Found the camera. Just in time for some hysterical photo taking, of course.

I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do next week. Babysitter is going on vacation, but I still need to get some work done. I'm thinking of finding a neighborhood girl to hang out with them a few hours for a few days. I hope they're cheap, because I still pay for vacation time. The arrangement sucks.

Seriously. Take me off your invitation list if you're planning to invite me to your wedding, kidfree, at 5 pm Friday in Boston, and I hardly know you. Your fiance/husband's parent company's vp is nice and all but really.

And then into Boston again tonight for a cocktail/schmooze hour. It was beautiful and fun but I missed the rugrats. I now have a good structural engineer contact though. Speaking of, I need to make business cards.

Speaking of making things, I made Nino's backpack for school and it's sooo cute. I really love it and think I might just make and sell a few. It's so simple and old-school. And toddler sized. I'm not putting a full sized one on his little back. But it will still hold full-size artwork.

I would take a picture but I can't find the camera. I remember the last day I had it but no clue. I'll keep looking.

Our neighbor has a fish pond. She let us use her pool for a few weeks for swimming lessons, and the pool is always open to us. She mentioned that she wanted a frog for her fish pond. So this afternoon, we went to Uncle's house, got out the nets, and grabbed her three tiny frogs. And luck of all lucks, they are different patterns - stripey, spotty, and mostly plain. So we delivered them. I hope they flourish there. It was a fun adventure and I hope it worked out.

Fortunately, the chinese soup tub stayed shut the entire ride and the only thing that smells of frog water is the tub itself. I drove in a tizzy all worried.

Both kids also have a viral rash. No telling what it is, but they have a lacy but not bumpy rash primarily on their cheeks. Also present on arms, shoulders, and bum. In the sun, it gets nice and red and streaky on the cheeks and they look like I should have them shuttered up with chicken soup or something. But they're really fine.

It's been a while huh? Just life, nothing very exciting. Lots of pool-beach-park-sprinkler stuff going on. Not to mention a few illnesses. Nino had this awful cough for over two weeks (finally gone? knock on wood), I got a lovely case of mastitis, and M currently has the poops either related to the antibiotics and/or the tooth. I can't even figure out where she's teething but she definitely is. She's already got the front eight so your guess is as good as mine.

On another note, good luck today Stacy. I can't wait to see pics of that beautiful baby girl!

So after 3+ years of nursing (not continuously, but not that far off), I guess I have mastitis. No one even had to see me, the prescription will be waiting for me. Lets hope it kicks in quickly.

Welcome to the world Moira Catherine!! My friend from high school, who now lives in Hawaii with her husband and 2 year old daughter Ella, had her second on Wednesday. I'm so happy for them.

I'm just heartbroken for a college roomie. Her son died after 12 days with his mommy and daddy. It's just not fair. Say a little prayer for B, D, and baby B.

My dad had a segment of his colon removed today. He seems to be doing well. I'm going to see what the hospital's policy on 3 year old visitors is.

I was supposed to have 3 houses done by today. 1 is really done, 1 is very close to done, barring some plants and the like on the rendering, and 1 needs some minor changes that still will take half a day. Wonder when that day will come?

Hubby has been working nonstop as well. Until 8+ pm, leaving at 7. If I weren't able to find him so easily, I'd think he had another family. Hmm . . .

My daughter cracks me up.

When Nino was a baby and he nursed to sleep, he'd nurse, his eyes would slowly shut, he'd doze off and his mouth would go slack. This is what I thought was normal.

She, on the other hand, nurses vigorously, clenching my hand but eyes closed. Gobble gobble gobble like there's not much more milk, ever. Then she decides she's done, snaps herself off (noise and all) and rolls away. Then she's asleep. She does everything with such fervor, even sleep. I crack up all the time at her little sleeping onesied back turned to me seconds after she was nursing.

"momma, what has foor?"
"four?"
"no not four, foor"
"floor?"
"no not like a wooden floor, foor! like a deer has foor?"
"four legs?"
"no not four legs. a deer has foor on his legs, on his back, you know"
"oh FUR!!"
"yes *sigh* foor."
"oh. well lots of things have fur. racoons, deer, dogs, horses"
"birds?"
"no birds have feathers"
"swans?"
"swans are birds. they have feathers."
"jojo says that swans have foor."

That JoJo. He's a rascal.

By the way, the spaghetti squash was good. More squash and less spaghetti than I expected but still good.

The other day we were flipping around the channels, which are pretty much limited to 3 pbs stations. Nino (in true momma boy fashion) wanted to watch a cooking show. And to a 3 year old, spaghetti squash is rather cool. But here's the thing - he wanted to *actually make* it. I watch cooking shows all the time but make it? That's best left to professionals.

Anyway, two medium spaghetti squash are now cooling. I've never had. I hope he likes it.

By the way, my favorite cooking show is Everday Food. They actually make stuff that I *can* make. And they're ordinary people, just with a better kitchen and better knives than me.

Let's see. It's been a while.

The fourth parade was fun. Nino was somewhat subdued - just taking it all in. Loved the firetrucks.

Here is the miss in her red white and blue:














We also had ten kinds of fun at Bradley Palmer State Park. This enormous wading pool, where I can sit with the bambina in about 3 inches of water while Nino runs into the "deep" (about 18 inches) and under the mushroom waterfall. He fell asleep mid-tofu dog at about 6 that night. If we buy a state parks pass for $35, we can go to the beach (the tidepool one) or there, any time we want. Seven trips to either pays us off. Might just.

She's going to be crawling before we know it. Nino dind't until 11 months, but she's not even 9 and close.

Oh and thanks to Zaboomafoo for dropping an ice cube down Martin's back. Tell a 3 year old that a) it's not cool and b) melon chunks, although cold, are much , much grosser than ice.

Sometimes Thomas needs to go poop. And he goes on the track. And he makes the track rusty.

I'm finding hard to work these days. I sit at a computer and just keep checking on K. And today, not being a good day, not good.

Here she is for you pray-ers:

















I also smell like pickles. Good recipe, stupid instructions to put it in a ziploc bag. Then transfer to tupperware? Thanks, but next time I'll make it directly in the tupperware. Sheesh.

Tonight we're making sour cream ice cream. I'm totally excited about it. I'm stealing the recipe from Oprah magazine but using lower fat stuff. And I love sour cream and strawberries, so we'll have it with strawberries and I'll even try my hand at a brown sugar glaze. Wonder if dinner first is a necessity?

Nino had his first overnight last night. We were all traumatized driving home without him, seeing his empty bed, not having to contain him or worry about the computer screen waking him.

He was fine. I showed up and he was all "oh hi mom".

Here are some recent gems:

"He's being nice and patient" about our 11 year old cousin. Funny that he said it, funny that he recognized the need for patience with himself.

"I'm an adult now. I can use this ice cream scooper!" Who knew that was the definition?!

I've been freaked out for 3 days now by C, K and V's situation. It's all I can think about. It was hard to watch G at swim lessons yesterday. I've never said so many prayers for both them and my own family.

Not to mention that my house is a disaster. I have spent most of the last 6 days using it for only sleeping, and the ants have taken over. And the toys. I don't care what lessons I'm not teaching my son, I'll put his toys away so I can vacuum the cheezits.

I already miss W and Fia. I love having them close. I love just sitting around poking at the kids with them. I love picking up on conversations as if it hasn't been six months. I am already planning a trip to Ga and the aquarium.

The beach was super duper uber fun. What a charming little beach. No public access really though. Actually that's not true. Access is public. Just no parking within a few miles, and at that point, you're closer to many other beaches.

That girl cousin is getting so big and beautiful.

Thomas the train was fun as well. It was so stinkin hot. That place needs to seriously invest in some fast-growing shade trees asap.

Well, I'm 31 now. Its funny how I walk around all entitled on my birthday. "I can eat french fries cause it's my birthday". "I shouldn't be mopping, it's my birthday." Or just the fact that random strangers don't know. Like I wanted the councilors at the meeting to know and let me speak first. Well, that and the fact that I'm holding a fussy kid and it's 88 degrees.

Speaking of which, you're allowed to take a shower for no reason and wear sweats on your birthday right? Cause that's what's next.

I think this is fantastic. I'm instilling just the right values in my son, sometimes. I mean, he had just finished rock candy when he said it.

But I digress. He was falling asleep and gets super-lovey. He kept going "momma, I *really* love you." *yawwwwn* Then he says "momma, you're so smart". Like that's the grandest compliment he knows. I don't really know/care if he meant it, but the fact that *that's* how he chose to flatter me. I hope he keeps that priority forever.

Anyway, we had a blast at the aquarium. He was asking when we could go back on the ride home.

Here he is with the seals:

I'm remembering all my old WW standbys. I've lost 2+ lb unofficially. I'll find out Thursday what the official measure is.

Nino had his last skating lesson today. He's hysterical. We're taking the summer off with most of our activities and re-adding them once school starts and I see how he is with that.

When it's warm out the rink gets steamy so this is the best we get:


Also, we borrowed Lady and the Tramp from SIL who told us to be careful with it. Nino learned to remove dvds recently and did with this. I can't tell if it's scratched or has yuck on it. The one godforsaken dvd he can't ruin, he did. Sigh.

Hm, it's been a while. Lets see, it's rained a lot. We saw Cars. That was fun.

"momma, why do you have two bums?"
"momma, can baby elephants jump?"

Houses are going well. All's working out with that.

Oh and I've joined WW. I have been on for 3 days. I am remembering all the old tricks. Primarily, I haven't stopped eating like I'm pregnant for 4 years. That needs to change.