Someday my prince will come

Here's one more photo from this weekend's sparkle spectacular. Sadly, I took this picture in probably the worst place in our house -- the upstairs hallway. And with that wall color and lighting, there's no fixing that groovy 70s yellow sheen, no matter how much I blow it out and play with the settings.

Ah, but she's cute, isn't she? And pale. Because those aren't tights on her legs, my friend. They're just that white.

Oh, we're here, alright

We're just busy being fancy.

Please be patient with us. As patient as Buddy. (Who is really patient, in case you can't tell.)

Charlie, seven months

My, oh my, how things change in just a month's time. Charlie has mastered sitting up, and now he will even gracefully lower himself from sitting to his stomach so he can go after toys and whatnot. When he is on his belly, he either scoots himself everywhere or boosts himself up on all fours and starts rocking. It takes every bit of willpower I have not to push him back down. I am not ready for my baby to crawl, thankyouverymuch.

And, as you can see, not only is he hard to keep in one place, once he sets his sights on something, look out. That sign never stood a chance.

Another month, and still no teeth, but he seems to do just fine with the biscuits and other wafer like things we give him. We tried puffs last week, but they either end up stuck to his face or we find them down his shirt sleeves when we change him for bed. Charlie is taking more of a liking to solids, and of course the sweeter fruits and vegetables are his favorites. I'm afraid he's not going to be the pea lover that his sister is.

The laughing is cuter than ever. It is ever so entertaining to see what will send him into fits of laughter. Today it was a sneeze from me, which led to all of us, including Mary Clare, faking sneezes just so we could keep him laughing. It's that good. He babbles just as much as ever, and this past week he started saying "ba ba ba ba ba." And once he starts on the "ba ba ba" streak, there's no stopping him. This, too, freaks me out, as the next thing you know he will be saying, "ma ma," closely followed by "Mama, stop trying to feed me these damn peas." 

As I mentioned last week, I am woefully behind with editing and uploading photos, But just to keep it official, here is the seven month/December set. You will notice that the last photo added is from his six month photo shoot. Yikes. It's worse than I thought. Nevertheless, I hope to get December rounded out and January started this week.

Alas, he knows me well

We had a few inches of snow yesterday, but lucky for me it was a work from home day, so I didn't have to deal with all of the driving headaches. However, I had to go into the office today, and there is still some snow and ice on the roads.


This didn't concern me, but oh, how Chip hates the thought of me driving in icy conditions. Actually, let me clarify: I'm not sure it's me he's worried about so much as our car. And any other cars that may get in my way. And any lawsuit-loving drivers of said cars.


As I helped Chip get the kids loaded into his car, he commented that the side streets are still pretty slick. "I know, I know," I said. When I turned to go back into the house, I heard, "Remember, all wheel drive means that all of the wheels will spin." I responded with a "Yeah, yeah." and a curt wave of my hand. And then I heard, "And hitting the button for the winter setting doesn't turn the car into a snow plow." To which I responded with the one-finger salute.


But damn if he doesn't know me well. 

Holy hell, it's everywhere!

I received this text from my sister last night:

It is snowing here and Brennan is SUPER excited. After looking out the patio door, he ran downstairs, looked out the basement door and shouted, "Hey, it is snowing down here, too!" 

That B. He never disappoints.

Social media slowdown

I'm so behind. Behind on my Google Reader subscriptions. Behind on reading Facebook posts. Behind on uploading pictures. So as tempting as it may seem, I'm going to hold off on jumping aboard the Pinterest train as long as I can.

Along with the rest of my social media slowdown, you may have noticed that activity at good old TB has come to all but a standstill since the holidays. (If you didn't notice, please don't tell me. I write this to boost my ego document the lives of my precious children and beloved family members.) I still haven't written a post for Mary Clare's birthday. For shame! Of course we did some mini celebrations on the actual day, but we postponed the full-blown birthday party until January 14 in order to give everyone a breather. So mentally, I guess I wasn't thinking birthday posts quite yet, even though Mary Clare will gleefully tell you that she is three. Sorry, baby girl. I promise that I will write this.

Sadly, what I've listed above is just the computer side of life. I have a brand spanking new sewing machine still resting in its box, a camera whose instruction manual is still in the cellophane wrapper and a Nikon that is still set to auto.

Sigh. I think I'm just in a post-holiday slump. My mood is great, I just haven't felt like getting reconnected after making a concerted effort to slow down and enjoy the holidays this year. I'll get there. And when I do, maybe I can also write a post that make sense. But for now, you get the rambling. 

Blog recognition for the baby

That's right, I finally updated the photos and descriptions in the right sidebar of the blog template.

Sorry it took so long, Charlie. Your baby book is next. I swear.

Happy new year

Happy 2012, my friends! 


The past year was chock full of wonderful events and arrivals, the highlight of which was of course sweet Charlie. Mary Clare fully embraced her role as big sister, and she continues to physically embrace her little brother every chance she gets. Chip and I celebrated five years of marriage in November, and December 27 marked Buddy's sixth year on Botanical.


In 2012, I'm looking forward to falling more in love with all the members of TB. Charlie becomes more engaging with every passing day, and Mary Clare amazes me with her increasing awareness and knowledge of the world around her. Chip continues to make me laugh—it could be the post-beard mustache, though. And while we certainly do our share of driving one another insane, gosh darn it if I don't love him. As for Buddy, well, how can you not love a Lab that puts up with everything we've thrown his way? 


As far as resolutions go, I'm hoping to improve my skills in some areas, namely baking and photography. While baking might not really jibe with my need to shed some poundage, I've decided that it's time to embrace the science that is baking. I shall no longer fear the pie crust. And as far photography, I am determined to get off of the auto setting in 2012. I'd also like to try my hand at learning some new things. My parents gave me a fancy-schmancy sewing machine for Christmas. While it intimidates me far more than the aperture priority setting on the Nikon, I will learn how to sew. Something. Or at least put tucks in the kiddos' pants. Baby steps on the Baby Lock, if you will. 


Here's to a wonderful 2012!