hanging in there

silas was on vacation in new york for 10 days.

(i did not mention this because i did not want to be attacked by someone who thought i was alone and defenseless.  and by the way, i was not defenseless.  i was armed with mace and a handgun, and i know how to use at least one of them.)

he got back saturday afternoon, and started his second year of podiatry school on monday.

(we are overjoyed.  OVERJOYED, i tell you.)

one on hand, it's great.  really.  all the hopes and prayers and money and time and energy and sleep sacrificed to the cause of Education have paid off.  we're here.  silas is in school, taking classes that actually relate to his future career.

but on the other hand (the negative one)...when one thinks about how much lies ahead, one sometimes feels like this.

but one (or two) can be cheered up a bit by the promise of masterchef and frozen pizza and ice cream.

especially if it's the best ice cream ever.

don't let the uninspiring packaging fool you.  this stuff is amazing.  like funfetti cake batter ice cream with cream cheese frosting but even better.  you will love it*.

winco stocks it.  

in case you're interested.  

now go have a great evening.

i'm going to go shower.  i just remembered i haven't done that since monday morning.

*unless your name is silas and your sugar tolerance is about a teaspoon/day.

chill

spent time at a friend's house this morning.  talked life and kids and books.

attempted to have "silent reading time" with the boys.  they did better than i expected, although they definitely weren't silent.  :)

colored on the glass patio doors with window crayons.  it was actually pretty fun.  someone whose name rhymes with mesmond also colored on the carpet.  that's when i took all the crayons away.

took a nap.  no shame.  I TOOK A NAP TODAY, PEOPLE.  (and yesterday and every day last week except sunday.)

made bbq pizza (with zucchini, onions, cheddar, mozzarella, and bacon) for the boys and myself.  with a TON of barbecue sauce.  (silas is sick of bbq pizza and refuses to eat it with me anymore.  maybe because i made us eat it at least twice a week for several months....)

boys are asleep, floor is mopped, kitchen is clean.  now i am going to chill with some white collar (neal caffrey, my bff) and a few loads of laundry.

(i used to always use "folding laundry" as an excuse to go watch tv in my parents' bedroom.  and now i use it as an excuse to watch tv in my bedroom.  although who i'm trying to fool now, i'm not sure.)



august is almost over!  can you believe it?

a small miracle

if you read my emo post, i'm sorry.  (just keepin' it real, guys.)

i had a break to regroup during naptime and the afternoon was significantly better.   (i mean, tesla did spent about an hour in "the corner", but at least i wasn't on the verge of an emotional breakdown.)

i didn't think discipline would be such a challenge for me.  although really, i don't know why i'm surprised.  i'm white (i love that book by the way.  silas had to read it for a class back in the day and he recommended it to me.  it has given me so much insight into my personality, and into our marriage--we're a rare white/white couple, and that creates some pretty significant issues).  i've never really commanded authority (or even meekly requested it).

because of this, "finding myself" as a mother and an authority figure has been challenging.  but i'm sure most of us struggle with it to some degree.

all that aside, what i really wanted to tell you was what happened during dinner.  i made the boys each an egg and then we had cooked wheat berries and kale prepared like this (BEST recipe for cooked greens--i don't have to choke them down).  i fully expected them to eat the egg and nothing else.

but.

they ATE the KALE!

ALL OF IT!

AND HAD SECONDS!

(for all of you out there who think i feed my kids super healthy--i don't think a single vegetable has passed their lips, except in quiche form, in about a year.  so them willingly eating something green and leafy and not disguised by egg and cheese was HUGE.)

it was a tender mercy from the Lord.

and i'm not being sarcastic.

i desperately needed to feel like i did something right today, and them eating a food they would normally not even look at nearly brought me to tears.

maybe i'm doing okay after all.

disciplining wee beasties is not for the faint of heart

i am a raincloud today.

that's me.  spreading cheer wherever i go.

in the same pajamas i've worn for 3 days and 2 nights straight...

(i am not a "fake it till you make it" kind of person.  just so you know.)



i called my mom and cried this morning about how frustrated, confused, ineffective, and lost i felt.

she listened and gave just the right amount of advice and made me feel a little better.

then i stress-ate 4 reeses cups and a quesadilla.

(so of course now i feel like crap.)

chocolate and cheese used to be my go-to binge (alternating, not in the same mouthful.  ugh).  i know it sounds disgusting, but sweet + salty never lets you down.

one day i would like to talk to you about my history with food, because i think it's something that needs to be talked about.  not that my story is really epic or anything, or even really interesting or unusual, but because i've made progress.  and i think sometimes, when you're in the worst of it, you need to know that progress is possible.

today, however, is not that day.

today is the day where i narrate my life really dramatically in my head and wallow annoyingly in self pity for a little longer.

(i bet you're thinking i could use a little shot of that fake optimism right about now, eh?)

well...

i could use a shot.

what a difference a [trim] makes

my hair is usually in one of two stages:

1.  i just chopped it off

2.  i'm growing it out

i almost never (ever) get trims.  my reasoning is that if i'm going to pay money for a haircut, i want to look different!  

but.  

lately my hair has been terrible. 

"hair!"  i said.  "what happened?  why do you hate me?"

it looks stupid when i air dry it.  it won't style.  

i need a change!  to cut or dye (again)?

and then it dawns on me.  maybe all i need is that just brushed cut clean feeling.

maybe i actually need to invest in a trim.

so off we went, my hair and i.

et voila!

suddenly it doesn't suck so much anymore.

(and taking the time to, you know, style it after the gym helps.)

buuuuuut...i couldn't get "just a trim".  i needed to look a little different!   so i did what i promised myself and silas i wouldn't (under any circumstances!) do.

i got side bangs (again).  they're way too long and in my face all the time.  silas has taken to calling me "one eye".

...but they're easily pinned back and should grow out quickly.

moral of the story:  go get yo hair cut.

our foray into the realm of sensory bins

i've been intrigued by the concept of sensory bins for a while.

they just seem so...cool.

i mean, i want to play with some of them.

but they also seem so messy.  jello, birdseed, beans, rice...tiny and squishy things that i do not want to be cleaning up off the floor.  (if we had a house i wouldn't mind doing some of these things in the driveway or on the yard but alas...we do not.)

so i decided to start simple.  with shredded paper.

i tossed in a couple plastic serving utensils, a horse, a dinosaur, and a cow.  (yeah, so i didn't make an artfully constructed themed sensory bin...)

desmond

but they loved it.






...and then they did this.

tesla

tesla

i didn't get a picture, but by the time they were done, the carpet was covered in tiny bits of paper, and the kitchen had been sprinkled liberally.

plus pieces of paper kept sticking to the boys' feet, and they obligingly tracked them through the rest of the apartment.

so.

was it messy?

YES.  YES,YES,YES.  i fully expected them to dump the contents of the bin out, and i had prepared myself to be okay with it.  however, i did not anticipate the full scale of the mess that would ensue.  thankfully, it was just paper.

was it hard to clean up?

a little trickier than i expected.  i enlisted the boys' help by telling them they couldn't eat dinner unless they assisted me (and yes i would have sent them to bed without the evening meal if they had refused to help).  we scooped up as many handfuls of paper as we could, but there was still so much left on the floor that we couldn't get.  so i had to bring out the vacuum for the rest of it.  not the best thing to do to your vacuum, but i didn't really have any other options.

(it was, however, a piece of cake to clean the kitchen--all i had to do was sweep the paper into piles.)

was it worth it?

well, when i was taking the above pictures, tesla came up to me and said (unprompted), "it's great!  oh mommy, thank you!"



:)

well then.  i suppose it was worth it.

maybe i'll do it again sometime.

next year.

i can do it myself

so today during naptime i was scanning blogs and my pinterest board for preschool activity ideas.  nothing was really jumping out at me, so i decided i would actually try to come up with something on my own.

and do you know what?

it can be done!

(shocker)

i was inspired by this book (it's one of my favorites and the boys adore it):

here's what we did.

i cut a piece of construction paper in half (one for t and one for d) and glued on their respective pictures and names.  then i cut out 2 sets of 10 apples and labeled them with the numbers 1-10.  (obviously if you had apple stickers you could save yourself the cutting and the gluing.)

i showed the boys the book and their pictures and told them that we'd be reading Ten Apples Up on Top and that they would get to put apples up on top of their pictures, too.

so i read the story aloud, and each time an apple was added, we stopped and glued another apple "up on top".   (and of course, counted all of the apples...)

overall, this was a little bit of a stretch for desmond's attention span--plus he kept ripping his apples off--but it was a great activity for tesla's age. (2 1/2 +)  i thought it was fun and kind of a cute idea, and i was proud of myself for coming up with it (as complex and brilliant as it was).  ;)

behold, apples up on top:

we also did a pouring activity

and another, extremely messy activity that you will hear about tomorrow.


have a happy week!  i hope it's starting to cool off, wherever you are.  (unfortunately, we've still got at least 3 1/2 months of summer left.)

why daddies are way more fun

so yesterday was silas' last final of summer term (now he has 2 weeks off!), so he was able to join us for preschool.  when he asked if i needed help with anything, i asked him if he could rig up a simple living room obstacle course after we finished our first activity (talking about animal sounds and gluing cotton balls on sheep).

 he agreed, and so as soon as we finished, i called him in to help out.  unfortunately, i got sick all of a sudden and had to go rest on the bed.

(and let me just say here--when i said "obstacle course" i was thinking a few pillows, maybe crawling under the table, hopping up and down...you know.)

when i came out of the room (my random nausea--noi'mnotpregnantrightnow--was miraculously cured by a few minutes of lying on the bed and a couple nectarines), my jaw dropped.

he'd rigged up a kid's fantasy that began with crawling under the table (it had a sheet on it) and under the chair (a little tricky because of the way the chairs are designed), around a mattress standing on it's side, up 2 buckets onto a chair, and then the finale:  jumping from a plank laid across the two high chairs, (which were on top of the couch) onto a pile of about 14 pillows and 2 twin comforters.

well dang.



(the boys loved it, of course.  i didn't get any pictures but suffice it to say i've been totally upstaged.)

clean messy fun

we did preschool again yesterday.

(2 whole days in a row!  i'm so proud.)

desmond

tesla

silas remarked at dinner last night, "preschool makes them...really happy."  

meaning that dinner was actually a really pleasant experience for everyone involved.  (score)

they do seem to like it, and it puts them in good moods.  (i don't have high hopes for today, since i'm anticipating them to be tired, cranky beasts.  we played at nana and papa's today and then they FELL ASLEEP IN THE CAR on the way home...so of course naps were not taken.  naptime's about 30 minutes from being over and there is still a lot of noise coming from that room.)

this is what "ice cream cones" turn out like when you do them with children under 3.

tesla

desmond

we did the indoor bubble blowing from play create explore yesterday for our activity.  i figured it would be an easy "messy" activity to help me ease into that sort of thing.

it was a hit!

after taking a few pictures, i wanted in on the action.  (it was actually pretty fun...of course i made the biggest bubbles.  not that i'm bragging or anything.)

not pictured:  the floor after they splashed and then dumped the rest of the water out.

but hey--it was just soap and water!  the floor was actually cleaner after we wiped it all up.  win win.

*confession:  sometimes i can't tell the boys apart in pictures, from behind, and from above.

and they're not even twins.  

baby[face], baby[steps]

pest control just came by.

when tesla and i answered the door, he asked if "the parents" were home.

"actually, i'm the, uh, parent," was my eloquent reply.

on a more random note, we made apple muffins this morning!

i'm trying to be better at letting the boys help.  obviously it's easier (and neater) for me to do the cooking myself, but why deny them a learning opportunity?

i read somewhere that a great way to involve children when you're cooking is to add extra, unnecessary step.

my original idea was to measure out all of the ingredients into separate bowls and have the boys help combine them.

yeah, no.  it was 7:30 am.  and i'm not on food network.

but i did place the chopped apples into the bowl and let the boys mix them in.  then they put the liners into the muffin pan and helped me scoop the batter in.

i was a little stingy with the "turns" i gave them and scooped most of the batter myself...

but it's a step in the right direction.  

  

:)

preschool--our first attempt (part 2)

so!  last time i talked about my decision to make an attempt at preschool (or "play school") with the boys.

here's how it actually went down.


after naps/diaper changes, i called the boys over to the table with an "everybody sit in your chairs" song.  we then went over today's date ("Today is Tuesday...say Tuesday!  Good.  August...can you say August?  Good job.  The 7th!  See, the number 7?  Let's count to seven."  you know how it goes.) and sang the "days of the week" and "months of the year" songs.  twice.  (the boys love songs.)

(last night i made construction paper cards with the days of the week, months of the year, and numbers on them so we could change the date every day.)

construction paper and markers.  that's about as crafty as i usually get.  try not to be too envious.

after finishing the date, we talked about the shape of the day (circle).  we identified some circles and then practiced drawing them.

tesla

desmond

obviously desmond had some assistance with his circles.  ;)

desmond

i don't have a picture of this, but i also made some shape cards (construction paper again) with different shapes on them (square, triangle, diamond, star, and of course, circle).  we went through the cards and identified the shapes ("Is this a circle?  Noooo...it's a star!  Is this a circle?")

the boys shocked me by being really involved.  they usually will only draw/color for about a minute, but they enjoyed making circles (and tesla also worked on drawing lines).  they loved identifying the shapes on the cards and desmond surprised me by joining in to answer some of my questions.

i think next we did music time (i ended up modifying my lesson plan as we went so i can't remember the order right now).

music time is pretty self-explanatory, but we basically just danced in circles and sang a bunch of songs. i'd made a list of about 10 or so action songs beforehand, and it really helped that i could just go down the list without having to think of another song off the top of my head.  

music time was a HUGE hit.  i've done a few half-hearted attempts at it before, but i didn't get nearly the response i did today. there was a lot of grinning, jumping, and choruses of "again?  again?" 

we sang most of the songs at least twice (some of them five or six times), and the boys loved dancing around and singing.  sometime i'd like to get a cd with a bunch of our favorites on it (we were just doing it a cappella) and maybe incorporate some rhythm instruments.

after music time we did starfall time.  i should do a separate post on starfall sometime, but basically it's free and awesome.  it was a big help in teaching tesla his letters and sounds.  (i've been slacking on teaching the alphabet with desmond though, which is why i decided to include starfall time in our day.)

for starfall time, i set a timer for 15 minutes and tesla sat on the couch and played starfall on the ipad.  (i explained to him that he would be playing for 15 minutes, and once the timer went off, he would be done.  i was hoping giving him fair warning might help avoid the usually inevitable meltdown when time was up.)

by the way, the starfall app is not free, but it is worth it.  tesla LOVES it.  desmond's still too young to really use it, so i brought him into our room to use the computer.  he sat on my lap and we went through A-G a couple times (with me walking him through the letters and sounds, narrating, asking him questions, etc.)  he knows probably a third of the alphabet but i haven't really worked on it consistently with him.

after the timer went off (tesla turned off the ipad and put it away without whining or freaking out!  it was like i'd stepped into a parallel universe), we went back to the kitchen table for our "activity".

we did this toddler science activity from play create explore.  i was a little apprehensive (i have a bit of "mess anxiety" that i'm trying to get over...food coloring definitely worries me) ;) but it went great!  and it actually held the boys' attention for quite a while (meaning probably 10 or 15 minutes...which is longer than i expected).

i poured water and oil into a glass bowl and then let the boys help put drops of food coloring in.  at first they were like, "so...?" but then the colors started dropping and they got excited.

tesla (left), desmond (right)

tesla kept saying, "it's going down!  IT'S GOING DOWN!" and "fish!  a fish, mommy!"

it was really, really cute to see them so interested.  especially because i didn't have very high expectations for this activity.  

after activity time, we did independent play/focus time with mommy.  i set a timer for 15 minutes and put desmond in his room with a toy (car/ramp thing).  tesla joined me for a montessori-style focus activity that i found here.  

i loosely followed the activity cycle, so i had him get a blanket and lay it on the ground.  then we brought over the activity (ice cube tray and pom poms) and sat down.  i tried to demonstrate it for him (he kept wanting to jump in), and then he worked on it.  i gave him quiet verbal guidance ("nope, it goes here", "good job") but tried to let him do it on his own as much as possible.  he started to get the pattern after a while but i had to guide him quite a bit.  after a few minutes i just started saying, "left side!" "right side!", and that seemed to help it make more sense to him.

tesla

i think this was the biggest surprise of the day.  tesla absolutely loved this.  i really thought he would want to do it his own way and get upset if i tried to correct him, but he seemed to enjoy trying to do it the "right way".  sometimes he'd ask, "right here?" before placing a pom pom, and when he got it right, he seemed so pleased.  i could tell he felt accomplished.

tesla

and you know what?  it was really fun for me.  i haven't really done one-on-one activities with the boys (shame shame) before, and it was great.  i got to focus on tesla, and he loved having my attention.

he kept saying "again?" as soon as he finished *, which was really gratifying for me for some reason...i guess i was just proud of him for doing it and proud of myself for actually trying something new.

i'm a really bad multitasker during the day...i clean while the boys are playing, do dishes while they're eating, prep dinner while they're fighting (just kidding)...so it was good for me to take some time to focus just on my boys.

tesla

towards the end of our fifteen minutes, tesla wanted to change the format.  he'd already completed the activity several times so i let him do what he wanted for the last bit.  we did some sorting and then some "freestyle".

tesla

when the timer went off, we cleaned up our activity and he helped me fold the blanket and put it away. then we switched.  tesla went into the room for independent play (puzzles), while desmond came out for focus time with me.

for desmond, we did shape sorting.  he wasn't as interested in taking direction.  i tried and then gave up and let him do it his way. 

desmond

desmond also loved having my full attention.  (note to self:  HINT HINT)  once, when i got up to get something, he let out this impatient whine and gave me this "why are you leaving?!" look.

he kept asking to do the stars again, so for a while he repeatedly put in and dumped out the same three stars.   

desmond

it was fun to spend time with my other little buddy.  like i said, i tend to get caught up in getting things done and just pushing through to the next part of the day, so it was a good lesson for me in just being with my kiddos.

(during desmond's focus time, though, tesla quickly lost interest in his puzzles and sat next to the door calling, "out?  out?  out?" for the remainder of the time. we were able to tune him out though.)   :) 

focus time/independent play was our last activity, because it was past dinner time.  overall, our first preschool attempt went SO. MUCH. BETTER. than i was expecting.  i think i needed the encouragement in order to even consider trying again.  i know that we may never have another day that goes as well as today went, but it was hugely motivating for me.  

even though i don't get paid, being a mother is my job.  and i've found that when i put actual effort and thought into my job, it's immensely more satisfying and enjoyable.  it's okay to coast sometimes, too, but too much coasting leads to boredom (which was the plague that inspired this experiment).

the boys lasted a lot longer than i thought they would.  maybe it was because i had a plan and was really involved with them, but their attention spans seemed to have tripled yesterday.  the whole thing took us a little over an hour and a half i think, and i left out a few things.  i wasn't sure how much time it would take up so i was pleased we filled the whole nap to dinner time slot.  as i told silas later, having a plan turned the worst part of the day into the best part of the day.

i'd like to keep trying to have preschool, so i guess we'll see how it evolves.  i would love to hear your ideas!

*after i ended the "school" part of our day so we could eat dinner, tesla saw the pom poms and ice cube tray on the counter and asked to play again.  he burst into tears when i said that it was time to eat right now.   i'm glad he liked it so much.   ;)

preschool--our first attempt (part 1)

let me preface this by saying that i'm not one of those super crafty, creative moms who fills her children's days with age-appropriate activities to stimulate their development.  that kind of stuff doesn't come naturally to me.

but i want it to.

i knew we needed more structure in our lives.  i rely too much on getting out of the house (the gym, the park, the mall, the grocery store, visiting friends...anything), so when we're home for a few hours i find myself lost (and bored).  we play cars, we play blocks.  we play cars again.  we watch kipper.

it's b-o-r-i-n-g.  for all of us.

for months i've been pinning activities for the boys.  i've tried out several of them, but, honestly, the 5-10 minutes of enjoyment they bring doesn't quite outweigh the work, thought, and clean-up that goes into them.

(this sweetly composed little picture is a lie.  they got bored with watercolors after about 8 minutes.)

i really believe children crave order and structure.  freedom within limits.  even though it seems counterintuitive, a child is much more likely to get bored when he has free roam of the house than when he is directed to focus on a specific activity.

this is why i am a big believer in rotating toys, and in only getting one toy out at a time (aside from the mess factor  ;))  when you keep all the toys out and your child looks at them every day, they get old.  on a similar note, allowing a child to play with too many toys at once usually results in him flitting from toy to toy, without showing sustained interest in or focusing on any one thing.

this is how we do it: i store all of the toys in the boys' closet (which has been fitted with extra locks since they figured out how to get the doorknob covers off...nothing like a little breaking & entering to spice up naptime).  when it's time to play, i get out one toy (dominos, cars, blocks, puzzles, whatever) at a time and they play with it.  if they want to move onto something else, they must first clean up that toy and put it away.  occasionally i'll leave a toy out in the living room for a few days, but in general i try to keep them out of sight so they're more "exciting".

(i do, however, keep all of the books out in the living room where the boys can access them easily.)

our "system" (if you can call it that) isn't perfect, and once i can get more organized i'd like to change the way i store the toys and possibly keep a few in the living room at a time (rotated weekly or something) for the boys to choose on their own.  (i've been doing a little reading on montessori-style learning and i'd like to integrate some of the concepts.)

anyway.

our biggest problem (for months) has been too much free play.  too much free play-->wandering around-->boredom--crankiness-->fighting-->getting into trouble...you get the picture.  but i am SO NOT GOOD at sticking with things.  (remember that gym i joined?  it's a good thing they don't grade on attendance)  cleaning schedules?  yeah right.  meal plans?  please.

i was really inspired by some of the homeschooling/preschooling posts i've been reading lately.  but i was also really intimidated.  i don't have experience with this type of stuff and i just wasn't sure exactly how to start.  finally, i decided i just needed to try.

so last night found me drawing up a "lesson plan" for today.

(on a piece of ripped construction paper, appropriately titled "lesson plan".

i'm so fancy.)

i decided we would hold our first trial "play school" after naptime today.  we're usually out and about in the mornings, and the after-nap-before-dinner window is usually a stressful and boring and whiny time. perfect candidate for a little structure.  ;)

during naptime i made dinner and prepped for our play school time.  and do you know what?

i was actually nervous.

ridiculous.  i know.  i don't think i was as nervous about the boys' reaction to my plans as i was about failing.  i think i felt like if i failed at this, if it didn't go well, then it would mean i just wasn't cut out to be that kind of mom.  the fun, involved mom.

and i really want to be the fun, involved mom.

i felt like all of my hopes were riding on the success or failure of this experiment.

dramatic pause.

(and this is where we acknowledge that anxiety has no basis in logical thought.  do not put pressure on yourself over something as ridiculous as this.)

so...how did it go?

you'll find out next time.

to be continued in part 2...

i know you're all on the edge of your seats.

there is beauty all around

when there's bread at home.

i love this recipe.  easy peasy.

family dinner

now that my parents live close (30 mins away, holla!), we've been going over on sundays for family dinner.

(i don't think i've actually ever uttered the word "holla" in real life.)

anyway.  it's really nice.  the boys LOVE going, we get a delicious meal (that i don't have to cook), and i bring dessert.  it's a win-win-win.

yesterday's chocolate cake:

so yeah, it was a little lopsided because i was too lazy to trim it to be level.

but it was super moist and awesome.  although i almost died on the car ride over, trying to keep an eye on the road while making sure my cake didn't end up all over the car.  that would have been tragic.

but we all made it, safe and sound and intact.



happy monday!  feel free to stop by if you want to take some cake off my hands.

well, not literally off my hands.

you know.

just found these.

 from last year.

isn't he so cute??  i love that little desmond.

and here's one from a few days ago.  (we have longer hair now)

they really are fun, you guys.  

(except for when they trash the closet.)

don't worry.  we put two extra locks on their closet door.

really high up.  so they can't reach.

and one on their bathroom door.  

i was getting tired of walking in on them dumping buckets of toilet water on the floor and brushing their teeth in said toilet water.

but really.  usually they're fun.

what do i want to talk about today?

so i'm going to a baby shower tomorrow.  for some reason i had the hardest time thinking of something to get.

i mean, come on, it hasn't been that long since i had a baby.

i went with the usual--clothes and diapers.  it's baby #2, a girl this time.

did you know we've gotten rid of all of our baby stuff?  (like...over a year ago.)

 goodbye car seat.  goodbye boppy pillow and all clothes smaller than 3T.  goodbye swaddling blankets and baby toys.  the only thing left is the crib, because desmond was using it up until a week ago.  (the boys are now in the beds that my dad built for me and my brothers!  i can't wait until they're old enough to bunk up.  there will be more space in the room then.

plus bunk beds make excellent pirate ships.)

when i ask the boys if they want another baby, they always say yes.  and when given the option of boy or girl ('cause that's totally how it works), they always pick girl.  personally, if we had one, i'd like another boy.

but who knows.  maybe we're done.

done done done.

why am i talking about this boring stuff,  you ask?

i don't know.  i just started typing and this is what came out.

(we don't have cable or i could talk about something cooler like the olympics.)

tell me something interesting!  what are your weekend plans?



for now, here's a sweet picture of my shoes.