january 26, 1940.

january 26, 1940.

milaca, minnesota.

chester egge married corinne bemis.

i heart my grandparents.

i think someone likes cake.

my baby is one. and it's all official and stuff now because he had his first(ish) cake. :) i don't know about you, but i think he liked it.

elephant & piggie.

every so often, a book comes along that the whole family loves. it's a rarity to be able to cater to a 30-something dad, 20-something mom, a 5 yr. old girl, and a 1 yr. old boy, all with the same book. lucky for us, authors like mo willems (who also happened to be on sesame street back in the day, wrote and illustrated the naked mole rat books, and is also a new york times HUGE bestseller!), are around to write books like the elephant & piggie series!

a bit sarcastic, super-funny, and easy-to-read, these should definitely be at the top of your library-list! and the best part, there are TONS of them! and if your kids are anything like mine, once they read one book, they want a hundred that are exactly the same ... there's a reason there are 5 billion young reader and teen series'—kids know what they like!

here's piggie, she's usually the instigator ...
and of course, gerald. his glass is usually half-empty ...

all the elephant & piggie books are written in the style below. they're an awesome introduction to dialogue writing and recognition. some have more words than others, but most of them use tons of the sight words that the kids are introduced to in kindergarten.

enjoy! (i know for fact that the spokane valley library currently has somewhere in the realm of nine books from this series available right NOW!)

brennan james.

i can't believe it's already here. lucky for all of you, you can't see me a complete wreck because my baby's already O-N-E.

from princesses, pink, and barbie™, to a journey into the world of dirt, climbing, and beating on things for fun. it was here much faster than i expected. SO much fun. i can't imagine the world without my little B-monster. taylor evolved from little girl, to amazing big sister the minute he was born. and already, her brother's given her the patience of a saint.

our family's just that much better because he's in it.

stats.

born 1.20.09.

10:31 a.m.

6 lbs. 5 oz.

19.5" long.

screaming all the way.

current favorites.

sissy.

clinging to pant legs.

binky.

dancing.

bathtime.

more specifically, splashing.

hugs.

puppies from a distance.

'quacking' like a duck.

broccoli.

scrambled eggs.

dirt.

throwing anything onto the floor from the highchair.

climbing stairs, er ... anything.

looking out and beating on the living room window at his reflection.

his reflection.

xbox controllers.

not-so favorites.

puppies up close and personal.

not being able to go outside.

toy trucks that make loud noises and scare a baby.

horses.

pasta. pretty much any kind.

baby gates.

the word 'no.'

timeouts.

not being allowed to play in the dishwasher.

falling down.

you have a family that adores you, and can't wait to see the amazing things you'll continue to surprise us with.

little pea.

who doesn't love talking veggies? especially when they're as cute as this little family of peas!

this little book is completely lovable, and every kid i've seen it read to (or read to myself) has LOVED it. a sweet little pea loves rolling down hills, spoon-flying, and cuddling with his mama. however, he hates dinner, but LOVES dessert. the super-cute twist falls when the reader realizes his dinner is candy, and dessert is spinach and vegetables.

the first in a set of three books, published by chronicle books, written by amy krouse rosenthal, and illustrated by jen corace. each book among the three identify with a traditional story-line, with a crazy twist. 'little hoot' is a baby owl that likes to sleep at night (much to the dismay of his parents), 'little oink' is a little piggy that likes things neat and tidy, and of course, 'little pea' is a baby pea who'd much rather eat spinach than pastries. on top of the great stories, the illustrations are simple and perfectly perfect!

funny story ... while attending an SCBWI conference a couple years ago, i had the, er ... 'pleasure' of meeting one of 'little pea's' editors at chronicle books. before i even knew what 'little pea' was, i had made up my mind that this editor was WAY harsh. i had always pictured children's book editors in a certain way, and i can tell you right now ... she was NOT it.

and of course, my manuscript critique was one-on-one with her ... and i pretty much left that conference and cried. nothing like a good blow to the ego to finish off your day. but, after meeting with her, i started to do a little research (or a LOT). and realized there's a reason she was giving so much 'constructive' criticism ... i needed it, and so did my manuscript. after analyzing and reading the other books she'd been a part of, i also realized those are exactly the type of books i want to write.

i don't have some fabulous story-ending where i learned so much from being rejected that i fixed everything and my manuscript was published (at least not yet)! but i am now able to stand back and take an honest look at what i write, and not throw things and cry every time something needs to be changed. so, thanks to constructive criticism ... and here's to accepting it gracefully and actually learning from it!

p.s. if anyone has an in with a children's book publisher ...

the little red hen.

anyone with children (or maybe a husband in there somewhere) can relate to this book. not to mention, the kiddos love it, too. it might be old (early 1940's-ish, but trails back even further), but its moral and story-line hit home just as well now as it did when first published.

a lazy cat, dog, and mouse; living with an overachieving hen (oh, aren't we all?) carrying her (and everyone else's) weight around the house. cooking, cleaning, sewing, gardening ... she does it all. and every time she asks for a little help, she's largely ignored.

so, when the little red hen plants, grows, weeds, cuts, mills, and packs home what was probably the amazingest flour in the whole world, with no help from her lounging buddies, she decides to make an equally amazing (one can assume) cake.

funny how the cat, dog, and mouse, come flying out of the woodwork to take part in the cake-eating portion of this assembly line. and rightfully so, little red hen tells them to get lost and eats the whole cake herself! maybe next time they'll help out a little when she asks!

children and husbands take heed, or you just might not get any cake!

the paper bag princess.

i'm a firm believer in making sure our girls have amazing self-esteem, and don't feel the need to rely on anyone else to get things done, especially in making themselves happy. i could rant for hours (and possibly will) about gender roles, the horrible self-esteem and body issues that our media and society (not to mention ourselves as parents!) have put on our girls, creating women who truly believe they can't do things on their own, that there are certain things they shouldn't do, or that they don't deserve to. self worth, confidence, and independence are things my daughter will forever grow up understanding and appreciating. no one should have a limit as to what they can accomplish.

so, after the miniscule beginnings of a rant that i will cut off before it gets out of control, i'm always on the lookout for books that carry a strong female character. i'm not able to completely cut out disney® princesses, and the like, (of which i do feel definitely have their place) but i CAN bring other great influences into the mix like 'the paper bag princess' to make sure we've got a well-rounded outlook!

no worrying about how her hair looks, what the boys think, getting a prince-husband, or making sure she's got a fancy hairstyle to go with her designer dress, this princess has far more important things to do ... like save prince ronald from the fire-breathing dragon by herself, and kick that stubborn prince to the curb for telling her she needs to look more like a princess! princess elizabeth is an inspiration. and robert munsch (author) hit the nail right on the head with this one.

read it to your kids. they will love it. you will love it. and you will feel good knowing you won one little battle against the empire that demands princesses act a certain way.