monday. santa.

this popped up on our computer screen this morning when taylor was getting ready to log into starfall.com ...

watch here.

apparently, the elves have been studying up on their iMovie skills.

tuesday. tummy tub update.

cutest baby boy in his favorite tub. he's fallen asleep several times in it.

for those that were curious ... i won't ever buy anyone another baby tub again. worth every penny.

monday. tree hunting.

sometimes, life gets in the way of being online ... which, by the way, i am totally ok with. love it, in fact. but every once in awhile, i look at my poor little blog and think about how i really should keep up a bit more than i do.

that being said, several things have happened, most importantly, on 10.10.11 we welcomed another baby boy into our family, barrett. he's wonderful, mellow, happy, and sleeps like a dream. he's smiling, almost giggling, and his brother and sister think he's the coolest. even just two months in, we forget what it was like without him.

last weekend we went christmas tree hunting in northern idaho with the family—always a blast.

... always an event trying to get everyone to look at the camera. no luck yet!

... can't go christmas tree hunting without hot chocolate (and irish cream with coffee for the adults, of course)!

... barrett's first christmas tree hunt, and apparently, he's not impressed.

... grandma gayl and the littlest munchkin

... the whole lot of us!

... miss taylor dragging her find back to the truck.
... daddy and barrett.

... even trying to get TWO kids to look at the camera is just about impossible.
... grandma, kim, and taylor!

watch out for the blog blast that's heading this direction in the next couple days ...

saturday. little women, part deux.

taylor and i had the opportunity to watch little women, put on by the local children's theater tonight with a good friend and her oldest daughter—many thanks to another great friend who's always supporting the local arts. it was the perfect gift and it couldn't have come at a more perfect time!

not only was it a great play, it was so nice to get out of the house with friends and my oldest daughter for the night. it seems more and more i'm realizing that she's growing up ... even when I tell her not to. she cried at the saddest part of the play, which made me cry because i realized she's old enough to truly understand the depth of the story.

*sigh. why can't they stay little forever?

friday. ketch-up.

so many things to say, so little time to write:

august ... 7 1/2 months pregnant, nursery-finishing, outdoor fun, kidney infection (not part of the fun), 2 kidney stones, surgery, week-long stay at the ever-so-hospitable hospital. don't remember half of it. all i know is my husband is the best.

september ... 8 1/2 months pregnant, indian summer, first day of 2nd grade, cranky, tired, attempting to recover from previous excursion, getting no sleep and feeling awful as a mother and wife to the kiddos and husband. would indeed like to forget september ever happened.

october ... walking, stairs, jogging, corn-maze-ing, yoga-ing, labor-balling, baby-time! baby's first halloween, brennan's first spiderman costume, grandma makes taylor's lalaloopsy costume, finally time to start recovering.

november ... baby's first smile, thanksgiving with family—complete with wild turkey, 4x5 whitetail, and the end of hunting season!

december ... finally have a wonderful (happy!) husband home after hunting season, first trip to seattle as a family of five, tree hunting, baby sleeping six hour stints, and the promise of a sense of normalcy in the near future!

more to come ...

thursday. books.

thank goodness for my elementary school librarian auntie. i ran into quite a predicament in the last month or so. taylor, being the little reader she is, is excelling in the reading and comprehension department ... good thing, right?

kinda-sorta. while she may be ready for more challenging reading material, the content of these more challenging materials are most definitely not appropriate for a 7-year old. at least not mine!

'ahem ... dork diaries, anyone?'

so, for those of you with a need for more challenging reading, minus the middle school drama, here are a few pretty good places to start. just click each title to view the book and author information on amazon:

the penderwicks

betsy-tacy

the moffats

caddie woodlawn

ginger pye

the saturdays

ruby lu, brave and true

misty of chincoteague

harriet the spy

mrs. piggle-wiggle

pippi longstocking

there are so many great books out there for every age, and it's unfortunate that so many schools aren't paying attention to WHAT the kids are reading, and simply looking at their reading level. that being said, there are hundreds of amazing books at every level—we just have to help our kids find them!

saturday. honesty.

here's what happened today. honest and observant 7-year old, taylor came into the bathroom and commented, "gosh, mommy, i hope all your stretch marks go away after the baby gets here."

a few things happened at this moment.

1. i almost cried.
2. on the outside, i said, "yeah, me too. but you know, no one's perfect, and if they don't go away, it's just how it is. plus, we get your baby brother out of the deal.
3. on the inside, i thought ... along with several other things, "wow, really? can i just crawl in a hole now? as if i wasn't already self-conscious enough at this point."

and then, taylor did something that made my day. she responded to "no one's perfect" with, "but, you're perfect for me!"

proving once again that the only person that cares about my physical faults is my own worst enemy, me.

i have the best kid ever. end of story.

friday. little women.

i was given this book when i was 9 by my aunt for christmas. every time i open it from the shelf, there's a scribbled 'merry christmas! 1992' scrawled on the inside cover. and to this day, it's still one of my favorites. the binding's worn out, the pages torn, and i know the story from front to back (and maybe even back to front). but, i still love it.

i have a nightly routine when i can't sleep. i stand in front of my bookshelf for ten minutes or so, looking for something to 'pop' out at me and scream, 'pick me!' rarely is there something new, or something i haven't read ten times, so this can frequently become a tedious routine ... ending with several partially started books on my side of the bed.

maybe it was the cooler weather and the cold air creeping in the bedroom window, or the earl grey steeping in my apple cider. maybe it was the sporadic contractions telling me there are big changes coming our way, but last night, little women screamed 'pick me!' and i'm so glad it did.

little women is full of nostalgia. it may not have put me to sleep any faster, but when i did finally put it down, i felt a whole lot better than when i first picked it up. i can't wait to start reading it with taylor. it's definitely time for a whole new generation to know the story. hard to believe i was almost her age when i first read it. it amazes me how something i read so long ago can have the exact same impact, if not stronger, 19 years later.

monday. tummy tub. * Update

i have the best co-workers ever ... i totally just got surprised with one of these—like, minutes after writing this post! i'll be sure to write my own review once we get to use it!

it looks like a bucket i'd use to wash my car. but the reviews on this thing are ca-RAZY! ... and explain all the reasons the tummy tub is NOT the same as the orange homer bucket in your garage—and why you should NOT bathe your baby in a bucket.

if nothing else, the pictures that would come along with bathing baby in the tummy tub are enough to make me want one!


reasons to try the tummy tub:

• natural bathing of babies in the familiar fetal position from.
• relaxing for baby and mama. especially recommended for premature babies.
• helps babies settle and sleep—even the ones that HATE baths.
• bath time enjoyment from birth. again ... even the ones that despise water from day one.
• baby feels warm, safe, and relaxed within soft boundaries.
• eases indigestion, gas, and, colic while calming baby.
• stimulates cognitive and physical development
• ultra lightweight, easy on your back.
• meets the most stringent safety regulations worldwide.
• phthalate, BPA, lead free.
• uses less water, energy, and space than traditional baby tubs.
• optional stand raises baby to a comfortable sitting position and doubles as a stool, with a nifty design for storage.
• fully recyclable.

wednesday. bruschetta.

it seems that summer arrived late this year. right around august 12th or so. the garden is growing, but much of it seems behind and the cool evenings aren't making much of a promise for an indian summer. here's to hoping.


one awesome thing about summer finally showing up is our tomatoes finally decided to turn red. they've been green for weeks. WEEKS, i tell you!

which brings me to my favorite summer food: bruschetta! (this is from last night—trust me, it's worth all the chopping.)

light, easy, and full of summer veggies and herbs from the garden ... or the farmer's market if you don't have a garden! we've eaten it twice in the last week, and i already want it again.

ingredients.
5 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced (remove the seeds if you can. the tomatoes will last longer this way.)
1/2 C. chopped fresh basil
1/2 C. diced onion
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar reduction
1/4 C. olive oil
kosher salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 baguette, toasted and sliced (with olive oil and garlic on both sides is best!)

how to.
in a bowl, toss together the tomatoes, basil, onion, and garlic. mix in the balsamic reduction, olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper. now, put it in the fridge for 1-2 hours. the melding of flavors will make it taste like heaven.

serve on toasted bread slices.

monday. monster nursery.

we're about 90% done with the new baby's room, and now i just need things like diapers, wipes, binkies, and newborn clothes ... oh, and a name. you know, things he actually may need. his name will be painted above the crib in a super nifty monster font. that is, if he ever gets a name. who knows, i may just paint 'boy.' above the crib and be done with it.

three rows of front-facing bookshelves will be added as well, at toddler height sometime soon.

lightswitch monster (these cute little guys are stuck all over the room in various colors, personalities, and sizes) ...


crib, boppy, and monster mobile, complete with my makeshift crib skirt made with leftover curtain fabric ...


for the mobile, i took my old target version, ripped apart the cover to make my pattern and made my own—complete with monsters and a "rrrrar!" sticker on the music box ...


big sister and brother painted monsters on canvas for their new baby brother—they might be my favorite part of the whole room (can you guess which one big brother painted?) ...




burp rags! finally, i got to make some for me! i love making them for all my family and friends and their babies, but i have to say, it was super fun to finally get to keep some of them!



ikea mirror, monster decals, and moose ...



monster growth chart decal (and soon-to-be big brother)—maybe the cutest thing ever ...


full view of one side (the bookledges will go next to the growth chart, and the top one will be about that height...


the other side—ignore the lighting, please ...


so much fun to put together a bright, fun room! but, i can't wait for the final touch—the baby!