this little boy of mine sure keeps me on my toes, but he is pure joy to be around. always quick with a smile or a kiss, he keeps this house happy and full of light. a favorite new game is to get wrapped up in the curtains and play peek a boo.
{this might be my new favorite picture}
i find that blogging is a lot like working out. as long as you’re in the habit of doing it every day, you’re all good, but the day you decide to break the cycle, you’re screwed. that’s what has happened to me lately – with blogging – ok, maybe with working out too – but that’s another story. let’s just say i’m refreshed and ready to be back.
as has been my monday tradition recently, let’s have a little review of the weekend…in pictures.
saturday, we headed downtown to the all star fanfest. though beckett was a little young for most of the activities, he still had fun watching all the baseball fanfare. we figured that since the last time the all star game was in kc it was 1973, we’d better take advantage of the situation.
you might notice a few new players in this team picture…
we are continuing to harvest tomatoes from the plants that have gone crazy in our backyard. at last count we had almost 50 on the vine! jared has been quite the farmer giving them all the tlc they can handle.
i should have taken a picture yesterday of the rain….glorious rain! it feels like months since the ground has been wet, and though it only lasted about 15 minutes, it was just enough to let the humidity go and let us play outside last night.
summer is in full swing, and we’re having the temperatures to prove it. the highs for the weekend are between 94 and 101 – yowza. having a small child forces me to be outdoors more often, which i love, but i’ve decided i should be less of a friend to the sun than i have in years past. i tan easily, but i’m learning that it’s no longer a real mark of beauty, but premature aging – dang it! that said, i’ve deemed it the year of the hat, so you’ll notice some extra protective stuff on my list. here are my must haves for the summer months.
{sun hat, moisturizer, sunscreen, sunglasses, swimsuit, boys’ trunks, reading material}
i was watching a few minutes of the today show this morning and a few stories came on that were just plain disgusting – a school bus monitor reduced to tears by taunting kids, the trial of a suspect in a case of a boy set on fire, and of course, jerry sandusky. i said outloud to beckett, ‘i’m so glad you’re too little to understand all this.” he responded with a great big smile, and it just made me want to guard him forever from all the the ugly in our world. fast forward a few hours and i saw a link to a story online that caught my eye. i clicked, and it did exactly what the title said it would do – ‘restored my faith in humanity.’ it’s a pretty short little article with some amazing pictures, and i would encourage you to take just a few minutes to go through it. what a great reminder that there are plenty of good people sharing our planet. here’s the link to the story – read it, and pass it along. let’s overwhelm the ugly in our world with a whole lotta good.
{this is the one that brought me to tears}
b-man is turning 2 at the end of august, so i’ve recently been thinking about birthdays. like kids room’s, i’m not into the whole character thing, but i do enjoy having a fun theme. i mean, it’s a kid’s birthday party. i have an idea that i’m leaning towards, but these darling photos have me keeping my options open.
{hot air balloon photo booth}
{super heroes – he’ll appreciate this one more in a few years}
beckett is really into baseball at the moment, so this could be a contender. between watching jared play softball and having the royals’ game on nearly every night, he has picked up on how it’s done. he will use anything as a bat (remote, toy, decorative object), hold it up like he’s about to swing, drop it and run. it’s pretty hilarious.
{circus party – it would be so fun to have kiddos dress up}
{for the little reader – how darling are the mini-milk glasses?}
{sweet and simple zoo animals}
i saw this little writing about interruptions yesterday, and it really resonated with me. it can apply to anyone, but it might especially resonate with those of you who are parents, because let’s face it, who doesn’t hear ‘mama!’ or ‘daddy!’ a thousand times a day. they are sweet words (and ones we longed to hear), but sometimes, don’t you wish someone wasn’t calling your name? i remember when i used to work at a corporate job, i didn’t want to hear ‘cara’ anymore after i got home. i had heard it enough, and people were just wanting stuff from me. i remember my mom telling the same story about her nursing days. but maybe, instead of looking at those moments as interruptions, we look at them as little moments that someone is acknowledging us, needing us. because, you know what? someday, these little people will go to school or soccer practice or college or be tending to their own sweet children, and we won’t hear ‘mama’ and ‘daddy’ nearly as much. it made me cry to type that.
INTERRUPTIONS
When you are exasperated by interruptions, try to remember that their very
frequency may indicate the value of your life. Only people who are full
of help and strength are burdened by other persons’ needs. The
interruptions which we chafe at are the credentials of our
indispensability. The greatest condemnation that anybody could incur –
and it is a danger to guard against – is to be so independent, so
unhelpful, that nobody ever interrupts us, and we are left comfortably alone.
-Anonymous
from The Anglican Digest
hi friends. back today with a few party tricks. these are not rocket science, just a few things i’ve picked up along the way from parties i’ve been to, pictures i’ve seen, and of course, pinterest.
{this was taken pre-food. we did feed our guests…a lot.}
do you have any fun party tricks? i’d love to try them out for my next shindig, so please leave your ideas!
for the last several weeks, i’ve been preparing for a party to help welcome my nephew emmett (part of my distraction from the blog of late). since my brother and sister-in-law live in denver, i thought it would be nice to have an open house where friends and family could come to congratulate the parents and meet the baby instead of them having to travel all over kansas city trying to do the same thing. the party was a hit – everyone had a great time, and even stayed late. it was very much a team effort to pull this off, and i have to give equal credit to my dear husband, parents, and aunt and uncle for efforts great and small. here are a few of the party details. come back tomorrow for more scoop and a few of my own party tips.
{the gorgeous guest of honor}
{b-man sneaking a little icing}
the short guys is 21 months now, which i think is just bonkers. you mean i’m going to have a 2-year-old???
he is busy busy, and honestly, that has got to be an understatement. for example, last night, while i was unloading groceries, he was doing shuttle runs in the kitchen for about 20 minutes. this cannot be normal. he is counting from 1 – 10, knows his colors, several shapes, and quite a few letters too. we haven’t been pushing him, but he genuinely seems interested, so we’re going with it. he is still loving all things with a motor, and my dad thinks he has a little engineer brain, which he had to get from his grandfathers. his parents do not have engineer brains. he loves to color, play with sidewalk chalk, and still enjoys books when he’s in the mood. we haven’t been to the pool yet, but he really loves the water, so i hope he’ll love the pool too.
on the not-so-great side, he has sure been testing the limits. he loves to throw things, but we don’t love that. i do understand the concept is hard. throw the ball – yay, you’re great! but, don’t throw the toy, shoe, cup, etc! i think my fuse has been a little short lately, but i am struggling with how to handle these situations. i’m trying to be calm, get down to his level, and just talk to him. unfortunately, it’s not working. i do understand that he is still young. any hot tips???
overall, he is an easy-going happy kid. he is sweet, sweet, sweet, and a little charmer.
{favorite pastime – bowls of water on the patio}
{sleepyhead, wrapped up on a chilling morning}
chasingshinyobjects.com 