Out on our new lawn

Today Bug and I spent sometime in our backyard. We were so blessed to have our yard totally redone after our addition last fall and it was the first day where the weather was nice enough to enjoy sitting in the shade. Bug gives me his 'stink eye'
Shaking these are hard work

but fun

super fun

what is that noise?

watching the cardinals in the tree

i love it when he makes this face

I knew it

I knew I voted for him for a reason.

(taken at Prairie Lights bookstore in Iowa City where Pres Obama stopped after his speech- he mentioning them several times in his speech as a small business who will be helped by his health care plan) May the force be with you, Mr President.

Sweet Baby James

Today I hosted a shower for Cara who is our friend from church and Lucas' pediatrician. It was a fancy shin-dig. Peep hors d'ouvres on a silver platter I got for my wedding.Amy outdid herself with the bookworm cake-- it was book themed shower.

I went totally crafty and made a diaper cake that we put on a fancy cake plate another friend, Jen, had gotten for wedding and never used. I told you this was a stylish shindig.

Cara is on the right. Holly on the left is due the day before her and Kim in the middle is due next week-- Holly and Kim are having their 2nd and 3rd respectively so they are 'so over' showers :-)

Little Ethan found a comfy seat on top of Kim's belly.

Ethan's twin brother Peter fell asleep using his cheeks as pillows in mom's lap. Being the cutest babies at a baby shower is a lot of hard work.

We just had a great time. Protect our friends, Jesus, and their sweet little ones to come.

Obama and Clayborn

Here are some pics from our great day on Thursday. These were our tickets. Obama coming out to speak

it wouldn't be Iowa City without some protesters.

and on the way back to work I met Adrian Clayborn.

He was walking out of the student health building where my office is. Here was our conversation

Me: "Are you Adrian Clayborn?"

AC: "yeah"

Me: cue verbal diarrhea "Can I take your picture? and shake your hand? I have my camera because I am just coming back from hearing Obama. That orange bowl game was so great, wasn't it just so great? I mean we were freaking out, it was so great, i mean wasn't it just so great?"

AC: "yeah it was great"

I snap a picture and shake his hand

Me: "Thanks so much. Thanks for staying next year. It is going to be so great. Go Hawks"

Seriously how many more times could I have said, 'so great'. I am sure he thought I was an idiot. He did seem to walk to his scooter awfully fast to make his getaway. I can't believe I forgot to ask for his autograph. All I had on my was my Obama tickets but just imagine if Adrian Clayborn signed my Obama ticket. I would have to frame that in bullet proof glass and invest in one of those cool museum spotlights.

if i was on facebook today...

if I was on facebook today I would say that I just listened to a landmark address from our 44th president AND on the way back to work I ran into Adrian Clayborne outside student health, shook his hand, took his picture, thanked him for staying next year and said Go Hawks. what a glorious day! pics to post later.

if i was on facebook today

i would post that i am about to walk over to stand in line to get a secret service pat down with Bill to hear Obama speak. excited to see Obama. happier to have a 'date' with my husband in the middle of the day.

If I was on facebook today...

if I was on facebook today, I would have posted that I just picked up Obama tickets for tomorrow's "stumping-for-my-health-care-plan-in-a-packed-arena-of-small-town-midwest- democratic-voters-so-they-won't-boo-me-and-won't- it-look-just-fabulous -on-the-evening news?" speech.

Go Orange!

Lucas getting ready for the big game today trying to poke out Jimmy's eyes. The Syracuse orange mascot is called Otto but I named my stuffed orange, Jimmy after our beloved coach. Now I have my 'Cuse gear on and am all ready!And during my nap they won!!!!!!!!!!! yipppeeeeee!!!!! Punch our ticket to the sweet sixteen!

Timbits

Yesterday these arrived at work. YUM! My co-worker's inlaws live in Canada and after one brief conversation with his mother-in-law of my constant love and longing for donuts and current life in no donut land, they bring me timbits. Nothing makes a 12 hour shift better then 20 donut holes fresh from the great white north!

a brand man

Lucas really likes yogurt. He is becoming a brand man already. He gets so excited when I get the little yogurt, take off the top and stir it up. He gets a huge smile on his face. When I try to feed him yogurt and vegetables he seems to know when the spoon leaves the vegetables and he turns his head away. I have started pouring veggies into his yogurt so he is eating pear and green bean yogurt-- yuck!-- but he eats it. Yesterday after yogurt was all gone he was turning his head from eating bananas which he really likes. It wasn't like he was getting peas or peaches-- both of which he hates. I poured the bananas into the empty yogurt container and he ate them right up. Is it lying to just keep this little container washed and to continue to put offensive foods in it? How at 11 months is my genius kid so smart?

an actual milestone

there is no sticker for that

I have one of those year long fill in calendars with stickers to mark Lucas' milestones. Today has been a milestone day. I just changed Lucas' diaper and he just had his first corn poop. Now there is no sticker for that but that won't stop me from putting it on his calendar.

my days with bug

Bug and I like to play. We have had two glorious days together- yesterday included three naps

:-) He is doing better scooting backward but mainly just likes to sit, play and smile.
It was chilly in the house with no fire yesterday so he got to wear his syracuse sweatshirt from the NYS Fair for the first time... thanks Grandma. An elusive shot of his only two teeth that we call his toofers

"Hey did you just take a picture of my two toofers?"

And the money shot from today.

"I am so big"

Dylan's dad died

My favorite 90210 episode was on last night... dylan's dad is dead. I had to take some shots. Just to catch you up. Here is what is happening here.

D: brenda you know if this hadn't happened i wouldn't be welcome here because you are still so pissed that i chose kelly over you after you two girls made me make a decision. it isn't my fault your dad wouldn't let you come to the party to welcome my convict dad home so when only kelly showed up we went swimming and made out.

B: you and kelly hurt me really bad but it is nothing compared to what you are going through. well actually it may be worse but for right now we'll let your grief be the center to attention and really in the years to come, i'll just be some girl you knew in high school and you'll go on to marry the daughter of the guy who off'd your dad and then she gets killed by her dad's own hitman and it turns out your dad isn't really dead and has been living in witness protection and you'll see him on the news one night randomly getting off a plane and find out all your years of grief, misery and alcoholism are for nothing so yeah maybe my grief is worse because it will turn out to actually be real

after 'the image of me that no one else can see or hear' turns into dylan as a young boy, the sweet refrain of 'can't cry hard enough' comes on and young dylan, the dylan inside the real dylan starts to cry

then real dylan turns his attention from the urn holding his car bomb exploded dad who really isn't dead to the dylan inside of himself crying

then they hug
"it's going to be ok, we're going to be ok" real life dylan whispers to the young dylan inside of himself

seriously best episode ever.

Finally caught on tape

This is Lucas' new trick... finally caught on tape. A few weekends ago the BG boys were over for a play date--- really Ali and I were desperate for conversations--- anyway being older and smarter than Lucas, they were using all his toys actually the right way and were putting anything that rolls down Lucas' plastic tree slide thing. Lucas had never really caught on to putting stuff at the top of the slide. Well all it took was some bigger and cooler boys to show him how and he got the hang of it. I have been trying to capture it on film but he never seems to perform for the camera... i'm working on that :-) disclaimer- watch in on mute, i sound like an idiot!

Tater tot feeds himself

Lucas finally got the hang of it. First self fed puff Friday 3/5 at Auntie Kim's house and by Saturday he was eating like an old pro. Way to go, Bug.

Laughing with Daddy

Don't go Daddy, tickle me some more.

Gosh I got a funny happy life!

Darth Baby

This is the best onesie ever. I am glad I captured these pictures because a. i think it is too small and b. right after the last picture was snapped, he puked on himself.
Wow Mommy is right. My belly is chubby. I am shaped like a tater tot.

We made it (I hope)!

Well we may have made it through winter. Bug and I have been desperate for a walk. Today it was about 40 degrees and sunny so we went for it. During nap time I unlocked, uncovered and resupplied the stroller. Once Bug woke up, we got all bundled and off we went. The fresh air, the bright sun, a trip to the library.... ahhhh it was delightful. Winter, you may have depressed us but you didn't defeat us.