comment cards

Not to you, but I'm glad you're reading.

2011-12-27T12:29:00.001-06:00

Dear Mom.

In some ways, I want to believe you know all this stuff already. Either you knew it before you left or you’ve still got some sort of line in and know what’s going on. But, just in case you weren’t paying attention, I thought you should know these things.

Suzy likes milk chocolate better than dark chocolate. This makes no sense to me.
Sleeping Beauty is Suzy’s favorite princess. She’s declared that pink princesses are the prettiest. She now owns three princess dresses (Rapunzel, Aurora and Snow White) and usually manages to put them each on, at least once a day.
Harry still has a song. Wherever he goes. The piano lessons are coming along nicely – he usually sings the song as he plays it.

And me. Well, I miss you like crazy. I wait for you to call. I talk to you in the car. And I look for you. Most of the time I find you. Sometimes it’s a memory, sometimes it’s just me, but I’m always glad when I find you.

A pile of boxes

2011-12-21T21:22:00.004-06:00

Last Friday, we were in Target doing some shopping for the babies. Look, I know they aren't babies any more. But I like calling them Larson babies. Even if they really are kids. Or rodents.

It's important to remember that there are two of them for the remainder of this post (which will doubtless be too long, but you're here already so you might as well stick around). Anyway. We're in Target buying something called Skylanders, which I don't get but the dudes in the video game section assure me that it's the coolest thing this year. From the looks of it, I'm certain Harry will appreciate it even though it's not made of Legos. There are already a number of pink and princess shaped things in the cart when the following conversation happens:

Cindy: 'So, I think we're pretty much done with Suzy but need a few more things for Harry.'
Pete: 'That boy already has everything. He doesn't need anything else.'

I make a face but don't press the issue. We return home, I go to the super secret closet and sort out the piles. To Harry, from Suzy. To Suzy, from Harry. From Papa. From Santa. Wait. let's look at those from Santa piles again:

Suzy: an enormous pile of dollhouse princess dress pink love. 12 boxes. One giant box.
Harry: 3 boxes. 1 pair of socks. (look, I already know socks are a lame present, but these have Perry the platypus on them. they are cool. Yes, I know, they are still socks.)

I carefully broach the subject with Pete. I suggest items that Pete in fact wants for himself. The motion is approved. The to Harry and Dad from Santa labels are rejected. After all, the boy has friends with power. You have to be careful.

We took a trip

2011-12-18T19:24:00.007-06:00

I know, it was a while ago. Early November, even. We went to the Happiest Place on Earth. (Honestly, who decided that? I mean, listen, some of my favorite movies are Stripes and Caddyshack and I read all four of the ridiculous twilight 'novels', I like chocolate frosting from a can and I'll happily go to a magically created vacation and plan a trip back, but sort of like all those other embarrassing things, I kind of feel like I should know better. But anyhoo, how did we get here?)

But, at the happiest place on earth (really, I can't give it title case again. It's just silly) girls watch shows in front of a giant castle and yell 'Dreams Come True' and just want to walk through a castle. Boys show up for pirate rides and then report about 'unexpected drops and turns' on Space Mountain. (seriously? who's 7 year old talks about 'unexpected drops and turns' on a roller coaster?) And moms get pineapple soft serve ice cream. In pineapple juice. With fresh pineapple. Wait, maybe it is the happiest place on earth...

Did I tell you my dad came with us? No, it's awesome, like having your own private tour guide. Ask him anywhere in the four parks for the nearest bathroom or best food offering, and he will deliver. This is handier than you'd think. We spent a day at Legoland without him and I was not amused at the need to search. But, back to DisneyWorld. Where else but a place called the Magic Kingdom can you get a bunch of boys to do this?
Or find a gorilla in the mist at the Animal Kingdom before eating the most amazing banana butterscotch bread pudding at Boma?

Or help your girl pick out her favorite princess? (It's Princess Aurora -- Sleeping Beauty in case you're wondering what color dress Papa will be leaving under the tree for a certain small girl this year)

But, most importantly, if you get to help your dad celebrate nearly 40 years of magic, it doesn't hurt to have these two along to dry some of the tears that may leak out along the way.

Saying yes

2011-11-01T08:55:00.004-05:00

My mom liked funny dates; things like October 4, she would say, '10-4, good buddy', not oddly shaped dried figs or having dinner with a comedian. Today's date is all ones and it got me thinking about all of the ones in my life. The one life that we get, of which I'm reminded every Sunday is 'a wild and precious life'. The one mom we get, the one marriage I have, the one boy and the one girl. Sometimes our choices leave us with one alternative. Sometimes our inability to make one choice leave us with no alternatives.

While waxing poetic about this post over the past few hours, I've mostly thought about the choices that I'm so glad I made and most of them involved saying yes to something. Sometimes it was a terrible idea to say yes. I stand there wondering how exactly I got myself into such a spot. Sometimes it's even worse than I could have imagined.

But, then, sometimes, when I'm standing there, I can't imagine what I did right to be able to say yes to so many things and have so many people say yes to me. So thank you. Whether it's something seemingly simple, like 'can we dig up all the bushes in front of the house and plant tomatoes and sunflowers?' or something complicated and hard like 'will you love me as long as we both shall live?', I'm so glad that all of you have said yes, and let me say yes.

Mostly I'm glad because all of that allowed me to say yes to Suzy when she wanted to pick all the 'tomateys' off the vines as I pulled them out of the ground (leaving a ridiculous patch of dirt in front of the house). And I didn't even say no as she ran around the yard tossing the sweet bites of heaven on the grass for the skunks to eat.

But I did say, no, I couldn't help her if the skunks didn't come when she called.

Cold soup

2011-10-11T15:26:00.006-05:00

When I came upstairs from my 6 am call this morning, Pete said to me, 'I had gazpacho this morning.' I responded dumbly, 'Cold soup?' completely forgetting that our sweet girl is known as Soupy around here. And I know Soupy is a terrible nickname for a girl. I mean, my mom was nice enough to call me 'Cupcake'. I even went so far as to make Soupy a cupcake dress (well, I sort of cut it out, sewed the easy parts and then took something called 'interfacing' and 'puffed sleeves' over to my mom for help) that she refused to wear on her birthday. Aren't they sweet? It's probably for the best since Aunt Feather played cake with her and stuff her full of ice cream and frosting. But, honestly, when you look this good doing it, why would you stop?
Wait. This is someone else's birthday. And I know there are a lot of candles on there. Harry said we had to use them all because the birthday girl was so old. I managed to not kick him.

But, I'm a little worried about what might happen to this unsuspecting pile of fur. I bet if he runs down the steps at 9 pm and yells, 'Daddy! You're home!' he won't get sent right back to bed, either.

So, confess here. When I was tucking this bowl of soup into bed she said, 'I yuv you too, Mom. I make you happy. Will you read one more book? Yast one?' I read two more. How can you not?

I made soup

2011-10-05T10:49:00.003-05:00

Monday was early and tested my ability to be gentle, kind, caring and unselfish. Tuesday was busy, and filled with tears. Wednesday seemed insurmountable. Thursday Dan came home and, thank goodness, Sarah, too. Friday was a birthday party for our little cupcake and I may have threatened Dad's cousin Karl until he came over and ate cake.

Saturday. I will borrow words from a friend:

These are gentle, kind people of the highest order. They give of their souls without thought of themselves. Even in the midst of their greatest loss, they take the time to inquire of the well being and health of each person that approached them. Strength. Goodness. Love. This group represents the best that mankind can conjure. We can all hope to be this blessed in life. This assembly of people was truly touched by their departed matriarch for they now display the same 'magic' that she represented in her life.

It's a tall order. And my legs are not as long as her's. Just get in the driver's seat of her car and wonder where on earth she kept all of those legs.

Sunday we attempted to decompress and ate too much breakfast with our Aunt Feather. Monday the sun shone and we said our last goodbye, forever knowing that it wasn't really goodbye. It's just a different kind of hello from now on. But honestly, nobody likes change!

Yesterday I made soup. Because tomato soup and grilled cheese is one of the small pleasures in life. And you should make this soup. Really, it will let you float on a cloud of fall heaven. And I try not to tell you what to do, but really, you must. (There's that line about doing what you're good at - I know, I know.)

And, I miss my mom. So, I get to tell you what to do. Just for a little bit. And, just in case you, like me, are crying now, just remember that Suzy makes you happy. Just ask her. She'll tell you so.
And don't ever forget just how loved you are. It's not any more or less than you need, but if you're as lucky as I am, it's slightly more than you deserve.

Impossible

2011-09-15T19:09:00.003-05:00

That boy. What would I do without that boy? He came home and said, 'Mom, I think it's good, right?' and then pulled this out of his backpack:

And when I hauled him in there for the picture and handed him the shirt and jacket he said, 'I'm just going to put this on because the picture is for you, right?'

Sigh. What did I ever do without that boy?

It melts away

2011-09-08T19:50:00.004-05:00

As some of you know, it's been a difficult summer for us. My mom is once again battling cancer - this is her fourth time around if you're counting. If you know my mom, you know she is magic. She always has enough for whatever you need - an extra place at the table, a tissue in her pocket, a bed to sleep in, a ride to spare, but mostly love.

So, as our summer melts away, as it always does too quickly this time of year, I find myself thinking of love. And magic. And hoping that it's enough to get through whatever may come next.

Working on the railroad

2011-07-20T09:32:00.006-05:00

Harry and Suzy sing all the time. The sing when they are in the car, running around the yard, at bedtime, while they are in the bath (individually these days - the joint baths are over after the 'no Suzy, my tail is in front' conversation), while they are in the bathroom doing other things. Suzy names songs with colors: Inch by Inch is the green song, All through the night is the beautiful pink song, Goodnight sweetheart is the blue song and so on. Some of Harry's favorites are 'I've been working on the railroad'. He sings it a little off tune and never gets the words right, so when we were headed to Chicago for some fun a couple weeks back, I couldn't resist this shot.

See, he's not really a morning guy. He's a complete and total grouch and moves about as fast as lead. But, he's easy. You just say, if you hide a smile it only gets bigger. And he can't stand it.

Now, our girl is another story. She pops up, happy to be awake and demands chocolate milk and cartoons because, hooray! it's another day! You might even be able to put on a penguin suit after your train ride while you're at the Shedd Aquarium. Have you ever seen a cuter penguin?
Not to worry though, after you are cruelly stripped of your penguin costume, there's a boat ride over to Navy Pier and more fun on the (oddly expensive) rides with your cousin Liam.
And just when you think it couldn't get any better, your Aunt Sarah takes you and your cousin Eddie (I really sort of love that my kids have a cousin Eddie and almost hope that he gets an RV) for a ride on the carousel.

It's no wonder you've always got a song.

Birthdays

2011-07-13T08:20:00.003-05:00

One of Suzy's favorite songs is 'Happy Birthday'. She usually wants someone to sing it to her before bed, or 'the beautiful pink song' a.k.a. 'All Through the Night'. The 4th of July is a sort of birthday and I usually have to work really hard to resist the urge to have a giant party with loads of kids and too much Jell-o. The one year I didn't successfully resist the urge wound up with 100 people and a tent. Pete's still not talking to me. The last few years, we've scaled things back a bit (and stayed out of divorce court) and just had a few friends over for the fireworks.

Call it American ingenuity, but s'mores must be made, even if you can't reasonably start a campfire in your yard. So, we improvise. And it works. And kids garbage up on the chocolate bars because it takes so long to cook a marshmallow over open flames.
But I'm glad for the slow cook time. Because while he waits for the marshmallow to turn the perfect golden brown, he slides his hand into his pocket and looks at you. It's a new look, but you can see yourself in it - and he asks, 'Mom, do I have to eat this?'

But you forgive him after you scrape the pictures off the camera and find this one. Just for a second you feel a little bit bad that your hazel eyes won the genetic race over your husband's lovely blue eyes.

Only for a second, though.

Daddy, I want a pony

2011-07-12T08:34:00.004-05:00

I never had pony fever. Don't get me wrong, I liked plenty of girl things; stickers and Hello Kitty and Barbies and Strawberry Shortcakes and the like. But horses? Ponies? They just seemed like it would be a bit of a mess and you might get stepped on. Lucky of us, Aunt Kathy has the pony fever. So we took a ride to celebrate an anniversary and got a pony ride to boot.

Riding a pony is serious stuff. My favorite part of the picture is her little fingers on the grabber thingie (look, I said I didn't have pony fever, did you really expect that I would know the proper names for parts of the saddle?) perfectly laced together. She looks so sweetly happy up there. Like she would never yell at a poor, helpless teenager who stepped on her pile of dirt and then demand he help her fix it while pointing with her insistent little index finger. Or, never, ever, would she climb up on your lap and steal your cookie; not that you would mind if she did because you're the Dad who buys her a second pony ride every time we go to the zoo.

No, not our girl. She'd never be so sassy. She just looks at you and says, 'Mama, you bein' a punk.'

The first season

2011-07-11T16:07:00.004-05:00

We've made it through our first year of Little League. This is no small accomplishment - we spent May freezing our hinders off wondering if summer would ever come. Then June, we were still cold and wondering why on earth we would have signed up for such fun and then we were sweating out the innings and then *poof* it was over. And our Mariner was walking around in his hat and shirt with shorts and talking about tennis lessons.

He hit, he ran, he scored, he RBI'd, he hit the cut off man, he won, he lost (a lot), he wore his sunglasses and then took them off and couldn't figure out how to hold them and his glove and thrown the ball (2 runs scored, too late, too late) and he had a great time. Is there anything better than baseball?

You can bring your baby sister (I know, she's not really a baby anymore, but she'll be his baby sister forever) and she'll do her super hero pose and cheer you on while happily filling the role of 'dirtiest baby at Little League Park'.
But the best part is sitting with your team and having an Orange Fanta and a hot dog after the game. Because your mom never buys Fanta and you're a boy. A magical, American boy chasing down ground balls and looking impossibly grown up. Sniff.

How to have a pool party

2011-06-01T09:19:00.004-05:00

Why is it that we cram so much fun into a holiday weekend? Cook out? Date night? Friends over for drinks in the kitchen (with a headache the next morning)? Yard work? Bathroom remodeling? Parade? Yes, yes, yes, YES! Oh, wait, also a pool party. Well, more like a wading pool party, but it's just as fun. Really, keep reading, it's just as fun.

To start with, you need to go to the parade and then bring a friend home. And not just any friend, but an awesome friend who is taller than you and will call your baby sister 'Soupy' just like you do. She's even game to put on your board shorts and rash-guard shirt (honestly, why don't kids just have swimsuits like the rest of us?) and rock the look with her pony tail.

Meanwhile, you continue to fill the pool, play with water balloons provided by the neighbor, find a slip n' slide on which your pony-tailed friend demonstrates a head first slide worthy of the major leagues forcing you ask your mom for advice to complete same. Of course, your mom spent too many summer nursing scraped knees and ankles to be considered any sort of authority on sliding so you are stuck standing there trying to sort it while your friend pushes Soupy down the stretch.

While you are trying to logic out how to slide and not lose any teeth, your sister gets a hold of the hose and manages some fine motor coordination to get the sprayer going, which you have inconveniently left set to 'jet'. And the water isn't getting any warmer even though the temperature will not stop going up and your mom has retreated to the house to make decaf virgin Arnold Palmer's because that's what grown ups are forced to do after too much fun.

But not to worry, after your sister chases you down like the dog you are, your mom arrives with lemonade. And your sweet baby sister just can't help herself. She doesn't want lemonade. She doesn't even want chocolate milk. Or a Popsicle. Or the boat for the slip n slide. All she wants is a target.

And it's hard to hold the camera steady when there's this much fun to be had. Want to come over?

A sink

2011-05-07T09:04:00.003-05:00

One of my earliest memories is taking a bath in the kitchen sink. It seems as though immediately after I took the bath, I was informed that I was too big to do such things anymore. Sink baths somehow hang in my memory filled with longing and fuzzy around the edges. Harry was in the kitchen sink all the time. He would just strip down and climb in. It seems to me that Suzy got her first sink bath a couple days ago while Pete was fighting with drywall in the bathroom. The floor tiles arrived this week, so hopefully we'll be put back together again soon.

And we'll be this happy:

Good night!

2011-05-06T08:26:00.002-05:00

Usually by 8 pm, my ability to be a mom has expired. I need a good 3 hours on couch to pretend to work, watch tv, sleep and have a glass of ice water that I don't have to share with anyone. Except Pete, but he's good about not backwashing and getting refills. Lately, they like to read together. And it's hard not to like them when they do this:

However, 12 hours later, this is even better.

An Easter Dress

2011-04-26T19:15:00.004-05:00

Our girl wore this dress for Easter. We call her Soupy these days - a hanger on from her Super-everyone days. But this dress. My mom made it for me back when I was this size. The material was left over from a dress Mom made for my granny. There are 3 ducks on the front, which Suzy insists are chickens. I'm not sure what we'll do when she is big enough to wear my yellow chicken dress.

There's a very sweet puffed-sleeve jacket to go along with it, but by the time we got around to photos, I had to make Harry change back into these clothes and the jacket was no where to be seen.

Happy Spring, all!

We've been busy

2011-04-26T18:33:00.004-05:00

With things like a 7th birthday party. Or maybe a couple 7th birthday parties. At least 2 cakes and 50 cupcakes, but who's counting?

Important tip: if you frost a ninja cake, don't leave it on the kitchen table for the birthday boy's sister to devour red swiss buttercream ninja face (although she sent her compliments to the baker) resulting in huge tears dripping down the birthday boy's face (that's looking much more angular and much less round these days). whew. how about another run-on sentence?

Tractor season has arrived. For best results, put your sister in the back with bubbles before heading around the block. No need to tell Mom or Dad where you're going.

And carrots. Have I told you that thanks to the slightly annoying folks over at America's Test Kitchen we now make the most perfect roasted carrots?

Oven at 450, peel and quarter carrots, toss with 2 t olive oil, cover with foil, 15 minutes, remove foil, cook 15 minutes longer. You'll never go back.

But don't make carrots on the night of the spring concert. A boy shouldn't have to make this face twice in one night. Really, he picked the bow tie.

Slippers

2011-02-28T11:19:00.003-06:00

My dad always kept his keys on his belt, connected with one of those magic spring chain jobs. I loved pulling it; it was down at eye level for what seemed like forever. Pull, spring! 'Ow!' or, more often, 'goddammit Cynthia!'. (I blame this for the incident at the lunch table two weeks ago where someone named Harry supposedly said 'damn!' and then initiated a discussion about proper spelling of same.)

My dad worked a long blend of shop and office hours when I was kid. He was gone before I was awake and then we waited and waited for him to get home so we could have dinner. We would wait for the call saying he was leaving and then count down the 30 minutes until he arrived. In the summer, I remember him walking up the back sidewalk singing, 'come along home, Cindy, Cindy' while I hung on a monkey bar on the backyard swing set. I also remember how clever I thought my mom was with the spiral tape and blue and white paint. (In the winter I remember watching through the patio door that I was not supposed to touch even though Harry and Suzy can put stickers on it, just saying.) Mostly I remember pulling that key string as he walked by.

We don't have key strings at our house, we have slippers. 70 and 30 pound slippers. Some of us like them more than others.

A ride

2011-02-06T21:13:00.004-06:00

We finally got over to the Harley Davidson Museum. It's a very cool space and also has some fun dress up items. Is it my fault she spent so much time riding her bike that she feel asleep before we got to the gift shop?

Harry, on the other hand, was awake. It seems like he's always awake lately. He hides with his night light reading books and building smuggled lego contraptions. But back to the Harley Museum. Just when you think he's clever and has really figured a few things out he asks, after looking thoughtfully at several photos, 'Dad, in the olden days were people just really black and white like that?'

Sort of. But not exactly.

hello, again

2011-02-06T18:04:00.004-06:00

We've been busy. We made a lot of babka. It was good, but a little messy. But don't worry, we've switched to unbleached all purpose flour because it has a higher protein content. I don't think it makes the babka any better for us, but it does help make our cookies a little taller. Plus, I think it does a better job clinging to noses and eyelashes.

We also lost all sorts of teeth. 4 to be exact. The top two managed to be a little disgusting with a lot of blood (which, as I am lately informed, is just 'mostly water with a little red in it'), I'm just proud that I managed to stay calm while he was freaking out. It was gross. Really gross.

And there was some snow. Which turned out to be just some warm up for the real deal. We also had a serious battle about wearing 'gwoves'. Eventually I won, but it wasn't pretty. Although, it wasn't near as disgusting as the bloody tooth. Ew.

Finally, we've got some serious style going on over here on Pine Street. I mean, who knew you could use archival t-bands to hold your hair back? You can just barely see the floral rainboots - it was quite the getup.

Gobble, gobble

2010-11-27T11:47:00.003-06:00

Despite my promises to myself that my kids wouldn't watch so much television, the fact is, they probably watch more than they should. Then again, I truly believe everyone watches more television than the should, but, you know, it's an imperfect world.

One of the nice things about cable television (besides the good reception) is the commercial-free kids channels. Of course, they have accompanying websites with fine ideas of how you can spend yet more time with their network and characters, but how can you argue with something that ends like this:

Chocolate pudding really is delicious. If that rotten turkey baby hadn't eaten all of it, I might be eating some right now.

Look closely - the poor boy has lost his front tooth. A few days later, the other one came out, but that's another story for later.

A concert

2010-11-23T11:16:00.004-06:00

Sometimes it's noisy here. I notice this mostly while I'm home alone wondering why it's so quiet. Don't get me wrong, I like the quiet. But, I like the noise, too. I know some day I will really miss the noise. (I'm not so sure I'll miss the mess, but that's another story.)

I can't quite figure out if this is something Suzy figured out herself or if Harry showed her. It seems he had moved on to other noisy things, but I'm glad it's back.

Magic

2010-11-13T14:46:00.003-06:00

Have you noticed that when school starts, the months magically disappear and before you know it there are ridiculously dressed kids running about the neighborhood begging for treats? I'm convinced that it's magic, and not because of the amount of Harry Potter we've been watching lately, or, um, maybe it is...

It wouldn't be right if I didn't tell you that Harry first suggested that we dress Suzy up as a mandrake (you know, the screaming root plants from the 2nd movie) before he settled in on Hedwig the Owl. Given the below, maybe we should have stuck with the first idea...

Special thanks to my mom, who sewed on more white triangle feathers than I could cut, proving yet again that I am really her favorite.

Saturday

2010-09-27T11:27:00.002-05:00

On Saturday, Harry and I went to the Badger game. We stayed until just before half time, and then headed over to the bookstore, Library Mall and the Memorial Union. We had a great time and enjoyed Babcock Hall ice cream. But, I'm slightly concerned.

He observed the boy cheerleaders throwing the girls in the air, and of course thought that was cool. He also liked the action on the field. The following ensued:

Cindy: So, do you want to be a boy cheerleader or a football player?
Harry: Mom, I'll just be the boss.
Cindy: The boss of the football team?
Harry: No, the boss of this whole place.

Sigh. Teen years are going to be fun. So, let's look at this picture from the first day of school.

A book

2010-09-22T12:57:00.003-05:00

When I was a little girl, I had a Little Golden Book titled Where did the baby go? I loved this book - it seemed so clever. This sweet girl, that I thought looked just like me, found a baby picture and was curious as to where the baby went. Of course, the baby was her. I pose the same question to you, based on the images below.

I know. And she walks around calling herself 'Sup-ah Suze'. It's hard to explain to her that with the hat, we should really be calling her Huggy Bear, but soon enough, soon enough. And, if we're being honest here (isn't everyone honest on the internet?) I really don't want that strange young man below calling her Huggy Bear.

I mean, just kill me dead with the cute, right?

I refuse

2010-08-30T08:34:00.003-05:00

You see, Wednesday is the first day of school in these parts. The first day of first grade, more particularly. I'm not going to go into some sort of spiral about how the small boy is really getting to be a big boy, because all I need to do is walk over to the playground on Wednesday afternoon and see the 5th graders. He's really still just a little kid. But, I do refuse to allow my next (this one, confusing I know) post about the first day of school.

Some day we are going to take a State Fair vacation. No, I know what you're thinking - it's not a vacation from going to the State Fair, it's a vacation that is planned around other State Fairs so we can go to more than one in a year.

You may have seen an earlier version of this one. We stopped at the Elegant Farmer for some peach blueberry crisp a few weeks back after going to the pool.

As you can see, we really worked up an appetite over at the pool.

And, there just wasn't enough fish to go around.

Something happened

2010-08-13T20:28:00.005-05:00

I really do pay careful attention. Well, at least I try to - but apparently there are so many distractions. Do you see that chin? And, to make things worse, while we were in the Kohl's this morning, he picked out his own shoes and hat. Yes, that hat. He wore it all day long. Even while in the movie theatear (his pronunciation) for the Toy Story 3 viewing this afternoon. Somehow still hanging on to his few mispronunciations seems oddly important tonight. And then there's the matter of the sunflowers. (We're not talking about the tomatoes. It only encourages them.) I'll admit that I have not been paying any attention to these at all. They are so easy to miss. Especially when looking out my bedroom window, on the second floor.

So, if you find yourself in need of some cherry tomatoes, sunflower seeds or square chins, come see us. But not tomorrow. Tomorrow we are headed to the state fair. Heaven.

The beach

2010-08-08T20:01:00.003-05:00

There were so many possible things we could have done yesterday afternoon. So many of those things could be considered 'productive'. But, tell me, where else could we have done this?

Of course, now you can do it in our car, or in our bathtub...

It's a bad day.

2010-08-04T14:55:00.003-05:00

Scene: Cindy, Harry and Suzy walk out of the house at 8 am this morning. Temperature: roughly 80F. Relative humidity: so thick it should by all measures of reasonableness be raining.

Cindy: Whew, it's warm.Harry: Yeah, it's HOT HOT HOT
Suzy: Hey, a nuk!
Cindy: Come on, we've got to go!
Harry: You know what it's a bad day for, Mom?
Cindy: What Harry? Suzy, get in the damn car!
Suzy: Bye! Bye! Bye! (waves to the house)
Harry: A snowball fight.

Hope you're staying cool.

A hammock

2010-08-03T07:54:00.003-05:00

Who knew they were so fun? You can lie there with your sister, or your brother. You can swing. You can mount from the end and launch the other. The hospital bills are unimaginable!

They are also a great place to hide and appear 'busy' while your parents cute down an insane amount of bushes and drag them to the curb.

The days are just packed

2010-07-17T13:36:00.005-05:00

We've officially moved into our summer Saturday morning routine - local farmer's market, being ever grateful for air conditioning, getting closer to friends with pools and other important things. Our girl is coming along nicely - she's filled with words; a head, a shoe, a foot, a eye (poke), and a whole sentence last week, 'Hey, a nuk!' She's also working on Harry, which most often sounds like 'arrow'.

But, friends, I fear it's become the summer of ice cream sandwiches. They are everywhere.

They are making hair grow.

And squaring off chins.

See you at the farmer's market.

The 4th

2010-07-04T06:28:00.007-05:00

Some of you know we live close to the park. And since this park does 4th of July festivities, I always feel compelled to have a party at the house on the 4th. Things got a little out of hand a few years ago - there were over 100 people here and I made Pete put up a tent. He remarked it was kind of like a wedding.

Thankfully we're still married.

Since then, we've scaled back, but we always manage to have a pack of Harry's friends here for the fireworks. Somehow, I took zero, nil, null, zip pictures of this event. It's a mystery. How could I have been eating sweet cherry pie with almond crumble and savoy cilantro mint slaw instead of taking pictures?

And, my fellow gumshoes, any idea on what happened to my strawberries? I've gathered the evidence.
She ate the bottom of each and every one. And then informed me that the rest of the container was, and I quote, 'uck.' She's got an expanding vocabulary - it includes nuk, fish, Daisy and Harry. But, the best is the oinking like a pig whenever she sees a happy porker.

Meanwhile, this past weekend, we took 9th place in the decorated wagon division ($6 in prize money) and somehow we crammed all these arms and legs back in for the ride home. Hope you had a great weekend.

A gift

2010-06-22T20:07:00.006-05:00

The kids gave Pete and fabulous Father's Day gift this year. On Thursday, we packed up and drove about as far north as the great state of Wisconsin would let us to visit my sister Mimi.

We stopped a Summit Lake for a swim. If you haven't been to Summit Lake, you should hop on 45 and go. It's worth the drive. Plus, it's like a historic site, since that's where I took my first steps. Really. And, the dudes there are awesome. Check out this guy:
Suzy was kind enough to teach us that it's important to accessorize.

And then, thank goodness. Oh, wait, I didn't tell you this part yet. We let Pete stay home. I took the kids by myself. But, wait, thank goodness I was saying, we found Oma and Papa. And they read us a story. And posed for crazy pictures.

But Aunt Mimi... she took us to an excellent restaurant with great waitstaff and got us a fire house/ambulance tour.

We may have lost a tooth along the way (and composed an explanatory note to the tooth fairy related to digestion) but Suzy hasn't been the same since I caught her with those 4 salty dogs.

Did I mention that Pete stayed home? I know, how awesome am I?

Finally, a mini-me

2010-05-21T14:41:00.005-05:00

So, this boy of ours. There are days that I look at him and I see my brother - the boy with a gross of bottle rockets (or the one who overheated the brakes on a Volvo station wagon a few years later). Then, there are days where I think, 'that must be what Peter looked like as a little boy' and then I don't know if I'm sad because my rotten brother moved away or thrilled that I have a little window to see what Pete must have been like as a boy.

But, this boy, look at him. 10 days left of kindergarten. It seems impossible.

And, don't tell anyone, but this boy told me that he loves me just a little bit more than he loves his dad. Of course, we all knew this but we weren't actually supposed to say it. It made me love him all the more. That, and he used the stick to write his name and not something else.

But this girl. Birger was right - she's been nothing but trouble since the start. Look at those feet. And, if you ask her, she'll very politely say, 'shoooooe?'

Running away from home

2010-04-20T07:18:00.003-05:00

We ran away to Boston last week Wednesday. The kids were on an Oma/Grandma vacation. A good time was had by all. Predictably, Pete and I decided we should really move to Boston since it is such a nice city and there's all that chowder around (well, not as much as there was before we got there) and the nice sea air and the historical places and the exorbitant cost of living. Sigh. But, we were happy for a bit.

Our sweet girl expanded her vocabulary while we were gone - on Wednesday, just after our plane took off, she declared, 'Shoe?' to my mother. And yesterday, she managed 'bubbles?'. I really like how each one actually starts off as a question. Meanwhile, she's working on something that sounds like 'Daisy' but might actually be Suzy.

Oh, and Harry. He declared, upon returning to my parent's house on Friday night: 'This is the kind of house I like; no dog, no angry parents and 103 movies!'

I don't think Daisy likes him anymore anyways.

The game

2010-04-10T12:06:00.004-05:00

We're headed out of town on Wednesday, without the kids - I still cannot believe we're leaving them for 4 days. I'm sure the Grandma's will have them well in hand, after all, Pete and I appear to be still here and living productive lives. Ahem.

I'm trying to make sure I remember everything, which of course isn't going to happen because traveling automatically puts you on the board for the 'what did I forget game'. Last time it was toothpaste, honestly, how do you forget toothpaste?

Meanwhile, I've been meaning to tell you for a while now that we made cupcake pops a while back. Because I'm not completely insane (really) I called for back up. Aunt Mary Beth, Katie and Patrick were great help - not only in getting these ridiculous things made, but also of disposing of them to ensure that my pants still fit. And they were just so darned cute here that I had to share:

Don't you wish she was your orchestra teacher?

Art

2010-04-09T17:07:00.004-05:00

We've been off all week, sort of a vacation at home (I know, but I think staycation is a ridiculous word and I refuse to help in it's proliferation) and we've kept busy with trips to the zoo to research clown fish (note - they don't have any) and making chocolate pudding.

But, I've been meaning to show you our budding artist's work. I'm not sure how that dear sweet art teacher got him to sit still long enough to mimic Cezanne, but we were impressed. The piece (I know I've just called my kindergartner's rip off of famous art 'the piece', but just give me the moment here) was displayed in the school district office.
And, you know, it was the best one there....

A reason

2010-03-16T16:37:00.003-05:00

Back before we had 2 kids, people would tell us that it wasn't that big of a deal to have a second. I always assumed this was codswallop, and let me tell you, it really truly is codswallop. (I like that word today. Go with it.)

But then they do things that can just kill you dead with the cute. Like tell you that pancakes would make their legs feel better. Really, they would. Just make the pancakes and my legs will feel better and then I'll go to school. Otherwise I'll be forced to just lie here all day and play the Wii.
Or, please buy me that handband at Target. Then I'll wear it while I stand on the kitchen chairs while you make food for me to eat. And I'll look sweet while I do it. Look at me.

But, mostly, when that ridiculous brother of mine wails on the steps about whether or not his 5 minutes are up, I'll climb up next to him and be ridiculously cute. More cute than you can take. See? Just try to stand it.

The word

2010-03-01T13:57:00.005-06:00

Cindy: 'Suzy, come by mom for a new nappie.'
Suzy, lips in perfect O form, 'Nooooooooooooooooooo.'

Honestly, I ask you, how does one not file into a pile of giggles when a lovely little girl says such a thing? Especially, when she then walks over, arms back, belly out and plops herself down on the ground with legs up for the change?

It seems when she wakes up each morning, she is an inch taller and tries to figure out something new to do. Yesterday she started on the landing of the stairs and used the railing to walk down as we would. Upon alighting, she threw her arms up in 'yay baby' form and expected applause.

Of course, this is all preferable to Harry's antics over the weekend, which ended with his cousin at the emergency room getting 5 stitches. Blood is so gross.

But isn't he just the most handsome thing you've ever seen?

To dunk or not to dunk

2010-02-22T14:23:00.003-06:00

I know it leaves horrible crumbs in your milk. I'll confess that I never finish the milk anyway. The milk is only there to dunk the cookie. Just ask them:

We're still negotiating which are the best cookies.

Reasonable expectations

2010-02-22T14:14:00.003-06:00

An essential part of a successful life, in my opinion, is how to set reasonable expectations to protect yourself from disappointment, relying too much on others or signing yourself up for too much*. When it comes to breakfast, or really, anything edible, our little Suzy has a fair bit of work to do regarding managed expectations.

Case in point, some drumsticks. You know, the delicious ice cream cones with peanuts and a chocolate bottom.

My thought on what's going through her sweet little head during this photo shoot:

Top left: This is awful! Why would she eat that in front of me. All I have is this thing making a mess on my hand over here
Top right: Finally. Did she think I would stop screaming without this in my mouth?
Bottom left: Can you hold this for me?
Bottom right: Can I have another?

*talk to me on Sunday about signing up for too much while I'm licking my wounds from having publicly humiliated myself on a beautiful Steinway.

How to...

2010-01-24T15:43:00.004-06:00

Kids are funny. No matter how cold it is or what kind of snow you get they want to play in it. So, here's little how to on snowmen when the universe sends you the wrong kind of snow (and believe me, according to me, there is no RIGHT kind of snow).

1. Get a shovel and push the soft puffy non-adhesive snow into a pile.
2. Nag your mother for supplies while she overexposes you with light
3. Sit proudly with your new apple faced friends.

Meanwhile, it's never to early to think about the importance of a good pair of boots.

Pancakes and other piles

2010-01-08T08:43:00.004-06:00

Most days when Harry gets home from school, he leaves a pile like this somewhere:

I always think of it as a visual deep sigh. And then he retreats to the couch in his underpants and t-shirt to unwind from a stressful day of kindergarten. (She said without an ounce of sarcasm.)

Of course, most mornings, we are willing to go the extra mile to keep him on the right side of happy, since he is. not. a morning person. And most mornings, this means pancakes. Oh, we've had our fits and starts with them, from the Smitten Kitchen (good tips, too much buttermilk) to Barefoot Contessa (a little complicated for every day) and even the Pioneer Woman (just bad. and no buttermilk).

And finally we landed on Alton Brown's recipe. And we were happy.

And our pants don't fit.

So, now we make a 1/2 recipe and fry up 1 pancake per morning for that glorious boy.

And he was happy.

Our favorite salad

2009-12-29T21:48:00.004-06:00

So, we've been eating this salad for a while and I feel it's my duty to share it with you:

Arugla
Craisins
Candied Walnuts (get the ones from Trader's Joes)
Pear
French vinagrette (I like Brianne's - it has the artichoke on it)

Ummm.. cut up the pear, mix together, dump some dressing on, sit on your brother, enjoy.

Also, since we're talking about food, I should let you know that I may never buy pre-made tomato sauce again. This really was basic and awesome. And if you ever need someone to make 100 meatballs, I've got a name for you.

Snow Days

2009-12-26T08:32:00.003-06:00

We've had a lovely holiday - got more than we deserved from Santa and didn't have to leave the house yesterday. It snowed a little for us just before Christmas, making everything white and Bing-like (and then it rained all day on Christmas Day giving me false hope that January won't be miserably cold, it will be mild and rainy).

Anyway, I was off all last week, so I dragged Suzy over to school on the sled to pick Harry up at the end of the day. She thought it was the best thing ever.

Now, the flaw in this plan, which I failed to realize before embarking upon it, was that I would have to pull BOTH of them home. Up little hills. Across fields. And my elbow may have detached. And my should may have separated. But they are awfully sweet, aren't they?

PS - we're making fresh pasta, meatballs and sauce today for 40 people. For the record, this was not my idea.

When?

2009-12-23T07:40:00.005-06:00

I don't know what happened. I wrote a nice note on 12/9, and here we are on 12/23. It only seems fair to tell you about the delicious fresh pasta we've been making, and the nice house guests who have helped make (and eat!) all the creamed butter and sugar that's in the freezer. I mean cookies.

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Disaster.

2009-12-09T20:11:00.008-06:00

I thought it was a good idea to make caramel. (Ha. I just typed 'eat caramel' instead of make caramel. Subtle foreshadowing.) These cookies look so delicious. Honestly, how hard could it be?

I did my homework. The key is not to overcook it. Like this.

Ah. Much better.

But, oh, the humanity! Use the proper tools, girl! (Truly, I *should* be embarrassed to confess that I moved the metal bowl out of the way to grab this sweet pink one.)

Now it is time to be eternally thankful that your husband is upstairs reading a story to your son. And that your sister-in-law has called and is listening to the steady stream of profanity coming out of your mouth and asking 'is that going to be on the blog?' But it works out, because she puts your brother, the PhD materials engineer on to help you figure out how to remove sugar, corn syrup and plastic from your ceramic top stove without asking your husband for paint thinner.

But not to worry, it's all chemically incompatible with the ceramic on the stove. I was able to break the physical joints with ice, and since the ceramic isn't cracked, no chemical joints formed. (Look at all that materials knowledge. I even know what a polymer is.) The ice helped the burns on my fingers, too. But then the sweet, helpful brother, sensing the crisis is averted and his dear sister will remain married says, 'dry ice would work really well. You don't have any of that, do you?'

And I'm all out of heavy cream, too.

All soft

2009-12-04T10:18:00.003-06:00

I love it when they wake up and their cheeks are still flushed from sleep and eyes are all soft around they edges. They even smell sweeter then. So, it is my fault if I cave once in a while and buy a horrible bag of the junk food overlords chocolate frosted donuts? Is the price too much to pay for this:

And, yes, people, I realize how ridiculously large and green that cup looks in this picture. Let's just say that my already weak photography skills are significantly handicapped before 7 am.

Giving thanks

2009-11-26T20:48:00.003-06:00

I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but 2009 hasn't been the best year. There's the financial ridiculousness that has plagued every one of us in it's own way, surviving the first year with a baby, and my mom's cancer, to name a few. But, in true form, there's also been 2 great birthday parties, a first day of kindergarten, a 10th anniversary and a pumpkin bourbon birthday cheesecake.

And we had a lovely day today at Gerise's - three kinds of stuffing, 2 pumpkin pies and crepes, made by our junior french chef. It just occurred to me that we didn't take any pictures, but Harry at 6 buns and Suzy ate everything she could get her hands on. I know you're surprised.

Anyway, at this point, we all look a little bit like this:

And we're thankful for things that, while sometimes a little out of focus, are as fun as this:

Harry + Claire

2009-11-23T07:59:00.004-06:00

He's finally found someone as tall and as bossy as him. And she's perfectly lovely. And I love her mother.

Last weekend while Pete was at his Packer game/slumber party Lora and I met at Apple Holler for some breakfast and fun. It was a little bit chilly, but a good time was had by all. And I'm fairly certain that Suzy ate her weight in ham and apple cider donuts.

Popcorn

2009-11-23T07:50:00.002-06:00

Is delicious? Unless you're some sort of crazy European who doesn't like rootbeer - not that I'm naming names or presenting a cultural bias, because you know, I love sausage and marzipan. I even like schnitzel and stollen and spatzel. (Apparently all I like are German foods that start with S and anything almond flavored.)

Anyway... We went to the Holiday Folk Fair over the weekend, which was lovely. The kids had a good time shopping and eating and watching ethnic dancing - Suzy learned some good spinning techniques, but just one time around, please, else one land's on one's hinder. She gobbled down some sauerkraut and a dumpling with gravy and then was very happy to move over to Ireland for a delicious blueberry scone. Harry, on the other hand, inhaled a taco and 3 cookies.

Suzy has shifted over to walking full stop. She's a little wobbly, which makes me think of calling her 'wobblesaurus rex', but no girl needs that sort of moniker to stick around until her feet are the size of mine. Also, with her squeaky shoes, undeserved (by her parents) level of cute, general happy disposition and outgoing brother, taking her places tends to be a bit like what we imagine traveling with a celebrity would be.

Happily, we only eat popcorn at home - you know, I'm not sure the public is ready for this (much as Jeffery Steingarten mentioned 'America being ready for rare pork' last night on The Next Iron Chef of which I watched EVERY episode. But I digress.

I know. But I'm not sorry at all.

A predisposition

2009-11-17T12:36:00.003-06:00

As most of you know, if there is a reason in life to throw up, I throw up. Morning sickness, motion sickness, drug side affect, stress - you name it, I can puke. On my first day of first grade, I threw up all over Mrs Phillips during story time. Of course, the great irony of my life is that I married a sailor, but having done his own share of feeding the fish, he's very sympathetic.

Harry, on the other hand has only thrown up a few times in his sweet little life. Although, I'm sorry to report that the most recent time was not 20 minutes ago all over the lunch table in the school cafeteria. He's snuggled on the couch with some Sprite and a little bit of a fever. Poor little guy!

'And Mom', he said on the way home 'I got some throw up on Ori.'

Sniff!

His new slide

2009-11-05T11:18:00.003-06:00

Harry has a funny way with language. Case in point, the South Milwaukee Public Library is his 'local library' and the Milwaukee Public Library Central Location is 'not my local library'. Any other library is 'someone else's local library'. This is sweet, but it also concerns me re: how much time he spends with his friends at PBS Kids when there are slides to go down. Speaking of slides (did you see how I did that?), he has long called the slides across the street from the house (at what is now his school) his slides, while the playground in the park are 'the kids' slides'.

Earlier this year the school district and the PTO got it together and replaced some of the aging equipment across the street. We've been enjoying the ride down. Well, some of us have.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T20:13:00.004-06:00

Last week was my last mandatory unpaid week this year a.k.a MULA. While I'll be glad to have my 8% back, I'll be a little sorry to not have the extra month off next year. It was a good week, all in all. On Monday, I picked up Mom from the hospital after she had her port installed and then we headed over to Mayfair for some lunch and a walk through Crate and Barrel. I did some painting on Tuesday and Wednesday (think pink -- no, pinker) in Suzy's room and our room. And then there was too much laundry and cleaning and errands the rest of the week.

Last night, Pete and I went and saw 'Bright Star' at the Oriental, providng once again that he probably loves me more than I deserve. I'm fairly certain that at a certain age my children will love me for the Halloween costumes as much as I deserve.

At least they have each other. (And why is there always brightly colored plastic crap on the floor in every picture I take?)

Spoiler

2009-10-25T18:53:00.004-05:00

It's a week away, but this was a bigger secret than I could keep. Harry has dubbed it the fat chicken. I'll get one of her and the Ninja Turtle next weekend. But really, now that you've seen it, could you have possibly lived another week without it?

Uncle Dan

2009-10-24T19:38:00.002-05:00

The other day, while walking home from school, Harry declared that his Uncle Dan was smart because he was a scientist. Of course, I couldn't leave well enough alone. I asked if I was smart. Harry agreed. I asked why. He said: Because Uncle Dan told you his scientist stuff.

Who would blame me if there was coal in that kid's stocking this year?

A new friend

2009-10-22T20:23:00.003-05:00

On Saturday, I went to the Badger football game with Lora. Despite the awful performance on the field, Lora and I had a lovely time (except the part where the heat in her car runs constantly, again, let's all be thankful for deodorant and cooler temperatures).

Pete, the best husband around, was supportive of this activity. In fact, so supportive that he not only stayed home with our kids, but also watched Lora's sweet daughter Claire for the day. Claire is just a few months younger than Harry, but equally as bossy. It was a match made in heaven. Or Rosenberry, 6th floor Chadbourne, circa 1992.

I think they might be married. At least Lora says they are. But you can't always believe someone who buys meatball cars and drives a bright blue PT Cruiser while waiting for delivery.

Caption contest

2009-10-22T12:40:00.004-05:00

Because, really, what am I supposed to say about this?

Cheyenne and Alex (the girl)

2009-10-21T22:00:00.002-05:00

Our dear sweet boy still likes me to walk him to school every morning so he has 'someone to hug' right after the bell rings. He also will still hold my hand on the way there and is thrilled to see us when we pick him up. He also reported earlier in the year that he and Cheyenne would always play 'Ben 10' at recess. And then a few weeks later he reported that Cheyenne only wanted to play with Neil. Sigh.

I have been dutifully attending PTO meetings and chatting with the other parents on the playground. I hadn't realized the dangers of this until Monday morning. Cheyenne's mother came over to chat.

Cheyenne's Mom: So, Cheyenne told me something interesting on Friday.
Cindy: Oh?
CM: Yes, she said, 'Harry kissed me'. I'm not worried, or making a big deal or anything, I just wanted to let you know.
Cindy: Interesting. I'll talk to him.

Bell rings. Kiss and hug boy good bye. Walk home. Call Pete. Relate story. Pete's response: 'Did that hussy ask to be kissed?'

Later that evening.

Cindy: Harry, did you kiss Cheyenne?
Harry, smiling: Yes, and Alex the girl. And Mrs. Osell didn't see me.
Cindy: Did they ask you to kiss them?
Harry: No, I just did it.

Short age appropriate discussion about only kissing girls when they ask you. And that the teacher will find out and there will be all sorts of trouble.

Honestly. I am so. not. prepared.

This is why we live here

2009-10-19T07:48:00.003-05:00

Since it's about to get cold and then get worse and I'm about to start whining about same (along with the itchy skin, which is already here), I thought I'd better post about yesterday, which was the perfect fall day. Warm sun, clear sky, crisp breeze and so on.

After church, the 4 of us and friends Amy and Birger headed over to the Elegant Farmer in East Troy. We enjoyed hot ham sandwiches and apple pie. Yes, that apple pie. And it was so good. Although, some of us preferred to be a bit of a grouch and only eat cookies and chocolate milk.

Someone else ate everything. And used her sweet red coat as a dust mop for all the hay and dirt all over the floor. It's ok, if she has to eat a bushel of dirt, she'd better get started now.

On our way out, Harry and Suzy stopped for a wooden pony ride and a look at the pumpkins.

On the way home, we stopped at Weston's Orchard for apples to make pies of our own (Birger made his already, my apples sit sadly on the counter waiting for a better life). Just as we were leaving for a walk through the Orchard, Ken came by with some Blenheim Orange apples. It was ridiculously crunchy and apple tasting. If you're still eating grocery store apples, STOP NOW!

Photo credits to Amy Horst

Birthday cake possibilities

2009-10-13T15:16:00.005-05:00

So far, these are the top contenders.

1. Bourbon pumpkin cheesecake
It has graham crust, which is always preferred, since the freak of nature I call a husband doesn't like pie crust. And then there is the beloved pumpkin.

2. Tiramisu cake
The coffee is right in the cake. With booze. Need I say more?

3. Crepes Suzette
I know it's not a cake, but that girl owns him. He hasn't got a chance.

4. Mississippi Mud Cake
It has coffee AND booze.

This might seem like a lot of trouble, but really, have you seen him? With the blue eyes bluer than the water with the sun sparkling on it?

Simultaneously in love and ever-so-slightly alarmed

2009-10-12T20:53:00.003-05:00

You have those moments with your spouse, too, right? Like when you realize that right now, instead of watching Monday night football, he's watching 'Craft in America' which happens to be about people who make pottery. Or last week, when he watched a program about Beowulf* instead of Spike TV.

I mean I love, love, love that he's watching this. But then I think -- 'you're watching program about pottery?'

It's his birthday on Friday. And I'm not going to forget this year. And I have to find another cake to make. I've got a few possibilities in mind, but my week is quickly dissolving what with reading meetings at school and other such nonsense.

*yes, yes, I know Beowulf is all about stabbing things.

Ok, I was just about to push publish post when the love of my life wandered over here and read this post and uttered, 'dammit! I forgot about Monday Night Football!'. Sigh.

A little pink pincushion in underpants

2009-10-09T14:58:00.002-05:00

Do you remember that Calvin and Hobbes where Calvin declared the doctor thought he was 'a little pink pincushion in underpants?' I'm sorry to say that's what our girl was today. 4 shots, with 2 more to come in another month. Necessary evil? But, really, why would you do that to someone who looks like this:

All she wants in the world is a tractor ride. And some shoes. And a piece of cake. And that ice cream you're eating. Oh, and a bite of that cheeseburger would be nice, too.

Anyway, our vital statistics today:

Weight: 19 lbs 9 oz, 25 percentile
Length (Height?): 30", 80 percentile

Tall and skinny? I can hope...

A magic carpet ride

2009-10-08T19:44:00.002-05:00

I know, it's a little out of focus, but my life has been a little like that lately. A few nights ago, Harry asked Pete for a horsey ride. Suzy saw what was going on and I could just see her little brain grinding away, trying to figure out how to get in on the action.

My mom is doing well - recovering from surgery nicely. I've been very thankful for the ability to work at her house over this past week, to keep her company. We've gone for lunch a couple times and today I took her to the yarn store. The steady stream of visitors and cards have been wonderful - she said the other day, while bringing it the mail, that it was 'like Christmas' with all the cards that are coming. I've had a lot of people ask what they can do - please, send a card - she loves them. Let me know offline if you need her address.

Meanwhile, besides being a little out of focus, I'm doing ok. And I've got to go, or I'm going to be late for my massage!

The window display

2009-10-08T19:38:00.003-05:00

Or deee-splay, if you're Harry.

We've managed to assemble our entire collection of the Lego City line and they are currently on display at our local public library. They will be up for the entire month of October, and Harry's class has a walking field trip there later in the month.

He's very excited, and neither Pete nor I are at all grumpy about the fact that we were up until midnight the night before we set this lousy display up building the Coast Guard stuff.

A place to sit

2009-10-03T10:28:00.002-05:00

The other morning, I was at the sink cleaning up and I heard some rustling behind me.

I'm not sure how she heaved her skinny little self up there, but she was awfully cute. Meanwhile, our girl has decided that walking is much more fun than crawling (although crawling is still faster) and cups are much more fun than bottles. It's been a productive month!

Her birthday

2009-10-03T10:24:00.002-05:00

We had a lovely birthday brunch last Sunday. Lots of good food and 2 cakes! Suzy pounded her fists on the table until the cake was shoveled in, but did you expect anything else from her?

Meanwhile, my mom is doing well. She came home yesterday and will meet with an oncologist in the next week or so to determine a plan of care, which will no doubt include chemotherapy. I know life isn't fair, but it seems to me that if you do chemo once, you shouldn't have to do it again.

It's all about me

2009-09-23T08:32:00.002-05:00

Well, for today, anyway. And even still, not really. We had a lovely birthday breakfast party; my mom took Harry last night and they got a cake which was hidden in his closet. She called this morning to make sure he remembered, and told me it was an ice cream cake. Ha. Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to a birthday and days following completely unlike last year's.

We're doing a birthday brunch for Suzy on Sunday; I've started cooking already and will get some updates over the weekend.

And yes, Suzy had tunnel vision on that cake. And she loved it.

Where did the baby go?

2009-09-18T15:07:00.005-05:00

When I was a little kid, I had a Golden Book called, Where did the baby go? The book sort of creeped me out - it wasn't about hide and seek but a little girl around 3 years old who found a baby picture of herself. She had a hard time wrapping her head around the idea that she was the baby in the picture and kept asking, 'where did the baby go?' And I had a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that some kid was so thick that they didn't know they had been a baby. And it seemed like some little baby-eating mentally impaired monster was really the main character of the story.

Maybe I was a little too mature (ha!) for the book?

Anyway. Sometime last week it seems we had a little bit of the case of where-did-the-baby-go's. She suddenly turned into a girl. With personality - a grin when you say no, a steamrolling crawl toward Pete when he gets home, a pause while playing the piano to wait for praise. And then this.

Do you see it? The baby is slipping away - I'll miss her, but I'm very excited to meet the girl. She's probably going to want my shoes, but with a little bit of luck, they will never fit her!

What's a brother good for?

2009-09-16T09:01:00.004-05:00

Suzy has discovered the garage. There's so much stuff in there, it's such a mess, what can I climb in, can someone give me a ride? Pete has spent the summer taking stuff out of the garage, sweeping the floor, grumbling that it's not bigger and putting stuff back in the garage. It is sad to only have a one car garage.

If that rotten boy weren't spending so much time at school (and loving it, I might add), he could be driving her around in the John Deere tractor trailer. (I can't believe I actually own a JDTT).

Camp Out

2009-09-06T21:25:00.002-05:00

Pete took Harry down to the boat for a camp out tonight. Sleeping bags and snacks and plenty of books to read; I'm not sure I won't see them before morning, but they were awfully cute as they headed out the door. Hopefully there won't be any of this:

Kindergarten

2009-09-04T10:17:00.006-05:00

And he's off. He loved the first full day and was excited to go back today. But, I didn't think this would happen so fast. I mean, we just had this:

And this:

Honestly. Where did it go? How did we get to this conversation, out on the driveway, not 2 hours ago:

Harry: 'Mom, I can walk to school by myself. You could just stay here.'
Cindy: 'Well, how about I walk with you today and then next week you walk by yourself?'
Harry: 'Well I would be comfortable if you would just walk me over to the white house by the fence.'
Cindy: 'I'll just walk you to school.'
Harry: 'But I want to go by myself.'

So I walked him halfway there. And he didn't want to hold my hand. He did turn around and make sure I was there, though.

Baby steps

2009-08-31T17:05:00.002-05:00

Our girl took 2 steps today. And then she sat down. It's a lot of work to be that cute AND walk around. And, have you ever seen cuter shoes to walk in?

I'm as corny as Kansas in August

2009-08-31T14:42:00.004-05:00

I just love show tunes. And it is pretty corny around here lately. When I was a kid, I was always sad when I saw a few dozen ears of corn come home and then be stripped down and whisked into the freezer. Of course, now I appreciate the fact that we had delicious freezer corn to eat all winter. So, I'm happy to report that our freezer is on our way to being filled with sweet, delicious freezer corn.

I made tomato and corn pie for dinner last night. It has a biscuity crust and tasted like the perfect summer pot pie. In fact, it was a superb breakfast this morning, too. All this makes for a couple of very happy creatures when they spy the contents of the garbage can. Honestly, I really do feed them. Regularly. Not from the garbage.

Meanwhile, over in the 2 wheeler department, things are coming along - slow but sure. It turns out that when you're on the big side of 5 (with that head), it's a little harder to find your center of balance.

As if we needed him to be able to move faster.

Freezer Corn
15 cups of corn (roughly 18 large ears)
5 cups ice water
3/4 c sugar
1/4 c scant canning salt (non-iodized)

Mix water, sugar and salt together until combined. Pour over corn. Let stand 2-3 minutes. Scoop corn and liquid into quart sized ziplocks, freeze.

Mrs. Lyman

2009-08-19T20:20:00.003-05:00

We went to the pool today at Mrs. Lyman's house. We've been a few times this summer, but this is the first time I managed to remember the camera. Now prepare yourself, since I don't know if you're ready for this level of entertainment.

And everyone knows you want a snack after swimming. (In my head, I hear Suzy's voice as Stewie Griffin from Family Guy saying, 'confounded woman, give it!')

I think she liked it. Thanks, Mrs. Lyman.

Don't miss it, don't even be late

2009-08-19T20:11:00.002-05:00

We went to the State Fair over the weekend. God, how I love the State Fair. Cows and horses and pigs and cream puffs and pork burgers and honey ice cream and maple sundaes. Suzy ate all of it. She sat in her little carrier and smacked her lips all morning. She is truly a garbage disposal.

Harry also enjoyed the sights at the Fair. I mean, when you start the day off with a brownie, what can go wrong?
And the babes, Mom, look at the babes.

Thank goodness

2009-08-19T20:03:00.004-05:00

For digital cameras. You can take loads of pictures. And instantly have a chuckle about the 3 armed baby. O course, it's not really an arm, and the view nicely shows off her single roll of fat there on her thunder thighs. (Have I told you what this girl eats? Tonight I gave her a taco. She was mad that she couldn't have another. And breakfast? Yogurt, scrambled egg and a pancake, if you please.)

Hey, really, I'm not the only one laughing.

I know. Look at him, isn't he just the cutest thing you've ever seen? All happy there in the grass, smiling, the dimple just starting to show.

'Sears sucks, Crash'

2009-08-17T20:07:00.006-05:00

Well, I don't really believe that, but one of the millions of Kevin Costner baseball movies was on over the weekend, and as I played the contact sport that is child photos at the Sears Picture Studio today, I was having similar thoughts.

Meanwhile, these photos are credited to the Sears studio, but you have to make an account to go see them. Hopefully the Sears copyright police don't come after me for this, but if they do I will happy comply to their demands without contacting counsel. Because, really, I know this isn't the right thing to do, but, you must see them!

When did he get all of those legs? And the feet, my god, do you see those feet?

Never mind that, look at that girl in the little yellow dress from Susie. I just love yellow. Ask Pete. He has lots of yellow shirts that he pretends not to like.

Honestly. Those legs (ha, I just typed legos - we're getting ready for a showing at the local public library; more details on that to come.)! Anyway, those legs. Only this time there's happiness in a pillowcase dress made by Auntie Jo right in front of them so I don't have to think about how long they are.

And now these. Really, honestly, I'm such a bad mother. I never got her in for 'professional' infant photos. So here's us pretending. You can't see those 6 teeth anyway. And she looks a little on the skinny side on this top one, it almost makes you think of those chicken legs we started with.

Summer is coming on strong

2009-08-10T20:17:00.006-05:00

It took forever up here this year, but we're finally getting some good steamy hot days. I mean legs sticking to the car seat days. Now, I wouldn't be interested in months of this, but I do like my fair share of weeks of it. We've been to the pool and picnicked and spend our nights soothed by the gentle purr of the window air conditioners. I keep forgetting the camera when we go to Mrs. Lyman's pool, but we got these in the back yard last week.

Now, as most of you know, you shouldn't always picnic alone. Sometimes it's nice to invite friends. To help you eat pizza. Or to give you a new lap to sit on. What, you don't usually have pizza at a picnic? I think you need to loosen up your picnic definition. Honestly, some people can be so picky!

This reminds me

2009-08-07T15:56:00.003-05:00

I just re-read my previous post, which I often do a little later to make sure I haven't typo'd or forgotten an important part of the post or just to remind myself that I can write and I am a little bit clever (vanity!), and I remembered the night that Harry ate a mountain of food and then deposited some in the usual way, and while cleaning him up (he uses the yoga pose 'down dog' while getting cleaned) he turned his head around so he could see me and said, 'Mom, can I have a sandwich?'

(See, a little while later I'm going to read this a feel a tiny bit pleased about the way I told you about my kid taking a crap without saying poop, toilet or butt. Until I get to that sentence.)

Nicknames

2009-08-07T11:42:00.003-05:00

My mom calls me 'cupcake' sometimes. It's a nice little name and since cupcakes are seeing a new level of popularity, it's just confirming the feeling that we've always been with it - the rest of the world has been behind.

We've got a few names for Harry, but I'm afraid that our poor girl is stuck somewhere between 'puppy' and 'garbage disposal'.

Why puppy? I'm not sure, I just started and it stuck.

But, wait. What's that you say? Why garbage disposal?

Well. Let me tell you what she ate last Sunday for 'dinner' (please note that dinner isn't really a meal for her, more like a 2 hour eating experience. Think Vegas buffet in the Larson kitchen. Every night.):*

1. Sweet potatoes
2. Applesauce
3. Puffs: cheerio type and yogurt
4. 2 bites Lemony Goat Cheese Zucchini Pizza
5. 3 bites portabello mushroom
6. Several pieces of zuchhini
7. Raspberries (she crawls over to the bushes and yells until you shove them in her mouth)
8. Home made ice cream. As much as Grandma would shove in, as fast as possible, with kicking and moaning in between.

On Monday, the baby sitter said to me, 'I'm not sure what you fed her, but that poop... it was the wierdest baby poop I've ever seen.' I bet.

Last night she took a bite of my turkey burger. And, figured out how to use a straw - filled with Pete's chocolate malt. So, who wouldn't call such a baby 'garbage disposal'?

*that's some odd looking punctuation up there, no?

This dog's life

2009-07-23T08:18:00.005-05:00

There comes a time in every girl's life when she:

Loses her gummy smile (last week Thursday)
Gets her second tooth (Tuesday)
Discovers the stairs (Saturday)
Successfully climbs a stair (this morning)

Now, all of these things are important, but there is nothing so important as finding the dog water. The bucket of room temperature dog infested joy on the kitchen floor.

Daisy is 12 years old. She's mostly deaf (I joke that she barked herself deaf) and I think her vision is not what it used to be, either. She has a little trouble with the steps and is just generally getting to be an old lady. We do just love our Daisy, even when we find her teeth on the carpeting.

Our girl

2009-07-17T20:15:00.003-05:00

Is coming along nicely. We had our 9 month well baby check up today -- 16 lbs, 9 oz, 28" long. She's a little on the long and skinny side, but from where I'm sitting that's not necessarily a bad thing.

She's been waving hello and good-bye for the past few days and has gotten lightning fast with the crawling. Walking is a little ways off yet, but still in sight; she pulls herself up and walks right along. Also, at bed time, we have 3 pacifiers: one for her mouth and one for each hand to play like cymbals.

Honestly, I never thought I'd raise a drummer.

Adult: $22.50, Child $16.50, Infant: Free

2009-07-17T15:45:00.004-05:00

While on vacation, we took a great little train ride on the Georgetown Loop narrow gauge railroad. The track covers a couple miles and 400 vertical feet and crosses a teetering bridge which I was assured is very secure.

There was a mine here that the railroad served and some of the leftovers - equipment, rock piles, etc. - are still around and neat to look at. There are a couple of little old western towns near the depots which were very neat to see. Suzy loved the ride - so much to look at, so many nice old men to flirt with, and of course, her dad's lap.

Harry, on the other hand, started the ride as you see below and ended it in a similar position, but snoring. Thank goodness for the free infant fare!

Research and Development

2009-07-16T15:54:00.003-05:00

Every once in a while when I scrap the pictures off the camera, I find a batch that looks like this:

Now, these are an improvement of the ones taken of lego.com with product displays of sets Harry would like us to buy. But, these did make me wonder -- were they ransom photos? was he trying to remember how he configured the parts so he could make them again later? was he just taking pictures of his pals? who gave him the camera?

But on Tuesday, all was revealed. This was field work -- research and development, if you will. My dad stopped by after work and Harry had created a Lego museum in his room. (Admittance fee: $15, real dollars.)

And, to think I had treated some of his early work much like NASA treated the original moon footage...

So much to tell you

2009-07-14T10:46:00.003-05:00

I've started a bunch of posts in my head over the last few days - there's so much to tell you, do I do it all at once? A bunch of short posts? Do I tell you about the ant infestation that seems to be going on in our kitchen? Or about the fact that I'm considering wearing napkins instead of clothes because I'm tired of laundry and Harry doesn't seem to understand the difference? How about the 3 new pairs of shoes I bought yesterday?

No, the only thing to do is to tell you that Suzy belongs to Pete. The way Harry belongs to me. She adores him. Her lip quivers when he leaves the room. I mean, she wails when I leave, but Harry was never quite so attached to Pete. And it's adorable. I love it - and Pete eats it up. Here they are at the look out in the Buffalo Bill Museum parking lot.

You can see Pete is working on his stern-you're-going-to-take-too-many-pictures-of-me-this-week vacation look. And Suzy is working on melting him. And it's working. I mean the melting, not the feigned sour-puss look.

But don't worry about Harry. They plotted a snowball fight here at the continental divide. I was all innocent in coming out to take a photo of them playing in the snow. Really. No, really!

But, just in case the lady behind you starts talking about how cute that baby is in the little dinghy at the Pirate Ship playground in Vail Village you should know the proper thing to do is walk over and kiss your wife.

Now, I have to go think about attempting something with yeast again.

IOU

2009-07-12T11:40:00.005-05:00

A mountain of photos from our trip to er, the mountains. I only sort of meant to do that. You know, I do like language. And funny little puns and usage things and the like.

Anyway, we had a lovely trip. It was fun to see Dan and company and Allan and meet Kathy and all the ridiculously tall kids and Heather and Sean. Sean's family was so wonderfully hospitable that I may have thought that Heather would wind up with pretty decent in-laws but we're not going to talk about that now. Right, Heather?

Suzy was a dream on the plane; a little fussing, mostly about me getting the puffs into her mouth fast enough followed by a lot of sleeping. Harry was happily entertained by all the diversions, although I am here to tell you, just in case you were wondering, Legos are NOT an ideal airplane activity. After collecting up all our Legos from our pleasant Midwest Airlines flight I mean our horribly average Republic Air flight we had a nice drive through the mountains, a fun train ride (that Harry slept through and Suzy loved), a swim in a hot springs pool, a ride up Vail Mountain, stood over the continental divide , visited the Colorado Railroad Museum (during which some of us may have knitted/napped in the shade while others looked at ALL of the trains), had a much shorter visit over at the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, rode an Alpine Coaster, visited Buffalo Bill, and a few other things thrown in for good measure.

I promise to drag the photos off the camera tomorrow after the Great Circus Parade. No, don't even ask. I'm not afraid of the clowns. I'm not thinking of them at all. I wasn't even a little bit afraid to go to bed. Nope, not one bit.

Photo credits: Sarah Hooks

And we're off

2009-06-30T21:10:00.001-05:00

Well, almost. First we've got to finish packing and then there's the rest of the errands and then sorting out Pete's plane ticket, but we'll be gone. To the great American west. To the mountains, even.

I just hope my teeth don't hurt again. Why would people live in such thin air?

New skills

2009-06-27T09:08:00.001-05:00

It seems our girl has a new skill to add to her resume.

Well, yes, she can skipper a Tartan 37, but she can crawl, too.

What you remember

2009-06-26T10:35:00.002-05:00

I remember when Mimi got the Thriller album and played it constantly. I remember trying to figure out how to dance like that. (Seriously, I was not very good.)

But then I remember summers with Jenny and the pool and waiting for Dad to come home and Mom dumping hot water on her leg while doing tomatoes and when we cooked the guinea pig (!! so sad) in the aquarium and sitting on the ice cream maker while everyone else cranked and the parties in the park on the 4th of July and I feel old and young all at the same time.

Honestly

2009-06-23T15:23:00.004-05:00

Have you ever seen a baby this cute?

Or a boy having so much fun running?

Photo credits to Amy Knox.

It's a cruel, cruel summer

2009-06-19T08:06:00.002-05:00

You know, there's just not enough Bananarama to go around these days...

Harry starts summer school next week. Yes, I was rotten enough to sign him up, but, come on! It was $10 for 6 weeks, Monday - Thursday, 9-12!! I think he's looking forward to it. (Really.)

Let sleeping dogs lie

2009-06-15T15:03:00.002-05:00

Like most days, I'm listening to All Things Considered on public radio. I often wonder when Harry will start to complain about my station choice, but not today. Then again:

Harry, listening to the radio while making strawberry boil souffles: 'Mom, the government lied.'
Cindy: 'Oh? About what?'
Harry: 'The woofs.'
Cindy: 'What are woofs?'
Harry: 'Dogs. Do you want a souffle?'

The hidden picture

2009-06-14T22:36:00.003-05:00

It was my favorite part of Highlights magazine. So, let's play: (for those of you that don't know the rules, you just find the things in the following list in the picture below)

A new(ish) spice rack
A first attempt at homemade graham crackers
The corner of the counter I can never keep clean
A sonogram photo
Cabinet doors that need refinishing
A baby

Who's got the power

2009-06-14T22:28:00.003-05:00

Once again, Milwaukee Public Library is doing SuperReaders for the summer reading program. This is one of Harry's favorite programs on PBS, and he's looking forward to getting a yard sign. We visited the Bay View Public Library last week and, well, have a look:

The impossible

2009-06-14T22:21:00.005-05:00

Is it possibly here? Really, will we have summer? Have I really attempted (twice) to make homemade graham crackers? I know it might be a little much, but honestly, I haven't made my own marshmallows yet. Or even really thought about it. Not that I'm judging you marshmallow lovers out there.

While there are lots of things starting to bloom in my garden (weeds, oh stupid blasted weeds) I have to admit I like this one best:

Now this sweet little thing hasn't quite figured out crawling yet, but she has got the roll down. And today she discovered that pieces of furniture are handy things to pull yourself up on in order to stand. Isn't that sweet?

The basics

2009-05-21T13:57:00.003-05:00

Slides and swings - everybody loves them. (Unless you're me and you get motion sickness from swings. Really. It is hard to be me.) Last Sunday we had a birthday party in Estabrook Park (which is quite lovely) and Suzy had her first ride on a slide and a swing. I'll let you guess which she liked best.

Apple (APL) School Graduation

2009-05-21T12:00:00.004-05:00

Honestly, I really do think graduation for preschool is a little over the top. But it was a sweet little ceremony with some singing and bowing. And more bowing. And lots of bowing. I think Harry would like the stage if he could just bow.

Anyway, here's our small boy. On his way...

You + Me

2009-05-21T11:58:00.000-05:00

I sometimes wonder how exactly Cindy + Pete =

The days slide by

2009-05-19T22:14:00.000-05:00

And Harry has finished APL school. And Suzy can lurch herself forward, army style. And I'm on my second unpaid week. And the boat is in the water. And all the pictures are still on the camera.

But, stay tuned, I'll get them off. After the APL school picnic tomorrow.