Thursday~August 6, 2009 If we get enough heatwe head to the beach our friends they look likean old picturein the beautiful hatand soft colorsat the beach I love old pictures The weeks are flying bybut sometimes the daysare very slow Not when we’re at the beachThe happy makes the day fast And from my viewI drink in the sightsand Asher tries to drink the lakeand I say stopthat’s yuckyso he eats sandand I say stop but mostlyI just drink in the sights Our friends are familyand we look out for each otherand we laughand we sayto each other’s childrenDON’T THROW SANDand that’s OKbecause we’re family the beachit speeds the dayfor the wanting to keep it goinguntil we strugglewith sand on skinreleasing it to the carhoping for more heattomorrow Nothing gets doneof the to-doand we are unpluggedwith our familyand drinking the dayat the beach Thank you for allowing me to pop up in your […]
At the very last possible moment on Sunday morning, I rushed out the door and headed to the MckBrunch. Um, Heather. What’s a MckBrunch? Well, it’s a cross between fine dining and the drive-thru at McDonald’s. No, no! Actually, it was an opportunity for people to meet the lovely MckMama of My Charming Kids. (And for her to meet them, of course.) (Click on Stellan’s adorable photo in my sidebar if you aren’t already familiar with his story. You won’t be sorry.) I had no idea what to expect, but in the end, I was left giddy over what a good time it was. Don’t even get me started on the food, that was just plain fantastic. And the company? Even better! I sat with some lovely ladies and we hit it right off, chatting endlessly about blogging and motherhood. It was just plain good stuff. (Somehow they put up with me talking […]
Friday~July 10, 2009 He asked (with his eyes) if he could come outside… His brother was out, and Daddy was grilling, so we said…SURE, join the fam… Then right before dinner, we looked out our door to discover this… We laughed, we grabbed the video camera, we took photos (obviously)……and then of course, he wanted back in… At least now we know what he’ll look like with hair. Beware the unattended children with hose and soil. I hope your weekend is full of sun, laughter, and very little mud. Thank you for allowing me to pop up in your inbox and for reading my words, silly or serious. I appreciate you. ~Heather
Tuesday~June 30, 2009 He was so excited to go, but when it came right down to being left on that field with all the other little gloved T-ballers, he just wasn’t so sure. So he was the one, the one that battled his nerves and fought back tears. The one who didn’t follow when asked to run. The one playing in the sand to avoid the unknown. I wanted to hover, to push, to control the situation. I wanted to take his nerves and add them to mine, leaving him peaceful and confident. But I couldn’t, so I just waited, and watched from afar, hoping… He stood at the back, silent, small nervous movements, chewing nails and hiding under that visor. Kicking at the dirt and peeking out the side. So unsure. So new. So hard. They asked him to warm up with running and with stretching. He stood frozen in his fear, […]
Monday~June 29th, 2009 This has to be one of my favorite picture stories ever. It begs for a witty title, but I just can’t think of one…. Oh, how I love this Asher guy! At first he just couldn’t get the water gun to spray… So he tried harder (opening his mouth wide whilemoving his tongue around really helped)… He then mastered the spray! A little too well… The End. Can you give me a title for this picture story?Give me your idea in the comments! (Or, if you aren’t feeling creative, just go ahead and leave any old comment.) Either way, since this picture story is about water, I thought it was only right that your comment should count as an entry to win one of these: What is that, Heather? Why, it’s a metal water bottle fromCrocodile Creek, of course! In the summer, Miles and Asher and I don’t go anywhere […]
Thursday~June 25, 2009 We went to The Splash Pad the other day with friends.My boys were in heaven, and so was I.It’s just the perfect summer place. See? Shallow water. Check. Huge water guns. Check. Water. Water. Everywhere. Even Up. Check. (notice anything about Miles’ swim trunks? Just checking.) Big bright water-spewing turtle. Check. Yes, quite The Perfect Summer Place. We got a little lost on the way there, thanks to Sean Connery. (He’s the voice of our GPS…he says, “You have reached your des.tin.a.tion…shaken, not stirred.” Except it wasn’t our destination, it was the one he made up, so I was mad at him. I just never would have guessed that I’d be mad at Sean Connery.) Anyway…The other night, a friend let me know there’s another Splash Pad really close to our house. I think I could even find it without getting lost. I’m so excited to frequent the place all […]
Tuesday~June 23, 2009 Well, hello masked man with the eyes on the back of your head. What is your mission? Wait! Come back here, I must reveal your identity!Ugh, you’re nothing but a blur at that speed!!! Ah HA! I find you here of course, playing with the fan! I ask you again!!! Who are you??? How is it that you can see through cloth? (GASP) SHOCKING!!! The truth is revealed! It is you, Ash Man! One of my very favorite Super Heroes! CHEESE! Now stay away from the fan, young man!(Especially when you can’t see what it is you’re doing.) Thank you for allowing me to pop up in your inbox and for reading my words, silly or serious. I appreciate you. ~Heather
Sunday~June 14, 2009 I had the pleasure of helping my sister out at the restaurant she runs this weekend. The place is more than charming and the food is really good too. As I bussed tables and washed dishes, I was transported back to the years when I ran my butt off (literally) as a server. I loved working in restaurants, there’s just something about the camaraderie of a restaurant family you can’t find anywhere else. Maybe it has something to do with how hard you work, and how much you need to help each other to make things run smoothly. When I got back yesterday, Ryan and I made dinner together at our very own private restaurant. Cafe of the EO, if you will… We have outdoor seating here… All Most foods are prepared fresh daily… The customers are always almost always satisfied… We have really hard working bussers… They have a […]
Saturday~May 23, 2009 Warning: This post contains the cutest pictures you’ve ever seen in your whole life ever. If you don’t think so, you can’t tell me. Because these are my friends, their kids, and my “photography.” Now that I’m 34, I’m going to add “Photographer” to the list of things that I am. You know: wife, mom, sister, cousin, daughter, grand-daughter, niece, friend, runner, vegetarian, actor, author blogger, comedian, and photographer. Now here are about a zillion photos from my very special surprise birthday party last night. As you will see, I spent the whole night taking pictures, and I absolutely loved it… ***************** Meet Ellorie. You can’t have her.She’s mine Mackenzie and Caleb’s. *********************** And Landen. It’s entirely possible that this little poseis truly the cutest thing you’ve ever seen. ************************* You’ve been wondering why there aren’t more photos ofRyan on my blog, haven’t you?Well, maybe this is why…he’s totally insane… […]
Thursday~May 21, 2009 “You wanna see somethin’ cool?” “On your mark…” “Get set…” “GO!” “Yeah! I totally won!” For more pictures worth a thousand words, head on over to Cheaper Than Therapy. Thank you for allowing me to pop up in your inbox and for reading my words, silly or serious. I appreciate you. ~Heather
Sunday~May 17, 2009 He tried… and he tried… Then “Lil’ BooGoo” tried to help, butit’s hard to button a moving target… So BooGoo hung on the chair and waited… while “Bwuddah” tried and tried… UNTIL… He got it! (and felt the need to pose) The End. Thank you for allowing me to pop up in your inbox and for reading my words, silly or serious. I appreciate you. ~Heather
Thursday~ April 9, 2009 I’ve always had a problem with time. Either it goes too fast, or it goes too slow. I’m either looking at the clock in shock that it’s “already” later in the day than it feels, or irritated that the number displayed seems frozen. In time. And keeping time? Forget about it. In music or a daily schedule, I’m slow to learn. Now I’m experiencing the absolute Twilight Zone of time warps…the growing up of children. Yeah, TIME. Miles is nearing four. He’s clear evidence to me that what I suspected is true. Time can be both slow and fast at once. He’s a boy and a baby at the same time, confusing the both of us. The love I feel for him knows no bounds, and like every mother, I’ll always consider him my baby. Time. It happens so quickly, the ticking of the clock that brings about the […]
Posted on Wednesday~April 1, 2009 I realize that title is misleading. No, I’m not pregnant! But I am taking part in this carnival of funput on by my blog friend, Rachel atIn His Hands. Prepare to say, “ooooh and aaaawww and OH NO and OH MY!” Apparently something was confusing. Or mesmerizing.(That’s me on the left there, and my lovely sister on the right.)I wonder how long I would sit there,sliding those green and white balls back and forth?Probably a really long time. That’s the walker I fell down the basement stairs in… and then I looked like this: Those bruises are actually from a different injury, not the stairs.Maybe they appeared after I looked at that piece of furniture behind me.POW! Right between the eyes! Or perhaps when my eyes gazed upon my sister’s shirt…the one with the printed on vest.Yes, see? She’s not even actually wearing a vest. POW! Hey! I […]
Posted on Thursday~March 12, 2009 Today Asher has his three month follow-up appointment. Yes, it’s been THREE months since his brain shunt surgery! He’ll have a catscan, xray, and a bit of a drive to see his neurosurgeon to look over the tests. Big, long day for the Ash Man.All prayers and well wishes are much appreciated. Good test results would obviously rock the party. (This photo was taken last summer.) (If you don’t know Asher’s story, you can click The Noggin under labels in my left sidebar to learn more.) As we take off for the day, I’m going to steal an idea from Erin at If You Give a Mom a Moment. Here’s how it works: I’m going to ask a question at the end of this post. The first commenter will answer the question and leave another question in their comment. Then the next commenter will answer that person’s question […]
Posted on Thursday, February 26, 2009 He’s worn it nearly every day since Halloween. It’s now a two-piece.(also notice the “chick magnet” in the background.) But that doesn’t stop him from being a great protector. For more A Thousand Words Thursday posts, visit Jen at Cheaper than Therapy.(because there are a whole lot of pictures worth a thousand words.) (I had this dream last night with all kinds of crazy parts. I wonder if it applies to some BIG decisions we’re working on making around here? Does it say something about my subconscious hopes, or is there a message in at all? Sometimes dreams are just weird because they’re weird. I don’t know…More on that later. Maybe you could psychologically analyze me…) Thank you for allowing me to pop up in your inbox and for reading my words, silly or serious. I appreciate you. ~Heather
Posted on Monday~February 9, 2009 Our dog’s name is Tia Maria. I don’t bring her up very often here on the blog. That’s mostly because I’m too busy rambling on about other things.Tia is Ryan’s best friend. And she’s weird. In a lovely kind of gentle and easy-going way.But still weird… Tia has spent HOURS pushing her big red ball around the yard, combining her slobber with dirt to make mud. And then she wants to come in the house. Maybe that’s the real reason I don’t feel like talking about her much. Anyway, the ball is a strong plastic. It had a little hole in it that Tia has always stuck her teeth in to grab a hold of it. The hole in the ball has slowly gotten bigger over time. Now it’s just the right size for this to happen: Yes, our dog’s face was stuck inside her ball. I can’t […]
Posted on Thursday~February 5, 2009 BECAUSE I MISS SUMMER CHILD LABOR HATS THAT BLOCK THE SUN SPLASH FACE PANT I CAN’T WAIT… For more pictures worth a thousand words, visit Cheaper Than Therapy Thank you for allowing me to pop up in your inbox and for reading my words, silly or serious. I appreciate you. ~Heather
Posted on Thursday~January 29th, 2009 On his 3rd birthday last summer, Miles received a bird bath from Grandma Mary.His favorite part, of course–filling it up. Speaking of Miles:I’m stepping out of the shower recently and he comes flying into the bathroom,stops short, stares at me and says,“I like your butt and your boobers. And your squishy belly.” Gee, thanks._______________For more pictures worth a thousand words, visit Cheaper Than Therapy.(click on the picture.) Thank you for allowing me to pop up in your inbox and for reading my words, silly or serious. I appreciate you. ~Heather
Posted on Thursday~January 22nd, 2009 If you’re here for the first time because you’re perusing all the A Thousand Word Thursday posts, you may wonder why I chose this particular photo to share. (Opening your mouth and rolling your tongue does not give you the most flattering look for a photo, that is one of the lessons here). But this photo must be shared because it was taken the evening that a stylist tried to “fix” my 3-year-old’s hair after he shaved a chunk out of it. See? “Fixed!” His longer hairs are supposed to be covering up the big bald patch. It sorta works. If it were plastered down with gel, that is. But we don’t have gel, so most of the time he just walks around with the bald patch showing. I prefer this look over the fear I had that shaving his head would make him look like a light […]
Posted on Sunday~January 18th, 2009 A week of memories at the House of EO (and pretty much nowhere else because who in their right mind goes anywhere but to work and school when it’s this FREEZING?) It’s no secret that we are experiencing some VERY cold weather here. And lots of snow. But it may have been a secret that we didn’t put anything away this fall.What is WRONG with us? Have I mentioned that it’s cold? Here’s Miles, ready to head off to school.Oh, how he loves his coat. This intriguing photo is my bed with a mountain of laundry on it. I wish this picture could capture how BIG that mountain really is. By the end of the day,I had climbed to the highest peak. I’m a conqueror! I emptied the dishwasher and came back to the living room to find the entire couch covered in blue streaks. Nice. Thank God […]
Posted on Thursday~January 15th, 2009 ~Miles and gal pal, Olivia~(This picture was taken when they were two.Now they’re big three-year-olds, practically grown-ups.)Some pictures really are worth a thousand words, no?Look at how she’s looking at him! I love it.There may even be a thousand captions for this one.Any ideas?“He’s just not that into you,” comes to mind.Or, “Wow. That boy needs a haircut.”___________ For more pictures worth a thousand words,head on over to Cheaper than Therapy: Thank you for allowing me to pop up in your inbox and for reading my words, silly or serious. I appreciate you. ~Heather
Posted on Sunday~January 11, 2009 Today I’m taking part in Sara’s Project 365. Every Sunday she invites fellow bloggers to link up and share pictures from the week. What a great way to have photos archived as memories! No more non-scrapbooking guilt for me! (If I actually follow through with doing this each Sunday anyway…which is a bit of a long shot, but I’ll try.)My good intentions are worth something, right? RIGHT? Okay then…Welcome to a captivating photo journey through our week. Miles and Asher getting ready for sledding. Don’t they look thrilled? Or maybe just cold? Asher has his very own little backpack. He must wear it every waking hour. Pantsless, of course. And Miles must wear his Halloween Spiderman costume every moment. The band-aid on the chin is a result of an incident involving Uncle K., a chair, and the garage floor. YOW. This is our friend Ellorie. As you can […]
Posted by Heather of the EO~Thursday, December 18, 2008 Miles, age 1-2006: Can you hear it, “Hey there, neeed a riiide?” This week I’m joining The Mom at Cheaper than Therapy with A Thousand Words Thursday. I love the idea behind this weekly sharing of photos that are worth more than a thousand words. Click the button to read more about it and join in. Happy Thursday! Thank you for allowing me to pop up in your inbox and for reading my words, silly or serious. I appreciate you. ~Heather
We woke up to a blanket of snow today anddecided we liked getting our tree in the snow last year. So off we went. Asher said, “wa yah tee uh uh,”which translates to,what the heck are we doing? Miles was a wee bit excited.Ryan picked up two trees and weighed the pros and cons. Then he proudly displayed his ability to make a quick choice when it’s cold. Asher really liked the tree Daddy picked. Now we’re at home, the smell of a roasted chestnuts candle in the air,rocking around our newly decorated tree. The End. Thank you for allowing me to pop up in your inbox and for reading my words, silly or serious. I appreciate you. ~Heather
Meet Superfluous. She’s FIRE. And she’s hot. At her costume party last night, she let me come in even though I didn’t dress up. (I know, I know…lame.) That’s Shannon on the right, all cute in her 70’s garb. This is K. (of K and/or K-Waiting for a Little Vlachster) It says ‘history’ on his shirt because… He had a post-it on his foot…Sarah Palin, a footnote on history. Get it? Brilliant, eh?He was like a walking riddle. No matter how you’re voting, you have to admit that this costume is genius. And now for K’s other half, K.As she says on the K and/or K site, Disclaimer: The following reference to “white trash” has nothing to do with race or economic status. I firmly believe this demographic is a state of mind. I’ve been poor and white (I’m still white), but I’m not trashy–except today! The White Trash Bride. Complete with painted […]
Halloweeny ’08G’pa D. helped Asher carve his first pumpkin. Asher thought he should really get his hands on that thing. PRONTO. So he had the honor of holding the top. As you can see, he thought that was very VERY cool. Then he chewed on it for awhile. He was quite pleased. Then we went next door to visit The Best Neighbors in the Whole Universe. Miles and Asher got some great loot. (Asher was going to be a puppy, but I couldn’t find his costume. So we cut the legs off the fireman costume from last year. Yes, I’m currently quite disorganized, I lose costumes. But I’m no fool. A scissors is good for lots and lots of things.) (Oh! I’m sorry, I forgot to tell you. (I’m sure you can’t tell.) That’s Miles, not the actual real Spiderman.) Then we were off to city hall for the annual Halloween bash where […]
Dear Daddy,Remember those boxers you wanted Mommy to return while you were out of town for work? You know. The ones you bought last week? Remember? You had accidentally grabbed the wrong package? Well um…I think the package may be a bit ripped. And maybe possibly, um…gone. OOPS, I accidentally did that. I don’t know if Target will take them now. Guess what, Daddy? Mom wasn’t watching me. She was on the computer. Again. Also, I don’t know that Mommy can be trusted at all as a single parent while you’re out of town, working hard for the money. Asher eats tin foil. He doesn’t like it. Come home soon,Miles P.S. Guess what else, Daddy? You know how mommy thinks it’s really smart to hang the bag of dirty diapers outside over the fence so they don’t stink up the house? Yeah, well the dog got the bag off the fence and she […]
Does it mean I’ve officially lost my mind if I have moments here and there of thinking it would be a good idea to have another baby? What a difference a year can make. Last year at our annual day at the orchard, I was a complete wreck as the mother of a colicky newborn and a toddler. A toddler who was very mad at the colicky newborn for ruining his life. Let’s just say it totally stunk. Here I am (last year), pretending to have a lovely timewhen I was really pretty much completely insane. (niece, E also pictured) Yesterday, we were back with Ryan’s family for our annual trip to the orchard. It was absolutely beautiful outside. We had a ridiculously good time. I wasn’t pacing around with Asher attached to me, praying that he wouldn’t start screaming. He was content, maybe even peaceful. It was a beautiful thing. And Miles […]
I brought the camera along when bringing Miles to his first day of preschool today. (of course!) At first I thought I would bring it just for a quick shot on the way in. Then I decided to take a few extras for a picture story – the story that makes today’s post…Miles thought it was cool that we headed off to actually go to the school we’ve visited so many times. He’s been looking forward to it for weeks. Me, on the other hand? Well, I was just a jumble of thoughts and emotions and wasn’t really expecting that. (And yes, Asher’s car seat has a leopard print cover. Don’t ask.) Miles is such a strong, resilient, happy person. He took off, saying “Mom, walk up here with me.” He got a little nervous, turning a bit uneasy when we entered the bustling building, and started chewing crazily at his nails. I […]
Last night was our annual block party for National Night Out. As you can see, things didn’t turn out so great for Uncle Kevin: And then there was Miles. He got all hopped up on ice cream and had one too many tantrums. The po po hauled him off to sugar de–tox. He’s back today and we’re happy to report that he seems to have learned his lesson: Isn’t that a terrifying photo? For a mom? C’mon!Miles actually did LOVE the police car, despite the fear in his eyes. (Every year the police/firemen stop by the block party and wow the kids with their vehicles.) Asher and Miles thought they were in heaven. No tantrums actually occurred, but there was a sugar high that lasted past 10pm. Today has been a day of recuperating for the over-tired grumps. But it was worth it: Thank you for allowing me to pop up in your […]
