

But people with kids?  And real houses?  I didn't get it.  Was it only for the money?

I had an ephiphany about their real reasons this Friday, when we spent the morning with some of our besties, Colleen, Brendan, and Lainey.

Those people with lots of kids that do reality shows?  They just want the professional photographers around to get decent pictures of their families.

This was the first time Colleen and I really tried to get a picture of the four kids together, and it was a comedy of outtakes.  Thank goodness for digital cameras, because there's definitely a lot of non-keepers!

Lainey wants a Cheerio

Abbey looks nervous 

Lainey looking cute

Brendan and Dylan chatting it up 

Lainey starting to look uncomfortable

Abbey and Brendan are spitting

who knows why three-year-olds do things? 

Abbey smiling

Brendan's cheese face

Lainey practically on her back

Dylan with a mouthful of Cheerios

Mommy gives up

Playing with the Big Kids

My baby thinks he is a big boy now that he is walking (still like Frankenstein, for the record, but a fast Frankenstein). 

No more breaking up his food into pieces, cheese snacks and granola bars and bananas all have to be consumed whole, just like Abbey. 

No more sitting happily at the table; he eats his food and immediately wants down so he can walk around the table and giggle at how fun it is to walk. 

Some days he won't even tolerate me feeding him, which is adding exponentially to my already staggering laundry load.

More and more he wants to play with Abbey and the other "big" kids at her playdates.  Even when he's not sure what they're doing, he wants to be in the middle of the action, figuring out the whole parallel play stage of interaction.  At a recent playdate with our BFFs Brendan and Lainey, Dylan jumped right into the playing action.

Thankfully he's good-natured, because Abbey's tolerance is hit-or-miss (and unfortunately, sometimes the hitting isn't so figurative nor is it only coming from her). 

Also thankfully, she gets a kick out of him in ways that even bewilder me at times, and I think he's pretty fabulous.  When I least expect it, she is patient and laughing with him and holding his hand to lead him into something new.

I know they're mine, and I shouldn't gush too much, but they are marvelous.

Brendan's cheese face

Colleen says it's his favorite, and it was in all three pictures I tried to take

Two of a Kind

Abbey and Madison at Abbey's party

(Abbey's on the right)

New Year's Eve 2029 Preview

manis and pedis 

party dresses 

friends

good tunes 

good drinks

party til you drop

New School New Year's - Part Two

Kids change your life.

(not a revelation, right?)

Still, kids change your life.

There were days when we spent vacations dancing on tables*.  Now we have babies crawling under tables.

Back in the day, we wouldn't have frolicked in a hot tub with cuties like this hanging out by themselves on the other side of the sliding glass door!

And we weren't interested in spending New Year's Eve with our moms!

*Disclaimer - I still have some groove-shaking left to do in my lifetime!

New School New Year's

New Year's Eve is a holiday that comes with a whole year's worth of expectations.  It's actually shocking that the Waterford ball doesn't come crashing to the ground under the weight of unfulfilled hopes and partially realized plans.  Yet, skipping it altogether doesn't make sense, either.  A holiday that's synonymous with champagne can't be all bad, right?

When our friends brought up the idea of renting a house for a long weekend over New Year's, it sounded like a perfect way to redefine the holiday for our redefined lives.

So we packed up (Who are we kidding? That makes it sound like we threw a few things into a duffel bag.  I was an overpacker before kids; now I worry that we're going to need a tractor trailer to cart all of our gear on a vacation, even a short one!) and drove to the west side of the state for a weekend in a giant house with a hot tub, lots of rooms, and a woefully understocked "fully stocked" kitchen.

As with many New Year's past, there were some unrealized expectations.  We pictured snowshoeing but got rain and wind instead.  I pictured Dylan sleeping through the night due to days filled with fun; well, at least he slept in the pack and play.  We pictured Michigan State winning their bowl game, but that didn't happen.

Unlike past New Year's, there were countless moments that I couldn't have planned (but would have). 

Watching Abbey play with Molly and Lainey and having a little glimpse into her future with girlfriends. 

Laughing at Dylan crawling around and around the house and picturing him walking soon, all Frankenstein-wobbly-new walker-Gerry style. 

Remembering I'm not very good at Yahtzee but kind of rock at Boggle (don't underestimate the fun that can be had playing 40 year old games in cardboard party hats.) 

Facebook purusal via passed phones, packed together on a couch.

Hello 2011

I know it's late.  I haven't been on time to much since I became responsible for getting two additional bodies out the door.

party hat - check

bottles on the bar - check

toy duck on the bar - um, check?

Joe doesn't like his tiara

I didn't want to take her on, either

Amanda was a Yahtzee dominator

Christmas with Friends

It's no wonder that Abbey was surprised to find out Christmas was over this year.  We were lucky enough to have several celebrations with different friends and family, which meant that "Christmas" really lasted over a week for our little ones this year.  That means a lot of pictures, so I'm breaking them up into various posts over the next week or so.

I believe I've made my love for Christmas abundantly clear, so I'll let the photos (mostly) speak for themselves.

xoxo

Brendan and Abbey

Abbey modeling her Cinderella costume from her adorable princess dress-up chest

Thanks Brendan and Lainey!

Dylan ignoring his new truck in favor of the real truck outside 

well, I did call my little piece of the internet "tiaras and trucks"

Preschool Bonding

each time they're together they have at least one little conversation