- abie has added a new element to his bedtime routine. instead of reading a book, he'd rather spend his last few minutes of wakefulness playing with his cog puzzle from ikea.
- the boys are now drinking from cups with straws instead of the traditional sippy cup. they love it! abie loves it so much that he drinks for the fun of sipping it out of the straw, however instead of swallowing his milk/water/etc. he sips it into his mouth and then opens his mouth part way to let it run all over his shirt. lovely. i actually had to tuck a burp cloth into the top of his shirt today at the mall as we were strolling around. i just knew those things would have a second life before they turned into cleaning rags.
- with the advent of drinking from straws, i thought it would be so perfect to get the travel sized milk boxes for on-the-go. let's chalk the idea up to, "not ready for this one yet." we had two ecstatic boys running around kohl's squeezing the boxes and squirting milk everywhere.
- the boys have been going over to their best friend/neighbor kai's house for morning play time and have discovered the piano. they both wanted to sit on the bench so bad today, so i put them both up and they played duets of avant guard piano for a good 20 minutes. it was one of the cutest things i've seen in a long time. well, almost as cute as...
- ozzy feeding abie today. we had an impromptu string cheese snack this morning and oz was loving putting the cheese into abie's mouth. now this is what having twins is all about, people!
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
sign of the times
the guys are becoming hilarious with their sign language. they love communicating with their hands and gestures, which is a good thing, because their words just don't cut the mustard yet. besides mama and dada, abie says dog (duh) and truck (druh) and doi (oh, come on, y'all know what a doi is!). he also says bizabuzabizell a lot. abie is extremely conversational and will talk in complete sentences as we discuss the presidential primaries. complete sentences in baby chinese, that is. oz says dat when he points to everything, and ma-maaaaaaaa! or just maaaaaaa! when he wants something or more of something. he will also say nanana when he is really excited about eating a banana.
but the signing is where they really shine and it's so much fun to see them show me what they are thinking. they do both traditional and non-traditional (as in they/we made it up) signing. they've both mastered some basics - milk, eat, more, all done and clean up. oz will get to the page of the book where there is a monkey on the indigenous man's head, and he will pound his chest like tarzan and then put his hands on top of his head. "look ma, there's a monkey on the guy's head!" every time he wants me to sing itsy bitsy spider he pulls out the book and pinches his fingers over his head. abie raises his arm next to his face and blows a loud raspberry when he sees an elephant. and we actively make up our own signs for lots of things. a good example lately is truck, where i've taught them to "pull the horn" (remember doing this on road trips when you'd pass a truck?!). i've realized i should probably look up the actual signs for these things so that the boys don't have TWO secret languages, so i've bookmarked the ASL's video browser, which is super cool. i'm going to try and incorporate as much sign language as possible, including teaching them a new sign every week, starting with bird, since they love birds so much.
i'm sure as soon as we start to really get into signing, actual words will start pouring out of their mouths. they just love to shake things up like that.
but the signing is where they really shine and it's so much fun to see them show me what they are thinking. they do both traditional and non-traditional (as in they/we made it up) signing. they've both mastered some basics - milk, eat, more, all done and clean up. oz will get to the page of the book where there is a monkey on the indigenous man's head, and he will pound his chest like tarzan and then put his hands on top of his head. "look ma, there's a monkey on the guy's head!" every time he wants me to sing itsy bitsy spider he pulls out the book and pinches his fingers over his head. abie raises his arm next to his face and blows a loud raspberry when he sees an elephant. and we actively make up our own signs for lots of things. a good example lately is truck, where i've taught them to "pull the horn" (remember doing this on road trips when you'd pass a truck?!). i've realized i should probably look up the actual signs for these things so that the boys don't have TWO secret languages, so i've bookmarked the ASL's video browser, which is super cool. i'm going to try and incorporate as much sign language as possible, including teaching them a new sign every week, starting with bird, since they love birds so much.
i'm sure as soon as we start to really get into signing, actual words will start pouring out of their mouths. they just love to shake things up like that.
abie luvs him some shoes
just in time for his 15 month birthday yesterday, abie j made the transition to big-boy soled shoes. he was psyched! honestly, i just haven't gotten him a pair because they are so darn expensive. but our good friend diane gave us a pair of kai's "see kai run" shoes (yes, i'm not joking) that never fit him. they are so darn cute and fit abie like a glove, which means he'll grow out of them in a month or less. but for now, abie is seriously digging his shoes. when i first put them on, he examined them for about 5 minutes, after which he promptly got up and stomped around the house with glee.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
walkin' around
the guys love to walk every where we go, and have gotten pretty fearless when it comes to being outside and in public. oz walks from the car to the door of costco and just thinks it's the coolest thing, until i put him in the cart, that is. and abie just wouldn't stand for me carrying him to the car from a birthday party yesterday. the sidewalk just looked too darn good. so yesterday i broke down and finally bought them cute little teddy bear and monkey "back pack" leashes from target. before having twins, i swore i would never do this. now it's just a necessity, especially if i'm out with them by myself (since they REFUSE to hold my hand - how uncool is that?!).
their favorite game right now is "i'm gonna get you!" when daddy chases them down the sidewalk. here are all of my boys demonstrating:
their favorite game right now is "i'm gonna get you!" when daddy chases them down the sidewalk. here are all of my boys demonstrating:
Thursday, April 24, 2008
three times NOT a charm
the blankie saga continues. abie had a fever yesterday so i (against my better judgment) let him have his blankie on our evening walk. low and behold, we come home, eat, play, get ready for our bath, and as i'm looking around their room i realize that his blankie is MIA. j goes to the stroller. nada. so as the tub is filling up, he high tails it in the car and retraces our route. thank god he found blankie! but of course abie went to bed with a filthy blanket. we got all the leaves and obvious pieces of dirt off it, but it had been laying in the street for a few hours. so abel snuggled up to some street last night. ugh!
then tonight, the drama continued. yet again, oz ran into the bathroom with the tub filling up and chucked his blanket in. i actually screamed "NO!" as it happened. it actually felt like the slow motion, drawn out kind you see in movies. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" needless to say, oz went to sleep with another wet blanket.
and if anyone is curious, i can tell you from personal experience from the past 5 minutes, that if a 15 month old child stirs in the middle of the night and his blankie is not there, because it is still in the dryer, he DOES notice and he is NOT happy.
wet blanket + dirty blanket + wet blanket = should have paid $10 for overnight shipping when ordering back up blankets last night
then tonight, the drama continued. yet again, oz ran into the bathroom with the tub filling up and chucked his blanket in. i actually screamed "NO!" as it happened. it actually felt like the slow motion, drawn out kind you see in movies. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" needless to say, oz went to sleep with another wet blanket.
and if anyone is curious, i can tell you from personal experience from the past 5 minutes, that if a 15 month old child stirs in the middle of the night and his blankie is not there, because it is still in the dryer, he DOES notice and he is NOT happy.
wet blanket + dirty blanket + wet blanket = should have paid $10 for overnight shipping when ordering back up blankets last night
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
soggy comfort
the boys are seriously attached to their blankets. those little things are 15"x15" "cozychic" knit of pure comfort to them. lee-lee got these blankets for the boys upon their birth, we started putting them in their cribs when they were about 5 months old, and by 7 months they were hooked.
we've had some near disasters with them as the boys have become even more attached and wanting to take their blankets with them on stroller rides, outings, etc. and man, what a mother won't do to rescue her child's blanket! i remember a few months back taking the boys on a greenbelt hike (i.e. rocky, off-road, forested area), only to discover upon coming home that abel's blanket was MIA. it was nap time, but i knew that any chance of them sleeping would be nada without this missing item. so off we went on another 45 minute hike to find blankie. and there he was, laying in the middle of the trail, all alone.
so tonight it was rather surprising when oskar ran into the bathroom as the tub was filling up for their pre-bedtime bath and boldly threw his blanket in the water. doesn't he realize what this means?! pure masochism, i tell you! jordan told me what happened and i honestly didn't think it would be that big of a deal. i said, "well, we'll throw it in the dryer and give him a different blanket to snuggle." yah, right.
so we do our bedtime, and oz totally rejects the "other" blanket, whipping it to the floor each time without a second glance. he finally settles and j puts him down in his crib. not more than two steps out the door later, oz is freaking out. so i grab two of ozzy's favorite ugly dolls, pass them to jordan, and he tries to give oz these second-rate back ups. that appeased him for all of 5 minutes, probably because he was so amused with getting his toys in his crib, but then when the novelty wore off, oz was freakin' again. so i hot foot it to the dryer, and it would be generous to say his blanket was still damp. but as j had already left for class, what was i to do? i grabbed that damp cloth and brought it to my hysterical son, who immediately grabbed it, hugged it, and collapsed into a sleep stupor.
now that gives new meaning to a wet blanket! i just hope i can sneak in there in a few minutes and snatch that blanket away from a slumbering and (cross your fingers) oblivious oksar and dry in properly. oh, and in between writing this post and watching american idol, i just ordered two more blankets so this will NEVER happen again.
we've had some near disasters with them as the boys have become even more attached and wanting to take their blankets with them on stroller rides, outings, etc. and man, what a mother won't do to rescue her child's blanket! i remember a few months back taking the boys on a greenbelt hike (i.e. rocky, off-road, forested area), only to discover upon coming home that abel's blanket was MIA. it was nap time, but i knew that any chance of them sleeping would be nada without this missing item. so off we went on another 45 minute hike to find blankie. and there he was, laying in the middle of the trail, all alone.
so tonight it was rather surprising when oskar ran into the bathroom as the tub was filling up for their pre-bedtime bath and boldly threw his blanket in the water. doesn't he realize what this means?! pure masochism, i tell you! jordan told me what happened and i honestly didn't think it would be that big of a deal. i said, "well, we'll throw it in the dryer and give him a different blanket to snuggle." yah, right.
so we do our bedtime, and oz totally rejects the "other" blanket, whipping it to the floor each time without a second glance. he finally settles and j puts him down in his crib. not more than two steps out the door later, oz is freaking out. so i grab two of ozzy's favorite ugly dolls, pass them to jordan, and he tries to give oz these second-rate back ups. that appeased him for all of 5 minutes, probably because he was so amused with getting his toys in his crib, but then when the novelty wore off, oz was freakin' again. so i hot foot it to the dryer, and it would be generous to say his blanket was still damp. but as j had already left for class, what was i to do? i grabbed that damp cloth and brought it to my hysterical son, who immediately grabbed it, hugged it, and collapsed into a sleep stupor.
now that gives new meaning to a wet blanket! i just hope i can sneak in there in a few minutes and snatch that blanket away from a slumbering and (cross your fingers) oblivious oksar and dry in properly. oh, and in between writing this post and watching american idol, i just ordered two more blankets so this will NEVER happen again.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
theme weekend
i hate to gloat about the weather here, but it really was a perfect weekend. we're talking 75 degrees, light breeze, 20 percent humidity and feathered clouds in the sky blue sky. we wanted to be outside as much as possible, and i'm in a spring gardening mood, so saturday we took the boys to an amazing garden center, the natural gardener. they LOVED the donkeys and running around the gardens and tropical house. they were totally into touching all the flowers!
springtime in texas is a fantastic season because of all the native wildflowers. fields of lavender bluebonnets, indian paintbrush, and buttercups blanket the highway frontages. last weekend we went on my favorite drives for wildflowers and there was zilch to be seen. i could just imagine the boys sitting amidst all the flowers and taking some incredible pictures. so this weekend we went straight to the source - the lady bird johnson wildflower center. it was awesome, but of course we forgot our camera. so here's our quintessential texas wildflower pics with j's camera phone!
springtime in texas is a fantastic season because of all the native wildflowers. fields of lavender bluebonnets, indian paintbrush, and buttercups blanket the highway frontages. last weekend we went on my favorite drives for wildflowers and there was zilch to be seen. i could just imagine the boys sitting amidst all the flowers and taking some incredible pictures. so this weekend we went straight to the source - the lady bird johnson wildflower center. it was awesome, but of course we forgot our camera. so here's our quintessential texas wildflower pics with j's camera phone!
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oskar tidbits
- oz has a new component of his bedtime routine that consists of him kissing all of his stuffed animals. he points to each animal on the shelf, one by one, and we bring it to him to kiss. one is a blue ugly doll, which he promptly smooches his fanged teeth. the next is a very furry alpaca teddy bear, which he won't kiss because it's too fuzzy (but he needs to say good night to him, nonetheless). when we get to piglet, a homemade version from my youth, he yells "mama mama mama!" and gives him the biggest kiss you can imagine. he basically inhales his face. we have no idea where this whole routine came from. just one night last week he started pointing to the animals and wouldn't give up until j would given him each one. what i want to know is why piglet is emphatically identified as "mama!" what is he trying to tell me? and why the heck don't I get a kiss like that before bedtime?!?
- tonight during the boys' bath, oz grabbed the washcloth and started to clean abie's arm, and then face with it. if he drools on the floor, he'll grab a burp cloth or tissue and wipe it up. but god forbid you wipe his hands and/or face after a meal. that is just unacceptable.
- oz loves to go for walks around the neighborhood. he walks on the sidewalk and he just keeps on going and doesn't look back. he's also getting really good at throwing the ball for mati and loves to hang out in the yard throwing the ball for her over and over again. that is when he's not running laps around the yard.
- tonight during the boys' bath, oz grabbed the washcloth and started to clean abie's arm, and then face with it. if he drools on the floor, he'll grab a burp cloth or tissue and wipe it up. but god forbid you wipe his hands and/or face after a meal. that is just unacceptable.
- oz loves to go for walks around the neighborhood. he walks on the sidewalk and he just keeps on going and doesn't look back. he's also getting really good at throwing the ball for mati and loves to hang out in the yard throwing the ball for her over and over again. that is when he's not running laps around the yard.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
conversationalists
the boys LOVE to talk to people on the phone. last week ozzy managed to call lee-lee all by himself. i was on the computer and all of a sudden i heard the phone ringing on speaker and lee-lee saying "hello" on the other end. oz proceeded to scream and babble into the phone, blowing kisses and kissing the phone every time lee-lee said, "i wish i were there to give you big kisses!" and then hugging the phone at least a half a dozen times. it was unbelievably cute.
but the best is when we talk to j throughout the day. the boys can't get enough of talking to daddy on the phone. they get so excited, doing a happy feet dance, screeching and screaming and saying dada over and over again. i know i need to get it on video, but for now, here's a little sequence of photos, mainly of abie talking to dad.
but the best is when we talk to j throughout the day. the boys can't get enough of talking to daddy on the phone. they get so excited, doing a happy feet dance, screeching and screaming and saying dada over and over again. i know i need to get it on video, but for now, here's a little sequence of photos, mainly of abie talking to dad.
the look of things to come
it's heating up here in austin (85+ degrees!) so we're appropriately spending more and more time outside in less and less clothing. today i glimpsed my future. it's a fun, adventurous and slightly scary image. two little boys running around the backyard like mad men, spraying water at each other, flinging wet dirt everywhere, chasing the garder snake back into the rocks (for real - i think he's our friend though!), and falling backwards from the patio into the raised plant beds. oh, and i forgot the best part! the joy of smearing said wet dirt all over their bodies. let's just say we took our bedtime bath early tonight.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
abie luvin
lately we've had some beautiful one-on-one time with the boys, as one will wake up from a nap and the other will keep snoozing for another half hour or so. it's a whole new world when you have the leisure of just hanging out with one of you babies! abie is a total cuddle bunny and loves to just roll and around and lay in our bed, all the while getting smothered in belly kisses from dad!
Thursday, March 27, 2008
big shoes to fill
oz got a pair of big boy shoes for his 14 month birthday today! the boys got some wicked shoes from their aunt brandy but they are still a little too big. so after some research, we settled on a pair of "see kai run" shoes. aside from being super stylish, easy to get on, and with a super flexible sole, i couldn't resist the 50 percent off price tag! plus, the boys' best friend's name is kai!
oz man has become quite the adventurer outside, and is walking all around the yard, to the car, etc. so it's become a necessity to get him something with a little more protection. i think we'll still stick with our trusty robeez for most occasions, but man does he look cute in his big boy shoes! he is totally fascinated with them too, constantly pointing to them as he's walking, and playing with the velcro.
when i tell the boys to go get their shoes, they run to their room, open the bottom drawer and pull out their robeez. today, oz-man pulled out his cool, new sneakers!
oz man has become quite the adventurer outside, and is walking all around the yard, to the car, etc. so it's become a necessity to get him something with a little more protection. i think we'll still stick with our trusty robeez for most occasions, but man does he look cute in his big boy shoes! he is totally fascinated with them too, constantly pointing to them as he's walking, and playing with the velcro.
when i tell the boys to go get their shoes, they run to their room, open the bottom drawer and pull out their robeez. today, oz-man pulled out his cool, new sneakers!
multitasking
oz-man is all about multitasking these days. actually, ever since he started walking a few months ago, the multitasking has reached hysterical proportions. he walks and drinks at the same time. walks and reads at the same time (so freakin' funny!). walks and plays with any and every toy at the same time. i've even found him walking around with the cone in one hand and a ring in the other hand, stacking the ring onto the cone! the amazing thing is that he's only managed to run into other things (couch, chair, wall, table, etc.) a few times while doing this. it's like he has some sixth sense or radar or something.
i wonder why he does this? is it because he loves to walk around so much? he must always be walking, but he also wants to do other things as well? wouldn't it be hysterical if he keeps this up his whole life? i mean, how often do you see someone walking down the street reading a book? that would be awesome!
i wonder why he does this? is it because he loves to walk around so much? he must always be walking, but he also wants to do other things as well? wouldn't it be hysterical if he keeps this up his whole life? i mean, how often do you see someone walking down the street reading a book? that would be awesome!
Monday, March 24, 2008
noteworthy
- abie and oz got their first haircuts this weekend! oz was sporting a major mullet and, as cute as it was, i just couldn't do it any longer. so i cut the ol' scissors out and clipped away while the boys ate their snacks. they didn't even realize what was happening! i took it easy and just trimmed the back and sides, so it's not too drastic. but super cute and boyish, nonetheless!
- HUGE growth spurt this weekend. we're talking at least 1.5 inches. oz slept for 4 hours on saturday and woke up from his second nap at least an inch taller than abel. it was very strange to see that, especially since they've always been the same height. abel was not to be outdone, however, and by the time he woke up sunday morning, they were dead even again. last night they slept 12.5 hours, i'm sure recovering from some massive energy exertion. craziness, i tell you!
- we were starting to worry about oz and his tendencies to just "walk off" steps and stairs. it's like he had no concept that if he did that he would fall face first. we have two major steps off our back patio in two separate places and ozzy would just barrel towards them with no regard for his life. and if you tried to help him down, or show him how to crawl down backwards, he would get very put-off. it's been a little crazy chasing him around outside while keeping our eyes on abie as well. well, this morning we had a major breakthrough and he figured out how to hold onto the side of the door frame or wall and lower his first foot down, then the second. it was a stroke of brilliance, and once he figured it out, he practiced, on both sides, for 30 minutes straight. up and down. up and down. right side, left side. it was the funniest thing i've seen yet.
- HUGE growth spurt this weekend. we're talking at least 1.5 inches. oz slept for 4 hours on saturday and woke up from his second nap at least an inch taller than abel. it was very strange to see that, especially since they've always been the same height. abel was not to be outdone, however, and by the time he woke up sunday morning, they were dead even again. last night they slept 12.5 hours, i'm sure recovering from some massive energy exertion. craziness, i tell you!
- we were starting to worry about oz and his tendencies to just "walk off" steps and stairs. it's like he had no concept that if he did that he would fall face first. we have two major steps off our back patio in two separate places and ozzy would just barrel towards them with no regard for his life. and if you tried to help him down, or show him how to crawl down backwards, he would get very put-off. it's been a little crazy chasing him around outside while keeping our eyes on abie as well. well, this morning we had a major breakthrough and he figured out how to hold onto the side of the door frame or wall and lower his first foot down, then the second. it was a stroke of brilliance, and once he figured it out, he practiced, on both sides, for 30 minutes straight. up and down. up and down. right side, left side. it was the funniest thing i've seen yet.
Friday, March 21, 2008
rompin' around
lee-lee got the boys these darling rompers and hats for easter. they just looked so darn cute i had to do a photo shoot. thanks lee-lee!
Thursday, March 20, 2008
meme-squared: lucky seven!
okay, okay. i've been tagged twice now for two different memes by dawn and liz. and given that each have seven elements, and since that number is very lucky for me, i'll get to it.
First meme:
1. Where I was 10 years ago:
Ten years ago...that was 1998! I was a sophomore at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign, thank you), still living in the dorms - Allen Hall to be precise. I wouldn't have been living in the dorms if I had my way, but I was on the gymnastics team (see second meme) and they had some stupid rule that you had to live in the dorms for two years. But I really loved Allen Hall. Back then it was the artsy-fartsy dorm. You had to apply to live there. Everyone there either painted, threw pots, did photography, and/or played an instrument. Not like those silly jocks who lived in the six pack. HOLY CRAP! I just wrote all of this and realized that I really wasn't a sophomore in college, but was actually in my second year of grad school in Eugene, Oregon. I do this all the time (again, see second meme). You know, think that I'm actually four years younger than I really am. So for real, I was in Oregon getting my masters in Historic Building Preservation and Urban Planning. That's right, two of 'em!
2. 5 things on my “to do list” today:
a. Take a shower (check!)
b. Go to Costco (check)
c. Make lamb meatballs for the boys (lamb went bad because this was on my "to do" list for a whole week without me doing it)
d. Watch Lost
e. Call my sister-in-law
3. Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Oh man! Build our dream house. A killer contemporary masterpiece perched on Lake Austin or overlooking the greenbelt. Furnish it with amazing mid-century pieces, including the womb chair in, like, every single room. Then build another killer contemporary masterpiece in Brazil as a vacation home. And then travel the world. And of course donate a bunch of it outright to great "changing-the-world" non-profits, probably set up my own foundation, and give all my family members and close friends a million a piece.
4. 3 of my bad habits:
a. Talking to J as I'm walking out of the room, or from across the house
b. Reading in the dark
c. Taking the boys for walks in the morning in my pajamas
5. 5 Places that I have lived:
a. Chicago, IL
b. Dallas, TX
c. Eugene, OR
d. St. Louis, MO
e. Austin, TX
6. 5 Jobs that I have had:
a. Gymnastics coach (high school)
b. Bookkeeper for a Health Food Store (college)
c. Nightclub Photographer (five years ago, don't ask - WORST JOB EVER!)
d. Fundraiser
e. Golf Caddy (for two weeks in high school)
7. Something most people don’t know about me:
As if you didn't get enough, see below for more than you bargained for!
Second meme: Seven Random Facts
1. I have a time-warp tendency that makes me about four years younger at any given moment. It really happens mostly when I think about high school and college. I graduated in 1992, but for some reason I always think it's really 1996. Trust me, my husband is quick to remind me (see below).
2. I married a guy I went to high school with. We met (again) at our 10-year reunion. He was the sweetest guy ever. Our sophomore year we kind of had crushes on one another and he invited me over to his house. I brought over Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (best movie ever) and made him watch it. For some reason I was riffling through his drawers (come on, people!) and found a "Stevenson High School Bench Press Champion" t-shirt that he had won. I stole it. Before the 10-year reunion I found it at the bottom of my dresser and started wearing it as a sleep shirt. He was reunited with his long lost shirt soon thereafter.
3. I was captain of the University of Illinois gymnastics team my junior and senior year.
4. I've always had a tendency towards weird food binges. In high school it was turkey sandwiches with sauerkraut and horseradish mustard. I ate it every day for lunch for 4 months. In college I was obsessed with Krunchers jalepeno potato chips. I would eat a big bag in one sitting, almost every day, for more months than I care to admit.
5. I met Duran Duran twice. Once at the Green Room in Dallas and once walking down North Michigan Avenue. I also was in love with John Taylor in 5th grade. Lucky me!
6. I broke my left arm twice in the same exact place. The first time I was six and my brother catapulted me backwards off his bed. The pillows we had set up didn't do much to soften my landing. The second time was in sixth grade and I fell off the uneven bars. I went on to later have surgery twice on that same arm. Poor arm!
7. I would love to be on Survivor or have J and I compete on The Amazing Race. We almost put together an audition tape for TAR, but ended up being pregnant with twins!
First meme:
1. Where I was 10 years ago:
Ten years ago...that was 1998! I was a sophomore at the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign, thank you), still living in the dorms - Allen Hall to be precise. I wouldn't have been living in the dorms if I had my way, but I was on the gymnastics team (see second meme) and they had some stupid rule that you had to live in the dorms for two years. But I really loved Allen Hall. Back then it was the artsy-fartsy dorm. You had to apply to live there. Everyone there either painted, threw pots, did photography, and/or played an instrument. Not like those silly jocks who lived in the six pack. HOLY CRAP! I just wrote all of this and realized that I really wasn't a sophomore in college, but was actually in my second year of grad school in Eugene, Oregon. I do this all the time (again, see second meme). You know, think that I'm actually four years younger than I really am. So for real, I was in Oregon getting my masters in Historic Building Preservation and Urban Planning. That's right, two of 'em!
2. 5 things on my “to do list” today:
a. Take a shower (check!)
b. Go to Costco (check)
c. Make lamb meatballs for the boys (lamb went bad because this was on my "to do" list for a whole week without me doing it)
d. Watch Lost
e. Call my sister-in-law
3. Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
Oh man! Build our dream house. A killer contemporary masterpiece perched on Lake Austin or overlooking the greenbelt. Furnish it with amazing mid-century pieces, including the womb chair in, like, every single room. Then build another killer contemporary masterpiece in Brazil as a vacation home. And then travel the world. And of course donate a bunch of it outright to great "changing-the-world" non-profits, probably set up my own foundation, and give all my family members and close friends a million a piece.
4. 3 of my bad habits:
a. Talking to J as I'm walking out of the room, or from across the house
b. Reading in the dark
c. Taking the boys for walks in the morning in my pajamas
5. 5 Places that I have lived:
a. Chicago, IL
b. Dallas, TX
c. Eugene, OR
d. St. Louis, MO
e. Austin, TX
6. 5 Jobs that I have had:
a. Gymnastics coach (high school)
b. Bookkeeper for a Health Food Store (college)
c. Nightclub Photographer (five years ago, don't ask - WORST JOB EVER!)
d. Fundraiser
e. Golf Caddy (for two weeks in high school)
7. Something most people don’t know about me:
As if you didn't get enough, see below for more than you bargained for!
Second meme: Seven Random Facts
1. I have a time-warp tendency that makes me about four years younger at any given moment. It really happens mostly when I think about high school and college. I graduated in 1992, but for some reason I always think it's really 1996. Trust me, my husband is quick to remind me (see below).
2. I married a guy I went to high school with. We met (again) at our 10-year reunion. He was the sweetest guy ever. Our sophomore year we kind of had crushes on one another and he invited me over to his house. I brought over Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (best movie ever) and made him watch it. For some reason I was riffling through his drawers (come on, people!) and found a "Stevenson High School Bench Press Champion" t-shirt that he had won. I stole it. Before the 10-year reunion I found it at the bottom of my dresser and started wearing it as a sleep shirt. He was reunited with his long lost shirt soon thereafter.
3. I was captain of the University of Illinois gymnastics team my junior and senior year.
4. I've always had a tendency towards weird food binges. In high school it was turkey sandwiches with sauerkraut and horseradish mustard. I ate it every day for lunch for 4 months. In college I was obsessed with Krunchers jalepeno potato chips. I would eat a big bag in one sitting, almost every day, for more months than I care to admit.
5. I met Duran Duran twice. Once at the Green Room in Dallas and once walking down North Michigan Avenue. I also was in love with John Taylor in 5th grade. Lucky me!
6. I broke my left arm twice in the same exact place. The first time I was six and my brother catapulted me backwards off his bed. The pillows we had set up didn't do much to soften my landing. The second time was in sixth grade and I fell off the uneven bars. I went on to later have surgery twice on that same arm. Poor arm!
7. I would love to be on Survivor or have J and I compete on The Amazing Race. We almost put together an audition tape for TAR, but ended up being pregnant with twins!
priddy interesting
the boys LOVE my little word book by roger priddy. they can sit in front of that book for hours pointing to every picture and have me, dutifully, pronounce what each thing is. and, for the most part, i like this book too. it's great to say, "where's the truck?" and have them enthusiastically point to the truck, etc.
but i have noticed some interesting things about this book, especially since it boasts illustrating 300 "essential" first words. first off, there is a whole page dedicated to birds. now, ozzy happens to be a bird fanatic. the kid loves stuffed animal birds, his favorite being "b-b" the yellow and black bird that i don't even know the technical name for. so i'm all for having a page of birds. but come on now, kookaburra? is this really an essential first word? and macaw? hmmm.
and then, looking closer at the book, i notice some funny things. like the teddy bear is fluorescent pink. the car is a vw (new) bug. the snake is a coral snake, one of the most poisonous snakes you can find. the food page shows jelly beans, oreos, cupcakes, ice cream and a monster sub sandwich. the funniest, though, is the picture of the house and the school. the house is a 1860s gothic revival farmhouse in this picturesque rural setting. the school is a tranquil historic little red schoolhouse, even topped off with the cupola and school bell. while i would love this to be the "typical" house and school that my kids would recognize, i think most of america is a far cry from this. unfortunately my kids will identify more with a suburban ranch and brick or concrete box monstrosity of a school, probably with a dozen portable buildings littering the landscape to accommodate for overcrowding.
so who is this roger priddy anyways? i look around the boys' bookshelf and notice TONS of their books are by this guy. their "touch and feel" book are by him. their animal books are by him. so i do a "who is roger priddy" search on google and learn that this guy has produced hundreds of books for kids. hundreds. but i couldn't find anything about him. who he is as a person. what would drive him to include such seemingly strange/interesting things in a book of first words? i guess this is a good reminder to read, with great interest, all the books that my kids look at. and i do, but i never look at them with a good critical eye, like i should. because they spend so much time sitting with their books, just flipping the pages away, pointing to all the different images. and i'm sure these images make real impressions.
so i guess, in a way, i owe a debt of gratitude to mr. priddy. because it will be great if these images, in some small way, influence the boys to think that a car should look like a vw bug (and not a humongous, gas guzzling SUV), that a house can be over one hundred years old, and that a school house doesn't need to look like a prison. priddy cool, if you ask me. now we just need to work on that food page.
but i have noticed some interesting things about this book, especially since it boasts illustrating 300 "essential" first words. first off, there is a whole page dedicated to birds. now, ozzy happens to be a bird fanatic. the kid loves stuffed animal birds, his favorite being "b-b" the yellow and black bird that i don't even know the technical name for. so i'm all for having a page of birds. but come on now, kookaburra? is this really an essential first word? and macaw? hmmm.
and then, looking closer at the book, i notice some funny things. like the teddy bear is fluorescent pink. the car is a vw (new) bug. the snake is a coral snake, one of the most poisonous snakes you can find. the food page shows jelly beans, oreos, cupcakes, ice cream and a monster sub sandwich. the funniest, though, is the picture of the house and the school. the house is a 1860s gothic revival farmhouse in this picturesque rural setting. the school is a tranquil historic little red schoolhouse, even topped off with the cupola and school bell. while i would love this to be the "typical" house and school that my kids would recognize, i think most of america is a far cry from this. unfortunately my kids will identify more with a suburban ranch and brick or concrete box monstrosity of a school, probably with a dozen portable buildings littering the landscape to accommodate for overcrowding.
so who is this roger priddy anyways? i look around the boys' bookshelf and notice TONS of their books are by this guy. their "touch and feel" book are by him. their animal books are by him. so i do a "who is roger priddy" search on google and learn that this guy has produced hundreds of books for kids. hundreds. but i couldn't find anything about him. who he is as a person. what would drive him to include such seemingly strange/interesting things in a book of first words? i guess this is a good reminder to read, with great interest, all the books that my kids look at. and i do, but i never look at them with a good critical eye, like i should. because they spend so much time sitting with their books, just flipping the pages away, pointing to all the different images. and i'm sure these images make real impressions.
so i guess, in a way, i owe a debt of gratitude to mr. priddy. because it will be great if these images, in some small way, influence the boys to think that a car should look like a vw bug (and not a humongous, gas guzzling SUV), that a house can be over one hundred years old, and that a school house doesn't need to look like a prison. priddy cool, if you ask me. now we just need to work on that food page.
our top chef claim
anyone see top chef chicago last night? all of a sudden, in the middle of the show, appears cafe brauer, the place where j and i were married 3.5 years ago. so cool! the lincoln park zoo soirée "challenge" was held in this space that took our breath away - and still does. those top chef folks really have some great taste!
a view from above at our wedding:
even the boys have been to cafe brauer! here we are just a few months before the boys were born, reliving wonderful moments:
a view from above at our wedding:
even the boys have been to cafe brauer! here we are just a few months before the boys were born, reliving wonderful moments:
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