Sober

If turning 30 isn't enough, I'll tell you what is. Being cast as Juliet's freaking mother. That's enough to stop a girl in her tracks.

I'm going to be in a production of R&J done in the "drive-by" style. No rehearsal, the one and only performance just a week after getting our parts, lots of booze.

But I'll be sober because booze would only make it that much harder to remember my lines.

James Ambrose is Three

We are having cake and presents tonight. Too bad his birthday falls on one of my school days, else he'd have a super 3 birthday like we did for Bea. She woke up to a three pancake stack, had a party at 3pm with 3 presents, etc. It was great. But tonight will be great also! And there's real-live-film in the ol' Pentax!

all photos by James

Lesson Learned

James got his birthday present a week early this year. And I learned an important lesson: 4 year olds can't keep secrets. Well, mine can't anyway.

I got James a ukelele and idiotically let the kids see it before I hid it away in the workroom.

That was Friday. We had a busy day and went over to Irene in the evening. We stayed late, drank mint juleps and the kids got good and tired. Messy too. When we finally came home around 10, I stuck the kids in the bath to wear them out a bit more.

James got Bea out of the bath and talked to her about settling down for bedtime. She said,"First I want to play the ukelele."

Said James, "We don't have a ukelele, honey. Do you even know what a uke is?"

"Yes, Daddy," said she. "It's like a guitar, but very little. And we do have one."

At this point, it was getting unfair. She knew she was right and James was saying she was wrong and she was getting mad. So I intervened.

"Bea, if we have a ukelele, where is it?"

"It is in the workroom, but we just have to find it!"

James put her down and she ran out there, but she didn't know where it was hidden. I discretely pointed and she pulled out a uke shaped box! Oh, you should have seen the look on James' face!!! It was so perfect! We all screamed and clapped and laughed.

Now the house is even more full of music. :)

Ambrose is Two

When I got home from work last night, James and I got things ready for Amby's birthday. We blew up balloons and put hung crepe paper from his doorway. He woke up this morning around 7:30 and we all had cupcakes and fruity pebbles (we never have sugar cereal, so it was a real treat). 

Then the kids got dressed and Am got his first present:

 He loves Hobbes! :) I read the kids some stories. We got a few new books this week.

I went over to have coffee with Mama this morning and when I got back home, Am was naked! So we figured it was about time for the next present:

Now the kids are napping (well, not quite, but I'm hopeful that they will quiet down soon so that I can get some school work done!). We are having a little family party later today.

Here is a picture from his birthday last year:

TONIGHT!

Tonight is my birthday party! I can hardly, hardly wait!

May 20th

Today is my own very much birthday. And so far so good!

Last night when I sat down to paint, I realized that I didn't have enough titanium white to do a darn thing, so I switched to gouache. Good idea, you guys! I am really excited about the painting that I am working on now. And who cares if all those famous artists only used gouache for studies: I saw a gouache Picasso at the High.

Also, Mama gave me three new fiesta plates for my collection (turquoise, scarlet, lemon). And my friend Josh gifted me the entire discography of a band that is right up my alley: Tennis.

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This is Amby's side of the story. He doesn't understand what a birthday is yet, so Bea's Big Day had him pretty mystified. We really made a whole dy of it. He got presents and cake too so that he wouldn't feel left out. The worst part for him was having to get all spiffed up after his nap for the 3 o'clock party:

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Beatrice got this Star Wars shirt for her birthday. They didn't have any Dune shirts is all :P

I guess I should just say this already: I am political right now. Maybe it is a streak, maybe it is a way of life. Maybe my forever future. I don't know. But I am embracing my inner activist. SOOO, maybe I will blog as much as ever, but if not, it's for a good reason. If I do continue to get on here fairly regularly, don't be surprised if you see some opinions surface.

If you are curious about the issues I am studying and/or supporting, just ask! There is a contact button on the nav bar ^_^

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(It is a swimsuit, but she thinks that it's a ballet costume.) 

Today, this little girl is three! She will have presents and pink cake and a new dress. We will take her out -without Am- for dinner on Friday night because tonight her daddy has to work. Today will just be Beatrice fun. 

My sweet Beatrice Caroline is the smartest, silliest, prettiest girl. She loves reading and playing outside. She wants to be a cupcake when she grows up. Her favorite thing in the world is to see a firetruck or ambulance. She eats tomatoes like they are apples. 

Yesterday evening, she begged to go downtown. So we went. As soon as she was out of the car, she started running. Up the street, a block and a half down Main Street. She knew where she was going. She found the Chocolate Moose, ran in the front door, around the counter and grabbed a cupcake fresh off the rack! She had taken a bite before I could catch up with her! 

I love her free spirit and her determination. I love that she knows what she wants and will go after it. I hope she always keeps and cultivates those traits --which I will try to balance with foresight and tact, of course. 

Beatrice, I love you!

Happy Birthday, cont'd

Amby's birthday celebration lasted all weekend. We had a nice dinner, just the four of us, on Friday night and he opened his presents from me and James. On Saturday, Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Danny came over with more presents:

This vehicle will probably turn my hair gray in no time. But at least I'll get plenty of exercise...

We went out for lunch with them, took a nap break in the afternoon, and in the evening Jake and Lucy came over and we all had cake.

On Sunday, we had a birthday lunch with Papa and Moma and aunts Isobel and Emma and uncles Raleigh and Justus.

Emma made cupcakes which Amby shared with me:

Today, we are going to Sears and Ambrose is getting his one year portraits made. 

Happy Birthday, Son!

My little guy is a year old! This was a whole darn year ago! Un-buh-lievable.

Am, you are so cute that it's not even fair. I could spend all day with my cheek smooshed into yours (if you didn't have a sister competing for cheek smooshage).  In just a couple weeks you have become a pro at walking. And what's all this about repeating everything I say! You are a baby, for crying out loud. Aren't you supposed to just coo?

Cute things:

1. You and Bea are going as skeletons for halloween and I got you both masks. You hold yours up and say, BOO!

2. You love my monkey Ferdinand, but when he cries, your face clouds up with the most adorable pout ever. Not because you are scared, but because you feel sorry for him. You empathize. I'm going to video tape it because it really is too much.

3. You love to cuddle with a teddy bear or blanky to go to sleep. When I check on you, you often have one of your two quilts wrapped around your head.

4. Today when Papa Jake told Beatrice that Mama Lulu needed a hug, all you heard was "needs a hug." You dove out of my arms for Papa Jake like life or death and you gave him the sweetest hug. I love that you care so much about peoples' needs even when you don't understand the context.

5. The way you look in a birthday hat:

I love you, son. Grow up strong and handsome like your daddy. Be brave and adventurous like your sister. And always be silly. Like your mama.

ONE

A week from tomorrow my baby will be one. He is just starting to walk and he says so many words that only James, Bea and I can understand. He dances and he laughs all. the. time.

As most people know, we are stopping at two. Which I am fine with and I think it is right for our family. But it does mean that I will be dealing with baby fever for years and years to come. You know, when you want a baby, a newborn, someone to cuddle and fuss over. You want the excitement of planning for your baby and finding out the sex.

Of course, thoughts of poop and paying for 18 years of stress and drama plus college and having three teenagers at the same time don't enter into these fantasies. :/

So I'll stick with my two kids. Not babies anymore, mind you. Kids. Well, technically toddlers. But, gosh, we've come so far: sleeping through the night in the same room, weaning, bottle weaning, self feeding. Soon even diapers will be a thing of the past!

Bird Finger Update

So yesterday we had another trip to the ER with our little wild child. Beatrice got her cast off! She lodged her hand between the sofa and window sill and pried it right off.

I had found her a few times earlier that day picking a whole in the cast so she could touch her index finger and saying, "hello finger."

At the hospital, they just wrapped it up as best they could. I'm glad they didn't put on a whole new cast!

Anyway, the pins will come out tomorrow!!!

On a totally different note: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY FAVORITE HUSBAND!