Where we've been...

 The boys discover how to climb on the outside of the staircase.

The boys carve a pumpkin with "papa" in his workroom. Notice my father's steady hand while Harry literally hangs on him. 

 Brice is psyched. Harry has zero interest in wearing his Thomas "costume." We told him, "no costume, no candy." He kept the front piece on, but tossed the hat as soon as he hit the sidewalk.

 We told them, "eat as much as you want."--thinking they would tap out at 5 pieces. They did not. It took us about a week to recover from the 14,000 pieces of candy they ate that night. Live and learn...

 Scully. He's huge. He is already ten pounds over the predicted weight. Good thing he's fluffy.

 Brice wore his costume for 5 days in a row. Harry is in his favorite costume, as well. See how many leaves we had? We have a huge gingko tree in our backyard. Seth insisted on doing it old-school, even though I desperately wanted a leaf blower. 

 This is Brice and Ariella. She is Seth's cousin's daughter. She is so lovely and fun. They came over for Thanksgiving and Brice held her hand the whole weekend (and ate her Cheerios snacks; Harry swiped her babydoll).

 Decorating our tree. This is the first year (in seven!!) we've had a proper Christmas tree (various, boring reasons...). And it's real--also a first for me. The kids LOVED decorating it. Of course, there were about 40 ornaments on the bottom. 

 The boys were beside themselves with joy. Good thing i'm not TypeA, because it was pure chaos. 

Harry brushes his teeth before passing out. Such a big boy. He's even potty training now. He has figured out how to go in small increments, thus maximizing the number of M&Ms he gets. They think they're gaming me; I think they're wonderful.

Fall Cookies!

I wanted to make cookies with the boys. I have never actually made cookies with the kids for good reasons--too stressful with two super high-energy, not all that cooperative children. But my parents were coming into town, so I figured mom could help. I found the recipe for the above cookies. Cute, right? I wasn't excited about using three different dyes, but hey, it's festive! So anyway, the above picture is what they were supposed to look like.

My mom and I went to Target to look for cookie cutters in leaf shapes. Can you believe they didn't have them? So we decided to let the kids make circles, and then Brice could draw veins (you know, leaves!) in them with a toothpick (and I didn't have any, so of course I had to buy 300).

This is the boys in their cookie-making-glory. They look happy, right?

I thought I could get some cute pictures, since they were both actually enjoying the cookie-making. But when I said, "smile Harry!!" this is what I got. Classic. Oh well. And i'm telling you--he's my happy-go-lucky kid.

The cookies were actually delicious.

Maybe not totally accurate...

but I like it.

Home and belonging and beauty

Doesn't this look fabulous??? There is nothing I like more than, well, there are lots of things I like. But design magazines, design and decorating books. Mmm... And being home. And decorating my house. And the whole concept of home. And belonging.

I love beautiful things. I tend to decorate with lots of neutrals. Lots of whites and not too much color. I think color overstimulates me. But I love art. And pictures on my wall. And anywhere else I can fit them. Especially black and white pictures. I don't think i'd have the guts to decorate like this picture. But I love it.

When I graduated from college, I put my French to "great" use by working in an art gallery in Chicago. I helped the owner, who spoke wonderful french but had terrible grammar, translate letters. He would give me his incorrect and somewhat offensive letters. And I would translate them for him. Clean them up. But what I really got from this job was fantastic discounts on art. Really good art. And I made friends with the director of the gallery who also gave me some sweet little finds from the flea markets of Paris. I ate Ramen noodles and hot dogs for years because I spent all my (extremely meager!) salary on art.

Now we are finally in a home. A real home. We have a garage and a basement and a yard. We have been married six years and have rented three places, and bought one condo (what a disaster) and now here. I love our house because it's blue (and doesn't leak). And the previous owners were serial rehabbers and had great taste. But I mostly love it because it's ours. And we have no plans to move. And our boys have their own room. We can mark their years on their doorframes. We can scratch the floors and it's not a reduction in our deposit--it's memories. I'm ridiculously sentimental. Notches on the door frames. Scratches on the floor. I love the whole concept of home, belonging, and the longing for something more permanent, more perfect.

But I digress.

Home. Sigh...

Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday, sweet Harry! We love you SO MUCH and are so happy God gave you to us. We love your sweet nature, your dramatic kisses, your indignant tantrums. We love watching you grow (my how you eat!), learn, and delight in the world (except any living creature that comes within 2 feet of you). You are a joy to raise and though someday you will leave us, as you should, we treasure these days we have with you.

Happy THIRD birthday, little man.

My loves and their lovies

This is Harry and his lovie--brown blanket. It was given to him by a former work colleague of Seth's at his old law firm. It's a beautiful cashmere blanket with trees on the front. I started putting it in his crib (well, his pack n' play; Harry slept in it, in our bathroom, for a little over a year. Condo living...) as soon as I was no longer concerned about him suffocating. And he's now thoroughly attached to it. When we check on him at night, we usually find it like this, or in some other unusual pose in his bed.

This is Brice and his lovie--Blue Bunny. Brice claimed BB as his own shortly after Harry was born. When he was just a little guy, he would call him "Boo Baybum." Still kills me. Three years on now, and he still cuddles him fiercely all night long. And also takes him out and about when he needs a little extra support. Like when he had to have his tooth extracted--Brice and BB sitting in the dentist's chair, champing it. I'll be really sad when (or if?) Brice leaves BB behind.

Winter 2011, destroying your hard drive, blah blah...

Harry helping out during "Snowpocalypse 2011" when we got about 12 feet of snow. I love a good snow storm, especially (only) when I don't have to be on the road . Seth didn't go to work, and spent a good portion of the day shoveling out a 5X5 little square of snow in our driveway. Of course, he had no shoes on, no gloves and no hat. Oh, the unfortunate things that get lost in a move! Thankfully our neighbors came and helped us out later on.

This is Brice and his "bestie" Evelyn. Evelyn's mom is one of my best friends. Brice and Evie are 9 months apart. And Harry and Luke (her son) are 9 days apart. We forced friendship upon them and they are mainly okay with that. Brice and Evie are both strong-willed, stubborn, leadership types (super fun as toddlers, lemme tell you!) and don't always get along. But this was a good day.

This is Harry. I love this picture. He is playing a pink piano in the kid's section of Neiman Marcus in downtown Dallas. The boys had never "seen" Santa Claus, so when we were in Dallas we took them (with their cousin, Luke) to see the NM Santa. And, oh my goodness. What an orgiastic display of the Christmas Spirit. Harrison was terrified of Santa, as was his ever-so-slightly younger cousin Luke. So they hung out in the toy section and pretended not to notice the goings-on one floor below.
This is Brice and Luke in Dallas. We wish that they were closer, but as is the case with most Texans, their parents have no interest in leaving Texas. Even for Chicago. Gasp! I guess our great weather couldn't woo them. Luke is a lovely little guy. When he wants a toy, he'll tackle the kid with a half-nelson until he gives up the goods. He fits right in with our family.

So, about that hard drive.

I've been yearning for a laptop for years. So when we bought this house, we decided we'd splurge on a laptop, too. That way I could actually read/write/surf/waste time in bed, as opposed to hunching over in a tiny corner of our unused dining room into the wee hours. The Apple Man told me I could bring in my desktop and my laptop and they would switch over all the info for me. Great. So I dropped it off and went to pick it up a few days later.

It's NEVER a good sign when they whisper, look at me, and say "ohhh, could you hold on a sec, we need to go over some things with you."

(flashback: this past winter I was at a church retreat for women (I know, shocking) and took a photography class. I laughingly mentioned that I had 6000 pics that I didn't know what to do with. The teacher was a little surprised when I said I didn't back them up, had heard about this procedure, but didn't actually know how to do it. So she told me. Then I forgot and never did it.)

Apple Man comes out with my desktop and a padded baggy and hands me "my hard drive." Why is my hard drive not in my computer? Oh, well it died. Oh, it died. Ok.

He gave me the card of a company in CA who could retrieve it all for me. I called the company. Yes, they could probably do it. For over twice the price I paid for the computer.

So, now my hard drive sits in my desk drawer, wrapped tightly in plastic padded baggy, awaiting next year's tax return.

Sigh...

I love my kids! Really!!!

I realize that I often complain about my children. Say how awful they are (they are), say how much they drive me crazy (constantly), how they do nothing but fight and scream (true story). Yes, it's all true. They drive me crazy and I don't often have those transcendent, "i love my kids, they amaze me" moments. But I do love them. Really! So I thought i'd take a few minutes to say some nice things about my kids.

BRICE:

* he's amazingly smart: curious, thoughtful, intelligent
* he's soulful: on those rare occasions when it's only us and he looks into my eyes and tells me what he's thinking, i'm often left breathless
* he is endlessly enthusiastic
* he loves music: especially classical--he can identify different songs and tell you where he heard them last
* he is great with Scully: loves him desperately, tries to care for him like he's his parent.
* I am so curious to see what path he chooses when he grows up: I have my own ideas, but that's for another post


HARRY:

* he is possibly the happiest child you will ever meet: he is bubbly, playful, he doesn't walk--he hops and skips
* he is a very tender child: if you yell out in pain, he is the first at your side to make sure you're okay.
* he loves his brother: this amazes Seth and me. Brice is terrible to him, yet he keeps on loving him
* he is easy: if you discipline him, he repents. If you change plans, he can flow. Happily.
* he is endlessly cuddly: he will sit on your lap for hours if you read to him, turning his head frequently to kiss your face.

Yes, these are my children. I love them. I do. I look forward to this Fall, when they are both in preschool, but not at the same time. In the morning, it's me and Brice. In the afternoon, it's me and Harry. I look forward to them getting older, getting along. I look forward to enjoying motherhood more.

Yes, they drive me insane. They have driven me into therapy (love therapy!). But when they are quiet and focused on something, I look at them. Look at their blue/grey eyes and floppy hair. I drink them in at these times. I take them in and i'm deeply grateful.

Told you he is cute!

Welcome Scully!

So, I can't find my computer cords. Which means I can't upload pics of my newest love--Scully.

As I posted recently, we had plans to get a sweet little lab puppy at the beginning of July. However, everyone I talked to scared the bejeezus out of me, telling me I was insane and how much work lab puppies were. So cute, but hey, they stay puppies in spirit until they are 2 or 3. And frankly, that sounded like a LOT OF WORK. And then one afternoon, I was talking to my neighbor. She had just adopted a black lab puppy. I said something along the lines of "it's not THAT hard, right? I mean, it's not like having a newborn, right?" To which she replied, "well, actually..." I don't know the rest of what she said, because I raced back to my house and was on the phone with the breeder before she finished her sentence. CANCEL CANCEL!!!

So, after getting over my guilt of saying goodbye (pre-saying Hello) to my little lab, I decided to put the dog thing on hold. And then adopting an adult lab. But THEN, a couple weeks after getting (somewhat) moved into our new house, I was browsing the website of a breeder of goldendoodles. She had posted that they had a 12-week old housetrained goldendoodle up for adoption. I briefly told Seth my idea as I was dialing, and then she answered. No, they didn't have her anymore. But hey, they had a littler of minis that we could come see if we were interested. (Sidenote: they also occasionally sold litters of labs, so I thought we could go on a "fact-finding" trip to see the puppies and talk to her about the differences bt doodles and labs). The next day, we were on our way. To just look and talk.

But then...she handed me a dog to hold. He was creamy and fluffy and cuddly and he fell asleep in my arms. So I bought him. Right then and there. He was 7 weeks old. The next week (today!) we went to get him. Sweet little Scully is lovely and fluffy and cuddly and I could eat him up with a spoon! Brice named him (so much better than Gilbert, his other choice). He is the lovliest little guy and to prove it, i'm going to scour the house to find the cord to upload the pictures.

Welcome home, Scully.

Hold the Gluten!

If you know us, and you know Brice, you know that things have not been easy. He's been a tough kid from the moment he was born--strong-willed, temper tantrums that would go for hours, defiance, moods (!!), etc. You name it. And if you have a tough kid, you know that whenever you talk about the issues, people give you LOTS of suggestions. Finally, after several people suggested this, we tried to put Brice on a gluten-free diet this past January.

It wasn't hard; we live by Trader Joes and Whole Foods, so we are close to lots of excellent gluten-free options. We've always been careful about food dye. The change we saw in Brice was amazing. He calmed down, he was happier, easier to work with (note: not easy; still Brice. Same issues, just at a very manageable level).

So, a few weeks ago, we decided to try and add a little gluten back in. And oh. my. goodness. The poor child. Poor us! It was night and day. It was hard for me to even be around him. So, for the past 5 or so days, we're back (all of us) off gluten. And even though i'm sure there is still some in his system, he's back to Brice. Hard, but happy-ish. Excitable, but accessible.

My predictions

I've talked to several people over the past few weeks who do not watch American Idol. WHAT??? This is the best season EVER.

Simon Who???

But I know lots of you are watching and dying to know who will win. Let me tell you:

Top Four:
Haley
Scotty
Lauren
James

Top Three:
Scotty
Lauren
James

Top Two (can you guess?):
Lauren
James

Winner:
James

I think he's the best, but I also love a good story. And James has a good story.

Our newest addition!

Yes, we are getting a dog. A puppy to be exact. I've wanted one since my own dog (a yellow lab) died when I was sixteen. We've not been in a place yet where it made sense to get a dog. We've either been in a small condo downtown or renting. And we wanted to wait until the boys were a bit older.

Seth was more reticent than I was, as he wasn't raised with a dog. He grew up in China and was always moving and a dog represented (and still does) restriction. But we figure by buying a house and having two little kids, we're already pretty restricted. And to me, I can't imagine raising kids and not having a dog. I grew up with one, and times playing with Gabe are some of my favorite childhood memories.

Frankly, I think i'm more nervous about bringing a puppy home than I would be bringing a third child home. At least with a baby, i'd (sorta) know what I was doing and know what to expect. And my youngest, Harrison, would not be terrified of a new baby. Harry is both fascinated with and terrified of dogs. He calls all dogs "scary puppy"--he always squeals when he sees them and desperately wants to pet them. But he just can't work up the courage. Brice, on the other hand, is fantastic with dogs. Very gentle. Puts his hand out for them to inspect him. He really wants to help me with the puppy and is hopeful that someday the dog will sleep in his room with him.

So, it should be quite a summer. New house, new dog, new neighbors. I'm sure it will be fine, right?

I mean, how hard could it be?? (cue ominous music...)


(note: our puppy has not actually been born yet; the above photo is a pic of a puppy who was born last year from the same parents we're getting ours from)

I promise

to do a proper post very soon.

We bought a house!

We finally did it. Six years and two children later, we are (in a month) homeowners. Technically, we've owned before. I tend not to think of our leaky condo in glowy "our first home" ways. It was a nightmare that is pretty much over (except for the ongoing lawsuit).
We moved out to Wheaton last year and love love love it. We love the area, the community, our church, the space, etc. We're buying the house thinking "this is it." This is where we plan to settle down, if two non-commital people can actually choke those words out. We were in our condo for almost 3.5 years. That is the longest either of us have lived anywhere since high school. So, this is a big deal. We're buying a fence and a playset and a dog! We're going to measure the boys against their doorframe every year and mark it in pen! (pencil) We're going to get to know the neighbors, paint the walls, stain the carpet and settle in for a good long stay.
Probably.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday, Seth. You are more lovely, more dear to me each day. You are the hardest worker, the best father, the most patient, loving husband. I knocked it out of the park on the day I married you. If all fell away and all I had left was you, I'd still have everything.

Dallas