Status

I really have nothing in particular to say, but in the Facebook spirit of sharing even the most mundane details of daily life, I am compelled to share. Share details. Lots and lots of details. About what I ate for breakfast even. So, sorry, mom. No cute pictures of Mary Clare. Just your firstborn exploiting the fact that it's her blog, and she can do what she wants.

So, here we go. In no particular order, of course.

*Chip was in Chicago this week for business, so I had my first solo parenting experience. Mary Clare, Buddy and I all survived. Honestly, it really wasn't that bad, mostly because I knew I could have a complete set of grandparents delivered to my doorstep in one hour should the need arise. The grandparent backup is key.

*I was starving when I arrived at work this morning. I knew my yogurt wouldn't cut it, so I bumped my lunch up to breakfast status and enjoyed a tasty slice of meatloaf at 8:15 a.m. It was delicious and oh so satisfying.

*I am on furlough from work next week. Boo to not getting paid that week, but yea to some quality time with Mary Clare. Chip is even taking a vacation one day so we can dive into all those neatly stacked Rubbermaid containers lining our basement walls and see what we can stand to lose. I am ready to purge.

*If you're in St. Louis on August 15 and have ever thought, my, but what I wouldn't give to have some of Amanda's and Debbie's castoffs, then you should totally hit the yard sale we are having at the Hehmeyer's house.

Sadly (or finally, depending on how you look at it), that is all I have to share right now. Looking forward to a nice weekend with the fam as I coast into a busy, but work-free week.

Happy Moo-nday

Birthday wishes

Happiest wishes to Sherri on her 32nd birthday. We hope you have a wonderful day with your boys.

See you in a few weeks!

Sunday best

Sure, I took this photo on Saturday. And sure, I really have nothing else to say. But I'm sorry, a photo this sweet deserves its own post.

Sunday best, indeed.

Seven months

The months, they fly by. Our little peanut is seven months old, and just as happy as ever.

Now that Mary Clare has a whole host of firsts under her belt -- laughing, smiling, standing, rolling over, sitting up and eating solids -- we delight in watching her little personality develop. Last week she started laughing on her own. Just laughing. For no reason. I'm sure you can imagine how terribly adorable that is. She lights up when Chip walks into the room and chortles at the funny noises he makes. When she's really tired, her little lip will tremble as crocodile tears well in her eyes. Sometimes Mary Clare reaches her arms out to me, with an expression that says "Get me out of here!" or "You! I know you! And I love you!" Both make me melt.

She is still a skinny minnie, but at the same time she is getting so big. It is hard to hold her cradle-style when I nurse her, and I'm shocked when I see how she fills out her car seat. And my mom will dispute this, but there is, in fact, some chub on her thighs. Her hair has taken on a lovely Donald Trump quality, and by the end of the day it is a crazy mess of loose curls. The jury is still out on if she will stay brunette, and if her eyes will stay blue. You just never know what the next month will bring.

Click here for the full seventh-month set.

A powerful thirst

Having snagged a reserved parking spot today, I decided to make a mad mid-day trek to Sam's instead of hitting it after work. I could say I did it to avoid the 5 o'clock Friday crowd, but really, I just wanted to shave 30 minutes off the time from when I log off to when I sip that first cocktail of the weekend. I love summer, and I love summer Fridays.

Speaking of drinks, I picked up something to quench each family member's thirst. You have to love it when the carts around you are filled with the makings for a family barbecue and your cart contains two cans of formula, a case of Schlafly and a bottle of Maker's Mark.

Oh, and lest you think I left out Buddy, I did pick up a bunch of bananas as well. He loves the ends.

Clearly, it is going to be a good weekend on Botanical.

So I married a golf hustler

Okay, so he doesn't hustle alone, and it's for charity, and it's not really hustling, but come on already. For those who remember last year's Show for Tro, you will be pleased to know that Chip, Tyler, Brian and Jeff (with a special assist by Matt*) won that same darn golf tournament again this year.

While the Carmine's gift certificate is certainly a treat and the Jagermeister polo shirt will look great on Buddy, I must admit that when Chip came in the door Sunday night and announced that they won the golf tournament again, I thought, oh crap, how can I beat last year's "Boastfest of Champions" post?

Thankfully, Tyler made it easy for me by creating another one of his smashing pieces of artwork.

And now, without further ado, Team Botanical would like to formally congratulate Jeff Brasier, Tyler Oleksy, Brian Rheinecker and Chip Lindh for winning a golf tournament that benefits some charity that's somehow tied to football scholarships. Yep, two years now, and they still don't know exactly where the money goes. Apparently their altruism knows no bounds when golf and beer are involved.

And now I'm off to scout out other southern Illinois charity golf tournaments, as I think the boys clearly have the potential to pull in some sweet gift certificates and golf swag.

*Matt had to miss this year's tournament as he's on a family vacation in Florida. I still can't believe he didn't ask Laura's entire extended family to schedule around the tournament. Talk about having your priorities out of whack.

Raspberry season

Now that Mary Clare sits up on her own, the photo taking opportunities are endless. I'm overwhelmed by the possibilities, and thrilled at the thought of being able to use our bigger lens. It makes me downright giddy, I tell you. Mary Clare, on the other hand, could take it or leave it.

Click here for shots from Friday night's impromptu outdoor session.

The happy hooter

Last night Sherri went with some friends to the Starlight, KC's outdoor theatre, so Brian and Brennan were left to their own devices. Not one to miss an opportunity to provide his child with a rich, cultural education, Brian came up with a plan that rivaled Sherri's evening at the theatre: Hooter's and Home Depot.

As Sherri put it, they hit all the orange spots.

Give peas a chance

Our little peanut is quite the hungry hippo lately. She's become a fast little baby food eater, and she's pounding 6 oz. bottles like it's her job. Last Saturday she even let Gramps and Grams have it when they took a little too long of a break between the cereal and vegetable courses. She is my girl for sure; we both get a little cranky when not regularly fed.

I'm making Mary Clare's baby food, which is not as hard as you might think and yes, even though baby food is not that pricey, making your own is still way less expensive. I realize that neither of those reasons will satisfy my sister, who responded to my question about making baby food with a tart, "Hello, baby food is like 25 cents!" but hey, I like doing it. I usually do a batch of three or four items on Sunday, freeze them in ice cube trays, pop them out and then I just grab ice cube-sized portions as needed. Easy as pie. Oh, and in case you think I'm sort of nut who is into only organic or obsessed about what goes into my child's body, hello, clearly we haven't met. Nope, I really just like making Mary Clare's baby food.

Anyway, enough about the things I do to assuage my guilt about being a working mother, and more about Mary Clare.

Last night we gave peas a chance. Yep, I said it. I also said it several times last night, even though Mary Clare was the only one there to enjoy my bad pun. Unlike her Uncle Brian, she is a big fan of the peas. Well, if you watch the video*, you'll see that initially she did not think much of the peas. In fact, there's a good chance she thought I was trying to poison her with peas. But it all worked out in the end, and now we have tacked one more veggie onto Mary Clare's list of conquered foods.

*Please pardon my super annoying pea-eating commentary. When it's just me and the kids at home, I pretty much talk to Buddy and Mary Clare non-stop. I'm fairly certain they fake sleep just to stop the jabbering.

He's just not that into you

She finds him endlessly fascinating, craning her neck and squealing every time he comes in the room. She constantly reaches for him, grabbing jowls, ears, whiskers and whatever she can grasp before he ducks his head.

And him? Well, he tolerates her. He is ever the patient Lab, silently biding his time until she's progressed to table food, which she will surely throw his way. It is the promise of food falling from the sky that keeps him from snapping her tiny little hands off.

Chip Lindh, 32

Happy birthday to my (ahem) younger husband on this very special 07-08-09.

Mary Clare, Buddy and I love you oh so very much.

Come on in, the water's fine

It was only a matter of time, really. Hunter and Holly's water bowl has long fascinated young Brennan, and no puppy pool, water hose or baby pool could come between them. Besides, the dogs' water bowl is mere steps from the living room, which just makes it so terribly convenient and tempting.

Of course, I'm all the more delighted by this picture because Brennan's little bowl bath took place during Brian's "Mr. Mom Weekend" when he and his friend Scott were charged with watching Brennan and Scott's girls, Reagan and Lily. It is also key to mention that during this Mr. Mom Weekend, Scott and Brian took all three kids fishing. Fishing. No outlet mall shopping or playgrounds for these hearty souls. Oh, no. When Brian and Scott are in charge, it's all about hooks, sharp rods and open bodies of water.

Everyone survived, though, and I'd even venture to say that Brennan's immune system is all the stronger for it.

Click here for more photos from the Mr. Mom Weekend.

Firecracker on the fourth